Re: [Elecraft] p3 beta upgrade

2011-06-17 Thread n5ge
1. The vertical bar cursors are beautiful... Thanks! 2. TX in split is also beautiful! 3. Like the green VFO A cursor. Very good job guys! 73, Tom Amateur Radio Operator N5GE On Fri, 17 Jun 2011 19:49:44 -0700 (PDT), W2XB wrote: >New P3 beta update ( MCU 01.08 / 6-7-2011) is outstanding..

Re: [Elecraft] K2 Front Panel assembly question

2011-06-17 Thread R Thompson
Thanks, I spent almost 2 hours looking for the missing pieces, without success. There are several alternatives I can think of to use as temporary spacers. Fortunately this has been the only mishap during assembly, and hopefully the last. Ron VE8RT On Fri, 2011-06-17 at 15:26 -07

Re: [Elecraft] p3 beta upgrade

2011-06-17 Thread Rob May
I really dislike the green color of the VFO A marker, it just does not look very good on an otherwise beautiful screen. Bring back the light blue. Back to 1.05 for me for now. Rob NV5E > Date: Fri, 17 Jun 2011 19:49:44 -0700 > From: haircut...@verizon.net > To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net > Su

Re: [Elecraft] K3 - 5553 Is on the air..!!

2011-06-17 Thread William C. Johnson
Preach it brother, 10 hours to rf. Super product. 5545 is on the air.   To quote another owner I am also learning to drive.  I loved it with the HRD interface.   Bill Johnson K7BRR K3 #5545 From: W4CCS To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net Sent: Friday, June 17, 2011 4:32 PM Subject: [Elecraft] K3 - 55

Re: [Elecraft] K2/100 - Hi Curr and loss of power control - help! de VK7JB

2011-06-17 Thread VK7JB
Hi All, I replaced D16 and D17 on the KPA100 board and all is back to normal. I'm still stumped how I managed to cook them. Just in case I ever have to do this repair again, I mounted the diodes on the underside of the board. There's plenty of clearance. When mounted on top of the board, th

[Elecraft] p3 beta upgrade

2011-06-17 Thread W2XB
New P3 beta update ( MCU 01.08 / 6-7-2011) is outstanding Don...w2xb -- View this message in context: http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/p3-beta-upgrade-tp6489707p6489707.html Sent from the Elecraft mailing list archive at Nabble.com. __

Re: [Elecraft] OT - Solar activity article

2011-06-17 Thread Guy Olinger K2AV
There are two kinds of "dead" bands: 1) the band is really dead and it doesn't matter whether anyone is on or not. 2) nobody is on the band and it's open.The contests prove how many times it's really #2.We have a Summer Stew Perry coming up tomorrow and we will see what really goes on i

Re: [Elecraft] OT - Solar activity article

2011-06-17 Thread Gary Gregory
All, Last weekend in VK we had the 'shires' contest and on 15M I was delighted to work a QRP operator in Illinois who said he was using 5W and a dipole at 25ft. His signal report was a genuine 55of course I was using my K-Line...:-) Gary On 18 June 2011 09:56, Brendan Minish wrote: > I ha

Re: [Elecraft] OT - Solar activity article

2011-06-17 Thread Brendan Minish
I have worked some fantastic DX during the bottom of the current cycle, 30M really shines as does 40m and 160/80m really come alive. low activity is no show stopper, it's just that the fun is on different bands. a 1/4 wave vertical for 30m is possible for most and at greyline times during periods o

Re: [Elecraft] Portable Wire Antenna Weight

2011-06-17 Thread Gary Gregory
Once upon a time there was a HAM who thought a nearby tree would make a great anchor point for a wire antenna. Careful searching revealed no obvious object to attach to the rope, so being inventive he grabbed his wife's small ball pion hammer and tied it to the antenna. A big swing of the arm foll

[Elecraft] K3 - 5553 Is on the air..!!

