Andromeda drive power drop in low power mode

[SM3PZG]

Hi guys, have a problem that stared occurring a few weeks back. Have Andromeda running Thetis 10.3.6 and protocol 2 v2.2.3.
Have a Expert 1.3K-FA amplifier and it only needs about 10W drive. For some reason drive power began dropping to zero in the middle of TX session. This occurs intermitted so I can make a few QSOs without problem and then suddenly drive power drops a few seconds then on and off. The problem is more frequent as the station gets warmer. Have a extra fan installed so overheating is not a problem.

Turning drive power up to 70-80W the problem disappears so it only occurs with low power drive 5-20W. Same problem in CW and phone as well as just pressing TUNE. Same problem on all bands.

So I figure its might be a hardware problem. Any suggestions?

73/Sam

[SA3ATF]

Hello Sam.

Could it be as simple as resetting the database perhaps?
Usually worth a try anyway.

BTW Have heard you mainly on 15m phone a few times late at night when hunting DX

Good luck anyways

[SM3PZG]

Have tried resetting database and also trying older saved versions of Thetis but that did not help. I think it´s a hardware issue or a bad solder point. Have been running only 5-10W drive for over a year so maybe the hardware doesn't like running idling all the time

[SM3PZG]

Here is a video of the power fluctuation with 10W DRIVE into a dummy load. with 100W power output is fairly stable but sometimes drops to 40-50W. 10W drive is stable when station is cold but start fluctuating as soon as it warms up. Its impossible to use the SPE Expert 1.3K-FA amp that requires 10-15W DRIVE. Same problem all modes including TUNE.

I get the feeling its a hardware issue. The Andromeda has been working fine for 1.5 years. Anyone know someone in Sweden or inside the EU that have the skills to do repair? Apache Labs support is not responding....

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-12vimMqvU[/youtube]

73/Sam