Re: [Elecraft] K3 Roofing Filter Gain Setup

[Gary Hvizdak]

Don (KD8NNU) writes ...

"I am searching without much luck for recommendations for the gain 
setting recommendations for roofing filters."

=== = = = ===

Don,

See Wayne's "K3 crystal filter offset/bandwidth/gain setting guidelines"
post, dated 13 FEB 2009.  You will find it in the Reflector archives at
http://mailman.qth.net/pipermail/elecraft/2009-February/105445.html 

73,
Gary  KI4GGX



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[Elecraft] [K2] Rework Eliminator(TM) K2 Internal Mic Adaptor

[Gary Hvizdak]

We expect to sell out of K2 Internal Mic Adaptors sometime in the next three
to six months.  The exact date will depend on demand, and it could be sooner
or later.

At the moment we are not limiting sales, but as our inventory gets critical,
we will likely limit sales to one per customer.

For product details, please visit http://www.unpcbs.com/

73,
Gary  KI4GGX

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[Elecraft] [K3] 700 Hz ("Wide CW") Filter - Winter 2011 Production Run

[Gary Hvizdak]

We are formally accepting pre-orders towards the next batch of 700 Hz 8-pole
K3 filters.  Delivery can be expected about 13 weeks after we commission
production.

It will likely take several weeks to spread the word, before we have the
minimum number of pre-orders to proceed with production.  Especially given
that we have increased the minimum batch size from 10 to 20 pieces.

INRAD may once again waive their normal 50% deposit requirement for this
custom order.  If they do, then (when the time comes to commit) your non-
refundable deposit due will be $25 per filter.

To learn more, please visit our website at http://www.unpcbs.com/

73,
Gary  KI4GGX


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[Elecraft] "the shipping costs are $999.00" -- was "Shipping costs"

[Gary Hvizdak]

Robert (W9RKK) just posted ...

When you go to checkout, the shipping costs are $999.00!!!

--

Robert,

$999.00 indicates that you've not selected a shipping method.

Eric addressed this issue in November 2009.  See his reply in the archives
at http://mailman.qth.net/pipermail/elecraft/2009-November/119650.html

73,
Gary  KI4GGX


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Re: [Elecraft] "Metal muffin baking tins are good" -- was " K3 ESD"

[Gary Hvizdak]

In reference to the subject of proper ESD protocol, Fred (K6DGW) just posted
"Metal muffin baking tins are good".  Please note that this is INCORRECT.

If a metal muffin baking tin (or any conductor for that matter) were brought
into direct contact with an ESD sensitive device, and the two were not
already at the same potential, then the rapid momentary current flow (i.e.
discharge) could easily zap the ESD sensitive device.

ESD mats have a specific surface resistivity to ensure that any potential
difference -- between the mat and devices placed on it -- is gradually
dissipated over a period of several seconds, as opposed to (I'd guess)
somewhere on the order of a few micro seconds for a metal muffin tin.

Thus the instantaneous current surge (when coming into contact with the
muffin tin) would be on the order of a million times greater.

73,
Gary  KI4GGX
K3 #2724

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[Elecraft] [K3] The 700 Hz K3 Roofing Filters Are Back!

[Gary Hvizdak]

We are once again accepting paid orders for INRAD 8-pole 700 Hz K3 roofing
filters.  We were surprised when they sold out within 12 hours of our post
last Friday, and can't say how long it will be before they sell out again.

To learn more, please visit http://www.unpcbs.com/ 

TNX & 73,
Gary  KI4GGX, unpcbs.com webmaster


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[Elecraft] [K3] 700 Hz K3 Roofing Filter Availability

[Gary Hvizdak]

The first batch of filters sold out within 12 hours of our mentioning it on
the Reflector.  This suggests that as many as 90% of K3 owners who want a
700 Hz filter, are members of "the silent majority"; preferring to wait for
someone else to say "yes I want one".

We would love to offer this filter from stock.  However, to do that we need
more feedback to be sure there is indeed sufficient demand, and that
yesterday's "sales blip" wasn't simply due to the novelty of our offering.

If you want one for your K3, please email us at supp...@unpcbs.com and let
us know.  (With a ten-week manufacturing lead-time, we are already looking
at delivery in early December for a next production run.) 

TNX & 73,
Gary  KI4GGX
webmaster, http://www.unpcbs.com/

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[Elecraft] [K3] 700 Hz K3 Roofing Filters Are Now Backordered

[Gary Hvizdak]

Our first batch of 700 Hz K3 roofing filters has sold out, and for the
moment we are no longer accepting paid orders.

Please email us at supp...@unpcbs.com to be added to our waiting list for
our next batch.  We will email you when we resume accepting paid orders.


TNX & 73,
Gary  KI4GGX
webmaster, unpcbs.com


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Re: [Elecraft] [K3] New "700 Hz K3 Roofing Filter" Webpage

[Gary Hvizdak]

Duh, sorry about the typo!  Our new webpage is http://www.unpcbs.com/filter/

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[Elecraft] [K3] New "700 Hz K3 Roofing Filter" Webpage

[Gary Hvizdak]

This past week we added a page to our website devoted to an INRAD 700 Hz K3
roofing filter, new product offering.  See http://www.upcbs.com/filter/

On September 15th we began accepting paid orders against the first batch of
filters and it is already very close to selling out.  Once it does, we will
stop accepting payments and begin a "pre-order waiting list" in anticipation
of a next production run.

Please visit http://www.unpcbs.com/ to learn more.

TNX & 73,
Gary  KI4GGX
webmaster, unpcbs.com

P.S.  We especially appreciate those of you who have waited for this filter
to go into production since early summer.  :>)


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Re: [Elecraft] [K2] What microphone to choose & wire - I'd like to hear your experiences - good and bad?

[Gary Hvizdak]

At 0734 EDT on Thursday September 9th Brian Lodahl OZ2BRN wrote ...

I am trying to think ahead of the build plan with K2/100 #6936 with KSB2
option (etc...):


Hi Brian,

I suggest you consider getting the Rework Eliminator(TM) K2 Internal Mic
Adaptor (IMA), which is known to support the Heil Traveler headset.  The
advantages of the IMA are that:

1) Changing the pin-out and/or the bias resistance can be accomplished in a
few seconds, simply by reconfiguring a few jumpers.

2) Only the left side panel of the K2 need be removed to access the IMA's
3x7 jumper block.  In contrast, you would otherwise need to remove the K2's
Control Panel PCB or the entire front panel sub-assembly in order to access
the Mic Configuration header on the back of the K2's Front Panel PCB.

3) Well over 50 microphones are supported, including all Icom, Kenwood, and
Yaesu models that are manufactured with an 8-pin Foster connector.

4) The IMA provides seven jumper selectable bias resistance choices: 820,
2.2k, 3.6k, 4.4k, 5.6k, 9.2k, and 10k Ohms.

To learn more, please visit http://www.unpcbs.com/

TNX & 73,
Gary  KI4GGX, http://www.unpcbs.com/ webmaster (and IMA designer)
K2 #4067

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[Elecraft] [K3] INRAD 700 Hz 8-Pole Filter Production

[Gary Hvizdak]

INRAD is proceeding with production of a batch of ten K3 700 Hz 8-pole
roofing filters on our behalf.  Presently they are quoting a conservative
delivery date of November 17th.

Thus far only five of these first ten filters have been spoken for.  If
you'd like to claim one or more, please email me directly (i.e.
off-Reflector) at g...@unpcbs.com for details.  It is important that you
reply to me directly, as I'm no longer actively monitoring the list.

Oh and FYI, INRAD has indicated that they do not intend to offer this filter
via their website.

TNX & 73,
Gary  KI4GGX, webmaster http://www.unpcbs.com/ 
K3 #2724

P.S.  Please note that originally this filter was advertised as 750 Hz.

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[Elecraft] [K3] New Kid on the Block! -- was "A 750 Hz 8-Pole INRAD Filter?"

[Gary Hvizdak]

There will soon be a new 8-pole INRAD filter for K3 owners to choose from!
Hopefully this latest "progress report" will generate the remaining interest
we need before we can commission INRAD to produce our first batch?

To notify us of your interest, please email webmas...@unpcbs.com and state
whether you want one or two filters.  We will notify you via email once
we've added the filter to our "Ordering" webpage.

TNX & 73,
Gary  KI4GGX  webmaster, http://www.unpcbs.com/
K3 #2724

P.S. If you don't have a use for a 750 Hz filter, please resist the urge to
reply on the Reflector.  (One less thread for Eric to have to end when he is
focusing on P3 production.)

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Re: [Elecraft] Let's Try This Again -- was "[K3] ... A 750 Hz, 8-Pole ... Filter?"

[Gary Hvizdak]

Wed Jul 14 1130 EDT John King (WA1ABI) wrote ...

During FD 2010 I made 400+ CW QSO's ... the great majority ... with the DSP
bandwidth at 600-700 Hz ...


Hi John,

I appreciate your comments and I wouldn't expect you to want to make a
change for a 25% narrower filter.  Rather my intention is to offer another
choice for folks who still have four empty slots, or don't yet even have a
K3.

73,
Gary  KI4GGX
K3 #2724

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Re: [Elecraft] Let's Try This Again -- was "[K3] ... A 750 Hz, 8-Pole ... Filter?"

[Gary Hvizdak]

Wed Jul 14 09:06:04 EDT 2010  Guy Olinger (K2AV) wrote ...

... it's not a contesting bandwidth, more a pleasant casual operating
bandwidth ... my SSB 1.8 roofing filter with DSP set to 750 does as well ...

Wed Jul 14 09:36:33 EDT 2010 Jim Brown (K9YC) wrote ...

You're trying to solve a problem that doesn't exist, at least not for most
of us.

--- - - - ---

Guy,

Not everyone has a 1.8 kHz filter and not everyone operates CW contests.
And yes the whole idea for 750 Hz was that it offers a "pleasant casual
operating" width, and for some operators might be preferred versus INRAD's
existing 500 Hz filter (which is too narrow) and their 1 kHz filter (which
is too wide).


Jim,

The fact that the problem "doesn't exist" "for most of us" doesn't
negate the fact that there are folks who feel differently.  Some simply
think it's a good idea, while others are eager to purchase such a filter
today if were it available!


73,
Gary  KI4GGX
K3 #2724

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[Elecraft] Let's Try This Again -- was "[K3] ... A 750 Hz, 8-Pole ... Filter?"

