Wayne,
Thank you for this update. I am eagerly awaiting information on the K4
kits and when they will be available (I know, not for a while yet ;-)).
My only regret with my K3, s/n 261, is that I bought it, and its
accompanying P3, used. Consequently, I didn't get the joy of building
them myself. I built my KPA500 and KAT500. Aside from dropping the tiny
fasteners into the deep pile carpet in the dining room, I loved every
minute of it. I've thoroughly enjoyed my K-Line, and look forward to
upgrading to the K4 (and maybe the KPA1500, if the funds hold out).
73 de,
Ian, NV4C
On 4/19/20 3:46 PM, Wayne Burdick wrote:
Greetings from locked-down California.... I hope everyone, near and far, is
staying safe!
I thought I'd take a break from playing with the K4 and tweaking firmware to
give everyone a status report from the engineering side. (Eric has been keeping
everyone informed about how Elecraft has been affected by the pandemic more
generally.)
These musings are in no particular order. I hope they help satisfy those who
recently posted with questions, info-cravings, etc.
* * *
Reference Oscillator
The K4 includes a stable internal TXCO, standard, as well as the ability to
lock to an external 10 MHz reference. We just completed a round of testing on
this feature.
The internal TCXO is accurate to within +/- .28 ppm with no calibration and no
external reference connected. There's a menu entry for dialing this in as tight
as +/- .02 PPM (+/- 1 Hz at 50 MHz). Connecting an external reference will hold
it even closer, and of course keep it there over an even wider temperature
range.
Panadapter Controls
Thanks to the efforts of our [working-at-home] software team, the panadapter
controls just keep getting better. When you tap DISPLAY, you're presented with
14 easy to use display functions. But we took things a step further by allowing
you to specify whether to adjust the current parameter on LCD, EXT, or both
(when an external monitor is attached), and on main, sub, or both (when in
dual-display mode). You can independently specify single or dual-pan for LCD
and external monitor. For example, you could have dual-Pan on a large HDMI
monitor, while setting the LCD to monitor just main or sub RX.
Stereo Audio
Receive audio provides independent left and right channels for both headphones and
external speakers. When used in single-receive mode, this allows you to use simulated
stereo or "pitch mapping"-- both very effective at relieving listening fatigue.
I've been using this a lot in DXing and QRP work. Full stereo also comes into play in
diversity mode, when listening to pileups, or just monitoring two separate bands. Even
with a basic K4, the two receivers can be set to any two bands, and you can operate
cross-band split. The K4D adds a second set of band-pass filters and a second A-to-D
converter to greatly improve out-of-band rejection when monitoring different bands.
Receive Antenna Controls
We recently made some improvements in this area. In addition to main RX ant and sub RX ant
selection switches, there are now separate icons showing which antennas are in use: one for main
RX, one for sub RX, and one for TX antenna. Main and sub receivers default to the TX antenna, but
you can select any of the antenna jacks for assignment to each receiver independently. This updates
the icons accordingly. You can also assign names to antenna ports using a pop-up alphanumeric
keyboard. On my K4, I have names for the three antennas connected to my KAT4 ATU, as well as
"SIG GEN" for the RX ANT IN 1 jack and "LOOP" for RX ANT IN 2.
RF Gain Controls
The ATTN switch brings up a selection tool that allows you to turn the
attenuator on/off and select attenuation from 0 to 21 dB in 3-dB steps. (As
with all receive and transmit controls, these settings are stored per-band and
per-receiver.) You can also dial in per-receiver RF GAIN (0 to -60 dB, with
digital readout) and preamp setting (off/pre1/pre2). All gain settings are now
taken into account when calculating S-meter and panadapter reference levels.
Miscellaneous Controls
Compared the the K3S, the K4 has numerous additional controls, resulting in a lot
less use of the menu. Each receiver has a collection of per-mode settings (tap MAIN
RX or SUB RX, respectively), as does the transmitter (tap the TX button). There are
dedicated switches for TUNE LP (user-specified low-power TUNE setting), REM ANT (for
future control of remote antenna switches, rotators, etc.), VFO B>A (in addition
to the usual A>B), AUTO spot (in addition to SPOT), PF1-PF4 (plus another 14 user
functions, Fn 1-14, via a touch function), and a separate audio BALance knob
function, the behavior of which could be adapted to various operator needs in the
future.
Touch Controls
We're sure you'll find, as we have, that the K4's touch screen interface is
fast and convenient to use. To capitalize on this, we've been adding new touch
features. To highlight a few: Tapping the RIT/XIT offset window turns RIT
on/off (per receiver). Tapping the antenna icons brings up their selection
widgets, with planned custom behavior for quick A/B testing. The Status Area of
the LCD normally shows time and date, but you can tap it to select from various
alternatives, including system parameters (like supply voltage/current) or
per-receiver absolute signal levels in dBm. Tapping the per-RX filter graphics
switches between per-mode FL1/2/3 settings.
* * *
I have to admit that it's frustrating to be sequestered at home, making only
the occasional quick trip to the office or to visit coworkers. Work, like life,
has become more challenging for all of us. But the good news for everyone
waiting for a K4 is that a handful of testers are using them every day, so that
when you do get your hands on one, it'll be rock-solid.
Believe me, we're just as anxious for that day to arrive as you are. Maybe more
:)
73,
Wayne
N6KR
______________________________________________________________
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 nv4c....@gmail.com
______________________________________________________________
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
