Re: [Elecraft] P3 shows vertical green stripes on waterfall

[Vic Rosenthal K2VCO/4X6GP]

Various kinds of 'junk' on the screen have been reported to be caused by 
coax jumpers with poor shield contact at one or both ends. Try another 
cable if you haven't already.


On 20 Oct 2014 17:08, jsdroys...@nc.rr.com wrote:

Hello all, I am trying to figure out why our P3 panadapter sometimes
but not always shows a group of vertical green stripes that cover
about 1/6 of the width of the screen.  These stripes are not related
to RF frequency because if I switch bands they remain in the same
location.  If I remain on one band and twirl the VFO knob, real radio
signals move into the green stripes but the stripes themselves are
immobile.

Sometimes these are not there at all. Sometimes they are near the
left of the screen, more often toward the middle.

Wayne gave some instructions for investigating this on PX3,but this
is P3. Any ideas?

Am I correct that these cannot be related to real RF interference due
to the above facts? Wouldn't real RF be frequency-related? We do
sometimes get RF interference that shows as periodic narrow lines on
the waterfall, but these wide stripes are different.

THANKS! Julie KT4JR



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Re: [Elecraft] High vertical

[Vic Rosenthal K2VCO/4X6GP]

For what it's worth, the R6000 is very different from the R8.

On 20 Oct 2014 05:48, tom...@videotron.ca wrote:

Hi Robert,I can't seem to find any other messages in the reflector
about this topic. But in any case I have owned both a Cushcraft
R6000, and a HyGain AV620.I used both for at least 6 months before
moving to a cushcraft ma5b mini beam. Both antennas seemed to offer
similar performance. In this regard, I would give the edge to the
hy-gain. Both were excellent for dx, I made many qrp qso's from
Montreal to australia. The cushcraft had one annoying feature: The
minute it rained or snowed, the resonance went far off where it was
when dry. 200khz on 20m for example. The elecraft tuner took care of
it but it was annoying. The hygain has a lot of threaded rods which
need to be adjust to reach resonance. These rods are prone to seizing
the nuts on them. But once they re set the antenna never shifted in
resonance. The hygain brought me up to 200+ DXCC's. But I can tell
you this: Both are no substitute for the MA5B. Both are extremely
noisy. The MA5B gives two 2 S unit improvement as a minimum in almost
all cases, but the noise floor dropped 15dB. Anyways, they both are
good antennas, but I would suppliment them with an active antenna and
a noise phaser to null out the noise sources, which improves them
considerably. Hope this helps. Tom va2fsq.com

On 10/19/14, Robert G Strickland   wrote:

Vic... Any thoughts on choosing the Cushcraft over the Hy-Gain for
a vertical? ...robert

On 10/18/2014 14:55, Vic Rosenthal K2VCO/4X6GP wrote:


I put up an R8 vertical on a small building (containing my shack)
that sits on the roof.


-- Robert G Strickland, PhD ABPH - KE2WY rc...@verizon.net.usa
Syracuse, New York, USA



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Re: [Elecraft] High vertical

[Vic Rosenthal K2VCO/4X6GP]

The main reason is that the Cushcraft R8 was one of the antennas in the 
comparison report on verticals by N0AX and K7LXC (cost $20 but worth it) 
here:


<http://www.championradio.com/HF-VERTICAL-PERFORMANCE-TEST-METHODS-RESULTS.3>

The Hy-Gain AV-640 is very similar, but appears to have a little more 
top loading and is a bit shorter. It is also less expensive.


Incidentally, yesterday afternoon we had a storm with remarkably high 
winds. I went up to look at the antenna and had to take care not to be 
blown down. I was /very/ glad I had guyed it at two locations. I may 
even add a third set of guys.


On 20 Oct 2014 05:28, Robert G Strickland wrote:

Vic...
Any thoughts on choosing the Cushcraft over the Hy-Gain for a vertical?
...robert

On 10/18/2014 14:55, Vic Rosenthal K2VCO/4X6GP wrote:


I put up an R8 vertical on a small building (containing my shack) that
sits on the roof.




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[Elecraft] High vertical

[Vic Rosenthal K2VCO/4X6GP]

I have an apartment on the top floor of a 10-story building with a small 
roof area accessible and restrictions on antenna size. I asked for 
advice here about antennas, and got a lot of suggestions and help, so I 
thought I would post my results.


I put up an R8 vertical on a small building (containing my shack) that 
sits on the roof. The base of the antenna is about 35m above the ground. 
It sits on a 1m tall mast which is connected to the roof with a 
hinge-type mount and is guyed at two levels with 4 PES marine ropes at 
each level.


The feedline is about 10m of RG/213. I used two homemade ferrite chokes, 
one near the antenna and one at the entrance to the shack, because I was 
concerned about RFI and receive noise.


Results so far have been, in a word, great! I seem to be able to work 
anything I can hear, mostly with my barefoot K3. I have only used my amp 
a few times. I am getting good reports and breaking pileups right and 
left (all this on CW, of course).


The antenna is not as bad as I thought it would be for receive noise, 
but it is not as clean as my Pixel Loop, which is exceptionally quiet.


My experience with similar antennas at lower heights was not as good 
(yes, my call makes me DX for some, but not for the DXpeditions whose 
pileups I get through on the first or second call). All in all, life 
without a beam can be very enjoyable if you can put a vertical up high 
enough.

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Re: [Elecraft] Noise in the Mideast

[Vic Rosenthal K2VCO]

Thanks to all who responded. The Chinese radar seems to fit what I hear 
best. I'll try to null it with my Pixel Loop (which, by the way, is a 
great, quiet receive-only antenna:

)

On 12 Oct 2014 21:23, Merv Schweigert wrote:

There is Chinese Hainan Island radar that is very active, and usually on
7MHZ.
it covers 100KHZ at least,   the "smaller" 10khz wide signals are also
radar,  over the
horizon,  the smaller ones usually are several seconds of signal then
space and
repeat..the Hainan dragon is constant on all the time when operating.
it is over S9 here on 40 when its on...
Not sure if thats what your hearing or not,  K3 blanker will not handle
it,  helps a
little but not much,   I asked Elecraft about it and they mentioned an
experimental
change of some components that may help,  but I do not have the info and
have
not tried it.
73 Merv K9FD/KH6


Since getting on the air from Israel I notice an interesting noise on
the bands 7 and 10 mHz and to a lesser extent on 14 mHz. It is a
wideband 'schmutz' (technical term) which can take from 10 to 50 or
100 kHz. Its amplitude drops of gradually as you move away from the
center. It reaches S9 levels sometimes on 7 mHz.

It does not look like the typical switching supply noise. I do not
hear it on 3.5 or 1.8 mHz.

The K3's DSP noise blanker seems to help a little, but not much.
Does anyone know what it is? Could it be some kind of spread spectrum
transmission? It could be coming from anywhere in Europe or the Mideast.



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[Elecraft] Noise in the Mideast

[Vic Rosenthal K2VCO]

Since getting on the air from Israel I notice an interesting noise on 
the bands 7 and 10 mHz and to a lesser extent on 14 mHz. It is a 
wideband 'schmutz' (technical term) which can take from 10 to 50 or 100 
kHz. Its amplitude drops of gradually as you move away from the center. 
It reaches S9 levels sometimes on 7 mHz.


It does not look like the typical switching supply noise. I do not hear 
it on 3.5 or 1.8 mHz.


The K3's DSP noise blanker seems to help a little, but not much.
Does anyone know what it is? Could it be some kind of spread spectrum 
transmission? It could be coming from anywhere in Europe or the Mideast.

--
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[Elecraft] Is there a K3 macro command to bypass ATU?

[Vic Rosenthal K2VCO]

I am pretty sure that there is no way to tell the K3 to bypass or enable 
the ATU in a macro command except by simulating the button press. Am I 
correct?


What I want to do is make my "amplifier on" and "amplifier off" macros 
bypass the ATU when the amp is on but enable it when the K3 is directly 
connected to the antenna. Right now they just adjust the power output.


The simulated button presses are not a good solution because you can't 
tell whether the tuner is off or on.


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Re: [Elecraft] [K2] Output power not matching power setting and very unstable between transmissions

[Vic Rosenthal K2VCO]

Also, what about the power control pot itself?

On 10/5/2014 08:36, KY7K wrote:

I forgot to mention that all testing is into a known good DL1 dummy
load that I’m also using for my external power readings.

Any wise insights are most welcome!

Steve - KY7K k...@arrl.net Get OUT and play radio!

On Oct 4, 2014, at 10:28 PM, KY7K  wrote:


I recently purchased a used K2 (Rev A) from a club that was not
working because it had been “hooked up backward”. That is the best
anyone can remember as to what happened to the radio ~7 years ago…

Currently, the power output as displayed on the radio and on an
external power meter is very unstable and does not match the power
setting desired. This is not just a little off, I can select 1W on
the radio and then hit the tune button 5 times and might get .4W,
6.7W, HI-CUR, 9.0W, 1.2W. This is the QRP K2 with SSB, NB, KIO2 and
DSP options. The problem occurs with or without the option boards
installed.

Background: When I first tested it, it would power on but the only
function that was operational was the power control. Every other
knob and button was non-functioning as if the cpu was hung up. The
radio was not transmitting in this state. I had a old CPU (U6) from
my other K2 that I installed as a test and that seemed to fix the
problem, at least in receive. I, unfortunately, did not test it in
transmit. I ordered a FWK2MCIO kit to get a new cpu and also
ordered all the mod kits for the Rev A to Rev B upgrade, once they
came in I installed everything and while performing the the
calibrations after the upgrade discovered that the transmit power
was very unstable between transmissions. Other than the bad U6, the
only other issue I found was that the PCB trace from pin 5 of the
Mic connector on the front panel board was basically missing, from
getting shorted to +12V I assume, it disintegrated when touched...

I’ve narrowed the issue down to the control board, since if I swap
the control board from my working K2 into the bad radio the power
issue disappears. I’ve checked VRFDET, VALC, and VPWR on the
control board and they are all OK best I can tell, and I’m now at a
loss where to look next. Note: the power level is stable once it
settles on some random output power. The power level is random from
one transmission to the next.

The following links are images showing a tune cycle. The first
image shows the full scan with the radio set to ~1W and actually
putting out ~.4W. The second image is zoomed in on the start of the
cycle.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/i64sw2ue2405roe/k2_0_5w_full.png?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/qe297am756igbd4/k2_0_5w_zoom.png?dl=0

This is with the power set to ~7W and the radio indicating hi-cur,
before settling down to ~6.4W
https://www.dropbox.com/s/tqxzi3yk13gye4g/k2_hicur_full.png?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/6qz10478zt66tjd/k2_hicur_zoom.png?dl=0



Steve - KY7K k...@arrl.net Get OUT and play radio!