[Gary Hvizdak]

Referring to http://mailman.qth.net/pipermail/elecraft/2010-June/131426.html
recently I posted several reasons why K3 owners might be interested in a 750
Hz 8-pole INRAD roofing filter.  The response to that post was immediate and
enthusiastic, but it wasn't sufficient for us to commission INRAD to begin
production.

Perhaps the reason for the limited response was that folks were already
firmly focused on Field Day?  Whatever the reason ... once again ... if you
are interested in a 750 Hz 8-pole INRAD roofing filter for your K3, please
email me (off-Reflector) at webmas...@unpcbs.com to express your interest.

If instead you think that there might be a greater demand for some other
bandwidth 8-pole INRAD roofing filter, please email me (off-Reflector) to
let me know that width and include your reasoning for desiring that other
width.

73 and TNX for the B/W,
Gary  KI4GGX
K3 #2724

P.S.  Keep in mind that if Wayne and company ever do get around to offering
a few choices of their long-promised dual-width (formerly variable-width)
filters, that those filters will almost certainly be of the same 5-pole
design as the three existing Elecraft roofing filters.

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[Elecraft] [K3] Anyone Interested in A 750 Hz, 8-Pole (INRAD) Roofing Filter?

[Gary Hvizdak]

As I see it, some benefits of a 750 Hz width filter are that ...

o   It's about the optimal width if you are only getting one CW filter for
general (i.e. non-contest) use.

o   For all but the most serious CW contesters, it would make a perfect
one/two combination along with either the INRAD 400 or 250 Hz filter.

o   In most applications it can replace both the 1 kHz and the 500 Hz 8-pole
filters, thus freeing an existing slot or saving on an initial purchase.

Please email webmas...@unpcbs.com to express your interest in purchasing a
750 Hz 8-pole INRAD roofing filter for your K3.  If there is sufficient
demand, then we will special order them in batches of ten, and offer them
at $125 plus our standard shipping and handling charges.  We do not intend
to stock these filters, although if demand turns out to be "astronomical"
then we would certainly reconsider.

TNX & 73,
Gary  KI4GGX  K3 #2724
webmaster, http://www.unpcbs.com/ 

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Re: [Elecraft] Antistatic work mat

[Gary Hvizdak]

Thu Jun 3 06:05:49 EDT Pete Smith (N4ZR) wrote ...

"... what is to distinguish a "good" mat from one that won't really
provide the protection?"

--

Hi Pete,

A complete answer to your question will depend on the relative humidity
and on the susceptibility to ESD damage of the devices being handled.  FYI,
the industry rates ESD sensitive devices into three classes based on their
susceptibility to damage:

o   ESD Class 1   -- below 2,000 V
o   ESD Class 2   -- 2,000 V to 4,000 V
o   ESD Class 3   -- 4,000 V to 16,000 V
o   Not ESD Sensitive -- above 16,000 V

Keep in mind that (WITH PROPER HANDLING) a sub-assembly may offer some
protection to the individual devices that comprise it, such that the overall
sub-assembly can withstand higher discharge voltages than the most sensitive
components that comprise it.  This makes perfect sense since the highest
level assembly, i.e. a completed K3, is (generally) not ESD sensitive!

--- - - - ---

I also mentioned relative humidity in my opening sentence.  FYI, at the
aerospace manufacturing facility (where I worked for ten years) even our
"good" mats were only adequate when the relative humidity was above 30%.
Below 30% RH "air ionizers" were also required at ESD work stations.  These
devices aren't something you'll want to consider as they cost upwards of
$500!  Oh, and they only "protect" a very small area, i.e. just a couple
square feet of work surface at most.  That said, perhaps Elecraft would
consider using them in Aptos as an additional layer of protection?

--- - - - ---

In light of the above details, the best answer I can offer is that there
is an industry specification for the surface resistance of an ESD mat, which
is specified in the unusual unit "Ohms per square".  Alan Bloom addressed
this subject in early April of this year.  Please refer to his post in the
archives at http://mailman.qth.net/pipermail/elecraft/2010-April/127988.html

73,
Gary  KI4GGX
K2 #4067
K3 #2724

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Re: [Elecraft] FW: RE: Antistatic work mat

[Gary Hvizdak]

On Wed Jun 2 at 1931 EDT Mel Farrer (K6KBE) wrote ...

"I personally use a workbench with a conductive surface, no mat, and test
the bench and wrist strap EVERY time I work on sensitive parts."

--

Mel,

This subject has been beaten to death here on the Reflector countless
times.  A conductive surface is a life-threatening safety hazard to you plus

it provides absolutely no ESD protection whatsoever!  

BTW, your wrist strap tester is little more than an Ohm meter, except
that it factors in your skin resistance.  (Twice in fact, once where your
skin contacts the strap and once where you skin contacts the tester.

73,
Gary  KI4GGX

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[Elecraft] FW: RE: Antistatic work mat

[Gary Hvizdak]

Wed Jun 2 18:22:16 EDT 2010 Bill Myers (callsign unknown) wrote ...

...  I have an antistatic mat ... I wonder if I should rely on it to
assemble the K3 ...

--- - - - ---

Bill,

    Assuming it was a good mat in the first place, the only thing you need
to do is to ensure that it is clean of flux residue and oil from your skin.
The product of choice for doing this is "Zero Charge Mat & Table Top
Cleaner, Quart" see http://www.all-spec.com/products/1733-QT.html

    In addition to cleaning the surface, this product also restores moisture
to the vinyl which reduces its surface resistance.  Depending on how heavily
a mat is used, it should be treated with this product anywhere between every
couple weeks, to a couple times a year.

73,
Gary  KI4GGX
K2 #4067
K3 #2724

P.S.  Many folks on the Reflector prefer to reply to questions off list, in
order to reduce chatter.  Your earthlink-based spam blocking facility makes
this more trouble than it's worth!  :<(





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[Elecraft] [K2] Update on the Availability of Legacy Rework Eliminator(TM) Accessories!

[Gary Hvizdak]

Nearly five years after Ken first announced our intention to offer a PCB
based K2 un-module headers kit, as of today we are no longer offering this
popular aftermarket accessory.  We will continue to offer our K2 Internal
Mic Adaptor (IMA) kit for another year or two, depending on how quickly our
inventory of circuit boards is depleted.  Likewise, we will continue to
maintain our website and documentation for at least that long.

For the moment we are still offering most of our duplicate K2 PCB parts
kits, although they will also be phased out once our current inventory is
gone.  Beyond enabling you to build a bare K2 so the options can be added
more easily, these parts are also required to add a used option to a K2 that
wasn't originally built "option ready".

73,
Gary  KI4GGX
webmaster http://www.unpcbs.com/

P.S.  Henceforth, if you want to build a K2 using our "option ready"
assembly method, we suggest you post a WTB message on the Reflector, in
order to locate a used set of our option bypass headers.  For more details,
please see http://www.unpcbs.com/faq/#legacy

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Re: [Elecraft] F/S: KDSP2 Assembled Board & Manual

[Gary Hvizdak]

On Wed May 5 at 0037 EDT Jim Bennett (W6JHB) wrote  ...

"I may have all three components ... Otherwise I'll get those jacks ordered
ASAP and be sure they are included ..."

--

Jim,

I only mentioned this because a few months ago someone was trying to
obtain one of the hex spacers on the Reflector.  Thus, I assumed they had
purchased a second-hand KDSP2 and the seller did not include the spacer.
This is expected for options like the K60XV and the K160RX, since removing
those spacers would require significant disassembly for the seller.
However, the spacer for the KDSP2 is simple to remove.

As far as the two jacks are concerned, most sellers would leave that
purchase up to the buyer, especially if you don't have them on hand.  I
suggest that is the best approach given that (since 2006) many K2s have been
built "option ready" from the start.  Thus they already include these two
jacks.

73,
Gary  KI4GGX
webmaster http://www.unpcbs.com/
K2 #4067

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Re: [Elecraft] F/S: KDSP2 Assembled Board & Manual

[Gary Hvizdak]

Moments ago Jim Bennett W6JHB wrote ...

"I've got a KDSP2 assembled DSP board and accompanying manual for sale"

--

Hi Jim,

A couple of notes ...

1) when you ship the board to it's new owner, be sure to include the hex
standoff/spacer.

2) unless the buyer has built his/her K2 so that it is "option ready" for
the KDSP2 he/she, will need to purchase the two mating jacks (CTRL-J1 and
J2).  These two jacks -- A.K.A. "Rework Eliminator(TM) Aux Filter Jacks" --
are available from http://www.unpcbs.com/ for $1.20 plus $2.25 S&H via 1st
Class Mail postage, or $5.50 via USPS Priority Mail postage.

TNX & 73,
Gary  KI4GGX
K2 #4067

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Re: [Elecraft] Lead based solder on RoHS boards?

[Gary Hvizdak]

On Wed Apr 21 at 0717 EDT Jon Hellan (LA4RT) wrote ...

Does anything bad happen if you use lead based solder to service RoHS
compliant boards, like the K3?

--

Jon,

Unless you have the proper equipment (special tips for example) and 
training to use lead-free solder, then leaded solder is actually preferred.
Most importantly the leaded solder will likely result in more reliable
joints/connections.

73,
Gary  KI4GGX

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Re: [Elecraft] "ea3qp at yahoo.es " -- was "any advice to fix it?"

[Gary Hvizdak]

Sorry about the cut & paste error which resulted in the wrong subject line.

-Original Message-
From: Gary Hvizdak [mailto:garyhviz...@cfl.rr.com] 
Sent: Monday 19 April 2010 1434
To: 'ea...@yahoo.es'
Cc: 'elecraft@mailman.qth.net'
Subject: RE: any advice to fix it?

On Mon Apr 19 2010 at 1419 EDT, Eugeni (EA3QP) wrote ...

"I'm hearing birdies in the following frequencies ... any advice to fix it?"

--

Eugeni,

You can use the "SIG RMV [T]" (tech mode) config menu command to remove
birdies from just your main receiver.  See page 58 in the latest K3
Operator's Manual for full details.

73,
Gary  KI4GGX
K3 #2724


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Re: [Elecraft] any advice to fix it?

[Gary Hvizdak]

On Mon Apr 19 2010 at 1419 EDT, Eugeni (EA3QP) wrote ...

"I'm hearing birdies in the following frequencies ... any advice to fix it?"

