Re: [Elecraft] K3 strange power surging behavior
I had a similar issue with my K3, it only happened on 15M. It got even worse with my KPA500 in operate mode. I removed everything but a dummy load and then started adding things back-RX antenna, KPA500, P3, etc... In my case, it turned out to be the mic cable pigtail. I put about a pound of ferrite on it and the erratic power output has gone away. As a side note, I even sent it to Elecraft to see if they could find the source and as they correctly suggested, it turned out to be a local issue with my shack. The odd thing was that nothing about my shack had changed-operating position, antenna location, etc. It just started one day. Good luck, 73 K5RHD /randy 2014/07/08 11:09?NZ0T nz0t...@gmail.com ??: My K3 SN 1502 with MCU 4.83 is exhibiting a strange surge in transmit power level. When the rig is keyed in CW with the power set all the way up power output surges from a high of around 140 (!) watts down to 60 watts and back in a rapid fashion. It is at it's worst on 30 meters shows at least a high power spike on all bands except 160 and 80 before it settles down to around 100 watts. If I turn the power down the cycling is much less severe but there is still a leading spike of around 140 watts. I have tried reloading the firmware with no luck. I have checked all my jumpers and connections and they are fine and the rig does this even straight into a dummy load. My power supply is an Astron RS-35M in great shape. I should mention that we suffered a lightning strike last Labor Day weekend that took out my Ten Tec tuner, W2 wattmeter and a few other things but the K3 was not affected at all and I hope this problem is not some delayed thing from that strike! An ideas? The rig is almost six years old - maybe I need to open it up and make sure screws are all tight? 73 Bill NZ0T __ 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 Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] K3 strange power surging behavior
On 7/7/2014 10:41 PM, Scott Manthe wrote: because of this forum, if you have an issue, you might very well find yourself asking the person who designed your rig if there's a way to fix it. Not only that, but the two OWNERS of the company read this list every day, and chime in with advice when needed. I've seen one of them, N6KR, who's the principal design engineer, work one on one with DX trips to solve issues, and I've had more than a few one on one engineering conversations with him at hamfests and online. Heck -- we can't even correspond with low level flunkies at the JA companies (or Ten Tec), let alone the guys who own the place! And both owners are active hams, I've worked both of them on the air. How about this for support? There will be a bunch of K3s in the international WRTC competition in New England next weekend, and Elecraft is sending at least one of their best engineers (who was a competitor at WRTC in Russia 4 years ago) to support those radios. I know because he's my neighbor, K6XX. I've been an Elecraft owner since 2004, and bought two K3s in 2008. I'm very pleased with their support. EVERY radio has issues -- with Elecraft, there are much fewer of them, and you can get them fixed! 73, Jim K9YC __ 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 Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] K3 strange power surging behavior
In a recent message, Jim Brown j...@audiosystemsgroup.com writes There will be a bunch of K3s in the international WRTC competition in New England next weekend, and Elecraft is sending at least one of their best engineers (who was a competitor at WRTC in Russia 4 years ago) to support those radios. How many K3s are there in a 'bunch', Jim? The implication would appear to suggest that there are likely to be problems requiring a best Elecraft engineer to fix them. 73 de David G4DMP -- + - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - + | David M Pratt, Kippax, Leeds. | | Website: http://www.g4dmp.co.uk | + - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - + __ 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 Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] K3 strange power surging behavior
On 08/07/2014 06:41, Scott Manthe wrote: The great thing about owning a K3 is this forum. If you have a problem, there is a community of owners, including numerous representatives from the company that makes the rig, there to help you. I'm still looking for the Yaesu or Icom forum in which company representatives are there to help you and solicit recommendations for new features. If you've heard of such a forum, let me know. And then there's the factory support. I've worked for small specialist UK based broadcast electronics company and also was a project manager for a large Japanese company. At both companies we were dealing direct with the end user. The support from the factory is second to none. Many UK retailers could look to Elecraft to see how to do it... 73 Clive G8POC K3-8098 __ 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 Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] K3 strange power surging behavior
