Re: [Elecraft] Poor band conditions? Try the SCAN function
From time to time I set up a wireless intercom/camera ("baby cam") in front of the K3 while scanning. Then I can monitor the action remotely down in the workshop or while working out, fixing dinner, etc. (Now, if I only had a wireless remote control to fully operate the K3's receiver...) 73, Drew AF2Z On 04/24/16 20:42, Wayne Burdick wrote: Here in Northern California, at least at my QTH, the bands seem to be in very poor shape. (It doesn't help that my OCF dipole has one leg on the ground due to high winds.) At times like this, the SCAN function available on most Elecraft transceivers can help you find signals you might otherwise miss. SCAN does the work for you while you check your email, play chess, re-read The Lord of the Rings, shave, etc. When a signal pops up, scanning stops, and the receiver unmutes briefly so you can consider the signal's worthiness. As you'll discover, bands that were "dead" may not be, in reality. My favorite band for this sort of thing is 15 meters, in the late afternoon. A minute or two after starting a scan, you may hear DX appear from out of nowhere. For specific instructions for your rig, check the table of contents in the owner's manual. Here a few general tips: - use a narrow filter passband when possible, especially if the band is noisy - the tuning RATE in effect when scan starts determines how long it takes to scan the selected segment; finer-tuning slows things down, and may result in detection of weaker signals - if the band is noisy (QRN), the SCAN function may unmute too frequently; try using the noise blanker 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] Poor band conditions? Try the SCAN function
I also have often thought that a user settable pause time would be most useful. I usually scan when I'm doing other things around the shack (or in another room), not sitting right in front of the rig watching the scan. 73, Drew AF2Z On 04/24/16 23:42, lstavenhagen wrote: Yes, I use the scan function on both my K2's and my K3 and K3S. Next best thing to a panadapter available. One thing I have noticed about it on my K2 (and probably the K3 also), is it has two lengths of pauses - one which is just a few seconds and another about 30 secs or so. But which length of pause it uses on what type of signal it stops on seems a bit random. Sometimes it'll open up and pause on an actual CW signal for the short pause, but then the long 30 sec. pause on a continuous noise source. And sometimes the reverse. Not a complaint, though I wonder if there's a way to specify a pause time somewhere. forgive me if that's in the manual somewhere already... And yes the bands have been nearly dead lately. Practically nothing on 20M and up today, tho lots of stateside sigs on 30 and 40M DM -- View this message in context: http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/Poor-band-conditions-Try-the-SCAN-function-tp7616635p7616639.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 pu...@af2z.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] Poor band conditions? Try the SCAN function
On Apr 24, 2016, at 8:42 PM, lstavenhagenwrote: > Yes, I use the scan function on both my K2's and my K3 and K3S. Next best > thing to a panadapter available. > > One thing I have noticed about it on my K2 (and probably the K3 also), is it > has two lengths of pauses - one which is just a few seconds and another > about 30 secs or so. But which length of pause it uses on what type of > signal it stops on seems a bit random. Sometimes it'll open up and pause on > an actual CW signal for the short pause, but then the long 30 sec. pause on > a continuous noise source. And sometimes the reverse. I'll have a look at this when I get a chance. tnx 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] Poor band conditions? Try the SCAN function
Yes, I use the scan function on both my K2's and my K3 and K3S. Next best thing to a panadapter available. One thing I have noticed about it on my K2 (and probably the K3 also), is it has two lengths of pauses - one which is just a few seconds and another about 30 secs or so. But which length of pause it uses on what type of signal it stops on seems a bit random. Sometimes it'll open up and pause on an actual CW signal for the short pause, but then the long 30 sec. pause on a continuous noise source. And sometimes the reverse. Not a complaint, though I wonder if there's a way to specify a pause time somewhere. forgive me if that's in the manual somewhere already... And yes the bands have been nearly dead lately. Practically nothing on 20M and up today, tho lots of stateside sigs on 30 and 40M DM -- View this message in context: http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/Poor-band-conditions-Try-the-SCAN-function-tp7616635p7616639.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] Poor band conditions? Try the SCAN function