--

Eugeni,

You can use the "SIG RMV [T]" (tech mode) config menu command to remove
birdies from just your main receiver.  See page 58 in the latest K3
Operator's Manual for full details.

73,
Gary  KI4GGX
K3 #2724


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Re: [Elecraft] power

[Gary Hvizdak]

On Thu Apr 15 at 1526 EDT Dennis Watkins (W7JX) wrote ...

Anybody know how much current the thing draws??

--

Dennis,

If that "the thing" you are referring to is the P3, FYI the P3 can be
powered from the K3's 12VDC "switched" power jack, which is rated at 500 mA.

73,
Gary  KI4GGX
K3 #2724

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[Elecraft] "How are you measuring resistance?" -- was "Testing anti-static mats ..."

[Gary Hvizdak]

Thu Apr 8 08:54:52 EDT 2010 Matt Palmer (W8ESE) wrote ...

How are you measuring resistance?

--

Matt,

Alan described his test setup in an earlier post which you can find at
http://mailman.qth.net/pipermail/elecraft/2008-February/083794.html in
the Reflector archives.

73,
Gary  KI4GGX

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Re: [Elecraft] k2 rf assembly part 1 question pg 35

[Gary Hvizdak]

Moments ago "some guy" posted ...

Hello Elecraft,

  Locate a 2-D fastener. What is that, where would I find it?

--

Dear Sir,

Supposedly you inventoried all of the parts before you started.  If not,
you will find a photo of a 2D fastener in the parts list towards the back of
the K2 manual.  This is where it is especially helpful to have access to the
PDF version of the manual.

Anon.


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Re: [Elecraft] k2 assembly question

[Gary Hvizdak]

Fox,

 

See figure 5-11 in your K2 manual.

 

19 mm is the length of the spacers, not their thickness.

 

73,
Gary  KI4GGX

K2 #2724

 

  _  

 

Foxjazz
  
Thu Apr 1 23:55:10 EDT 2010 

 

Hello Elecraft,
 
I am attempting the led and backlight installation.
 
  I am using the spacers 6mm and it calls for 19mm which makes no
  sense to me. It says the diffuser must be 3mm above the pc board.
  How can you use a 19mm spacer and get 3mm. WTF
 
  It says leads may not protrude through the board, which is fine. I
  put it on and the diffuser is 10mm above the board.
 
  The problem I have is does the lcd go under or over the diffuser?
  the leads dont' reach if it's over. and I don't understand how it
  could fit under.
 
 
-- 
Best regards,
 Foxjazz  mailto:foxr4 at foxjazz.net
 
 
 

 

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Re: [Elecraft] K3 #4116 arrived/inventoried

[Gary Hvizdak]

Tue Mar 30 21:37:08 EDT 2010 John McBee km5ps wrote ...

"... I went to Wal-Mart and bought a plastic fishing lure divider ..."

John and All,

Proper ESD safety practices dictate not having anything made of plastic
within a foot of your ESD safe workstation where you are assembling or
working inside your K3, or any other equipment that contains ESD sensitive
devices!

I just confirmed that this precaution is not addressed in the front of
the K3 Assembly manual in the section entitled "Preventing Electrostatic
Discharge Damage".

73,
Gary  KI4GGX
K2 #4067
K3 #2724

P.S. Sorry to continue to beat a very dead horse, but I will as long as
others continue to post similar suggestions which violate proper/accepted
handling practices for ESD sensitive devices.

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Re: [Elecraft] Radio Shack ESD mat doesn't meet spec

[Gary Hvizdak]

All,

With regard to the Radio Shack's 276-2370 "Anti-Static Service Kit", check
out the message Alan Bloom (N1AL) posted a couple years ago which begins ...

Well, I've convinced myself that the Radio Shack portable ESD mat, P/N
276-2370 doesn't work properly ...

You can read the full text of Alan's post in the Reflector archives at
http://mailman.qth.net/pipermail/elecraft/2008-February/083794.html

73,
Gary  KI4GGX

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Re: [Elecraft] (OT) Grounding Mat

[Gary Hvizdak]

Wed Mar 24 22:14:20 EDT 2010 LS (W5QD) wrote ...

The mat doesn't have to be grounded ...

--

All,

WARNING!  The statement W5QD just posted is completely false!  The ESD mat
must be grounded in order for it to be able to dissipate an electrical
charge.  If you don't ground the mat, then you might as well not have it,
since your entire work area could very easily be floating at tens of
thousands of volts above ground, just waiting for "somewhere" to discharge
"to" and "something" to discharge "through"!

73,
Gary  KI4GGX


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Re: [Elecraft] K2 new builder

[Gary Hvizdak]

Resending (sorry for the B/W).  The URL is wrong in the archives due to the
trailing comma.

--

Hi George,

If you've not yet visited http://www.unpcbs.com/ then that would be my
first suggestion.

73,
Gary  KI4GGX  (unpcbs.com webmaster)
K2 #2724


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Re: [Elecraft] K2 new builder

[Gary Hvizdak]

Fri Mar 12 2010 at 16:53:21 EST George Gates (W2BPI) wrote ...

I will be starting to build a K2 soon. ... Anything I should look out for or
any tips? 
 

Hi George,

If you've not yet visited http://www.unpcbs.com/, then that would be my
first suggestion.

73,
Gary  KI4GGX  (unpcbs.com webmaster)
K2 #2724

P.S.  Congratulations!

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[Elecraft] [K2] Rework Eliminator(TM) K2 Aftermarket Accessory Final-Hour Buying Frenzy

[Gary Hvizdak]

to: The K2 Community
de: Gary Hvizdak, KI4GGX (unpcbs.com webmaster)


[K2] Rework Eliminator(TM) K2 Aftermarket Accessory Final-Hour Buying Frenzy


Sales of our aftermarket K2 accessory kits have increased tenfold since my
Reflector post last Friday.  If sales continue at this rate, Ken will be out
of stock of our Headers kits in a couple days instead of a couple months!

We are already critically low of one of our Duplicate K2 PCB Parts kits, and
we have chosen to discontinue offering just the Bare Headers PCB by itself.

As a reminder, we intend to offer our K2 Internal Mic Adaptor (IMA) through
2012, give or take a year depending on demand.

To learn more, visit http://www.unpcbs.com/



73

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Re: [Elecraft] K2 Use of CC1 K Heil Mic Cable

[Gary Hvizdak]

Sun Feb 28 1234 EST Ron (KM4VX) wrote ...

Thank you Gary and Bob. ... I could change the wiring of the CC1K cable ...

Hi Ron,

For $19.75 + $5.50 S&H you can add a really clever Internal Mic Adaptor
(IMA) to your K2 which will make it a snap to change your K2 to support just
about any mic that uses an 8-pin Foster mic plug.  More than 55 mics are
supported by the IMA; the only ones that aren't are Alinco's newer mics.  
(For some reason they changed their pin-out.)

Oh and the IMA even includes jumper selection of the required bias
resistance.

Even if you don't feel you need an IMA, you will likely still find the
documentation useful.

73,
Gary  KI4GGX  (unpcbs.com webmaster)
K2 #4067
K3 #2724

P.S.  To learn more, please visit http://www.unpcbs.com/faq/#ima 

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[Elecraft] [K2] Rework Eliminator(TM) K2 Option Bypass Headers Kit Production Cancelled

[Gary Hvizdak]

to: The K2 Community
de: Gary Hvizdak, KI4GGX


[K2] Rework Eliminator(TM) K2 Option Bypass Headers Kit Production Cancelled


There was very limited response to my recent posts about the future of our
Rework Eliminator(TM) K2 Option Bypass Headers kit.  So limited in fact that
Ken and I no longer believe there is sufficient demand for one final PCB
production run.  At least not of sufficient quantity for us to continue to
offer the kit for a reasonable price.

Therefore our Headers kit and associated duplicate K2 PCB parts kits will be
discontinued as soon as our present inventory has been depleted.  We expect
this will occur in roughly three to six months time, but that's just a
guess.

To prevent a final-hour buying frenzy, we are limiting sales of our
remaining Option Bypass Headers kits to one per customer.  In contrast, we
will to continue to offer our K2 Internal Mic Adaptor kit for several more
years, and there is no quantity limit on it.

To learn more, visit http://www.unpcbs.com/



73

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Re: [Elecraft] building a K2

[Gary Hvizdak]

Thu Feb 25 18:35:50 EST 2010 Jim Dunstan (VE3CI) wrote:

If I order a package including K2, KPA100, KSB2, KNB2, and K160RX and
start to do the assembly ... I understand that if certain modules are
installed after basic assembly some back tracking is required.


Hi Jim,

If you follow the traditional assembly instructions offered in the
Elecraft K2 manual, then some minor disassembly and simply PCB rework will
be required on your K2's main RF board when the time comes to install the
KSB2 and KNB2 options.  (In contrast, if you were to purchase just the K2
and build it prior purchasing these options, then you would need to
completely disassemble your K2 to add them later!)

As an alternative, the website http://www.unpcbs.com/ provides detailed
instructions for a building your K2 so you can add these options at any
time, while not having to perform any significant disassembly or PCB rework
inside your K2.  This alternate assembly method makes use of Option Bypass
Headers (also known as un-modules).

Beyond the options you are planning to purchase, you can also use this
"option ready" method to build your K2 so that you can later add the KAF2,
KDSP2, and/or K60XV without the need for significant disassembly of the
Enclosure, or the need for any PCB rework to your K2.

--- - - - ---

Another K2 accessory offered by unpcbs.com is an internal mic adaptor
which makes it really easy to configure your K2 to support any of 55
microphones.  Although, the adaptor's main benefit is that it dramatically
simplifies the task of reconfiguring your K2 for a different mic connector
pin-out once you've finished building it, (should you ever wish to do so).

Instead of having to remove the Control board to access the mic
configuration header on the back of the K2's Front Panel board, all that's
required is to remove the left side panel of the K2 and reconfigure the
adaptor's jumper block.  The adaptor also supports jumper selection of the
necessary external bias resistance.

BTW, if you don't purchase the Rework Eliminator(TM) K2 Internal Mic
Adaptor, then it might be necessary for you to significantly disassemble the
front portion of your K2 if only to tack solder an appropriate bias resistor
onto the back of the mic connector (on the back of the Front Panel PCB).