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Re: [Elecraft] [K2] Output power not matching power setting and very unstable between transmissions

[Vic Rosenthal K2VCO]

Did you check D9 and other components on the RF board that provide the 
VRFDET signal?


How did you check "VRFDET, VALC, and VPWR on the control board" if the
transmit power is unstable?

On 10/5/2014 08:28, KY7K wrote:

I recently purchased a used K2 (Rev A) from a club that was not
working because it had been “hooked up backward”. That is the best
anyone can remember as to what happened to the radio ~7 years ago…

Currently, the power output as displayed on the radio and on an
external power meter is very unstable and does not match the power
setting desired. This is not just a little off, I can select 1W on
the radio and then hit the tune button 5 times and might get .4W,
6.7W, HI-CUR, 9.0W, 1.2W. This is the QRP K2 with SSB, NB, KIO2 and
DSP options. The problem occurs with or without the option boards
installed.

Background: When I first tested it, it would power on but the only
function that was operational was the power control. Every other knob
and button was non-functioning as if the cpu was hung up. The radio
was not transmitting in this state. I had a old CPU (U6) from my
other K2 that I installed as a test and that seemed to fix the
problem, at least in receive. I, unfortunately, did not test it in
transmit. I ordered a FWK2MCIO kit to get a new cpu and also ordered
all the mod kits for the Rev A to Rev B upgrade, once they came in I
installed everything and while performing the the calibrations after
the upgrade discovered that the transmit power was very unstable
between transmissions. Other than the bad U6, the only other issue I
found was that the PCB trace from pin 5 of the Mic connector on the
front panel board was basically missing, from getting shorted to +12V
I assume, it disintegrated when touched...

I’ve narrowed the issue down to the control board, since if I swap
the control board from my working K2 into the bad radio the power
issue disappears. I’ve checked VRFDET, VALC, and VPWR on the control
board and they are all OK best I can tell, and I’m now at a loss
where to look next. Note: the power level is stable once it settles
on some random output power. The power level is random from one
transmission to the next.

The following links are images showing a tune cycle. The first image
shows the full scan with the radio set to ~1W and actually putting
out ~.4W. The second image is zoomed in on the start of the cycle.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/i64sw2ue2405roe/k2_0_5w_full.png?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/qe297am756igbd4/k2_0_5w_zoom.png?dl=0

This is with the power set to ~7W and the radio indicating hi-cur,
before settling down to ~6.4W
https://www.dropbox.com/s/tqxzi3yk13gye4g/k2_hicur_full.png?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/6qz10478zt66tjd/k2_hicur_zoom.png?dl=0



Steve - KY7K k...@arrl.net Get OUT and play radio!


--
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Vic, K2VCO/4X6GP
Rehovot, Israel
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Re: [Elecraft] K2 Build #7552

[Vic Rosenthal K2VCO]

I think you should go over all the solder joints on the control board. 
Just heat them up and apply a tiny bit of solder. Wait till it flows. It 
is not a good solution to leave out the screws, because oxidation may 
ultimately make the bad solder joints fail even when the board is not 
stressed.


If you don't have a good temperature-controlled soldering station, it's 
worth considering.


On 9/29/2014 05:14, Kevin Schache wrote:


Many thanks to Don and others who responded.
The problem has been fixed, I found a suspect dry joint on the PTT/ATT
switch.
I also checked the new encoder which appeared ok but I did insert a very
thin piece of insulation between the new encoder and the control board
to make sure.

All tests now appear ok UNTIL I re-insert and tighten the two holding
screws in the Control Board. When these are tightened, the control board
is pulled about 1/8th inch toward front panel, probably stressing both
boards, causing the display to be erratic (ELICRAFT instead of ELECRAFT
for example), and erratic other test results. Stressing the boards may
be causing movement in sockets where they are used.

Does it matter if I leave those two screws out?
Another option would be to put in longer screws and not tighten them so
much, or perhaps a better suggestion maybe to increase the spacer length
marginally, so that there is no stressing.

73,
Kev VK5KS


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Re: [Elecraft] The K3 and the future

[Vic Rosenthal K2VCO]

Non-ionizing radiation is electromagnetic radiation, like HF - UHF radio 
waves, that doesn't have enough energy to knock electrons off of atoms. 
X-rays, Gamma rays, ultraviolet light, etc., is ionizing radiation. We 
know ionizing radiation can be dangerous.


Some people think that non-ionizing radiation is dangerous too, so for 
example they tell you not to hold your cellphone to your ear for 20 
hours a day. In Israel, in response to national hysteria about the 
'danger' from cell towers, the government passed laws requiring approval 
of all transmitting antennas.


A ham is supposed to file an application, including calculations of 
field strength at various points around his antennas, and it has to be 
approved before he can put up an antenna (or even request planning 
permission for an antenna).


In the US, the FCC has an "RF safety" requirement but it's just pro-forma.

On 9/21/2014 2:00 PM, W2BLC wrote:

I shudder to think, but must ask: What is a "non-ionizing radiation
permit?"


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Re: [Elecraft] The K3 and the future

[Vic Rosenthal K2VCO]

No, I didn't miss this.

There is nothing like the K3 for multi-transmitter contests, DXpeditions 
and field day. I hope 4X4DK has one -- I can see his beam from my roof! 
But there are still areas of improvement for the K3.


If Rob comes to visit, I have a comfortable couch/bed he can sleep on. 
My station is set up and my license renewed, but the bureaucracy is 
grinding very slowly on the "non-ionizing radiation permit" that I need 
to put up my antenna.



On 9/21/2014 10:49 AM, Jim Brown wrote:

On Sat,9/20/2014 11:34 PM, Vic Rosenthal K2VCO wrote:

The K3 is still a great transceiver. For my purposes, there is nothing
better out there for a reasonable price. But the competition isn't
sitting still. And as everybody knows, there are some areas in which
the K3 could be markedly improved (cleaning up the audio artifacts in
QSK is my personal favorite).


Hi Vic,

You've been busy moving, and may have missed this.

k9yc.com/TXNoise.pdf

This report, which simply compares and analyzes ARRL measurements, shows
that in the realm of producing a clean signal, the K3 is an order of
magnitude better than its closest competitor, the TS590S, two orders of
magnitude better than Icom's "best," and FOUR orders of magnitude better
than Yaesu. For the non-math folks among us, an order of magnitude is
10X. So the K3 is more than 100 times cleaner than ICOM's most expensive
stuff, and more than 10,000X cleaner than even the most expensive of
current Yaesu rigs.

BTW -- I was hanging with K6RBtodaypreparing for CQP, and he's hoping to
look you up on an upcoming trip to 4X.

73, Jim K9YC
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[Elecraft] The K3 and the future

[Vic Rosenthal K2VCO]

I've been quiet lately, working on getting back on the air at my new 
QTH. But I am thinking about the future.


The K3 is still a great transceiver. For my purposes, there is nothing 
better out there for a reasonable price. But the competition isn't 
sitting still. And as everybody knows, there are some areas in which the 
K3 could be markedly improved (cleaning up the audio artifacts in QSK is 
my personal favorite).


The KX3 is apparently a great field radio. I don't need another field 
radio, though. I am never going to give up the K2 I built myself. The 
KX3, in my opinion, is not suitable for a home station, because of the 
form factor, the way accessories are connected, etc. Again, this is just 
my opinion, but I know some others share it.


So my question is, will Elecraft maintain its dominance in the home 
station transceiver market? Will the K3 be markedly improved, both 
hardware and firmware? Will there be a K3b or a K4?


I understand that the firmware/hardware of the K3 represents a huge 
investment. So maybe the best approach will be incremental. Let's say 
that Elecraft started producing a K3b with hardware modifications in key 
boards, and a firmware branch to support them. New K3 purchasers would 
get the K3b, while existing owners could buy new boards to upgrade their 
units. The K3 utility could detect the version and load the appropriate 
firmware.


Someone who is happy with his K3 as it is would not have to upgrade, and 
it would still be possible to improve K3 firmware, although probably the 
really good stuff would require a K3b.


This would be less expensive to do than a K4, and could leverage the 
experience of the designers that they have gained with the KX3.


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Re: [Elecraft] Help! Rescue me from stupid error!

[Vic Rosenthal K2VCO]

Thank to everyone who responded to my cry for help after I damaged my 
computer PS. I replaced the MOVs and the fuse and it works!

I do not recommend running 120v equipment on 240v in general!

On 9/9/2014 12:38 PM, george fritkin via Elecraft wrote:

There is nothing mechanical about a ZNR.  The electrical equivalent is back to 
back Zener diodes with a capacitor.  Some people call them Transzorbs or MOVs 
to get by trade marks.  The ZNR is a Panasonic trade mark

George, W6GF


On Tuesday, September 9, 2014 10:54 AM, "Charlie T, K3ICH"  
wrote:



A 'ZNR" is a Zinc Oxide non-linear Resistor.  It is the mechanical
equivalent of a Zener Diode.  It is a bidirectional (AC) device that will
conduct when a certain level of voltage is applied across it.  They don't
typically have as sharp a "knee" as a real Zener, but are very effective for
what they do.  Basically , a voltage surge or transient  protector.
Hopefully, they worked but are probably blown and should be replaced.

As for the rest of the stuff, I'm sure you'll find some more (inexpensive)
things to replace and the system will come back to life.

Good Luck on the repair, Charlie k3ICH


- Original Message -
From: "Vic, K2VCO" 
To: "Elecraft Reflector" 
Sent: Tuesday, September 09, 2014 1:23 PM
Subject: [Elecraft] Help! Rescue me from stupid error!



I just did one of the dumbest things I've done since I tried to swim across
the Susquehanna river with all my clothes on. I survived that, but I need
help with something else.

I just turned on a computer plugged into 230v with the switch on the power
supply set to 115v. Result: bang, smoke, house breaker (16a) pops.

I took the power supply apart (it is a funny size so I have little
confidence I could replace it). I found two obviously bad components: 1)
an 8a fuse -- no problem. 2) something marked znr1 on the board, a
component wrapped in heatshrink tubing. It was completely destroyed. Next
to it is a similar part labeled znr2. I haven't removed it yet --
so I am not sure it is good. It might be the same as the first one and it
might be marked under the heatshrink.

There is a bridge rectifier nearby which checks good. All traces look ok.
I am hoping there is someone out there who is familiar with these supplies
who can suggest what these are (zener diodes? What voltage?)
The board is made in such a way that it is difficult to trace the
wiring -- but these parts are right near the power input.


