What precautions should I take when driving a modulator with more than 1 watt of RF power?
For the Models 442X, 443X and 485X, the modulator’s temperature will increase noticeably when driven with greater than 1 watt of RF power. To prevent damage to your RF driver you should optimize the frequency match between the modulator and driver continuously until the modulator reaches a constant operating temperature and the resonant frequency has stabilized. In addition, to improve the modulator’s temperature stability you can cool the device using a small fan. Or, the black plastic mounting base can be removed allowing the modulator to be mounted directly onto a metal surface for heat conduction.
