Re: [Elecraft] KX-1 20 Meter Deafness
Don, Still frustrated... I removed the LPF board and removed both L1 and L2. I then hard wired them in, just the way they would be with the board and the relay off. This had no affect on the symptoms: The XG-2 signal still seems to be being coupled direct to the board (1 uv 50 uv switch does not change tone volume). The next step is to drag down my boat anchor oscilloscope and take some measurements. I expect the signal level before T2 to be too small for my old equipment to see (I don't think it'll do micro volts - I'll have to check though.). Anyway, with the XG-2 on 20 meters, what signal strength (p-p) should I be seeing at different points of the circuit? I'm thinking of several points between the antenna up to the mixer with both the 50 and 1 uv output (I may have a hard time measuring the 50 uv level, much less the 1!). Any other ideas are welcome... Regards, kurtt Kurt Pawlikowski, AKA WB9FMC The Pinrod Corporation [EMAIL PROTECTED] (773) 284-9500 http://pinrod.com Don Wilhelm wrote: Kurt, From all you have said, I would believe that the problem is in the KXB3080 low pass filter. While I agree that your continuity test indicates no apparent problem with the toroid lead tinning, check all the connections to be certain there is a bit of solder on both sides of the board - if not, view that connection with suspicion. Make certain there is no contact with the green wire from L2 to the lower connection of the red wire. The green wire must wrap around to the back side of the LPF board and can inadvertently contact the #4 termination of the wire for the red winding. The best LPF testing is visual - look for any suspicious solder connections. Yes, you will see a 17 MHz cutoff on the LPF if you measure it without regard to disconnecting it from the rest of the circuit and failing to properly terminate the filter (it is not 50 ohms at the PA transistor side, but I have not ever calculated the proper termination). Perhaps it is helpful if I tell you that the green winding is the only active portion on 40, 30 and 20 meters. The red winding is used for 80 meters and SWB band below about 6 MHz only. Caution: The sensitivity of the KX1 is not as great on 20 meters as it is on 30 or 40 meters. Bringing a finger (or antenna) close to T2 or many of the receiver tuned circuits after the LPF will normally result in an increase in receiver total output, but that is actually an increase in broadband noise - under careful measurement conditions, the desired signal strength will not increase even though the overall noise level does. Spectrogram will show that is true. 73, Don W3FPR Kurt Pawlikowski wrote: Hi, First, thanks for reading. Hopefully, it won't be boring for those lucky K3 guys and gals... CONFIGURATION KX-1, 3080 upgrade. ATU currently removed and antenna jumper installed for testing.Using XG-2 as a signal source. I have confirmed the XG-2 seems to be working about as expected with another receiver (about S-10 at 50uv and S-0 (but still in the speakers) at 1uv). SYMPTOM With normal operation, receive levels appear normal on 80 and 40 (I can make contacts), but the XG2 is not peaking the KX-1's meter (I used the XG-2 to calibrate the meter). 20 meters has always seemed deaf to me. I don't remember how well the XG-2 was received on 20 when I calibrated it. Here's the real kicker: On 20 meters, with the XG-2 attached, I hear *no* volume difference between 50 and 1uv (which means the KX-1's receiver is picking up the signal by proximity, not through the antenna connection). If I touch the RX antenna connection almost anywhere between the low-pass filter and the input of the Rx Mixer (U6, pin 1), 20 meters comes way up (from nothing to receiving moderately weak signals and noise). Touching the RX antenna line on 80 and 40 appears to have little or no affect. Output power on 20 meters does not register full power, but I'm not sure if this is a calibration problem as I don't have an accurate power meter. Also, when I couple a grid dip meter into the RX, when tuned to 30 or 20 meters, I get a marked dip just at about 17 MHz. ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
RE: [Elecraft] Elecraft Honchos!!!
Ron D'Eau Claire wrote: Another poster brought up Elecraft and original Volkswagen beetle cars. I can remember when people grumbled a lot but patiently waited more than six months for a Volkswagen beetle, back in the 1950's, and it didn't even have a gas gage! They, too, were eagerly ramping up production as fast as they could but, like Elecraft, refused to compromise quality in the process. The result was one of the most successful automobile companies in history. They're a good example to follow. As long as you forget about Ralph Nader. :) - Julian, G4ILO K3 s/n: 222 K2 s/n: 392 G4ILO's Shack: www.g4ilo.com Zerobeat Ham Forums: www.zerobeat.net/smf -- View this message in context: http://www.nabble.com/Elecraft--Honchos%21%21%21-tp17352006p17357731.html Sent from the Elecraft mailing list archive at Nabble.com. ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] K3 Microphone selection
I have had great results with the cheapest condenser mics I can find on the K3 http://ei6iz.com/ I have also had similar good results with a 'desk' mic that came free with a gateway PC about 10 years ago. The k3 supports a very wide range of microphone types so I would suggest trying what you have to hand first. Those cheap computer mics use the same electret condenser elements that the 'brand name' ham manufacturers use 73 Brendan EI6IZ -- Don‘t complain. Nobody will understand. Or care. And certainly don‘t try to fix the situation yourself. It‘s dangerous. Leave it to a highly untrained, unqualified, expendable professional. ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] OT: THP fan noise rebuttal
Hi all: I have received a private email from THP with respect to my post here on the fan noise (apparently they read the Elecraft reflector). :-) Basically, they felt I took their comments out of context and that my impression of their comments was far too negative, which I did not intend to do. They also said that they did not feel comfortable posting a reply on the this reflector, which I can understand. If you would like a copy of their reply to me, which further elaborates how the fan works on their amp, please drop me a direct request and I'll be glad to share THP's response (so as to be fair and balanced). I don't think they will mind that. I would ask that such requests be limited to those who might have been swayed one way or the other by my previous posting. de Doug KR2Q ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] K3 Friendly Advice
Peter, and Everyone Congratulations on getting your K3. I got my kit 2 days ago and had a ball building it. I have some advice for you. When working with the RF board be careful of the components on the underside. There some coils mounted on a small daughter board and an additional coil elsewhere which could be damaged if the board was moved while laying on a table. After the 2D Fasteners are mounted they serve as spacers which will protect those components. Use some of the conductive bubble pack that was in the packing. It is a pink color. The other thing is be very careful of the coils that are mounted on the top of the RF board. You have to handle the RF board a lot during assembly and you could easily break or move a wire on one of the coils. Don't do the dumb thing that I did. I was trying the CAL on the Config screen. The book reads Config:PLL. That is what I was looking for. What they mean is Config screen then find PLL. Have fun and when that radio comes to life you will be blown away. 73 Dave KD1NA ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] Re: love and loans
On Wed, May 21, 2008 at 12:55 AM, Charles Harpole [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Bill: That could be true, but if u can loan me about $60,000usd, Charlie you don't need $60k for a 4-square TX antenna...you're being heard here OK...but your problem is hearing. You can solve that with a simple RX antenna like a Flag that will fit on your present lot. http://www.angelfire.com/md/k3ky/page37.html For 80m you need about 40' of wire, a mix 73 binocular core and a 950 ohm carbon resistor. You should orient the Flag to the SE for your post-sunset long path opening to NA (at our sunrise). You can also make a rotatable flag which is described on the website above but that's a lot more complex. When the KRX3 ships, you can use diversity reception with your TX antenna in one ear and the Flag in the other, which may also help with QSB problems. 73, Bill W4ZV ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] K3---Nice Sounding Radio
Tuning around 20 last evening I noticed a number of very loud (S9+) sign= als, most of which shared a common flaw--serious distortion on voice p= eaks presenting as short duration pops as I neared their frequencies. I made certain my noise blanker was off and the preamp was off (all the = time suspecting my K3) with no improvement. I continued tuning up the band to find an extremely clean, loud signal b= elonging to a W2 ham (I don't remember his callsign this early in the AM)..= ...only to hear him describe to another fellow some of the features of his = radio--you guessed it--a K3! I broke in and we had a nice QSO.my first with another K3..boy d= id it sound good. Thanks Lyle, Eric, Katie, Madelyn, Lisa, the field testers all for produ= cing a product to be proud of...your radios speak well of you. John, N6AX K3 # 567 ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] Elecraft Honchos!!!
Ron - The Beetle definitely had a cult following, which is reminicient of a certain radio company I know. ;-) My Dad bought a new, 1960 Beetle. He sold after a short period of time due to: 1) Unresolved carburetor icing in cold weather would render it immobile, until the heat of the engine would melt the ice, allowing it to run again (until it then again iced up). This was a common problem, and was addressed by VW in a subsequent model year. 2) One of the valves burned. Apparently this was another common problem, due to lack of proper cooling. Other serioius design issues with the Beetle include the location of the fuel tank (essentially, in your lap - not a great place in the event of an accident), the lack of proper heating and defrost capabilities, and the aerodynamics, which caused the front end to lift. Of course, one should not forget that the Beetle was championed by none other than Adolph Hitler, so, to a certain extent, it would not have existed but for his support. Not a great thing to have on your resume. ;-) So, bottom line, just like it's kind of silly to worship a car, or car company (sorry, Porsche-o-philes), it's also silly to worship a radio, or a radio company. 73, Steve NN4X They, too, were eagerly ramping up production as fast as they could but, like Elecraft, refused to compromise quality in the process. The result was one of the most successful automobile companies in history. They're a good example to follow. Ron AC7AC ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] Elecraft K3 Wait and Wait and Wait!
Hello Drew, AF2Z I plunked down over $1300 for a deposit on my K3, but after waiting five months and then calling Elecraft they told me to wait another three months. That was a total wait of 8-months! At the five-month point I told Elecraft to cancel the order and send my money back. I then went out and bought an Icom 703+ and just love this little radio. It's no K3, but for less than $700 it's worth the money. I still plan to buy a K3, but I WILL NOT WAIT MONTHS to receive it. Elecraft doesn't have their act together concerning the K3. This is from an op who built a K1, K2 and a KX1. I'm VERY disappointed in Elecraft selling the K3 before they were geared up for production. When Elecraft has a K3 ON-THE-SHELF I might buy one. 72, Ed, WA3WSJ ** Yeah, that's right... most of us took a crash course in CW, learning it overnight. Then worked all band DXCC the next day. And we expect the solar flux to be at 300 in another week here or so. So where's our K3's? We didn't become ham radio operators because we like to wait around for stuff. No sir. 73, Drew AF2Z ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] Elecraft Honchos!!!
Don't get upset about how long you are going to have to wait. You will be delighted when it arrives. the wait is well worth it Its a great rig 73's Rod G3YHM JIM DAVIS-11 wrote: I'm very interested in purchasing one of your NEW K3s but what I have a hard time understanding is about the production lag-time (4mo. now?) If you guys KNOW that you've got a winner then WHY NOT RAMP UP PRODUCTION now instead of having everybody wait??? Also, if the staff that you have that visits the various Ham-Conventions and take MORE orders then are'nt you guys compounding the work-order process even MORE??? Look! This is Ham-Radio and it's all about instant gratification and you should know that as a businessman!!! Until you have your production equalized more orders slow up production if you're not GEARED-UP TO HANDLE THEM!!! 73, Jim/nn6ee ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com -- View this message in context: http://www.nabble.com/Elecraft--Honchos%21%21%21-tp17352006p17364173.html Sent from the Elecraft mailing list archive at Nabble.com. ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] Power Supply short protection
I am running my K3 from an Astron 35M. I experienced an accidental short circuit on the power supply and I am wondering what everyone else does about the possibility of accidental shorts from exposed 12V wire lugs or the exposed pass transistors on the back of power supplies (hot transistor collectors). In my case the PS is on the floor and you guessed it close to my shack ground braid. While fiddling the ground braid touched one of the pass transistor collectors and everything shut down, no damage done than goodness. I would like a more permanent solution. Mike Scott - AE6WA Tarzana, CA (DM04 / near LA) K3-100 #508/ KX1 #1311 ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] Elecraft K3 Wait and Wait and Wait!
Hello Ed, Yes, some people would prefer to wait till they can buy one without waiting... For myself, I ordered one before I'd decided whether or not to actually buy one-- so it is really Elecraft who is waiting for me. I think they will be sending me an email any day now asking for my decision. I imagine they are probably getting pretty nervous about my final intentions by now. There is a lot of psychology in all this. 73, Drew AF2Z On Wed, 21 May 2008 08:10:07 -0400, Ed, WA3WSJ wrote: Hello Drew, AF2Z I plunked down over $1300 for a deposit on my K3, but after waiting five months and then calling Elecraft they told me to wait another three months. That was a total wait of 8-months! At the five-month point I told Elecraft to cancel the order and send my money back. I then went out and bought an Icom 703+ and just love this little radio. It's no K3, but for less than $700 it's worth the money. I still plan to buy a K3, but I WILL NOT WAIT MONTHS to receive it. Elecraft doesn't have their act together concerning the K3. This is from an op who built a K1, K2 and a KX1. I'm VERY disappointed in Elecraft selling the K3 before they were geared up for production. When Elecraft has a K3 ON-THE-SHELF I might buy one. 72, Ed, WA3WSJ ** ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] Elecraft K3 Wait and Wait and Wait!
... Yes, some people would prefer to wait till they can buy one without waiting... Am I the only one who finds the concept of waiting to avoid waiting a bit silly? Gus Hansen KB0YH ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] New K1-4 FS
I have a brand new Elecraft K1 that I have just completed for sale. The K1 is the 4 band model. It is built to work 15, 20, 30 and 40 meters. The VFO is set to cover the lower 80 khz of the bands. The radio works perfectly and meets all specifications. It is new, the serial number is 02528. It has the backlight option installed and comes with the manual and connectors for the power cord and key. I have been building kits for over thirty years and have built several Elecraft kits. So if you want to experience the fun of QRP the K1 is a great rig. I enjoy building them. Pictures are available if interested. I simply want to recover my cost. Price for the radio is $400 plus shipping. I will accept PayPal but prefer USPS Money Order. Thanks Brent WB4X ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] Power Supply short protection
Hi Mike: Either get that power supply off the floor or put some type of cover over the pass transistor to prevent this problem from reoccuring. Fern - Original Message - From: Mike Scott [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net Sent: Wednesday, May 21, 2008 6:32 AM Subject: [Elecraft] Power Supply short protection I am running my K3 from an Astron 35M. I experienced an accidental short circuit on the power supply and I am wondering what everyone else does about the possibility of accidental shorts from exposed 12V wire lugs or the exposed pass transistors on the back of power supplies (hot transistor collectors). In my case the PS is on the floor and you guessed it close to my shack ground braid. While fiddling the ground braid touched one of the pass transistor collectors and everything shut down, no damage done than goodness. I would like a more permanent solution. Mike Scott - AE6WA Tarzana, CA (DM04 / near LA) K3-100 #508/ KX1 #1311 ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com -- Internal Virus Database is out-of-date. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.516 / Virus Database: 269.23.16/1432 - Release Date: 5/14/2008 7:49 AM ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] K3 Auto CW copy
On Tue, 20 May 2008 22:53:52 -0700, you wrote: Tom makes an excellent point. Like spoken or written language, we consider the context when copying CW. That's how we can copy words even when we miss some characters. And, when we see the end of a recognizable word, we automatically assume that is the end. That is, we often sense a space where there isn't one. That's why a word like superstructure, taken out of context, is easily copied as super structure even when there is no intentional space. An unforgiving algorithm measuring the time and reporting accordingly is a great training aid if you want to approach machine timing. Ron AC7AC [snip] Well said. I think of it this way: Sending machine timing code helps those who can't copy code read it on their decoders, in addition to making it easier for those who do copy CW to have well formed characters and words, which is very important when head copying in rag chews. Head copiers tend to listen for words rather than characters. I can't count the times I've heard someone sending NN MM A when looking for another operator to talk to... 73, Tom, N5GE - SWOT 3537 - Grid EM12jq Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety deserve neither Liberty nor Safety An excerpt from a letter written in 1755 from the Assembly to the Governor of Pennsylvania. Support the entire Constitution, not just the parts you like. http://www.n5ge.com http://www.eQSL.cc/Member.cfm?N5GE ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
RE: [Elecraft] Elecraft K3 Wait and Wait and Wait!
