[Elecraft] Pink K3 bag is a royal idea
G'day For those who might be thinking having a pink K3 bag is a bit unmanly, think again! As those who have an interest in history and royalty will know, pink is actually the colour of kings. Although these days we tend to associate red with royalty, pink used to have a similar place. Vy 73 Steve, VK6VZ - Date: Tue, 19 Jan 2010 19:30:06 - From: Ken Kopp k...@rfwave.net Subject: [Elecraft] K3 pink carry bag? To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net Message-ID: 7202c97cb4e241ac8978122e92724...@your4105e587b6 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Of course I can make a pink K3 bag! There are many options for fleece lining and edge binding colors, too. Unfortunately, the shoulder straps come in back only. (:-( 73! Rose elecraftcov...@rfwave.net http://tinyurl.com/7lm3m5 __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
[Elecraft] K3 Pink Bag
Snip G'day For those who might be thinking having a pink K3 bag is a bit unmanly, think again! As those who have an interest in history and royalty will know, pink is actually the colour of kings. Although these days we tend to associate red with royalty, pink used to have a similar place. Vy 73 Steve, VK6VZ End Snip And not only that, Australian and Pakistan cricket teams wore Pink to raise awareness of the McGrath Foundation for the fight against Breast Cancer! So there you go, Pink is IN fashion for men...(:-)) 73's Gary VK4FD K3 #679 Sent via BlackBerry® from Telstra __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
[Elecraft] K2 Freq. Stability
Hello, all I've been bothered with the CW tone/filter setting on my K2 for some time now. I seem to need to run CAL FIL daily, at least to have the BFO freq. read into memory. I observe that the CW tone starts low and drifts upwards as the rig warms up when I tune a signal to the center of the filters (maxing the S-meter). Here is some data characterizing the freq. drift in my K2 (#6761). I measured the PLL and BFO freqs with a nice frequency counter. I measured these shifts with the K2 locked at 7050 kHz, and computed the total shift = dPLL - dBFO (all referred back to the initial (T=18.5C) measurements. I measured the temp. with a thermocouple in contact with the PLL thermistor board. I also measured the PLL and BFO control voltages at various times and found them to be constant. Cumulative freq. Shifts T PLL BFO Total (C) (Hz)(Hz)(Hz) 18.50 0 0 19.39 -17 26 19.613 -34 47 20.217 -57 74 20.819 -70 89 21.324 -79 103 21.626 -87 113 22.028 -92 120 23.337 -124161 24.040 -136176 24.546 -164210 25.053 -205258 25.562 -256318 25.570 -310380 (I hope the table above remains tabulated properly. Best viewed with a monospace font.) It seems the thermistor board compensates the PLL fairly well (although maybe I could tweak RA upwards a bit), but the BFO drifts considerably, and since the PLL and BFO drift in opposite directions, the total drift is exaggerated. I may measure the drift on a second band, but these data are just from 40 m. I would really like to improve the temp. stability of my K2. Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks, Doug Furton K8EXB GET FREE 5GB EMAIL - Check out spam free email with many cool features! Visit http://www.inbox.com/email to find out more! __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] Pink K3 bag is a royal idea
In fact, pink was a manly colour until a couple of generations ago. Blue was for the girls :) 73 Ian -- Ian J Maude, G0VGS SysOp GB7MBC HB9DRV-9 DX Clusters Member RSGB, GQRP 9838, FISTS 14077 | K3 #455 http://www.amateurradiotraining.org 2010/1/20 Steve Ireland vk...@arach.net.au G'day For those who might be thinking having a pink K3 bag is a bit unmanly, think again! As those who have an interest in history and royalty will know, pink is actually the colour of kings. Although these days we tend to associate red with royalty, pink used to have a similar place. __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] Pink K3 bag is a royal idea
Steve et al Is it not the KING of all Radio's!! Though I must admit a bloke would look a bit Lardy carrying a pink case, k3 or no k3. Ok for YL's though! But, Have i missed a thread !! Where has this idea come from that k3 cases should be pink or perhaps just some lite banter!! Ken..G0ORH Sent from my iPhone On 20 Jan 2010, at 08:19, Steve Ireland vk...@arach.net.au wrote: G'day For those who might be thinking having a pink K3 bag is a bit unmanly, think again! As those who have an interest in history and royalty will know, pink is actually the colour of kings. Although these days we tend to associate red with royalty, pink used to have a similar place. Vy 73 Steve, VK6VZ - Date: Tue, 19 Jan 2010 19:30:06 - From: Ken Kopp k...@rfwave.net Subject: [Elecraft] K3 pink carry bag? To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net Message-ID: 7202c97cb4e241ac8978122e92724...@your4105e587b6 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Of course I can make a pink K3 bag! There are many options for fleece lining and edge binding colors, too. Unfortunately, the shoulder straps come in back only. (:-( 73! Rose elecraftcov...@rfwave.net http://tinyurl.com/7lm3m5 __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] Pink K3 bag is a royal idea
Just because a while ago it was OK to use pink it does not mean it is now. Many years ago everyone drove on the left of the road. This is still fine and accepted in most of the world, but not good fashion in the America or continental Europe. Go around with a pink bag if you are male and people will make judgements. -- View this message in context: http://n2.nabble.com/Pink-K3-bag-is-a-royal-idea-tp4425361p4425497.html Sent from the Elecraft mailing list archive at Nabble.com. __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] K2 Freq. Stability
Doug, The BFO is obviously the culprit here. What serial number is this K2? Do you have the new L33? with many turns of #36 wire. If this is an older K2, install the BFO upgrade kit. If you already have the upgraded parts, then I suggest you equip yourself with all of the parts in the BFO circuit and just replace them. You can replace them one at a time until you find things more stable, but I believe it is easier to replace them wholesale and see what happens. You will need 2 BFO crystals X3 and X4 C173 and C174 D37 and D38 L33 Replacing L33 will require a high value 1/8 watt resistor to mount the toroid - the K2 lists this as R116 PN E500086. 73, Don W3FPR Douglas Furton wrote: Hello, all I've been bothered with the CW tone/filter setting on my K2 for some time now. I seem to need to run CAL FIL daily, at least to have the BFO freq. read into memory. I observe that the CW tone starts low and drifts upwards as the rig warms up when I tune a signal to the center of the filters (maxing the S-meter). Here is some data characterizing the freq. drift in my K2 (#6761). I measured the PLL and BFO freqs with a nice frequency counter. I measured these shifts with the K2 locked at 7050 kHz, and computed the total shift = dPLL - dBFO (all referred back to the initial (T=18.5C) measurements. I measured the temp. with a thermocouple in contact with the PLL thermistor board. I also measured the PLL and BFO control voltages at various times and found them to be constant. Cumulative freq. Shifts T PLL BFO Total (C) (Hz)(Hz)(Hz) 18.5 0 0 0 19.3 9 -17 26 19.6 13 -34 47 20.2 17 -57 74 20.8 19 -70 89 21.3 24 -79 103 21.6 26 -87 113 22.0 28 -92 120 23.3 37 -124161 24.0 40 -136176 24.5 46 -164210 25.0 53 -205258 25.5 62 -256318 25.5 70 -310380 (I hope the table above remains tabulated properly. Best viewed with a monospace font.) It seems the thermistor board compensates the PLL fairly well (although maybe I could tweak RA upwards a bit), but the BFO drifts considerably, and since the PLL and BFO drift in opposite directions, the total drift is exaggerated. I may measure the drift on a second band, but these data are just from 40 m. I would really like to improve the temp. stability of my K2. Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks, Doug Furton K8EXB GET FREE 5GB EMAIL - Check out spam free email with many cool features! Visit http://www.inbox.com/email to find out more! __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 9.0.730 / Virus Database: 270.14.150/2632 - Release Date: 01/19/10 02:34:00 __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] K2 Freq. Stability
For a comparison point, you might wish to look at my K2 stability measurements at http://www.cliftonlaboratories.com/k2_freq_stability.htm Jack K8ZOA On 1/20/2010 8:58 AM, Don Wilhelm wrote: Doug, The BFO is obviously the culprit here. What serial number is this K2? Do you have the new L33? with many turns of #36 wire. If this is an older K2, install the BFO upgrade kit. If you already have the upgraded parts, then I suggest you equip yourself with all of the parts in the BFO circuit and just replace them. You can replace them one at a time until you find things more stable, but I believe it is easier to replace them wholesale and see what happens. You will need 2 BFO crystals X3 and X4 C173 and C174 D37 and D38 L33 Replacing L33 will require a high value 1/8 watt resistor to mount the toroid - the K2 lists this as R116 PN E500086. 73, Don W3FPR Douglas Furton wrote: Hello, all I've been bothered with the CW tone/filter setting on my K2 for some time now. I seem to need to run CAL FIL daily, at least to have the BFO freq. read into memory. I observe that the CW tone starts low and drifts upwards as the rig warms up when I tune a signal to the center of the filters (maxing the S-meter). Here is some data characterizing the freq. drift in my K2 (#6761). I measured the PLL and BFO freqs with a nice frequency counter. I measured these shifts with the K2 locked at 7050 kHz, and computed the total shift = dPLL - dBFO (all referred back to the initial (T=18.5C) measurements. I measured the temp. with a thermocouple in contact with the PLL thermistor board. I also measured the PLL and BFO control voltages at various times and found them to be constant. Cumulative freq. Shifts TPLL BFO Total (C) (Hz)(Hz)(Hz) 18.5 0 0 0 19.3 9 -17 26 19.6 13 -34 47 20.2 17 -57 74 20.8 19 -70 89 21.3 24 -79 103 21.6 26 -87 113 22.0 28 -92 120 23.3 37 -124161 24.0 40 -136176 24.5 46 -164210 25.0 53 -205258 25.5 62 -256318 25.5 70 -310380 (I hope the table above remains tabulated properly. Best viewed with a monospace font.) It seems the thermistor board compensates the PLL fairly well (although maybe I could tweak RA upwards a bit), but the BFO drifts considerably, and since the PLL and BFO drift in opposite directions, the total drift is exaggerated. I may measure the drift on a second band, but these data are just from 40 m. I would really like to improve the temp. stability of my K2. Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks, Doug Furton K8EXB GET FREE 5GB EMAIL - Check out spam free email with many cool features! Visit http://www.inbox.com/email to find out more! __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 9.0.730 / Virus Database: 270.14.150/2632 - Release Date: 01/19/10 02:34:00 __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] Pink K3 bag is a royal idea
