Re: [Elecraft] Side Tone (Choosing the right "music") Mostly OT

[Jason Artz]

Hi Eric,

Interesting thoughts.  I am a professional musician
and owner of a K1.  I could write pages (and have,
back in school) on how and why pianos are tuned the
way they are -- they are giant mess, pitch-wise, for
many many reasons, but through lots of compramises you
end up with something that sounds good.  I will say
that when I originally built and set up my K1, I chose
a sidetone/offset frequency of 440Hz because that is
the tuning note (A) at standard US "concert pitch." 
The K1 wasn't dead on, though, and adjustments are by
10 whole Hz, so it bothered me a bit and I chose 600Hz
because it sounded good on my headphones and seemed a
popular choice. :)

I can't comment on the difference in received CW tone
on a K1 versus K2 because I've never heard a K2.  I
find the sidetone on the K1 to be pretty rich,
harmonically, but not bad.  I'd prefer it a little
less so, though, or with a different distribution of
harmonics present at different levels (sounds like a
good new add-on - essentially a synthesizer/eq for
your K1's sidetone - how about it, guys?! ;) ).  What
makes one instrument sound different from another is
partially the harmonic content and the amplitudes of
each harmonic relative to the others.  Another aspect
is the start and stop of the tone (waveform shaping?).
 I am sure someone could design a sidetone that would
sound like an instrument or some other more "pleasing"
tone.  Then they could patent it like Harley Davidson
did with their sound. 

As far as why we have the frequencies we have on the
piano (or any other western instrument), it's
generally based on the A above middle C being 440Hz. 
The rest of the notes are based on that,
mathematically.  It isn't always 440Hz, though - it's
a bit higher in most of Europe (442-444Hz) and has
historically been all over the place - as low as maybe
380 and as high as 490.  There are lots of theories as
to how 440Hz became popular - could go on about that
but I won't. :)  Suffice it to say that instruments
made of certain materials, at certain sizes, will
resonate (and "sound") better at certain frequencies. 
I think that, over time, the evolution of instruments
and pitches settled in a range that works best with
the material and acoustic limitations that we face. 
(It's still not static, though)

Why the particular tones within the octave?  It's a
western thing - they've got way more notes in
traditional Indian music and fewer in China.

73,
Jason 
ak7v

--- EricJ <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

> With so many musicians on here, including the K1/K2
> designer, maybe someone
> would comment on why sidetones are the frequency
> they are. Actually, I have
> been thinking more about how people choose the
> OFFSET they prefer more than
> the sidetone, but it's the same idea.
> 
> It's interesting that you should say the sidetone
> was offensive because it
> was not a pure sine wave. It is my understanding
> (not being a musician
> myself), that humans prefer tones with harmonic
> content. Pure sine waves
> sound simple and harsh to the ear. Maybe we would
> find that even with a
> sidetone, there is some preferred harmonic content
> that makes it richer and
> more pleasing to listen to. The same goes for the
> offset frequency. I, and
> others, have commented on how much better the K1
> sounds to us compared to
> even the K2. I don't know what quality the K1 has
> that makes us think that
> way, but there is something going on there that
> makes me choose the K1 for
> ragchewing. Something makes it less fatiguing or
> otherwise more pleasant for
> me, and it is independent of the speaker as I have
> traded external speakers
> back and forth bewteen the K1 and the K2. 
> 
> While thinking about it, and again, not being a
> musician, I began wondering
> why piano keys are tuned to the very specific, but
> seemingly odd frequencies
> they are. The lowest note on a piano is 28.5 Hz. Who
> decided something like
> that? Esp. way back 200+ years ago. All of the white
> keys are harmonically
> related to that bizarre 28 and 1/2 hz, now I know
> the reason for that, but
> why did they choose that particular frequency? I
> don't know the answer to
> that, but maybe it evolved over decades or even
> centuries of humans
> responding well to certain notes and not to others.
> (I should have done some
> basic research first, I guess). I doubt they were
> chosen at random and
> probably really do seem to be frequencies humans
> prefer.
> 
> If that is so, why don't we pick offsets that
> correspond to musical notes?
> Why do most of us pick some arbitrary offset rounded
> to the nearest 50 or
> 100. When we talk about offsets here, we are nearly
> always talking about 500
> or 600 or 700 or the screeching 1000 hz or higher
> offset that comes fixed in
> a lot of earlier rigs. Maybe the offset on the K1/K2
> menus should be
> calibrated in musical notes instead of arbitrary
> decade increments.
> 
> Eric
> KE6US
> www.ke6us.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> -Original Message

Re: [Elecraft] CW poll

[Jason Artz]

It took me a while to find, too.  If you search for
"poll," you don't get it.  They use the word "survey."

