[Elecraft] OT: Hate the word ham
W2AGN wrote: The term Ham Radio has been used at least for 75 years, possibly more. Most of us old-timers are proud to be Hams. But then, we took real exams and even, back in the olden days, had to pass a Morse Code test. (After walking barefoot in the snow 5 miles to the FCC examiner, of course). Perhaps the term Ham Radio has become outmoded, with the new trends in Amateur Radio, no more code test, memorized exams, etc. So maybe we should repackage ourselves. I know! Why don't we call it Citizen's Band? (CB for short). John, I know you are using some irony here (barefoot in the snow...), and I don't offend easily, but I have to same that we new hams (first licensed 1991 in my case) get a little tired of the endless litany of you young whippersnippers ain't as good as us that is often heard from old-timers on the Net. (Interesting, I don't think I've ever heard it in person or on the air. I don't use 75 meters, and it doesn't seem to be common on other bands.) I mean, c'mon, I have an engineering degree (albeit not EE), an Extra, routinely ragchew at 16-18 wpm CW, my shack is full of kits I've built, I build complex antennas from scratch (two Moxons so far), and I'm studying RF theory as time permits in hope of eventually designing and building my own rigs. Yet there is a group of hams that will never consider me their equal because I didn't take the same exam they did in front of an FCC examiner and never passed a CW test higher than 5 wpm. Give it a rest! NZ0R wrote: In terms of its reputation and usefulness, ham radio seems stuck in the 50's to me. Technology-wise it's pretty up-to-date but for the most part it's a quaint throwback to simpler times. The name ham may be odd and embarrassing, but people do know what it means. Craig, I fully agree that in many ways ham radio is stuck in the 1950's. I'm not quite sure why or what to do about it. The world has changed, the culture has changed, and we have to change with it or we will disappear. Certainly the ability to talk to someone in Norway or New Zealand is no longer unique with the rise of the Internet, and cellphones have replaced some of the uses of HT's and other VHF operations. We need to focus on the things that can't be done in consumer-land, such as building and tinkering with hardware and software, experimenting at the edge of today's knowledge, and providing emergency services. N5IB wrote: Our Louisiana call letter plates have the legend Ham Operator. Very interesting! I've lived in many states and traveled through most, and the vast majority use Amateur Radio on their license plates. Cathy N5WVR ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] Contests and S-meters
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Mark [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: There is never ever any moment during a contest, with the exception of the first/last half hour on high band openings/closing, where the rx signals drop below S9. If not, you're antenna situation really sucks big-time. Go visit a contest station sometime and find out. You must not run the same contests I do. Look up the Flying Pig's Run for the Bacon sprint, or Adventure Radio Society's Spartan Sprints and Flight of the Bumblebees. I have participated in the first, and hope to participate in the others one of these days. Believe me, the Pig's signals I copy on the K2 are nowhere near S9 -- more like S0. Not every contest is about kilowatts and tribanders up 50 feet or more. Some of us QRPers make do with much less, especially those of us who like to operate from the field. Cathy N5WVR ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] Power Poles
From: David Ferrington [EMAIL PROTECTED] For what its worth, I'm switching EVERY 12v cable/device I have to use APPs, including completely replacing the molex style connector on my FT-857, which has proven to be less than reliable after only 3 yrs. My local club (Minnesota QRP club) has standardized on APP's for member rigs. This makes it simpler to mix power supplies from one member with a rig from another. I sincerely hope that the amateur radio world settles on a standard power connector. Now if they would just standardize microphone and TNC connectors as well... Cathy N5WVR ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] Brain vs Hardware filters
For relative newbies to CW such as myself, narrow filters are a necessity. It's all that I can handle to copy code at 18-20 WPM without the distraction of 2 or 3 other signals in the passband banging away at my brain. I have noticed that the real experts in my club often leave the filters wide open and ignore the ones they aren't working, whereas I have to narrow it down to at least 700 Hz to get clear copy, 400 Hz is my default, and it drives me nuts when I go down to 200 Hz and can *still* hear a second signal in the passband! Cathy N5WVR The example you give a wide open filter is a good idea, once you learn how to process that info mentally. But... In search and pounce, I prefer relatively narrow filtering. ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] The XYL/OM Issue
I was enthusiastically poring through the K3 information last night when my husband came into the room. I showed him the rig and was clearly looking a little starry-eyed. He looked at me and said, What do you need another radio for? Your current ones work fine! Just thought I'd share -- it's not only XYL's who don't understand. :-) It's not a gender thing, really! Cathy N5WVR K2 #5191 K1 #2280 ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] Vertical antennas