2011-06-17 Thread W4CCS
K3 5553 arrived about 24 hours ago.. Five hours last night and 3 today and she is on the air..!! What a joy to assemble the K3 and other Eklecraft equipment. Not a single thing was missing (actually had extra hardware it the kit), every test was successful and all calibration went without a hit

Re: [Elecraft] K2 Front Panel assembly question

2011-06-17 Thread Don Wilhelm
Ron, You need only some kind of spacers that are the thickness of 2 PC boards stacked one upon the other. While it is convenient to have the proper spacers that fit over the leads of the backlight assembly, that is not necessary. Find two pieces the thickness of the PC board material used by

Re: [Elecraft] K2 Front Panel assembly question

2011-06-17 Thread Mike K8CN
Hi Ron, Check Figure 5-9 on page 27 of the rev. H manual - the spacers are used only temporarily to set the height of the backlight assembly prior to soldering its pins in place. I suppose any other means you might devise to keep the backlight 1/8 inch off the front panel board and parallel to it

Re: [Elecraft] OT - Solar activity article

2011-06-17 Thread Geoffrey Mackenzie-Kennedy
Hi Wayne, Absolutely!! During my last CW QSO with CA on 15m using my K2/100, he could still copy me S4 with my Tx power wound down to 5 watts - and this was at near midnight here when the band here was allegedly "dead". Blood pressure is not a problem for me after 60+ years on the air, cross f

Re: [Elecraft] OT - Solar activity article

2011-06-17 Thread Wayne Burdick
As any QRP operator can tell you, the meaning of "DX" changes from day to day, and accepting this fact lowers your blood pressure :) Working a weak station is a worthy challenge wether they're across the state or two hops around the globe. Wayne N6KR On Jun 17, 2011, at 2:24 PM, Geoffrey M

Re: [Elecraft] OT - Solar activity article

2011-06-17 Thread Geoffrey Mackenzie-Kennedy
Arie, I well recall that many "experts" were predicting similar gloom in the mid 1950's and were proved wrong by the Grandmother of all solar cycles of our time. Also IMHO our understanding of propagation vs solar activity is still elementary. 73, Geoff GM4ESD Arie Kleingeld PA3A wrote on Ju

Re: [Elecraft] K3 K144XV frequency accuracy

2011-06-17 Thread Oliver Dröse
Hi Roger, for WSJT (AFSK A) it is the "zero beat" frequency, i.e. the same as in USB. Concerning frequency display you can adjust that in the menu, see under "set transverter offset" in the manual. 73 & gl, Olli - DH8BQA (K3 #4546) - Original Message - From: "Roger Banks" To: Sent

Re: [Elecraft] [KX1] On the trail with the KX1 -- Antenna?

2011-06-17 Thread Phil Hystad
Thanks for the comments on using the KX1 on the trail. I will probably wait on something like the AlexLoop but I am curious about how it performs versus the Buddipole antenna. I mean, if I am going to carry an antenna contraption rather then just coils of wire, the Buddipole looks interesting

Re: [Elecraft] [K2] wire antenna lengths for portable operations

2011-06-17 Thread Ron D'Eau Claire
Tom, that’s true if you have one radial, but making it 1/4 wavelength long minimizes RF on the rig and, in most situations, only a small part of the RF flows in it. It’s a function of the ratio of the impedances of the "radial" and the radiator. Consider the "ideal" case. A radiator close to 1/2

Re: [Elecraft] [K2] wire antenna lengths for portable operations

2011-06-17 Thread Ignacy
Any wire works with about 1/8 wave the minimum. Usually BL2 is not needed. For antennas with high SWR BL2 heats and seems to absorb nearly all the power. I used my K2/10 in ARRL contest from a park in Galveston Island, TX. About 25ft wire to a palm tree and one radial. 5 continents in 30 min. Th

Re: [Elecraft] [KX1] On the trail with the KX1 -- Antenna?

2011-06-17 Thread Ray Sills
Ditto. I've used my AlexLoop (standard version) with a KX1, and been amazed at how will it works. My first QSO with the AlexLoop and the KX1 was with a station in Maine (from here in EPA). I was running about 1 watt. I forget the report, but we had solid copy both ways. 73 de Ray K2ULR

[Elecraft] [KX1] On the trail with the KX1 -- Antenna?

2011-06-17 Thread Eric
Check out the AlexLoop WalkHam portable magnetic loop antenna at www.alexloop.com. I have used this on local hikes with my K1 and KX1 and it works great! You'll need a cheapo photo tripod. It is bulkier than a simple wire but still lightweight and comes with a handy carry bag as well. 73 Eri

Re: [Elecraft] [K2] wire antenna lengths for portable operations

2011-06-17 Thread Tom Meier
Just to restate the obvious: Do not make the radials resonant on any of the operating frequencies. Doing so causes high current in the radials and you end up with a *very low *horizontally polarized radiator. 73, Tom (K7ZZ) On Fri, Jun 17, 2011 at 10:28 AM, Ron D'Eau Claire wrote: > John, as