Hi Ray I could conclude that in USA are killing universities judging by the news I see on TV, but reality is different, there are hundreds of millions of people living normal healthy lives and peace. This mailing list accumulates questions and issues, then probably you inbox will be flooded of questions and issues of less than 0.1% of happy users of great K3. I'm another user with K3/P3 working perfectly since 2010 ! Edu YV4GMJ On Tue, Jul 8, 2014 at 3:37 AM, Clive Lorton cl...@thelortons.co.uk wrote: On 08/07/2014 06:41, Scott Manthe wrote: The great thing about owning a K3 is this forum. If you have a problem, there is a community of owners, including numerous representatives from the company that makes the rig, there to help you. I'm still looking for the Yaesu or Icom forum in which company representatives are there to help you and solicit recommendations for new features. If you've heard of such a forum, let me know. And then there's the factory support. I've worked for small specialist UK based broadcast electronics company and also was a project manager for a large Japanese company. At both companies we were dealing direct with the end user. The support from the factory is second to none. Many UK retailers could look to Elecraft to see how to do it... 73 Clive G8POC K3-8098 __ 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 Message delivered to edujo...@gmail.com __ 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 Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] K3 strange power surging behavior
I should add that after my OP I got the ERROR TXG which indicates a problem with bandpass filters. I have emailed support about this. I will try the TX calibration tonight after work. For the poster expressing concern about the reliability of the K3 - I built my K3 in August 2008 and it has seen heavy use since. This is the first significant problem I have had in nearly six years. 73 Bill NZ0T -- View this message in context: http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/K3-strange-power-surging-behavior-tp7590991p7591002.html Sent from the Elecraft mailing list archive at Nabble.com. __ 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 Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] K3 strange power surging behavior
Ray, Count the number of problems you see posted here (or in the archives) in a month or even a year. Try not to count those that are requests for how do I do ... assistance. I think you should also discount the my shack was hit with a lightning surge reports as well, but that is up to you. Then consider how many K3s are out there - over 8000 K3s, about 4000 KX3s, I don't know how many P3s and KPA500s and KAT500s. I think you will find the percentage of actual failures is quite a small percentage. For many Elecraft owners, this reflector is the first resource when 'something strange' is encountered. There are a large number of owners who are willing to assist others with their 'problems'. The second resource is Elecraft support, where quick responsiveness is the norm - many have mentioned the high level of support available from Elecraft. 73, Don W3FPR On 7/8/2014 1:13 AM, Raymond Bass wrote: I've been thinking about getting the K3, P3 and the amp but with all these problems I keep seeing I hesitate to purchase. I talked to a few owner that love the k3 so perhaps this is only a small group that has problems or do a lot of owners have these problems? I ned to know more before I shell out a lot of hard to dollars. Any suggestion fellows? W7YKN On Monday, July 7, 2014 8:03 PM, Don Wilhelm w3...@embarqmail.com wrote: Bill, I cannot assure you that this is not some delayed effect of the lightning strike, However, try doing the TX Gain Calibration before anything else. You may want to run it 2 or 3 times if it does not help initially. __ 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 Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] K3 strange power surging behavior
Hi, I think when reading about all the problems, you need to keep in mind that the vast majority of Elecraft owners do NOT experience problems. Those of us that are not having a problem do not get on the list to mention we are not having problems. If memory servers me correctly, this problem was caused by a nearby lightning strike, so no matter what equipment a person might be running, there would be problems! I own a couple of K3's, P3, KAT500 tuner, KPA500 amp and am extremely pleased in their performance, using them on an almost daily basis. I have no vested interest in Elecraft, but truly believe there is no better product on the market. 73 de Jim - KE8G Sent from my iPad On Jul 8, 2014, at 12:13 AM, Raymond Bass w7...@att.net wrote: I've been thinking about getting the K3, P3 and the amp but with all these problems I keep seeing I hesitate to purchase. I talked to a few owner that love the k3 so perhaps this is only a small group that has problems or do a lot of owners have these problems? I ned to know more before I shell out a lot of hard to dollars. Any suggestion fellows? W7YKN On Monday, July 7, 2014 8:03 PM, Don Wilhelm w3...