73,
Gary  KI4GGX
K2 #4067
unpcbs.com webmaster

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[Elecraft] [K2] Follow-Up to Rework Eliminator(TM) Headers Kit End-of-Life Announcement

[Gary Hvizdak]

to: The K2 Community
de: Gary Hvizdak, KI4GGX


[K2] Follow-Up to Rework Eliminator(TM) Headers Kit End-of-Life Announcement


Elaborating on my recent post ...

Unless sales increase dramatically, our Option Bypass Headers kit will be
discontinued after the next production run of boards has sold out.  We can
not say when this will happen because sales are inconsistent, as well as
seasonal.  Our best guess is that it will occur sometime in 2011 or 2012.
(We plan to discontinue our Duplicate K2 PCB Parts kits at the same time.)

Yet another production run is possible if we underestimate demand, although
that might entail a significant price increase.  On the flipside, should we
over estimate demand, then these kits might be available well beyond 2012.

To learn more, please visit our website at http://www.unpcbs.com/



tnx & 73

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[Elecraft] [K2] Rework Eliminator(TM) K2 Option Bypass Headers End-of-Life Announcement

[Gary Hvizdak]

to: The K2 Community
de: Gary Hvizdak, KI4GGX


[K2] Rework Eliminator(TM) K2 Option Bypass Headers End-of-Life Announcement


As we approach the fifth anniversary of the introduction of our K2 Option
Bypass Headers, Ken and I are planning one final PCB production run before
discontinuing the kit.  Given current sales rates, we expect this will
happen sometime during 2012.  If demand were to increase significantly and
the boards were to sellout well before 2012, then we might consider yet
another production run.

--- - - - ---

We still have sufficient Internal Mic Adaptor (IMA) PCBs to last through
2012 based on current sales rates.  It is unlikely we would do another IMA
PCB production run once they are gone.

To learn more, visit http://www.unpcbs.com/



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Re: [Elecraft] Anti-static stuff to assemble K3. -- A RETRACTION --

[Gary Hvizdak]

Back on December 13, 2009 Lionel Lhermitte (F6FCD) posted ...

Hi David and all,

Quick reminder about anti-static stuff.  Your pad and hand-strap must NEVER
be connected directly to the ground.
Between those and the ground a resistor of 1 mega ohm must be inserted.

... and I reply posted ...

Actually David, your ESD dissipative mat *should* be connected directly to
ground.  The 1 Meg resistor is contained somewhere within the ESD wrist
strap assembly.



Well I've since researched this subject (using industry proprietary sources)
and sure enough Lionel was correct about it being acceptable to have a 1M
resistor in series with the mat as well.  Actually, I found that there are
two acceptable configurations, both of which include two 1M resistors.  The
two configurations are presented pictorially below.

BTW, these 1M resistors are built into the ESD equipment so there's nothing
that a user needs to do other then plug the equipment together and use it.
What Lionel described in his post isn't something someone would be aware of
unless they took the time to measure the resistance between various points
in the circuit.  Well at least I wasn't aware of it!

Personally, I wouldn't be too concerned about the 1M resistor in series with
the mat.  By my math it is statistically insignificant.  In contrast the 1M
resistor in series with your wrist strap is of life and death importance!

73,
Gary  KI4GGX
K3 #2724



  1M 10%
 +/\/\/\--> Wrist Strap
 |
 |
 |1M 10%
  +--+/\/\/\--> ESD Mat
  |
  |
  |
- "Earth" i.e. third wire ground
 ---
  -



  1M 10%
 +/\/\/\--> Wrist Strap
 |
 |
   1M 10%|
  +/\/\/\+> ESD Mat
  |
  |
  |
- "Earth" i.e. third wire ground
 ---
  -



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Re: [Elecraft] K2 Question

[Gary Hvizdak]

> Tue Dec 22 02:10:48 EST David Dunn (VK3DBD) wrote ...
> can anyone give an ... idea of the time needed to build a K2 kit ...

David,

It sounds like your friend is more interested in having a K2 rather than
building one.  In that case I suggest that he enlist the assistance of a
builder-for-hire, least he rush and make a mistake.

Whether he builds it himself, gets one second-hand, or has one custom-
built for him -- I would urge that he obtain one assembled using the "Option
Ready" assembly method promoted by , as this will
dramatically simplify the subsequent installation of option internal
expansion modules (which he can also obtain pre-assembled from a builder-
for-hire).

73 & Happy Holidays,
Gary  KI4GGX
K2 #4067
unpcbs.com webmaster

P.S. See  for a short list of quality builders-
for-hire. 

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Re: [Elecraft] Anti-static stuff to assemble K3.

[Gary Hvizdak]

Sun Dec 13 04:44:00 EST 2009 Lionel (f6fcd) wrote ... 

"Your pad and hand-strap must NEVER be connected directly to the ground ..."

Actually David, your ESD dissipative mat *should* be connected directly to
ground.  The 1 Meg resistor is contained somewhere within the ESD wrist
strap assembly.

Gary  KI4GGX

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Re: [Elecraft] Is the K2 old technology?

[Gary Hvizdak]

On Thu Dec 10 19:20:41 EST 2009 Paul Huff (N8XMS) wrote...

... I will only be able to purchase a basic K2 and plan on adding the
extras to it over the next couple of years...

Hi Paul,

Congratulations in advance of your K2 purchase.  You were very wise to
post your question on the Reflector so folks could offer you suggestions.

My first suggestion would be to check out .
This site offers two aftermarket K2 accessories that will make it lots
easier (and safer) to add the options of you choice when that time comes.

The cost of these aftermarket accessories is trivial in comparison to
the value they provide.

73 & Happy Holidays,
Gary  KI4GGX
(unpcbs.com webmaster)


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[Elecraft] [K2] If You'll Be Getting or Giving A K2 Kit ...

[Gary Hvizdak]

... this holiday season, then be sure to visit <http://www.unpcbs.com/>
home of the Rework Eliminator(TM) brand Internal Mic Adaptor and Option
Bypass Headers aftermarket accessories.

Over the past month we've been busy updating our site to make it easier
for first time visitors to navigate.

Returning visitors will note too many changes to mention here.  See the
"Site Updates" page at <http://www.unpcbs.com/recent/> for the details.