As I'm sure you know, you can tell when the vertical antenna is performing better; the SWR goes up. A lossy vertical will have a low SWR because the high ground losses are in series with the radiation resistance and the sum comes out perversely close to 50 Ohms. A low loss vertical is around 30 Ohms. Not exactly. It more be more accurate to say that you can tell when a short vertical (or otherwise loaded) antenna is performing better because the low-SWR bandwidth (e.g., the range over which the SWR is less than 2:1) decreases. Yes, I'm nit-picking here, but I think it's important to be clear on this. With proper loading and matching, pretty much any usable antenna can have 1:1 SWR on one specific frequency. But short antennas have narrow usable bandwidth unless they are very inefficient. That's why a horizontal dipole is usually preferred to a vertical if there's sufficient space to erect it. That's the gotcha. If you have a horizontal dipole at the same height as the top of a vertical dipole, in the broadside direction the horizontal wins hands down, provided you have two supports high enough to support the dipole. The current loop of the horizontal is twice as high as the current loop of the vertical. And, of course, those lucky Hams who can put their horizontal dipole up about 1/2 wavelength where it works best get a huge advantage. At 20 degrees it shows nearly 6 dB gain: equivalent to multiplying the transmitter power by four times! I work mostly local North American stations on 20 and below, but once the 'spots come back I'll see what DX I can do on 10. 10 is about the only band where my yard can realistically handle the otherwise-mythical half-wave dipole half a wavelength high. My G5RV and 20 meter Moxon are both up about 15 feet. It's difficult to give meaningful figure for G5RV height, partly because it slopes down somewhat like an inverted-vee at both ends, but mostly because the yard itself is not level and there is a sharp discontinuity more or less under the feedpoint. I think that there hasn't been enough discussion (in general, not specifically on the Elecraft list) on the benefits of low beams over low simple antennas. Too many articles on beams start out with the assumption that you can put them up a 1/2 wavelength high. Given the increasing urbanization of America and the trend toward smaller yards, fewer and few hams are going to be able to do this in the future. If they really want record breaking contest results, they should use a rare DX call, a seaside location and female operators on SSB. The female voice seems to give you the same effect as another 6 dB in transmitting power. We have a go for blood contesting group here in Maine that deliberately schedules as many female operators as possible on Field Day to run up their score; it really works. Of course this requires YLs who do not mind insects and outdoor plumbing, and those are few and far between. smile Perhaps I should try that some time. Since I work almost all digital modes and CW rather than SSB, I don't get any advantage. :-) Cathy N5WVR ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] K1 no power out -- cont'd
Thank you for the advice so far. Unfortunately, the problem is deeper than just filter adjustment. I tried tweaking the filters back and forth quite a bit on 30M without getting any stir out of the external wattmeter. I am now on page 6 of the K1 manual. Under Transmitter Signal Tracing, the following voltages were seen with the scope. Note that most of them seem to be DC, not waveforms. PRE 0V ATTN 0.1V OSC 5V MIX 0.5V BUF 8V TR1 7V BPF ~3 or 4V TR2 2V TR3 0.7V DRV 0.1V PA0.1V ANT0.1V RFD 0.15V My scope may not be well-calibrated, so don't read excessive precision into these numbers. But they are WAY off the manual guidelines. Cathy N5WVR ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] No power out on K1
I've nearly completed my K1, and the receiver has been calibrated and works extremely well. While calibrating the receiver against my K2, I had a 3 foot antenna consisting of daisy-chained alligator clips attached to the antenna jack, and I was picking up not only the adjacent K2, but also RTTY signals on the band! Sadly, the transmitter has not been so kind. Any attempt to put the unit in transmit mode (by pushing WPM+ and WPM- together) resets the power out to 0.1 watts, which is confirmed by the external wattmeter. All of the resistance checks on p45 have passed with the KFL1-4 removed and the jumper set to K1 (not KAT1). With the KFL1-4 in place and 14.38V at the input jack, a few of the voltage test points on p46 indicate 0.1-0.2V above the quoted range, which is presumably a result of the input voltage being a little higher than recommended. (I can stick a diode in the power cord if this is a real problem.) However, J7 pin 1 shows 7.8V instead of the quoted range of 5.1-6.7V. What, if anything, does this indicate? R9, D14, and D5 are all connected as measured by the ohm-meter. I've looked at the schematic, and I don't understand the RF-out path well enough to see what the obvious culprits might be. I have the RF probe that I built with the K2 plus a Tek scope. Any suggestions before I dive into the transmitter signal tracing on page 6 of Appendix E? A few pointers would be helpful before I disappear into the deep water! Cathy N5WVR ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] Re: Things I would do differently when I next build a K2
