http://groups.yahoo.com/group/KX3/
On 6 February 2012 19:25, Igor Sokolov <ua9...@gmail.com> wrote: > How can one subscribe to KX3 reflector please? > > 73, Igor UA9CDC > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Wayne Burdick" <n...@elecraft.com> > To: "Elecraft Reflector" <elecraft@mailman.qth.net> > Sent: Monday, February 06, 2012 11:37 PM > Subject: [Elecraft] Re-post from KX3 reflector (a Field Tester's review) > > > Hi all, > > Matt (W6NIA) posted this to the KX3 list. Since it's the first report > on one of the current field-test KX3s, he and I thought it would be of > interest here, as well. He included a photo, but of course that can't > be posted to this list. > > 73, > Wayne > N6KR > > * * * > > Elecraft KX3: Field Tester Review of S/N 6 > All- > > Attached is a photo of KX3 #6 [actually not--see note above--WB]. > It's an outdoor shot with the backlight off. This unit is in Field > Test here, which is its own type of milestone for all those waiting > patiently. I'll be writing objective appraisals of this FT unit. > That will be my intent, anyway (objectivity). This email is a first > cut. Read on. > > > My personal opinion is that this is the coolest amateur transceiver > ever designed, built, or dreamed of. Perfect size, perfect weight, > VERY respectable performance. You can *really* take the KX3 with you, > and you’ll really want to. Mine’s going everywhere with me, including > the workplace! I know my engineering staff will demand to see how > Wayne and crew fit it all in, and how well the KX3 works. > > > After one day using this unit, I've reached the conclusion that the > KX3 is basically ready for initial production. As is usual for a > 'young' rig from Elecraft, firmware is still a work in progress. This > should be no surprise to anyone on this list. The hardware is at > near-100% shape, IMHO. There are a few minor issues - mostly features > not yet implemented. And I mean minor. If I weren't an engineering > manager in the consumer products industry I would not have noticed any > of them. The electronics seems solid, and I've done a bit of lab > testing for MDS and selectivity. Most of my testing has been on the > air though. My lab testing shows MDS better than -136 dBm, but my > signal generator can't extend any lower. No problems with rejecting > out of band signals (away from the roofing filter's coverage). > > > On the air: I've had about fifteen CW QSOs, using between 1 and 12 > Watts output power. The antenna is a homebrew multi-band vertical, > ground mounted. Four of these Qs were on battery power. No > differences were found between operating on external and internal > power, except for the output power limitations due to batteries. One > Q was with an extremely weak QRP station in New Mexico. The APF > helped with this, to the point that I could not have pulled him out > without the feature. With APF engaged, his signal was 539 with rapid > fades to 319. He was running 0.5W and I was running 3 W. Great > ragchew, with very few repeats. > > Except for Navy-Marine Corps MARS, I'm mostly a CW op. Several SSB > contacts went successfully after a false start: I had to finagle the > MH3's input connection a bit (a virgin socket seating issue). I set > the MIC and CMP values by listening on a second receiver and built in > MONitor, giving MIC=18 and CMP=10 as the best combination. Audio > reports using the MH3 and this setting were excellent - "clear as a > bell" and "good presence”. Output using the internal speaker is > adequate, though not amazingly loud. Some of that is probably my 55 > year old ears and too many rock concerts when I was younger. The > frequency response seems relatively flat and lows are surprisingly > well-represented. Distortion is low (< 2% THD the way I hear it). > > The FOC and NA contests run this weekend were an interesting > environment for first-time ops on the KX3. Lots of strong signals, > many in excess of S9+25. A majority of the QSOs mentioned above were > near strong signals and with the roofing filter in place I had pretty > good luck ignoring the big guns while working weak signals. I have to > admit this is completely subjective, however years of experience with > the K3 also tells me that the KX3 has similar characteristics in this > regard. The best example from on-air testing was the NM CW station I > mentioned above. His signal was marginal, meaning the APF was > essential for pulling him out of the band noise. At the same time, 3 > to 4 KHz up was one of those big guns thumping away. I could even > hear key clicks from the contester, but only a tiny amount of blocking > from his signal on the KX3. That's what I mean by "similar to the > K3". It's not identical though. I found instances where a little bit > of a strong station's signal was near- or in-band, and as you would > expect some pretty severe blocking occurred. I'd recommend everyone > make sure they have the roofing filter on the "essentials" list for > purchase. In many ways the roofer makes the KX3 what it was meant to > be. > > One thing that’s notable and exceptional: I haven’t seen any of the > typical issues of a “zero IF” architecture. No image problems, no > ripple in the passband (in either SSB or CW), no audio artifacts. The > advantage to a zero IF architecture is that there’s no “donut hole” > around the IF frequency; there are others too – one single conversion > takes less space than multiple conversions, less power consumed, less > heat generated. > > As a Navy-Marine Corps MARS operator, I’m looking forward to using the > KX3 in our ECOM exercises. Its size and power consumption are perfect > for such types of portable operation. It’s the item that will take > the least amount of space in your Go Kit. > > > Sorry so much of this is non-quantitative. I'll try to get more out > after another day or two. > > > > Standard disclaimer: I am not employed by nor do I have a fiduciary > interest in Elecraft. > > > > 73, > > Matt Zilmer, W6NIA / NNN0UET / NNN0GAF THREE > NMCM RMS Winmor: NNU9ET-5: Upland, CA. > mzilmer@... > ______________________________________________________________ > 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 > ______________________________________________________________ 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
