• Intermediate Power Amplifier (IPA)

The IPA uses a single Eimac 3KM3000LA external cavity klystron and is capable of producing a peak power of 20 kW or an average power of 1 kW. It drives the two klystrons in the Power Amplifier (PA). The required drive power is only about 790 watts, so the IPA is rated very conservatively and has been one of the most reliable parts of the transmitter. This amplifier operates as a fixed gain block; its supply voltages remain constant while the transmitter is in use. It has no modulator., Its output is pulsed only because the exciter gates the input signal on and off. A second-harmonic trap (shorted stub) is located at the output of the IPA. The IPA signal reaches the PA by way of a 1.5" coaxial transmission line.