Bob N5BZ wrote: Subject: [Elecraft] Things I would do differently when I next build a K2 These are things I would do in the future, that I did NOT do this time: 4) I would use a small piece of perf board and mount it in a handy vice. and use it to 'guage' the lead length to 'pre cut' the leads on most parts 'to length'. I would also use it to make sure the leads were pre-formed to the proper width. (perhaps Elecraft could include a scrap of board with each kit that has all the normal hole spacings.) I never found this necessary. Just hold the part above the spot on the PC board where it will be mounted and eyeball the spacing between holes. Usually the spacing for axial components is just right for you to bend the leads just a little bit beyond the point where it joins the body of the part. In a few cases, the spacing is much wider. For these latter case, do the eyeball measurement, bend one lead 90 degrees at an estimated point, then put the part in the hole without soldering. Now you can tell exactly where to put the other bend. 4a) I would catch and collect each lead as cut, so that I would NOT have to crawl around later and dig them out of the carpet. Finding hundreds of small pieces of wire is very difficult. (Hint: stepping on a lead can lead to some very unpleasant moments). I am NOT sure I will EVER find them all! This is very easy. Hold the board in one hand and the cutting dikes in the other. With the extra lead side of the board up, carefully put the cutters in the right spot on the wire, flush against the board. Squeeze them *very* gently, just enough to hold them in place on the wire but not enough to cut through. Now maintain this pressure and flip the board upside down, directly over the trash can (you do have a small one by your work area, I trust). With the board upside down and the leads directly over the trash can, squeeze harder. The lead goes into the can pretty much 100% of the time and is never anywhere near your eyes. If you empty this trash can regularly and use it only for trash generated in the course of building circuits, it will never have much trash in it and you can easily rummage around in the bottom to find a spare lead for grounding crystals or forming jumpers. Be sure to line the trash can with plastic grocery store bags before using. 5) I would place and solder one part at a time. The confusing of a forest of leads can cause one to miss soldering some. I haven't found this to be an issue. Just triple-check that the lead you are about to cut has been soldered. Never, ever cut a lead before soldering THAT LEAD. It really doesn't matter if there is a forest of other unsoldered, uncut leads around it. 7) I would triple check to make sure everything was correct before installing each part. It is MUCH easier to get it right-the first time- than to find a mistake and correct it later. This is the single most important piece of advice. 8) I would take a 10 minute break after each 50 minutes of work and NOT work late into the night. I rarely work more than 1 hour at a sitting. At MOST, 2 hours. The project is best spread out over time without trying to do too much at once. And if you find that you are already tired when you sit down at the workstation, skip your Elecraft-building session that night. It isn't worth the substantial risk of time-consuming mistakes. Build something simpler instead, or read ahead in the builder's manual without actually building, or go do something else. 10) I would have the Radio Shack 'desoldering iron' with red rubber bulb handy and ready. I didn't buy one until after I had built my K2. I have an el cheapo desoldering bulb which I've found to be nearly useless. By far the best desoldering technique I have tried is to use the regular temperature-controlled soldering station and copious amounts of desoldering braid from Radio Shack. Suck up as much solder as you possible can from each joint and you should not have much trouble getting the part out. Do repeated short applications of heat, not one long one. Cut the solder-full desoldering braid with cutting dikes every time you use 1/4 or so of it so that the end is always bare copper. But the best solution to desoldering is definitely #7 above. I was very, very careful to check everything and I think I only desoldered two parts in the whole K2 + SSB build process. b) I wind a coil of about 100 or 200 grams of solder (a nickel weighs 5 grams, so half a roll or a roll of nickels in weight) around a Phillips screw driver shaft, rolling it neatly and carefully with many layers of solder. I've never felt the need for this. I leave the heavy roll of solding sitting on the desk in front of me, and unroll a few feet of it. Hold the loose solder (not the whole roll) in the hand that doesn't hold the iron. You can get very sensitive control of it. (When using heavy-gauge solder on larger objects,
[Elecraft] HI CUR on 15 meters
While experimenting with 15 meters today, I noticed that when transmitting a CQ at 10 watts, HI CUR would appear intermittently on the display. I have never seen this on the lower bands (20 meters and down) where I do 99% of my operating. Turning the power down to 8 watts on 15 meters makes the problem go away. Any ideas? Do I just have the threshold set too low? BTW, thanks to those who pointed out, in response to my earlier question about silence on 20 meters, that the problem was likely just propagation rather than the unit. They were definitely correct, and I've worked a lot of 20 meter contacts since then. Cathy N5WVR ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] K1 -- orientation of C13 and C20?
