Just to reinforce one very key part. ALC settings are key. Talk in a normal voice and then ensure that the ALC is just kicking around 5 bars. If it moves just once in a while, that is OK and the proper setting. ALC stands for automatic level control. Once it starts to move, the radio is already starting to adjust (down) the audio level (sort of like a governor in a car/truck). In effect, it is reducing the mic gain dynamically.
>From there, you can play with the other settings. Do NOT watch your watt meter even though that is what we all want to do. :) I hope that helps, Mike va3mw p.s. Also on Elecraft's web page: http://www.elecraft.com/K3/K3FAQ.htm#SSB Power control and ALC metering MIC GAIN SETTING: Adjust MIC gain for an ALC meter peak at around 5 to 7 bars during normal speech (rev. D owner's manual, page 28). This applies even to TX TEST mode, meaning you can set it off-air. This indication does not mean that you're "hitting the ALC really hard." When you get to around 5 bars, you'll be "tickling" the DSP's ALC. More on this below. ALC METERING: The K3's ALC meter is a bar graph, not an analog meter, and we felt that 5 bars would provide the right granularity at the target ALC level. The 5th bar of the ALC scale is heavier than the others, serving as a reminder of the this level. ALC DESIGN GOAL: The K3 was designed to minimize transmit splatter and other effects that plague some rigs. To achieve this, we apply all ALC *before* the crystal filter, and minimize the application of ALC in general. The levels have been carefully calibrated to that 5-to-7-bar level mentioned above. The result is that the crystal and DSP filters remove the types of artifacts that in many other rigs end up as transmitted wideband noise or clicks. I believe this is why we continue to hear excellent reports from K3 users regarding their on-the-air SSB signals. (We've also heard, from some experts in the subject, that the K3's compression is among the most effective they've ever measured.) On Thu, Oct 22, 2015 at 8:43 PM, Bob McGraw - K4TAX <rmcg...@blomand.net> wrote: > My experience is exactly as Don suggests. Proper order in doing this is > very important. My experience is the CMP value as displayed should not > exceed 10 on the meter scale. I normally run about 2 to 3 bars. And > yes listening to ones signal in TEST mode and using headphones does work > for this evaluation. > > If, on the air, one gets comments about distortion or clipping or what > ever, and if reducing power by 50% or more does clear it up, then I would > strongly suspect RF getting back into the TX audio. That's a different > issue to resolve. > > 73 > Bob, K4TAX > K3S s/n 10163 > > > On 10/22/2015 6:35 PM, Don Wilhelm wrote: > >> John, >> >> Have you set the mic gain properly? If so, it should not clip. >> You can do it in TX TEST mode so you do not bother your ham neighbors. >> >> First set the Compression to zero (important). >> Then set the MIC GAIN to produce 6 to 7 bars on the ALC meter - that is >> also important. >> After that, set the compression as you desire. You *can* do that by >> listening to the MONitor if you are using a headset. >> >> Do it all in the order specified, and you should have good audio. Just >> playing around with the gain and compression settings may not produce the >> results you want. >> >> My guess is that you are running with too much compression (and perhaps >> too little mic gain), and that could sound like 'clipping' on the far end >> of the QSO. >> >> 73, >> Don W3FPR >> > > ______________________________________________________________ > 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 > Message delivered to va...@portcredit.net > ______________________________________________________________ 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 Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
