Re: [Elecraft] FTP Site Problem?
I copied the URL and pasted it at the top of IE in the destination box and then it worked. Steve, W2MY -Original Message- From: elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net [mailto:elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net]on Behalf Of bearcat Sent: Saturday, August 29, 2009 6:57 PM To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net Subject: [Elecraft] FTP Site Problem? Is anybody else unable to download the firmware from the FTP Site? I have not been able to download yesterday or today. Rich K3RWN __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
[Elecraft] FW 3.25 Comment
Only on version FW 3.25 but used the NR for the very first time tonight where it was better than not using any NR. Used 3-3 with USB at about 4.0 MHz for a MARS net. Got rid of much of the static pops from the lightning strikes. So I am looking forward to trying FW 3.27. Thanks Elecraft, Steve, W2MY, AAR6CX __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
[Elecraft] W2
Hi All, So much info about the P3. What about the W2? Like how accurate will it be if used with the PC? I would like to be able to compare it to the LP-100A. Steve, W2MY __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
[Elecraft] [K3] Tune Up of ALS-600
Hi All, I have studied both manuals. I think I know how to tune up the ALS-600 for CW, but not sure of how to do it with SSB especially with external ALC. I would like to get about 500 Watts out with SSB for my MARS work. It seems I need to set the ALC to just kick in at about maximum power. I think it is good to use the ALC feature since K3 users have mentioned power spikes out of the K3 at times, (although I think others on this list have said to stay away from the ALC, but I can't find the emails). The question I have is how to determine the K3 drive necessary to get the 500 Watts out of the ALS-600? I don't think whistling is a good procedure, but maybe it is. I am thinking that the ALC concern with many here is that it is sometimes used to greatly reduce the drive coming out of the exciter to give a lot of voice compression, and if the ALC should fail, full exciter power may go to the amp. Like setting the K3 to 100 Watts out and using the external ALC to really limit it to 50 Watts. I am happy with the small amount of speech compression I have set on the K3 so I don't want to use the ALC for that. Any comments are appreciated. Steve, W2MY, AAR6CX Corpus Christi, TX __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] Max-Gain MK-8
I used an MK-8HD (50') for Field Day. I had an Arrow 2m/440M j-pole over a large dipole center insulator made from pvc pipe and used 300 Ohm ladder line and 140' of 14 gauge house wire. Once three people guyed it perfectly vertical it was OK for the rest of the weekend. However the top did bow before that. I purchased the three fiberglass guy rings that were nice ($5 each). It was actually extended about 43 feet total. I have some pics at: http://tinyurl.com/luwagy Next time I will use a much smaller center insulator. For NVIS, for MARS I will take off the top 1 OD section. Steve, W2MY, AAR6CX -Original Message- From: elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net [mailto:elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net]on Behalf Of Matthew Zilmer Do any of you Elecrafters have experience with Max-Gain's MK-8 fiberglass mast (telelscoping poles)? I'm interested in using their 50-footer guyed down as a center support for an 80m doublet. __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] Elecraft tuners
Hi Gil and All, I never thought of doing that with my KAT2. I just finished building another balanced tuner. I wonder it will fit in the K2. Naw I'll just use the KAT2 with a balun. http://tinyurl.com/nznphf 72, Steve, W2MY -Original Message- Behalf Of Gil Cross Has anyone isolated the rf grounds and made one of the tuners into a balanced output. Or even attempted to do so. __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] The use of a doublet
Joe, Thank you for thst wonderful reference. Steve, W2MY -Original Message- From: elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net [mailto:elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net]on Behalf Of Joe Planisky Sent: Wednesday, July 15, 2009 9:29 PM To: Elecraft Reflector Subject: Re: [Elecraft] The use of a doublet For those who might be a little mystified by this discussion of feedlines and antennas, I can recommend the series of articles titled Another Look at Reflections by M. Walter Maxwell (W2DU/W8HKK) published in QST between 1973 and 1976. The whole series is available as a single PDF file at http://www.arrl.org/members-only/tis/info/pdf/Reflect.pdf (for ARRL members only, sorry.) 73 -- Joe KB8AP __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] OT: Balanced Feedlines