@embarqmail.com wrote: Bill, I cannot assure you that this is not some delayed effect of the lightning strike, However, try doing the TX Gain Calibration before anything else. You may want to run it 2 or 3 times if it does not help initially. If that does not correct it, you will have to contact support for further assistance. 73, Don W3FPR On 7/7/2014 10:09 PM, NZ0T wrote: My K3 SN 1502 with MCU 4.83 is exhibiting a strange surge in transmit power level. When the rig is keyed in CW with the power set all the way up power output surges from a high of around 140 (!) watts down to 60 watts and back in a rapid fashion. It is at it's worst on 30 meters shows at least a high power spike on all bands except 160 and 80 before it settles down to around 100 watts. If I turn the power down the cycling is much less severe but there is still a leading spike of around 140 watts. I have tried reloading the firmware with no luck. I have checked all my jumpers and connections and they are fine and the rig does this even straight into a dummy load. My power supply is an Astron RS-35M in great shape. I should mention that we suffered a lightning strike last Labor Day weekend that took out my Ten Tec tuner, W2 wattmeter and a few other things but the K3 was not affected at all and I hope this problem is not some delayed thing from that strike! An ideas? The rig is almost six years old - maybe I need to open it up and make sure screws are all tight? 73 Bill NZ0T __ 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 Message delivered to w7...@att.net __ 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 Message delivered to k...@cox.net __ 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 Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] K3 strange power surging behavior
There are nearly 8,000 K3's out there. And yes, issues come up. But they are not systemic. The K3 is a very flexible radio and can be configured to work to suit the owner/operator. I believe you will be very pleased with it if you choose to buy one. All current HF rigs work quite well and each has it's strengths and weaknesses. But I feel the K3 shines above the others in many ways. First it is modular. The basic radio is really quite nice and you can do most HF operations with only the basic 10 or 100 watts plus the ATU. This combo is priced near the high end of basic level radios but is a lot of performance for the money. Many users stop here and never need more. But you can add just about any feature others have as you need/want them. You can add everything and still be under the price of some of the other brands deluxe offerings. And your radio need never be out of date. The very first K3 can be updated to the latest firmware/hardware at any time (usually by the owner). And as features are added or bugs arise, they are quick to make updates available and easy to install. And the company support is second to none. And there is this reflector with many users who have been there before. It's almost impossible to ask a question that someone hasn't asked before or a problem that hasn't already been solved. A K3 isn't just a radio, it's an experience. I have the full monte and love it! Sent from my iPhone ...nr4c. bill On Jul 8, 2014, at 1:13 AM, Raymond Bass w7...@att.net wrote: I've been thinking about getting the K3, P3 and the amp but with all these problems I keep seeing I hesitate to purchase. I talked to a few owner that love the k3 so perhaps this is only a small group that has problems or do a lot of owners have these problems? I ned to know more before I shell out a lot of hard to dollars. Any suggestion fellows? W7YKN On Monday, July 7, 2014 8:03 PM, Don Wilhelm w3...@embarqmail.com wrote: Bill, I cannot assure you that this is not some delayed effect of the lightning strike, However, try doing the TX Gain Calibration before anything else. You may want to run it 2 or 3 times if it does not help initially. If that does not correct it, you will have to contact support for further assistance. 73, Don W3FPR On 7/7/2014 10:09 PM, NZ0T wrote: My K3 SN 1502 with MCU 4.83 is exhibiting a strange surge in transmit power level. When the rig is keyed in CW with the power set all the way up power output surges from a high of around 140 (!) watts down to 60 watts and back in a rapid fashion. It is at it's worst on 30 meters shows at least a __ 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 Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] K3 strange power surging behavior
I have to agree. Remember, we generally only hear about the failures - not the multitude of successes. For the most part the questions asked on the reflector are good and the replies could be of value to the reflector users if: 1. the replies are on topic 2. the replies are not too lengthy (containing too much theory) 3. the replies are made on the reflector and not sent via email 4. the replies are not made in a hateful manner Bill W2BLC K-Line __ 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 Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] K3 strange power surging behavior
