Dead Key?
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Falkon MX-5
Dead key is pretty much the peak number of watts the radio puts out just sending the carrier and no modulation.
In laymen's terms, it's how much power the radio puts out when you just key up and don't say anything.
As for the amp thing, I'm not sure. I know you need so much wattage to drive the amp and so many watts dead key to click it on [you'll hear the relay click]
In laymen's terms, it's how much power the radio puts out when you just key up and don't say anything.
As for the amp thing, I'm not sure. I know you need so much wattage to drive the amp and so many watts dead key to click it on [you'll hear the relay click]
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Mississippifrog
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Falkon MX-5
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Phaze91460
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Mr RadioActive
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Phaze91460
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Falkon MX-5
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Mr RadioActive
See I use a 500 mhz scope everyday, but heres my idea, maybe im wrong?? Who cares what it looks like on a scope, IF it sounds loud and bodacious! Scopes are for repairs! If your radio splatters over 400 chns each key..........GREAT! If you dont want it that way, thats why some become hams. But nobody spends $500 on a radio, caring if the guy on chn 22 knows your on your new big toy on chn 23! If so, then there 2m/440 etc for you to go to.
Like I said maybe Im wrong, but if people cared about what a o-scope said then they wouldnt be buying 1000 watt Fatboys, Davemades, etc etc etc, with general lees, 99Vs, 88s, 3300s either. They be on a icom, kenwood, alinco, etc.
We dont talk into a scope, we talk on the air. Ill talk loud, phat, good sounding audio on the air anyday, before I cared what a scope said my audio looked like. I dont care about my audios looks, I care about my audios sound!!!! lol Dont get me wrong, I dont have a 500 mhz tex scope, and spectrum analizer for no reason. But big audio, is big audio. And when the radio checks come back "Loud and Proud, sounds awesome" I long forgot what the picture on the scope looked like!
Like I said maybe Im wrong, but if people cared about what a o-scope said then they wouldnt be buying 1000 watt Fatboys, Davemades, etc etc etc, with general lees, 99Vs, 88s, 3300s either. They be on a icom, kenwood, alinco, etc.
We dont talk into a scope, we talk on the air. Ill talk loud, phat, good sounding audio on the air anyday, before I cared what a scope said my audio looked like. I dont care about my audios looks, I care about my audios sound!!!! lol Dont get me wrong, I dont have a 500 mhz tex scope, and spectrum analizer for no reason. But big audio, is big audio. And when the radio checks come back "Loud and Proud, sounds awesome" I long forgot what the picture on the scope looked like!
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Falkon MX-5
Well, it's not a big deal having a little flat topping, but there's a difference between complete modulation and over-modulation. Over-modulation shouldn't cause you to bleed over every channel. You have to remember, the power limit on many HF bands is 1500 watts, and the "minimum" frequency separation between you and another station should be 3kHz according to the rules.
Granted SSB takes up much less bandwidth, CB channels are 10kHz apart, and at 3kHz difference, you WILL be bleeding an adjacent station. The radios are good, but they're not THAT good [unless you buy one of those $15,000 ones I guess]
I guess it depends. As you said, the proof is in the pudding. If it sounds good, if it works well, then it's made well. I'd rather not have my radio splatter on 400 chans as you say, because that means I'll probably also be blacking out TVs, coming over phone lines, and the neighbors will stripe my car.
Granted SSB takes up much less bandwidth, CB channels are 10kHz apart, and at 3kHz difference, you WILL be bleeding an adjacent station. The radios are good, but they're not THAT good [unless you buy one of those $15,000 ones I guess]
I guess it depends. As you said, the proof is in the pudding. If it sounds good, if it works well, then it's made well. I'd rather not have my radio splatter on 400 chans as you say, because that means I'll probably also be blacking out TVs, coming over phone lines, and the neighbors will stripe my car.
Mr.RadioActive wrote:See I use a 500 mhz scope everyday, but heres my idea, maybe im wrong?? Who cares what it looks like on a scope, IF it sounds loud and bodacious! Scopes are for repairs! If your radio splatters over 400 chns each key..........GREAT! If you dont want it that way, thats why some become hams. But nobody spends $500 on a radio, caring if the guy on chn 22 knows your on your new big toy on chn 23! If so, then there 2m/440 etc for you to go to.
Like I said maybe Im wrong, but if people cared about what a o-scope said then they wouldnt be buying 1000 watt Fatboys, Davemades, etc etc etc, with general lees, 99Vs, 88s, 3300s either. They be on a icom, kenwood, alinco, etc.
We dont talk into a scope, we talk on the air. Ill talk loud, phat, good sounding audio on the air anyday, before I cared what a scope said my audio looked like. I dont care about my audios looks, I care about my audios sound!!!! lol Dont get me wrong, I dont have a 500 mhz tex scope, and spectrum analizer for no reason. But big audio, is big audio. And when the radio checks come back "Loud and Proud, sounds awesome" I long forgot what the picture on the scope looked like!
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Falkon MX-5
always.
The idea is for full modulation, the modulated watts double the carrier watts.
either way, power is power. If you totally flat top your modulation, you'll still be loud, you just won't sound too good.
I'd rather have a radio that dead keys 25 watts and swings 50 than one that dead keys 10 watts and swings 40. I'd rather have it than that one that dead keys 10 and swings the full 50.
This is peak, not average watts.
The idea is for full modulation, the modulated watts double the carrier watts.
either way, power is power. If you totally flat top your modulation, you'll still be loud, you just won't sound too good.
