. Well, a QRP
station finally made it in, the op said. Congratulations.
First DXpedition QSL ever. Good feeling. Great rig.
Lew
Lew Phelps K6LMP
Pasadena, CA DM04wd
Elecraft K3-10 (160-2 meters, 10 watts all mode)
k6...@me.com
Amidon also carries a wide range of beads made from 31 Material. Specifically,
13 round wire type beads and 12 snap-on beads, with prices ranging from 75
cents each to about $20 each, depending on size.
You can order directly from www.amidon.com.
Lew K6LMP
On Feb 10, 2012, at 12:45 PM, Ken
Thank you, Tony!
I had developed a maddening audio hum suddenly, and couldn't find the cause.
The curious thing was that it was WORSE when no mike was plugged into the jack
on the back panel.
Based on your email, I checked the menu settings. Sure enough, MIC + LINE: ON.
Switched to OFF and
Varies by airport. sometimes they make me take it out and put it on a tray like
they do with laptops. Sometimes they make me empty out entire carrying case
and fondle everything. Either way, they almost always wipe it with the special
paper and do an explosives check.
Helps if you tell them
Just a note here on TSA regs regarding batteries of any kind:
You MUST carry them with you on the plane. TSA regs forbid putting any kind of
battery into checked luggage. Their web site says this is because it's easier
to determine if the battery has shorted out and caught on fire, or
This is 'way off topic except for Elecrafters who home-brew antennas. I
apologize for using the bandwidth.
While antenna home brewers are primarily concerned with electrical performance
of various antenna designs, we also must take into consideration the physical
strength of the antenna,
In addition to my K3, I own a Yaesu FT-7800 mobile FM rig,which I have equipped
with Yaesu's MH-48 DTMF microphone. I'm considering building a simple adapter
that would allow me to connect the MH-48 to the front panel mike jack, which
would allow me to use the keypad on the mic to access
Yes, you need a USB-RS232 dongle. And you have to be wary about what brand
you acquire. Many of the USB serial port adapters on the market don't have
drivers for Mac OS X, and many of the drivers that purport to run under OS X OS
X work with versions 10.6 and earlier, but not 10.7 (Lion),
I know this is getting 'way off topic and extended, but I have been very
interested in how pervasive the Heathkit experience is among the Elecraft
community, so I'll add my own experience with Heath.
I built an AR-15 stereo receiver while I was in the Navy, on an ammunition ship
in the South
If a 2-meter version of the KPA500 ever gets to the drawing-board stage,
I'd vote for two-band capability, adding 6 meters; this would be ideal
for VHF/UHF contesting, as it would provide a single amp for the two most-used
bands in those contests. I think that trying to stretch it to 432 mhz
There once was sold an excellent rig (for its day) sold by Yaesu called the
FT-736r. It was designed and marketed primarily for satellite work, but became
very popular among VHF-UHF contesters. In fact, I know of quite few who still
use it, but they are looking for alternatives, since the
I recently began wearing hearing aids myself, so I know what you're going
through. You have to remove hearing aids to use conventional headphones, or
else you get audio feedback screeching. When you remove hearing aids, if you're
like most people, you lose ability to hear higher frequencies,
Using the Consumer Price Index as an adjustment mechanism, prices have risen by
360% between 1977 and 2011. That is, to buy something worth $100 in 1977, you'd
have to pay $360 today. Another inflation adjustment mechanism that most
economists consider more useful is the Gross Domestic Product
Here's another member of the group offering unsolicited product design ideas to
Elecraft...which they surely don't need, but I know they welcome.
My big wish product for Elecraft would be an adaptation of the K3 with
multiple slots for small-ish transverters to make a pure VHF/UHF rig.
I'm
the FT736 has is full duplex cross-band, to support
satellite operation. Is that something the VHF/UHF K3 should have also?
Al N1AL
On Wed, 2011-05-25 at 11:05 -0700, Lew Phelps K6LMP wrote:
Here's another member of the group offering unsolicited product design
ideas to Elecraft...which
On May 19, 2011, at 8:38 AM, Grant Youngman wrote:
-
Have you considered replacing the bottom panel with an inch thick piece of
lead :-)
Lead is for sissies.