I don't mind waiting. When I ordered the K3, I knew that it was gonna take 5 months or so until delivery. In the mean time I use my other rigs (K2 and an 96 MP) with great joy, and read a lot about the K3 on the reflector. 73 Arie PA3A ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] Elecraft Honchos!!!
On Tue, 20 May 2008 22:23:25 -0700, you wrote: Another poster brought up Elecraft and original Volkswagen beetle cars. I can remember when people grumbled a lot but patiently waited more than six months for a Volkswagen beetle, back in the 1950's, and it didn't even have a gas gage! They, too, were eagerly ramping up production as fast as they could but, like Elecraft, refused to compromise quality in the process. The result was one of the most successful automobile companies in history. They're a good example to follow. Ron AC7AC -Original Message- On Tue, 20 May 2008 15:06:31 -0700, Jim/nn6ee wrote: Look! This is Ham-Radio and it's all about instant gratification and you should know that as a Yeah, that's right... most of us took a crash course in CW, learning it overnight. Then worked all band DXCC the next day. And we expect the solar flux to be at 300 in another week here or so. So where's our K3's? We didn't become ham radio operators becuase we like to wait around for stuff. No sir. Reminds me of the very annoying Mitsubishi automobile advertisement of the late 80s where the guy doing the commercial is screaming, GET WHAT YOU WANT, AND GET IT NOW!. 73, Drew AF2Z ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com Tom, N5GE - SWOT 3537 - Grid EM12jq Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety deserve neither Liberty nor Safety An excerpt from a letter written in 1755 from the Assembly to the Governor of Pennsylvania. Support the entire Constitution, not just the parts you like. http://www.n5ge.com http://www.eQSL.cc/Member.cfm?N5GE ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] K3 Microphone selection
I agree, Brenden. You will find the same advice re inexpensive headsets and ham gear in that RFI tutorial, the link to which I posted yesterday. That tutorial includes generic instructions on how to connect them to your radio. Several years ago, I bought four different models of Plantronics headsets at a hamfest near Chicago. I put connectors on them and then made adapters for my ham gear and computer sound cards. All four worked well with all the gear. I paid $20 for the lot of them. Headsets like this sell new for about $25 in the US. You can simply buy the one that fits your ear/head most comfortably. 73, Jim K9YC , On Wed, 21 May 2008 09:12:56 +0100, Brendan Minish wrote: I have had great results with the cheapest condenser mics I can find on the K3 http://ei6iz.com/ I have also had similar good results with a 'desk' mic that came free with a gateway PC about 10 years ago. The k3 supports a very wide range of microphone types so I would suggest trying what you have to hand first. Those cheap computer mics use the same electret condenser elements that the 'brand name' ham manufacturers use ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] Elecraft K3 Wait and Wait and Wait!
--- Augie Hansen [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: ... Yes, some people would prefer to wait till they can buy one without waiting... Am I the only one who finds the concept of waiting to avoid waiting a bit silly? Gus Hansen KB0YH Maybe so Gus. I waited until I was convinced that the K3 was the next transceiver for me and that it would be a significant improvement over my venerable TS-850SAT that I have owned for 18 years. I placed my order late in the day on December 27, 2007 and now I am eagerly awaiting my Katiegram. I have seen posts that those who ordered on December 25 have received their Katiegram a couple of days ago, so maybe today is my day? If you are not yet convinced that the K3 is the rig you want and can afford you should wait until this is so. If you are convinced, then you should consider ordering it now. If you order it today, you will get it sooner than if you order it tomorrow or next week, or six months from now. If you still think you might be happier with an Yaekencom then you should keep thinking until you are satisfied with your choice. Willis 'Cookie' Cooke K5EWJ ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] Elecraft K3 Wait and Wait and Wait!
On Wed, 21 May 2008 08:10:07 -0400, Edward R. Breneiser [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Hello Drew, AF2Z I plunked down over $1300 for a deposit on my K3, but after waiting five months and then calling Elecraft they told me to wait another three months. That was a total wait of 8-months! At the five-month point I told Elecraft to cancel the order and send my money back. I then went out and bought an Icom 703+ and just love this little radio. It's no K3, but for less than $700 it's worth the money. I still plan to buy a K3, but I WILL NOT WAIT MONTHS to receive it. Elecraft doesn't have their act together concerning the K3. This is from an op who built a K1, K2 and a KX1. I'm VERY disappointed in Elecraft selling the K3 before they were geared up for production. When Elecraft has a K3 ON-THE-SHELF I might buy one. 72, Ed, WA3WSJ [snip] Reminds me of the very annoying Mitsubishi automobile advertisement of the late 80s where the guy doing the commercial is screaming, GET WHAT YOU WANT, AND GET IT NOW!. Tom, N5GE - SWOT 3537 - Grid EM12jq Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety deserve neither Liberty nor Safety An excerpt from a letter written in 1755 from the Assembly to the Governor of Pennsylvania. Support the entire Constitution, not just the parts you like. http://www.n5ge.com http://www.eQSL.cc/Member.cfm?N5GE ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] Elecraft K3 Wait and Wait and Wait!
Yes, some people would prefer to wait till they can buy one without waiting... Am I the only one who finds the concept of waiting to avoid waiting a bit silly? Gus Hansen KB0YH Hmm... Bob K4LW K3 #356-waited 9 months and worth it ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] Elecraft K3 Wait and Wait and Wait!
On Wed, 21 May 2008 08:01:02 -0600, Augie Hansen [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: ... Yes, some people would prefer to wait till they can buy one without waiting... Am I the only one who finds the concept of waiting to avoid waiting a bit silly? Gus Hansen KB0YH [snip] Nope... Tom, N5GE - SWOT 3537 - Grid EM12jq Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety deserve neither Liberty nor Safety An excerpt from a letter written in 1755 from the Assembly to the Governor of Pennsylvania. Support the entire Constitution, not just the parts you like. http://www.n5ge.com http://www.eQSL.cc/Member.cfm?N5GE ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] The K3 in comprison to the Big Guns
I got the VW thing. My first car was a 1963 white VW bug just like the one in the Walt Disney movies. It had 15 inch wheels, independent suspension on all four wheels, parts that could easily be replaced, air cooled engine and no radiator to mess around with, easy to tune, oil air filter, and it could float, although I never tried that. :-) That's just to name a few things. It survived a hail storm that left other cars looking like the surface of the moon. It was a fantastic car, very simple and a masterpiece of German engineering. Of course, that's my opinion. I think the point was that Elecraft owners are as passionate about their K1's, K2's and K3's as some of us were about our VW's. I'm also passionate about my K2 which I built myself and I have a K3 on order. I can't understand why anyone would want to pay $10k to $14k for a rig. But, we all buy for different reasons. Gary, N7HTS On Tue, 20 May 2008 19:54:37 -0400 David Wilburn [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I find it a bit entertaining that the 7800, 10k$ rig, ended up next to the 'build it yourself' K2. I was under the impression that the 6k$ 7700 used the same receiver, and thus performance wise, placed it next to the K2. Then I consider that the K2 has been around since the late 90's, and I just end up with a pretty good chuckle. But as stated, the K2, and K3 do not compete with the fancy displays and such. It will be interesting to see if Elecraft does a display on their own, or if they rely on the LP-PAN. I was chuckling at the analogies to cars earlier in one of the threads. I didn't get the VW thing either. I could see it for the K2. I like to think of plane's. I did not have a chance to finish my pilot's license, but one friend that was working on his license the same time I did, and I would chat over a beer. He always wanted to fly fast, in something like a Lear Jet. I always wanted to fly upside down in something like a Pitts S2A. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitts_Special Or as my wife will tell you, I never was, and am never likely to be considered 'normal'. I do enjoy my K3 though. Think I will go see what is happening on 20m RTTY. 73 Dave Wilburn K4DGW K2/100 - S/N 5982 K3/100 - S/N 766 ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] The K3 wait
There are times when waiting is the only option ... I FAX'ed my K3 order the first day and waited seven months for delivery. I knew that going into the deal, but I was confident it would be worth it ... and it was! There weren't any alternatives ... for me, anyway. I had a new K2 and that made the wait easier. (:-)) I wouldn't have wanted Elecraft to ramp up production. That brings with it troubles, and I we've seen some evidence of that in recent months. It means hiring new staff ... perhaps into not enough work space ... that don't have the Elecraft genes and that require nurturing. Witness the missing 4-40 nuts in Australia ... I recently purchased a Heil HS that came packed in an incorrect shipping container, resulting in a crushed Heil box. No damage to the HS, but still the result of a staffer who either didn't know or care about details. Elecraft is a company that's what it is because of attention to details. We'll ship no wine until it's time comes to mind 73! Ken Kopp - K0PP [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] OT - The K3 in comprison VW's
I got the VW thing, too. We've owned 17 of 'em! Probably not a record, but still quite a few. Wonder if there's some sort of personality trait thing going on here. Seems as though there was a waiting period for some VW's, too. (:-)) 73! Ken - K0PP ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] Re: KX-1 20 Meter Deafness
Don,
Thanks for the tips. Here are some comments...
XG-1: Well, when I hook it up to my vintage Yaesu 757, besides
showing signal strength difference (S-0 and S-9 respectively), the tone
audio volume is very noticeable. Also, on 40 and 80 with the KX-1, I can
hear a marked difference between the two settings. When I say that there
is no difference, there isn't even a switch-click between the two
settings. Very, very weird. Also, the relative position of the XG-1 to
the KX-1 seems to have no affect (which, if the signal was somehow being
directly coupled, bypassing the antenna lead, I would expect). Also, I
expect that the signal at 50 uv should be blasting in. It only sounds
like a moderate level at this time.
Touching pre-mixer: I did notice that once my crossed wires on the
LFP board were fixed, I could get a noise only increase on at least
one other band (don't remember which) when touching the area, but on 20,
it was a true signal volume increase (confirmed with the PC's band scope
on the audio).
I'll dig up the old yellow core toroids and put them in for now.
Pre-3080: Since everything was built at the same time, its existence
as a straight KX-1 was a very short time and some months ago. I can't
remember most of yesterday, so who knows? {'-)
It may come down to actually measuring components or finding someone
willing to take a look at it for me (maybe who already has the proper
test equipment or has a known good KX-1 for a side-by-side comparison?).
Anyway, it's all I can do for right now. Thanks again for your help.
Regards,
kurtt
Kurt Pawlikowski, AKA WB9FMC
The Pinrod Corporation
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
(773) 284-9500
http://pinrod.com
Don Wilhelm wrote:
Kurtt,
Forget the 'scope, the levels from the XG2 are too small to drive a
'scope. The levels will be even less than the output of the signal
generator.
Do you have a crystal around that is somewhere in the 40 meter or 20
meter band? Plus a few parts in your junkbox? If so, you can build
up the crystal oscillator that is shown in the Troubleshooting section
of the K2 manual (download the manual from Elecraft website). And if
the oscilloscope is old, you probably do not have a 10X probe for it,
so also build the RF Probe.
At this point, I don't know what else to tell you - you will need some
basic test equipment to go much further. You can do some more visual
investigation.
Make certain the PC Trace cut is really cut. Be certain the added
wire is correct and that there is no contact of that wire with the end
of L6 nor point 'A'. Check and recheck the soldering of all the
capacitors in the LPF area as well as C1.
How strong is the actual signal from the XG2? Could it actually be
that the KX1 AGC is making the signals sound about equal? The fact
that they sound the same may not be a problem at all.
You will be better off putting the yellow core L1 and L2 in place for
the time being.
One thing that you can check with the 'scope is the Local Oscillator
injection to the mixer. You must have at least 200 mV peak to peak at
U6 pin 6 for the mixer to work correctly.
Remember that touching a probe to the area of T2 will always pick up a
lot of noise which results in an apparent increase in the signal being
picked up, but the actual signal strength usually does not increase.
Did this KX1 work well before you added the KXB3080? If not, then you
may have a problem somewhere other than just the front end of the
receiver.
73,
Don W3FPR
Kurt Pawlikowski wrote:
Don,
Still frustrated...
I removed the LPF board and removed both L1 and L2. I then hard
wired them in, just the way they would be with the board and the
relay off. This had no affect on the symptoms: The XG-2 signal
still seems to be being coupled direct to the board (1 uv 50 uv
switch does not change tone volume). The next step is to drag down my
boat anchor oscilloscope and take some measurements. I expect the
signal level before T2 to be too small for my old equipment to see (I
don't think it'll do micro volts - I'll have to check though.).
Anyway, with the XG-2 on 20 meters, what signal strength (p-p) should
I be seeing at different points of the circuit? I'm thinking of
several points between the antenna up to the mixer with both the 50
and 1 uv output (I may have a hard time measuring the 50 uv level,
much less the 1!). Any other ideas are welcome...
Regards,
kurtt
Kurt Pawlikowski, AKA WB9FMC
The Pinrod Corporation
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
(773) 284-9500
http://pinrod.com
Don Wilhelm wrote:
Kurt,
From all you have said, I would believe that the problem is in the
KXB3080 low pass filter.
While I agree that your continuity test indicates no apparent
problem with the toroid lead tinning, check all the connections to
be certain there is a bit of solder on both sides of the board - if
not, view that connection with suspicion.
Make certain there
[Elecraft] K3 with Writelog
Hello... Searching for tidbits in the archives has thus far produced little info. Anyone who has been down this path that is willing to offer some suggestions, please email me off the reflector. I need a little help prior to our dxpediton on 50MHz to CY0X. Thanks in advance. Dick, K5AND ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] Elecraft K3 Wait and Wait and Wait!