My friend and I had similar power surge issue with our brand new K3. Having thoroughly made trouble shooting, we found the cause mostly coming from outside K3 or some glitch on constructing K3. I would recommend to carefully check your entire system including coaxial cable to your antenna system as well as inside K3 especially KPA3 to antenna connector. 73 de JH3SIF, Keith 2014/07/08 11:09、NZ0T nz0t...@gmail.com のメッセージ: My K3 SN 1502 with MCU 4.83 is exhibiting a strange surge in transmit power level. When the rig is keyed in CW with the power set all the way up power output surges from a high of around 140 (!) watts down to 60 watts and back in a rapid fashion. It is at it's worst on 30 meters shows at least a high power spike on all bands except 160 and 80 before it settles down to around 100 watts. If I turn the power down the cycling is much less severe but there is still a leading spike of around 140 watts. I have tried reloading the firmware with no luck. I have checked all my jumpers and connections and they are fine and the rig does this even straight into a dummy load. My power supply is an Astron RS-35M in great shape. I should mention that we suffered a lightning strike last Labor Day weekend that took out my Ten Tec tuner, W2 wattmeter and a few other things but the K3 was not affected at all and I hope this problem is not some delayed thing from that strike! An ideas? The rig is almost six years old - maybe I need to open it up and make sure screws are all tight? 73 Bill NZ0T -- View this message in context: http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/K3-strange-power-surging-behavior-tp7590991.html Sent from the Elecraft mailing list archive at Nabble.com. __ 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 Message delivered to jh3...@sumaq.jp __ 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 Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] K3 strange power surging behavior
On 7/8/2014 12:37 AM, David G4DMP wrote: How many K3s are there in a 'bunch', Jim? Last time around, four years ago in Russia, something like 60% of the radios were K3s. The implication would appear to suggest that there are likely to be problems requiring a best Elecraft engineer to fix them. Geez -- some guys will read something negative into the most positive of comments. 73, Jim K9YC __ 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 Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] K3 strange power surging behavior
That's the implication because we as a society have an amazing ability to spin something like this in the worst possible way. I can think of a few dozen other reasons that aren't as dire. It's one of the reasons that most amateur radio companies don't have a forum like this, and the owners and employees don't speak publicly. If you don't say something, no one can take it and spin it out of control. 73 -- Lynn On 7/8/2014 12:37 AM, David G4DMP wrote: How many K3s are there in a 'bunch', Jim? The implication would appear to suggest that there are likely to be problems requiring a best Elecraft engineer to fix them. __ 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 Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] K3 strange power surging behavior
David G4DMP wrote: How many K3s are there in a 'bunch', Jim? I don't know how many K3s will be there. At one time it represented something like 50% of the total. At 9 pounds, it's pretty easy to take a K3 anywhere. The implication would appear to suggest that there are likely to be problems requiring a best Elecraft engineer to fix them. K6XX is going because he's one of the world's top DXers. He just happens to work for Elecraft. 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 Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] K3 strange power surging behavior
And Bob is officially representing us there to answer questions from both the WRTC K3 users and potential K3 buyers. We want the other 50% to be future K3 owners too! :-) Eric elecraft.com On 7/8/2014 8:42 AM, Wayne Burdick wrote: David G4DMP wrote: How many K3s are there in a 'bunch', Jim? I don't know how many K3s will be there. At one time it represented something like 50% of the total. At 9 pounds, it's pretty easy to take a K3 anywhere. The implication would appear to suggest that there are likely to be problems requiring a best Elecraft engineer to fix them. K6XX is going because he's one of the world's top DXers. He just happens to work for Elecraft. 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 Message delivered to elist_c...@elecraft.com __ 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 Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] K3 strange power surging behavior FIXED!