Ah, tks, I thought that may be the case. ( if u can excuse the pun)!! My iPhone is only set for the first 2 lines of in bound texts so if i don't get the gist then I delete the mail be4 opening it. I'm glad the lads are not thinking abt having pink cases...hi but such as life, each to their own I say! Yes, the YL's would love them. While most of the banter has revolved about the US, on cases etc, mine has to share with an old Ali case with houses my RC Helicoptor transmitter. Ken..G0ORH Sent from my iPhone On 20 Jan 2010, at 14:43, David King dk...@vcn.com wrote: Ken...you apparently missed an early post on this, as a YL was getting a K3 and asked about the possibility of a pink K3 bag being made up by Mrs. Kopp. (She said yes, they were available). That then led to the general discussion of the relative merits of pink in various societies...No one was directly suggesting a system- wide switch to pink. David...WY7DK Ken Chandler wrote: Steve et al Is it not the KING of all Radio's!! Though I must admit a bloke would look a bit Lardy carrying a pink case, k3 or no k3. Ok for YL's though! But, Have i missed a thread !! Where has this idea come from that k3 cases should be pink or perhaps just some lite banter!! Ken..G0ORH Sent from my iPhone On 20 Jan 2010, at 08:19, Steve Ireland vk...@arach.net.au wrote: G'day For those who might be thinking having a pink K3 bag is a bit unmanly, think again! As those who have an interest in history and royalty will know, pink is actually the colour of kings. Although these days we tend to associate red with royalty, pink used to have a similar place. Vy 73 Steve, VK6VZ - Date: Tue, 19 Jan 2010 19:30:06 - From: Ken Kopp k...@rfwave.net Subject: [Elecraft] K3 pink carry bag? To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net Message-ID: 7202c97cb4e241ac8978122e92724...@your4105e587b6 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Of course I can make a pink K3 bag! There are many options for fleece lining and edge binding colors, too. Unfortunately, the shoulder straps come in back only. (:-( 73! Rose elecraftcov...@rfwave.net http://tinyurl.com/7lm3m5 __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] K3 and Alpha 91b
Mike, I have used my K3 and A91b successfully on all bands from 160 through 10 meters for over a year. No problems with SSB on any bands. I have run full output on 160 and 80/75, both SSB and CW. Net: I can't think why you're having trouble. I do have one problem on the low bands that I do not associate with the K3 but might be playing into your situation somehow. I believe my house wiring is picking up RF, which kills my DSL connection whenever I run high power on 160 and sometimes when I only run 100W barefoot from the K3. Have you run the setup into a dummy load? Brian K1LI On Tue, Jan 19, 2010 at 3:59 PM, n...@aol.com wrote: I have an Alpha 91b hooked to the K3 (SN 8376) and I'm having an Odd problem ... on 75/80 meter SSB, if I run the amp at 45 watts, which is what works on CW without issue, I encounter significant nuisance tripping of the Amplifier to the fault condition. The amp also exhibits a power spike into the 2KW range often times when it faults. If I reduce the power to 30 watts on the K3, the amp runs 1500 watts OK without tripping. Please resist the temptation to say Run at 30 watts then. All other bands ... except 6 meters which I didn't check, do not exhibit this issue. Power out from the K3 is 45 watts and the amp runs 1500 watts out with NO nuisance tripping. I've talked to the tech's at Alpha and at least one other K3 owner has had this same problem. He asked me to check the amp with another radio so, using my spare radio, Yaesu FT-450, to drive the amp I have no nuisance tripping on any band while running 45-50 watts into the amp. Neither radio has ALC hooked up, only the TR relay. Both radios and amp are grounded to the same ground buss. RF calibration was done when the radio was assembled and I have not re-done that process. Any ideas as to why the radio would exhibit a tendency to over drive the amp just on 75/80 meters? Mike N9QR __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] Pink K3 bag is a royal idea
Ken...you apparently missed an early post on this, as a YL was getting a K3 and asked about the possibility of a pink K3 bag being made up by Mrs. Kopp. (She said yes, they were available). That then led to the general discussion of the relative merits of pink in various societies...No one was directly suggesting a system-wide switch to pink. David...WY7DK Ken Chandler wrote: Steve et al Is it not the KING of all Radio's!! Though I must admit a bloke would look a bit Lardy carrying a pink case, k3 or no k3. Ok for YL's though! But, Have i missed a thread !! Where has this idea come from that k3 cases should be pink or perhaps just some lite banter!! Ken..G0ORH Sent from my iPhone On 20 Jan 2010, at 08:19, Steve Ireland vk...@arach.net.au wrote: G'day For those who might be thinking having a pink K3 bag is a bit unmanly, think again! As those who have an interest in history and royalty will know, pink is actually the colour of kings. Although these days we tend to associate red with royalty, pink used to have a similar place. Vy 73 Steve, VK6VZ - Date: Tue, 19 Jan 2010 19:30:06 - From: Ken Kopp k...@rfwave.net Subject: [Elecraft] K3 pink carry bag? To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net Message-ID: 7202c97cb4e241ac8978122e92724...@your4105e587b6 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Of course I can make a pink K3 bag! There are many options for fleece lining and edge binding colors, too. Unfortunately, the shoulder straps come in back only. (:-( 73! Rose elecraftcov...@rfwave.net http://tinyurl.com/7lm3m5 __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] OT Local QRN what is it? UPDATE!
Bill, My own treadmill causes severe interference here in the house. I'm the only one who uses it so it does not affect my own radio but it blanks out any AM radio in the house that happens to be turned on. I reduced the noise to an insignificant level by simply plugging a few microfarads of film capacitor into the same power outlet that the treadmill is plugged in to. I just wired up the capacitors to an AC plug in a neat little package that looks like a big wall wart. The interference definitely is carried throughout the house by the wiring. I suspect that if your neighbor would agree to plug a similar module into the same outlet as is his treadmill that it would improve your noise situation. Don K7FJ Thank you Elecraft reflector members for all of the great suggestions on this QRN problem.. With your help I was able to locate the problem. I would of not found it without your help. Now, I have no idea what to do about the issue, perhaps nothing. I now know the source. It's my neighbors treadmill. We share a power transformer (underground utilities). Although I bet the noise is from a motor arching and most likely is radiating at the motor as opposed to being carried on the power line. I have hope as he is not a ultra marathon runner and his runs rarely cause a QRT of over an hour. If you want to hear the sound click on the Flickr link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ak5x/4279625626/in/photostream/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/ak5x/4279577818/in/photostream/ Thank you again list members for allowing me to tap the collective :) 73, Bill AK5X On Jan 16, 2010, at 1:34 PM, Bill Hammond wrote: I have been chasing this noise in my urban neighborhood for several years now. It usually visits during the daylight hours and stays for several hours. It has a rhythm and is across all frequencies and bands. I have pulled the big switch in my house and the noise is still with me (listening on battery powered rigs). Neighbors on all sides of my city sized lot have swimming pools and my first suspicion is noise generated by circulation pumps. Here are two recordings (on a K3 of coarse). Why not ask the most discriminating radio fans in the world their opinions on the source? http://www.flickr.com/photos/ak5x/4279625626/in/photostream/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/ak5x/4279577818/in/photostream/ Bill Hammond-AK5X wham...@aol.com a...@mac.com a...@sbcglobal.net K3 #69 K2/100 #4637 K1 #2033 KX1 #1023 T1 Bill Hammond-AK5X wham...@aol.com a...@mac.com a...@sbcglobal.net K3 #69 K2/100 #4637 K1 #2033 KX1 #1023 T1 __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] OT Local QRN what is it? UPDATE!