--
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Vic, K2VCO/4X6GP
Rehovot, Israel
http://www.qsl.net/k2vco/
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Re: [Elecraft] Good to see Elecraft at Sea-Pac

[Vic Rosenthal K2VCO]

In my case, it's what's under the hat that needs new firmware.

On 6/8/2014 7:42 PM, Wayne Burdick wrote:


And if your hat ever needs new firmware, it'll be free.

Wayne


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Re: [Elecraft] [KX3] Re: How Robust is the Build?

[Vic Rosenthal K2VCO]

Is this connected to what a previous poster called a "rocket lunch?"

On 5/28/2014 3:46 PM, Bruce Beford wrote:

I believe any liquid or semi-liquid, in this context would qualify.

Grant Youngman  wrote:


Is coffee, in this context, considered a "condiment"?

Sent from my iPhone



- empirically investigate the effect of condiments on option modules



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Re: [Elecraft] New k2 ghostlight mod!

[Vic Rosenthal K2VCO]

Cute. Reminds of some of the custom cars we see around here. Kustom K2 
-- could be a trend.


On 5/26/2014 6:48 PM, John Cooper wrote:

My k2 already had the five keycap leds for xit rit split, zerobeat, transmit, 
audio filter and Recieve antenna.  Now I've gone and added some leds to the 
inside of the front panel. Alpena lights I got from Autozone.  It lets you see 
where the buttons are in the dark.  Its a totally useless mod but the effect is 
neat.  I sourced power from underneath the rf board where you plug in the 
battery or amp depending on what you have.  They come on when you turn on power 
supply before you turn on radio.  The instructions say they draw .08 amps, I 
have not confirmed this. I have 2 youtube videos one is a picture slideshow and 
the other is a short video.  My youtube name is A390652.  The videos are titled 
k2backlit in action and k2 backlight details.

WT5Y


--
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Re: [Elecraft] K2 mobile,

[Vic Rosenthal K2VCO]

I use lightning protection devices formerly made by ICE, which are very 
effective for any kind of static discharge. They are now produced and 
sold by Array Solutions. You can see a picture and schematic here:



On 5/21/2014 10:19 AM, randyowen wrote:

Would like some ideas for static bleeding, run a semi truck mobile,and have
had problems with d16 and17 in the kpa100 from static, Don W. Has given me a
homebrew idea, but also wondering if there is any good commercial products
made to go across the feed line. Thanks


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Re: [Elecraft] K2/100: Power Control Defective

[Vic Rosenthal K2VCO]

Make sure to check diodes D16 and D17 -- they can be damaged by static 
discharges and cause this. There is no firmware power calibration.


On 5/18/2014 4:40 AM, Richard wrote:

A fellow ham is having the following problem withhis K2:

A year ago, we installed the KPA100 which worked fine until recently.

Suddenly, the TX Power Control failed and the K2 will deliver either
9-15 W or - with the 100W PA switched on - up to 150 W into a dummy load.

I suspect there is an issue with the TX-ALC, but no defective diode was
found.

I personally don't own a K2 but is there a TX gain calibration procedure
similar to the K3?

Suggestions welcome - thanks in advance.

73

Richard - HB9ANM



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Re: [Elecraft] P3 as a portable RFI bandscope?

[Vic Rosenthal K2VCO]

A reminder: Elecraft warned that the preamp in the P3 is sensitive to 
static discharges, so be very careful connecting/disconnecting the P3 to 
external antennas.


On 5/17/2014 4:47 PM, Jim Miller wrote:

I've pulled my P3 out of my setup to try and go searching for sources of
160/80m RFI.

I did a whole house shutdown today and made sure that anything which had a
battery was also shut down. That included the fire/burglar alarm system.
For the purposes of these two bands my house is "clean."

So now I need to do a walk around the area to see if I can locate the
sources.

I tried a little DC to daylight receiver with little success even with a
1ft diameter 2 turn loop for an antenna. The signals in question are too
narrow band and the receiver is too insensitive so the signals are buried
in noise.

I'm now trying to use the P3 in hopes that its signal processing and
averaging and ability to see a broader spectrum might be easier to use than
listening to a single frequency.

I tried the loop antenna directly into the P3 while powered on a battery
and it seems like I could use a bit of gain to get over the input noise of
the P3.

Have others tried this and if so what sort of preamp, antenna or other
setup was used?

Right now focused on 160 and 80m.

73

jim ab3cv



--
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Fresno CA
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Re: [Elecraft] Roofing Filters - An Empirical Test

[Vic Rosenthal K2VCO]

Actually, I switched to this method too, mainly because of QRQ mode. And 
I got a 400 Hz filter for the main rx.


On 5/15/2014 8:27 AM, Rick Tavan N6XI wrote:

You can mitigate that problem somewhat by listening to the DX on the
wide sub and the pileup with the narrow main rx. If the split is
(roughly) larger than the filter bandwidth difference, then loud,
continuous callers in the pile don't bother the DX signal, only your
ability to locate the weak caller in the strong pile. That being said, I
put a narrow filter in both receivers.

The unconventional technique of listening to the DX on the sub and the
pileup on the main has another benefit - you don't have to use SPLIT
mode which degrades keying at high speed and disables QRQ mode. It took
me a while to get used to it after decades of doing it the other way,
but I think the benefits outweigh the change in my cage.

73,

/Rick N6XI


On Mon, May 12, 2014 at 2:49 PM, Vic Rosenthal K2VCO
mailto:k2vco@gmail.com>> wrote:

My K3 was originally set up this way, 400 Hz in the main and 2.8 kHz
in the sub.

When working DX pileups with the main on the DX and the sub on the
pileup, I definitely noticed the 'pumping' effect on the sub only.
It was sometimes annoying when the DX was working a weak caller and
the usual loud idiots were continuing to call.


--
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[Elecraft] Balanced tuner for sale

[Vic Rosenthal K2VCO]

Not to overdo my posting privilege, but I have something that might be 
of interest for sale: An old Johnson "275-watt" Matchbox, which is a 
link-coupled balanced tuner for 80-10 meters (although WARC bands do not 
appear on the bandswitch, it usually works on 30-17-12 when set to an 
adjacent band).


The "275-watt" rating is for plate-modulated AM, and I've used it at 
1200W CW without issues. Naturally it depends on the impedance it sees.


I'm asking $85. A picture and more details are at


--
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Re: [Elecraft] Roofing Filters - An Empirical Test

[Vic Rosenthal K2VCO]

My K3 was originally set up this way, 400 Hz in the main and 2.8 kHz in 
the sub.


When working DX pileups with the main on the DX and the sub on the 
pileup, I definitely noticed the 'pumping' effect on the sub only. It 
was sometimes annoying when the DX was working a weak caller and the 
usual loud idiots were continuing to call.


On 5/12/2014 12:54 PM, Dauer, Edward wrote:

I would be interested in knowing if anyone has done an empirical test and
observed the difference directly.  Specifically, since the sub receiver is
identical to the main receiver in every way, if someone has a K3 with, for
example, a 400 Hz filter in the main but only a wider set in the sub, and
then set the DSP bandwidth on both receivers to 200 Hz or so, what
differences they actually noticed.  I have no doubt the theory and the
engineering are sound - just curious what the difference sounds like in
the field . . .

Ted, KN1CBR


--
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Fresno CA
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Re: [Elecraft] KPA500 ser. no.1066 factory built, Loose diode 1N5408

[Vic Rosenthal K2VCO]

The diode is probably not defective (although the soldering is). Unless 
your DVM measures the forward voltage drop of the diode, resistance 
readings in the forward direction are probably unreliable.

I would just resolder it and see if it works!

On 5/12/2014 10:58 AM, Poul Erik Karlshøj (PKA) wrote:

We have found a loose (de-soldered) diode 1N5408 in this factory
assembled KPA500. The diode shows >10Mohm in one direction and 2-3
Mohm (varying) in the other direction (DVM) Where is this diode
located (if there are several, then where?), what is its function and
is it replaceable by a skilled tech person? What could be the reason
for the failure - it does not appear to have been over-heated, so
desoldering appears not logical.

Is there a diagram of the KPA500 available?

73 from Steen and Paul OZ8SW (owner) and OZ4UN

--
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Re: [Elecraft] [K2] SWR meter reads 'funny' on just 20 meters

[Vic Rosenthal K2VCO]

Well, I see how his dipole might be presenting an extreme value of 
impedance on 20, depending on the length and impedance of the line.


But why is his dummy load weird only on 20M? That's a puzzle -- and it 
needs to be solved first.


On 5/6/2014 6:31 PM, Phil Wheeler wrote:

Not an Elecraft ATU?  Well, there's the problem :-)

More seriously, perhaps your tuner does not like what it is seeing.

73, Phil w7ox


On 5/6/14, 6:21 PM, inventor61 . wrote:

Don (and list)


I just replaced my 'back up shack' antenna today (it was a 45/90 OCF
experiment) with a 138' open wire fed doublet.  The center is up 50' and
the elements are more-or-less installed.  They will get more installed
later.

I used the 'Ladder-Snap' pieces to make the feedline.  In 35 years of
being
licensed and active, I have never had an open wire fed antenna.  They
look
cool, kinda retro, sort of old (like me, I am 53 today), a real classic.

Anyway, I fired up the old K2 and hooded it up to the new aerial.  The K2
(the same one since 1999) has the KAT2 installed, which works well,
but the
ATU portion isn't in line for this setup.  Instead, I have a
DC-phantom-powered SGC-239 out at the feedpoint.

Inside, I have an A-B switch that can steer the rig's output to a lab
grade
50 ohm load.

On all bands but 20 meters, the outside tuner quickly found a 'solution'
for the new doublet, none worse a match that 1.5:1.  Nice.  However,
on 20,
the K2 said it was 3.0:1  ...

Hmm..

I flipped to the dummy load.  All bands show 1:1 on the K2 display except
for 20, where it reads 1.8:1 ... into 50 ohms.

I switched the K2 display to read FWD & REV, instead of SWR, and then the
display showed 5.7W fwd and 0.7W reverse into the dummy load.

So, what do you think the problem might be?

Thanks in advance for the opinion.  Hope you're enjoying the terrific
weather.


Steve KZ1X
Chapel Hill



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Re: [Elecraft] KX3 & Chasing local HF noise sources

[Vic Rosenthal K2VCO]

It appears to me that "no-radial" verticals are also OCF dipoles, 
vertically oriented. In my new QTH I will be limited to a vertical, and 
I chose a Cushcraft (well, MFJ now) R8. It has a built-in 'balun' -- 
that is, a choke -- but I am taking no chances and have prepared another 
choke that I will mount immediately under the antenna to ensure that it 
will be decoupled from the feedline.