If you really want to add weight, get the real stuff: tungsten. Its density is
0.697
for shortened URLs, similar to
tinyurl.com. Of course, these can easily be abused although they are mostly
used for legitimate purposes. For more information on shortened URLs, see
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/URL_shortening
73,
Bob N7XY
On May 5, 2011, at 3:32 PM, Lew Phelps K6LMP
The URL itself gives him away as a spammer. .ly is the internet country code
for Libya, and the other one he used, .mp, is from the Northern Marianas
Islands. Emails from unknown parties from such obscure entities are a huge
warning flag. The Nigerian Scam doesn't live oonlly in Nigeria.
I was browsing through the local Salvation Army Thrift Store (where I sometimes
go looking for low-priced antique treasures), and stumbled across a 50-foot
length of RG-8-type coax cable. At the asking price of $6.00, I couldn't pass
it up.
It has Amphenol male UHF connectors. And absolutely
K6LMP
--- On Wed, 4/13/11, Lew Phelps K6LMP k6...@me.com wrote:
From: Lew Phelps K6LMP k6...@me.com
Subject: [Elecraft] OT trying to identify mystery coax cable
To: Elecraft Reflector elecraft@mailman.qth.net
Date: Wednesday, April 13, 2011, 11:58 AM
I was browsing through the local
When making up APP connectors, you have to be VERY sure that the little lip on
the connecting pin (the part that's soldered onto the wire) extends completely
into the plastic housing so that it locks itself over the metal part inside the
plastic housing. Viewed from the side it looks something
I am in the process of installing a 43-foot vertical at my QTH (made by DX
Engineering, but should be the same for purposes of this discussion).
I have modeled this antenna on all bands assuming a 4:1 Unun at the base of the
antenna, a 75 foot run of 9913 coax, and a home-brew L antenna at the
I recently acquired a padded carrying case (not hard-sided like a Pelican) that
suits my needs for carrying a K3 plus numerous accessories. It costs $21.95
from Surplus Center of Nebraska. The interior measurements are approximately 6
x 16 x 13, with 1/2 padding on all sides. It's a dark
I came to the decision to buy a K3 through the back door. At the time I made
my decision, I was operating a Yaesu FT-897D transceiver (all mode HF + 2 meter
and 70 cm). I was getting interested in VHF/UHF contesting, and looking
primarily for a 222 mhz transverter to give me another band for
Phil, the 20 VAC drop that you describe for a 15 amp draw on a 120 VAC circuit
strongly suggests that something is wrong with the wiring.
I am assuming that with a 15 amp breaker the circuit is wired (per the National
Electrical Code requirements) with 14 gauge copper wire. A voltage drop of
I own a 1929 Hudson Town Sedan. Its OEM electrical system was 6 volt positive
ground. Later Hudsons were 12 volt negative ground. From my contact with the
old car restoration community, my sense is that in the early years (up to about
1950) the industry was about evenly split between positive
From Wikipedia (my emphasis in bold):
Modulated continuous wave is defined by the Federal Communications Commission
in 47 CFR ยง97.3(c)(4) as Tone-modulated international Morse code telegraphy
emissions having designators with A, C, D, F, G, H or R as the first symbol; 2
as the second symbol; A
So why not write a letter to the editor of QST making this point?
Cheers,
Lew K6LMP
On Feb 9, 2011, at 11:55 PM, Mike Morrow wrote:
While I'm griping...notice that QST Product Reviews (like the one for
the R4020) will spend a lot of text telling the reader how to do some
odd-ball thing on
I'm thinking of ordering a KCR2 Band Decoder from Aptos.
I'm trying to figure out how it could be configured to control antenna
selection based on mode of operation. My station has Yagi beams for UHF/VHF
weak signal work, and also verticals for FM and repeater use. I know I can get
the KCR2
I have found a very neat way to connect my PR-6 to the external antenna
connectors on the K3.
