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E7B05

PRACTICAL CIRCUITS · Amplifiers: class of operation; vacuum tube and solid-state circuits; distortion and intermodulation; spurious and parasitic suppression; switching-type amplifiers

E7B05E7B →

What can be done to prevent unwanted oscillations in an RF power amplifier?

  1. ATune the stage for minimum loading
  2. BTune both the input and output for maximum power
  3. CInstall parasitic suppressors and/or neutralize the stage
  4. DUse a phase inverter in the output filter
Why Unwanted oscillation happens when enough output energy feeds back in phase to the input, usually through the device's internal capacitance (plate-to-grid or drain-to-gate) or through stray lead inductance that resonates at VHF. Neutralization cancels that internal feedback by deliberately coupling a small out-of-phase sample of the output back to the input. Parasitic suppressors, typically a few turns of wire in parallel with a small resistor placed in the plate or drain lead, add loss at VHF where the parasitic resonance occurs while barely affecting the operating frequency.
Watch out Tuning both input and output for maximum power is a normal amplifier adjustment for efficiency and output, but it does nothing about feedback paths and can actually make an unstable stage break into oscillation.
Instability = feedback. Kill it two ways: neutralize the internal capacitance, suppress the VHF parasitic.
HamSandwich explanation, first draft. The question and answers are the NCVEC text.
← E7B04 All of E7B E7B06 →

The rest of E7B

  1. E7B01 For what portion of the signal cycle does each active element in a push-pull, Class AB amplifier conduct?
  2. E7B02 What is a Class D amplifier?
  3. E7B03 What circuit is required at the output of an RF switching amplifier?
  4. E7B04 What is the operating point of a Class A common emitter amplifier?
  5. E7B05 What can be done to prevent unwanted oscillations in an RF power amplifier?
  6. E7B06 What is a characteristic of a grounded-grid amplifier?
  7. E7B07 Which of the following is the likely result of using a Class C amplifier to amplify a single-sideband phone s…
  8. E7B08 Why are switching amplifiers more efficient than linear amplifiers?
  9. E7B09 What is characteristic of an emitter follower (or common collector) amplifier?
  10. E7B10 In Figure E7-1, what is the purpose of R1 and R2?
  11. E7B11 In Figure E7-1, what is the purpose of R3?
  12. E7B12 What type of amplifier circuit is shown in Figure E7-1?
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