Hi All, I had mentioned previously that I just ordered a nice treadmill after a lot of research. When I read about this possible interference I sent an email to the company. Within an hour I got a phone call from a very knowledgeable person. He stated that as far as he knows all treadmills except Precor and Woodway use PWM to regulate the DC motor. He said RFI could emanate from the motor along the AC plug, or radiate from the PWM circuit. He said that if it was from the PWM it would be very difficult to resolve, as it would be picked up by the antenna. He said both types of interference were definitely possible. He also stated that if I wanted to buy a Precor or Woodway I would be talking about $4500 for an entry level machine. I talked it over with my wife and since I doubt I will be on my K3 while on the treadmill we decided to keep the treadmill we ordered. I feel sorry for any ham who is suffering RFI from a neighbor's treadmill. Better to work with them than to call the FCC on them. Steve, W2MY __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] K3 and Alpha 91b
Hi Brian, Thanks for the feedback ... I've had no issues with the 91b except for this oddity since I acquired it about three weeks ago. I previoulsy owned a 91b and an 87a but ended up selling the 91b to a friend along with a Collins S Line. I sold the 87a (HUGE mistake) and bought a Quadra when I slimmed down my radio collection to a Yaesu FT-1000MP MK V and a portable FT450 a couple of years ago. I sold the FT-1000 last December and bought the K3. After I assembled it and got it on the air, the Quadra became a bit of a pain to deal with because of the way it senses RF to switch bands (No Data Cables to run between K3 and the Amp) and the extra buttons that had to be pushed on the amp to switch the bands and tune the amp. So I traded it to a friend for his 91b. Not sorry I did that at all but this oddity with 80 meter SSB is bothering me. I am running 30 watts and getting the 1500 out but I should not have to when all other bands, including 160, take 45 watts to achieve 1500 out into a matched antenna or a dummy load. As to RFI issues, I have a pretty good ground system ... copper water pipes and a city water system that is copper all the way to the street 300 feet away. With in-line traps between the radio and amp and between the tuner and the antenna the only issue I have is on 10 meters when I do get into the TV and Phone if I run anything over 600 watts ... I think it's more antenna proximity that RFI but I'm still working on that. I use filters on all the phones ... you might try that. Before Verizon switched me to fibre optic cable I was on a residential DSL line and I was forced to use band pass filters on all the phones in the house to keep 80, 10 and 15 meters out of the system at any power setting over 500 watts. I did discover a ground cable issue when I was moving the station around after getting the K3 that may have contributed to that however. I run all grounds to a single point with all radios, computers, amplifiers and accessory equipment having separate ground cables to that point. Loose connections and AC wiring without chokes still pop up as issues occasionally due to my missing something. 73, Mike N9QR Date sent: Wed, 20 Jan 2010 10:06:08 -0500 From: Brian Machesney nekvts...@gmail.com To: Elecraft Reflector elecraft@mailman.qth.net Subject:Re: [Elecraft] K3 and Alpha 91b Mike, I have used my K3 and A91b successfully on all bands from 160 through 10 meters for over a year. No problems with SSB on any bands. I have run full output on 160 and 80/75, both SSB and CW. Net: I can't think why you're having trouble. I do have one problem on the low bands that I do not associate with the K3 but might be playing into your situation somehow. I believe my house wiring is picking up RF, which kills my DSL connection whenever I run high power on 160 and sometimes when I only run 100W barefoot from the K3. Have you run the setup into a dummy load? Brian K1LI On Tue, Jan 19, 2010 at 3:59 PM, n...@aol.com wrote: I have an Alpha 91b hooked to the K3 (SN 8376) and I'm having an Odd problem ... on 75/80 meter SSB, if I run the amp at 45 watts, which is what works on CW without issue, I encounter significant nuisance tripping of the Amplifier to the fault condition. The amp also exhibits a power spike into the 2KW range often times when it faults. If I reduce the power to 30 watts on the K3, the amp runs 1500 watts OK without tripping. Please resist the temptation to say Run at 30 watts then. All other bands ... except 6 meters which I didn't check, do not exhibit this issue. Power out from the K3 is 45 watts and the amp runs 1500 watts out with NO nuisance tripping. I've talked to the tech's at Alpha and at least one other K3 owner has had this same problem. He asked me to check the amp with another radio so, using my spare radio, Yaesu FT-450, to drive the amp I have no nuisance tripping on any band while running 45-50 watts into the amp. Neither radio has ALC hooked up, only the TR relay. Both radios and amp are grounded to the same ground buss. RF calibration was done when the radio was assembled and I have not re-done that process. Any ideas as to why the radio would exhibit a tendency to over drive the amp just on 75/80 meters? Mike N9QR __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post:
Re: [Elecraft] [K2] how much harder to build: K2 vs K1?
Good choice. That's exactly what I did almost three years ago. It won't take you long to get the hang of soldering. There are some great tutorials on the Elecraft site as well as other places on the internet. The most important thing is to have good tools, including a mat and a good soldering station. I found that there isn't a lot of skill involved in soldering and most of it is just common sense and having a steady hand. I figured if I had bought all of the smaller kits just to practice soldering, I wouldn't have had enough to buy the K2! ;-) You'll do fine and operating the K2 is a blast. Have fun, Gary, N7HTS On Mon, 18 Jan 2010 13:16:46 -0800 (PST) lstavenhagen lstavenha...@hotmail.com wrote: Hi everyone, Been a couple weeks here since I started this thread, but I've actually changed my mind and ended up going with the K2. I thought it over a bit more and decided that the K2 base unit has everything I wanted in it so it was best to just get it from the start. Also since I'm in no hurry a longer build time isn't of much concern. I plan to just take my time and use it as a learning experience (I have my 706MIIG to use on the air in the meanwhile too). I'm going to start practicing my soldering skills here on some junk boards I have too. The only option I can think of that I might add later is the KPA100 100W upgrade. That's a ways down the road and only after I get the main rig working ;). Looking forward to it! 73, LS W5QD -- View this message in context: http://n2.nabble.com/how-much-harder-to-build-K2-vs-K1-tp4234815p4416236.html Sent from the [K2] mailing list archive at Nabble.com. __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] OT Local QRN what is it? UPDATE!
Very interesting. I own a Precor treadmill. I just went down and tested it. No interference at all on 20. Didn't check anything else. Didn't pay $4500 for it either. Got it from a dealer friend of mine. It was a new one that never worked so it sat in the warehouse. He said I could have it if I could fix it. In 10 minutes I found a bad RJ-45 connector. Works great now. Maybe I should put a small shelf on it so I can work treadmill mobile. Any lawyers out there? In a situation like this where a device's design and construction creates interference, does the owner have all the abatement responsibility or does the manufacturer retain the responsibility as they manufactured a defective device incapable of being operated legally? David K0LUM At 10:20 AM -0600 1/20/10, Steven Pituch wrote: snip He stated that as far as he knows all treadmills except Precor and Woodway use PWM to regulate the DC motor. He said RFI could emanate from the motor along the AC plug, or radiate from the PWM circuit. He said that if it was from the PWM it would be very difficult to resolve, as it would be picked up by the antenna. He said both types of interference were definitely possible. He also stated that if I wanted to buy a Precor or Woodway I would be talking about $4500 for an entry level machine. __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] OT Local QRN what is it? UPDATE!