Max-Gain Systems (www.mgs4u.com)) offers a great deal (pack of 5 for $2) on SMA
M-M U-shaped coax jumpers. Here's the web site description: These brand new
super low loss jumpers are made to mil
I wasn't active in ham radio at the time of Heathkit's demise, so I don't know
what they were doing or not doing in the ham radio arena, but they certainly
were't lacking for expertise in solid-state electronics. I built their AR-15
stereo radio kit while I was on a Navy ammunition ship in
I suspect the answer is it depends. I'm sure I could fit an equivalent volume
inside my K3, but I don't have the ATU or the subreceiver or the 100 watt
amplifier installed. Could you fit the pre-amp inside the K3 if all those
options were installed? I don't know, but if it were easy, I suspect
I have a very loving and understanding XYL. For Christmas, she gave me a 432
mHz Elecraft transverter kit. I already have the internal 2 meter transverter
in my K3, so this increases my available bands for VHF/UHF contests by 50%
(from two to three).
Now I just have to get the kit
My daughter works in archaeological artifact conservation, and deals regularly
with issues of removing unknown substances from an artifact. The standard
process in such cases is to start with the least-harsh solvents (water, then
alcohol, then Goof-off, for example). Before you use any solvent
I'm currently running my K3-10 into a 40 meter horizontal loop antenna, mounted
on my roof about 35 feet above ground. It's impractical to use on 80, and has a
very high angle of radiation on 40 and 20 meters.
So, I'm thinking of replacing it with a 43' wire vertical. Yes, I know it needs
a
On Dec 19, 2010, at 4:21 PM, Lew Phelps K6LMP wrote:
I'm currently running my K3-10 into a 40 meter horizontal loop antenna,
mounted on my roof about 35 feet above ground. It's impractical to use on 80,
and has a very high angle of radiation on 40 and 20 meters.
[snip
We are getting 'way off topic here, but I can't resist adding a similarly
constructed sentence I learned from a professor who taught English Writing
courses at Pomona College. He sets the scene with two boys walking through a
cemetery on a dark night, naturally afraid what would suddenly
should encourage that, not bemoan it. A broader customer base could help to
ensure long-term success.
Lew Phelps K6LMP
On Dec 1, 2010, at 11:28 AM, Monty Shultes wrote:
Many more innovative companies were created by one or two than by committees.
Many of those won't survive beyond
This looks like a situation in which the only means for members of this list to
obtain one of these headsets (which I own and like very much!) is for a U.S.
ham to buy it, have it shipped to his QTH, and then reship to an international
QTH.
I am willing to undertake this effort, with no
One possible solution would be to soak the stuck joints a solution of sodium
hydroxide (lye, as in drain cleaner). There's a web site that discusses the
chemical reaction and the ability of lye to dissolve existing layers of
aluminum oxide. See:
I recently acquired a very slightly used CM500 from a fellow ham who couldn't
use it because the tight ear seals made his hearing aids squeal.
I've found it to be a very comfortable headset to use (wore it for many hours
during last weekend's VHF contest) and after setting up the mike as
Agreed, your voice over the air and through somebody else's radio will not
sound the same as what you hear in your own headphones. But wouldn't you agree
that what you hear in your headphones in Test mode will be sufficient to tell
you if your audio is badly overdriven and clipped, weak,
I think some of the folks who are calling for gigawatt amplifiers (ok, full
legal limit...) are losing focus on one key fact: Elecraft has prospered by
making products that SOME hams want that NOBODY else makes. The K3 is a perfect
example: an exquisite transceiver, quite arguably the best
This is one of the main reasons I got re-involved in ham radio after many
years, and why I chose the K3 (after several years playing around with Yaesu
rigs). I live in Southern California, and I know that some day -- it's a matter
when, not whether -- we will have The Big One. I know that there
An important consideration for me (in choosing the K144XV) was the fact that
the XV144 does not cover the entire 2 meter band; it has only 2 mHz bandwidth
from 144.00 to 146.00 mHz. The K144XV automatically switches crystals so that
it can cover the entire 144-148 mHz spectrum of the 2 meter
This is an outstanding price for such a battery. AllElectronics offers a
Panasonic battery with 5ah capacity for $16 each plus shipping and taxes if you
live in California. Even though I drive practically past their retail store in
Van Nuys on my daily commute, and thus could avoid shipping
This appears to be a very standard form factor product; you can find
batteries with exactly the same physical and electrical specs online from a
dozen or more different manufacturers. It is a standard battery for use in UPS
systems.
