Re: [Elecraft] ALC implementation
The original concept of ALC was devised by Collins engineers as part of their development program for speech processing. Speech clipping flattens the peak amplitude, but also introduces some splatter which then has to be filtered out - but the filtering re-introduces a small amount of level variation (called 're-peaking'). Collins then added a very small amount of ALC, only 2-3dB, to keep the peak envelope power more constant. This mild ALC introduced very little additional splatter of its own, so the result was a large increase in intelligibility with very little increase in bandwidth. Where ALC got a bad name was when other manufacturers started mis-using it for other purposes - in particular for manual power control from 100W down to 1W or less. ALC was also being used to compensate for variations in TX gain between different bands. All of this required much more gain in the control loop (20-30dB) which made teh ALC much more aggressive and created major problems with transient behavior - in other words, quite serious splatter due to the ALC system itself. Then someone decided it would be a good idea to apply ALC from the power amplifier, thus wrapping an external control loop around the existing ALC loop within the transceiver, so the transient behavior became totally unpredictable. Add to this the tendency of many hams to perpetually overdrive their transmitters while *also* applying speech processing, and the result was that both ALC and speech processing got a very bad name. Enter the K3. With a little persuasion from early adopters, Elecraft returned to the original Collins concept of applying only a small amount of ALC to minimise re-peaking *without* significantly re-introducing splatter. The SDR concept allowed other means to be used to implement the non-dynamic power control functions such as manual power setting and TX gain compensation. When correctly configured according to the User Manual, the K3 family of transceivers are capable of excellent speech processing without worrying about also creating splatter. (Also note that speech processing is automatically disabled for data modes.) As far as I know, there is still no other manufacturer who is doing this. References: [1] W E Sabin and E O Schoenike (Collins), 'Single-Sideband Systems and Circuits'. McGraw-Hill Book Company 1987. ISBN 0-07-054407-7 [2] Leif Åsbrink, SM5BSZ (http://sm5bsz.com), ‘Real Life Dynamic Range of Modern Amateur Transceivers’ and ‘Speech Processing for SSB Transmitters’. 73 from Ian GM3SEK On 13/07/2019 08:35, Richard Corfield wrote: The compression modulates the signal. That will have a fourier transform of its own. If we think of it as a simple amplitude modulation then, as for AM signals, the spectrum of the original signal will be combined (convolved) with upper and lower sidebands representing the spectrum of the compressor. Our ears don't notice (unless we're sound guys listening to a pop song thinking "They've squashed those dynamics to death" ;-) ) but maybe a digital mode will. The transmitted signal is constrained to the IF passband so you stay within band. The compression frequencies and hopefully amplitude are both small so the artefacts it introduces into the spectrum should also be both narrow and small. - Richard __ 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] ALC implementation
__ 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] [Elecraft_K3] Re: PIN for K3??
Joe Subich, W4TV wrote: The problem with optional features is that they take development time for the benefit of a very small number of users and get in the way of larger projects that benefit the larger group. That is a very important point - but development priorities are decided by Elecraft AND ONLY ELECRAFT. Certainly there are many improvements that still could be made to the K3, and it is well known that Wayne has a List. But it does not help Elecraft - or anyone - if every well-intended suggestion is followed by counterattacks from people who have other priorities. We are not here to fight The War for Wayne's Attention. -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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] Problem with a K3 screw - suggestions needed
In Europe, make sure you are not using a Pozidriv screwdriver. A Pozidriv #1 screwdriver will kind-of work with the Phillips screws in the K3... right up to the moment when a screw gets stuck. Beyond that moment, a Pozidriv screwdriver is very likely to do damage. Even with a good-quality Phillips #1 driver, my 700-series K3 is now on its second set of case screws. The originals were worn out by opening up the K3 to show it to people :-) 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek Tom H Childers wrote: Good advice Don. Another thing that will destroy Phillips head screws is the use of a reed and prince screw driver, so verify that you are REALY using a Phillips screw driver. The very tip of a Phillips screw driver is blunt, not sharp, but a reed and prince screw driver (which looks very much like a Phillips) is sharp on the tip and will not seat completely in a Phillips screw, thus slipping and destroying the socket. Beware when buying inexpensive screw drivers that are call Phillips screw drivers. Check the tip and make sure it's not sharp. 73, Tom Amateur Radio Operator N5GE ARRL Lifetime Member QCWA Lifetime Member On Wed, 26 Dec 2012 18:15:05 -0500, Don Wilhelm w3...@embarqmail.com wrote: Fabio, That screw in into a 2D connector. You will be able to remove the front panel by removing the other 2 screws in the 2D connector, and then you should be able to rotate the 2D connector body in a direction that will loosen the screw threads. Elecraft does have replacement screws. You do not have to purchase the SS kit, just order by the part number listed in the assembly manual - you can order one or any multiple you want. The proper size screwdriver is a #1 Phillips which should be available worldwide. Do not use a worn Phillips screwdriver, it is certain to slip and strip out the screwhead. If you have had trouble, I suggest you invest in a new screwdriver. I use my #1 Phillips more than most in my Elecraft repair activities, but if I find my screwdriver does not firmly hold a screw when the screwdriver shaft is held horizontally, that tip is worn sufficiently that it should be replaced. I do not want to strip out the screwheads on my customer's equipment. In other words, do not use worn screwdriver tips and all should be well. 73, Don W3FPR On 12/26/2012 5:46 PM, Fabio IZ4AFW / NZ1W wrote: Hi guys, today I decided to try to apply a mod (Audio Low Pass filter) to my beloved K3. My K3 was born in September, 2009 and I bought it factory assembled. Up till now, I just added a couple of additional filters and the KV3A board; so, I