Hi Don and All, I don't know if 300 Ohm ladder line is small enough for you, but at 20:1 SWR 100 feet of it loses about 1.1 dB total. See the chart for 450 Ohm line at the center of this page: http://tinyurl.com/m5rjww The loss for 100 feet of 450 Ohm line at 20:1 SWR is about .65 dB total. I had calculated that the loss of 300 Ohm line in a similar situation is about .5 dB worse. The 300 Ohm is really hard to see when put up. I used it for Field Day, see: http://tinyurl.com/luwagy At the Wireman web site it describes its 562 300 Ohm ladder line as being able to take full power. 300 ohm, 18 AWG, 19 strand copper-clad steel conductors, poly-clad 'window' for full power VF .91 The Wireman is at: http://tinyurl.com/mdkvtm 73, Steve, W2MY, AAR6CX -Original Message- Behalf Of Don Rasmussen Subject: [Elecraft] OT: Balanced Feedlines Can anyone suggest a compact balanced line that can handle 1000 watts? I like the size of that Radio Shack 300 ohm TV line, but 100 watts is likely the maximum. I'd like to build a stealthy KW antenna. The 20m dipole radiating elements are so low to the ground that 3:1 SWR is the best I can get. If I tune this out with a tuner, there will be too many db's of loss over the 100 feet of feed required. I assume a KW would melt the TV line. Any suggestions? Don... __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
[Elecraft] [K3] Headphone Splitter/Amp
Hi All, I am wondering if this Beringer headphone splitter amp (HA400) will work well with the K3. As long as it doesn't amplify or introduce hiss I would imagine it would work well. Any comments? I have an old Heil Proset that I mainly use, but others may use a wide range of microphones with different impedances. http://www.americanmusical.com/Item--i-BEH-HA400-LIST Thanks, Steve Pituch, W2MY, AAR6CX __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
[Elecraft] K3 PL1, TX G Error Msgs
Hi All, Had a few problems with the K3 during Field Day. Temperature was about 100 degrees outside. The radio was under a canopy. I had just installed the KAT3 about 2 days previous. The KAT3 had been mailed in a tight box. The cardboard shipping box had a hump in it where the toroids were. When I pulled out the board the smaller toroids had been all pushed flat into each other and where touching each other. I straightened them out a little bit so they did not touch each other, but the crushing from the box had apparently stretched the turns so the toroids were off the board a little bit. My first thought was to resolder the toroids but when I flipped the board and saw the relays I figured I would just install the board. During casual testing the KAT3 appeared to work extremely well. When I set up on Saturday at the site someone immediately came over and insisted on trying the rig on 20 meters CW. We had been on 40 M and 20 M phone and the tuner worked as expected. However, when I tried to tune in the CW portion of 20m, the display would alternate between two dashes and an SWR number, but the number varied greatly. The Actual SWR going into the rig was about 5:1. I then got a TXG error. I turned off the rig and when I turned it back on I got a PL1 error. I then turned off the rig. About 2 hours later I decided to try the rig again and it was working on all bands. Later however the rig would tend to start putting out only about 30 Watts using normal mic gain and comp settings of 20. By turning the radio off and then back on the problem went away and we got a full 100 Watts out again. I will probably try a CONFIG:VCO MD tonight. Any suggestions? I am off a few revisions on the firmware and will update that also. Can the KAT3 cause output filter problems and thus the TXG error? Steve, W2MY, AAR6CX __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] Battery Charging with DC Power Supply
Hi All, Just a note on the Iota DLS-30/IQ4 that I have. I originally purchased it because I thought that I could also use it as a power supply as it is advertised. As it turns out I can not use my Elecraft K2 while it is plugged in charging a battery. The RFI is very great on 80 meters up to I think 30 meters. I don't believe that these are made for receivers as I do not see any RFI suppression inside (I could be wrong). I had emailed the distributer to get a schmatic so I could try to add some RFI protection to it inside the case but got nowhere. So I use it to charge my 2 T-105s at night when I'm not on the radio. Steve, W2MY -Original Message- From: elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net [mailto:elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net]on Behalf Of HowardZ http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/4103 http://www.iotaengineering.com/iq.htm __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
[Elecraft] [K3] KAT3 MARS Operation
Hi All, I see that this was asked once before on the reflector but got no replies. How well does the KAT3 work outside of the ham bands? Are the settings still stored for out-of-band frequencies like those which are used for MARS operation? My other choices are the LDG AT 200 Pro and one of the MFJ units. Steve, W2MY, AAR6CX __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] looking for a paddle to replace touch unit