I am unclear on the correct orientation of C13 and C20. The directions state this [flattened] side must be oriented towards the flattened side of the component outline. Unfortunately, the component outlines on my RF board are symmetrical as far as I can see, with no sign of flattening. Perhaps the through-hole is completely covering up the flat part of the outline. Could someone post the correct orientation without reference to the outline, e.g. the flat side of C13 should point toward component XYZ? Thanks, Cathy N5WVR ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] Re: Elecraft Digest, Vol 31, Issue 3
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: The K2 has a series diode in the power supply line for reverse polarity protection - that diode drops about .2 volts. What that means is: to obtain 13.8 volts at the battery terminals, one must connect a supply of 14.0 volts to the K2 to maintain full charge on the battery. There is an intenal pot in the Astron to adjust the output voltage, so it may be a simple matter to increase the Astron voltage - locating the correct pot may be more of a challenge, be certain you adjust the proper pot. 73, Don W3FPR I adjusted my Astron to 14.1V output using the internal pot, but be warned that it is a semi-major project. The pot is on the underside of the small floating board IIRC; every time I wanted to adjust it, I had to short out the large electrolytic capacitor in the Astron, unscrew the board, pull it up, make a guess as to how much to adjust it, screw it back down, power up the supply, check the voltage, see that it's still wrong, power down, short out the cap, unscrew the board There may be an easier way to do it but it wasn't obvious. I'd guess that it took me a dozen iterations. I don't ever want to mess with it again. What was Astron thinking burying the pot where it can't be safely and readily accessed just by removing the cover??? Cathy N5WVR ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] Re: Elecraft Digest, Vol 31, Issue 3
Tom, that's a great idea,and it never occurred to me. However, it will probably be years before I need to change the voltage again, so at this point I doubt I'll bother. Thanks for the tip, though! Cathy Tom Hammond wrote: Cathy: For future possible adjustments... REMOVE the pot and reinstall it on the SOLDER SIDE of the PC board... then it'll be on top where you can easily access it! Saves a LOT OF HASSLE! And it's a SIMPLE one-time task to perform. If you do a lot of voltage adjustment (though few of us do), you could always remove that PC-mount pot and replace it with a chassis-mount pot (installed on the back of the case) attached to the PC board via three wires. 73, Tom N0SS At 07:44 AM 11/3/2006, you wrote: [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: The K2 has a series diode in the power supply line for reverse polarity protection - that diode drops about .2 volts. What that means is: to obtain 13.8 volts at the battery terminals, one must connect a supply of 14.0 volts to the K2 to maintain full charge on the battery. There is an intenal pot in the Astron to adjust the output voltage, so it may be a simple matter to increase the Astron voltage - locating the correct pot may be more of a challenge, be certain you adjust the proper pot. 73, Don W3FPR I adjusted my Astron to 14.1V output using the internal pot, but be warned that it is a semi-major project. The pot is on the underside of the small floating board IIRC; every time I wanted to adjust it, I had to short out the large electrolytic capacitor in the Astron, unscrew the board, pull it up, make a guess as to how much to adjust it, screw it back down, power up the supply, check the voltage, see that it's still wrong, power down, short out the cap, unscrew the board There may be an easier way to do it but it wasn't obvious. I'd guess that it took me a dozen iterations. I don't ever want to mess with it again. What was Astron thinking burying the pot where it can't be safely and readily accessed just by removing the cover??? Cathy N5WVR ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] Re: Elecraft Digest, Vol 31, Issue 3
One thing I never want to see on any ham radio equipment: No user-serviceable parts inside. Cathy, N5WVR [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: In a message dated 11/3/06 8:45:55 AM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: What was Astron thinking burying the pot where it can't be safely and readily accessed just by removing the cover??? They didn't want you to adjust it! 73 de Jim, N2EY ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] XV144 paired with Uniden HR-2600?