Re: [Elecraft] K3 K144XV frequency accuracy

2011-06-17 Thread Richard Ferch
The displayed frequency in DATA modes depends on the DATA sub-mode. Assuming you are using the DATA A sub-mode for WSJT, the displayed frequency will be the suppressed carrier frequency, the same as it would be if you were using USB mode. 73, Rich VE3KI GW4WND wrote: > What > is the displayed

Re: [Elecraft] [K2] wire antenna lengths for portable operations

2011-06-17 Thread Ron D'Eau Claire
John, as a general rule I try to get at least 1/4 wavelength of radiator up. That's not always practical but it's worth striving for since below 1/4 wavelength the feed point impedance and so the efficiency drops very quickly. If you are working against a counterpoise, something close to 1/2 wave

Re: [Elecraft] [K2] wire antenna lengths for portable operations

2011-06-17 Thread Hank Garretson
A good starting point is to make length of radiating wire and length of counterpoise odd multiples of a quarter wavelength at frequency of interest. This puts relatively low voltage at feed point with resulting relatively low impedance and easy matching. 73, Hank, W6SX On Fri, Jun 17, 2011 at

Re: [Elecraft] Portable Wire Antenna Weight

2011-06-17 Thread Terry Schieler
Stan, Great suggestion. However, I would need to use a borrowed golf ball as mine would find WATER even in the high desert. 73, Terry, W0FM -Original Message- From: stan levandowski [mailto:sjl...@optonline.net] Sent: Friday, June 17, 2011 10:17 AM To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net Subj

[Elecraft] SOLD: elecraft hexkey - tnx 4 the bandwidth

2011-06-17 Thread Holger Meinecke
The key is on its way to scotland. Have fun Tim! 73 Holger __ 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:

[Elecraft] Portable Wire Antenna Weight

2011-06-17 Thread stan levandowski
Here's something I 'invented' yesterday. I'd like to think it's an original idea but I cannot imagine it hasn't been done time and again by others. But since I've never seen it written anywhere let me describe it here. It might help someone. 1 golf ball (from your golf bag) 1 small screweye

Re: [Elecraft] [KX1] On the trail with the KX1 -- Antenna ?

2011-06-17 Thread Ken Alexander
Hi Phil, I assume you have the built-in autotuner.  If so, a 24 ft wire with a few counterpoise wires has been recommended here before.  I have used this with great success with my KX1 and worked Seychelles with 2 watts on battery power with the 24 ft wire strung out to a nearby tree and the tw

Re: [Elecraft] [KX1] On the trail with the KX1 -- Antenna ?

2011-06-17 Thread stan levandowski
Absolutely 'yes'. In my experience it makes a heck of a difference! I have had consistently good experiences with a 28' radiator made out of 24 gauge Teflon-coated stranded wire and a 33' counterpoise just stretched out on the ground. I bought one of those double BNC connectors and it works

Re: [Elecraft] [KX1] On the trail with the KX1 -- Antenna ?

2011-06-17 Thread John Harper
If you're taking a hiking stick you might be able to install a threaded insert (3/8" X 24?) into the top of it to accept a HamStick type of whip. I've done this in Oklahoma and the Texas coast with very good results on 20m with my KX1 - 2 or 3 radials complete the antenna. You can more easily us

Re: [Elecraft] [KX1] On the trail with the KX1 -- Antenna ?

2011-06-17 Thread Kevin Rock
On Mt. Hood we just laid the antenna down on the talus and it worked fine. I've done the same thing in New Mexico and in Oklahoma. In OK it was not talus but sand on Black Butte. Kevin. KD5ONS On Fri, 17 Jun 2011 07:28:03 -0700, Phil Hystad wrote: > This summer I plan to take my KX1

[Elecraft] [KX1] On the trail with the KX1 -- Antenna ?

2011-06-17 Thread Phil Hystad
This summer I plan to take my KX1 in my backpack on some of our summer hikes in the Cascades. Previously, I have only taken my HT but that is not too bad from the 8000 foot level of Mt. Rainier. So, I am wondering about an antenna. Part of the problem is that often we are above the tree line.

[Elecraft] [K2] wire antenna lengths for portable operations

2011-06-17 Thread John Shadle
I'm headed up to KL7-land next week and am going to take the K2 with me. I was thinking about using the KAT2 to tune a wire attached to the BL2 (at the 1:1 setting). Probably going to cut some teflon-coated wire this evening and pack it away in the bag. I'm seeking input on the best lengths of wi

[Elecraft] K3 K144XV frequency accuracy

2011-06-17 Thread Roger Banks
Hi Guys I am using my lovely shiny new, factory built K3 with built in K144XV on DATA mode on 2m for FSK441 using WSJT. It 'seems' that the display frequency is about 200Hz high compared to most other stations. Is there someway I can check/adjust the output frequency on 2 metres??? What is the disp

Re: [Elecraft] K2 Build # 653 SSB issues.