Hi Cookie, ... If you are not yet convinced that the K3 is the rig you want and can afford you should wait until this is so. If you are convinced, then you should consider ordering it now. If you order it today, you will get it sooner than if you order it tomorrow or next week, or six months from now. If you still think you might be happier with an Yaekencom then you should keep thinking until you are satisfied with your choice. I need to clarify my situation. I was a relatively early adopter of the K3, having placed my order on 7 June 2007 with a 50% deposit. My order date was determined by my desire to have the money in hand before committing to a purchase, not due to any technical concerns. The wait of nearly nine months was more than originally expected by a factor of more than two, but the rig (#441) was worth waiting for. It easily meets, and in some areas surpasses, my expectations. And my K2/100 served me well during the K3 gestation period. Had I waited to order until Elecraft had the K3 available off the shelf, I'd still be waiting to place an order, which as I implied is rather silly if you know you want one. Cheers, Gus Hansen KB0YH ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
RE: [Elecraft] Elecraft Honchos!!!
-Original Message- I'm very interested in purchasing one of your NEW K3s but what I have a hard time understanding is about the production lag-time (4mo. now?) If you guys KNOW that you've got a winner then WHY NOT RAMP UP PRODUCTION now instead of having everybody wait??? Also, if the staff that you have that visits the various Ham-Conventions and take MORE orders then are'nt you guys compounding the work-order process even MORE??? Look! This is Ham-Radio and it's all about instant gratification and you should know that as a businessman!!! Until you have your production equalized more orders slow up production if you're not GEARED-UP TO HANDLE THEM!!! 73, Jim/nn6ee -- I do NOT want Elecraft to gear up in an open loop fashion. Elecraft is a great company specifically because they are small. If they balloon in size too quickly or too much, they'd likely turn into a US version of Ikensu and we'd be getting junk from a big non-responsive company. The K3 is a package deal. It comes with a DSP, nice display, great QSK, top-notch receiver, small form-factor, no internal PS, no 200 watt PA and a long, unpredictable wait time. That is just the way it is. We've established that many months ago and all the wishing for it to be different is for naught. Either you take it as a package or not. I sure hope Elecraft continues to keep quality, performance, price and support as priorities over delivery schedule because those are the features that I really want in my new rig. - Keith N1AS - - K3 711 - ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] The K3 wait
I got lucky with my K3 and did not have to wait. Let me explain. Part of the fun for me in Ham Radio is waiting. Yes, I know it sounds strange, but it is true. Ham Radio has be be budget neutral for my family. So, years ago my wife and I gave each other a weekly allowance...so called mad money. It has gone up over the years, but it is not a significant amount of money each week...but over a year or so it could add up. So, I have to SAVE for my ham radio obsession. I was about 75 percent of the way to buy a K3 outright and had the plan to order it in July and wait patiently. But, a local ham who had ordered one decided he did not want one because of...well...what ever. So, he asked me if I wanted to take the order. Well, I said yes and made the appropriate arrangements with Elecraft to take over the order. But, I had to pay for it. Now the rule in the family is you have the money you can buy it ... but not credit and no credit card. This plans turned out to pretty good over the years. My loving wife, knowing me, said go ahead and get it and she would cover the rest out of mad money. I said I would them sell the PRO II and pay her back. Three weeks later, I got a Lisagram and a week later I had the unit in the house. A week later, knowing the K3 was a keeper, I put the PRO II up for sale and it was sold the next week. So, I was not expecting to get a K3...but the waiting and saving for the K3 was for me exciting as I watch the list and read the literature and looked at the on going development of the unit. It was great anticipation. Exciting. Now, the K3 has met all my expectations and just getting better. I love to waitcause it is sweet in the end. Lee - K0WA In our day and age it seems that Common Sense is in short supply. If you don't have any Common Sense - get some Common Sense and use it. If you can't find any Common Sense, ask for help from somebody who has some Common Sense. Is Common Sense divine? ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] WA3WSJ's AT QRP Hike
Hello all, Look for Kangaroo Ed, WA3WSJ hiking the AT here in Pennsylvania starting Thursday, 5/22 until Sunday, 5/25. I'll be hiking and playing qrp with my pimped-out Elecraft KX1 Radio. Look for me on CW around 7.030mhz, 10.117mhz and 14.060mhz. If the bands are to busy with the contest, I'll stay on 30m around 10.117mhz +- qrm. This is the fist of a series of hikes to finish off the AT here in PA. I'm calling the four hikes my Footsteps to Maryland Series of hikes. For more information check out my website at: http://wa3wsj.homestead.com/ I'll also be sending out my special Kangaroo Ed QSL Card to all who work me while I'm on the AT. The link above shows this unique card. 72, Kangaroo Ed, WA3WSJ ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] K3 Auto CW copy
Tom Childers, N5GE wrote: I can't count the times I've heard someone sending NN MM A when looking for another operator to talk to... I know. You'd think they would've learned by now that the general call to all stations is NN GT. -- 73, Vic, K2VCO Fresno CA http://www.qsl.net/k2vco ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] K3 with Writelog
On Wed, 21 May 2008 10:30:08 -0500, Dick Hanson wrote: Hello... Searching for tidbits in the archives has thus far produced little info. Anyone who has been down this path that is willing to offer some suggestions, please email me off the reflector. I need a little help prior to our dxpediton on 50MHz to CY0X. The K3 was designed with MAJOR input from many serious contesters, so it is VERY well supported by major logging software (including N1MM and WriteLog) and interface is REALLY easy. A single serial cable from your computer to your radio will control the radio, read frequency, mode, etc., send CW, and send PTT! You don't need special cables and level converters to send CW or PTT like you do with all other radios. A single connection from the computer line out to the K3 line in gives you playback of voice messages, RTTY, PSK, and WSJT. a single connection from K3 line out to your computer line in gives you audio for RTTY, PSK, and WSJT decoding. If you're using an amp, a single cable from the key out connector switches the amp, and you can set the delay time. I'm using this connection to key a 30 year old Ten Tec Titan amp, and it works perfectly! I used to use WriteLog a lot, but switched to N1MM a year ago. I've seen a note somewhere saying that you tell WriteLog that it's a K2 or a Kenwood. 73, Jim Brown K9YC ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] K3 external ALC: volunteers needed to test implementation
We've been working on the K3's external ALC implementation. If you have an amplifier that supplies a negative-going ALC signal, and you don't mind loading new firmware and making a simple hardware mod, please email me directly. 73, Wayne N6KR ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] Elecraft K3 Wait and Wait and Wait!
Hi Augie, It seems that I misinterpreted your post about 180 degrees. I answered thinking you were waiting to order until there was no que, but re-reading your post, I see that is not what you said. I think it is what the person who started this thread did say. Oh well, I sure hope that Katie gets to me today or if not real soon. I am starting to get anxious to see the little jewel! --- Augie Hansen [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Hi Cookie, ... If you are not yet convinced that the K3 is the rig you want and can afford you should wait until this is so. If you are convinced, then you should consider ordering it now. If you order it today, you will get it sooner than if you order it tomorrow or next week, or six months from now. If you still think you might be happier with an Yaekencom then you should keep thinking until you are satisfied with your choice. I need to clarify my situation. I was a relatively early adopter of the K3, having placed my order on 7 June 2007 with a 50% deposit. My order date was determined by my desire to have the money in hand before committing to a purchase, not due to any technical concerns. The wait of nearly nine months was more than originally expected by a factor of more than two, but the rig (#441) was worth waiting for. It easily meets, and in some areas surpasses, my expectations. And my K2/100 served me well during the K3 gestation period. Had I waited to order until Elecraft had the K3 available off the shelf, I'd still be waiting to place an order, which as I implied is rather silly if you know you want one. Cheers, Gus Hansen KB0YH ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] K3 - keep us informed!
Elecraft personnel would be very wise to take a cue from Flex-Radio, and keep everyone informed about delivery scheduling, and related problems by posting regular updates here on this reflector (HINT, HINT). I, too, await my K3, which was promised by May 1, but which I now realize will probably not be delivered before July (if then). And I paid in full for mine - being a real generous, albeit not wealthy, guy. Meanwhile, my SDR-5000 is filling the void. Dave, W5UN ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] Elecraft K3 Wait and Wait and Wait!
No worries. You wait. In the mean time, the rig will cost more, and those who endured, will be enjoying the rig. I know I am certainly having a good time with mine. Dave Wilburn K4DGW K2/100 - S/N 5982 K3/100 - S/N 766 For those who fought for it, freedom has a flavor the protected will never know. Edward R. Breneiser wrote: Hello Drew, AF2Z I plunked down over $1300 for a deposit on my K3, but after waiting five months and then calling Elecraft they told me to wait another three months. That was a total wait of 8-months! At the five-month point I told Elecraft to cancel the order and send my money back. I then went out and bought an Icom 703+ and just love this little radio. It's no K3, but for less than $700 it's worth the money. I still plan to buy a K3, but I WILL NOT WAIT MONTHS to receive it. Elecraft doesn't have their act together concerning the K3. This is from an op who built a K1, K2 and a KX1. I'm VERY disappointed in Elecraft selling the K3 before they were geared up for production. When Elecraft has a K3 ON-THE-SHELF I might buy one. 72, Ed, WA3WSJ ** Yeah, that's right... most of us took a crash course in CW, learning it overnight. Then worked all band DXCC the next day. And we expect the solar flux to be at 300 in another week here or so. So where's our K3's? We didn't become ham radio operators because we like to wait around for stuff. No sir. 73, Drew AF2Z ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] Elecraft K3 Wait and Wait and Wait!
I ordered my K3 in late April 2007 with a 50% deposit. It was a risk as they were a relatively unknown rig, but having built a K1 and K2 there was a good chance it would perform as described. I've now had the pleasure of owning a K3 for 6 months and don't regret buying it at all. All good things come to he who is prepared to wait... 73 Dave, G4AON K3/100 #80 ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] K3/10 kit #956 delivered, ordered 12/21
My K3/10 kit, serial number 956, was delivered today, exactly 5 months after order on Dec 21. What exceptional packing! -- View this message in context: http://www.nabble.com/K3-10-kit--956-delivered%2C-ordered-12-21-tp17364370p17364370.html Sent from the Elecraft mailing list archive at Nabble.com. ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] Power Supply short protection
You need plastic covers over those transistors. A cover over the output connections wouldn't be a bad idea either. On the subject of power supplies, I run a Racal 115-12-35CD linear power supply and it's a nice bit of kit. They were manufactured by NewMar of Newport Beach, CA. Several appeared here as new old stock in unopened packaging on the UK surplus market a few weeks ago, but I've not seen any since. They are rated at 35 Amps continuous up to an ambient temp of 50 deg C, and have thermal shut down, current limiting, over voltage protection (crowbar and fuse) and are built like a tank. The only downside is the weight - 30 lbs... at least it doesn't produce birdies all over HF! 73 Dave, G4AON K3/100 #80 I am running my K3 from an Astron 35M. I experienced an accidental short circuit on the power supply and I am wondering what everyone else does about the possibility of accidental shorts from exposed 12V wire lugs or the exposed pass transistors on the back of power supplies (hot transistor collectors). In my case the PS is on the floor and you guessed it close to my shack ground braid. While fiddling the ground braid touched one of the pass transistor collectors and everything shut down, no damage done than goodness. I would like a more permanent solution. Mike Scott - AE6WA ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] K3 in Iraq
I case you wanted to know: YI9FMW is now set up (minimally, someone forgot the balun and coax...) on 40m. Once it gets dark in the US (1900 EST?) I'd like to see if I can reach any other elecrafters. Right now I've got a makeshift extended Zepp, with military commo wire acting as makeshift twinlead. With help from you all, I'd like to get up and fully operational. And what I mean by that are any suggestions you might have in terms of antenna design, given limited means. and hundreds of feet of military commo wire or best practices in pulling you out of the noise given what you know about your K3, all modes. I'm here to experiment as well as get folks nifty qsl cards. -- View this message in context: http://www.nabble.com/K3-in-Iraq-tp17364716p17364716.html Sent from the Elecraft mailing list archive at Nabble.com. ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] Elecraft K3 Wait and Wait and Wait! [END of Thread]
Guys, Please, let's end this thread for now. Its taking a tremendous amount of reflector bandwidth and is not going to make any impact on our production rate. Believe me, we are already acutely aware of how much everyone wants their K3 to be delivered quickly. If you want to vent, please email me directly. We are already working very long hours and putting all of our resources into getting you K3s as fast as possible without sacrificing quality. Wayne, I and our whole crew virtually live Elecraft every day (and nights weekends for many of us!) We run Elecraft on a very conservative financial basis - we want to stay here for the long run . We have a tremendous amount of cash tied up in test equipment, inventory and work in process. Throwing more money at it is not a prudent path to take in a market as small as the amateur market. We have a big bubble of product to ship, but once we do catch up, we do not want to have to lay off staff, pay rent on unneeded factory space etc. We have made a very careful set of decisions on this, which we review on an ongoing basis to make sure we are on track. So far, while I would love to be able to ship at a 2x to 3x rate right now, I feel we are on track with what we have planned. We are in a strong financial condition and will stay that way. Many a small company (and some larger ones) has bankrupted itself by trying to ramp up too quickly. As a general comment, the reason we still are in a backlog situation is due to the fact that each time we have increased our production rate, our rate of orders has also increased beyond our projections. We have been amazed at the K3 order response from our existing and new customers. This Dayton our sales were way above even last year's (which was an all time record with the K3 intro.) We even sold out of K2s this Dayton. Even if we had infinite cash resources we could not find the people, building space, parts etc to ramp up more quickly. We do not want to compromise quality as we increase production. We will not compromise quality. Period. As I have noted before, we are currently on plan to increase our monthly production by 50%+ over the next several months. (Parts ordered, personnel hired etc.) If we are successful, the lead time on orders will continue to drop noticeably. We hope to be at less than 4 weeks or less by the fall. Personally I want to be in a ship from stock position for the holiday season. Several of the parts used in the K3 (and in our other radios) have 13-24 week lead times. We do plan carefully, but there is an unavoidable lag in response from our parts pipeline and assembly vendors each time we revise our production schedule. Plus, as an extra 'fun' variable, each vendor can also be late on their deliveries to us. As we see this reoccur for any vendor we immediately bring on extra sources for that part - but it takes time to qualify each new vendor, especially for custom parts like toroids etc. We do plan for some of this, but each week brings lots of new excitement. ;-) Wayne and I started and continue to run Elecraft because we enjoy doing this, even with the stresses of bringing a product as successful as the K3 on line. This really is a labor of love. As many of you have noticed, we do not look at this as just an eight hour a day job. ;-) Also, Lisa, Katie, Madelyn, Scott, Gary, Richard and the rest of our customer sales and support crew manage to maintain their excellent attitudes in the face of some rather rude and immature callers. Fortunately the 99% of you that have great attitudes make up for that. I'm amazed at their resiliency. Please remember when you call that they are only trying to help you as much as possible, and that they are not responsible for production delays etc. Please feel free to email me with any complaints etc. I have a thick skin and take each email seriously, even if I am not able to reply to every email. We're working hard to get these out the door to you quickly. Hopefully we'll catch up enough soon so we can play with -our- K3s! :-) 73, Eric WA6HHQ _..._ ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] Elecraft Honchos!!! [END of thread]
