Re: [Elecraft] K4 Experience

[Jim Brown]

On 7/6/2021 6:52 AM, steve WB3LGC wrote:

I'll ask a similar question...


What does this have to do with K4 Experience?

73, Jim K9YC
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Re: [Elecraft] K4 Experience

[Jim Brown]

On 7/5/2021 9:33 PM, Robert G Strickland via Elecraft wrote:
Does the choke cause a significant sag in the antenna? For 40m maybe 
not; my 80m dipole with a choke looks like a V antenna, and I'm 
reluctant to increase the tension in the support ropes to the point 
where the the antenna starts to flatten out.


Weight for the chokes is part of the tables in the 2018 Cookbook. I have 
100# weights on the support rope for my dipoles (they're up 125 ft, fed 
with RG11).


73, Jim K9YC

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Re: [Elecraft] K4 Experience

[N4ZR]

I'd suggest this is a better question for Towertalk or the RFI reflector

73, Pete N4ZR
Check out the new Reverse Beacon Network
web server at .
For spots, please use your favorite
"retail" DX cluster.

On 7/6/2021 9:52 AM, steve WB3LGC wrote:

I'll ask a similar question...

I use a horizontal 80m loop fed with ladderline.  I have a 1:1 choke 
at the ladderline to coax connection with 10 feet to the tuner.  My 
noise is a lot less than it was long ago...  The noise may be gone, or 
the balun helps, or it was a different antenna. Should I change anything?


The real Q...  Portable I use a 135' dipole with ladderline and a 
choke at the tuner.  Would I be better off using coax and a choke to 
feed the antenna??  I do like the multi band capability of the 
ladderline (450 ohm) center fed "zepp".


my choke is (2) FT240-31's with 12 turns RG-8x.

73, steve WB3LGC

On 7/6/21 12:33 AM, Robert G Strickland via Elecraft wrote:
Does the choke cause a significant sag in the antenna? For 40m maybe 
not; my 80m dipole with a choke looks like a V antenna, and I'm 
reluctant to increase the tension in the support ropes to the point 
where the the antenna starts to flatten out.

...robert

On 6 Jul 2021 02:30, Jim Brown wrote:


An important part of the antenna system is a serious common mode choke
at the feedpoint if each antenna, so that current coupled from the
feedline doesn't fill in the antenna's nulls.

73, Jim K9YC
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Re: [Elecraft] K4 Experience

[steve WB3LGC]

I'll ask a similar question...

I use a horizontal 80m loop fed with ladderline.  I have a 1:1 choke at 
the ladderline to coax connection with 10 feet to the tuner.  My noise 
is a lot less than it was long ago...  The noise may be gone, or the 
balun helps, or it was a different antenna.  Should I change anything?


The real Q...  Portable I use a 135' dipole with ladderline and a choke 
at the tuner.  Would I be better off using coax and a choke to feed the 
antenna??  I do like the multi band capability of the ladderline (450 
ohm) center fed "zepp".


my choke is (2) FT240-31's with 12 turns RG-8x.

73, steve WB3LGC

On 7/6/21 12:33 AM, Robert G Strickland via Elecraft wrote:
Does the choke cause a significant sag in the antenna? For 40m maybe 
not; my 80m dipole with a choke looks like a V antenna, and I'm 
reluctant to increase the tension in the support ropes to the point 
where the the antenna starts to flatten out.

...robert

On 6 Jul 2021 02:30, Jim Brown wrote:


An important part of the antenna system is a serious common mode choke
at the feedpoint if each antenna, so that current coupled from the
feedline doesn't fill in the antenna's nulls.

73, Jim K9YC
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Re: [Elecraft] K4 Experience

[Robert G Strickland via Elecraft]

Does the choke cause a significant sag in the antenna? For 40m maybe 
not; my 80m dipole with a choke looks like a V antenna, and I'm 
reluctant to increase the tension in the support ropes to the point 
where the the antenna starts to flatten out.

...robert

On 6 Jul 2021 02:30, Jim Brown wrote:


An important part of the antenna system is a serious common mode choke
at the feedpoint if each antenna, so that current coupled from the
feedline doesn't fill in the antenna's nulls.

73, Jim K9YC
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--
Robert G Strickland, PhD ABPH - KE2WY
rc...@verizon.net.usa
Syracuse, New York, USA


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Re: [Elecraft] K4 Experience

[Jim Brown]

On 7/5/2021 3:33 PM, bruce whitney via Elecraft wrote:

Here is a bit of information that may be of interest to those thinking about 
the K4HD.We were operating the K4, CW (BTW - fabulous QSK!) on a 40M ground 
plane antenna about 150 ft from a station on  40M SSB using an inverted vee 
antenna..


For CQP expeditions, we've run CW and SSB K3/KPA500 stations on the same 
band with that sort of separation. Antennas are carefully located and 
oriented so that antennas for each band are colinear. Resonant dipoles 
on 80 and 40, yagis on the higher bands. Here in California, we don't 
need to rotate antennas during domestic contests -- we aim to PA (about 
70 degrees) and antenna directivity lets us work everyone who's in the 
contest.


An important part of the antenna system is a serious common mode choke 
at the feedpoint if each antenna, so that current coupled from the 
feedline doesn't fill in the antenna's nulls.


73, Jim K9YC
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[Elecraft] K4 Experience

[bruce whitney via Elecraft]

Got my new K4 - just before FD, so naturally hauled it out and ran it all day 
and night.It is a real thing of beauty and grace - for sure. A pleasure to 
operate and many. many, excellent features. Well worth the money and wait.  
Gonna take a little while to get to know it well. Its a good thing that the 
basic control is so similar to the K3.
Here is a bit of information that may be of interest to those thinking about 
the K4HD.We were operating the K4, CW (BTW - fabulous QSK!) on a 40M ground 
plane antenna about 150 ft from a station on  40M SSB using an inverted vee 
antenna.. The SSB station was a K3 (new synth) at 100 watts. S-meters both 
pegged when tuned to each other - with no damage occurring to either. radio. 
The K4 (version 13 software delivered in it) was showing a red + sign, 
indicating A/D overload and was producing some obvious "splatter" from the 
headset on CW frequencies. By cranking in attenuation we found the splatter 
would disappear with 9 to 15 dB. There was no other discernable artifact - like 
pumping of AGC in either case.  We put another  K3 right on top of the K4 - 
tuned to the CW frequencies, switched the antenna - and no splatter. Then 
turned off the K3 and operated all day and night with the K4 - what a pleasure. 
So, conclusions... no surprises. The direct sampling SDR is not quite as robust 
as the superhet. Just as the Sherwood data shows.  I think if we had been able 
to load the version 18 firmware before field day - we would have never known 
the SSB station was on the air. I wish we could have tried that.
This is not a rigorous investigation at all. No notes were taken or 
measurements made. - please  don't beat up the messenger. This is just a single 
anecdotal experience. IMHO - a multi-multi contest station might want the HD 
version, maybe? Rest of us - not so sure.
73, Bruce Whitney  W8RA

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