73,
Gary KI4GGX

~~~ Rework Eliminator, Rework Eliminators, & unpcbs ~~~
~ are trademarks of Ken Kaplan & Gary Hvizdak ~

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Re: [Elecraft] K2 KSB2 mic selection

[Gary Hvizdak]

On Saturday Oct 24 2009 at 2126 EDT Richard Gilley (AD1G) wrote ...

Planning on adding SSB to my K2 ... Your thoughts will be appreciated.  73

--

Regardless of which microphone you settle on, do yourself a favor and check
out the K2 Internal Mic Adaptor (IMA) featured at http://www.unpcbs.com/
The IMA supports all of the microphone pin-outs and bias resistance values
described in the KSB2 manual, and then some.

However beyond that, the biggest advantage of the IMA is that the pin-out
and/or bias resistance can be changed simply by removing the K2's left-side
panel.  And the only tool that's required to reconfigure the IMA is a pair
of needle nose pliers (to reposition jumpers).

At last count the list of supported microphones was 55, but that number
doesn't include most Heil mics and headsets, which are typically purchased
with a cable for either the Icom, Kenwood, or Yaesu pin-out.

73,
Gary  KI4GGX
webmaster www.unpcbs.com

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Re: [Elecraft] K2 option installation sequence question

[Gary Hvizdak]

A few minutes ago, Gary Marklund (KJ7RT) wrote ...

I have a K2 on order and plan to add the KSB2, KAT2, KDSP2 and K160RX. 
The 100w option and KAT2-100 will come later and probably be installed 
in a separate enclosure.

:
:

Any pointers would be appreciated.

--

Hi Gary,

Check out the website http://www.unpcbs.com/ and especially the material
regarding the rework-free "Option-Ready" alternate K2 assembly method that
the site promotes.  While your are visiting, you might as well look into the
K2 Internal Mic Adaptor.

73,
Gary  KI4GGX
unpcbs.com webmaster

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Re: [Elecraft] tuning rate

[Gary Hvizdak]

An hour ago, Gary Lee (kb9zuv) wrote ...

I prefer a constant rate myself.  That variable rate feature always gives me

trouble.
Being totally blind, I count revolutions to get reasonably close to where I 
want to be.

--

I would assume that such a capability would be menu configurable, and that
in addition to "operating" on the VFO frequency, that it could also be used
to operate on the power level?

Or even better, for the power level there could be yet another (different)
menu configuration option to step the power by dB rather than by Watts (as I
suggested in Sept 2007), since presently there are more than 200 steps to
vary the level from end-to-end?

73,
Gary  KI4GGX
K3 #2724


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[Elecraft] [K3] One of Four Initial Resistance Checks Too Low ... RESOLVED

[Gary Hvizdak]

Earlier I posted that R36 to ground was only 108 Ohms ...

--

I've already received an off Reflector reply from Elecraft Support, that
this specific low reading is typical of some DMMs.  Total turn around time,
2 hours and 12 minutes!  :>)

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[Elecraft] [K3] One of Four Initial Resistance Checks Too Low

[Gary Hvizdak]

One of the four resistance measurements (prior to the initial power on / smoke 
test) is low by about 30% ...

1. The resistance across the power pole connectors is ~1.1 Meg Ohms (looking 
for > 50 k Ohms).  (GOOD!)

2. R36 to ground was only 108 Ohms (looking for > 150 Ohms).  I tried reversing 
the probes but only got 105 Ohms!  (BAD!)

3. The two voltage regular checks are well within limits:
a. U12 was ~5 k Ohms (looking for > 500 Ohms).  (GOOD!)
b. U13 was ~425 Ohms (looking for > 150 Ohms).  (GOOD!)

A quick search of the archives revealed two posts with similar readings to mine 
at the power connectors and at the voltage regulators, but they both reported 
more like 230 Ohms at R36.

Any suggestions?

Thanks,
Gary  KI4GGX
K3 #2724

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[Elecraft] "Do you mean something like this" (was " K3 add on kit idea")

[Gary Hvizdak]

On Sat Apr 18 03:04:29 EDT 2009 Toby Deinhardt (DJ7MGQ) wrote .

Do you mean something like this ...

--

All,

   On the webpage Toby points to in his post, the link to the English manual
PDF is presently broken.  However, there are valid links to it elsewhere on
the 403a website.  See http://www.4o3a.com/download/SACX-Manual-Eng.pdf

Also see http://www.4o3a.com/antenna-switchers/view-all-products.html 
(which is reachable from the homepage) for several other antenna switchers.

73,
Gary  KI4GGX

P.S.  I already contacted the webmaster about the broken link.

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[Elecraft] Now Would Be A Really Good Time for You to Review the K3

[Gary Hvizdak]

All,

The K3 just received a 2 out of 5 review on the eHam.net website!  Even
though the K3's overall rating is still at 4.8 out of 5, let's see how
quickly the Elecraft community can move this 2 of 5 review to the second
page!

You can add a review of your own via the following link ... 
http://www.eham.net/reviews/addreview/6673 and please following the posted
guideline of just reviewing the K3 and not commenting on other reviews!

73,
Gary  KI4GGX
K3 #2724

P.S. My K3 is still only half-built, so I'm not in a position to add a
review of my own.

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Re: [Elecraft] Mic Survey link?

[Gary Hvizdak]

Fred Cady (KE7X) wrote ...

Who was it that posted a link to the microphone survey?

--

Hi Fred,

The email you received was off Reflector correspondence between Don and
Tom, the two K3 Wiki guys.  It contained the link you are seeking.  I've
included Don's brief message below.

73,
Gary  KI4GGX

--

At 01:03 AM 03/31/09, Don Rasmussen wrote:

> http://www.zerobeat.net/mediawiki/index.php/K3_Accessories 

Thanks Don

73
thom k3hrn

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[Elecraft] K2 RF Part C61

[Gary Hvizdak]

Moments ago Mike Weir (VE3WDM) wrote ...

Good evening all,
Have been working on the RF board today at home and on page 52 I am asked to
place C61 (103) on the board.  Well on the parts list there is no C61 listed
and there is none in the errata listed as an add on. Just before I go and
throw a 103 in C61's spot want to make sure I am not missing anything.
Better safe than sorry.
Thanks for your help 
Mike Weir
VE3WDM

--

Hi Mike,

Yes, better to be safe and ask.  FYI, below is what the previous (rev F)
manual lists for the .01 Monolithic Cap, "103" (Elecraft's PN E530009).

C52, C53, C54, C55, C58, C61,
C62, C63, C87, C95, C107, C108,
C109, C110, C113, C114, C115,
C118, C119, C120, C121, C129,
C135, C141, C142, C143, C145,
C146 C155, C158, C159, C160,
C161, C163, C164, C165, C168,
C172, C175, C181, C183, C184,
C186

Apparently the PDF conversion hid the top-most line.  I assert this with
confidence because when I searched for C61, it highlighted the region just
above C107 (in your rev G manual PDF).  In addition, if you look closely,
you will noticed that the bottom of the commas for the line C52 .. C61
actually did render.

BTW, this may already be in the errata as I'm aware of at least one
such/similar parts table rendering issue in the rev. G manual, from off
Reflector correspondence with Ron (AC7AC).

73,
Gary  KI4GGX

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Re: [Elecraft] "The rules show a "Send To" field without a name and address" (was " EQP 2009 results for KB0YH")

[Gary Hvizdak]

Today at Sun Mar 15 17:00:27 EDT 2009 Gus Hansen (KB0YH) wrote ...

The rules show a "Send To" field without a name and address, but with an 
April 10 deadline. I'm sending this to the list now 'cause otherwise 
I'll forget about it.  If these submissions need to be sent elsewhere 
please let us know.

--

Please don't everyone post your results on the Reflector for all 3,500
members to have to deal with!  The EQP2009 email address is in the rules,
but it's an image to prevent spamming.  The image did render properly in the
three browsers I tried, but for one browser it required a few seconds to
fill in.

Anyway, the address is eqp20...@_vender.com (where "_...@_" should just be "@"
and "vendor" should be "Elecraft").

73,
Gary  KI4GGX  (not formally associated with EQP 2009)

P.S.  I noticed that Gus wasn't the first contestant to post his results on
the Reflector.

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[Elecraft] Elecraft Dust Covers, Carry Cases, and More

[Gary Hvizdak]

Hi Group,

As I await the arrival of my hand crafted K3 carrying case from Rose Kopp, I
feel compelled to share a thing or two about my experience so far.

Yes, I've seen the comments here on the Reflector about the quality of her 
workmanship, but I don't recall seeing anything about what a total pleasure 
it is doing business with her.  IT'S DOWNRIGHT FUN working with Rose to 
select exactly what combination of colors you might like best.

Some other things you might not know are ...

1) It usually takes Rose one day to make a K2 or K3 case.

2) Rose and OM Ken first met here in Melbourne, Florida at a high school
football game back in 1959.  They got married a month later.

How do I know all this?  Like I said, it's downright fun doing business with
Rose!  :>)

73,
Gary KI4GGX

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Re: [Elecraft] K3 KXV3 mode

[Gary Hvizdak]

On Fri Feb 13 06:20:26 EST 2009 Evert Bakker (PA2KW) wrote ...

During the initial calibration test, one is asked to set CONFIG:KXV3 to
TEST.  This one is not available (just NOT INST and NOR).

What am I doing wrong?

--

Evert,

To access the TEST setting, KXV3 must first be set to NOR, then K3 power
turned off/on.

73,
Gary  KI4GGX

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[Elecraft] [K2] unpcbs.com Website Outage

[Gary Hvizdak]

K3 users, please pardon the bandwidth ...

The server hosting unpcbs.com will be rebuilt tonight beginning at 0600Z.
With luck we will be back online within about nine hours, i.e. by about
1500Z.  

While our main site is down, we will temporarily host our most important PDF
files on our Yahoo Group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/unpcbs/  (You will
find the PDFs at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/unpcbs/files/pdfs/ but you
must join our group to access this page.)

While our site is down you won't be able to place an order online.  However,
US residents may be able to order by phone on Tuesday, by calling Ken at
631.467.7795 between 7:00 AM and 2:00 PM Eastern Standard Time.

Happy Holidays,
Gary  KI4GGX
unpcbs.com webmaster

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[Elecraft] [K3] Photo of Large Tuning Knob for VFO B

[Gary Hvizdak]

On Tuesday Dec 9th John (KH7T) wrote ...

"I have installed a standard main tuning knob on VFO B ..."

--

Being curious, I emailed John and he replied back with a couple of nice
photos, plus an invitation to post them somewhere appropriate on the web.

Thanks to K3HRN, you can now see one of John's photos at the *bottom* of
this page < http://www.zerobeat.net/mediawiki/index.php/SpotLight_on_K3 >
on the K3 Wiki website.

73,
Gary  KI4GGX

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[Elecraft] RE: [ K3] MARS Coverage?

[Gary Hvizdak]

On today at 11:35:06 EDT David Reed (W5SV) wrote ...

I seem to recall in previous posts that at some time, MARS coverage
(outside of Ham Bands) was going to be available.

I realize this probably has a low priority for most users, but Where in
the development chain is this?

--

David,

Eric Swartz posted the following back on January 23rd ...

"We'll make it available on request to K3 owners. They can just email [EMAIL
PROTECTED] with their name, K3 s/n etc.

Its complete now, but I'm waiting for Brian, our s/w engineer on this