In addition, I am going to put yet another choke in the line where it 
enters the shack. I made these according to GM3SEK's designs 
, so they won't cost a king's 
ransom.


I hate noise!

On 5/1/2014 11:14 PM, K8JHR wrote:

K9YC raises an important issue.  I love my OCF dipole, but only because
I was very careful in how it went up.

My friend in Germany is making a serious study of common mode noise on
OCF dipoles, and from his work I know you must bring the transmission
line away at a 90 degree angle, and use a good 4:1 balun with common
mode choke, or the OFC Dipole can be an inherently noisy thing - in
fact, causing its own noise!

I have a very quiet OCF dipole, but I was extremely particular in how I
assembled and hung it, with a good balun-common mode choke, and making
sure I did not have have a problematic length of transmission line, etc.
Great antenna, I use it as net control of a nationwide net, but you
must be careful in how you build it.  If the coax comes near the
elements, even just a little, it can become problematic - affecting SWR
if not causing audible RFI.

Even if you put up resonant half wave dipoles, follow Jim's advice and
use a common mode choke.  Some guys put chokes at both ends of the
transmission line - at feed point and near the shack - and I know of no
negative or down side from doing that.

In addition to what Jim refers you to, in general, see:

www.dj0ip.de

and in particular see:

http://www.dj0ip.de/off-center-fed-dipole/what-s-wrong-ocfd/

which is all in English, and the author makes the case that many times
the 4:1 balun is poorly constructed or improperly wound to minimize
noise and effectuate the proper transformation.   And he uses 2 OCF
dipoles, himself, so it can be done with good results.   It seems that
some things called a "balun" are transformers and other things called a
"balun" are common mode chokes, and sometimes you need both functions,
and how yours is made matters.  So, read Jim's article, and the other
references herein, and maybe check out  W8JI's personal web site, for
good information on this.

Just MY take.


===  K8JHR  


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Re: [Elecraft] KX3 Bottom Cover - To Sand or not To Sand?

[Vic Rosenthal K2VCO]

I've found that the neatest way to do this is to use a motor tool (in 
the US it's a 'Dremel tool') with a conical grinding cylinder.


On 4/30/2014 12:57 PM, Don Wilhelm wrote:

Dave,

Look at that area very carefully using a light held at an oblique angle.
The masking tape may be there, but completely covered with paint.
If it is not there, scrape with a knife and then sand a little. That
paint is tough and it will take a while to sand through it. Sanding is
OK, but scraping with the blade of a knife is much easier and faster.

73,
Don W3FPR

On 4/30/2014 3:44 PM, Dave Jewell wrote:

I’m having *HUGE* fun building the KX3 which I received yesterday.

BUT… I’m now scratching my head on page 20 of the assembly manual.

This page shows various views of the bottom cover and the need to
remove the paint masks, as I’ve already done for the top cover.  The
small leftmost illustration (immediately above “Figure 25” on the
page) indicates that there should be a small mask on the left end (as
viewed in the illustration) corresponding to a much larger mask on the
right end.

On my bottom cover, this isn’t there.  I’ve removed all the other
masks - inside and out - but there is no mask to remove in the
indicated position.  And because there’s no mask, there’s paint where
there should be bare metal.


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Re: [Elecraft] QRQ CW

[Vic Rosenthal K2VCO]

I think we should all keep this in mind in case we encounter giant ants 
while operating. Possibly on Field Day?


On 4/30/2014 2:27 PM, Phil Hystad wrote:

The phrase "Over and Out" was a key part of the brief training
lessons for the young female scientist near the beginning of the
movie "Them!".  She was being taught proper protocol of using the
radio while searching for giant ants in a helicopter.

K7PEH


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Re: [Elecraft] QRQ CW

[Vic Rosenthal K2VCO]

And I have never seen the point of JT-anything or indeed any digital 
mode except CW. But I understand that ham radio is many things to many 
people, and think we should respect that.


On 4/30/2014 9:18 AM, Harry Yingst via Elecraft wrote:


I have to fully agree, personally I have never seen the point of contesting, it 
all seems pretty pointless.

In nearly every contest, I see the same thing contesters with little regard for 
other Amateurs.

I like to run JT65 and SSTV and on on the CW and RTTY contest the JT65 
Frequencies are Full
with CW or RTTY and on the SSB contest the SSTV frequencies are full SSB voice 
contesters.

And the typical response from contesters are "Use the WARC Bands".

I guess some must have a need to do something to make themselves feel special.



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Re: [Elecraft] K3 Tx audio coming through speaker

[Vic Rosenthal K2VCO]

Are you sure it is coming from the K3 speaker and not from speakers on a 
computer that is connected to the K3 line out output?


On 4/30/2014 8:55 AM, Graham Pemberton G7NEH wrote:

Hi all,

After working perfectly for awhile my K3 has developed the following
problem, when I key the mike and transmit in SSB mode the audo is
coming through the speaker while i’m transmitting, I have not got
monitor turned on and this happens wether using the internal speaker
or headphones.

I’m hoping this is just caused by me altering a parameter in the
menu’s that I shouldn’t have done.

Thank you in advance for your help

Regards Graham G7NEH K3/100 #8095


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Re: [Elecraft] P3 Carrier always 6khz below freq.

[Vic Rosenthal K2VCO]

Try a different RG58/u cable. Make sure the shield is continuous.

On 4/29/2014 2:45 PM, Phil Wheeler wrote:

In all modes or only in particular modes, Ron?

73 Phil w7ox

On 4/29/14, 2:00 PM, KM4VX wrote:

I have noticed that my P3 displays a solid carrier 6khz below the
frequency
to which I am listening. When I tune to the frequency there is no
sound but
a solid carrier on the waterfall and a good spike on the screen,
although no
audible signal. This appears consistent on every band, a spike usually
below
but occasionally above the listening frequency with a solid carrier in
the
waterfall and a spike on the screen; no audible signal when moving to
that
frequency, and the spike and carrier just moves another 6khz down.
Nothing I
do to the K3 reception makes any difference. Any information to identify
this carrier and eliminate it would be appreciated. Many thanks. Ron



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Re: [Elecraft] [P3] How to measure bandwidth of RX signal

[Vic Rosenthal K2VCO]

'Bandwidth' is measured by specifying some number of dB that a signal is 
down at a particular offset from the center frequency. A measurement in 
Hz alone is therefore meaningless.


I suspect that the number of dB needed to make the waterfall display of 
a signal disappear depends on various things, like the gain setting. So 
this is not an accurate way to measure it.


What should work is to use the spectrum display of the P3. If you want 
to know, for example, the bandwidth of a signal at 30 dB down, you just 
find the points where the 'skirts' of the signal are 30 dB below the 
peak. This is easy to do on the P3 which can display the signal strength 
in dBm.


On 4/28/2014 7:08 AM, David Cole wrote:

Hi,

All the ESSB talk got me wondering about how accurate the P3 might be
for measuring bandwidth.  Could someone review my method for this
outlined below and comment please:

1.  Use ATT if needed to avoid very strong signals
2.  Set bandwidth to 4 KHz.  See note below.
3.  Adjust Span on P3 5 KHz per side
4.  Shaded area above waterfall indicates K3 bandwidth

Watch P3.  Can one trust the waterfall display to show actual bandwidth?
If so, how accurate would it be?

Note:
I believe that the P3 is tapped prior to any BW restrictions, (of merit
to this exercise), so I understand that step 2 is just for my ears only,
and does not affect BW display on the P3.  Is that a correct assumption?



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Re: [Elecraft] [Elecraft_K3] P3 beta software with noise blanker

[Vic Rosenthal K2VCO]

Very interesting. I didn't have a lot of noise to try it with (my 
antennas have been taken down in preparation for a move, so I just stuck 
a wire in the K3 antenna jack), but I think it's going to be a help.


Two things that would make this more useful:

1) SVGA support
2) Have it turn on automatically with the K3 NB

On 4/25/2014 12:00 AM, F5vjc wrote:

This new P3 Beta Noise Blanker feature works very well for me here.

I am plagued by electric fence clicks and while the K3 NB does a great job
of eliminating the audible clicks I could always see them on the P3,
displayed as horizontal lines in the Waterfall and base line jumping in
sync with the clicks.

Now with the P3 NB engaged this annoyance is eliminated. Great job!

Many thanks Alan and Elecraft.

73 F5VJC


On 24 April 2014 22:13, Alan Bloom  wrote:




New P3 beta software, version 01.28, is now uploaded to the Elecraft web
site:

http://www.elecraft.com/software/P3/elecraft_p3_software.htm

This requires K3 firmware version 4.25 or later and if you have the SVGA
option, SVGA firmware version 1.16 or later. As always, beta test
firmware may have new issues that we haven't caught during field
testing. Please report them to k3supp...@elecraft.com.

This version has a number of enhancements and bug fixes as described in
the p3fwnotes.rtf file. The major new feature is noise blanking. Below
is some explanatory text that I will be submitting to add to the P3
Owner's Manual.

Enjoy!

Alan N1AL


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Re: [Elecraft] OT: NVIS with KX3

[Vic Rosenthal K2VCO]

1) I can't answer the question about power, but it's easy enough to try 
it and see.


2) 40M should work for this application.  Frequencies depend on local 
practice, QRM, etc.


3) You need a horizontal antenna for this mode, so a Buddipole would 
have to be configured that way. But I think -- since you would only be 
operating one band -- that a more efficient and simpler to use system 
would be an ordinary dipole. A good height for an NVIS dipole on 7100 
kHz would be 3 to 5 m above ground. I suspect that a loaded antenna like 
a Buddipole would be more affected by ground losses than a simple dipole.


All of the above is easy to test with two radios and antennas!

On 4/23/2014 9:03 PM, Johnny Siu wrote:

Hello elecrafters,

It is off topic and you may wish to press 'del' button now.

Local ham clubs together with some hams in the China Mainland are
going to do some drilling in ARES within the Pearl River Delta area
(with a radius of about 50km).  NVIS could be one of the operation to
trial run for ARES.  My questions are:

1.  Is the power output say 10w from KX3 good enough for such purpose
under SSB? We don't want CW which requires training operators.  Phone
mode can be operated by anyone with minimal guidance (a simulation
under emergency).

2. During day time, is 40m a proper band to use (no 60m band in ITU
Region 3)?  If yes, what will be usually frequencies used such
proposes?

3.  I am going to use Buddipole for the NVIS antenna.  Did you go
good results for similar operation in the past?

Looking forward to your advice and thanks in advance.  Please reply
off-the-list so as to save the bandwidth here.

73

Johnny VR2XMC


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Re: [Elecraft] Echo and feedback un SSB

[Vic Rosenthal K2VCO]

Make sure that you are using headphones ONLY (the speaker + phones menu 
entry must be off)!