Guys, let's end this thread too. Its taking a tremendous amount of reflector bandwidth and is not going to make any impact on our production rate. See my prior post for more details on our ramp up efforts etc. 73, Eric WA6HHQ _..._ ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] K3 noise-blanker
info4mjs wrote: I had both the K3 and Orion 2 in my shack. . . Now, when W1AW is on the air (as well as some other QRO stations in my areaI live about 5 miles from W1AW) and contributes to the noise with IMD products, the O2 works better. The O2 stayed and the K3 left. Barry N1EU wrote: Hmmm . . . I happen to have recently read WA1SEO's Orion2 review on eham. He reported spending just a couple of hours behind a K3 and he was a fairly new owner of the Orion2 at that time. I'm sure Mike heard what he heard, but his report is clearly anecdotal, rather than definitive. I don't understand K3 bashing after just a couple of hours of use. To say the Orion(2) is more refined and more finished than the K3 is certainly a stretch in my eyes, after 4.5 years on the Orion. All that being said, I actually think they're both very good radios. Barry caused me to go read WA1SEO's Orion 2 review: http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/5564 (4th one down): Comments on the K3: ### The K3 was OK but didn’t handle my QTH’s issues as well as the Orion 2. (I live within 5 miles of W1AW, have several QRO stations within 2 miles, and have very strong signals from local AM broadcast stations, in addition to the locally generated RFI from various appliances.) The K3 didn’t feel as refined (functionally and mechanically) as the Orion 2. A comparably equipped K3 sans panoramic display will cost over $3700, which is significantly more than my used O2 cost. Ultimately, I made my decision because I assumed the Orion 2 was a finished product and it worked well. I believe the K3 is a work in progress that will probably work at my QTH someday, but not right now. ### Based on the Feb 24th date of this review and his comments about the K3's strong signal overload, my guess is he may have had a pre-S/N 211 K3 (sans hardware AGC mod announced publicly on March 27 with the mod implemented in production units approximately mid-January). Orion is indeed an excellent radio, but I configured my K3 for what I needed at ~$2.5k. This includes a Sub RX that has identical RF performance to the Main RX and which will allow true phase-locked diversity. Orion has neither of these features which is why I sold my 4 year old Orion in favor of the K3. I also believe the K3's firmware is well ahead of where Orion was at the same stage of its product life cycle (6 months after 1st shipments). Also, the addition of a $200 LP-PAN and $100 sound card will give a panadaptor rivaling Flex-Radio's (since they both use the same PowerSDR software). 73, Bill W4ZV -- View this message in context: http://www.nabble.com/K3-noise-blanker-tp17338480p17366006.html Sent from the Elecraft mailing list archive at Nabble.com. ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] long wait for my k3
hi all im glad theres a long wait for a k3. otherewisae i could never get one. over the time im waiting. i am paying a bit at a time till its payed for. i am not well off and dont have credit. so im happy to wait and i will not morn aboult it. the guys and gals are doing a great job at electraft so chill be happy and wait im told its worth the wait chris g0wfh k2 sno 6436 k3 sno ? 80+ days to go ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] Power Supply short protection
Mike, Just put vinyl tubing over the braid. I've used ground braid conered with tubing for years with no problem running it around, behind and under equipment. 73 Kurt W7QHD - Original Message - From: Dave G4AON [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net Sent: Wednesday, May 21, 2008 10:20 AM Subject: [Elecraft] Power Supply short protection I am running my K3 from an Astron 35M. I experienced an accidental short circuit on the power supply and I am wondering what everyone else does about the possibility of accidental shorts from exposed 12V wire lugs or the exposed pass transistors on the back of power supplies (hot transistor collectors). In my case the PS is on the floor and you guessed it close to my shack ground braid. While fiddling the ground braid touched one of the pass transistor collectors and everything shut down, no damage done than goodness. I would like a more permanent solution. Mike Scott - AE6WA ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] K3 in Iraq
My temporary antenna is a low doublet up 15ft max and bending around the garden for 88ft per leg, this passes thro the wall in nylon tubes then by a few feet of ladder line to a PL259 on the back of the K3, no coax, no baluns. The auto atu makes a good match top to ten. Regularly hear Stateside early mornings on 80m, from northern England. David G3UNA I case you wanted to know: YI9FMW is now set up (minimally, someone forgot the balun and coax...) on 40m. Once it gets dark in the US (1900 EST?) I'd like to see if I can reach any other elecrafters. Right now I've got a makeshift extended Zepp, with military commo wire acting as makeshift twinlead. With help from you all, I'd like to get up and fully operational. And what I mean by that are any suggestions you might have in terms of antenna design, given limited means. and hundreds of feet of military commo wire or best practices in pulling you out of the noise given what you know about your K3, all modes. I'm here to experiment as well as get folks nifty qsl cards. -- ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] K3 Auto CW copy
Hi All, I have only tried using he CW reading feature on my K3 a few times. Like most code readers, it misses a lot, and a little interference can throw it off track fairly easily. It takes a pretty good signal to minimize the errors. But I did check once by having it copy W1AW. There are two benefits to trying that. First, the CW is machine sent, so it's nearly perfect. Secondly, W1AW has such a good signal that interference issues are minimal. The reader did very well in that test. There were very few errors, and word separation was very good. I would strongly suggest that you check your K3 in the same manner to see if you are getting the word spacing problem. It was also interesting to watch my own sending. I've always thought my sending was reasonably good, and the reader did confirm that by showing the text I was sending in pretty much the correct text and spacing. But if I got the least bit casual about it, the reader reflected that as well. Spacing was the big issue, although most of my errors were exaggerated spaces rather than insufficient spacing. But I send with somewhat exaggerated spacing between words on purpose. I try to send words correctly spaced, and then leave a slightly extended space between words. I think this helps the receiving station clearly identify just what the word is I am sending. Every so often expresses appreciation for my doing it that way. In my view, I'm not sure there is a greater CW sin than running words and/or letters together. Interestingly, this process pointed out a glaring error that I have probably been making forever. That was in how I sent my call. I have a K on the end of my call, and I've always had problems in contest exchanges, etc. with the other station truncating my call to just a two letter suffix, presumably thinking my last letter K was asking them to transmit. It only takes a slight hesitation to cause the reader to reflect that. I kept seeing my call appear on the reader as W7AQ K rather than W7AQK. In thinking about it, it made me realize how easy it is to slip into these little bad habits. Some stations send their calls with insufficient spacing between letters. Things that we send repeatedly, like call, name, QTH, etc. seem to be common candidates for this type of error. It's as if, on occasion, we develop our own rhythm for sending these standard items in violation of the standard timing and spacing rules. And some folks just plain don't put the right number of dits in what they send. I heard one W6 station who repeatedly sent his call with 5 dits in the number 6, as well as repeatedly sending a 5 for an H. In cases like that, the reader won't lie! But your brain won't lie either. You will probably get that hey, wait a minute feeling about what you are hearing. Anyway, I then used the reader to retrain myself to send my call so that it did not insert an extra space between the Q and the K. It was a hard habit to break. Years of doing it wrong aren't easily erased. But I would strongly recommend that folks use the reader now and then to monitor their own sending. On a transmitted signal, the reader is very accurate in my view. And if you intend to utilize the K3's capability of translating your CW into RTTY, you better have your sending timing in good shape. Anyway, as I said above, the W1AW test is about the best way I know to really check out the reading capability of your K3. If it doesn't read that pretty well, I would guess you have a problem with your K3. Dave W7AQK - Original Message - From: Tom Childers, N5GE [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cc: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net Sent: Tuesday, May 20, 2008 9:08 PM Subject: Re: [Elecraft] K3 Auto CW copy On Tue, 20 May 2008 20:12:14 -0700, you wrote: I have noticed that the CW text display of auto copied CW signals often does not get the spacing between words and runs words together. When I copy the same text in my head the word spacing seems pretty good. Also when I send CW it will also run words together. So I am wondering about a tweak to the algorithm. Making a computer copy CW of unknown speed must be difficult. But everyone knows my code is perfect :) I noticed the same thing when I was sending, but when I paid more attention to making sure my timing between words was consistent the spacing improved along with my sending ;o) What a nice tool for improving my sending! On the other hand I had a QSO with a near local (80 miles) and he had trouble copying me because of QRM. I was dialed down to 50 Hz and heard no other signal present. I opened up to 1 KHz and there they all were. Isn't that great or what? Mike Scott - AE6WA Tarzana, CA (DM04 / near LA) K3-100 #508/ KX1 #1311 ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub
Re: [Elecraft] K3 HAGC mod pre S/N 211 (Was: K3 noise-blanker)
Bill W4ZV wrote: my guess is he may have had a pre-S/N 211 K3 (sans hardware AGC mod announced publicly on March 27 with the mod implemented in production units approximately mid-January). I believe that some K3's later than S/N 211 do not have the HAGC mod. Mine is S/N 222. While installing the KPA3 yesterday I checked the area of the mod and it looks exactly like the pictures of the unmodded board. The resistor that was changed to a LED looks just like all the other resistors, the two resistors that are shorted look just like resistors, and there is no added resistor linking two points. So unless the changes made in production were done in such a way that the board still looks the same, I must assume my K3 does not have the mod, and possibly others post S/N 211 haven't either. - Julian, G4ILO K3 s/n: 222 K2 s/n: 392 G4ILO's Shack: www.g4ilo.com Zerobeat Ham Forums: www.zerobeat.net/smf -- View this message in context: http://www.nabble.com/K3-noise-blanker-tp17338480p17368032.html Sent from the Elecraft mailing list archive at Nabble.com. ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] Elecraft Honchos!!
Steve,the little VW was championed by Porsche himself,Hitler was looking for a small car for the masses in Germany.He liked what Porsche had come up with,and gave him the means to produce the wonderful little car.I take offense when people call it Hitler's car,it's Porsche's car,100%!I've owned over 30 + VW models since the late 60's,I can't imagine life without a VW in my driveway!My current one is a 1971 Camper,or Westy.A little bit off the thread subject,but I love the Elecraft line also,not silly really!73's de Ed N7EDK ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] Elecraft K3 Wait and Wait and Wait!
Some folks have an inflated sense of their own importance. Elecraft is shipping every K3 they can make, and making them as fast as they have people available. I'd be very surprised if they're currently pretty nervous about any one particular order. If I was smart like Wayne and Eric I'd have built such indecisions and vacillations into my business plan. Some guy named Bayes worked on this some time ago. 73 Art -- AF2Z writes: Message: 10 Date: Wed, 21 May 2008 09:13:57 -0400 From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Elecraft K3 Wait and Wait and Wait! To: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net Message-ID: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Hello Ed, Yes, some people would prefer to wait till they can buy one without waiting... For myself, I ordered one before I'd decided whether or not to actually buy one-- so it is really Elecraft who is waiting for me. I think they will be sending me an email any day now asking for my decision. I imagine they are probably getting pretty nervous about my final intentions by now. There is a lot of psychology in all this. 73, Drew AF2Z ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] K3 HAGC mod pre S/N 211 (Was: K3 noise-blanker)
Bill W4ZV wrote: my guess is he may have had a pre-S/N 211 K3 (sans hardware AGC mod announced publicly on March 27 with the mod implemented in production units approximately mid-January). G4ILO wrote: I believe that some K3's later than S/N 211 do not have the HAGC mod. Mine is S/N 222. While installing the KPA3 yesterday I checked the area of the mod and it looks exactly like the pictures of the unmodded board. The resistor that was changed to a LED looks just like all the other resistors, the two resistors that are shorted look just like resistors, and there is no added resistor linking two points. So unless the changes made in production were done in such a way that the board still looks the same, I must assume my K3 does not have the mod, and possibly others post S/N 211 haven't either. http://www.elecraft.com/K3/k3_app_notes.htm K3 RF Rev A boards with a leaded resistor added between C196 and C197 have this change. All Rev B RF boards have this change. If you don't have a Rev B board and there is no discrete resistor between the two points above, you may not have the mod installed. 73, Bill -- View this message in context: http://www.nabble.com/K3-noise-blanker-tp17338480p17369759.html Sent from the Elecraft mailing list archive at Nabble.com. ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] K3 Noise Reduction (NR)
Is there a further explanation of the K3 NR anywhere? The manual doesn't say much. Looking for the meaning / purpose of F1 thru F4 and the 4 levels inside each. Thanks! Bill N2BC K3 #929, 2 days old and still teaching it's owner. ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] KPA100 updates
I just updated my KPA100. This update is NOT for the weak at heart. The instructions warn you that you will have to remove components from the PCB. 20 to 24 depending on the level of your board! That's a lot of desoldering! I have worked in jobs that required removing parts from PCBs, so all came out OK, but someone with no experience in removing parts may well let Elecraft or one of the Builders do it. I found the Spare Parts and Mod Kits ordering page very confusing. There is a KPA100MODKT and a KPA100UPKT. Both go for under $20, so maybe this isn't very important, but everything in the MODKT is contained in the UPKT. If you were to do the MODKT first and then order the UPKT you'd have about half the parts left over. As far as I can see there is no need for the KPA100MODKT now that the newer KPA100UPKT is available!? 73, Kurt ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] Elecraft K3 Wait and Wait and Wait! [END of Thread]
Wow, Eric that was impressive. Makes me feel proud to be an Elecraftian. I wish I felt the same way after a State of the Union address but then, you actually make sense. Tom, AK2B ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] K3 HAGC mod pre S/N 211
I thought that we went through this long ago, but maybe it's worth repeating. My first K3 is SN #295 (a long ways from 211) and it did NOT have the mod. I thought, perhaps, that 211 was a typo and should have been 311, but others said no. Anyhow, #295 needed the mod added. de Doug KR2Q ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] Elecraft Honchos!!!