Hi Duane, If you really want to build a touch paddle I made one similar to the commercial ones here. I haven't had any problems using it with the K2 at 100 Watts. http://www.pituch.net/Steve%27s%20Page/Radio/SW40+/SW40+.html Steve, W2MY __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] K3 KPA3 Fan Upgrade Question
Hi Brian, I'm sure others will chime in. What mode are you using? What power? What SWR? What's the room temperature? At 100 Watts, for MARS I need to lecture on USB for 20 minutes at a time. No problem what so ever. With digital modes I do need to cut the power down to 50 Watts. I never hear the fans go on. I think you need to give us all the details. I would never dream of replacing the fans on the K3. Perhaps the temps need to be recalibrated. I just would hate for you to go though all that work if it wasn't truly necessary. It is such a well engineered radio. I'm sure Elecraft has the temperature management aspects covered. Steve, W2MY, AAR6CX -Original Message- From: elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net [mailto:elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net]on Behalf Subject: [Elecraft] K3 KPA3 Fan Upgrade Question Hello, I am currently in the process of upgrading the fans for the KPA3 100 Watt Amplifier module because the heatsink temperature gets too high for my liking. __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] K3 Kit Building
Hi Terry, The RF board is an excellent part to start assembly with because it is wide enough to connect all the panel pieces to. After all, the purpose of the case is to protect the innards (RF board included). So the RF board is used to initially align the case pieces. After a while in the building process the case becomes the principal support for the radio. So you end up with a chassis just like with the older type of radios. You end up with a light, but strong chassis. One advantage is that you can always take a side of the chassis off to access a part of the radio inside. The K2 is very similar. Being a structural engineer, I have been always impressed with the Elecraft radios' structural integrity. Steve, W2MY -Original Message- Subject: Re: [Elecraft] K3 Kit Building Having the RF board act as the structural backbone is unique in my experience. I 73 de Terry KK6T K3 #2965 __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] Suggested AGC settings for Beta 3.03
Hi Wayne and all, Just before our MARS net tonight I installed Beta 3.03. When the net started I had a lot of distortion on all the signals regardless of signal strength. It sounded like the static went up as stations spoke. I did not know what was changed so I reloaded FW 2.78 complete (during the net!). I then got back the good signal quality I was used to. I then copied down the agc settings which I believe are stock. I then reloaded beta 3.03 (during the net!), The distortion was back. All the AGC settings were the same except for the new AGC variable AGC DCY was set to nor. I changed this to soft and got most of the nice voice quality back (not all - still some distortion). I then changed AGC HLD to .03 like you suggest. I wll keep these settings for now. 73, Steve Pituch, W2MY, AAR6CX -Original Message- From: wayne burdick Hi Jack, I'm presently using all the defaults, plus AGC HLD = 0.3 (slow AGC hold time in seconds) and AGC DCY = Soft (soft-decay characteristic for both fast and slow AGC). The AGC HLD and AGC DCY settings should prove very useful during pileups, although some ops may prefer to leave them off. As you suggested, experimentation is in order. 73, Wayne N6KR __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] Suggested AGC settings for Beta 3.03
Hi All, Sorry, I just changed AGC HLD to .3 (not .03). I think that the quality is much better now probably like it was with FW 2.78. Sorry for the confusion. (I knew Wayne would not mess up like that!) 72, Steve, W2MY -Original Message- From: elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net [mailto:elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net]on Behalf Of list1 Sent: Tuesday, March 17, 2009 8:00 PM To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Suggested AGC settings for Beta 3.03 Hi Wayne and all, Just before our MARS net tonight I installed Beta 3.03. When the net started I had a lot of distortion on all the signals regardless of signal strength. It sounded like the static went up as stations spoke. I did not know what was changed so I reloaded FW 2.78 complete (during the net!). I then got back the good signal quality I was used to. I then copied down the agc settings which I believe are stock. I then reloaded beta 3.03 (during the net!), The distortion was back. All the AGC settings were the same except for the new AGC variable AGC DCY was set to nor. I changed this to soft and got most of the nice voice quality back (not all - still some distortion). I then changed AGC HLD to .03 like you suggest. I wll keep these settings for now. 73, Steve Pituch, W2MY, AAR6CX __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] Suggested AGC settings for Beta 3.03