If it were me I do not think I would furnish or propose any home made device as a solution. Were there to be a failure in the treadmill shorty thereafter you can be sure where the blame would be placed. A really worse case scenario would be a fire. Then it would be a let the law suits begin situation. I would look around for some type of commercial line filter that could be placed in the line. To keep the money in the Ham marketplace here is a possible if the treadmill is under a 7 amp load: http://www.arraysolutions.com/Products/nqnaclinefilter.htm I have no experience with this unit, or financial interest in it either. But if the interference was real aggravating to me I'd invest in a potential solution and propose something along these lines as a loaner. 73, Bob K2TK Don Ehrlich wrote: Bill, My own treadmill causes severe interference here in the house. I'm the only one who uses it so it does not affect my own radio but it blanks out any AM radio in the house that happens to be turned on. I reduced the noise to an insignificant level by simply plugging a few microfarads of film capacitor into the same power outlet that the treadmill is plugged in to. I just wired up the capacitors to an AC plug in a neat little package that looks like a big wall wart. The interference definitely is carried throughout the house by the wiring. I suspect that if your neighbor would agree to plug a similar module into the same outlet as is his treadmill that it would improve your noise situation. Don K7FJ Thank you Elecraft reflector members for all of the great suggestions on this QRN problem.. With your help I was able to locate the problem. I would of not found it without your help. Now, I have no idea what to do about the issue, perhaps nothing. I now know the source. It's my neighbors treadmill. We share a power transformer (underground utilities). Although I bet the noise is from a motor arching and most likely is radiating at the motor as opposed to being carried on the power line. I have hope as he is not a ultra marathon runner and his runs rarely cause a QRT of over an hour. If you want to hear the sound click on the Flickr link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ak5x/4279625626/in/photostream/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/ak5x/4279577818/in/photostream/ Thank you again list members for allowing me to tap the collective :) 73, Bill AK5X On Jan 16, 2010, at 1:34 PM, Bill Hammond wrote: I have been chasing this noise in my urban neighborhood for several years now. It usually visits during the daylight hours and stays for several hours. It has a rhythm and is across all frequencies and bands. I have pulled the big switch in my house and the noise is still with me (listening on battery powered rigs). Neighbors on all sides of my city sized lot have swimming pools and my first suspicion is noise generated by circulation pumps. Here are two recordings (on a K3 of coarse). Why not ask the most discriminating radio fans in the world their opinions on the source? http://www.flickr.com/photos/ak5x/4279625626/in/photostream/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/ak5x/4279577818/in/photostream/ Bill Hammond-AK5X wham...@aol.com a...@mac.com a...@sbcglobal.net K3 #69 K2/100 #4637 K1 #2033 KX1 #1023 T1 Bill Hammond-AK5X wham...@aol.com a...@mac.com a...@sbcglobal.net K3 #69 K2/100 #4637 K1 #2033 KX1 #1023 T1 __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] OT Local QRN what is it? UPDATE!
Hi David, I don't know if treadmills are FCC Part 15 devices. I have not found the FCC statement in the manual for the treadmill I ordered. Part 15 devices are allowed to radiate as long as someone doesn't complain of the RFI to a licensed service. If that happens try to convince your neighbor that it is illegal to operate his plasma TV. Steve, W2MY (I'm not a lawyer) __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
[Elecraft] CM500 Powering from K2
A week or so ago, KS4L asked for info on powering the CM500 from his K2. He tried the instructions I gave, but it didn't work. Bear in mind here that several variations of output stages are used for the FET impedance converter in electret mics, and not all mfrs wire them the same way to their plugs. For this reason, a single powering method doesn't work for all electret mics. We learned this two decades ago in the pro audio world when we started using lavalier (clip-on) mics with wireless mic transmitters, and every mfr of both mics and wireless systems published lots of info about how to hook their stuff up. The CM500 works directly with the K3, so I looked at what the K3 does for power. It's 5.6K to the tip only. The K3 makes no connection to the ring. Randy tried that and it works fine. So -- revised advice. From the CM500 mic plug, wire the tip to the mic input, add a 5.6K resistor between +DC on the K2 mic jack and the mic input. The resistor value is not critical, 4.7K to 8.2K should work fine. There is very little current, so very small resistors are fine. The sleeve (common) of the plug goes to common at the mic jack. The same wiring should work with this mic for nearly all other ham rigs. I would expect the CM500 to work really well with the K2. One of the few shortcomings of the K2 is that since it was originally designed as a QRP CW rig, the support for SSB is not a strong point. One way this shows up is in relatively low audio gain and not enough LF rolloff. The CM500 helps this situation, first because it's a pretty hot mic (that is, higher than average output level) and because the low end is rolled off internally. There are several published mods to improve the gain of the SSB signal chain, some of which go all the way to the RF end of the chain. I took the simpler approach, modifying my K2s by changing a few resistors and capacitors in the mic stages to provide rolloff around 500 Hz and increase the gain by about 7dB. This allows the mic to hit the compressor harder (and the rolloff prevents low frequency sounds from hitting the compressor), making the audio more competitive. The CM500 should provide the same improvements but without the mods. 73, Jim Brown K9YC __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] OT Local QRN what is it? UPDATE!
Bob, You are so right about that. I might further state that anything which plugs into the AC outlet must have UL or other testing lab approval stickers on it, so giving a neighbor an unapproved homebrew device opens to door for liability. 73, Don W3FPR Bob wrote: If it were me I do not think I would furnish or propose any home made device as a solution. Were there to be a failure in the treadmill shorty thereafter you can be sure where the blame would be placed. A really worse case scenario would be a fire. Then it would be a let the law suits begin situation. I would look around for some type of commercial line filter that could be placed in the line. To keep the money in the Ham marketplace here is a possible if the treadmill is under a 7 amp load: http://www.arraysolutions.com/Products/nqnaclinefilter.htm I have no experience with this unit, or financial interest in it either. But if the interference was real aggravating to me I'd invest in a potential solution and propose something along these lines as a loaner. 73, Bob K2TK Don Ehrlich wrote: Bill, My own treadmill causes severe interference here in the house. I'm the only one who uses it so it does not affect my own radio but it blanks out any AM radio in the house that happens to be turned on. I reduced the noise to an insignificant level by simply plugging a few microfarads of film capacitor into the same power outlet that the treadmill is plugged in to. I just wired up the capacitors to an AC plug in a neat little package that looks like a big wall wart. The interference definitely is carried throughout the house by the wiring. I suspect that if your neighbor would agree to plug a similar module into the same outlet as is his treadmill that it would improve your noise situation. Don K7FJ Thank you Elecraft reflector members for all of the great suggestions on this QRN problem.. With your help I was able to locate the problem. I would of not found it without your help. Now, I have no idea what to do about the issue, perhaps nothing. I now know the source. It's my neighbors treadmill. We share a power transformer (underground utilities). Although I bet the noise is from a motor arching and most likely is radiating at the motor as opposed to being carried on the power line. I have hope as he is not a ultra marathon runner and his runs rarely cause a QRT of over an hour. If you want to hear the sound click on the Flickr link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ak5x/4279625626/in/photostream/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/ak5x/4279577818/in/photostream/ Thank you again list members for allowing me to tap the collective :) 73, Bill AK5X On Jan 16, 2010, at 1:34 PM, Bill Hammond wrote: I have been chasing this noise in my urban neighborhood for several years now. It usually visits during the daylight hours and stays for several hours. It has a rhythm and is across all frequencies and bands. I have pulled the big switch in my house and the noise is still with me (listening on battery powered rigs). Neighbors on all sides of my city sized lot have swimming pools and my first suspicion is noise generated by circulation pumps. Here are two recordings (on a K3 of coarse). Why not ask the most discriminating radio fans in the world their opinions on the source? http://www.flickr.com/photos/ak5x/4279625626/in/photostream/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/ak5x/4279577818/in/photostream/ Bill Hammond-AK5X wham...@aol.com a...@mac.com a...@sbcglobal.net K3 #69 K2/100 #4637 K1 #2033 KX1 #1023 T1 Bill Hammond-AK5X wham...@aol.com a...@mac.com a...@sbcglobal.net K3 #69 K2/100 #4637 K1 #2033 KX1 #1023 T1 __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 9.0.730 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/2634 - Release Date: 01/20/10 04:12:00 __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] OT Local QRN what is it? UPDATE!
I would look around for some type of commercial line filter that could be placed in the line. Before purchasing a line RFI/EMI filter, the noise path and manner of propagation requires investigation. If RFI radiation is occurring as a result of coupling from a power supply or display module (for example) onto a cable wiring harness but is not associated with the AC line path, then adding a line filter is a wasted expense. Techniques used for investigating and localizing a noise path can be found in the RFI mail list archives. Paul, W9AC __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
[Elecraft] K2: Old Filter question - - (underwater noise)
Geoff asked for the web-site Here is one of the links: http://home.pacbell.net/johngreb/Mod_To_Improve_K2_CW_Filter_Rejection.pdf N1BBR -- bw...@fastmail.net __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] OT Local QRN what is it? UPDATE!