2011-06-17 Thread Don Wilhelm
Nidge, From your description, you have the older KPA100 - the changes are in the T/R switch area, and the reason for the change was to cure potential oscillation. Take a look at the instructions for the KPA100SHLDKT to see how the two solder lugs connect the SO-239 directly to the shield.

Re: [Elecraft] K3 5450

2011-06-17 Thread Richard Squire - HB9ANM
Hi Karl, After three years of "K3 driving", I'm still discovering things every now and then. Believe me, it's fun! Hope to be learning to build and drive my KPA500 shortly. 73 Richard - HB9ANM Karl Ahamer wrote: > > Hi all, > > my K3 kit #5450 came alive 2 days ago without any problems. > >

Re: [Elecraft] K2 Build # 653 SSB issues.

2011-06-17 Thread Nigel (Nidge) Smith
Hi Don, and thanks for the very quick response. I've just removed the KPA100 from the base and removed the cover. RFC1 appears to be a largish black choke (not torroid) with "101" printed on it. L15 and L16 are Red Torriods, therefore it would appear that KPA100UPKT needs to be purchased and in

Re: [Elecraft] K2/100 - Hi Curr and loss of power control - help! de VK7JB

2011-06-17 Thread VK7JB
Thanks Don & Mark, That's what I suspected, but I wondered about U5 & 6 too, whether they may may have been stung further down the schematic. I'll replace the diodes tomorrow when it's light. I have a small supply of 1N5711's here in my junk box. Then it'll be clear if there's more than just t

Re: [Elecraft] OT - Solar activity article

2011-06-17 Thread w1pns
On Thu, 2011-06-16 at 19:56 +0200, Arie Kleingeld PA3A wrote: > No article, no discussion on any reflector will bring any change in this > solar cycle. And for very good reason. The scientists involved were talking about cycle 25, not this cycle. I attended the press briefing at which the resear

Re: [Elecraft] FS: elecraft hexkey - Sale pending ...

2011-06-17 Thread Holger Meinecke
Sale pending ... --- Holger Meinecke schrieb am Do, 16.6.2011: > Von: Holger Meinecke > Betreff: [Elecraft] FS: elecraft hexkey > An: "elecraft@mailman.qth.net" > Datum: Donnerstag, 16. Juni, 2011 15:54 Uhr > #0234, mint condition, > 100 EUR (or 3 fine ounzes silver ;o) ) > + shipping. > west

Re: [Elecraft] K2 Build # 653 SSB issues.

2011-06-17 Thread Don Wilhelm
Nidge, First help me establish the level of your KPA100. Do you have blue toroids at RFC1 and L16? If so, look at the value of C31 - it should be 0.22 uF. If C31 is 0.033 uF (33nF) it must be changed. If you have red toroids at L15 and L16, then your first step is to install KPA100UPKT. Th

Re: [Elecraft] OT - Solar activity article

2011-06-17 Thread ab2tc
I have to disagree on that one. 15 and 10m bands are hugely underutilized these days even when there are decent openings. I will take what I get but would certainly welcome higher sunspot activity with the better openings on the higher bands. So far the current cycle is a dud. There was some glimme

Re: [Elecraft] K2/100 - Hi Curr and loss of power control - help! de VK7JB

2011-06-17 Thread Don Wilhelm
John, Yes, that is the symptom of damaged diodes D16 and D17. There is also the possibility that U5 and or U6 is not responding properly, but if you measure no voltage drop across those diodes, they are for certain toasted. Start with the diodes, and after that we can move on to the other

Re: [Elecraft] K2/100 - Hi Curr and loss of power control - help! de VK7JB

2011-06-17 Thread Mark Bayern
> Could I have somehow fried D16 & D17 in the KPA100?  I checked these diodes > in-circuit with my multimeter "diode test" function and there is no voltage > drop across either.  Does this mean they've both failed open? No voltage drop across a diode should mean it failed shorted. However, I would

[Elecraft] K2 Build # 653 SSB issues.

2011-06-17 Thread Nigel (Nidge) Smith
Hi All I have in my possession a K2 with the following options. KPA100, KSB2, K160RX, KNB2, KDSP2, . I’m not the original builder of this example and the source of the original builder is a little vague. So far I have done a complete reset of the radio, fine tuned the alignment of the bandpas