Hi All, On another net now. OK, using AGC HLD = .3 and AGC DCY = SOFT. Quality sounds good. With Version 2.78 AGC HLD defaulted to 0.0. That was my problem. Steve, W2MY, AAR6CX -Original Message- From: wayne burdick [mailto:n...@elecraft.com] Sent: Tuesday, March 17, 2009 8:10 PM To: list1 Cc: elecraft@mailman.qth.net Subject: Re: Suggested AGC settings for Beta 3.03 Steve, I suspect you had one or two EEPROM locations that were not set correctly after the upgrade. There may have been an incompatibility between 2.78 and 3.03 that I didn't catch. If this happens to anyone else when they go to 3.03, I'll dig into it further. BTW, the suggested value for AGC HLD is 0.30 (seconds), not 0.03. But feel free to experiment. 73, Wayne N6KR __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] DATA A Mode Changes to AFSK A
Hi All, OK, I'm going to assume it was a false alarm. Today when I turned on the rig it was still set to DATA A for the 80 meter band, so all is well. It does appear to be band specific as the bands I have not done digital on are still set to AFSK A, which appears to be the default. So I think we can put this one to rest. However, I will still take the time to make sure that I am in DATA A mode before transmitting MT63. Steve W2MY __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
[Elecraft] DATA A Mode Changes to AFSK A
Hi All, I just noticed something that tends to happen on my K3. I had problems running MT63. The finally found the problem and it was that the radio had changed from DATA A digital mode to AFSK A mode. Changing it back to DATA A fixed the problem. When I turned the radio off, waited 10 seconds, and then turned the radio back on the radio was still set to DATA A. However, I checked the mode this morning and it was back to AFSK A again. The frequency had not been changed. I don't know if it is me or the firmware. (I am betting on the former) Firmware is 2.78 73, Steve, W2MY __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] Mic Gain Changing
Hi All, I have more information on this. I finished as NCS for the TX MARS net last night at 7:58 PM CT on about 3.2 MHz. The Mic gain functioned as I described in the previous email below. At 7:58 the Mic gain was set at 15 when I left the radio on to monitor the Oklahoma net on the same frequency at 8:01 pm. I was listening to the excellent audio from across the room. ;o) At 8:30 pm I heard a station I needed to contact so I went back to the radio. With the controls untouched, I called to check into the net. My output showed on the K3 at about 35 Watts again. When the NCS heard me I started transmitting and about 20 seconds after, I was back at 100 Watts. So now I am wondering if it has anything to do with temperature, or perhaps software temperature compensation. I do not have an external wattmeter installed for comparison purposes. I can try to do that, but it will take me some time to calibrate my old meter to confirm its approximate accuracy. Also I have not done the new auto power calibration in the new firmware yet as I know my dummy load is off by about 10%. Please any advice. Once again I must stress that the K3 is still performing very well. I was not supposed to be NCS last nite, but since I once again had the best signal in TX I was asked to take over the net (thanks to the K3). K3 #2080 is getting a nice reputation here in TX Army MARS. Steve, AAR6CX, W2MY -- -Original Message- From: list1 [mailto:li...@pituch.net] Sent: Friday, January 16, 2009 8:20 PM To: Elecraft; Bob Cunnings Subject: RE:Mic Gain Changing Hi Bob and All, I got home and did USB NCS duties tonite on MARS so I have a little more information. It seems that when I first start transmitting even at a MIC gain of 25, I only initially get about 30 to 60 Watts of power out. If the Mic gain is 15 it is more like 35 Watts. If I keep the Mic gain set at 25 and just start talking while starting the net the power out keeps increasing for about 30 seconds until it is at about 100 Watts. The ALC is about 6 bars. At this point I can turn the Mic gain down to 2 and still get 100 Watts out and have an ALC of 6 bars. This is all done when the compression is set to 15 and is never changed. It is funny but we had to go from the operating frequency at about 3.2 MHz to about 2.3 MHz tonite. We did not have propagation at 2.3 MHz so we immediately went back to 3.2 MHz. I had to press the tune button to put a signal out at 5 W to tune the manual tuner as I always do. The Mic gain was still set to 25. However when I started talking I was putting out only about 35 W, so I just kept talking and the power rose to about 100 W again in about 30 seconds. Once again when I dropped the Mic gain down to 2, I still had 6 bars of ALC and 100 Watts out. Thats why I said that the ALC thing with the K3 was not critical and seemed to be self adjusting. Its just that I don't think my K3 #2080 is operating correctly. By the way I still get raving reports. I am heard with the K3 much better than the TS480. But I never used the processor with the TS480 so its apples and oranges until I do more tests with the TS480. Steve, W2MY ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] Mic Gain Changing