Folks, I am sure we all wish that supply at Elecraft was conveniently equal to demand. Order a K3 today, and have it by the end of the week or so. Clearly that isn't the case. I don't profess to know just how sophisticated Elecraft's market analysis is, but I'm relatively sure they aren't doing any exotic market surveys either. They are a small company with a big product! Also, I have no idea how they are evaluating just how much they can/will ramp up production. Doing so is expensive for one thing. It also adds greater complexity to the organization, particularly if that includes adding staff. I'm reasonably sure they don't want to increase staff only to reduce staff later. Some of that may be necessary, but it gets very sticky making those kinds of moves. Training new employees to get them up to an acceptable level of productivity, and then dropping them later, really hammers the bottom line. Personally, I would have expected the wait time to have decreased more than it has. But it hasn't gone down as much as I thought it would, and that suggests to me that K3 demand remains relatively strong--even 1 year later. I can only assume that it has surprised Wayne and Eric a bit too. Although all of us can fuss and complain about the wait time, it's really their product, and they are presumably doing what they think is right. Whether they are dealing with it correctly or not, it's their decision, not ours. So we just need to grin and bear it. That doesn't mean that allowing the wheel to squeek a bit won't encourage some positive response from them, but generally I think there will only be limited success in doing so. I think the best thing to do is to try and view all of this positively. By proceeding on a conservative path, Elecraft is hopefully minimizing screw-ups, not to mention protecting the company's viability. The longer they can sustain strong demand, the longer you have assurance that they will be around to help you keep their products running. Dealing with smaller companies can be somewhat risky. If they run out of demand, or ideas, or both, they tend to disappear. You don't have to think very long to come up with a bunch of names of companies like this who met an abrupt demise. If you don't like that suggestion, consider this one. I think the strong demand for the K3 would have easily enabled Elecraft to raise prices even more than they did. That would have probably have helped lower demand closer to supply, and they could later offer some blue light specials to prop up demand when it started waning. But they didn't do that--yet! So, even though I'm a bit frustrated about some things just like most of you are, I think I'll keep my complaints muzzled a bit. Besides, few if any of us have all the facts anyway. We have no idea what all the issues are that Elecraft is dealing with. We are all just a bunch of sidewalk superintendents, and what we think should be simple may well be just the opposite. In truth, I think a lot of our frustration is enhanced by the knowledge that the K3 is a great product with superior product support. We want it! Now! We don't want to go for the closest alternative. We just don't like dilemmas. Dave W7AQK ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] K3 Noise Reduction (NR)
Is there a further explanation of the K3 NR anywhere? Go to the Elecraft website K3 page, at the bottom click on Operating Tips and you'll see an article I wrote that explains it. 73, Lyle KK7P ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] K3 ERR PL 1 storing empty memory to VFO
I was setting up some band edge memories (KM5Q's post of 5/10). I goofed and hit MV instead of VM. Then selected an 'empty' memory position, the main freq display was - - - -. I hit MV again. The VFO jumps to 49.9940 mHz and displays ERR PL 1 Seems like the MV routine should test for a valid frequency. Manual frequency entry or selecting a properly setup memory brings the K3 back all OK. I couldn't find reference to this - sorry if it's a dupe. Using the beta firmware 1.96 73, Bill N2BC K3/929 ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] Elecraft Honchos!!!
It sounds like the natives are getting restless again. John[K7SVV] - Original Message - From: JIM DAVIS [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net Sent: Tuesday, May 20, 2008 3:06 PM Subject: [Elecraft] Elecraft Honchos!!! I'm very interested in purchasing one of your NEW K3s but what I have a hard time understanding is about the production lag-time (4mo. now?) If you guys KNOW that you've got a winner then WHY NOT RAMP UP PRODUCTION now instead of having everybody wait??? Also, if the staff that you have that visits the various Ham-Conventions and take MORE orders then are'nt you guys compounding the work-order process even MORE??? Look! This is Ham-Radio and it's all about instant gratification and you should know that as a businessman!!! Until you have your production equalized more orders slow up production if you're not GEARED-UP TO HANDLE THEM!!! 73, Jim/nn6ee ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG. Version: 8.0.100 / Virus Database: 269.23.21/1456 - Release Date: 5/20/2008 6:45 AM ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] K3 HAGC mod pre S/N 211 (Was: K3 noise-blanker)
I believe that some K3's later than S/N 211 do not have the HAGC mod My SN308 did NOT have this mod (it does now!!). Phil - AD5X ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] Xtal Filters
Hello all, Today I received the 1.8 Kc 8 pole filter and installed it tonight. I did the configuration with the software tool used for firmware updates as well (also performed an update as well). All went OK, but I do have a feeling something is wrong or my ears/brains work a little different from the majority (yeh yeh I know...) When XFil 2.7 is selected together with the DSP at 2.7 Kc, the audio sounds great. When decreasing the BW with the DSP to 1.8 (but keeping the centre the same), the hardware filter is switched in at 1.8 Kc DSP setting. During the decreasing process I'm loosing information (Ofcourse!) but my feeling says too much. When during the decreasing process I also lower the centre freq, the excessive loss of information is compensated. This gives me the feeling as if the filter isn't centered anymore. First I thought this might have to do something with the Offset (-0.91 for a 2.7 5 pole filter) but nothing was written on the 1.8 Kc 8 pole filter. I just tried it, but that didn't compensate the excessive loss. During a process of decreasing bandwidth while listening to an SSB signal, I would appreciate if a shift of the centre-freq of the DSP is not required Any suggestion? 73's, Evert PA2KW ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] K3 HAGC mod pre S/N 211 (Was: K3 noise-blanker)
Bill W4ZV wrote: If you don't have a Rev B board and there is no discrete resistor between the two points above, you may not have the mod installed. My board is Rev A and I don't have the resistor. Guess I'll have to manage without the mod, because removing those tiny components is beyond me. - Julian, G4ILO K3 s/n: 222 K2 s/n: 392 G4ILO's Shack: www.g4ilo.com Zerobeat Ham Forums: www.zerobeat.net/smf -- View this message in context: http://www.nabble.com/K3-noise-blanker-tp17338480p17379116.html Sent from the Elecraft mailing list archive at Nabble.com. ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
RE: [Elecraft] Xtal Filters
I just want to avoid confusion: With loss I do not mean insertion loss of the filter (it can even be compensated with FLx GN) but information loss due to reduced BW. Sorry for the BW :-) 73's, Evert PA2KW -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Evert Bakker (PA2KW) Sent: Wednesday, May 21, 2008 23:58 To: 'Elecraft Reflector' Subject: [Elecraft] Xtal Filters Hello all, Today I received the 1.8 Kc 8 pole filter and installed it tonight. I did the configuration with the software tool used for firmware updates as well (also performed an update as well). All went OK, but I do have a feeling something is wrong or my ears/brains work a little different from the majority (yeh yeh I know...) When XFil 2.7 is selected together with the DSP at 2.7 Kc, the audio sounds great. When decreasing the BW with the DSP to 1.8 (but keeping the centre the same), the hardware filter is switched in at 1.8 Kc DSP setting. During the decreasing process I'm loosing information (Ofcourse!) but my feeling says too much. When during the decreasing process I also lower the centre freq, the excessive loss of information is compensated. This gives me the feeling as if the filter isn't centered anymore. First I thought this might have to do something with the Offset (-0.91 for a 2.7 5 pole filter) but nothing was written on the 1.8 Kc 8 pole filter. I just tried it, but that didn't compensate the excessive loss. During a process of decreasing bandwidth while listening to an SSB signal, I would appreciate if a shift of the centre-freq of the DSP is not required Any suggestion? 73's, Evert PA2KW ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] Xtal Filters
During a process of decreasing bandwidth while listening to an SSB signal, I would appreciate if a shift of the centre-freq of the DSP is not required Any suggestion? Use HI CUT/LO CUT instead of SHIFT/WIDTH in SSB. As you adjust for best recovery, the 1.8 kHz filter will cut in when the difference between HI CUT and LO CUT is 1.8 kHz or less, and will be centered on the difference between them. 73, Lyle KK7P ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] Xtal Filters
Evert, When using SSB, it is usually easier and better to use the HI CUT/LO CUT rather than width and shift. Just reducing the HI CUT will usually result in a narrowed bandwidth but maintains intelligibility. The BFO/Filter relationship should be preserved with the low end between 250 and 300 Hz for best intelligibility with a narrow SSB filter - using Hi Cut allows you to easily achieve that. You might want to tweak the Lo Cut setting a slight amount, but the bandwidth reduction for a SSB signal should be mostly from the high frequency end. 73, Don W3FPR Evert Bakker (PA2KW) wrote: Hello all, Today I received the 1.8 Kc 8 pole filter and installed it tonight. I did the configuration with the software tool used for firmware updates as well (also performed an update as well). All went OK, but I do have a feeling something is wrong or my ears/brains work a little different from the majority (yeh yeh I know...) When XFil 2.7 is selected together with the DSP at 2.7 Kc, the audio sounds great. When decreasing the BW with the DSP to 1.8 (but keeping the centre the same), the hardware filter is switched in at 1.8 Kc DSP setting. During the decreasing process I'm loosing information (Ofcourse!) but my feeling says too much. When during the decreasing process I also lower the centre freq, the excessive loss of information is compensated. This gives me the feeling as if the filter isn't centered anymore. First I thought this might have to do something with the Offset (-0.91 for a 2.7 5 pole filter) but nothing was written on the 1.8 Kc 8 pole filter. I just tried it, but that didn't compensate the excessive loss. During a process of decreasing bandwidth while listening to an SSB signal, I would appreciate if a shift of the centre-freq of the DSP is not required ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] Xtal Filters
Hi, I am assuming that you are using SSB. For SSB, use the Hi Cut / Lo cut mode instead and adjust the Hi Cut for lower bandwidth. The Shift / Width mode is not suitable for SSB since it wants to keep the center frequency constant, while what you want in almost all cases is simply decreasing the high end of the passband, keeping the low cut at 300Hz or so. SSB with a low cut of 600Hz sounds extremely bad. For the same reason, I find the XFIL button unsuitable in SSB mode since it wants to center the new filter which again causes the low cut to be way to high. I still think some of the design choices for this rig are not optimal for SSB operators. Knut - AB2TC Evert Bakker (PA2KW) wrote: Hello all, Today I received the 1.8 Kc 8 pole filter and installed it tonight. I did the configuration with the software tool used for firmware updates as well (also performed an update as well). All went OK, but I do have a feeling something is wrong or my ears/brains work a little different from the majority (yeh yeh I know...) When XFil 2.7 is selected together with the DSP at 2.7 Kc, the audio sounds great. When decreasing the BW with the DSP to 1.8 (but keeping the centre the same), the hardware filter is switched in at 1.8 Kc DSP setting. During the decreasing process I'm loosing information (Ofcourse!) but my feeling says too much. When during the decreasing process I also lower the centre freq, the excessive loss of information is compensated. This gives me the feeling as if the filter isn't centered anymore. First I thought this might have to do something with the Offset (-0.91 for a 2.7 5 pole filter) but nothing was written on the 1.8 Kc 8 pole filter. I just tried it, but that didn't compensate the excessive loss. During a process of decreasing bandwidth while listening to an SSB signal, I would appreciate if a shift of the centre-freq of the DSP is not required Any suggestion? 73's, Evert PA2KW ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com -- View this message in context: http://www.nabble.com/Xtal-Filters-tp17380222p17384263.html Sent from the Elecraft mailing list archive at Nabble.com. ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re:Re: [Elecraft] Elecraft K3 Wait and Wait and Wait! (c/o ART!!!)
On Wed, 21 May 2008 13:38:00 -0600 Art [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Some folks have an inflated sense of their own importance. Elecraft is shipping every K3 they can make, and making them as fast as they have people available. I'd be very surprised if they're currently pretty nervous about any one particular order. If I was smart like Wayne and Eric I'd have built such indecisions and vacillations into my business plan. Some guy named Bayes worked on this some time ago. 73 Art -- AF2Z writes: Message: 10 Date: Wed, 21 May 2008 09:13:57 -0400 From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Elecraft K3 Wait and Wait and Wait! To: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net Message-ID: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Hello Ed, Yes, some people would prefer to wait till they can buy one without waiting... For myself, I ordered one before I'd decided whether or not to actually buy one-- so it is really Elecraft who is waiting for me. I think they will be sending me an email any day now asking for my decision. I imagine they are probably getting pretty nervous about my final intentions by now. There is a lot of psychology in all this. 73, Drew AF2Z ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com Art, Your statement about Self-importance in our opinion was rather SHALLOW in that whoever is SPENDING HIS OWN MONEY/$$ has every expectation of receiving his ordered product PROMPTLY instead of what ELECRAFT is telling their customers now! By the time ALL of the present orders are fullfilled ELECRAFT will have out the NEW/IMPROVED K-4 You're not kidding anyone! Respectfully, Jim/nn6ee ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
RE: [Elecraft] Xtal Filters
Thanks Knut, Lyle, Don, Steve and Bill, It must have become clear that I'm a CW operator and was used to SHIFT/WIDTH already :-). SSB, different mind set eh I will check the hiss item and learn more. Thanks for support and info! 73's, Evert PA2KW BTW, a vary happy K3 user! It's the first radio (I had) that beats the beast (TR7A/R7A). -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of ab2tc Sent: Thursday, May 22, 2008 00:35 To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Xtal Filters Hi, I am assuming that you are using SSB. For SSB, use the Hi Cut / Lo cut mode instead and adjust the Hi Cut for lower bandwidth. The Shift / Width mode is not suitable for SSB since it wants to keep the center frequency constant, while what you want in almost all cases is simply decreasing the high end of the passband, keeping the low cut at 300Hz or so. SSB with a low cut of 600Hz sounds extremely bad. For the same reason, I find the XFIL button unsuitable in SSB mode since it wants to center the new filter which again causes the low cut to be way to high. I still think some of the design choices for this rig are not optimal for SSB operators. Knut - AB2TC Evert Bakker (PA2KW) wrote: Hello all, Today I received the 1.8 Kc 8 pole filter and installed it tonight. I did the configuration with the software tool used for firmware updates as well (also performed an update as well). All went OK, but I do have a feeling something is wrong or my ears/brains work a little different from the majority (yeh yeh I know...) When XFil 2.7 is selected together with the DSP at 2.7 Kc, the audio sounds great. When decreasing the BW with the DSP to 1.8 (but keeping the centre the same), the hardware filter is switched in at 1.8 Kc DSP setting. During the decreasing process I'm loosing information (Ofcourse!) but my feeling says too much. When during the decreasing process I also lower the centre freq, the excessive loss of information is compensated. This gives me the feeling as if the filter isn't centered anymore. First I thought this might have to do something with the Offset (-0.91 for a 2.7 5 pole filter) but nothing was written on the 1.8 Kc 8 pole filter. I just tried it, but that didn't compensate the excessive loss. During a process of decreasing bandwidth while listening to an SSB signal, I would appreciate if a shift of the centre-freq of the DSP is not required Any suggestion? 73's, Evert PA2KW ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com -- View this message in context: http://www.nabble.com/Xtal-Filters-tp17380222p17384263.html Sent from the Elecraft mailing list archive at Nabble.com. ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] Elecraft K3 Wait and Wait and Wait! (c/o ART!!!)