Well ... a 2 horse motor (output) will be consuming about 1.5 Kw if operating at its maximum rating. Even if not maxed out it is likely to be well over the ratings of any commercial line filter that we are likely to find. Localizing the source is no problem. It is the treadmill. If the common mode and differential mode conducted noise in the line cord going to the wall can be suppressed then the noise is contained to the treadmill. My homebrew approach worked for me but the point about liability is well taken. The only completely safe way to handle the noise may be to add a few pounds of ferrite to the line cord to suppress the common mode HF current. Just kidding .. same problem of liability .. or at least blame for whatever problems the user may perceive. My guess is there is not really anything to be done. In years past I was an avionics EMI hunter and I just cannot resist the temptation to comment. But I'm done now. Don K7FJ I would look around for some type of commercial line filter that could be placed in the line. Before purchasing a line RFI/EMI filter, the noise path and manner of propagation requires investigation. If RFI radiation is occurring as a result of coupling from a power supply or display module (for example) onto a cable wiring harness but is not associated with the AC line path, then adding a line filter is a wasted expense. Techniques used for investigating and localizing a noise path can be found in the RFI mail list archives. Paul, W9AC __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
[Elecraft] GFI trip
My XYL I built this house . We wired it used GFIs where required . Even where they weren't. Most were Chinese. Two were American. I've had RF trip both kinds. Just random trips with nothing repeatable time after time. I found the easiest way to fix the problem was just replace the GFI. I have no idea if it was component failure or just freak incident .Replacing has almost always stopped the trips.I only had a pull one unrequired one leave the GFI out. Trips would occur every few months or so. Chinese. For what it's worthI operate 160m thru 6m no particular freq was worse than another. My old IC 746 would lock on 40m CW once in a while but that's another RF story K9IL __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
[Elecraft] My K3-100 Kit!
Good morning, Folks. I just want to share an experience I've just had with my K3-100 Kit: which by the way worked from day one right out of the box. [That's a miracle in itself since I assembled it! But of course that's what Team Elecraft planned all along!] Don't run for the hills. It was fantastic experience! I should point out that I'm definitely not a tech-type but rather just an [AO] appliance operator for the past 34 years. I'm also definitely not apologizing but just explaining that I'm proud to be a part of this fraternity in any capacity. Yesterday late, our neighborhood experienced a power hiccup. I soon thereafter turned my K3 off for the day and went QRP with my K1 and Sierra Radio [also sorta kinda an Elecraft radio, right?]. I have a fourth HF rig and it's a FB Ten Tec Corsair II that I've had about 25 years. The Corsair II setup and has recently been serviced by the factory for a complete renovation/rejuvenation! So, my station is an 100% FB ALL AMERICAN station I'm proud to say! This morning I came in and turned on my pride-and-joy K3. It sounded funny [not the humorous kind of funny] and acted weird [and I do mean weird weird!]. My first thought was, Oh my gosh, I'm going to have to send it in for repair. It's still under warranty but still I didn't want to go that route except as a last resort. After my heart-wrenching fear subsided, I remembered maybe if I used a feature in the Elecraft Utility that Restores your configuration all would be well. Luckily I save my configuration from time to time. So I ran RESTORE. Voila [or whatever], all is well again here. I never really understood why you would want or need to save your configuration but now I know. Thanks for the foresight of Team Elecraft. Every day I'm amazed at the capabilities of my K3. For 10 months now it has been my pride and joy. I've owned 8-10 rigs [American and Rice Burners] over the years but never one that has been so much fun to operate and given so much pride in ownership. I work a lot of 20m CW DX [I don't necessarilly chase DX] and it's fun to tell the other station the rig I'm running at 90 watts. More and more though, they come back and tell me they're also using one of the Elecraft rigs and some might have several other Elecraft rigs in their shack. [They sure sound GREAT! I hope mine sounds just 1/2 as good.] I'm also very appreciative to Team Elecraft as I know with each and every update of Firmware, I will have a new radio AGAIN and not an outdated one.. To this retiree, that makes my K3 economically justifiable. Team Elecraft, I'm 210% satisfied with S/N 2802! Best 72 73. Jim WA4NTM K1 S/N 2580 SIERRA no S/N K2-100 [Just a dream] K3 S/N 2802 __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] Pink K3 bag is a royal idea [END of Thread]
Let's end this thread for now. 73, Eric WA6HHQ Elecraft Moderator === __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] K2: Old Filter question - - (underwater noise)
Thanks Duane. The coupling between the pcb traces that run between W2 and J9 and between W3 and J10 are the main cause of filter blow-by in my K2/100 #3255. If I did not use my K2 in SSB mode, I would be tempted to cut them. 73, Geoff GM4ESD dw bw...@fastmail.fm wrote on Wednesday, January 20, 2010 at 5:43 PM: Geoff asked for the web-site Here is one of the links: http://home.pacbell.net/johngreb/Mod_To_Improve_K2_CW_Filter_Rejection.pdf __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
[Elecraft] K2, S/N6780, Receiver Pre-Alignment Question
Should I be able to use the Elecraft N-Gen or XG2 signal generator to do my pre-alignment steps on page 79. I have no RF generator with me here as I winter in Sebring, FL, trying to build and finish my K2. I can get the 10meg output from my Heath frequency counter to come thru and adjust L8 and L9 for max signal strength. Also while tuning across the dial I get at one point, voices in Spanish so I have to assume the radio is somewhat working. This is with a two foot shielded rf cable connected between the antenna input and the freq counter. If the N-Gen or XG2 set a 50 micro volts is enough to do the peaking of the coils, what have I missed when trying to hear their input via headphones? The manual says that I should be able to use the N-Gen. Alan Latz KA9UCP __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] K3 and Alpha 91b
Mike, If your Alpha 91b does not trip out at 1500 watts on 75 meters SSB using other transceivers, then it looks as if your K3 may be either putting out a spike or the power output is not stable. You might want to go through the following K3 calibration procedures: 1) Synthesizer Calibration 2) Filter Setup (all five precedures listed for each filter installed). 3) Reference Oscillator Calibration 4) TX Gain Calibration on all bands Hope this helps. Best 73, Roy Morris W4WFB __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
[Elecraft] Elecraft P3 Pricing
Ok so we're a month out from projections... So I'm not asking for a release date or a manual, or anything physically related to the product but I'd imagine that the hardware must be at least fairly solidified if its close as we've been hearing... So how about a projected cost with a slightly finer point on it. Not even a final cost... Just a projection... Perhaps even a slight tighter window around were it may fall? ~Brett __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
[Elecraft] Heil headset with K3
I've been using a Heil Quiet Phone headset (HC 4 cartridge) from the very first day I got my K3. It took a bit of trial and error to find the correct settings. I did not use the monitor to set it up, I used another xcvr listening to the transmitted signal. Not a day goes by that I don't get an unsolicited comment that goes something like excellent audio. I even got two notices from ARRL Official Observers complimenting the audio. This is not to say that the HC4 element works for everyone's voice, just that it does a good job with mine, which is somewhat low pitched. My settings: Mic gain 7 Compression. 24 audio shapingI flatten the highs, keep the midrange flat, and boost the lows. Your mileage my vary. Bill KH7XS __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] Grounding negative side of power supply?
Rich wrote: I had a situation with an older (analog) power supply (that had its negative side grounded to the main AC ground) that tripped the Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) in one of the bathrooms. Eliminating the bond to ground I consider this dangerous advice. If you have an ELCB tripping, you do not treat the problem symptomatically, by creating an unsafer system, you find out what the real problem is and you fix it. I can't tell what the exact wiring configuration is here, but it is very likely that you have created a situation where there are pieces of metal in reach which have low impedance paths to very different earths. -- David Woolley we do not overly restrict the subject matter on the list, and we encourage postings on a wide range of amateur radio related topics List Guidelines http://www.elecraft.com/elecraft_list_guidelines.htm __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] [OT] Grounding negative side of power supply?