I'd rather have a radio that dead keys 25 watts and swings 50 than one that dead keys 10 watts and swings 40. I'd rather have it than that one that dead keys 10 and swings the full 50.
This is peak, not average watts.
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Mississippifrog
I was just wondering what was the best way to run my radio.Right now with with my RF power turned all the way to the left my radio is keying about 1 watt with the amp off.With the amp on it will dead key 20 watts swinging to 500,some times more.I'm all the time hearing people on the radio saying that they are dead keying 100,200,even 300 watts.Now don't get me wrong my radio is talking!!!But i was wondering why my numbers seam to be so far off from theres.Also i have noticed when these people with the big dk's are talking they don't have much modulation on my meter.From the time they key up till the time they unkey the needle just sets in the same place.On the other hand people are all ways telling me "man that radios got some forward swing" or something like "your dead keying a 3 swinging a 9" So which way is right?I'm assuming a low dead key is better on the radio....is this right?Sorry for all the questions but i always say,if you don't know....ask 
PS I've had nothing but good radio checks with my setup this way.But if raising the dead key would make it better..........i'd like to know
PS I've had nothing but good radio checks with my setup this way.But if raising the dead key would make it better..........i'd like to know
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Mr RadioActive
Heck if that was true every dave made amp would sound like crap. A dave made 2x8 base box for example keys 400-500 swings 2400 and sounds awesome. 1x4 mobile 150w-700-800w pep, it goes on and on. The radio I use everyday keys 2.5 watts and swings 45 pep. The radios I setup everyday key 4.5 with 45 pep. They all sound awesome! Every swp/rx general lee does the same, they sound awesome. If you cant keep up the RMS watts then maybe thats true.
99% of all good sounding radios are low deadkeys, high swing!
Ive got to get off this thread before I make people mad! Falcon your 105% right on so much, but I disagree with this thread. You do have awesome high standards, and alot of knowledge of ham radios, which is awesome. I can totally hang with you there. Your one of the top guys on this forum, so Im not slapping you in the face I hope, Id never mean to do that. I just disagree 100%, but maybe Im wrong. Ive been wrong once or twice before! lol
99% of all good sounding radios are low deadkeys, high swing!
Ive got to get off this thread before I make people mad! Falcon your 105% right on so much, but I disagree with this thread. You do have awesome high standards, and alot of knowledge of ham radios, which is awesome. I can totally hang with you there. Your one of the top guys on this forum, so Im not slapping you in the face I hope, Id never mean to do that. I just disagree 100%, but maybe Im wrong. Ive been wrong once or twice before! lol
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bazookajoe
my setup on low keys about 50 watts, and swings to 1800 rms
on high it dead keys 800 watts and swings to 1800 rms
with the radio itself keying 2 watts and swinging to 20 watts rms
and they tell me i`m nasty nast nasty loud. and xtal clean even with my s9 echo... ofcourse my swr is flat flat flat... and a total reflect of only about 2 watts at full power and i love my Lmr600 ultraflex coax... woo hoo :Peace!:
on high it dead keys 800 watts and swings to 1800 rms
with the radio itself keying 2 watts and swinging to 20 watts rms
and they tell me i`m nasty nast nasty loud. and xtal clean even with my s9 echo...
ofcourse my swr is flat flat flat... and a total reflect of only about 2 watts at full power and i love my Lmr600 ultraflex coax... woo hoo :Peace!:-
Falkon MX-5
No, you're totally right. The proof is right there. Honestly, in this case, what I know is what I've heard, and what I've heard isn't necessarily correct. You have the experience, you tuned my radio, and you tell me what it's set up to do. If it's sounding good as it is, then what you've done is right, and keep it up. I really have much more to learn about radios. What I've really been working with is antenna theory.
Mr.RadioActive wrote: Ive got to get off this thread before I make people mad! Falcon your 105% right on so much, but I disagree with this thread. You do have awesome high standards, and alot of knowledge of ham radios, which is awesome. I can totally hang with you there. Your one of the top guys on this forum, so Im not slapping you in the face I hope, Id never mean to do that. I just disagree 100%, but maybe Im wrong. Ive been wrong once or twice before! lol
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Mr RadioActive
No prob man your one of my favorite guys on the forum. I like your knowledge on stuff. Its nice to have another ham radio lover on the forum. I wasnt trying to be jerky or anything you have my deep repsect. I just was disagreeing. Thats for not getting bent out of shape. Its hard on a forum to disagree. You always sound like your trying to be a idiot, and thats never my intention!
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Phaze91460
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jug head
dead key troble maker
Radioactive...The reason I asked is I just got a RCI 6900F150 and want to run an amp. I know this radio has variable power but want to understand what dead key is and what I need to do to run the amp without damaging the radio or amp. I had no intention of starting an argument.
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Rex_foxhound
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Mr RadioActive
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Mr RadioActive
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Falkon MX-5
Hey man, I respect you too. I trust your knowledge and experience. I tell ya I've only soldered one PL-259 for my coax in my entire experience. I've never tuned a radio on a scope. I've built and tuned a couple of antennas. Your years of experience trump my inexperience, and that's why I recommend you to my radio friends. When I stuck my Generl Lee on the guy's bird meter, they learned why you're known nationwide. I appreciate even more that you take the time to be on these forums.Mr.RadioActive wrote:No big deal at all. I just respect Falkon and wanted to let him know that!
That said, you never came off as a jerk in any way, shape or form. Quite the opposite, really!
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Mr RadioActive