Hi Everyone, OK I seemed to have removed the problem. I added 11 small resistors in parallel to my MFJ 949E dummy load to change its resistance from about 56.5 Ohms to close to 50.0 Ohms. I then ran the Calibrate Transmitter Gain procedure from the configuration Menu of the K3 utility. Now I can talk with 100 Watts and 6 bars of ALC all the time regardless of the temperature of the radio. No more fiddling with the Mic gain. Changing the Mic gain affects the power out and ALC reading now as expected. I think when I built my K3 I skipped the TX Gain Calibration step. I may have thought that it was optional like the Wattmeter calibration, but with my dummy load being off I think I was afraid that I would do more harm then good. I can now see how some people have problems with the K3 by not following instructions. I am a bit amazed the radio worked as well as it did in spite of the loose nut in operator's chair syndrome I was experiencing. OK, now to have even more fun with the radio, now that is it perfect. Steve, W2MY ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] Mic Gain Changing
Hi Bob and All, I got home and did USB NCS duties tonite on MARS so I have a little more information. It seems that when I first start transmitting even at a MIC gain of 25, I only initially get about 30 to 60 Watts of power out. If the Mic gain is 15 it is more like 35 Watts. If I keep the Mic gain set at 25 and just start talking while starting the net the power out keeps increasing for about 30 seconds until it is at about 100 Watts. The ALC is about 6 bars. At this point I can turn the Mic gain down to 2 and still get 100 Watts out and have an ALC of 6 bars. This is all done when the compression is set to 15 and is never changed. If is funny but we had to go from the operating frequency at about 3.2 MHz to about 2.3 MHz tonite. We did not have propagation at 2.3 MHz so we immediately went back to 3.2 MHz. I had to press the tune button to put a signal out at 5 W to tune the manual tuner as I always do. The Mic gain was still set to 25. However when I started talking I was putting out only about 35 W, so I just kept talking and the power rose to about 100 W again in about 30 seconds. Once again when I dropped the Mic gain down to 2, I still had 6 bars of ALC and 100 Watts out. Thats why I said that the ALC thing with the K3 was not critical and seemed to be self adjusting. Its just that I don't think my K3 #2080 is operating correctly. By the way I still get raving reports. I am heard with the K3 much better than the TS480. But I never used the processor with the TS480 so its apples and oranges until I do more tests with the TS480. Steve, W2MY -Original Message- From: elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net [mailto:elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net]on Behalf Of Bob Cunnings Sent: Tuesday, January 13, 2009 7:14 PM To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Mic Gain Changing Are you maintaining a constant ALC indication of 5-7 bars at each gain setting? Or is the ALC indication falling as you lower the gain setting? Bob NW8L ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] Mic Gain Changing
Hi All,I have not done much SSB so I am not sure what is happening, but this does not seem correct so I will descibe what is happening.When I turn on my K3 #2080 for a MARS net I need to have the MIC gain set to about 25, and the Processor set to 15 for my HC5/Heil Proset to get about 95 Watts out initially, which I feel is excellent. However, after a few minutes I can turn down the gain and still get 95 Watts out.After about 10 minutes I have the MIC gain down to 8 and I am still blasting away at 95 Watts. I feel I could go even lower.Its funny though that at any gain level I always get a good report. Its like the MIC gain is really not critical and the rig knows how to adjust for your voice for best signal.I thought that maybe as I get used to speaking I start talking more forcefully and need to cut the gain down but Ive consciously tried to avoid this, and the minimum apparent required MIC gain just seems to drop after a few minutes.Anyway the rig apparently works great like this. I just thought that this condition was not normal.72,Steve, W2MY, AAR6CX ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] RE: K3 question: setting monitor level via serial portcommand?