I had an email from support at about 9:30 Central. Asked me to tighten the screws on the bottom panel that go to the LPA.Then perform the TX gain calibration. The rig worked perfectly after I tightened the screws but did the calibration to be safe and passed with flying colors. Great service and support as always! 73 Bill NZ0T -- View this message in context: http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/K3-strange-power-surging-behavior-tp7590991p7591030.html Sent from the Elecraft mailing list archive at Nabble.com. __ 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 Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] K3 strange power surging behavior FIXED!
Elecraft support might be better than great. Perhaps unequaled or awesome. I've been part of a medium-audience product and given really good support to customers large and small (from IBM and HP to small universities at a 50% discount). We had something upwards of 10K customers over a 10+ year product lifetime, not that different from Elecraft. I think Elecraft gives better support than we did, and we still have customers that fondly remember the good old days when their search was Ultraseek. I've only had one interaction with Elecraft support, and it was prompt, clear, and helpful. That is a LOT harder than it sounds. They care. wunder K6WRU former Ultraseek engineer On Jul 8, 2014, at 4:52 PM, NZ0T nz0t...@gmail.com wrote: I had an email from support at about 9:30 Central. Asked me to tighten the screws on the bottom panel that go to the LPA.Then perform the TX gain calibration. The rig worked perfectly after I tightened the screws but did the calibration to be safe and passed with flying colors. Great service and support as always! 73 Bill NZ0T __ 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 Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] K3 strange power surging behavior
Hardly. That's got to be one of the silliest extrapolations I've seen in a very long time. The much more plausible implication, especially considering the history of the several thousand K3's that have seen pretty hard service around the globe, is that Elecraft wants to gain bonus points with the most visible of their customer base by having an engineer on standby to support their product. Thanks for the calibration, though. Dave AB7E On 7/8/2014 12:37 AM, David G4DMP wrote: How many K3s are there in a 'bunch', Jim? The implication would appear to suggest that there are likely to be problems requiring a best Elecraft engineer to fix them. __ 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 Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] K3 strange power surging behavior FIXED!
Oh... I see ... just another screw loose... ;-) == K8JHR === On 7/8/2014 7:52 PM, NZ0T wrote: The rig worked perfectly after I tightened the screws but did the calibration to be safe and passed with flying colors. ___ __ 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 Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
[Elecraft] K3 strange power surging behavior
My K3 SN 1502 with MCU 4.83 is exhibiting a strange surge in transmit power level. When the rig is keyed in CW with the power set all the way up power output surges from a high of around 140 (!) watts down to 60 watts and back in a rapid fashion. It is at it's worst on 30 meters shows at least a high power spike on all bands except 160 and 80 before it settles down to around 100 watts. If I turn the power down the cycling is much less severe but there is still a leading spike of around 140 watts. I have tried reloading the firmware with no luck. I have checked all my jumpers and connections and they are fine and the rig does this even straight into a dummy load. My power supply is an Astron RS-35M in great shape. I should mention that we suffered a lightning strike last Labor Day weekend that took out my Ten Tec tuner, W2 wattmeter and a few other things but the K3 was not affected at all and I hope this problem is not some delayed thing from that strike! An ideas? The rig is almost six years old - maybe I need to open it up and make sure screws are all tight? 73 Bill NZ0T -- View this message in context: http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/K3-strange-power-surging-behavior-tp7590991.html Sent from the Elecraft mailing list archive at Nabble.com. __ 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 Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] K3 strange power surging behavior