project, to rebuild it with the same installer we use for the K3 download
routine. He should have it ready this week. ..."

--

73,
Gary  KI4GGX


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[Elecraft] Rev A-1 Sub-RX Manual Errata Sheet Posted

[Gary Hvizdak]

A single page errata sheet to the sub-RX manual was posted on Elecraft's
website this morning.  It is rev. A1, dated June 30th.  The full URL is ...
http://www.elecraft.com/manual/E740126E_KRX3_Inst_Operate_Errata_Rev_A1.pdf

73,
Gary  KI4GGX

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[Elecraft] [K3] Recent ( Unannounced ) Document Updates

[Gary Hvizdak]

For those of you who may have missed them, there have been two errata page 
updates and a new version of the K3 Programmer's Reference Manual in just 
the past two weeks.

Name Last modified   Size  
==   =   
E740107E_K3_Owner's_Manual_Errata_C1-7.pdf   25-Jun-2008 08:03   129k  
K3_Assembly_Manual_Errata_Rev_D-5.pdf19-Jun-2008 12:27   561k  
K3_Pgmrs_Ref_Rev_B2.pdf  16-Jun-2008 07:44   177k  
==   =   

See http://www.elecraft.com/K2_Manual_Download_Page.htm#K3 (HTML) or 
http://www.elecraft.com/manual/?M=D (no HTML) for details.


73,
Gary  KI4GGX

P.S.  And the Shipping Status page has been updated as well!  :>)

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[Elecraft] Temporary Website Outage

[Gary Hvizdak]

We anticipate an extended outage of our http://www.unpcbs.com website due to

unscheduled maintenance by our web hosting provider.  This outage is 
expected to begin on Friday June 27, and be about 48 hours in duration.

In anticipation, we are temporarily hosting some of our documentation on our
unpcbs Yahoo Group, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/unpcbs/  The direct link
to these PDFs is http://groups.yahoo.com/group/unpcbs/files/pdfs/  (You must
join the group to access this directory.)

You are welcome to email us during this outage at support_at_unpcbs_dot_com.


We thank you for your understanding.  

73,
Gary  KI4GGX
unpcbs.com webmaster

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In Reply to "[Elecraft] [K3] what kind of solder and flux?"

[Gary Hvizdak]

At 17:37 EDT on Mon 23 Jun 2008 David Ferrington (M0XDF) wrote ...

... "what would people suggest for flux when doing mods?"

... and at 19:46 EDT on Mon Jun 23 2008 Lyle Johnson (KK7P) replied ...

... "I sometimes use 'no clean' flux rather than rosin core."

--

Guys,

Per Elecraft's website < http://www.elecraft.com/repair.htm > "The use of
acid-core solder, water-soluble flux solder, or any corrosive or conductive
flux or solvent will void this warranty in its entirety."

Beyond that:

1) Leaded solder is preferable for hand rework as lead-free solder requires
a higher temperature and special tips.  (Your normal leaded solder tips will
not last long if used with lead-free solder.)

2) Mildly activated rosin core flux (RMA) is preferable.

3) "No clean" flux requires a higher activation temperature and if not fully
activated its residue can pose a fire hazard.

73,
Gary  KI4GGX

P.S.  For those of you whom I've not yet told, I passed Element #4 earlier
this month!  :>)

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RE: [Elecraft] WTB: KSB2 SSB Adapter

[Gary Hvizdak]

At 2117 EDT on Fri Jun 13 2008 Dave White (VE6DRW) wrote ...

I'm looking to purchase a KSB2 SSB adapter for the K2.  If you have one you 
don't need, please let me know offline.

--

Hi Dave,

If you purchase a used KSB2, it won't come with all of the parts
required to install it in your K2.  This is because an un-built KSB2 kit
includes about a dozen parts which must be added to your K2:

o   RF-J9, J10, J11
o   FP-C4..C8, P1, Q3, R13, RP3
o   3/8" Aluminum standoff
o   Miscellaneous hardware

Thus if you purchase a used KSB2, the above parts will already be
installed in the "sellers" radio.

--- - - - ---

You can get the necessary parts from Elecraft by ordering each of them
individually, or you can get a single kit containing all of them by
purchasing the Rework Eliminator(TM) KSB2 Duplicate K2 PCB Parts kit.  To
learn more about this kit, see the "What Else Do I Need?" and "Product
Specifications" pages on the http://www.unpcbs.com/ website.

While you are there, also check out the Rework Eliminator(TM) K2
Internal Mic Adaptor (IMA), which is described in detail on the FAQ page.
The IMA makes it really easy to configure the K2 for seven different
pin-outs which support more than 50 microphones!  The IMA also offers jumper
selection of the commonly required external bias resistances, and then some.
FYI, without the IMA your stock K2 doesn't have a "graceful" way to provide
(or to subsequently alter) external microphone bias resistance.

73,
Gary  KI4GGX
unpcbs.com webmaster

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RE: [Elecraft] [K3] NB indicator blinking

[Gary Hvizdak]

On Sun Jun 8 2008 at 2313 EDT Bob Cunnings (NW8L) wrote ...

I've observed the NB icon blinking sometimes, only when the hardware
blanker is being used. What does that mean?  I can't find any mention
of this in the manual or in the more recent firmware release notes on
the website.

--

Hi Bob,

Per the rev. C1-4, K3 Owner's manual errata dated May 5, 2008 ...

=
Page 24, bottom of left column, add:

The NB icon will flash on/off if the I.F. blanker setting is too high for 
the present signal conditions.  If this happens, use a lower setting.
=

73,
Gary  KI4GGX

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[Elecraft] Custom Engraved Accessories (was K3 Front Panel)

[Gary Hvizdak]

At 07:39 EDT on Thu 22 May 2008 David Robertson (KD1NA) wrote ...

... someone was mentioning about a service that engraves your callsign on
the plastic piece that covers the K3 LCD display. ...

--

Hi Dave,

Ken Kaplan (WB2ART) provides this service.  You can find the link to his
website at the bottom of Elecraft's homepage.  Here's the direct link ...
http://www.arkayengravers.com/elecraft/

73,
Gary  KI4GGX

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RE: [Elecraft] Elecraft Honchos!!!

[Gary Hvizdak]

At 1806 EDT on Tue 20 May 2008 Jim Davis (NN6EE) wrote ...

... This is Ham-Radio and it's all about "instant gratification" and you 
should know that ...

--

Hi Jim,

Yes, Elecraft could raise the price of the K3, and/or lower its quality,

and be shipping K3s by the boat load.  However, other companies already 
control that niche and Elecraft chooses not to compete with them.

73,
Gary  KI4GGX
(not an Elecraft honcho)

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RE: [Elecraft] K3 Duty cycle

[Gary Hvizdak]

At 0114 EDT on Sat 17 May 2008 Jim Miller (KG0KP) wrote ...

What is considered the practical duty cycle of the K3/100 ...?

--

Jim,

Page 9 of the K3 manual states: Duty Cycle CW and SSB modes, 100% 10-min.
100W key-down at 25 C [77 F] ambient
:
:
I assume the K3 owner's manual is more up to date than the following FAQ
entry on Elecraft's website
:
:
Q: Does the KPA3 have plenty of power to allow for 100-W full duty cycle
operation in all modes?

A: We may limit power level or maximum TX time for 100% duty-cycle modes
(AM/FM/FSK).  I can't say for certain, because we're still doing extended
transmit tests.  We used two fairly large, standard-size fans so they'd run
at slow speed in most operating situations.  But fans in this size are
readily available with higher CFM ratings, so we could offer an extended-
duty-cycle upgrade if that were warranted.  This would only increase the
depth of the fans; you wouldn't have to add fans to the top of the cabinet

The fans have 4 speeds, are temperature controlled, and they turn off when
not needed.  They're large and quiet.

In fact the entire fan panel is an upgradeable module -- we wanted to make
sure the K3 could adapt to specialized requirements.

So far our feedback from RTTY contesters is that they were able to operate a
whole contest without getting the K3's heatsink too hot.  The fans rarely
went to full speed.

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RE: [Elecraft] Very Dissatisfied With Elecraft Support

[Gary Hvizdak]

At 0922 EDT on Thu 15 May 2008 Jon Perelstein (KB1QBZ) wrote ...

I ordered a K1 ...

--

Hi Jon,

Throughout my career I've noticed that when I attempt a project which
doesn't "work out" the first time, that it's because I didn't already know
all that I needed to know to accomplish it.  Out of this observation, I have
trained myself to see failures as opportunities to learn.  Another valuable
observation is that "getting started" is often the hardest part.

In amateur radio, a key ingredient to getting started more quickly, is
the principle of an "Elmer".  A quick web search found this excellent
definition at http://www.qsl.net/kd4sai/intro.html ...


An Elmer is the ham equivalent of a "Yoda".


... i.e. a teacher, as in the Star Wars character.

I encourage you to find an Elmer either online or (preferably) in your
local area to accelerate your learning curve, so that you can more quickly
come to enjoy this wonderful hobby.

All the Best,
Gary  KI4GGX

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[Elecraft] [OT] Windows XP SP3 :<(

[Gary Hvizdak]

Even after the recent news reports about problems with it, I just made the
stupid mistake of installing Microsoft's XP Service Pack 3 on my Dell
Dimension 9100 with ATI Radeon display adaptor.  Afterwards my 20" flat
panel monitor (which supports 1600 x 1200 DPI resolution at 32 bit color
depth) was reduced to 648 x 480 @ 16 colors.  I was able to increase this
all the way to 800 x 600 @ 16 colors!

 

Three hours later I'm now back on SP2.

 

I have submitted a report to Microsoft about this.

 

The problem may be due to my having rotated my display to portrait
orientation during the installation of SP3, but I'm not about try
reinstalling SP3 to find out.

 

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

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RE: [Elecraft] K3: 1/4 inch interconnect coax connectors?

[Gary Hvizdak]

At 04:06:48 EDT on Sat 10 May 2008, Craig Dickson (VK3HE) wrote ...

Anyone know  the exact name for the coax connectors used on the K3s various 
coax  cable interconnects? ...

--

Hi Craig,

I don't yet have my K3 so I can only guess, but they look like SMA 
connectors.  See, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMA_connector 

73,
Gary  KI4GGX

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[Elecraft] [OT] Rework Eliminator(TM) App Note #5 - IMA: When Not to Apply External Bias

[Gary Hvizdak]

Please pardon the OT bandwidth.  Although, even if you don't have our K2
Internal Mic Adaptor, you still might find this latest app note informative.
It addresses configuring the jumpers, in the context of possibly *DAMAGING*
a dynamic microphone by mistakenly applying external bias.

See http://www.unpcbs.com/notes/#note-5 for details.

Our thanks to Don Wilhelm (W3FPR) and Brian Lloyd (WB6RQN) for their
contributions to this article.

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RE: [Elecraft] K2 microprocessor

[Gary Hvizdak]

At 22:10:02 EDT on Thu 1 May 2008 Scott McDowell (N5SM) wrote ...

Has anyone besides me had any trouble with the microprocessors in the
K2's put out lately by Elecraft.
:
:
Where do I go from here?

--

Hi Scott,

The first thing I would do is to inspect the MCU that you removed for
any bent under pins.  If you find any then that's probably what was wrong
with your first MCU.

If you don't, then I would remove the new MCU and perform the same
check.  If you don't find any bent under pins on that one either, then
chances are that there's something amiss in the associated circuitry in your
K2.

It would also be useful to know if the original (old) MCU now performs