Hi Dana, Right know the FN command that sets the four multifinction encoders is not operational. Recently, Wayne has released a separate MG command for mic gain, and CP command for compression in MCU release 2.73. But I don't see a command for monitor level yet. Steve, W2MY ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
RE: [Elecraft] Walwart power?
I did this a few years ago. After mounting the parts for the regulator on the outside of the walwart, I covered it with a large legos block from my kids toy box. The kids never missed it. Steve, W2MY -Original Message- On Behalf Of Jim W7RY Terry has the right idea! A 3 terminal regulator PROPERLY buy-passed acts as a super filter. There is no need for any additional filtering. The output is extremely clean and regulated. I would stay with a transformer type.. ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] K3: Firmware Request
Hi All, Have K3 2080 for awhile now. Enjoying it. I have been using it for MARS work here in TX and I have been getting some very good reports on how well I sound. I have finally gotten to the point where I have a firmware request. But let me explain why. In TX Army MARS we now do something called mixed mode nets. We have had SSB nets and digital nets for a long time. Recently they started up CW again. But what we do is different than what is usually done mode-wise in amateur radio. A lot of hams who do a lot of digital will set their rigs up for digital modes and use that way until they are done and then if they want to go say back to USB they'll make a few changes to accommodate this. But in MARS we do voice and digital transmissions interchangeably. We start with voice, but when we are ready to send traffic we will usually send it via MT63, but without changing any configurations. We need to be able to go from voice to digital quickly and seamlessly (In about a second). This mixed mode of operation is much more efficient than either an all digital or all voice net. We don't have to change frequencies to send the digital stuff. This brings up two things about the K3 that I am trying to work with: 1) the speech processing, and 2) the hot mic during transmit of MT63. I like using Proc=10 with the K3. It helps me transmit nearly 100 Watts all the time. I seem to be getting through under extremely harsh conditions better than most other operators. I believe most of this is due to the K3. So I need to set Proc=0 and Mic=0 just before transmitting in MT63, and after the transmission I need to reset Proc=10 and Mic=15 so I can immediately start talking on the radio. I can probably do most of this with a macro in the communications program using the FN command, since this command controls the 4 multifunction knobs on the front of the radio. The problem is that the FN command is not yet available to us. :o( The mic drive and processor settings can't be changed yet from the computer by us common folk. So I was hoping that Santa will give us an FN present this Christmas, or if not then maybe by New Years, or if not then maybe by 4th of July, or if. Anyway it would sure help MARS operators across the USA who have K3s, and would probably make a few more converts. 72, and Happy Holidays, Steve, W2MY, AAR6CX ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] RE: QST Review: Minor Quibble
Hi All, I have to agree with Erik 100% on this. After years of using the K2 I either use the tip of my forefinger on the edge of the VFO knob to roll the knob around, or I use it on the outer edge of the front face. Same with the K3. My K2 knob looks burnished from doing this. Actually I think we should defer judgment of this subject to my cats. Shadow has always preferred the paw on the edge of the knob when using my K2 and has never had a problem hitting the other controls. http://www.pituch.net/Steve%27s%20Page/Radio/cat/Cat.htm However, Bumper the kitten is doing very well with the K3, and is showing much promise. I was going to buy an LP Pan, but I am thinking that a cat might be even better. http://www.pituch.net/Pet%20Main%20Page/Pet%20Main%20Page.html After all, Albert Einstein compared (the lack of) cats to radio: You see, wire telegraph is a kind of a very, very long cat. You pull his tail in New York and his head is meowing in Los Angeles. Do you understand this? And radio operates exactly the same way: you send signals here, they receive them there. The only difference is that there is no cat. One thing I was worried about after I ordered the K3 was that when I would read the user's manual I would fall asleep. I sort of got the jist of how the controls worked but really could not visualize actually operating the radio myself without the excellent and very informative manual next to me. It was actually a bit disconcerting as I wondered how easy the K3 would be to use since it has so many features. I'm