--- Dave Sublette <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

> Gee guys, maybe you need to check eyesight.  I found
> it in 3 
> secondsat the right hand side of the page in the
> box at the bottom.
> 
> K4TO
> 
> Dan Barker wrote:
> 
> >Can you be a bit more vague on the URL? I searched
> the home page and site
> >map for "poll", and used their search function for
> "vote", "vote cw",
> >"poll", "poll cw" and find no poll. Maybe you need
> to have a microphone to
> >find the page?
> >
> >Dan / WG4S / K2 #2456
> >
> >
> >There is a poll at 
> >
> >
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Re: [Elecraft] K2 musicians

[Jason Artz]

I'm late on the thread, too, but I'm a K1-owning
musician.  I am a professional bassoonist.

73,
Jason
ak7v
K1 #2024

--- Dan Presley <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

> Sorry if I'm late on thread :) I'm a professional
> jazz musician 
> (string bass) and have K2 #1010. For the last couple
> of years I've 
> been able to work a trip to  the Seaside (Or)
> hamfest and help man 
> the Elecraft table along with a performance at a
> jazz festival down 
> the road (Rockaway Beach).40 M late night (After 11
> PM PST:) is my 
> usual haunt. I was able to do a bit of dx'ing a few
> years back when 
> visiting Sapporro for some concerts, and hope to do
> that this summer 
> again if we make it to Europe. Our website is
> http://www.talljazz.com 
> enjoy.
> -- 
> Dan Presley-N7CQR-Portland, Or QRP-L #502 ARS #71
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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Re: [Elecraft] Re: [azqrp] ARRL November Sweepstakes CW

[Jason Artz]

--- Vic K2VCO <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> 
> Actually, the ARRL Sweepstakes can be a great deal
> of fun and practice 
> for the "little pistol" or QRP operator (at least
> for those in the US 
> and Canada!).

I agree!  This was my first quasi-serious (more than
10 contacts) contest attempt with my K1 and as a QRP
operator.  I snagged several new states/territories
and gained a lot of confidence in my station and
operating abilities.
 
> One way to greatly improve your CW sending is to
> make a serious contest 
> effort and send all of the exchanges with a paddle
> or bug, rather than 
> letting the computer do it.  You would be amazed at
> how much more 
> effective the real thing is than sending from the
> phone book.

I agree with this, too.  My entire SS experience
(maybe 3 hours total) was done with a paper log and
paddles.  I needed fills on about 75% of my 30wpm+
contacts at first, but after the first 15 or so, I was
solid on nearly all.  I was amazed at how quickly my
speed increased.  My sending also improved quickly.

> I also think that operating behavior was quite good
> this year, for the 
> most part.  Contesters did NOT blow off weak or QRP
> stations (not the 
> same!) and really dug to get all of the details of
> the exchange.

Agreed again!  Pretty much all of my contacts were
with "big guns," and the operating was top notch.  I
noticed none of the things others have complained
about.  

The K1s receiver worked great and the 200Hz filter is
super.  Next year I'd like to operate outside and put
up a better antenna.  My ground-floor apartment QTH is
noisy and doesn't allow much of an antenna.  Despite
that, I still had fun.

73,
Jason
ak7v

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Re: [Elecraft] An Opportunity for CW Ops

[Jason Artz]

I had some health and welfare traffic I wanted to get
onto NTS last week.  I have never operated on a
traffic net, and the instructions I found online for
checking into a CW NTS net were complicated and I
didn't feel confident about it.  I e-mailed the
traffic to another ham who was active on a voice NTS
net and got the traffic in that way.

My only rig is a K1 and I was looking forward to
submitting some traffic via CW, but I'll need to
practice net procedure/message formatting in advance.

73,
Jason
AK7V

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[Elecraft] 15 or 20 turn pot?

[Jason Artz]

Hello,

Does anyone know whether a 15 or 20 turn pot exists
that could replace the 10 turn used in the K1?