Guys - This thread has been ended. Please take any discussion off list. Also, all new orders received are quoted 4-5 months, even though we feel we will beat that as we go forward. 73, Eric _..._ JIM DAVIS wrote: On Wed, 21 May 2008 13:38:00 -0600 Art [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Some folks have an inflated sense of their own importance. Elecraft is shipping every K3 they can make, and making them as fast as they have people available. I'd be very surprised if they're currently pretty nervous about any one particular order. If I was smart like Wayne and Eric I'd have built such indecisions and vacillations into my business plan. Some guy named Bayes worked on this some time ago. 73 Art -- Art, Your statement about Self-importance in our opinion was rather SHALLOW in that whoever is SPENDING HIS OWN MONEY/$$ has every expectation of receiving his ordered product PROMPTLY instead of what ELECRAFT is telling their customers now! By the time ALL of the present orders are fullfilled ELECRAFT will have out the NEW/IMPROVED K-4 You're not kidding anyone! Respectfully, Jim/nn6ee ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] Elecraft Honchos!!! (In reference to your comment SIR!!!)
On Wed, 21 May 2008 14:44:30 -0700 John K7SVV [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: It sounds like the natives are getting restless again. John[K7SVV] - Original Message - From: JIM DAVIS [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net Sent: Tuesday, May 20, 2008 3:06 PM Subject: [Elecraft] Elecraft Honchos!!! I'm very interested in purchasing one of your NEW K3s but what I have a hard time understanding is about the production lag-time (4mo. now?) If you guys KNOW that you've got a winner then WHY NOT RAMP UP PRODUCTION now instead of having everybody wait??? Also, if the staff that you have that visits the various Ham-Conventions and take MORE orders then are'nt you guys compounding the work-order process even MORE??? Look! This is Ham-Radio and it's all about instant gratification and you should know that as a businessman!!! Until you have your production equalized more orders slow up production if you're not GEARED-UP TO HANDLE THEM!!! ** Your comment has no basis in fact in that I'm not alone by virtue of the MANY comments in agreement with my EARLIER POSTING!!! So it would be great if you could follow the conversation line! I and you can SPEND OUR MONEY ANYWHERE WE WANT! We'll see how the Elecraft Boyz handle their present dilemma!!! Jim/nn6ee ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] Xtal Filters
Hi Knut and all, I totally agree with you. CW operation of the filters is fine. With SSB it would be way easier if the filter centre frequency would be reduced by a small amount as the width is reduced. In the heat of battle those small filter knobs are not easy to adjust without nudging the VFO (I don't have much feeling in my finger tips). I would prefer to use the XFIL button to immediately switch to a narrower filter which is suitably centered for SSB reception. With a 2.1KHz xtal filter the low frequency could be about 250Hz and 350Hz for a 1.8KHz filter. As this (XFIL button) seems to be the unused button on the K3 maybe one or two extra narrower filters for SSB could be setup in DSP with appropriate centering. This then would function even if you did not have the extra roofing filters. It would be way simpler than fiddling with those filter knobs. I always thought those knobs should have had a very positive detent (a 1/2 in. longer knob would help too). My shaky hands don't handle them well at all. Food for thought. 73 Tony Fegan VE3QF K3 #137 ab2tc wrote: Hi, I am assuming that you are using SSB. For SSB, use the Hi Cut / Lo cut mode instead and adjust the Hi Cut for lower bandwidth. The Shift / Width mode is not suitable for SSB since it wants to keep the center frequency constant, while what you want in almost all cases is simply decreasing the high end of the passband, keeping the low cut at 300Hz or so. SSB with a low cut of 600Hz sounds extremely bad. For the same reason, I find the XFIL button unsuitable in SSB mode since it wants to center the new filter which again causes the low cut to be way to high. I still think some of the design choices for this rig are not optimal for SSB operators. Knut - AB2TC Evert Bakker (PA2KW) wrote: Hello all, Today I received the 1.8 Kc 8 pole filter and installed it tonight. I did the configuration with the software tool used for firmware updates as well (also performed an update as well). All went OK, but I do have a feeling something is wrong or my ears/brains work a little different from the majority (yeh yeh I know...) When XFil 2.7 is selected together with the DSP at 2.7 Kc, the audio sounds great. When decreasing the BW with the DSP to 1.8 (but keeping the centre the same), the hardware filter is switched in at 1.8 Kc DSP setting. During the decreasing process I'm loosing information (Ofcourse!) but my feeling says too much. When during the decreasing process I also lower the centre freq, the excessive loss of information is compensated. This gives me the feeling as if the filter isn't centered anymore. First I thought this might have to do something with the Offset (-0.91 for a 2.7 5 pole filter) but nothing was written on the 1.8 Kc 8 pole filter. I just tried it, but that didn't compensate the excessive loss. During a process of decreasing bandwidth while listening to an SSB signal, I would appreciate if a shift of the centre-freq of the DSP is not required Any suggestion? 73's, Evert PA2KW ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] Q. about Elecraft utility
I noticed under the configuration pull-down menu there is a edit crystal filters button. I can't seem to make this work. Is it enabled or am I doing something wrong? I have the latest version for the Mac and all my filters are configured and work as designed, but I was curious about this feature. 73 Dale, K9VUJ ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] Xtal Filters
Hi again, I think your particular problem has a fairly simple solution. Press (hold) the I/II button (on the HI/Width button) and set up the alternate 1.8kHz the way you want it. Now you will be able to switch between a wide and narrow SSB setting without twiddling any knobs. This is the way I do switch between normal and contest mode. But I still think the function of the XFIL button should be different in SSB mode. Knut - AB2TC Tony Fegan VE3QF wrote: Hi Knut and all, I totally agree with you. CW operation of the filters is fine. With SSB it would be way easier if the filter centre frequency would be reduced by a small amount as the width is reduced. In the heat of battle those small filter knobs are not easy to adjust without nudging the VFO (I don't have much feeling in my finger tips). I would prefer to use the XFIL button to immediately switch to a narrower filter which is suitably centered for SSB reception. With a 2.1KHz xtal filter the low frequency could be about 250Hz and 350Hz for a 1.8KHz filter. As this (XFIL button) seems to be the unused button on the K3 maybe one or two extra narrower filters for SSB could be setup in DSP with appropriate centering. This then would function even if you did not have the extra roofing filters. It would be way simpler than fiddling with those filter knobs. I always thought those knobs should have had a very positive detent (a 1/2 in. longer knob would help too). My shaky hands don't handle them well at all. Food for thought. 73 Tony Fegan VE3QF K3 #137 ab2tc wrote: snip -- View this message in context: http://www.nabble.com/Xtal-Filters-tp17380222p17394521.html Sent from the Elecraft mailing list archive at Nabble.com. ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] Desoldering Tool Recommendations?
I would like to get a reliable, but not so expensive desoldering gun/station. Does any one have a recommendation or two? TNX ES 73, Tom, N5GE - SWOT 3537 - Grid EM12jq Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety deserve neither Liberty nor Safety An excerpt from a letter written in 1755 from the Assembly to the Governor of Pennsylvania. Support the entire Constitution, not just the parts you like. http://www.n5ge.com http://www.eQSL.cc/Member.cfm?N5GE ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] Desoldering Tool Recommendations?
Tom, I would strongly recommend a Hakko 808. Great tool! It requires a little bit of regular maintenance (cleaning/filter changes), but is well worth the effort. Google it and reade some of the things on the web about it. http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/2978 Best, DW Holtman WB7SSN - Original Message - From: Tom Childers, N5GE [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Elecraft Reflector elecraft@mailman.qth.net Sent: Wednesday, May 21, 2008 5:46 PM Subject: [Elecraft] Desoldering Tool Recommendations? I would like to get a reliable, but not so expensive desoldering gun/station. Does any one have a recommendation or two? TNX ES 73, Tom, N5GE - SWOT 3537 - Grid EM12jq Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety deserve neither Liberty nor Safety An excerpt from a letter written in 1755 from the Assembly to the Governor of Pennsylvania. Support the entire Constitution, not just the parts you like. http://www.n5ge.com http://www.eQSL.cc/Member.cfm?N5GE ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] Desoldering Tool Recommendations?
Tom, One more thing on the Hakko 808. I would strongly recommend buying the stand to hold it. It does get hot and the stand is well worth the price. I drilled a couple of screws in the stand and screwed it to my bench top. I knocked it over twice and do not want it to happen again. Best, DW Holtman WB7SSN - Original Message - From: Tom Childers, N5GE [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Elecraft Reflector elecraft@mailman.qth.net Sent: Wednesday, May 21, 2008 5:46 PM Subject: [Elecraft] Desoldering Tool Recommendations? I would like to get a reliable, but not so expensive desoldering gun/station. Does any one have a recommendation or two? TNX ES 73, Tom, N5GE - SWOT 3537 - Grid EM12jq Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety deserve neither Liberty nor Safety An excerpt from a letter written in 1755 from the Assembly to the Governor of Pennsylvania. Support the entire Constitution, not just the parts you like. http://www.n5ge.com http://www.eQSL.cc/Member.cfm?N5GE ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] Burn in of KPA100
Hello group, I built the 100 watt amp last summer, but can't seem to overcome the urge to stay at qrp levels. So, as I probably have only a few minutes of time at 100 watts, when should I reset the mounting screws. Is this like 3 months or 3000 miles or is it strictly a matter of time? Should I just pound out a few hours of tests into a dummy? Thanks, Tom ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] Burn in of KPA100
Tom, It takes both time and heat to seat the thermal pads. Since yours has a good deal of time on it, but not a lot of heat, I would recommend that you tighten the screws now and then again after some period of operating at high power. It is not that difficult to 'just do it'. Do not 'beef' the screws down because there is danger of stripping the heat sink threads, but do apply a reasonable amount of torque. It is really hard to describe what reasonable is, but consider that the heat sink is aluminum and the screws are plated steel. If the screws appear to bind, remove them and put a small drop of oil on the threads and re-insert them. In many instances of aluminum to steel contact, the aluminum can gall and make it seem as though the screw is tight when in fact it is not. I have *not* experienced this with the KPA100 (perhaps the heat sink is a special alloy that does not have this effect), but I offer it as a guideline 'in general' where aluminum holes and steel screws are conceerned. 73, Don W3FPR NG3V wrote: Hello group, I built the 100 watt amp last summer, but can't seem to overcome the urge to stay at qrp levels. So, as I probably have only a few minutes of time at 100 watts, when should I reset the mounting screws. Is this like 3 months or 3000 miles or is it strictly a matter of time? Should I just pound out a few hours of tests into a dummy? ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
RE: [Elecraft] K3 noise-blanker
I've had my K-3 for little over one week now. I've had the Orion II for about 1 1/2 years. They are both fine radios. However, I have noticed that with the Orion II, to get the best performance you have to be ready to readjust the RF gain fairly often to suit band conditions and received signal strength in order to get the best signal-to-noise ratio. That does not appear necessary with the K-3. And the noise reduction circuit in the K-3 appears to be far more effective than the Orion II. And I find it particularly interesting that no matter how high it is set it does not appear to cause any noticeable audio distortion. Unfortunately, audio distortion is a big factor with the Orion II. I believe that was a software issue that was supposedly to be addressed in a future firmware update from TenTec but, as many know, TenTec ceased to issue any further updates about a year ago. That is in marked contrast to what is going on with Elecraft radios. I would not disparage the Orion II but it does have its quirks. I do have a couple of bones to pick with the K-3. The CW side tone/spot tone audio level is way too low, even with the monitor control set to full. That needs to be fixed. I understand it is in the works but I hope it could be advanced to a fairly high priority. There also appears to be something funny with the AGC. There is a considerable difference in audio volume between weak and strong stations. I've noticed that when a very strong sideband station comes on, it is capable of driving the audio level to a painful loudness, occasionally even to the point of audio distortion. I understand some folks like that because it tends to distinguish between very weak and very strong stations by audio level differences. Unfortunately, that is not my preference. I don't know whether that is being considered for a firmware change but I hope that it might. It may be already adjustable but if it is I haven't found it yet. Bruce-W8FU -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Barry N1EU Sent: Tuesday, May 20, 2008 10:13 AM To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net Subject: Re: [Elecraft] K3 noise-blanker info4mjs wrote: I had both the K3 and Orion 2 in my shack. . . Now, when W1AW is on the air (as well as some other QRO stations in my areaI live about 5 miles from W1AW) and contributes to the noise with IMD products, the O2 works better. The O2 stayed and the K3 left. Hmmm . . . I happen to have recently read WA1SEO's Orion2 review on eham. He reported spending just a couple of hours behind a K3 and he was a fairly new owner of the Orion2 at that time. I'm sure Mike heard what he heard, but his report is clearly anecdotal, rather than definitive. I don't understand K3 bashing after just a couple of hours of use. To say the Orion(2) is more refined and more finished than the K3 is certainly a stretch in my eyes, after 4.5 years on the Orion. All that being said, I actually think they're both very good radios. 73, Barry N1EU -- View this message in context: http://www.nabble.com/K3-noise-blanker-tp17338480p17341348.html Sent from the Elecraft mailing list archive at Nabble.com. ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com -- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG. Version: 7.5.524 / Virus Database: 269.24.0/1459 - Release Date: 5/21/2008 5:34 PM ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] Q. about Elecraft utility
Hi Dale, The filter configuration is not yet available for the Mac version of the utility. I inadvertently left the button active on the current release, but clicking the button does nothing. Sorry for the confusion. David, W4SMT --- dalej [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I noticed under the configuration pull-down menu there is a edit crystal filters button. I can't seem to make this work. Is it enabled or am I doing something wrong? I have the latest version for the Mac and all my filters are configured and work as designed, but I was curious about this feature. 73 Dale, K9VUJ ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
RE: [Elecraft] K3 noise-blanker
Hi, Just go to config and change AGC SLP from 10 to 15 (the maximum) and your troubles will be gone. This was one of the first things I did after being nearly blown out of the shack by a strong signal. Beats me why some people want it the way it comes from the factory. Knut - AB2TC Bruce McLaughlin-2 wrote: I've had my K-3 for little over one week now. I've had the Orion II for about 1 1/2 years. They are both fine radios. However, I have noticed that with the Orion II, to get the best performance you have to be ready to readjust the RF gain fairly often to suit band conditions and received signal strength in order to get the best signal-to-noise ratio. That does not appear necessary with the K-3. And the noise reduction circuit in the K-3 appears to be far more effective than the Orion II. And I find it particularly interesting that no matter how high it is set it does not appear to cause any noticeable audio distortion. Unfortunately, audio distortion is a big factor with the Orion II. I believe that was a software issue that was supposedly to be addressed in a future firmware update from TenTec but, as many know, TenTec ceased to issue any further updates about a year ago. That is in marked contrast to what is going on with Elecraft radios. I would not disparage the Orion II but it does have its quirks. I do have a couple of bones to pick with the K-3. The CW side tone/spot tone audio level is way too low, even with the monitor control set to full. That needs to be fixed. I understand it is in the works but I hope it could be advanced to a fairly high priority. There also appears to be something funny with the AGC. There is a considerable difference in audio volume between weak and strong stations. I've noticed that when a very strong sideband station comes on, it is capable of driving the audio level to a painful loudness, occasionally even to the point of audio distortion. I understand some folks like that because it tends to distinguish between very weak and very strong stations by audio level differences. Unfortunately, that is not my preference. I don't know whether that is being considered for a firmware change but I hope that it might. It may be already adjustable but if it is I haven't found it yet. Bruce-W8FU snip -- View this message in context: http://www.nabble.com/K3-noise-blanker-tp17338480p17395047.html Sent from the Elecraft mailing list archive at Nabble.com. ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] Elecraft K3 Wait and Wait and Wait!