Don Wilhelm wrote: There are two major problems with the Uniden 2600. First is the power output level is in excess of the maximum drive that the transverter can handle. That problem was solved with a 10 dB attenuator that was switched out of the circuit on receive (using a relay). I had figured that I'd have to add some attenuator circuitry, but it didn't occur tome that I'd have to add a relay to switch it out of the way on receive. The second problem is that the Uniden 2600 has no output corresponding to a keying circuit, so either the transverter must be activated at the same time the Uniden 2600 is keyed (direct from the keyline) which can cause the transverter to go quickly from transmit to receive and back again with the keying (and also the relay associated with the attenuator will work overtime). This problem is not as severe on SSB, but is still a consideration, and on SSB, the PTT must be paralled to activate the transverter. Yuck. Very ugly indeed. --Cathy ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] XV144 transverter
I'm not sure what you mean by 'tie up the K2 as the IF.' It only ties up the K2 to the extent that you can't be operating on the HF bands at the same moment. Exactly -- I can't monitor 2M while making an HF contact or vice versa. Yeah, yeah, I'm hard to please. :-) Cathy N5WVR ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] XV144 paired with Uniden HR-2600?
Folks, I am interested in building the XV144 transverter. However, I do not want to tie up the K2 as the IF. Instead, I have a Uniden HR-2600 (unmodified) lying around that I'd like to use for the IF/tuner/etc. Has anyone out there used the 2600 or 2510 as the IF for the XV144? How difficult is it to do this? Reading thru the XV144 manual with regard to separate TX/RX cables, PTT cables to trigger the XV, blah blah, makes me a bit nervous. Am I going to have to modify the Uniden? Any suggestions would be appreciated. Cathy ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] K1 tuning nonlinearity mod?
I recall seeing a reference somewhere to a mod for the K1 tuning pot circuit. The mod causes the pot to change frequency about 13 kHz per turn at the low end of the band (thus giving easy tuning in the portion where most ops will spend most of their time, and 22 kHz per turn at the high end of the 170 kHz tuning range (thus giving access to all of the 40 meter CW band, at the price of touchy tuning in the seldom-used portion). Unfortunately I can't seem to find the references now. Can anyone point me to information on this mod? Does it work as advertised? I am not familiar with the exact relationship between the voltage across the varactor diode and the resulting capacitance, so I can't compute it directly. I *have* found some pointers on how to linearize the tuning action at about 17 kHz per turn, but that is less ideal than the 13/22 arrangement. Thanks for any replies. Cathy N5WVR ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] K2 insensitive on 20...or is it?
I am seeing some odd behavior on my K2, and it may be just in my imagination. On 40, with its normal higher background level of QRN, I can easily get strong signals and strong noise levels. With the AF and RF gains turned up, I have comfortable armchair reception. If the S/N ratio is bad that night I may not get an intelligible signal, but it is clear that things are working nicely. But when I attempted to look for QSOs in the recent Run for the Bacon, I not only found very few CQers on 20, it seemed that both their signals and the background noise (which of course would be lower on 20 anyway) were very weak. Even with the preamp on and the AF and RF gains at max, I don't feel that I have armchair copy even on the *noise*. The S/N seems pretty normal, but I feel as though I can't turn up the volume to make the combined S+N very loud on the speaker. (Again, this problem does not exist on 40.) The noise level on 20 does change as expected when I vary the filter width. If I switch to USB/RTTY mode with wide filters and tune in 14.070, the strong PSK signals there just about blow me out of my chair, so it isn't always insensitive... I am probably just imagining this. Has CW on 20 been lousy lately? Any objective way to test it? I am a pretty inexperienced op who has really only gotten serious about CW in the past 4 months, so I don't have much experience to draw on. Cathy N5WVR ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] Elecraft Toroid Winding
I missed the earlier question. Count me as another leftie (write left-handed, bat right-handed, use paddle right-handed). I had no real problems winding the toroids. One toroid in the middle of the set was wound backward, discovered on inspection after winding but before installation, and rewound correctly. I paid very close attention to the diagrams when winding rather than just winding what seemed natural. Both my brothers are left-handed, and one is an electronics tech. I do suspect there's something to this; high correlations like this are pretty rare when there's no cause! Cathy N5WVR ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] K2 CW tuning indicator?
W1SRB wrote: I recently added a CW tuning indicator to my K2.., Tell me more about this! I'd love to have one of these. I have real trouble zero-beating CW sigs using the standard K2 method, especially when the sig is weak. Cathy ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] K1 construction time?