like the new one does, so next I would reinstall the original MCU.  If the
original MCU now functions like the newer one, then this would indicate that
something in your K2 was disturbed in the process of exchanging MCUs.

BTW, you didn't mention but I assume you are referring to the main MCU
on the Control board.  On fairly slim possibility that comes to mind is that
when I was installing CTRL-C21 while building my K2, it actually broke
because the leads weren't formed to the spacing of its mounting holes.  So
you might look for damaged components in the vicinity of the MCU.

73,
Gary  KI4GGX
K2 #4067

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RE: "can anyone tell me what "4-40" refers to" (was "[Elecraft] K3 #685 arrived")

[Gary Hvizdak]

At 01:11:22 EDT on Monday 28 Apr 2008 Chris Meagher (VK2LCD) wrote ...

... K3/10 #685 basic kit arrived 28 April.  Inventory done, all there but no
"4-40" nuts.  ... can anyone tell me what "4-40" refers to ...

--

Hi Chris,

Referring to http://www.wikihow.com/Read-a-Screw-Thread-Callout it is
possible to calculate that these nuts mate with a screw having a maximum
(outside) diameter of 2.8448 mm, and 15.748 threads per cm.

Also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unified_Thread_Standard for a
detailed drawing of the thread profile.

73,
Gary  KI4GGX

P.S. BE SURE TO TIGHTEN ALL HARDWARE PER THE INSTRUCTIONS IN THE ASSEMBLY
MANUAL to ensure that RF doesn't "leak" from the enclosure.  (This will
become even more critical if/when you install the 100W PA.)


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RE: [Elecraft] K3 Configuration for Ducie Island Dxpedition ???

[Gary Hvizdak]

At 21:04:16 EDT on Fri 25Apr 2008, Jim Miller (KG0KP) wrote ...

Does anybody know the configurations of the K3s as they were used for the
Ducie Island Dxpedition?

--

Jim,

Eric posted this back on 17 March:

K3/100 +
KAT3 antenna tuner
KXV3 second receive antenna option.

KFL3A-250 250 Hz,   8-pole roofing filter
KFL3A-400 400 Hz,   8-pole roofing filter
KFL3A-1.0K 1 kHz,   8-pole roofing filter
KFL3A-1.8K 1.8 kHz, 8-pole roofing filter
KFL3A-2.8K 2.8 kHz, 8-pole roofing filter

73,
Gary  KI4GGX


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RE: [Elecraft] [K3] - mods and solder

[Gary Hvizdak]

At 0315 EST on Wednesday April 2nd 2008 David Ferrington (M0XDF) wrote ...

... I KNOW some of you know a lot about solder. ...

--

Hi Dave,

Your 60/40 solder could possibly result in what are referred to as 
"cold" or "disturbed" solder joints.  If I were you I'd only use that stuff
for non-electrical hobby projects such as leaded glass, and jewelry.

For best results I would suggest eutectic solder which is an alloy 
composed of 63% tin and 37% lead.  In addition to it's having a lower 
melting point, it also transitions pretty much instantly from a liquid to a 
solid, without any intervening "plastic" state.

In addition your .048" solder is much to thick for SMD work.  I suggest 
something in the neighborhood of 0.020", plus or minus 0.005".  (You need to

match your solder size to your task, being careful that the solder isn't too

fine as this could result the flux burning off before it does its job, which

is to clean the surfaces to be soldered of any oxidation.)

Regarding the flux, your best bet is a mildly activated rosin core flux.

FYI, here mildly activated is a reference to the temperature at which the 
rosin melts (so that it can do it's job).

DO NOT USE WATER SOLUBLE FLUX AS YOU WILL VOID THE WARRANTY OF WHATEVER 
IT TOUCHES!  WATER SOLUBLE FLUX IS HIGHLY CORROSIVE AND HYDROSCOPIC.  NEVER 
EVER USE IT WITH INSULATED WIRE (ESPECIALLY STRANDED) AS IT WILL WICK UP 
UNDER THE INSULATION WHERE IT CAN'T BE COMPLETELY REMOVED.  OVER TIME IT 
WILL EAT RIGHT THROUGH THE WIRE!

SIMILARLY DO NOT USE ACID CORE SOLDER!

No-clean fluxes are okay, but they have a higher activation temperature 
and you should have some experience with them before using them on something

as expensive as the K3.  The advantage of no clean fluxes is that they only 
leave about 3% of the residue left by a traditional rosin flux.

BTW, I won't even go into the subject of whether or not to remove the 
flux and how to go about doing that.  If you are interested you can see my 
previous post on this subject in the archives here ... 
http://mailman.qth.net/pipermail/elecraft/2005-November/049886.html 

73,
Gary  KI4GGX

P.S.  I don't know a lot about solder, but I work with someone who does!


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RE: [Elecraft] Problems with my K2 --- can anyone help??

[Gary Hvizdak]

At 20:36:49 EST on Sunday Mar 30th, 2008 Norm Klieman (K9NK) wrote ...

My K2 just started with these issues yesterday.  Does anyone have any 
suggestion other than sending the rig to Elecraft?
:
:
It kind of reminds me if I had an IC that was somehow failing somewhere?

--

Hi Norm,

At first glance this sounds like classic unsoldered IC pin problem, 
probably on one of the larger MCU devices.  How old is your rig?

Don't send the rig to Elecraft without first opening it up and checking 
that all of the pins are soldered.

73,
Gary  KI4GGX

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[Elecraft] [K1 KX1 K2 K3] Reminder

[Gary Hvizdak]

All,

Remember to keep Don Wilhelm (W3FPR) your thoughts and prayers.  :>)

73,
Gary  KI4GGX

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[Elecraft] [OT] Rework Eliminator(TM) K2 Internal Mic Adaptor App Note

[Gary Hvizdak]

Please pardon this OT bandwidth.  We have posted the following message to
our unpcbs(TM) Yahoo! Group but realize that most of our customers are not
members of that group.  Since we don't maintain a separate customer mailing
list, we are duplicate posting here to alert our customers of an important
new app note.

TNX,
Gary  KI4GGX
unpcbs.com webmaster



If you installed our K2 Internal Mic Adaptor (IMA) prior to January 2008,
please see http://www.unpcbs.com/notes/#note-4 for an important application
note regarding its installation.



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[Elecraft] I Don't Mean to Steal Eric's Thunder but ...

[Gary Hvizdak]

The shipping status page is still dated February 15th, but it now shows the
status of FM B/W filter as in stock!

(I wonder if the firmware supports FM yet?)

73,
Gary  KI4GGX

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RE: [Elecraft] FS: KSB2 SSB Adapter & KIO2 I/O Module * Important *

[Gary Hvizdak]

At 17:44:32 EST on Sun 24  Feb 2008 Rich Lentz (KE0X) wrote …

... The KSB2 will require J9, J10, and J11 to be installed on the K2
motherboard.  Mine are still installed in the K2.  They are available from
Elecraft or Digi-Key.  1 - Samtec SSW-112-01-G-S and 2 - Samtec
SSW-103-01-G-S.

--

Please note that installing the KSB2 also requires the installation of
several parts on the Front Panel board ...

o   Resistor, 68.1 k, 1%, 1/4 W 
o   (5) Capacitors, .01 uF, 0.2" (5 mm) 
o   Connector, 2 x 8 pin male, .100" 
o   Resistor network, 10 k, 4 R, 8 pins 
o   Transistor, PNP, 2N3906 

All of these parts are available in kit form from http://www.unpcbs.com/ as
our KSB2 Parts kit ($6.25 + $5.50 shipping & handling).  This kit also
includes the three RF board connectors Rich mentions, plus the standoff and
miscellaneous mounting hardware.

73,
Gary  KI4GGX

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RE: [Elecraft] K3-Latest K3 Review on EHAM

[Gary Hvizdak]

At 08:56:21 EST on Sun 24 Feb 2008 Paul Ferguson (K5ESW) wrote ...

... Surely 
there are others out there with a K3 and the equipment necessary to repeat
his tests.  The outcome of the tests will determine if Solardx's results are

typical. 

I await the results while I wait for my K3 (wave 3).

--

Paul,

Don't hold your breath!  FYI, I work at an aerospace manufacturing
facility and we can't even duplicate EMI tests for which we have detailed
test descriptions.  It would be next impossible to configure a setup like
his, even if we had a detailed description of its configuration.  The fact
that we don't have any description ensures that it won't happen!

That said, other K3 owners could attempt to duplicate what he did and
report back with a detailed description of their test setup (including
filter settings and options) and their results.  BTW, personally I don't
like the idea of transmitting into another rig.

73,
Gary  KI4GGX


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RE: [Elecraft] K3-Latest K3 Review on EHAM

[Gary Hvizdak]

At 03:29:43 EST on Sun 24  Feb 2008 Bob DeHaney (WU5T/DJ0MBC) wrote ...

 
The reviewer (Solardx, no call sign) gives a very bad transmitter (SSB)
review.  He claims lots of splatter and ineffective speech processing as
well as high IMD products.  I have yet to hear a K3 but no one else has
noticed such problems?

 

--

 

Since the IMD products only occur over 10 W he did mention that his PA might
be defective, but he didn't mention any attempt to verify whether or not it
was or to swap it out via a replacement.  I'm certain Elecraft would be very
interested in having a look at it.

 

73,
Gary  KI4GGX

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RE: [Elecraft] K2-Rework Elimination?

[Gary Hvizdak]

At 21:25:23 EST on Sat 23 Feb 2008 Don Wilhelm (W3FPR) wrote ...

... If you only want to add the KSB2 and the KAT2, then just order the 
Rework eliminator parts for the KSB2 (the KAT2 does not need any).  ...

--

Although there are isn't a KAT2 "un-module", you will have to remove the
lower rear panel / heatsink to install P6 (the Aux RF plug) on the RF board
prior to installing the KAT2 option.  For an additional 90 cents you can
obtain this plug from us and install it during the initial build to avoid
this disassembly.  Otherwise, there's a chance that the PA thermal pads will
be damaged and need to be replaced.

73,
Gary  KI4GGX

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[Elecraft] RE: "Your Elecraft K3 slide show" (was "K3 #464 Delivered, built and on the Air")

[Gary Hvizdak]

At 15:24:05 EST on 23 Sat Feb 2008 Ken Kirkley (NO4D) wrote ...

Hey Lee:
Is this slide show available on the net for download/view?

--

Ken,

See http://mailman.qth.net/pipermail/elecraft/2008-February/083322.html
in the Reflector archives.

73,
Gary  KI4GGX


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[Elecraft] RE: I can't convince myself that it works (was K3 Kit vs Ready Built)

[Gary Hvizdak]

At 11:58:34 EST on Sat 23 Feb 2008 Alan Bloom (N1AL) wrote ...

... bought one of those ESD mats.  But I can't convince myself that it
works.  If I touch my meter probes to the mat I measure infinity ohms, no
matter how close together the two probes are.  I know the meter works - If I
hold one probe tip in each hand the meter measures a few 10's of megohms.

--

Al,

An ESD mat is designed to very slowly dissipate static charges of up to
many thousands of volts, so it has a fairly high surface resistance and is
going to present essentially infinity ohms to your meter.  That said, if you
use probes with several square inches of surface area (such as by placing a
couple of cake pans from the XYL's kitchen) on the thing, then you "might"
measure something by placing your probes on the cake pans.  Note!  Even if a
single cake pan is larger than your mat, you can still use two of them by
separating them by perhaps an inch and letting both hang off opposite sides
of the mat.

If you don't measure anything using the cake pan method, there is
another "science experiment" you could do to test your mat, although it
requires that you can reliably draw a spark between a finger tip and ground
by doing something such as walking across a carpet.  If you can, then you
could first place your palm on the ESD mat for ten seconds after walking