Unless the power supply is a Class II double insulated device and there are no connections from any of your equipment to true ground, it is essential that all its exposed metal work is bonded to the mains ground with a connection that is very low impedance at mains frequency and capable of carrying the full rated current of the nearest fuse. If you don't do this, in a fault situation you could get electrocuted because the chassis is at a large voltage compared with other exposed metalwork in the building. Top posted by list policy. Incidentally, this seems to be about an amateur radio topic, so it is on topic. Joe Planisky wrote: Should the negative side of a power supply be connected to the supply chassis (and thus to the green wire AC ground), or should it be left floating? I have heard arguments both for and against floating the -- David Woolley we do not overly restrict the subject matter on the list, and we encourage postings on a wide range of amateur radio related topics List Guidelines http://www.elecraft.com/elecraft_list_guidelines.htm __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] CM500 Powering from K2
Jim and All, The K3 provides the necessary bias through a menu setting. The K2 requires an internal adjustment for whatever type microphone you are using, and how the 8 pin connector is wired. I think all this is covered in the manual, but the bottom line is that for electrets, a resistor is added on the internal microphone wiring terminal which goes from the bias voltage supply connector to whatever pin the microphone uses for the microphone lead. Kenwood and Elecraft use pin 1 for the microphone lead, but some other microphones may have it on a different pin on the 8 pin connector. My guess is that internally, KS4L didn't have his K2 wired to match whatever adapter he is using. The K2 has only one input for the microphone, and that is the 8 pin connector on the front. So, the internal microphone terminal has to be wired accordingly so that the microphone pin selected (and the PTT, GND, etc.) will properly correlate to however the microphone connector (8 pin) he is using is wired. Presumably he has some sort of pigtail wired up to convert from the 3.5 mm plug on the CM500 to an 8 pin connector which goes to the K2. So, it's not necessarily your instructions that were wrong--it's just how was he going from the CM500 to the K2's front panel connector, and further, how is that wired internally--at least I think that must have been the problem. Dave W7AQK - Original Message - From: Jim Brown j...@audiosystemsgroup.com To: Elecraft List elecraft@mailman.qth.net Sent: Wednesday, January 20, 2010 10:22 AM Subject: [Elecraft] CM500 Powering from K2 A week or so ago, KS4L asked for info on powering the CM500 from his K2. He tried the instructions I gave, but it didn't work. Bear in mind here that several variations of output stages are used for the FET impedance converter in electret mics, and not all mfrs wire them the same way to their plugs. For this reason, a single powering method doesn't work for all electret mics. We learned this two decades ago in the pro audio world when we started using lavalier (clip-on) mics with wireless mic transmitters, and every mfr of both mics and wireless systems published lots of info about how to hook their stuff up. The CM500 works directly with the K3, so I looked at what the K3 does for power. It's 5.6K to the tip only. The K3 makes no connection to the ring. Randy tried that and it works fine. So -- revised advice. From the CM500 mic plug, wire the tip to the mic input, add a 5.6K resistor between +DC on the K2 mic jack and the mic input. The resistor value is not critical, 4.7K to 8.2K should work fine. There is very little current, so very small resistors are fine. The sleeve (common) of the plug goes to common at the mic jack. The same wiring should work with this mic for nearly all other ham rigs. I would expect the CM500 to work really well with the K2. One of the few shortcomings of the K2 is that since it was originally designed as a QRP CW rig, the support for SSB is not a strong point. One way this shows up is in relatively low audio gain and not enough LF rolloff. The CM500 helps this situation, first because it's a pretty hot mic (that is, higher than average output level) and because the low end is rolled off internally. There are several published mods to improve the gain of the SSB signal chain, some of which go all the way to the RF end of the chain. I took the simpler approach, modifying my K2s by changing a few resistors and capacitors in the mic stages to provide rolloff around 500 Hz and increase the gain by about 7dB. This allows the mic to hit the compressor harder (and the rolloff prevents low frequency sounds from hitting the compressor), making the audio more competitive. The CM500 should provide the same improvements but without the mods. 73, Jim Brown K9YC __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
[Elecraft] K2 - Variable Power Out
I know this has been discussed in the past, but due to the storms here on the US West Coast, our wireless access is down and I'm relegated to ... gasp! ... dial-up, so surfing the archives is sort of a non-starter right now. One of the perils of living in rural areas, I guess. My K2/100 has developed a variable power syndrome. I set it at 50W, put it in TUNE, and the power out is more or less 50W, but pulses up to maybe 90W at fairly regular intervals of about 1 - 1.5 sec. If I set the power much above 50W, when it pulses up it resets, and I get the ELECRAFT display. Other than that, it all works find, TX and RX. I thought it might be the 15A supply I was using so I put it on a 40A supply built like a tank. Still does is, scope says nothing is happening to the power source. I'll take all ideas. I have a K3, so this isn't a disaster of any proportion [in the ham radio sense], but I do use my K2. If the winds blow my antennas down, I won't be using either of them, unfortunately. 73, Fred K6DGW Auburn CA __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] Grounding negative side of power supply?
The AC side should always be connected to the power supply chassis - unless it is of the double insulated design where no ungrounded metallic part can come into contact with the human body. Yes, cutting the AC green wire ground is a dangerous thing indeed - the entire chassis could rise to the AC mains voltage in the event of a fault. The power supply negative *can* certainly be floating *if* the designer made provisions for doing that. It requires that all the common connections on the secondary side of the transformer are isolated from ground. As I recall, Astrons are not built that way. 73, Don W3FPR David Woolley (E.L) wrote: Rich wrote: I had a situation with an older (analog) power supply (that had its negative side grounded to the main AC ground) that tripped the Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) in one of the bathrooms. Eliminating the bond to ground I consider this dangerous advice. If you have an ELCB tripping, you do not treat the problem symptomatically, by creating an unsafer system, you find out what the real problem is and you fix it. I can't tell what the exact wiring configuration is here, but it is very likely that you have created a situation where there are pieces of metal in reach which have low impedance paths to very different earths. __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
[Elecraft] K-2 S Meter calibration using a XG-2
Can anyone point me to info to calibrate the K-2 S meter using a XG-2 ? Thanks Phil K8MBY K-3609 new owner K-2 3511 __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] [OT] Grounding negative side of power supply?
Correct, and I agree that the power supply chassis should be connected to the AC (mains) safety ground. But that wasn't the situation I was asking about. I was asking whether the negative side of the DC output should be connected to the chassis. 73 -- Joe KB8AP On Jan 20, 2010, at 2:57 PM, David Woolley (E.L) wrote: Unless the power supply is a Class II double insulated device and there are no connections from any of your equipment to true ground, it is essential that all its exposed metal work is bonded to the mains ground with a connection that is very low impedance at mains frequency and capable of carrying the full rated current of the nearest fuse. __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] K-2 S Meter calibration using a XG-2
Phil, You will find that information on page 7 of the XG2 manual. minor nit-pick ON. Note that there is *no* hyphen in any Elecraft model designation except for the N-Gen. minor nit-pick OFF. 73, Don W3FPR Phillip Buckholdt wrote: Can anyone point me to info to calibrate the K-2 S meter using a XG-2 ? Thanks Phil K8MBY K-3609 new owner K-2 3511 __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] Grounding negative side of power supply?
This creates a situation that is potentially hazardous to your equipment. The AC third (green) wire is supposed to be connected to ground only at the main panel/service entrance. However, since it is connected to the chassis of the power supply, it is also connected through the power supply and radio to ground via the coaxial cable. If the point at which the coaxial cables enter the building is not the same place that power enters the building, any nearby lightning strike can set up a significant difference in voltage between the power line safety ground and the RF ground (feedline shields/tower). That difference can fry any electronics connected to both grounds. There are techniques for dealing with this problem ... but they are not necessarily easy or inexpensive. 73, ... Joe, W4TV -Original Message- From: elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net [mailto:elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Don Wilhelm Sent: Wednesday, January 20, 2010 8:01 PM To: David Woolley (E.L) Cc: Rich; elecraft@mailman.qth.net Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Grounding negative side of power supply? The AC side should always be connected to the power supply chassis - unless it is of the double insulated design where no ungrounded metallic part can come into contact with the human body. Yes, cutting the AC green wire ground is a dangerous thing indeed - the entire chassis could rise to the AC mains voltage in the event of a fault. The power supply negative *can* certainly be floating *if* the designer made provisions for doing that. It requires that all the common connections on the secondary side of the transformer are isolated from ground. As I recall, Astrons are not built that way. 73, Don W3FPR David Woolley (E.L) wrote: Rich wrote: I had a situation with an older (analog) power supply (that had its negative side grounded to the main AC ground) that tripped the Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) in one of the bathrooms. Eliminating the bond to ground I consider this dangerous advice. If you have an ELCB tripping, you do not treat the problem symptomatically, by creating an unsafer system, you find out what the real problem is and you fix it. I can't tell what the exact wiring configuration is here, but it is very likely that you have created a situation where there are pieces of metal in reach which have low impedance paths to very different earths. __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] K2 - Variable Power Out
Fred, I certainly can't help with your internet access - but perhaps I can help with your K2/100 problem. Go to the Elecraft website and find the K2 Optional Power Control Mod - or use the direct link http://www.elecraft.com/Apps/Power_Control_Mod.html. If that does not help, you may have a problem with the KPA100 wattmeter section. 73, Don W3FPR Fred Jensen wrote: I know this has been discussed in the past, but due to the storms here on the US West Coast, our wireless access is down and I'm relegated to ... gasp! ... dial-up, so surfing the archives is sort of a non-starter right now. One of the perils of living in rural areas, I guess. My K2/100 has developed a variable power syndrome. I set it at 50W, put it in TUNE, and the power out is more or less 50W, but pulses up to maybe 90W at fairly regular intervals of about 1 - 1.5 sec. If I set the power much above 50W, when it pulses up it resets, and I get the ELECRAFT display. Other than that, it all works find, TX and RX. I thought it might be the 15A supply I was using so I put it on a 40A supply built like a tank. Still does is, scope says nothing is happening to the power source. I'll take all ideas. I have a K3, so this isn't a disaster of any proportion [in the ham radio sense], but I do use my K2. If the winds blow my antennas down, I won't be using either of them, unfortunately. 73, Fred K6DGW Auburn CA __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 9.0.730 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/2634 - Release Date: 01/20/10 04:12:00 __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] Grounding negative side of power supply?