On 4/19/2014 8:59 AM, David Cole wrote:

Hi,

New K3 owner here...

I have looked in the KE7X book, and can not find the answer to two
questions...

1.  When in transmit using SSB, I am getting some sort of audio feedback
only when I have the monitor level turned up.  The louder I turn up
Monitor, the more feedback I get.

2.  I have somehow turned off the NR for SSB mode only...  When I press
the 8 key, (NR), I get N/A if in SSB mode.  If in CW, it works fine...

If this is in the KE7X book, I must have missed them...  If it is, just
let me know what section it is in and I can find it.

Using this radio is somewhat of a humbling experience...  I have not
felt this new to a radio in decades...



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Fresno CA

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Re: [Elecraft] K2 BFO drift problem

[Vic Rosenthal K2VCO]

Could the core be cracked?

On 4/13/2014 11:45 AM, TheMG . wrote:

Starting to look like L33 might be defective? Still puzzling why
giving it a small nudge would cause it to behave temporarily again.
I'm not even touching the windings just gently pressing down a bit on
the part of the core that isn't covered in turns.


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Re: [Elecraft] Side Effects of QRQ On The K3

[Vic Rosenthal K2VCO]

Yes, it is heard on the sidetone. You may or may not detect it at 30 
wpm, but you definitely will at 35. The sidetone is a close 
representation of the signal as sent.


At slower speeds, QRQ mode also makes full QSK sound 'cleaner', but I 
don't think that there is any detectable effect on the transmitted 
signal under 30 wpm.


I leave QRQ turned on. I don't normally use SHIFT, so I don't miss it. 
When I turn on RIT/XIT, QRQ goes off and I avoid it when sending at 
higher speeds. When I need to operate split. I do this by listening to 
the DX on the subreceiver, tuning the pileup with the main. That way I 
do not have to activate SPLIT, which also turns off QRQ.


This is a small defect, but it is real. It is not going to make me give 
up my K3! When anyone asks for my recommendation for a high-performance 
transceiver, I recommend the K3. That doesn't mean it is perfect.


I have discussed this issue with Wayne and understand that the solution 
is not simple, and probably not fixable without a hardware mod. I for 
one would be interested in buying new synth boards if they would solve 
this problem as well as improve the QSK performance (it's too noisy).


On 4/13/2014 7:34 AM, Phil Hystad wrote:

Which brings another question --- just when should the QRQ be
enabled.  I have sent at 30 wpm and that is about the limit of my
sending speed and all mistakes are my fault -- but I have never
noticed anything choppy or unusual and I have never invoked QRQ.
Reason for not invoking QRQ is that I didn't think I needed it and I
thought QRQ was meant for something faster than 30 wpm.

Question:  is this something you hear on the side-tone monitor?  Is
it the same as sent?

73, phil, K7PEH

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Re: [Elecraft] Side Effects of QRQ On The K3

[Vic Rosenthal K2VCO]

Fred,

I am sorry if you took my remarks personally. I didn't intend to be 
'correct' at anyone's expense. But this is a real issue.


You said "the odds that you'd ever encounter and notice its effects are 
vanishingly small unless you are a 60+ WPM full QSK operator." That is 
simply not the case: the problem starts showing up around 35 wpm, in 
either full or semi-QSK.


The only ways to mitigate it are to use QRQ mode or to use manual PTT 
rather than any form of QSK.


If the fellow who started the thread never operates CW over 30 wpm, or 
if he gets used to the limitations of QRQ mode (as I have) or if he uses 
a foot switch, then, yes, he will not notice the problem.



On 4/12/2014 8:39 PM, Fred Jensen wrote:


I would normally top-post but hard in this case ...

On 4/12/2014 7:48 PM, Vic Rosenthal K2VCO wrote:
 > I don't agree. With ORQ off, once you exceed about 35 wpm it is not OK
 > with TX DELAY at 8 ms either. I'm not a perfectionist, it sounds awful.

Not sure what you don't agree with.  I said I almost never send above
35, and that's N1MM.  I rarely paddle above 25, hand dexterity issues
caused by a poor choice of Dad. [for those who don't get that, I loved
my Dad, he was really good to me, he was Danish, and it's genetic.
Geesh, you never know these days!]

 > Brian is correct that it doesn't matter whether you are using the
 > internal keyer or an external paddle or keyboard, as long as you are
 > using either semi- or full QSK.

If I didn't say that, I'm sorry, I know that.  I run full QSK all the
time, with KPA500, N1MM-Winkey or my paddles.  And yes, Brian is correct
[well, I think, I haven't actually tried it, and I'm not at all sure I
know what TX DLY is], but that's not the list item I was responding to.
  Somehow, being "correct," even if it doesn't respond the the original
question has become the current badge.  Probably not a good trend.
 >
 > Fred, I'm willing to bet that you have your WinKey USB set up to control
 > the PTT -- or maybe you have a foot switch. You are not using either
 > semi-QSK or full QSK. That is why you don't have the problem.

How much are you willing to bet? :-))
 >
 > Try this: make sure you are using either full or semi-QSK. Turn on QRQ
 > mode and send some V's at about 40 wpm. It should sound fine. Then hit
 > RIT and send a few more. You'll see.

Vic, I can't send V's at 40 WPM with my paddle any more, too many
accumulated birthdays, could when younger.

So FOTL ["Folks Of The List"] ... how about we get back to basics.  I
was responding to David Cole, who has been moderately active on this
list recently trying to figure out how to buy a K3 and what he wants
with it.  I don't know David, but his questions all smacked of
sincerity.  I think David is more concerned than he needs to be about
the K3 he's ordered, probably 99% of us know he's going to love it.  He
gets concerned about some of the peripheral threads on this list, all
welcome, but we're a diverse group and not everything that someone is
concerned about is our concern.

Learning how to sort that out takes time and experience, and if we're
lucky, some advice.  David wants a K3, he's done his research, but he's
still sensitive to peripheral posts on the list that suggest he may have
made a wrong decision.  How about we all have a little compassion for
David and all the others like him.  This is a hard list to follow,
especially if you might not be hugely technically knowledgeable.

David, you will really enjoy your K3.  Just use it out of the box for
awhile and get to know it.  You'll be able to figure out the rest, and
you'll always have help here.

73,

Fred K6DGW
- Northern California Contest Club
- CU in the 2014 Cal QSO Party 4-5 Oct 2014
- www.cqp.org


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Re: [Elecraft] Side Effects of QRQ On The K3

[Vic Rosenthal K2VCO]

I don't agree. With ORQ off, once you exceed about 35 wpm it is not OK 
with TX DELAY at 8 ms either. I'm not a perfectionist, it sounds awful.


Brian is correct that it doesn't matter whether you are using the 
internal keyer or an external paddle or keyboard, as long as you are 
using either semi- or full QSK.


Fred, I'm willing to bet that you have your WinKey USB set up to control 
the PTT -- or maybe you have a foot switch. You are not using either 
semi-QSK or full QSK. That is why you don't have the problem.


Try this: make sure you are using either full or semi-QSK. Turn on QRQ 
mode and send some V's at about 40 wpm. It should sound fine. Then hit 
RIT and send a few more. You'll see.


On 4/12/2014 3:56 PM, Brian Alsop wrote:

Not quite so.  Increase your TX DLY to 25 ms and listen to your CW.
At 8ms (default), it behaves as you say.  Significantly higher values
cause QSD.  It doesn't matter if you're using the internal keyer or an
external keyer.

73 DE Brian/K3KO

On 4/12/2014 22:35, Fred Jensen wrote:

On 4/12/2014 1:07 PM, David Cole wrote:


Could you expand a bit on the choppy CW thing?  I am a new K3 person,
and I just bought my K3.  All this talk about choppy CW makes me a bit
apprehensive. If I use a normal Vibroplex iambic paddle, and send well
am I going to have a problem, or is this something about using the KBD
option?


Short answer: No and you can stop being apprehensive about it. :-)

You will plug in your paddle [and/or external keyer and/or computer],
and you will be sending clickless CW with full-QSK.  Had the subject not
come up [again] on this email list, the odds that you'd ever encounter
and notice its effects are vanishingly small unless you are a 60+ WPM
full QSK operator.  I operate in a lot of CW contests with N1MM driving
a WinKeyUSB at between 30 and 35 WPM, KPA500, full QSK, QRQ option off.
  No one has ever given me a QSD.  When I've specifically asked friends
[good CW ops] to evaluate my keying, they tell me it's great.  My "fist"
is another matter of course. :-)

It's another example of how you have to filter a list like this one. The
variety of K3 owners is vast, and some push the limits in various ways
and at those limits, they start seeing things the vast majority of us
never do or ever will.  They tend to discuss them here, which is fine.
Those using the K3 as the IF for transverters up to the microwave ranges
are very concerned about frequency stability, and often discuss it on
this list too.  Your K3 will be rock-solid for you on HF, no need for
apprehension over that either.

73,

Fred K6DGW
- Northern California Contest Club
- CU in the 2014 Cal QSO Party 4-5 Oct 2014
- www.cqp.org


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Re: [Elecraft] Rig Interface for Digital

[Vic Rosenthal K2VCO]

Not to mention that the other guy laughs when you give him a signal 
report of 5NN on RTTY.


On 4/6/2014 10:27 AM, Joe Subich, W4TV wrote:

There are very few users who can consistently send one character every
160 ms on keyer paddles and that's what it takes to generate "clean",
properly timed RTTY (at 45.45 baud - it's even worse at 75 baud).


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Re: [Elecraft] K3 - Ergonomics

[Vic Rosenthal K2VCO]

I too am an 'old' K3 owner (in more than one sense). I have K3 #0007. 
Yes, /seven/. I was one of the incredibly lucky members of a focus group 
when the K3 was still in prototype form.


I love my K3 as much as anyone can 'love' a radio. But I agree with 
Dave, Joe and Ian that the K3 still has some rough edges.


My analysis is that this is an economic problem. Elecraft has to pay the 
bills, which they can't do unless they sell stuff. I once suggested to 
Wayne that he charge something for 'premium' firmware, possibly with 
specialized features that not everyone would want. That would give them 
some revenue to finance continued development for existing products.


He told me -- in no uncertain terms -- that Elecraft would never, ever 
charge anything for firmware updates.


In any transaction you get what you pay for, and we have no way to pay 
for continued K3 development.


On 4/3/2014 2:12 PM, David and Dianne on Comcast wrote:

Joe, W4TV and Ian, GM3SEK; I found both of your posts to be spot on with
me and very insightful.