across the carpet and then (with your palm still on the mat) touch ground
and see that you don't draw such a spark.  BTW, be sure that the mat is
grounded.

--- - - - ---

Keeping your mat clean of any contaminants (mostly oils from your hands,
but also solder flux splashes) will ensure that it continues to do its job.
Under heavy use, you should clean it at least every other week, or more
frequently if you notice that the surface appearance has "changed".  Only
use products specifically designed for this purpose.

FYI, a quick Google for "esd mat cleaner" yielded 196 hits.

Then again, if you are only using the mat to build your K3, there's no
need to be concerned about cleaning it.

73,
Gary  KI4GGX

P.S.  Even though I'm a Software Engineer, I work at an aerospace manufac-
turing facility where we are required to attend periodic training on such
subjects.

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[Elecraft] RE: "every single one gives it a 5.0" (was K3 reviews)

[Gary Hvizdak]

At 01:40:42 EST on Thu 21 Feb 2008 Alan Bloom (N1AL) wrote ...

I notice that as of today there are 28 reviews of the K3 on eham.net and
every single one gives it a 5.0 out of 5.0:

--

Al,

In fact, Mike Higgins (K6AER) gave it a four rating on February 8th
(see < http://www.eham.net/reviews/review/67088 >).  Still the average
score is 4.96, which is 5.0 when rounded to one decimal place.

73,
Gary  KI4GGX

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RE: [Elecraft] Roofing Filters

[Gary Hvizdak]

At 14:38:02 EST on Wed 20 Feb 2008  Alan Latz (KA9UCP) wrote .

Can someone explain the meaning of "roofing filters". I have searched
everywhere and can't find a good explanation.  Lisa recommended the FAQ
section of Elecraft and there they just mention them.  Maybe I should order
an updated Ham bible from ARRL.

--

Alan,

At the top of the K3 FAQ page under the heading ...
"Options and Accessories"
... there's a link ...
"Elecraft and Roofing Filters (detailed explanation)"
... the direct URL is ...
http://elecraft.com/K3/Roofing_Filters.htm 

73,
Gary  KI4GGX 

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RE: [Elecraft] K2 Assembly Question

[Gary Hvizdak]

At 09:25:45 EST on 20 Wed Feb 2008 DW Holtman (WB7SSN) wrote ...

I'm in the middle of building a K2, S/N 6412.  ... While doing the Alignment
and test Part 1, I had a couple of readings that were not in specs.

1. Page 48, Setting the AGC Threshold, the manuals calls for adjusting  R-1
for a reading of 3.80VDC on pin 5 of U2.  The highest R1 would adjust to is
3.60VDC.

2.  Page 48 Bargraph Current test.  The manual calls for a current reading
Of 0.16 to 0.18. My K2 reads 0.25 amps.  That is quite a bit higher than
what is called for.

Any suggestions? Are these readings anything to worry about?

--

Hi DW,

I'll take a stab at your low AGC measurement.  In the past few months a
couple of builders have had marginal +8V regulators on the CTRL board.  It's
unlikely this would be causing the higher than expected Bar-graph current
measurement, it is possible.

73,
Gary  KI4GGX
K2 #4067

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RE: [Elecraft] Help! K2 display backlight

[Gary Hvizdak]

At 03:10:16 EST on Wed 20 Feb 2008, Jack Cook (VK2CJC) wrote ...

Just tried installing the K2 display backlight as per the errata sheet.

The legs on mine are too short to go through the PCB holes.  Once the two 
spacers are in place, the legs are exactly long enough to just touch the 
front of the PCB.

Looking at the photos of the backlight on the builders resources webpage, 
the one pictured has much longer legs than mine.

Q1. Has anyone else suffered "dimensionally challenged" diffuser legs?
Q2. How did you get round it?
Q3. Is mine just an odd-ball :)

--

G'day Jack,

In his Reflector post just this past Sunday, WB7SS included a link to
his website < http://www.heavymetalradios.com/ > where he has several photos
of his new, but not yet patented "J Hook" method.  You can find his original
post in the Reflector archives at ...

http://mailman.qth.net/pipermail/elecraft/2008-February/082906.html 

73,
Gary  KI4GGX

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RE: [Elecraft] new solder

[Gary Hvizdak]

In addition to its requiring a higher tip temperature for hand soldering,
one of the vendors we use where I work is into using liquid nitrogen to
flash cool the stuff so that it gains a glass-like quality at a molecular
level.  Apparently this makes it much more durable.

 

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RE: [Elecraft] [K3] A suggestion for the K3 SSB audio

[Gary Hvizdak]

At 04:28:15 EST on Mon 18 Feb 2008, Toby Deinhardt (DJ7MGQ) wrote ..


... allow routing the front or rear panel microphone input, after the
microphone gain adjustment/control to the LINE OUT socket and route LINE IN
to the normal SSB processing.  This could allow one to add an external stage
of processing:

mic -> K3 in -> mic gain -> line out -> black box -> line in -> ssb
processing

Good idea?  Bad idea?  A possible distant future to do?

--

Toby,

Sounds okay, but you can essentially do the same thing now simply by
foregoing the K3's mic gain stage, i.e. ...

mic -> black box -> K3 in -> ssb processing

However, what I don't know without referring to the K3 schematics, is
where in the chain the TX EQ and Compression are applied?  If either or both
are in the K3's "mic gain" stage, that would make your suggestion that much
more desirable.

BTW, what exactly do you envision this black box doing?  Is it
implemented in hardware or in software?  Might it be better to implement it
within the K3's firmware?

73,
Gary  KI4GGX

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RE: [Elecraft] K3 portable SSB problems?

[Gary Hvizdak]

At 02:51:53 EST on Sun 17 Feb 2008 Brett Howard wrote ...

:
:

Also I run my K1 in this same setup... I've never run more than 14.5 into
the K1 (It's rated to 15 as well) but just would like to be sure that 16
wouldn't kill things on the K1/K2/K3 and the like.

--

Brett,

I could be imagining this, but recall Wayne posting something about a
firmware change to automatically turn off the K3 before it gets damaged.  I
don't know the priority of this change.

73,
Gary  KI4GGX

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[Elecraft] K3 Tops the List!

[Gary Hvizdak]

See http://www.sherweng.com/table.html 

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[Elecraft] RE: K3 speech processor (was Microphones (was electronic product standards))

[Gary Hvizdak]

Fri 15 Feb 2008 at 01:17:44 EST Alan Bloom wrote

I read years ago that speech processors like pre-emphasized audio
(louder highs, quieter lows).  And the heavier the processing the more
pre-emphasis is optimum.  Does anyone know if the K3 speech processor
does that automatically?

--

Hi Alan,

According to the Owner's manual, the K3 has ...

1. An RF speech processor which provides adjustable speech compression in dB
(although it doesn't state the maximum compression).

2. 8-Band TX audio graphic EQ +/- 16 dB/octave.

... from the descriptions of these features I would "guess" that the answer
to your question is, no it doesn't do that automatically.  However, the good
news is that the sort of emphasis and de-emphasis you describe can be
accomplished manually via the equalizer.

   To "properly" do what you describe automatically would probably require
factoring in your specific voice and microphone characteristics (probably by
reciting a known phrase) and IMHO is way beyond the scope of what the K3
firmware should do.  I think it would be better to perform this kind of
processing via a PC sound card.

   That said, I believe several users have already requested the ability to
save multiple user preferences.  With such a capability you could tailor a
few different equalizer profiles and (manually) provide a similar
capability.  All you would have to do is to select the matching EQ profile
as you change compression.  Hopefully this won't be the sort of thing that
you will be changing frequently, and you will only have a few EQ profiles to
choose from.

73,
Gary  KI4GGX
K3 S/N TBD

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[Elecraft] RE: "Mic for K3" (was #309 first issues)

[Gary Hvizdak]

On Tue 12 Feb 2008 22:42:18 EST Joe Stofko (W1AIU) wrote ...

-Front mic socket not compatible with any other mfg. that I can find.

Actually, it is!.. and it is well documented.. the front panel mic connector
conforms to the Kenwood pin-out.  I am using a Kenwood MC-60 on my K3 (#269)
with no modifications and no problems.

--

As Don has already stated the Kenwood standard wants power (+5V ~ +8V)
on pin-5, whereas the K3 Elecraft standard has FUNC on pin-5 and what
Elecraft calls "bias" on pin-6.

See < http://elecraft.com/K3/K3FAQ.1.jpg > for the K3 pin-out and
< http://homepage.ntlworld.com/rg4wpw/kwood.jpg > for the Kenwood pin-out.

If this < http://homepage.ntlworld.com/rg4wpw/kwoodcompat.pdf > partial
Kenwood microphone compatibility table is correct, one can rule out plug-
compatible interoperability of many Kenwood mics with the K3, based solely
on the fact that they have an Electret element.

From the available information, it appears that your MC-60 and just two
other Kenwood mics (the MC-42 and MC-43) are the only 8-pin round connector
models that will work with the K3 without some sort of adaptor to swap pins
5 and 6.

My conclusions are based on available information.  There may be addi-
tional Kenwood mics that will simply plug in and work properly with the K3.

73,
Gary  KI4GGX
K3 S/N TBD

P.S. I don't see this issue as a good reason to sell the K3!

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RE: [Elecraft] UNPCBs

[Gary Hvizdak]

Tue 12 Feb 2008 09:50:45 EST DW Holtman (WB7SSSN) wrote ...

Are these really necessary?  Didn't Elecraft make the K2 to where additional

parts are really not necessary?  I have ordered every option that I will
ever want along with a Elecraft Mic, why would I want to pay for UNPCBS?

Should companies be able to "mine" information such as who ordered what from

this forum and send E-Mails for selling their goods?  I understand that this

is parts for K2. Maybe this is alright and I'm all wet.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

--

No, unpcbs are not really necessary.  (If they were, then as you point
out, Elecraft would include them with the K2.)  However, they are really
convenient.  As is our rework-free K2 assembly method and our K2 internal
mic adaptor.

Since Elecraft chooses not to include a flier describing our products
with the K2, replying to Reflector posts like yours is the best way for us
to make K2 owners aware of our products before they begin assembly.

FYI, there are many K2 owners who did not have the benefit of learning
about our products until they had already built their K2s.  My off Reflector
emails to you were intended solely to give you the opportunity to choose for
yourself whether to take advantage of our products.

If you visit our Frequently Asked Questions page and the eHam Reviews,
you'll find comments from many delighted users of our products (including
many posts in the Reflector archives).

73,
Gary  KI4GGX
(unpcbs.com webmaster)

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RE: [Elecraft] K2 and data modes

[Gary Hvizdak]

On Mon 11 Feb 2008 at 21:36:02 EST Jim Miller (AB3CV) wrote ...

Is there something that normally plugs into J5?  Or is it still a "future 
use" header?

Jim,

Nothing plugs into J5 yet.

73,
Gary  KI4GGX

P.S.  Also check out the link entitled "Add Fixed Audio Out to the K2" at
http://w3fpr.qrpradio.com/index.htm (it's at the bottom of the list).

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