While I don't know what brand Neil is providing, I found a
Ah, the vagaries of propagation! I tuned in to check into the net but I could
barely hear net control deep in the noise, and few of the responding stations.
I live 80 miles west of one of the California stations that checked in and 80
miles north of he other, but I might as well have been on
Joe, given where you live, in northern Ohio, you could go for days without
hearing anything on 6 meters. I live in the Los Angeles area, and I sometimes
just tune the K3 to 50.125 (the SSB calling frequency) and listen for activity
while I'm working from home. There are three or four guys (in
Having dealt in the past with tech support from Yaesu and Icom, and now
enjoying the incredibly better support that Elecraft offers, I have three
observations:
1. With any of the Japanese manufacturers, your ONLY option is to ship to the
factory. If it's under warranty, you void the warranty
I downloaded this PDF file and uploaded it to a site anyone can access:
http://public.me.com/lewphelps
Has anyone seen specs and price for the new Kenwood?
Lew Phelps K6LMP
On Jul 2, 2010, at 2:11 PM, Grant Youngman wrote:
Any chance this exists somewhere where creating a Google account
Not to mention the use of stick it rather than sell it
that's what I found offensive.
lew k6lmp
On Jul 2, 2010, at 5:13 PM, DOUGLAS ZWIEBEL wrote:
The top banner of the ad reads:
Still using that K3? You may just want to stick it on e-bay
That is what I found to be rather
I'm building a 300 watt external amplifier for use on 6 meters and 2 meters, a
specialized VHF Contesting amp that I will use with my K3-10 (with internal 2
meter transverter).
There's a good design for a kilowatt-capable 6 meter low pass filter in the
ARRL Handbook (2007), but I haven't
Don't feel alone, Gil.
I went through the same head-scratching several months ago, when I bought my
PR6.
connection is actually quite simple.
Your 6 m antenna connects to the HF antenna jack on the back of the rig (
ANT-1.)
Connect the 6 m preamp to the receive only bnc jacks on the
think of it as insurance to protect against a short circuit between the
headphones
Lew K6LMP
On Apr 21, 2010, at 2:31 PM, Mel Farrer wrote:
I agree with Doug but from another prospective.
[I assume you meant perspective]
Look at the energy budget for portable work. Less
It's probably possible to build a KW power supply into a K3 enclosure, but a
power supply of that output would absolutely require 220VAC lines, which I
believe is one of the reasons Elecraft focused on the 500 watt amplifier size.
500 watts is about the limit for running an amplifier from 110
I believe that TSA requires laptops, digital movie cameras, and other large
electronics items to be removed from their carrying cases and placed in a
separate bin to go through xray. practices vary a little from airport to
airport, but it certainly does not hurt to at least inform TSA what's
Jeff, I bought my K3 in large part for VHF/UHF contesting. The receiver is
excellent for 6 meter weak signal work, but you will want to get the PR6
preamp. I concur with others that it is highly desirable, and also that it
will give you as much performance, with less hassle, than a masthead
What filter is set? If you have a narrowband filter installed in addition to
the stock 2.7K filter, and if you have been working CW/digital modes with a
narrowband filter, and if the settings somehow got messed up on the
mode-by-mode filter selection, you might be trying to transmit SSB through
Lyle, am I correct in my understanding that the P3 does not require any
connection to a personal computer for any reason?
If it does rely on an external PC for anything, will software be available for
all platforms (as with the K3 utility) or only for Windows?
Those of us who use Macs
I (finally) got my K144XV internal 2 meter transverter yesterday, and installed
it last night.
It appears to be functioning normally, but I am unable to ping any local
repeaters. Here's what I have:
I am getting 10 watts out, per an external wattmeter, with low SWR.
I have the repeater shift
for guiding me to this.
Lew K6LMP
On Mar 25, 2010, at 10:56 AM, Lew Phelps K6LMP wrote:
I (finally) got my K144XV internal 2 meter transverter yesterday, and
installed it last night.
It appears to be functioning normally, but I am unable to ping any local
repeaters. Here's what I have:
I
The reason you can't find it on iTunes Store is that it doesn't exist there.