I own K3 #371 and have been disappointed with the lack of its further
development in the past 18 months or the "finishing" of some features as
mentioned by Ian.. And as much as I have tried, really tried, for SIX
years to adapt to the "tap and hold" button feature...it's not for me.

When new, the K3 was a blast to own, to use and to participate in the
development of it for about the first four years. But my attitude
towards it has changed in the past two years or so.

It's not the the K3 is "bad", far from it, but  it could be refined into
an even better rig rather than into an apparent development stepping
stone for the KX3 which holds no interest here for me. To me, one of the
shortcomings of SDR is that the promise of on-going support and upgrades
is usually not fulfilled in the long run, for myriad business and
technology related reasons. I view promises from any manufacturer (TT,
ICOM, Kenwood, Flex etc.) concerning future, long-term firmware
development with great skepticism. It never continues past a certain
time-frame which is usually ends much sooner than one initially
expects.  As for updated/redeveloped K3 boards to be forthcoming, I hope
... but expect not. So I am not holding out hope for any further
meaningful development for the K3. Elecraft has been far better with it
than most but it appears that the K3 with 8000+ units sold is now a
mature product which will see refinements and enhancements as rarer and
rarer occurrences if at all.

I have found myself contemplating parting ways with the K3 and Elecraft
of late being drawn back to using  my TT Corsair II and Omni V.9 more
and more. Highly modified by me, they compete very favorably with the K3
for my op style and expectations. (IMO TT has gone in a very strange
business direction of late which causes me to wonder what they are doing).

Everyone is entitled to their personal opinions and for most the K3
seems to still be the epitome of HF rig evolution. That's fine. I mean
you no bad will nor is my intention to convince you otherwise.

But after six years I still miss my dedicated band switching (with
stacking registers) and I still don't like Kool-Aid regardless of
flavor.  ;-)

73 de N1LQ-Dave



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Re: [Elecraft] Stereo CW on the K3?

[Vic Rosenthal K2VCO]

What -- they implemented this first on the KX3 and not the K3? I 
remember discussing this in the FT days of the K3! Come on, guys...


On 4/2/2014 9:59 AM, Chris G7DDN wrote:

Apologies if this has been mentioned before...

One of the things I _/really/_ love about the KX3 is the stereo panning
of CW signals low to high pitch. It makes reading CW so much easier
especially during contests.

Is there any chance that feature can be incorporated into the K3's
firmware sometime? The K3 is perhaps more of a contest radio than the
KX3 and this is one area (it seems to me) to be deficient.



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Re: [Elecraft] KX3 Audio Power

[Vic Rosenthal K2VCO]

I've always been able to eliminate RFI in amplified computer speakers by 
wrapping as many turns as I can get of the audio and power leads around 
ferrite toroids.


The problem I've had is that they sound awful, especially with CW. They 
tend to buzz at particular frequencies. Maybe I've just had bad luck 
with the ones I've tried.


On 3/28/2014 10:56 AM, Doug Person wrote:

This has been a significant problem for the powered speakers I have
tried.  Even the West Mountain Radio speakers that are supposed to be RF
proof are not RF proof.

I'm going to try a few of the single-ic audio chips to see I can produce
enough clean audio while avoiding the RF feedback problem.

Doug -- K0DXV

On 3/27/2014 11:47 PM, Jim Brown wrote:

On 3/27/2014 6:02 PM, Ross Primrose N4RP wrote:

Just use a pair of small amplified computer speakers


Be careful about that -- most amplified loudspeakers have RFI problems.

Remember that the KX3 is specifically designed to be a backpacking
rig, so everything, including the audio amp, is designed to be stingy
about using battery power.

One simple thing we can do to maximize the audio output level is to
use RXEQ to roll off the lower three bands. The sound in these lower
bands makes no contribution to communications, but it does use power,
so when we get rid of it, we can use the power for the sound that
matters.

73, Jim K9YC



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Re: [Elecraft] KRX3 K3 Subreceiver Install

[Vic Rosenthal K2VCO]

It's not hard, but be careful plugging in the small coax cables. If they 
seem to require a lot of force, you may not have aligned the center pin 
with the contact in the jack on the KRX3 board. Too much force can 
damage the jack or the board.


On 3/27/2014 5:23 PM, Charles Tropp wrote:

Hi Phil,

I installed my sub-receiver a few months ago without difficulty. If you
have been inside your K3 previously, all will seem familiar. If not,
just follow the directions precisely and you will have no trouble. Don't
forget to install all your filters for the main receiver before you
start the new installation so that you don't have to take everything
apart again to reach them. By the way, I just love KRX3. It is so easy
to work split now that I cannot remember how I did it before.

Good luck,

Charles, N2SO
On 3/27/2014 7:32 PM, Oliver Dröse wrote:



--
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Vic, K2VCO
Fresno CA
http://www.qsl.net/k2vco/

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Re: [Elecraft] T/R switching problem

[Vic Rosenthal K2VCO]

As Don suggests, the problem can be anywhere in the antenna system, and 
in my experience it is much more likely to be a connector than the K3.


I once had a similar problem that drove me nuts until I discovered a 
corroded solder joint INSIDE an encapsulated balun.


A film of oxide on a poor connection can often be temporarily cleared 
when you transmit (you are probably transmitting a little RF when you 
just tap the PTT) but will fail to pass the tiny current from a received 
signal.


There are various relays in the K3, but the t/r switching is performed 
by diodes.


If you have a different antenna with a different feedline, then that can 
provide a way to tell if it is the rig or the antenna system.


On 3/25/2014 6:40 PM, Jan wrote:

I am having a problem with T/R switching in my K3.  The symptom is that,
after I transmit, the receive signals are sometimes very attenuated.
This problem has gotten worse.  At first, simply a quick tap on the PTT
switch fixed everything, but now, at least on phone, I must make a brief
additional transmission to get the receive to return.  Today, the
problem got worse, and sometimes I have to really fuss with things to
get receive back.  Here are some questions:

1. Is there a T/R relay in the K3, and does this sound like it is
sticking, at least to the extent that it does not make good contact
on receive?
2. Has anyone had the similar problem, and what was the solution?
3. If it is a relay, can it be replaced easily, or is this a return to
Elecraft situation?
4. If it is simply a relay replacement, where is the relay located?

Thank you,

Jan, KX2A


--
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Re: [Elecraft] OT: New soldering station needed

[Vic Rosenthal K2VCO]

I have one too, and it is great. It heats up almost instantly. And I 
recently had a very pleasant experience dealing with the importer, 
American Hakko, who got me a 230v transformer for it from Japan.


On 3/25/2014 9:38 AM, Josh Fiden wrote:

I use Hakko FX-951 in a production environment. This is an excellent,
durable soldering station. If you haven't used a modern soldering
station with fast thermal recovery, you're in for a treat!

These replaced Weller stations which required a significant spare parts
inventory to keep running.

73,
Josh W6XU



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Re: [Elecraft] P3 & marker B transmit freq.

[Vic Rosenthal K2VCO]

One reason for doing this is so that you do not have to use SPLIT, which 
turns QRQ mode off. QRQ mode produces 'cleaner' QSK even at slower 
speeds, and is pretty much necessary over about 35 wpm to avoid badly 
malformed CW.


This is one of the 'rough edges' of the K3 which has to do with the time 
it takes the synthesizers to reliably change frequency.


I use macros to take me into/out of "pileup mode', including activating 
the subreceiver, putting the appropriate signals into the right and left 
channels, moving up two kHz, etc. One minor problem is that the sub 
balance control works backwards for my preferred placement of DX in the 
left ear and pileup in the right.


I am not totally happy with this situation, but QRQ mode is important to me.

On 3/19/2014 12:18 PM, Ian White wrote:

Forgive me, but I don't understand why anyone calling in a pileup would
ever wish to use the main RX to tune the pileup, while listening to the
DX station on the 2nd RX.

The K3's Main RX and 2nd RX are identical in performance; but they are
not identical in ease of use. It always takes a few seconds more to
reach the functions of the 2nd RX because of the BSET button.

We need to ask ourselves: which station do we need hear the best; and
why?

The DX station that we are trying to work is the ONLY station that we
need to copy accurately and in detail. That station is also likely to be
quite weak, and these days we may also be fighting deliberate, malicious
QRM on the DX station's own frequency. For all of those reasons, surely
it makes sense to listen to the DX station on the Main RX (VFO A) where
all of the K3's QRM-fighting tools are instantly to hand?

The 2nd RX is completely adequate for tuning the pileup because we
aren't listening for details there. We only need to find where a station
is sending "599" and "TU", to help us judge where and when to place our
own call. We don't need to copy any further detail, so why waste the
Main RX on tuning the pileup?

For tuning the pileup with the 2nd RX, I have always found my saved
Normal passband settings to be completely adequate, and have never felt
the need to change them on the fly. There isn't time to do that anyway,
because in the next few seconds everything will have moved on.

Maybe this is all a habit, developed from using older transceivers with
a very inferior 2nd RX... but it still seems to make good sense today.


73 from Ian GM3SEK



-Original Message-
From: elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net [mailto:elecraft-
boun...@mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Vic Rosenthal K2VCO
Sent: 19 March 2014 14:26
To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] P3 & marker B transmit freq.

This is what I've learned to do. The only problem is that once you

enter

this mode, if you want to fool with selectivity, APF, shift, etc. to
hear the DX better, you must press BSET first.


--
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Re: [Elecraft] P3 & marker B transmit freq.

[Vic Rosenthal K2VCO]

This is what I've learned to do. The only problem is that once you enter 
this mode, if you want to fool with selectivity, APF, shift, etc. to 
hear the DX better, you must press BSET first.


On 3/19/2014 6:42 AM, Peter Wollan wrote:

Another thought  how about putting the magenta marker on the DX
transmit frequency, and roam up with the A green main knob?  And leave
split off.

  Peter W0LLN


On Wed, Mar 19, 2014 at 8:35 AM, Sam Morgan  wrote:


just a thought
how about creating a macro that does what you want...?


On 3/19/2014 9:31 AM, Gary Smith wrote:


Bill,

Understood that some only use it that way, that is not my norm
though. I chase DX and If I engage the magenta operation with the P3,
its to be transmitting on a DX's listening frequency and in all those
cases I will be split.


--
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Re: [Elecraft] Al-572 and KXPA100

[Vic Rosenthal K2VCO]

This isn't a problem with the KX3's SWR detection circuitry. If it is 
detecting a high SWR, it's because the KX3 is producing RF output before 
the t/r relay has closed and the relay is hot-switching. The SWR 
detection is doing its job and protecting the KX3 and the amplifier!


The solution is either to speed up the amplifier's relay or add some 
more delay before the start of RF generation after the assertion of PTT 
by the KX3, as you say.