Joe, That is *one* reason *any* ground rod should be tied back to the utility ground stake. It is as requirement of NEC, and should not be ignored. If you drive ground rods for the ham station, connect those ground rods to the utility entrance ground rod - no exceptions. The ideal is #6 or larger wire, but if you cannot do that use whatever wire you can. Your safety depends on it. If you cannot connect extra ground rods to the AC mains entry ground, then do not drive those extra ground rods - they are *not* an RF ground (see my many posts in the archives on that topic) - and as Joe points out, in the event of a lightning strike (or equipment fault), they may create a dangerous condition. You have 3 grounds to consider in the hamshack - 1) The AC safety ground, 2) The lightning path ground, and 3) The RF ground. 1) and 2) may be one and the same, but 3) is a horse of a different color, and has nothing to do with a mother earth ground - it is a point of low impedance at the frequency of interest, and usually exists at some point in the antenna system, quite apart from mother earth. The English folks have the language a bit better and refer to earthing which is often apart from grounding, but we here in the US use the same term for all common connections and in the process create confusion for ourselves. 73, Don W3FPR Joe Subich, W4TV wrote: This creates a situation that is potentially hazardous to your equipment. The AC third (green) wire is supposed to be connected to ground only at the main panel/service entrance. However, since it is connected to the chassis of the power supply, it is also connected through the power supply and radio to ground via the coaxial cable. If the point at which the coaxial cables enter the building is not the same place that power enters the building, any nearby lightning strike can set up a significant difference in voltage between the power line safety ground and the RF ground (feedline shields/tower). That difference can fry any electronics connected to both grounds. There are techniques for dealing with this problem ... but they are not necessarily easy or inexpensive. 73, ... Joe, W4TV -Original Message- From: elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net [mailto:elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Don Wilhelm Sent: Wednesday, January 20, 2010 8:01 PM To: David Woolley (E.L) Cc: Rich; elecraft@mailman.qth.net Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Grounding negative side of power supply? The AC side should always be connected to the power supply chassis - unless it is of the double insulated design where no ungrounded metallic part can come into contact with the human body. Yes, cutting the AC green wire ground is a dangerous thing indeed - the entire chassis could rise to the AC mains voltage in the event of a fault. The power supply negative *can* certainly be floating *if* the designer made provisions for doing that. It requires that all the common connections on the secondary side of the transformer are isolated from ground. As I recall, Astrons are not built that way. 73, Don W3FPR David Woolley (E.L) wrote: Rich wrote: I had a situation with an older (analog) power supply (that had its negative side grounded to the main AC ground) that tripped the Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) in one of the bathrooms. Eliminating the bond to ground I consider this dangerous advice. If you have an ELCB tripping, you do not treat the problem symptomatically, by creating an unsafer system, you find out what the real problem is and you fix it. I can't tell what the exact wiring configuration is here, but it is very likely that you have created a situation where there are pieces of metal in reach which have low impedance paths to very different earths. __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 9.0.730 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/2634 - Release Date: 01/20/10 04:12:00 __
Re: [Elecraft] Grounding negative side of power supply?
Joe and all, I would also like to point out that the situation Joe presents can be the source of sneak ground path currents which can contribute to noise at your station. By all means, connect any ham related ground rods to the AC mains entry point ground rod. I don't care how you accomplish that - just do it. If it reduces noise in your receiver, that is a benefit, but if not, be assured that your shack will be a more safe place to inhabit. 73, Don W3FPR Joe Subich, W4TV wrote: This creates a situation that is potentially hazardous to your equipment. The AC third (green) wire is supposed to be connected to ground only at the main panel/service entrance. However, since it is connected to the chassis of the power supply, it is also connected through the power supply and radio to ground via the coaxial cable. If the point at which the coaxial cables enter the building is not the same place that power enters the building, any nearby lightning strike can set up a significant difference in voltage between the power line safety ground and the RF ground (feedline shields/tower). That difference can fry any electronics connected to both grounds. There are techniques for dealing with this problem ... but they are not necessarily easy or inexpensive. 73, ... Joe, W4TV -Original Message- From: elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net [mailto:elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Don Wilhelm Sent: Wednesday, January 20, 2010 8:01 PM To: David Woolley (E.L) Cc: Rich; elecraft@mailman.qth.net Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Grounding negative side of power supply? The AC side should always be connected to the power supply chassis - unless it is of the double insulated design where no ungrounded metallic part can come into contact with the human body. Yes, cutting the AC green wire ground is a dangerous thing indeed - the entire chassis could rise to the AC mains voltage in the event of a fault. The power supply negative *can* certainly be floating *if* the designer made provisions for doing that. It requires that all the common connections on the secondary side of the transformer are isolated from ground. As I recall, Astrons are not built that way. 73, Don W3FPR David Woolley (E.L) wrote: Rich wrote: I had a situation with an older (analog) power supply (that had its negative side grounded to the main AC ground) that tripped the Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) in one of the bathrooms. Eliminating the bond to ground I consider this dangerous advice. If you have an ELCB tripping, you do not treat the problem symptomatically, by creating an unsafer system, you find out what the real problem is and you fix it. I can't tell what the exact wiring configuration is here, but it is very likely that you have created a situation where there are pieces of metal in reach which have low impedance paths to very different earths. __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 9.0.730 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/2634 - Release Date: 01/20/10 04:12:00 __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] K3 and Quadra
Dusty, I tried to reply direct but your Verizon account bounced the message: Delivery has failed on the enclosed message for the following reasons reported either by the mail delivery system on the mail relay host or by the local TCP/IP transport module: 550-JunkMail rejected - pool-71-188-180- 64.aubnin.fios.verizon.net Here is the condensed version of what I replied: There is a cable design that was developed by another ham on the Elecraft reflector. The radio can be made to communicate with the Quadra. I think you'll like the amp once it's all set up and communicating with the K3. I just didn't want to dedicate the 15 pin accessory socket to driving the amp as I may have other uses for some of the signals found there. Have fun on 6 meters! Mike From: Dusty Chapman k...@verizon.net To: n...@n9qr.com Subject:K3 and Quadra Date sent: Wed, 20 Jan 2010 14:16:18 -0500 Hi Mike, I just read your post about the Alpha's and the Quadra. I just purchased a used Quadra and haven't even taken it out of the boxes yet. I was under the impression that the K3(with switching mod) could be wired to the Quadra via the ACC connector and it would switch bands automatically. Is that not possible? I bought the Quadra so that I could get on the air quickly(without warm up) and be able to call a station while waiting for my 87A or VHF-2000 to warm up. Three minutes, especially on 6 Meters, is an eternity and I have missed many many QSO's for DX Band/Mode awards by having to wait(they all seem to QSY or QRT - hi hi). I look forward (possibly) to your answer. 73, Dusty - K3WC __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] Grounding negative side of power supply?