not dissing the manual in any way as I think it is excellent. It has everything you need to know about the K3. But it is very hard to know how good the controls on the K3 are unless you have one in front of you. Well after building the radio, and building it is such an enlightening experience, it was time to actually use it. And that's what I did. After I turned it on, I started using it as if I had been familiar with it for 10 years. Once in a while it took me a while to find a control, but I sort of intuitively knew what control was needed. I wasn't wasting time figuring out how to do something. It seems I'm just able to do it. I guess I think the radio is highly intuitive, although I couldn't really decide that from reading the manual. The K3 has become the first radio I have had that is sort of an extension of myself. Sort of hard to explain but I spend less time focused on the radio front panel and more time communicating with the signals coming out of it. In fact I often find myself not looking at the radio during critical net control operations for many minutes at a time. Its like no stress operating. On difficult nets when the f0F2 is way below the operating frequency I hear better, and while others on the net are stressing out I am enjoying myself and the challenge. I think that part of this is due to Wayne's degree in Cognitive Science. I doubted his judgment on this initially after first reading the manual. I thought maybe he was trying to jam too much on the front panel. But after operating the radio I think the control layout is a great feature set. I'm not a die hard contester, but I like using the radio very much. I think its hard to put this kind of feeling in a QST review, but I think the reviewer (Joel, W1ZR it seems) actually did reveal his positive enthusiasm toward the rig. I don't think I've ever read a more enthusiastic review in QST. In reading it, its like the messiah of radios has finally come to hamdom. Can't get much better than that. I think Joel realizes that the K3 pushes the state-of-art and will make Yaecomwood work a lot harder in the future on their designs. My cats also prefer the layout on the K3 to all the other radios I have in the shack. Regards, Steve, W2MY ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] RE: K3 - How to get more headphone output.
I rebuilt an old Proset last year. When I called Heil the woman who answered was very helpful. I believe that some of the earlier Prosets should have their speaker elements replaced with newer more efficient elements. Call Heil; the parts are very inexpensive. Steve, W2MY ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] K3: 2.7 vs 2.8 Filters Audio Impressions
I have read in the archives about the slope, bandwidth and IMD differences in these filters. But wondering if one is noticeably better than the other at making the LSB and USB received audio sounding similar. Also wondering if the transmitted audio sounds significantly better with using one of these over the other. If everything is about equal I'd definitely go with the cheaper 5 pole filters. Steve, W2MY, AAR6CX ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] RE: [OT] K3 and MARS
The K3 requires a firmware mod that Elecraft will give you upon request and verification. [OT] HF MARS frequencies are many and distributed from 2 mHz to 28 mHz. This makes dynamically moving the net to the critical frequency possible. So you must be frequency agile. When I applied to MARS I told them I had a K2 and they said NG. Although the K2 can hit a few MARS frequencies near the amateur band edges you need a radio that can be used on all the frequencies. The bandpass filters in the K2 are simply too good, and performance several hundred kHz away from the amateur band edges is not good enough. You will also need to get your antenna hardware working on all those MARS frequencies. AN 80M dipole with 450 Ohm ladder line and a really good balanced line tuner works well. The IC706, TS480, and FT857 are popular radios for MARS. Remember that you don't have hams on either side of your signal blanking out your receiver with MARS channels so these radios work fine. The K3 works superbly as a MARS radio. MARS has many advantages. Unlike ARES and RACES there is a requirement for heavy training and certification (at least in Texas). The assumption is that merely having a ham license is not enough to actually be of any value during an emergency. Also you can transmit digital at the center of the voice frequencies making mixed mode nets very efficient. I am simply amazed of all that I have learned about EMCOMM since joining MARS a few months ago. To apply for Army MARS go to: http://www.netcom.army.mil/mars/join.aspx Sorry for the blurb on MARS, but the K3 is a very nice MARS radio. And because of the mass destruction from Hurricane Dolly and Ike down here in Texas more hams need to join MARS. 73, Steve, W2MY, AAR6CX PS: There is also Navy/Marine and Air Force MARS ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] [K3] Dimensions with Bail Extended