Well my apologies for not taking it right then! I'm waiting for mine as well, sometime in early July. Or August. Or September. I like :-) for the smiles but that's like my name: Anything but late for lunch. 73 Art [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: No, not sense of importance. Sense of humor perhaps-- it was supposed to be funny. (Sri, I never got into the habit of using smilies; could never remember if they went this way :) or this way (: 73, Drew AF2Z On Wed, 21 May 2008 13:38:00 -0600, you wrote: Some folks have an inflated sense of their own importance. Elecraft is shipping every K3 they can make, and making them as fast as they have people available. I'd be very surprised if they're currently pretty nervous about any one particular order. If I was smart like Wayne and Eric I'd have built such indecisions and vacillations into my business plan. Some guy named Bayes worked on this some time ago. 73 Art -- AF2Z writes: Message: 10 Date: Wed, 21 May 2008 09:13:57 -0400 From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Elecraft K3 Wait and Wait and Wait! To: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net Message-ID: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Hello Ed, Yes, some people would prefer to wait till they can buy one without waiting... For myself, I ordered one before I'd decided whether or not to actually buy one-- so it is really Elecraft who is waiting for me. I think they will be sending me an email any day now asking for my decision. I imagine they are probably getting pretty nervous about my final intentions by now. There is a lot of psychology in all this. 73, Drew AF2Z ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
RE: [Elecraft] K3 noise-blanker
it is strange how different people can have different results from the same radio. I suspect it is in part due to different environmental conditions. For what it may be worth, I found that my K-3 noise reduction system is more effective on phone then my Orion II. The Orion introduces very considerable audio distortion when used on phone. It is more usable on CW but still not ideal. I understand that was supposed to be corrected in a future firmware update but, as you know, TenTec has not issued an update for the Orion for approximately 1 year. In contrast, I find that the K-3 noise reduction system is very effective on phone and it introduces no discernible audio distortion when in use. I find that to be amazing. For that matter, neither does the K-3 noise blanker cause distortion but, its effectiveness appears to be somewhat limited. I wish it did a better job on wideband noise. It is quite effective on short burst noises such as ignition, etc., in other words the more traditional noise problems. It may just be me, but my Orion II noise blanker does not appear to do much of anything. Once again, I suspect that could be improved with a firmware update or two if only TenTec would do it. Bruce- W8FU -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Charles Harpole Sent: Tuesday, May 20, 2008 3:16 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; JIM DAVIS Cc: elecraft@mailman.qth.net Subject: RE: [Elecraft] K3 noise-blanker I have both and they are about the same. Sometimes one beats the other or the reverse. Orion is mostly better in NR for phone and K3 is mostly better for CW. If one listens only to the Elecrafters Lovers Club, one will get a skewed view of rigs similar to the old debate from VW car owners who loved their little bugs well beyond rationality and the facts. I loved my old Drakes like that, but now do not love any brand. gl 73, Charles Harpole [EMAIL PROTECTED] From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [Elecraft] K3 noise-blanker Date: Mon, 19 May 2008 21:13:25 -0500 CC: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net On Mon, 19 May 2008 13:17:48 -0700, you wrote: Gentlemen, I'm really interested in the K3 but what I'm asking of anyone on this reflector is how GOOD IS IT??? I presently use a TT ORION which has a fantastic 9mhz. (hardware) blanker and has made all the difference in the world for my being able to copy weak signals, especially since our typical noise level here is S-9+ without it!!! So short of my having to MOVE somewhere else (not feasible at this time!!!) has anyone COMPARED the i.f noise blankers of both the K3 and the TT Orion yet??? Many thanks, Jim Davis/nn6ee Newbie on the reflector! ___ [snip] I have an Orion II and K3 SN 806. The K3 is a much better rig overall than the Orion II and the noise blanker is very much better. Tom, N5GE - SWOT 3537 - Grid EM12jq Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety deserve neither Liberty nor Safety An excerpt from a letter written in 1755 from the Assembly to the Governor of Pennsylvania. Support the entire Constitution, not just the parts you like. http://www.n5ge.com http://www.eQSL.cc/Member.cfm?N5GE ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com -- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG. Version: 7.5.524 / Virus Database: 269.24.0/1459 - Release Date: 5/21/2008 5:34 PM ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] K3 noise-blanker
Bruce, the Orion II audio distortion problem is well known and is the reason I actually prefer the Orion I running the old v1 firmware (which won't run on the Orion II). The AGC on the v1 Orion acts more like the K3 and never distorts. As far as your K3 comments: The latest K3 firmware provides me with very loud sidetone when cranked up to 60. Perhaps you are running older firmware. Turn up your config AGC SLP setting to 15 and it will eliminate the audio variation between different signal strengths. 73, Barry N1EU On Thu, May 22, 2008 at 12:18 AM, Bruce McLaughlin [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I've had my K-3 for little over one week now. I've had the Orion II for about 1 1/2 years. They are both fine radios. However, I have noticed that with the Orion II, to get the best performance you have to be ready to readjust the RF gain fairly often to suit band conditions and received signal strength in order to get the best signal-to-noise ratio. That does not appear necessary with the K-3. And the noise reduction circuit in the K-3 appears to be far more effective than the Orion II. And I find it particularly interesting that no matter how high it is set it does not appear to cause any noticeable audio distortion. Unfortunately, audio distortion is a big factor with the Orion II. I believe that was a software issue that was supposedly to be addressed in a future firmware update from TenTec but, as many know, TenTec ceased to issue any further updates about a year ago. That is in marked contrast to what is going on with Elecraft radios. I would not disparage the Orion II but it does have its quirks. I do have a couple of bones to pick with the K-3. The CW side tone/spot tone audio level is way too low, even with the monitor control set to full. That needs to be fixed. I understand it is in the works but I hope it could be advanced to a fairly high priority. There also appears to be something funny with the AGC. There is a considerable difference in audio volume between weak and strong stations. I've noticed that when a very strong sideband station comes on, it is capable of driving the audio level to a painful loudness, occasionally even to the point of audio distortion. I understand some folks like that because it tends to distinguish between very weak and very strong stations by audio level differences. Unfortunately, that is not my preference. I don't know whether that is being considered for a firmware change but I hope that it might. It may be already adjustable but if it is I haven't found it yet. Bruce-W8FU -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Barry N1EU Sent: Tuesday, May 20, 2008 10:13 AM To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net Subject: Re: [Elecraft] K3 noise-blanker info4mjs wrote: I had both the K3 and Orion 2 in my shack. . . Now, when W1AW is on the air (as well as some other QRO stations in my areaI live about 5 miles from W1AW) and contributes to the noise with IMD products, the O2 works better. The O2 stayed and the K3 left. Hmmm . . . I happen to have recently read WA1SEO's Orion2 review on eham. He reported spending just a couple of hours behind a K3 and he was a fairly new owner of the Orion2 at that time. I'm sure Mike heard what he heard, but his report is clearly anecdotal, rather than definitive. I don't understand K3 bashing after just a couple of hours of use. To say the Orion(2) is more refined and more finished than the K3 is certainly a stretch in my eyes, after 4.5 years on the Orion. All that being said, I actually think they're both very good radios. 73, Barry N1EU -- View this message in context: http://www.nabble.com/K3-noise-blanker-tp17338480p17341348.html Sent from the Elecraft mailing list archive at Nabble.com. ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com -- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG. Version: 7.5.524 / Virus Database: 269.24.0/1459 - Release Date: 5/21/2008 5:34 PM ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] Xtal Filters
Evert - I haven't noticed that with mine. It just seems like a nice, linear reduction in bandwidth. I thought the sound of the 1.8 bandwidth was much nicer with the actual 1.8 filter + 1.8 DSP than the 2.8 filter + 1.8 DSP. 73, Steve NN4X On Wed, May 21, 2008 at 5:57 PM, Evert Bakker (PA2KW) [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Hello all, Today I received the 1.8 Kc 8 pole filter and installed it tonight. I did the configuration with the software tool used for firmware updates as well (also performed an update as well). All went OK, but I do have a feeling something is wrong or my ears/brains work a little different from the majority (yeh yeh I know...) When XFil 2.7 is selected together with the DSP at 2.7 Kc, the audio sounds great. When decreasing the BW with the DSP to 1.8 (but keeping the centre the same), the hardware filter is switched in at 1.8 Kc DSP setting. During the decreasing process I'm loosing information (Ofcourse!) but my feeling says too much. When during the decreasing process I also lower the centre freq, the excessive loss of information is compensated. This gives me the feeling as if the filter isn't centered anymore. First I thought this might have to do something with the Offset (-0.91 for a 2.7 5 pole filter) but nothing was written on the 1.8 Kc 8 pole filter. I just tried it, but that didn't compensate the excessive loss. During a process of decreasing bandwidth while listening to an SSB signal, I would appreciate if a shift of the centre-freq of the DSP is not required ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] K2 power problem
DIV style=font-family:Arial, sans-serif; font-size:10pt;P style=MARGIN: 0in 0in 0ptFONT face=Times New Roman size=3I was working on my new K-2 Alignment and Test , Part III/FONT/P/DIV P style=MARGIN: 0in 0in 0ptFONT face=Times New Roman size=3All was going well until I got to the 40 Meter TX Alignment page 78/FONT /PP style=MARGIN: 0in 0in 0ptFONT face=Times New Roman size=3I followed the instructions but when I got to the “put K2 into TUNE mode”/FONT /PP style=MARGIN: 0in 0in 0ptFONT face=Times New Roman size=3To peak L1 I had no RF out the display showed P.01 not the P 2.0 I expected/FONT /PP style=MARGIN: 0in 0in 0ptFONT face=Times New Roman size=3I tested and checked and could not find the problem. SO I tried another band./FONT /PP style=MARGIN: 0in 0in 0ptFONT face=Times New Roman size=3This is what I found with the power out set at 2.0/FONT /PP style=MARGIN: 0in 0in 0ptFONT face=Times New Roman size=380MSPAN style=mso-spacerun: yesnbsp; /SPANP 2.0/FONT /PP style=MARGIN: 0in 0in 0ptFONT face=Times New Roman size=340MSPAN style=mso-spacerun: yesnbsp; /SPANP .01/FONT /PP style=MARGIN: 0in 0in 0ptFONT face=Times New Roman size=330M SPAN style=mso-spacerun: yesnbsp;/SPANP 2.3/FONT /PP style=MARGIN: 0in 0in 0ptFONT face=Times New Roman size=320MSPAN style=mso-spacerun: yesnbsp; /SPANP .01/FONT /PP style=MARGIN: 0in 0in 0ptFONT face=Times New Roman size=317MSPAN style=mso-spacerun: yesnbsp; /SPANP 2.2/FONT /PP style=MARGIN: 0in 0in 0ptFONT face=Times New Roman size=315MSPAN style=mso-spacerun: yesnbsp; /SPANP 2.0/FONT /PP style=MARGIN: 0in 0in 0ptFONT face=Times New Roman size=312MSPAN style=mso-spacerun: yesnbsp; /SPANP .01/FONT /PP style=MARGIN: 0in 0in 0ptFONT face=Times New Roman size=310MSPAN style=mso-spacerun: yesnbsp; /SPANP .01/FONT /PP style=MARGIN: 0in 0in 0ptFONT face=Times New Roman size=3I have 4 bands that have RF out and 4 that do not. /FONT /PP style=MARGIN: 0in 0in 0ptFONT face=Times New Roman size=3I am missing the common connection in the 4 bad bands and what to check next or what the problem could be./FONT /PP style=MARGIN: 0in 0in 0ptFONT face=Times New Roman size=3I have checked the obvious but I am missing something./FONT /PP style=MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt/PFONT face=Times New Roman size=3nbsp;/FONT P style=MARGIN: 0in 0in 0ptFONT face=Times New Roman size=3I have gone through the reflector archives and have not found any posting with this problem./FONT /PP style=MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt/PFONT face=Times New Roman size=3nbsp;/FONT P style=MARGIN: 0in 0in 0ptFONT face=Times New Roman size=3Thanks in advance for any help/FONT /PP style=MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt/PFONT face=Times New Roman size=3nbsp;/FONT P style=MARGIN: 0in 0in 0ptFONT face=Times New Roman size=3Larry KA0PLW/FONT /PP style=MARGIN: 0in 0in 0ptFONT face=Times New Roman size=3[EMAIL PROTECTED]/FONT DIVnbsp;/DIV/P___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
RE: [Elecraft] Desoldering Tool Recommendations?