Dear Don, This leaves me a bit concerned. I am planning to put up a K9AY receiving antenna in my backyard and it is supposed to be connected to a ground rod. I had never seen it suggested that this must be connected to the utility ground stake. I'm not even sure where the utility ground stake is. I've never noticed one though I will ask my electrician. If there is one, it is likely to be pretty far from the K9AY. 73, Dick, KA1SA At 10:22 PM 1/20/2010, Don Wilhelm wrote: Joe, That is *one* reason *any* ground rod should be tied back to the utility ground stake. It is as requirement of NEC, and should not be ignored. If you drive ground rods for the ham station, connect those ground rods to the utility entrance ground rod - no exceptions. The ideal is #6 or larger wire, but if you cannot do that use whatever wire you can. Your safety depends on it. If you cannot connect extra ground rods to the AC mains entry ground, then do not drive those extra ground rods - they are *not* an RF ground (see my many posts in the archives on that topic) - and as Joe points out, in the event of a lightning strike (or equipment fault), they may create a dangerous condition. You have 3 grounds to consider in the hamshack - 1) The AC safety ground, 2) The lightning path ground, and 3) The RF ground. 1) and 2) may be one and the same, but 3) is a horse of a different color, and has nothing to do with a mother earth ground - it is a point of low impedance at the frequency of interest, and usually exists at some point in the antenna system, quite apart from mother earth. The English folks have the language a bit better and refer to earthing which is often apart from grounding, but we here in the US use the same term for all common connections and in the process create confusion for ourselves. 73, Don W3FPR Joe Subich, W4TV wrote: This creates a situation that is potentially hazardous to your equipment. The AC third (green) wire is supposed to be connected to ground only at the main panel/service entrance. However, since it is connected to the chassis of the power supply, it is also connected through the power supply and radio to ground via the coaxial cable. If the point at which the coaxial cables enter the building is not the same place that power enters the building, any nearby lightning strike can set up a significant difference in voltage between the power line safety ground and the RF ground (feedline shields/tower). That difference can fry any electronics connected to both grounds. There are techniques for dealing with this problem ... but they are not necessarily easy or inexpensive. 73, ... Joe, W4TV -Original Message- From: elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net [mailto:elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Don Wilhelm Sent: Wednesday, January 20, 2010 8:01 PM To: David Woolley (E.L) Cc: Rich; elecraft@mailman.qth.net Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Grounding negative side of power supply? The AC side should always be connected to the power supply chassis - unless it is of the double insulated design where no ungrounded metallic part can come into contact with the human body. Yes, cutting the AC green wire ground is a dangerous thing indeed - the entire chassis could rise to the AC mains voltage in the event of a fault. The power supply negative *can* certainly be floating *if* the designer made provisions for doing that. It requires that all the common connections on the secondary side of the transformer are isolated from ground. As I recall, Astrons are not built that way. 73, Don W3FPR David Woolley (E.L) wrote: Rich wrote: I had a situation with an older (analog) power supply (that had its negative side grounded to the main AC ground) that tripped the Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) in one of the bathrooms. Eliminating the bond to ground I consider this dangerous advice. If you have an ELCB tripping, you do not treat the problem symptomatically, by creating an unsafer system, you find out what the real problem is and you fix it. I can't tell what the exact wiring configuration is here, but it is very likely that you have created a situation where there are pieces of metal in reach which have low impedance paths to very different earths. __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net
Re: [Elecraft] K3 and Quadra
I use a quadra with my K3 and it works just great. No problems at all. And you don't need to loose access to the K3 accy connector. A company called Windford makes a breakout board for HD15 connectors just like the one in this link. The link is for a DB9...they don't show the HD15 on the website but if you call them you can order them. And of course you can always use an HD15 Y cable. I have a Y cable connected to the breakout board and the quadra. Then another band decoder on the other HD15 connector on the breakout board. And you still have access to all the pins on the included header. I mounted a DIN rail on the back of the station table with two of these snapped to the rail...one for each radio. http://www.winfordeng.com/products/brk9mf.php GL and 73 Greg AB7R On 1/20/2010 8:19 PM, Mike Stover wrote: Dusty, I tried to reply direct but your Verizon account bounced the message: Delivery has failed on the enclosed message for the following reasons reported either by the mail delivery system on the mail relay host or by the local TCP/IP transport module: 550-JunkMail rejected - pool-71-188-180- 64.aubnin.fios.verizon.net Here is the condensed version of what I replied: There is a cable design that was developed by another ham on the Elecraft reflector. The radio can be made to communicate with the Quadra. I think you'll like the amp once it's all set up and communicating with the K3. I just didn't want to dedicate the 15 pin accessory socket to driving the amp as I may have other uses for some of the signals found there. Have fun on 6 meters! Mike From: Dusty Chapmank...@verizon.net To: n...@n9qr.com Subject: K3 and Quadra Date sent:Wed, 20 Jan 2010 14:16:18 -0500 Hi Mike, I just read your post about the Alpha's and the Quadra. I just purchased a used Quadra and haven't even taken it out of the boxes yet. I was under the impression that the K3(with switching mod) could be wired to the Quadra via the ACC connector and it would switch bands automatically. Is that not possible? I bought the Quadra so that I could get on the air quickly(without warm up) and be able to call a station while waiting for my 87A or VHF-2000 to warm up. Three minutes, especially on 6 Meters, is an eternity and I have missed many many QSO's for DX Band/Mode awards by having to wait(they all seem to QSY or QRT - hi hi). I look forward (possibly) to your answer. 73, Dusty - K3WC __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 8.5.432 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/2634 - Release Date: 01/20/10 09:12:00 __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
[Elecraft] ATU END
for some reason this evening when i tap the ATU button to check the tuning on various bands, started with 6 meters, i get the word END that pops up on the display. Have no idea what i may have done.. All indications are normal and i used the rig today on 20 CW, again this evening on 6 SSB after fooling around with it. the ATU is enabled on all bands and not in Bypass. Does the same thing whether i'm in CW or SSb mode which are the two i operate 99 percent of the time anyway. Any one tell me what's going on? Larry W0OGH #763 __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] Grounding negative side of power supply?
If *all* connections to the K9AY antenna (including 'sneak' paths) are isolated from the AC mains ground, the safety factor does not exist. The ground required by the K9AY antenna is an RF ground which is not necessarily (but may be) at the same potential as the AC mains ground and safety ground. BUT, that same isolation may lead to ground currents that defeat the low noise characteristics of the K9AY antenna. Ideally, all mother earth grounds should be connected to the AC mains ground by a wire. Often the building inspector likes to see the AC mains ground buried beneath the surface of the earth so it is not subject to being hit by lawn mowers or other instruments of destruction. There will be a bare #6 (or larger) wire going into the earth at your AC mains entry point - that is the wire that you must connect to. Look for the type of connector that is used by the telephone company connection to this ground wire - it is usually a U shaped clamp with a nut for tightening. Those type clamps are available at your local DIY store in their electrical department. 73, Don W3FPR Richard S. Lindzen wrote: Dear Don, This leaves me a bit concerned. I am planning to put up a K9AY receiving antenna in my backyard and it is supposed to be connected to a ground rod. I had never seen it suggested that this must be connected to the utility ground stake. I'm not even sure where the utility ground stake is. I've never noticed one though I will ask my electrician. If there is one, it is likely to be pretty far from the K9AY. 73, Dick, KA1SA At 10:22 PM 1/20/2010, Don Wilhelm wrote: Joe, That is *one* reason *any* ground rod should be tied back to the utility ground stake. It is as requirement of NEC, and should not be ignored. If you drive ground rods for the ham station, connect those ground rods to the utility entrance ground rod - no exceptions. The ideal is #6 or larger wire, but if you cannot do that use whatever wire you can. Your safety depends on it. If you cannot connect extra ground rods to the AC mains entry ground, then do not drive those extra ground rods - they are *not* an RF ground (see my many posts in the archives on that topic) - and as Joe points out, in the event of a lightning strike (or equipment fault), they may create a dangerous condition. You have 3 grounds to consider in the hamshack - 1) The AC safety ground, 2) The lightning path ground, and 3) The RF ground. 1) and 2) may be one and the same, but 3) is a horse of a different color, and has nothing to do with a mother earth ground - it is a point of low impedance at the frequency of interest, and usually exists at some point in the antenna system, quite apart from mother earth. The English folks have the language a bit better and refer to earthing which is often apart from grounding, but we here in the US use the same term for all common connections and in the process create confusion for ourselves. 73, Don W3FPR Joe Subich, W4TV wrote: This creates a situation that is potentially hazardous to your equipment. The AC third (green) wire is supposed to be connected to ground only at the main panel/service entrance. However, since it is connected to the chassis of the power supply, it is also connected through the power supply and radio to ground via the coaxial cable. If the point at which the coaxial cables enter the building is not the same place that power enters the building, any nearby lightning strike can set up a significant difference in voltage between the power line safety ground and the RF ground (feedline shields/tower). That difference can fry any electronics connected to both grounds. There are techniques for dealing with this problem ... but they are not necessarily easy or inexpensive. 73, ... Joe, W4TV -Original Message- From: elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net [mailto:elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Don Wilhelm Sent: Wednesday, January 20, 2010 8:01 PM To: David Woolley (E.L) Cc: Rich; elecraft@mailman.qth.net Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Grounding negative side of power supply? The AC side should always be connected to the power supply chassis - unless it is of the double insulated design where no ungrounded metallic part can come into contact with the human body. Yes, cutting the AC green wire ground is a dangerous thing indeed - the entire chassis could rise to the AC mains voltage in the event of a fault. The power supply negative *can* certainly be floating *if* the designer made provisions for doing that. It requires that all the common connections on the secondary side of the transformer are isolated from ground. As I recall, Astrons are not built that way. 73, Don W3FPR David Woolley (E.L) wrote: Rich wrote: I had a situation with an older (analog) power supply (that had its negative side
Re: [Elecraft] K2, S/N6780, Receiver Pre-Alignment Question
Allen, I built my K2 long ago and I'm not an expert. For alignment of the K2 I used the noise and the signals from an antenna. Never used a generator of some kind. 73 Arie PA3A -Oorspronkelijk bericht- Van: elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net [mailto:elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net] Namens alan latz Should I be able to use the Elecraft N-Gen or XG2 signal generator to do my pre-alignment steps on page 79. Alan Latz KA9UCP __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