I'd like to thank everyone who assisted in getting the K2 filters tuned up correctly. The rig is working very well and has made many CW contacts as well as a couple of PSK contacts. I'm thinking about building a K1 this winter with the intention of using it primarily for camping. Right now I'm using a DSW-II-40 and Emtech ZM-2 tuner when camping, but that limits me to one band. I really don't want to make a habit of taking the K2 into the field. And of course any excuse to melt solder is good. :-) What should I expect the build time of the K1 to be, given that I already have the experience of building a K2? (The *real* challenge this winter will be building Steve's ATS-3A SMT kit. My first significant SMT project...) 73, Cathy N5WVR ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] Simultaneous audio out digital out for K2 -- safe?
With my Alinco DX-70TH, I have become used to using the waterfall spectrum display to zero-beat CW signals. Just spin the tuning knob until the signal is sitting on the beat frequency, and you're tuned. I also like to use my ears to get a rough find on PSK and other digital signals. Both are these are very easy with that setup because I get audio out of the speaker *and* audio into the sound card at the same time. The K2 cuts off the speaker when I insert the cable into the ext speaker jack, which makes it almost impossible to do what I describe above. It is pretty obvious how to jumper the ext speaker jack to prevent this, but I don't know if I would be running any risks by doing so. Do I need additional isolation circuitry? Is the audio power out sufficient to drive both speaker and sound card? Has anyone else done this? Cathy N5WVR ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] Poor soldering (was: Does build quality, affectperformance?)
The something else is tinning toroid leads. This is still the number one problem. The wire needs to be tinned all the way up to the core so when the wire is pulled tight you are not pulling the insulation down into the pad. There are many ways to strip and tin the wires. Just make sure you do a good job here and you will avoid many problems. Don Brown KD5NDB I agree. Although I did not have this problem with the K2, I did have an open-circuit on a toroid lead on the HFPacker amp I just finished and had to heat up the soldering station again. Always always ALWAYS pull out your ohm meter after putting in toroids and test whether you have circuit continuity. Don't test from the joint you just soldered (the one that attached the toroid); pull out the schematic and test from another point that you see should be connected to it. I did this religiously all through the K2 build and had no problems whatsoever with bad joints. Cathy N5WVR ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] K2 Power Calibration
I have been playing around with the K2 since finishing it. No successful QSOs yet, but I blame the bands, my limited operator skills, and limited operating time rather than the rig. However, while testing, I noticed that my MFJ-941E claims that the K2 is putting out about 10 W on 40 meters when the K2 power setting reads 5.0, and the -941E claims 5 W out at about 3.3 on the K2 display. I don't know which one to trust, since the -941E is certainly not calibrated to any significant accuracy. Still, I have generally found the -941E's reading to correlate well with the published power from my other rig. Any ideas as to why the K2 power display on the LCD could be that far off, if indeed it is? --Cathy, N5WVR ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] KSB2 OP1 Filter BFO adjustment for xmit
Greetings, I have just finished building and installing the KSB2 in K2 #5191. The rig works fine on CW and SSB receive, but I am struggling to get the BFO tuned right for SSB xmit. My crystals were marked 3.7. I've set LSB to 4913.6 and USB to 4916.4. When I set the rig to xmit on 20 meters USB and speak into the Alinco EMS-42 mike, the received voice sounds correct if I tune the receive rig to 200 Hz higher than the indicated K2 frequency display. I've tried adjusting the BFO up and down without success. The job is made harder because I can't seem to figure out how to adjust the BFO while xmitting. I have been having to drop out of CAL FIL, xmit test receive freq, go back into CAL FIL, adjust BFO, drop out of CAL FILL, etc. Surely there is a simple way to do this? Comments? --Cathy, N5WVR ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] KSB2 OP1 Filter BFO adjustment for xmit
Don Wilhelm wrote: Cathy, Yes there is a simpler way to do that! That way is called Spectrogram - an audio spectrum analyzer that runs on a Windows computer (there are others that will work on other OS's, but doesn't everyone run Windows G). Actually I am reading this on Linux. But the machine is dual-boot with a Windows partition, so in a way the answer is still yes. :-) Thanks to Don and everyone who replied. I have whipped up the connector cable and calibrated everything with Spectrogram. I don't know how well the result will sound, but the passband sure looks like it's in the right place now. :-) --Cathy (N5WVR) ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