Bill, I cannot assure you that this is not some delayed effect of the lightning strike, However, try doing the TX Gain Calibration before anything else. You may want to run it 2 or 3 times if it does not help initially. If that does not correct it, you will have to contact support for further assistance. 73, Don W3FPR On 7/7/2014 10:09 PM, NZ0T wrote: My K3 SN 1502 with MCU 4.83 is exhibiting a strange surge in transmit power level. When the rig is keyed in CW with the power set all the way up power output surges from a high of around 140 (!) watts down to 60 watts and back in a rapid fashion. It is at it's worst on 30 meters shows at least a high power spike on all bands except 160 and 80 before it settles down to around 100 watts. If I turn the power down the cycling is much less severe but there is still a leading spike of around 140 watts. I have tried reloading the firmware with no luck. I have checked all my jumpers and connections and they are fine and the rig does this even straight into a dummy load. My power supply is an Astron RS-35M in great shape. I should mention that we suffered a lightning strike last Labor Day weekend that took out my Ten Tec tuner, W2 wattmeter and a few other things but the K3 was not affected at all and I hope this problem is not some delayed thing from that strike! An ideas? The rig is almost six years old - maybe I need to open it up and make sure screws are all tight? 73 Bill NZ0T __ 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 Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] K3 strange power surging behavior
I've been thinking about getting the K3, P3 and the amp but with all these problems I keep seeing I hesitate to purchase. I talked to a few owner that love the k3 so perhaps this is only a small group that has problems or do a lot of owners have these problems? I ned to know more before I shell out a lot of hard to dollars. Any suggestion fellows? W7YKN On Monday, July 7, 2014 8:03 PM, Don Wilhelm w3...@embarqmail.com wrote: Bill, I cannot assure you that this is not some delayed effect of the lightning strike, However, try doing the TX Gain Calibration before anything else. You may want to run it 2 or 3 times if it does not help initially. If that does not correct it, you will have to contact support for further assistance. 73, Don W3FPR On 7/7/2014 10:09 PM, NZ0T wrote: My K3 SN 1502 with MCU 4.83 is exhibiting a strange surge in transmit power level. When the rig is keyed in CW with the power set all the way up power output surges from a high of around 140 (!) watts down to 60 watts and back in a rapid fashion. It is at it's worst on 30 meters shows at least a high power spike on all bands except 160 and 80 before it settles down to around 100 watts. If I turn the power down the cycling is much less severe but there is still a leading spike of around 140 watts. I have tried reloading the firmware with no luck. I have checked all my jumpers and connections and they are fine and the rig does this even straight into a dummy load. My power supply is an Astron RS-35M in great shape. I should mention that we suffered a lightning strike last Labor Day weekend that took out my Ten Tec tuner, W2 wattmeter and a few other things but the K3 was not affected at all and I hope this problem is not some delayed thing from that strike! An ideas? The rig is almost six years old - maybe I need to open it up and make sure screws are all tight? 73 Bill NZ0T __ 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 Message delivered to w7...@att.net __ 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 Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] K3 strange power surging behavior
Ray - One of the great things about this list is that when a person does have a problem with an Elecraft product, there are a large number of users willing to help resolve such issues. Also, please remember, that for most of us, if our rig is working as we want it to, we are not likely to say anything. I believe that problems which may show up here, represent a small percentage of users... and, in many cases it appears to me that the problem is not with the rig itself, but perhaps a faulty cable, or a parameter that needs to be adjusted. I am by no means an expert, but I have had my K3 for a little over three years now with NO problems at all, and I know a number of other folks whose experience is more like mine, than like those with problems. I do have one friend with a K3 that frustrated him at first because it worked one day, and not the next. It turned out that there was NOTHING at all that was wrong with the rig, but as he was getting used to it, he often pushed buttons without paying attention to what he was doing, and without following the manual. He is 92 years old, and does sometimes get in a hurry. In each such case, I was able to put the parameters back where they needed to be, or tell him on the phone how to do that. It has now been several months since he experienced any such problems, and the rig performs perfectly. I think if you pull the trigger on the K-Line you will be very well served. My K3, P3 and KPA500 are, by far, the best I have owned in 57 years. I know there are a number of fine radios out there. I was able to borrow a K3 from a friend, and that clinched it for me. I have not wished for anything else since I put the K3 on the air. I don't weigh in on this list very often, because I am usually just working DX and chewing the rag with great satisfaction. What ever you decide, I wish you the best. 73 de Dave - K9FN On Mon, Jul 7, 2014 at 10:13 PM, Raymond Bass w7...