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Acceptable PA Operating Temperature Range for the FLEX-5000 and...

Acceptable PA Operating Temperature Range for the FLEX-5000 and...

Acceptable PA Operating Temperature Range for the FLEX-5000 and FLEX-3000

System Dependencies
Minimum PowerSDR Version:	1.16.0
Applicable Hardware:	FLEX-5000 & FLEX-3000

Content provided by: FlexRadio Systems Engineering

The FLEX-5000 and FLEX-3000 have a temperature sensor on the RF power amplifier (PA) to monitor the operating temperature of the FETs (power transistors). You can access the Information Form from PowerSDR 1.x that will monitor the D/C input voltage along with the PA temperature by using the keyboard sequence <CTRL> <SHIFT> I . See the Figure 1 below for an example.

Figure 1

The Temperature Monitor utilizes a four (4) color range scale to visually indicate where in the acceptable temperature range the PA is operating. Below is the FLEX-5000/3000 Power Amplifier Temperature Range Chart.

FLEX-5000/3000 Power Amplifier (PA) Temperature Range Chart
Status	Temperature Range (degrees C/F)	Comments
Green	less than 69C/156F degrees	Normal operating temperature range.
Yellow	70C/158F to 79C/174F	Upper-end of normal operating temperature range. This is an informational notice. No corrective action is necessary.
Orange	80C/176F to 89C/192F	PA temperature is approaching the maximum recommended operating temperature. Cut back on the RF output or take longer RX breaks to allow the PA temperature to drop below 80C/176F degrees. Taking corrective action is highly recommended.
Red	greater than 90C/194F	PA temperature has exceeded the recommended operating temperature. Do not operate the PA in excess of 90C/194F degrees. Failure to do so may stress the finals and shorten their lifespan. TAKE CORRECTIVE ACTION IMMEDIATELY .

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