The bands have indeed been in lousy shape lately; There was a SP RTTY contest on this weekend and I made two QSOs on 21 MHz, zero on 28 MHz and around 130 of them on 20M & 40M. Only three Q's on 80M. The bands were just lousy. While the bands just aren't good at all right now, thanks for the reminder of that excellent "search" feature. Thanks to the beauty of the P3, I use that to find where there's "life" on the bands but sans P3, the search is golden. 73, Gary KA1J > Here in Northern California, at least at my QTH, the bands seem to be in very > poor shape. (It doesn't help that my OCF dipole has one leg on the ground due > to high winds.) > > At times like this, the SCAN function available on most Elecraft transceivers > can help you find signals you might otherwise miss. SCAN does the work for > you while you check your email, play chess, re-read The Lord of the Rings, > shave, etc. > > When a signal pops up, scanning stops, and the receiver unmutes briefly so > you can consider the signal's worthiness. As you'll discover, bands that were > "dead" may not be, in reality. My favorite band for this sort of thing is 15 > meters, in the late afternoon. A minute or two after starting a scan, you may > hear DX appear from out of nowhere. > > For specific instructions for your rig, check the table of contents in the > owner's manual. > > Here a few general tips: > > - use a narrow filter passband when possible, especially if the band is noisy > > - the tuning RATE in effect when scan starts determines how long it takes > to scan the selected segment; finer-tuning slows things down, and may result > in detection of weaker signals > > - if the band is noisy (QRN), the SCAN function may unmute too frequently; try > using the noise blanker > > 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 g...@ka1j.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] Poor band conditions? Try the SCAN function
There was a large solar "event" a few days ago. (;-( 73 K0PP On Apr 24, 2016 6:44 PM, "Wayne Burdick"wrote: > Here in Northern California, at least at my QTH, the bands seem to be in > very poor shape. (It doesn't help that my OCF dipole has one leg on the > ground due to high winds.) > > At times like this, the SCAN function available on most Elecraft > transceivers can help you find signals you might otherwise miss. SCAN does > the work for you while you check your email, play chess, re-read The Lord > of the Rings, shave, etc. > > When a signal pops up, scanning stops, and the receiver unmutes briefly so > you can consider the signal's worthiness. As you'll discover, bands that > were "dead" may not be, in reality. My favorite band for this sort of thing > is 15 meters, in the late afternoon. A minute or two after starting a scan, > you may hear DX appear from out of nowhere. > > For specific instructions for your rig, check the table of contents in the > owner's manual. > > Here a few general tips: > > - use a narrow filter passband when possible, especially if the band is > noisy > > - the tuning RATE in effect when scan starts determines how long it takes > to scan the selected segment; finer-tuning slows things down, and may > result > in detection of weaker signals > > - if the band is noisy (QRN), the SCAN function may unmute too frequently; > try > using the noise blanker > > 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 elecraftcov...@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
[Elecraft] Poor band conditions? Try the SCAN function
Here in Northern California, at least at my QTH, the bands seem to be in very poor shape. (It doesn't help that my OCF dipole has one leg on the ground due to high winds.) At times like this, the SCAN function available on most Elecraft transceivers can help you find signals you might otherwise miss. SCAN does the work for you while you check your email, play chess, re-read The Lord of the Rings, shave, etc. When a signal pops up, scanning stops, and the receiver unmutes briefly so you can consider the signal's worthiness. As you'll discover, bands that were "dead" may not be, in reality. My favorite band for this sort of thing is 15 meters, in the late afternoon. A minute or two after starting a scan, you may hear DX appear from out of nowhere. For specific instructions for your rig, check the table of contents in the owner's manual. Here a few general tips: - use a narrow filter passband when possible, especially if the band is noisy - the tuning RATE in effect when scan starts determines how long it takes to scan the selected segment; finer-tuning slows things down, and may result in detection of weaker signals - if the band is noisy (QRN), the SCAN function may unmute too frequently; try using the noise blanker 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