@att.net wrote: I've been thinking about getting the K3, P3 and the amp but with all these problems I keep seeing I hesitate to purchase. I talked to a few owner that love the k3 so perhaps this is only a small group that has problems or do a lot of owners have these problems? I ned to know more before I shell out a lot of hard to dollars. Any suggestion fellows? W7YKN On Monday, July 7, 2014 8:03 PM, Don Wilhelm w3...@embarqmail.com wrote: Bill, I cannot assure you that this is not some delayed effect of the lightning strike, However, try doing the TX Gain Calibration before anything else. You may want to run it 2 or 3 times if it does not help initially. If that does not correct it, you will have to contact support for further assistance. 73, Don W3FPR On 7/7/2014 10:09 PM, NZ0T wrote: My K3 SN 1502 with MCU 4.83 is exhibiting a strange surge in transmit power level. When the rig is keyed in CW with the power set all the way up power output surges from a high of around 140 (!) watts down to 60 watts and back in a rapid fashion. It is at it's worst on 30 meters shows at least a high power spike on all bands except 160 and 80 before it settles down to around 100 watts. If I turn the power down the cycling is much less severe but there is still a leading spike of around 140 watts. I have tried reloading the firmware with no luck. I have checked all my jumpers and connections and they are fine and the rig does this even straight into a dummy load. My power supply is an Astron RS-35M in great shape. I should mention that we suffered a lightning strike last Labor Day weekend that took out my Ten Tec tuner, W2 wattmeter and a few other things but the K3 was not affected at all and I hope this problem is not some delayed thing from that strike! An ideas? The rig is almost six years old - maybe I need to open it up and make sure screws are all tight? 73 Bill NZ0T __ 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 Message delivered to w7...@att.net __ 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 Message delivered to dpbu...@gmail.com __ 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 strange power surging behavior
There are more than 8,000 K3s out there. What percentage do you think are exhibiting problems? The great thing about owning a K3 is this forum. If you have a problem, there is a community of owners, including numerous representatives from the company that makes the rig, there to help you. I'm still looking for the Yaesu or Icom forum in which company representatives are there to help you and solicit recommendations for new features. If you've heard of such a forum, let me know. There is a reason that significant numbers of world class contesters and DXers own K3s, and I assure you it's not because of reliability issues. My suggestion would be for you to understand that in a forum like this, people talk about issues they are having. That's kind of the point. The difference in owning a K3 or something else is that, because of this forum, if you have an issue, you might very well find yourself asking the person who designed your rig if there's a way to fix it. I can't think of a better reason to spend your hard earned dollars with Elecraft. 73, Scott, N9AA On 7/8/14, 1:13 AM, Raymond Bass wrote: I've been thinking about getting the K3, P3 and the amp but with all these problems I keep seeing I hesitate to purchase. I talked to a few owner that love the k3 so perhaps this is only a small group that has problems or do a lot of owners have these problems? I ned to know more before I shell out a lot of hard to dollars. Any suggestion fellows? W7YKN On Monday, July 7, 2014 8:03 PM, Don Wilhelm w3...@embarqmail.com wrote: Bill, I cannot assure you that this is not some delayed effect of the lightning strike, However, try doing the TX Gain Calibration before anything else. You may want to run it 2 or 3 times if it does not help initially. If that does not correct it, you will have to contact support for further assistance. 73, Don W3FPR __ 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 Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
