Don, It looks like you and at least one other person have said that I need more radials. I will have to look into that. Thank you for your suggestion.
--Vernon N7OH On Tue, Mar 8, 2011 at 4:59 AM, Don Wilhelm <w3...@embarqmail.com> wrote: > Vernon, > > If your K3 is receiving static, I would tend to blame your problem on the > antenna rather than the K3. > However, there is a way to check the K3. Beg, borrow or purchase an > Elecraft XG2 signal generator. That will give you a tool to produce a 50 uV > signal (S-9) and also a tool to do MDS measurements on your K3. > > I do suspect your antenna. Verticals do not work well in all locations - > good performance depends on your soil conditions, and 25 foot radials are > likely not long enough. For a good ground screen with the 43 foot radial, > you need at least 32 43 foot radial wires for it to be effective. A > vertical works great right on the edge of salt water, but inland locations > vary depending on the soil conditions. I have always been disappointed with > verticals. > > Actually, I suggest a more simplistic approach - use horizontal dipoles. > Use the 43 foot vertical as a mast to hold up the center of a dipole. Get > a 1:1 balun and construct a dipole for 40 and 20 meters. 2 radiator wires > 33 feet long and two 16 foot long these two antennas can run on a single > feedline.. Run the center up to the top of your 43 foot "mast" and hang the > ends of the dipole wires as high as you can using whatever supports are > available. You want an angle between the wires to be at an angle greater > than 45 degrees. The two wires for 40 meters (the 33 ft long ones) should > be in the same vertical plane, and the two wires for 20 meters should be at > right angles to the 40 meter wires to keep interaction to a minimum. > > You mentioned 10 meters. Propagation conditions may be a problem too. The > higher HF bands do not have many signals during the hours of darkness, and > 10 meters may not have many signals during the day. 20 meters during the > daylight hours is usually reliable and 40 meters at night will typically > have good signals. During periods of greater sunspot activity, the higher > frequency bands will show more activity, but during the recent sunspot > minimum, there were times when 20 meters was barely usable, but conditions > are improving. > > 73, > Don W3FPR > > On 3/8/2011 1:06 AM, Vernon Mauery wrote: >> >> At the risk of exposing what a n00b I am when it comes to HF, I really >> need some help. I recently (last month) purchased a K3. First HF >> radio I have owned. I got my license 2 years ago and have spent most >> of the time since playing with VHF. I have been trying to teach >> myself CW and decided that it was time to step into the HF waters. I >> studied, ogled, and dreamed of my ideal HF transceiver. I finally >> found the K3 and having looked (at least a cursory glance) at all the >> others, I was sold. I saved my pennies and purchased. I also got >> myself a 43' untuned vertical antenna, balun, and radial wires. >> >> My setup: K3/100 has 100 feet of low loss 400 coax out to the 43 foot >> vertical on the hill in my back yard. It has 8 25 foot radials and a >> 4:1 balun. The K3 has the KATU3, KPA3, KTCXO3-1, KFL3A-400, and >> default 2.8KHz filters. I assembled it and did followed the >> calibration instructions as well as I could. I think I got >> everything, but obviously I missed something. Or maybe I just need an >> elmer to tell me what to do. >> >> I cannot seem to find any signals that make the S meter go above a 3 >> or 4. I have the RF gain turned up a fair ways (mostly to the top), >> and I can hear static. As I tune up some of the bands on SSB, I can >> hear a tone that changes higher in pitch as I tune up in frequency. I >> have tried listening for CW, but I am hearing nothing as I scan >> through the bands. I had a 10m horizontal dipole taped to my wall for >> a while until I found time to run the coax out to the back yard. I >> had hoped that since it was resonant on the 10m band, maybe it would >> be able to pick up something, but it was no better (or worse) than my >> vertical. >> >> As far as I can tell, the radio seems to transmit. I can see the >> power meter moving and the SWR meter moving. The ATU seems to be able >> to find acceptable settings on most of the bands with the vertical. >> But I can't hear them. You can't work them if you can't hear them, >> right? >> >> This is a desperate plea for help. Is it the radio or me? Please >> have pity on the n00b and walk me through my first HF contact. >> >> --Vernon N7OH >> ______________________________________________________________ >> Elecraft mailing list >> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft >> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm >> Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net >> >> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net >> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html >> > ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