On 3/18/2014 8:14 AM, bruce whitney wrote:

Regarding keying another amplifier from the KX3/KXPA100: There is a
problem currently being addressed beyond the (electrical specs of
current and voltage) capacity of the PTT line to key another
amplifier. Currently the KXPA100 cannot be used to key an amplifier
with slow frame relay TR switching. The SWR detection cicuitry in the
KXPA is too fast to allow the external amp (non-QSK) to go to
transmit without tripping out on "ANT FAULT". If you want to drive an
amplifier with non-QSK relaying you will have to use manual PTT to
key the amplifier to transmsit before giving it any RF power. I
understand our Heros at Elecraft are working on incorporating a menu
adjustable timing delay to allow VOX keyng without the ANT FAULT
problem. Bruce W8RA



--
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Re: [Elecraft] QSK

[Vic Rosenthal K2VCO]

You probably have your contest program set up to assert PTT. There will 
be a connection from the computer to the PTT jack on the rig (K3?). 
Either unplug it or tell your contest program not to assert PTT.


On 3/18/2014 7:33 AM, Tom Fitzpatrick wrote:

I noticed during a recent CW contest that my computer-generated CW
was not QSK (key jack in the rear) but the internal CW Keyer (paddle)
was.  I have the rig set for QSK.  I could swear that in previous
contests the QSK was consistent.  I must be missing something?


Tom, K4IE


--
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Fresno CA
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Re: [Elecraft] KXPA100 SN 707 Total Frustration with this Amp

[Vic Rosenthal K2VCO]

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Re: [Elecraft] K3 DSP bypass

[Vic Rosenthal K2VCO]

Not without a big hardware modification. The detection (do we still call
it that?) -- conversion to audio is done in the DSP. And a lot of other
stuff.

On 3/3/2014 5:32 PM, GDR wrote:

Can the DSP in the K3 be bypassed? In other words, can it be operated
as a conventional superheterodyne receiver without any processing?
Would be interesting to do A/B comparison testing. Years ago I had a
Ten Tec Omni 6 Plus, a great radio except for the horrid DSP hiss. I
always wished I could somehow bypass or defeat the DSP just to see
how much better it would be to listen to through a long contest
without that awful hiss.



--
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Re: [Elecraft] KPA500 Combiner

[Vic Rosenthal K2VCO]

My thought is that connecting two standalone amplifiers, each with its 
own protective circuits, bias supplies, etc. with a combiner is kludgy 
and likely to lead to problems.


Now the KPA1500 prototype -- that was neat.

On 3/3/2014 9:33 AM, David Gilbert wrote:


I really don't find those kinds of generalizations very constructive ...
or accurate.  LOTS of hams live where putting up an additional kilobuck
worth of aluminum is out of the question due to space or neighborhood or
aesthetic considerations.   An extra 3 db of transmit power can make a
noticeable difference for them without violating those other
considerations, especially if their local noise levels are low on
receive.  Whether that is worth $1K to them will vary from ham to ham.

Besides, for many hams who already have decent antennas on a decent
tower, it would probably take considerably more than $1K to get that
extra 3 db out of more aluminum.

Lastly, if you don't think an extra 3 db can represent a significant
improvement on HF, check out http://www.ab7e.com/weak_signal/mdd.html
Anybody who is an active contester or DXer on HF will often find that
extra 3 db useful in a pileup.

73,
Dave   AB7E



--
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Re: [Elecraft] Advice on 6 meters...

[Vic Rosenthal K2VCO]

My 2 cents: I am on the West Coast, and I have a 3-element beam at about 
18 feet for 6 meters. I run 100w from my K3, CW only. During the summer 
when there are sporadic E openings, I have worked stations all over the 
US, including the East Coast. VHF contests are also an excellent time to 
get on.  But it's mostly dead, especially in winter. I haven't 
experienced a single F2 skip opening this cycle (if there was one, I 
missed it).


I recall working stations all over the country with about 5 watts of AM 
phone in 1957. Imagine 6 meters full of heterodynes, wall-to-wall AM 
stations!  DX, too. But those days are probably not going to return for 
a while.



--
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[Elecraft] Stuff for sale, prices reduced

[Vic Rosenthal K2VCO]

I'm leaving California after 25 years and going back to Israel in 
September. I'm selling a lot of stuff I've collected, mostly boat anchors.


Have a look here


I have lots and lots more, but these are some of the bigger items.
--
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Re: [Elecraft] K3 with erratic QSK and CW Delay

[Vic Rosenthal K2VCO]

First, are you using any auxiliary devices connected to PTT? If so, 
disconnect all the 'interfaces', etc., and try it just with a paddle. 
Try it with a dummy load to rule out RF as a problem. Or even in TX TEST 
mode. I can't think of any menu parameters that would cause this.



On 2/20/2014 9:10 AM, r...@aol.com wrote:


My K3 has always had erratic QSK.  I asked Elecraft to  check this out when
the K3 was returned to Elecraft on another repair  issue and the Tech said
the QSK "checked out fine".  I don't  doubt the Tech's word as he was even
nice enough to phone me while he was  working on the radio.  So crazy as it
seems,  the K3's QSK works while  in California... but it does not work when
it gets home  to Florida!  Here's the issues:

QSK: The QSK will often work when the radio is cold and  first turned on.
But after the first or second transmission, the  QSK quits working, and acts
like it's in semi-break-in.  Seldom will  the QSK ever work again until the
radio is powered off.  Therefore, I've  given up on QSK and operate
semi-breakin.

SEMI-BREAKIN:  Until recently, semi-breakin worked  fine and would quickly
return to receive as it should with the DELAY set at  0.  But today it's
acting up as there's a substantial delay after the last  CW character is sent
before it returns to receive.  I'd estimate a half  second delay before it
returns to receive.  This issue is the same  whether the VOX is on or off and
the same with the QSK on or  off.  I did double check the Delay setting and
it is set to ).   (zero)  I'm sure you will agree that trying to  "run"
stations in a contest with a half second delay before returning  to receive is a
horrible experience.

Question:  Are there any settings besides  "DELAY" that can effect how long
it takes the K3 to return to receive after  transmitting the last CW
character?  Perhaps a Menu setting needs  changing?

Thanks & 73,

Dick- K9OM



--
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Re: [Elecraft] Noise, RFI ?

[Vic Rosenthal K2VCO]

Me too, as high as possible. Gets rid of a massive amount of clicks and 
transmitted phase noise!


Sorry, couldn't resist.

On 2/19/2014 12:43 PM, mcduf...@ag0n.net wrote:

My favorite trick is to toss a small radio like a IC706 up


--
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Re: [Elecraft] [k3] OT - Antenna for apartment use

[Vic Rosenthal K2VCO]

It's a 4-1/2 foot whip, working against the coax shield as a 'radial'. 
Probably the coax will radiate more than the whip, especially if the 
coax is stretched out full length.


An indoor dipole would certainly work better. A couple of pieces of wire 
matched by the K3 tuner would work as well or better. There is also the 
likelihood of RF on the coax affecting the transmitter, or arcing to the 
operator if the circumstances are right!


Don't waste your money.

On 2/13/2014 4:49 PM, David Guernsey wrote:

I have a K3/10 SN 4052 that I would like to use in an apartment/condo with no 
outdoor access.  Have looked at
MFJ-1621as possibility.  Any comments or other recommendations are desired.

73 de Dave KJ6CBS


--
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Re: [Elecraft] A confession

[Vic Rosenthal K2VCO]

The K3 will work fine if you never update the firmware. You should also 
not need to access the menu in normal operation. I am a person who likes 
to twiddle things -- you may not be. But it isn't necessary.


The K3 will provide much better performance than the transceivers that 
you mention below in situations where there are strong signals close to 
a desired signal. If you don't do an A/B comparison you might not notice 
this -- or, it may not be important for the kind of operating you do.


It also has a feature which the other transceivers do not have, which is 
the ability to do true double-diversity reception. Again, this might not 
be important to you.


Finally, it is true that the K3's human interface is a little different 
than what you may be familiar with. This is not an important 
consideration, since you will quickly get used to whatever radio you use.


On 2/8/2014 11:48 PM, Gary NL7Y wrote:

Thanks to all, including Wayne N6KR, for commenting on their experience and
suggestions for continued use of the K3/P3.

Despite my experience and ability to read the OM, I had some issues with the
audio output connections and 2nd VFO control. It was recommended to me to
return the rig for a rebirth because I hadn't used the Utility program and
saved the original factory configuration before a hard reset. Its
consequences wasn't a deal breaker, and Elecraft treated me very well as
always getting the radio back operating properly.

My conundrum is how the K3 (and work in progress P3 with SVGA-keyboard
enabled software) will exceed the performance of my TS-590, MK-V Field, or
unmentioned IC-765. I'm not a troll as some have suggested (my skin is
tougher than yours), but a rather basic person given to operating rather
than idly fussing with electronics.

I've owned and/or operated many radios over the last 20 some years and am
very familiar with my second K3/P3. The question remains for me to answer:
will they both still be in a box a month from now? And if so, why not?

Thanks for any comments either directly or here. I'm looking for perspective
on the Elecraft products versus others some have used.

73, Gary NL7Y



--
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Re: [Elecraft] Vedr: Vedr: [KX2]

[Vic Rosenthal K2VCO]

I'd like this, too. I know it's only 3 dB, but there are contests that 
define the "low power" class as 150 watts or less. Some amplifiers 
require more than 100W drive for full output. And of course the US 
regulations allow 200W on 10 MHz.


On 2/7/2014 9:40 AM, Gary Gregory wrote:

200w PA as an option for the K3?oh yeahI just feel a need to add to
Wayne and Erics retirement account.:-)

73
Gary



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Re: [Elecraft] # 5607 first contact QRP!

[Vic Rosenthal K2VCO]

Actually, many QRPers seem to be saying that it's /easy/ to work the 
world with 5 watts and a crummy antenna, and it's sinful to use more 
power, or, God forbid, a beam.


It is /hard/ to work DX with 5 watts and a low dipole (or worse, a 
Buddipole or similar antenna). This can be very frustrating to new hams 
who have yet to develop the operating skills that make this possible.


QRP is great fun, but the 13 dB between 5 and 100 watts is very 
significant. And the difference between a short, loaded vertical and a 
beam can be even more significant.


On 2/5/2014 1:34 PM, EricJ wrote:

Sorry to point out the obvious, but that could be said of any power
level. And add band conditions at any particular point in time. There's
nothing magic about 5 watts out and there's no more magic at 100 watts
out. 100 watts will get out some times when 5 watts won't, but 5 watts
(or far less) will get out a lot more times than most hams realize. I
think that's all most QRPers are saying.