Hi All, I need the height for the K3 _with the bail extended_. I am building new shelving for my operating table in anticipation of receiving mine (someday) ;o). Steve, W2MY ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] RE:balanced tuner
Hi David and all, I have done a lot of EZNEC dipole simulations and have come to the conclusion that the loss in 100 feet of coax off of resonance is about 12 dB per 100'. Whether you use RG-8x or LMR400 doesn't make too much dfference concerning losses off of resonance where your SWR with 50 ohm transmission line can be greater than 200:1. http://www.pituch.net/Steve%27s%20Page/Radio/Antenna4/Antenna4.htm Because of this if I use 450 Ohm ladder line to a 1:1 baun, I try to keep the length of coax going into the house less than 15 feet. For your 50 feet of coax run you should never have a loss greater than about 1 S unit (6 dB). When I went to 100 percent ladder line including inside the residence, when I built my balanced tuner, I used two 1/4-20 stainless steel bolts to feed the signal through the exterior wood wall. I have U solder lugs on the two wires at the end of the 450 Ohm line, and I use two wing nuts to connect the ladder line to the house connection. When I am finished operating I go outside at spend 5 seconds loosening the wing nuts and the ladder line is no longer connected to the residence. If I wanted further protction, I guess I could drive a ground rod 15 feet away from the residence and wing nut the end of the ladder line to it when I am not operating. I don't believe you can keep your antenna connected to your equipment and ever be completely protected from lightning strikes (and that includes coax). The air gaps don't work. For coax the gas surge traps may work to a degree, but I would much rather disconnect the transmission line than depend on one of these devices. If you want so-called protection for 450 Ohm line why not use 2 Alpha Delta coax surge traps - one for each wire of the 450 Ohm line? The thing about keeping the 450 Ohm line away from metal is overdone a bit. I find keeping it away from metal about 2 or 3 inches is fine. Regards, Steve, W2MY ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] RE:balanced tuner
Hello Brian, I meant to write that 50 feet of coax would have _NO_ more than 6 db of loss with a dipole off of resonance. A multiband (ie. trapped) antenna design will work fine (with coax) if designed and built properly. But a dipole with ladderline is a lot simpler and matched and mismatched loss totals about .6 dB on any band (for 100 feet of ladder line), which is a lot simpler. I do not consider a non-resonant wire dipole poorly designed (or a loop like Dave has also suggested). There is very little loss with it. The antenna portion works very well. Its the feedline (transmission line) that can be the problem and usually causes almost all the loss. Conversely I have had my share of problems with the adjustment of expensive commercial multi-band antennas designed for 50 Ohm coax. Steve, W2MY --- Steve, With all due respect, the problem isn't with the coax, it is with the antenna which is designed poorly for the frequencies of operation. Even traps in a decent multiband antenna design, fed with coax, wouldn't have a 6db loss of the ladder line you're claiming is OK.. 73 de Brian/K3KO ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] RE: balanced tuner
Hi All, Just finished mine. Works Well so far. I have some pictures here: http://www.pituch.net/Steve%27s%20Page/Radio/Link%20Coupled%20Tuner/tuner1.h tml or just drill down from: http://www.pituch.net/ No documentation yet..later. Elecraft should make it a kit... hi hi. Steve, W2MY ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
RE: [Elecraft] K3 Kenwood mic question
MC-43 microphone. I also saved mine from my TS-850-SAT. It was originally selected by Electraft as the standard mic for the K2 years ago. Steve, W2MY ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] KX1 Output
Hi All, What is the typical power output of the KX1 with an 11.1 Volt 3 cell Lithium battery pack (assuming its at 11.1 Volts) on 80, 40, 30, and 20 meters? Thanks, Steve, W2MY ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] KAT2: Power Calibration Problem
Hi all, I decided to realign my ole trusty KAT2. Adjusting the bridge null seemed to go OK. However, when I adjust the power knob to give 15.8 Volts (5 Watts) at my precision dummy load (50.3 Ohms), turning R1 clockwise to the maximum position only shows 4.4 Watts on the CAL S readout. Any suggestions? Thanks, Steve, W2MY ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