Thanks,
Jason
AC6XA
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[Elecraft] AC6XA Field Day

[Jason Artz]

Prior obligations prevented me from doing a "serious"
field day and operating very much, but I did get on
the air with my K1 (#2024) from a nearby park for
about an hour Saturday night.  I haven't done a field
day for about 10 years, and never QRP, so it was a
harrowing experience hearing 40m clogged to the gills
and trying to "bust pile-ups."  I only managed about 5
contacts in that hour, but I've been QRT for years, so
my skills aren't so sharp.  

Sunday afternoon, I went back out and tried for a few
more contacts in the final hours of the contest.  I
grabbed 4 more - a couple on 20 and a couple on 40 -
but the bands seemed really quiet compared to the
night before.  I have a feeling most of the big guns
QRT at 18:00, and I didn't start until about 19:00.

The K1s filters are great and the QSK is awesome. 
This  seems like quite a capable contest rig when
paired with a capable operator.  I don't think I'll
bother submitting my log, but 9 ops will get credit
for working me.

I used the No-Counterpoise antenna with the KAT-1. 
Tuned to 1.2:1 or better everywhere.  Power was a 5mAh
SLA battery.  

73,
Jason
AC6XA
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[Elecraft] "No counterpoise" antenna questions

[Jason Artz]

Hello,

I have been using one of these "no counterpoise"
antennas with my K1-4 and KAT1.  It seems to work
pretty well - good match with ATU on all bands and I
can make contacts.  

http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/4762

It's essentially a 50 foot piece of twin lead with the
"ground" side cut short.  A Zepp, I guess.  I don't
know much about antennas.

A question for the antenna savvy - do you think a
simple random wire (or perhaps 1/2 wave or 1/4 wave)
with 1/4 wave ground radials would work better?  I'd
like to try myself, but I don't have spare wire.  I'll
get some, but probably not in time for field day.

Also, I've been using this "no counterpoise" antenna
in an upside-down L shape, going out my apartment
window, horizontally over to a tree, and then down to
about 10' off the ground.  Should this antenna work
oriented 100% vertically?  I am trying to decide how
to rig it up on field day from the ground up into a
tree.  Any idea on what the expected radiation pattern
would be?

Thanks,
Jason
AC6XA
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[Elecraft] K1 #2024 is alive

[Jason Artz]

I finished K1-4 #2024 on Saturday morning with the
KAT1 installed.  My first contact was with someone
working the OR QRP contest, but I, being too
nervous/excited/rusty at CW to comprehend what was
going on, didn't understand what "number" he was
requesting in order to get points for our QSO (I
needed to give him a 1 - he was my first contact in
the contest - I was his 19th).  Guess I should read
the exchange rules before jumping into a contest.  If
you're out there, please accept my apology!

My next contacts were with Alberta and Hawaii - not
bad for 5 watts and a _very_ poor antenna.  Exciting!

I still have a few adjustments to make, but all in all
I am very pleased with the rig.  I hope to get my CW
speed back up to the 25wpm I had 5 or 6 years ago.

72,
Jason
AC6XA/W7



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[Elecraft] Help with troubleshooting KAT1

[Jason Artz]

Hello,

I have a new K1-4 that I built over the last couple
weeks and it seems to work fine.  It passed all its
tests.  Since I don't have an antenna, I went ahead
and built the KAT1 so that I could get on the air.  I
think I'm having a problem with it, but I am not sure
since I don't yet have an RF probe and can't do all of
the tests/calibrations.

The initial test worked - the KAT1 is communicating
with the K1 properly.

The SWR bridge adjustment, I believe, is where I'm
having a problem.  With the dummy load, my SWR in CLS
mode reads about r4.5 or so.  Adjusting C9 changes
voltage in a very narrow range (about 1.3-1.5v).  I
set it for the lowest voltage reading.  

I haven't done the power calibration yet, but if I try
tuning a wire antenna (in "tun" mode), I get a lot of
relay chattering, displayed power level fluctuation,
and eventual r9.9.   Same with the dummy load on all
bands.  All relays work - when I step through the
various L0, L1, etc., they click and I can hear a
difference in received noise level.

Will my problems be taken care of in the power
calibration step, or might I have something else going
on?

Thanks for your help,
Jason
AC6XA



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[Elecraft] EL foil for K1 backlighting

[Jason Artz]

Hello,

Has anyone tried EL foil behind the LCD display on the
K1?  The display I have does allow some light through,
so perhaps using a piece of this foil will work.

Could the power inverter generate RF interference?

If you've tried it, let me know how it went.  

Here's a source for the foil and driver:

http://www.cooltronix.com/shop/

Thanks,
Jason
AC6XA

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