Eric
KE6US




On 2/5/2014 12:18 PM, Jim Brown wrote:

Sorry to be a wet blanket, but it's the antennas and the operators (on
both ends) that makes QRP work (or not).

73, Jim K9YC


--
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Vic, K2VCO

Fresno CA

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Re: [Elecraft] [K2] R1 and D4 connecting?

[Vic Rosenthal K2VCO]

The schematic shows that D4 is connected to the wiper of R1. So yes, it 
is supposed to be like that!


On 2/1/2014 2:00 PM, Lane wrote:

Since its a Saturday, thought I'd try here. I'm on the front panel board of
the K2 and my eyes are playing games with me today.

On pg. 24, a diode for D4 was installed.
On pg. 26 a 5-k linear-taper R1 was installed.

After installing these two and looking from the bottom side, it appears as
if the center of the three leads from R1 and the left lead (band end) of
the diode on D4 are so close together that they can touch? I didn't look
too closely on these before adding R1 and tried to wick off any soldier,
but my eyes are playing games on me today and I can't tell.

I was hoping someone could confirm. Any help much appreciated.
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73,

Vic, K2VCO

Fresno CA

http://www.qsl.net/k2vco/

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Re: [Elecraft] KPA500 RFI Problem

[Vic Rosenthal K2VCO]

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Re: [Elecraft] W2 serial command questions

[Vic Rosenthal K2VCO]

I can't speak for Elecraft, but the conversation took place in the last 
couple of weeks. I also suggested that they add a "net power" display 
mode (forward - reflected) like the Alpha 4510 and Telepost LP-100A 
wattmeters have, since this more closely approximates what we understand 
as "power output" than forward power whenever the SWR is greater than unity.


On 1/19/2014 9:33 AM, Pierfrancesco Caci wrote:

"Vic" == Vic Rosenthal K2VCO  writes:



 Vic> I spoke to an Elecraft employee about bugs in the W2, and he confirmed
 Vic> that there are a number of them and that they are planning to come out
 Vic> with a new version of the firmware at some point (I don't want to say
 Vic> real soon now').

How long ago? Seems firmware hasn't been updated in a while.

 Vic> The manual IS incorrect about the alarm needing to be turned on each
 Vic> time you power on. In a previous firmware update they made it 'sticky'
 Vic> so that once you enable it, it stays enabled until you turn it off.

Many thanks Vic, I can see that Alarm is saved to eprom. I didn't notice
this during previous tests.
I guess fixing the manual is easier than fixing the code ;-)

Pf



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Vic, K2VCO
Fresno CA
http://www.qsl.net/k2vco/

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Re: [Elecraft] W2 serial command questions

[Vic Rosenthal K2VCO]

I spoke to an Elecraft employee about bugs in the W2, and he confirmed 
that there are a number of them and that they are planning to come out 
with a new version of the firmware at some point (I don't want to say 
'real soon now').


The manual IS incorrect about the alarm needing to be turned on each 
time you power on. In a previous firmware update they made it 'sticky' 
so that once you enable it, it stays enabled until you turn it off.


On 1/19/2014 7:20 AM, Pierfrancesco Caci wrote:


Hello,
I'm playing with the serial commands for the W2 wattmeter.
First question, how often can I poll it? My main loop polls for status,
forward, reverse and swr, then waits for a keypress for 0.2 seconds.
Is it safe to reduce to 0.1 s?
Then, in the output of the 'i' command, bytes 2 and 8 seem to have the
same info, except that 8 also tells me if there's no sensor connected at
all. So, what's the purpose of byte 2?
The manual says that command 'c' would respond with 'c;' if alarm was
not active. Instead, I only get ';'. Looks like a bug in the manual?
Sometimes, one single 'c' is not enough to clear the alarm, I have to
repeat the command.
And about the alarm, the owner's manual says:
"The SWR Alarm function must be enabled each time the W2 power is turned
on."
Instead, I see that it starts in Alarm ON mode. I can see this by
tripping it, and also the first 'a' command will report 'a0', which
means the alarm has been deactivated. Am I misunderstanding the manual?

Thanks

Pf





--
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Vic, K2VCO
Fresno CA
http://www.qsl.net/k2vco/

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Re: [Elecraft] K3/KPA500/KAT500 SWR problem Update2

[Vic Rosenthal K2VCO]

Depending on the location of the feedpoint, the currents may be balanced 
even if the antenna is asymmetrical. Consider the "end-fed Zepp" antenna 
in which there is a tiny or non-existent horizontal section on one side 
and a multiple of half-waves on the other.


Of course, if one side of the antenna is lower than the other or closer 
to conducting objects, the theoretical balance will not be obtained.


An additional problem, even if the antenna is center-fed, is that the 
feedline must come away from the antenna at a 90 degree angle from the 
wires for some distance. Otherwise, the feedline will pick up RF that 
was radiated from the antenna, in common mode. I suspect that pick up of 
radiated RF is more likely with an OCF antenna.


A choke/balun at the feedpoint will force the feedline currents to be 
balanced even if the antenna currents aren't. But if RF that is radiated 
by the antenna is being picked up on the feedline (e.g., on the outside 
of a coax line or on a balanced line in common mode) then you will also 
need a choke at the entry to the shack.



On 1/10/2014 3:04 AM, Ray Coles wrote:

Buck K4IA casts aspersions on the OCF Dipole by saying that it "Is
inherently unbalanced"; but although the antenna is geometrically
asymmetric, it is not inherently unbalanced as far as the feeding is
concerned. See W8JI paper on the subject which shows that the standing wave
pattern across the dipole OCF antenna is exactly the same as a center-fed
version. The main thing that changes is the feed impedance.

Having said that, I have responded to all who suggest that common-mode
currents on my feeder could be my problem by making myself what is often
referred to as the finest and most versatile common mode choke balun, as
described by GM3SEK. Yesterday I completed it and installed it just South of
my 4:1 Balun under the antenna feed point (I made the mid band version, and
used all the right Ferrites and winding arrangements). I really believed
this would fix my problem (which mainly affected 40-14m), but it didn't
unfortunately.  If anything, my problem seemed worse. My next step will be
to move it from the feedpoint to the shack entry, because I am worried that
since replacing and re-routing my coax feeder I may have exposed it to
closer coupling to the antenna (it's now more parallel and unburied). I hope
Reflector readers are not getting too bored with my problems and attempts to
overcome them. I am still driven by the 10 months I had using my OCF and
Elecraft rig on all bands from 80-6meters and working lots of DX!



Ray Coles, C.Eng. M0XDL

10 Littlemoor Road,

Weymouth DT3 6AA

Tel: +44 (0) 1305 833699

Mob: 07831 516517


--
73,

Vic, K2VCO

Fresno CA

http://www.qsl.net/k2vco/

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Re: [Elecraft] External speaker recommendation.....

[Vic Rosenthal K2VCO]

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Re: [Elecraft] W2 Wattmeter alarm function doesn't activate on hogh SWR

[Vic Rosenthal K2VCO]

Here is a reply that I received from another fellow on the reflector. I 
followed his advice and it solved the problem (it was a direct reply so 
I won't give his name or call, but I was very grateful for his help)!


-
You have to set the alarm SWR level by using the “[“ and “]” commands 
(no quotes) in the W2 Utility program. [ lowers the SWR, ] raises it. 
The initial value in the firmware is undefined, so you have to set it 
yourself. You may have to issue multiple [ or ] commands to get a valid 
response from the W2. This is a known firmware bug which is being worked 
on, as is a few others. Another bug is that after the SWR alarm trips, 
you have to push the “sensor” button multiple times to get the W2 to 
reset, but if you have set PWR (serial) to PEP in the W2 GUI application 
(not utility program), it will reset after one attempt.



Note that this is done using the W2 Utility program, which is not the 
same as the W2 interface program. They are both downloadable from th 
Elecraft site.


On 12/29/2013 7:10 AM, Ken Roberson wrote:

Vic,

OK , Same here , And right when I'm setup to use that feature .

73 Ken K5DNL / WG2XXM



On Saturday, December 28, 2013 10:43 PM, Vic Rosenthal K2VCO
 wrote:
Hello folks,

I sent this to Support, but they are probably resting up until Monday,
so I thought I would ask here. Has anyone had this problem with the W2
wattmeter?

I just assembled my unit. It seems to work correctly except that I can't
enable the alarm function.

1. When I turn the W2 on, I hear the relay click, and it does interrupt
the ptt at this point.

2. The W2 utility program (USB, running on XP) finds and communicates
with the W2. When I click on the ALARM button, the label changes from
OFF to ON.

3. But when I test it by transmitting into a 'wrong' antenna (SWR=13:1)
it does not flash LEDs or activate the relay.

4. Firmware is 1.00 and utility program is also 1.00.

Has anyone had a similar problem?
--
Vic K2VCO
Fresno CA
http://www.qsl.net/k2vco/


--
Vic K2VCO
Fresno CA
http://www.qsl.net/k2vco/
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[Elecraft] W2 Wattmeter alarm function doesn't activate on hogh SWR

[Vic Rosenthal K2VCO]

Hello folks,

I sent this to Support, but they are probably resting up until Monday, 
so I thought I would ask here. Has anyone had this problem with the W2 
wattmeter?


I just assembled my unit. It seems to work correctly except that I can't 
enable the alarm function.


1. When I turn the W2 on, I hear the relay click, and it does interrupt 
the ptt at this point.


2. The W2 utility program (USB, running on XP) finds and communicates 
with the W2. When I click on the ALARM button, the label changes from 
OFF to ON.


3. But when I test it by transmitting into a 'wrong' antenna (SWR=13:1) 
it does not flash LEDs or activate the relay.


4. Firmware is 1.00 and utility program is also 1.00.

Has anyone had a similar problem?
--
Vic K2VCO
Fresno CA
http://www.qsl.net/k2vco/
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[Elecraft] W2 Wattmeter idea

[Vic Rosenthal K2VCO]

I just ordered a W2 wattmeter, haven't received it yet, and I already 
want to change something!


It displays forward power and SWR. When the SWR is 1:1, then the power 
output of the transmitter is equal to the forward power. But when it is 
greater than 1:1, then the actual power output is the forward power LESS 
the reflected power.


I would like an option to display this output power, forward less 
reflected. This could probably be done in the firmware, a "SMOP" as 
Wayne likes to say.


I realize that this does not tell you the power delivered to the 
antenna, for which you would need to know the line loss. But it is still 
a more useful indication than just the forward power.


--
Vic K2VCO
Fresno CA
http://www.qsl.net/k2vco/
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Re: [Elecraft] CW power output and remote tuners

[Vic Rosenthal K2VCO]

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