I highly second the recommendation for the Hakk0 808. I had to remove a 16 or 20 pin IC and frankly, I thought it would probably be a goner and I would be lucky if the circuit board didn't follow suit. After a number of years struggling with desoldering braid and various suction bulb devices I was not optimistic. Much to my amazement the IC came out without a hitch. It was in perfect condition as was the circuit board which was also clean as a whistle with no residual solder left in any of the holes. I thought that was a pretty good test of its effectiveness. Bruce-W8FU -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of DW Holtman Sent: Wednesday, May 21, 2008 7:52 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; Elecraft Reflector Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Desoldering Tool Recommendations? Tom, I would strongly recommend a Hakko 808. Great tool! It requires a little bit of regular maintenance (cleaning/filter changes), but is well worth the effort. Google it and reade some of the things on the web about it. http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/2978 Best, DW Holtman WB7SSN - Original Message - From: Tom Childers, N5GE [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Elecraft Reflector elecraft@mailman.qth.net Sent: Wednesday, May 21, 2008 5:46 PM Subject: [Elecraft] Desoldering Tool Recommendations? I would like to get a reliable, but not so expensive desoldering gun/station. Does any one have a recommendation or two? TNX ES 73, Tom, N5GE - SWOT 3537 - Grid EM12jq Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety deserve neither Liberty nor Safety An excerpt from a letter written in 1755 from the Assembly to the Governor of Pennsylvania. Support the entire Constitution, not just the parts you like. http://www.n5ge.com http://www.eQSL.cc/Member.cfm?N5GE ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com -- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG. Version: 7.5.524 / Virus Database: 269.24.0/1459 - Release Date: 5/21/2008 5:34 PM ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] K2 Power Problem
I was working on my new K2 Alignment and Test Part III All was going well until I got to the 40 Meter TX Alignment page 78 I followed the instructions but when I got to the put K2 into TUNE mode to peak the L1 I had not RF out. the display showed P.01 not the P2.0 I was expected. I tested and checked and could not find the problem. So I tried another band. This is what I found with the power out set to P 2.0 80M P 2.0 40M P .01 30M P 2.3 20M P .01 17M P 2.2 15M P 2.0 12M P .01 10M P .01 I have 4 bands with RF out and 4 band that do not. I am missing the common connection in the 4 bad bands and what to check next or what the problem could e. I have check the obvious but I am missing something. I have got through the reflector archives and have not found any posting with this problem Thanks in advance for any help Larry ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] K3 popularity
I sent a msg to this reflector prior to the first K3 sold that it would become the IC-706 of the new age u had to be a post or a stone not to see that demand would be HUGE and immediate and long lasting. I think E could have sold 3,000 in the first month if shipping was upon immediate purchase. 73 Charles Harpole [EMAIL PROTECTED] From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Elecraft Honchos!!! Date: Wed, 21 May 2008 14:05:34 -0700 CC: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net Folks, I am sure we all wish that supply at Elecraft was conveniently equal to demand. Order a K3 today, and have it by the end of the week or so. Clearly that isn't the case. I don't profess to know just how sophisticated Elecraft's market analysis is, but I'm relatively sure they aren't doing any exotic market surveys either. They are a small company with a big product! Also, I have no idea how they are evaluating just how much they can/will ramp up production. Doing so is expensive for one thing. It also adds greater complexity to the organization, particularly if that includes adding staff. I'm reasonably sure they don't want to increase staff only to reduce staff later. Some of that may be necessary, but it gets very sticky making those kinds of moves. Training new employees to get them up to an acceptable level of productivity, and then dropping them later, really hammers the bottom line. Personally, I would have expected the wait time to have decreased more than it has. But it hasn't gone down as much as I thought it would, and that suggests to me that K3 demand remains relatively strong--even 1 year later. I can only assume that it has surprised Wayne and Eric a bit too. Although all of us can fuss and complain about the wait time, it's really their product, and they are presumably doing what they think is right. Whether they are dealing with it correctly or not, it's their decision, not ours. So we just need to grin and bear it. That doesn't mean that allowing the wheel to squeek a bit won't encourage some positive response from them, but generally I think there will only be limited success in doing so. I think the best thing to do is to try and view all of this positively. By proceeding on a conservative path, Elecraft is hopefully minimizing screw-ups, not to mention protecting the company's viability. The longer they can sustain strong demand, the longer you have assurance that they will be around to help you keep their products running. Dealing with smaller companies can be somewhat risky. If they run out of demand, or ideas, or both, they tend to disappear. You don't have to think very long to come up with a bunch of names of companies like this who met an abrupt demise. If you don't like that suggestion, consider this one. I think the strong demand for the K3 would have easily enabled Elecraft to raise prices even more than they did. That would have probably have helped lower demand closer to supply, and they could later offer some blue light specials to prop up demand when it started waning. But they didn't do that--yet! So, even though I'm a bit frustrated about some things just like most of you are, I think I'll keep my complaints muzzled a bit. Besides, few if any of us have all the facts anyway. We have no idea what all the issues are that Elecraft is dealing with. We are all just a bunch of sidewalk superintendents, and what we think should be simple may well be just the opposite. In truth, I think a lot of our frustration is enhanced by the knowledge that the K3 is a great product with superior product support. We want it! Now! We don't want to go for the closest alternative. We just don't like dilemmas. Dave W7AQK ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] ending in K
If ur call ends in K, then just send KN always after ur call. Many, but sadly not all, know KN means go ahead you only but it gets the job done as per problem noted below. 73 Charles Harpole [EMAIL PROTECTED] From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [Elecraft] K3 Auto CW copy Date: Wed, 21 May 2008 11:39:57 -0700 CC: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net Hi All, I have only tried using he CW reading feature on my K3 a few times. Like most code readers, it misses a lot, and a little interference can throw it off track fairly easily. It takes a pretty good signal to minimize the errors. But I did check once by having it copy W1AW. There are two benefits to trying that. First, the CW is machine sent, so it's nearly perfect. Secondly, W1AW has such a good signal that interference issues are minimal. The reader did very well in that test. There were very few errors, and word separation was very good. I would strongly suggest that you check your K3 in the same manner to see if you are getting the word spacing problem. It was also interesting to watch my own sending. I've always thought my sending was reasonably good, and the reader did confirm that by showing the text I was sending in pretty much the correct text and spacing. But if I got the least bit casual about it, the reader reflected that as well. Spacing was the big issue, although most of my errors were exaggerated spaces rather than insufficient spacing. But I send with somewhat exaggerated spacing between words on purpose. I try to send words correctly spaced, and then leave a slightly extended space between words. I think this helps the receiving station clearly identify just what the word is I am sending. Every so often expresses appreciation for my doing it that way. In my view, I'm not sure there is a greater CW sin than running words and/or letters together. Interestingly, this process pointed out a glaring error that I have probably been making forever. That was in how I sent my call. I have a K on the end of my call, and I've always had problems in contest exchanges, etc. with the other station truncating my call to just a two letter suffix, presumably thinking my last letter K was asking them to transmit. It only takes a slight hesitation to cause the reader to reflect that. I kept seeing my call appear on the reader as W7AQ K rather than W7AQK. In thinking about it, it made me realize how easy it is to slip into these little bad habits. Some stations send their calls with insufficient spacing between letters. Things that we send repeatedly, like call, name, QTH, etc. seem to be common candidates for this type of error. It's as if, on occasion, we develop our own rhythm for sending these standard items in violation of the standard timing and spacing rules. And some folks just plain don't put the right number of dits in what they send. I heard one W6 station who repeatedly sent his call with 5 dits in the number 6, as well as repeatedly sending a 5 for an H. In cases like that, the reader won't lie! But your brain won't lie either. You will probably get that hey, wait a minute feeling about what you are hearing. Anyway, I then used the reader to retrain myself to send my call so that it did not insert an extra space between the Q and the K. It was a hard habit to break. Years of doing it wrong aren't easily erased. But I would strongly recommend that folks use the reader now and then to monitor their own sending. On a transmitted signal, the reader is very accurate in my view. And if you intend to utilize the K3's capability of translating your CW into RTTY, you better have your sending timing in good shape. Anyway, as I said above, the W1AW test is about the best way I know to really check out the reading capability of your K3. If it doesn't read that pretty well, I would guess you have a problem with your K3. Dave W7AQK - Original Message - From: Tom Childers, N5GE To: Cc: Sent: Tuesday, May 20, 2008 9:08 PM Subject: Re: [Elecraft] K3 Auto CW copy On Tue, 20 May 2008 20:12:14 -0700, you wrote: I have noticed that the CW text display of auto copied CW signals often does not get the spacing between words and runs words together. When I copy the same text in my head the word spacing seems pretty good. Also when I send CW it will also run words together. So I am wondering about a tweak to the algorithm. Making a computer copy CW of unknown speed must be difficult. But everyone knows my code is perfect :) I noticed the same thing when I was sending, but when I paid more attention to making sure my timing between words was consistent the spacing improved along with my sending ;o) What a nice tool for improving my sending! On the other hand I had a QSO with a near local (80 miles) and he had trouble copying me because of QRM. I was dialed down to 50 Hz and heard no other signal present. I opened up to 1 KHz and there they
RE: [Elecraft] Re: love and loans
Sorry abt the loan ap. being turned down. I am good for it, but I understand. I have a rcv loop, but will try the diversity rcv on my ORION 1 and try agn. Thanks anyway. But what is a binocular core maybe a torriod? Want me to fire some of my field's jargon to you? No u don't. And what abt coming on over to HS and proving u r a good listener, welcome. 73 Charles Harpole HS0ZCW [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Wed, 21 May 2008 07:02:48 -0400 From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net Subject: [Elecraft] Re: love and loans On Wed, May 21, 2008 at 12:55 AM, Charles Harpole wrote: Bill: That could be true, but if u can loan me about $60,000usd, Charlie you don't need $60k for a 4-square TX antenna...you're being heard here OK...but your problem is hearing. You can solve that with a simple RX antenna like a Flag that will fit on your present lot. http://www.angelfire.com/md/k3ky/page37.html For 80m you need about 40' of wire, a mix 73 binocular core and a 950 ohm carbon resistor. You should orient the Flag to the SE for your post-sunset long path opening to NA (at our sunrise). You can also make a rotatable flag which is described on the website above but that's a lot more complex. When the KRX3 ships, you can use diversity reception with your TX antenna in one ear and the Flag in the other, which may also help with QSB problems. 73, Bill W4ZV ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] ESD mat
My K3 kit will arrive in a month or so (I hope). I have been monitoring this reflector for a few weeks, but I haven¹t seen this addressed. I would appreciate it if I could get some recommendations on purchasing an ESD mat with a wrist band so I can be ready when my kit arrivesbrands, models, sources. My searches on the web come up with wildly variable products and prices with no reviews or ratings to be found. Thank you, 73, Robert KI4ZHF ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] K2 Power Problem
Larry, I suggest your first step is to count the turns on all the toroids in the Low Pass filter area. Count the number of times the wire passes through the center of the core. One extra turn would lower the cutoff frequency of the low pass filter. Since many bands are arranged in pairs - 40 and 60 meters are paired, 30 and 20 are paired, 17 and 15 are paired and 12 and 10 meters are paired. It looks like the higher band of each pair is giving you problems. Since 12 and 10 meters are close in frequency, the cutoff may have dropped below the 12 meter point. Again, check the number of turns on the toroids as a first step. 73, Don W3FPR Larry Christensen wrote: I was working on my new K2 Alignment and Test Part III All was going well until I got to the 40 Meter TX Alignment page 78 I followed the instructions but when I got to the put K2 into TUNE mode to peak the L1 I had not RF out. the display showed P.01 not the P2.0 I was expected. I tested and checked and could not find the problem. So I tried another band. This is what I found with the power out set to P 2.0 80M P 2.0 40M P .01 30M P 2.3 20M P .01 17M P 2.2 15M P 2.0 12M P .01 10M P .01 I have 4 bands with RF out and 4 band that do not. I am missing the common connection in the 4 bad bands and what to check next or what the problem could e. I have check the obvious but I am missing something. I have got through the reflector archives and have not found any posting with this problem Thanks in advance for any help ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] RE: Elecraft SSB Net - dual band / dual hour proposal
I got several favorable replies to my proposal below, so let's start right away. 40m has been S8 noise level for me, but usable. 20 is very good! I'll going to pay most attention to 20, but I'll listen to 40. I think we'll have a more viable net this way. Even if it only results in a few personal QSO's that's fine. Consider it a place to meet. Give a call. See what happens. So again: MONDAY THURSDAY USA-NIGHTS / 0130 0230 UTC (In Europe that's Tuesday and Friday mornings) FREQUENCIES: 7.192* MHz and 14.316 * +/- the QRM If this doesn't work, I may give up until winter approaches! Over, Windy KM5Q SSB Nets were off to a good start through the winter, but with seasonal shift, activity has faded on both the 20m and 40m nets. Last night for example, 40 was noisy and short, but 20 was jumping with 3- ways all over the USA and down to ZL, especially later in the evening. I suggest we schedule two bands at once. With my K3/ATU, I can switch between 40 and 20m net frequencies with two taps of either memory or band switch. Some of us have two rigs and can also do it with ease. Let's use our capabilities (especially when sub-RX arrives). Time is the next issue. Best time now is when nearly all USA is dark -- that's hard for some Easterners on a school night. So let's set TWO check-in times. Two times? Two bands? Numerous solid 2-way QSOs are more satisfying than 20 minutes spent checking in 10 guys at a bad time. So here's my proposal: MONDAY THURSDAY USA-NIGHTS / 0130 0230 UTC (In Europe that's Tuesday and Friday mornings) FREQUENCIES: 7.192* MHz and 14.316 * 7.190 has been busy. 7.192 is more clear but maybe there's a better hole. Let's observe. 14.316 at night? Also subject to observation. The Sunday net has also been unresponsive lately. Let's take that up next. Thanks! Windy KM5Q Santa Fe, NM ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] ESD mat
Robert, There are lots of choices. Google on antistatic mat to find several. I can't say that one is better than the other, just pick one and use it - it will be better than nothing at all. 73, Don W3FPR Robert Klein wrote: My K3 kit will arrive in a month or so (I hope). I have been monitoring this reflector for a few weeks, but I haven¹t seen this addressed. I would appreciate it if I could get some recommendations on purchasing an ESD mat with a wrist band so I can be ready when my kit arrives‹brands, models, sources. My searches on the web come up with wildly variable products and prices with no reviews or ratings to be found. Thank you, 73, Robert KI4ZHF ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] Burn in of KPA100
Where did this topic come from? I never read about on the Reflector before, or in the assembly or operating manuals. Did I miss something? Windy KM5Q K3 #764 ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
RE: [Elecraft] Burn in of KPA100
Hello Windy: The lasts step (right column) of page 54 of the KPA100 Manual says: IMPORTANT: The hardware holding the RF power transistors in place will loosen slightly during initial use. After 5-10 hours of normal operation at 50 watts or more, remove the KPA100 assembly and its shield, then re-tighten the mounting hardware for Q1/Q2 approximately 1/8 turn. Note that this is the KPA100 amp for the K2, not the KPA3 for the K3. Ron AC7AC -Original Message- Where did this topic come from? I never read about on the Reflector before, or in the assembly or operating manuals. Did I miss something? Windy KM5Q K3 #764 ___ ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] ESD mat
Robert, There was lots of discussion of this on the list a month or two ago, but suffice to say there are many sources and it seems a lot of them cost about $25. Nobody had any significant reasons to recommend one kind over another. Here's a cheaper source, and while you're at it, a fine company for good tools and other great ham stuff. http://www.mtechnologies.com/tools/#strap Get their larger mat, only $9.95 I used their strap and mat and My K3 survived assembly 100% even in dry static-prone wx. In all the previous discussions, nobody mentioned to be careful what you wear! No wool or fleece, for example. Maybe that's just obvious. Windy KM5Q Santa Fe, NM K3 #764 ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