It is not offered in iTunes Store because it requires that you jailbreak your
iPhone in order for the app to run. Jailbreaking voids Apple's warranty on the
device, although can be remedied by restoring the Apple OS
I bought a bare K3 kit in late December, and assembled it in seven hours on
New Year's Day. I've had the back off since then to install the
transverter/RXANT interface, which took about an hour in total, including
reassembly. I'll have the back off again in a day or two to install the
internal
yes, absolutely the grounding mat must be attached to a good ground, as well as
the alligator clip on the end of the coiled wire on your wrist strap.
I think almost any brand will do, as long as it clearly states on the label
that it is intended to prevent ESD (ElectroStatic Discharge).
For
If you're looking for a relatively compact six meter beam antenna, consider a
three element quad.
Dimensions are available at http://www2.mmae.ucf.edu/~ssd/ham/quadcalc.html,
which has a Java calculator for various quads, based on formulae developed by
the legendary antenna guru, L. B. Cebik,
Great construction notes, Dave!
However, I don't see the advantage of the longer boom and fourth element
required with your design. With the 3 element design I described, free space
gain (as modeled with cocoaNEC) is virtually the same as your four element
design, while boom length is only
will be very
disappointed in whatever antenna you build. Good luck and VY 73, Lance
On 3/18/2010 5:03 PM, Lew Phelps K6LMP wrote:
For a Yagi to achieve gain similar to a three-element quad, you need to
double the
boom length. If you look at the marvelous spreadsheet that VE7BQH posted a
bit
Major auto makers offer conflicting guidance on this subject.
In sum, Chrysler says negative lead to the body near the battery, not fused.
Ford says both leads to the battery, but doesn't give clear guidance on fusing
the negative lead.
GM says it's best to connect the negative lead to the
Use a small flat-blade screwdriver. Lift the front edge of the connector, which
hooks over the front lip of the metal piece that's built into the plastic
connector. It's designed to work this way. You shouldn't break it.
Lew K6LMP
On Mar 14, 2010, at 12:01 PM, OE5CSP-Chris wrote:
Hi,
Folks, I asked Elecraft about this before I bought my rig in January; they said
it's on the list but not as easy to do as one might think. I figured they
could just drop an FTDI chipset into the rig in place of the RS232 jack, but it
seems that it's not all that simple.
Patience is a virtue.
I'm also a Mac user. Some months ago, I specifically asked the folks at
Elecraft if there is any reason to prefer their USB-Serial dongle over others
that are commercially available. They said no, there's nothing that special
about their device.
The real issue, especially for Mac users, is
is a better
solution.
Yes, an inexpensive solution is to just put a band switching control on the
front panel of the amplifier, but the KPA3 does that without an extra knob.
73,
Don W3FPR
Lew Phelps K6LMP wrote:
Does anyone have experience (positive or otherwise) with Communications
, mounts on a six foot
boom, and has a natural impedance of 50 ohms. It has several dB more gain than
a 6 meter Yagi of equivalent size, is easier to make, has lower material and
easier to transport than a Yagi.
Lew K6LMP
Lew Phelps K6LMP
Pasadena, CA DM04wd
Elecraft K3 Serial #3805
Yaesu
I own a MacBook Pro laptop -- current vintage, which means it has only one
audio port. It's a 3.5mm jack that is designed to interface with the headset
plug on Apple's earbuds plus throat mike headset. The plug on the Apple
headset has a tip plus THREE rings, rather than the usual two for a
of
production, and thus support would be zilch, so they are lower on my list,
subject to input from this group.
Comments and user reports welcome.
Lew Phelps K6LMP
Pasadena, CA DM04wd
Elecraft K3-10 (160-6 meters, soon to be 160-2 meters, all modes)
Yaesu FT-7800 (2m and 70 cm, 50 watts FM only
This discussion has featured a wide range of viewpoints, but I think there are
several common threads in almost all the postings:
1. Elecraft has done a great job in the past of identifying and filling niche
markets with quality products at great prices.
2. There are lots of products on the
Ummm, if this is a real issue for some operators (and not a theoretical issue),
it would seem the problem could easily be resolved with an audio transformer.
RadioShack sells one for $2.99. They don't publish the specs in enough detail
to tell for sure, but it has a number of taps on the
78 matches
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