never unassembled the front panel before. Today I found that one of the upper front panel screws was probably overtightened (or defective). I tried to unscrew the screw with several phillips screwdrivers (little and big), to no avail. The side effect of my (unsuccessful) tentatives was that: 1) I was not able to unscrew the screw 2) now the screw head is damaged (see pic at https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/V1aTCoSq5qkgs3y-beE_DdMTjNZETYmy PJy0liipFm0?feat=directlink) I got to unassemble the front panel unscrewing a couple of screws more, but I'd like to solve this little problem (moreover, it's ugly). Before going with some more destructive methods (I am thinking about drilling the screw??), I'd like to have some savy suggestion from the community... Moreover, do you know if Elecraft has an additional screw kit available (I don't need the stainless steel ones)? As a side note, I found that almost all the flat-head screws were very soft and damage-prone (differently from the other round-head screws). -- __ 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 Problems
chas wrote: On 26/11/2012 12:19, Don Wilhelm wrote: Do you have a saved K3 configuration file? If so, do an EEINIT (see Parameter Initialization in the manual) and reload the configuration. That will give you something to accomplish while waiting for the support people to wake up this morning. 73, Don W3FPR Thank you Don, but you need to read my latest reply to Gary. The SHIFT LO NORM button is not working correctly - so what you are both suggesting will not work. I have read the Parameter Initialisation page in the manual. I have tried reinstalling the Configuration Menu. Until you appreciate that the K3 front panel buttons are all totally corrupted then any cure to this problem cannot be found. If your description is correct, this could be a hardware problem involving communication between the buttons, the MCU and the rest of the rig. Have you tried removing the front panel assembly, and checking for any connector-related problems? Search the pdf version of the K3 Assembly Manual for Removing the front panel and follow the instructions there. Carefully lever off the entire assembly (using the screwdriver slots provided) and then back-track through the assembly instructions, checking for any possible connector problems involving the Front Panel Board and its various plug-in modules. Then, equally carefully, plug it all back together, and this may be enough to re-establish communication. -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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] P3 Anomoly
N4OI - Ken wrote: Appears to be bad BNC-BNC cable that was supplied with P3. Easy to replace. Yes, I just assembled my P3 a few weeks ago and noticed that the BNC cable ends had a very loose fit on both the P3 and K3 BNC connectors. Although I did not experience a problem, I replaced it with a good quality cable I had in a drawer. Me too. On a fixed-tuned display, the P3 and P3SVGA waterfalls were displaying drifting bars of noise that moved with the VFOs, but could not actually be heard on either receiver of the K3 - in other words, they were internally generated spurious signals. When I replaced the supplied BNC cable with a disreputable-looking patch cable from the junk box, the problem disappeared. On cutting away the plastic covers from the BNC crimp connectors, the metal sleeve on both connectors was found to be incorrectly crimped. The tool had been applied too far away from the connector body so that the crimp was squeezing mostly the soft cable, but failing to provide a solid 360deg clamping pressure onto the braid. My K3/P3 experience has been first-rate, but I suggest Elecraft should take a look at their BNC cable supplier and consider upgrading for future shipments. Agreed. -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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 power output problems
Don Wilhelm wrote: There is one possibility of a loose connection in the ground path for the antenna connectors. At the upper right-rear corner of the K3 there is a 2D connector, a long screw and a standoff is fastened to the threads of that long screw. The tightness of that standoff is important to the ground path to the antenna connectors. See page 22 of the K3 Assembly manual. To tighten the standoff, you will have to first loosen the screw that goes into the inside end of that standoff, then tighten the standoff with pliers (or better yet, a 3/16 inch wrench). Once you have tightened the standoff against the 2D connector, you can tighten the screw again. That slender pillar is the main return path for an ampere or more of RF current flowing between the KAT3 board and the rear panel sockets. As someone whose design instincts were developed at VHF, where all RF ground paths must be short, broad and direct, I didn't feel comfortable about that corner of the K3. Yes, we know that it works and it's good enough for HF. But in these days of compulsory EMC testing and microscopically detailed product reviews, even HF designers are coming to realise that bending the rules for good RF grounding will eat into the margins of performance, spurious signal rejection and stability. RF grounding of the KAT3 board is also far too dependent on the tightness of the screws at each end of the pillar and the cleanness of all the contact surfaces. That ground return path can be much improved by connecting the mounting screw of J1 directly to the corner of the KAT3 board, using two solder tags that are overlapped and soldered directly together. My K3 doesn't necessarily work any better, but it does satisfy the instincts of an old VHF hound :-) -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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] K-Line Addition - DC Power Supply (Suggestion)
Alan Bloom wrote: I'm not sure what you mean about the regulator not being quiet. The LM723 is a simple linear I.C.; no switching noise and no acoustical noise. ... It's true that the 723 is a really ancient IC - it was designed back in the 70's I believe. Ancient is not always bad, because the 723 was way ahead of its time. The 723 survived the introduction of convenient 'drop-in' regulator ICs like the 7812 and 317 because that first generation of 3-pin regulators had inferior performance in critical applications. Only in more recent years have more modern 3-pin and 5-pin regulators moved ahead of the ancient 723. When production lines changed over to lead-free manufacturing processes, many of those very early ICs were discontinued. The 723 is one of the few that 'made the cut' because there is still nothing else quite like it. It is also true that there are some pitfalls with using it that can trap the unwary. But with proper design it can be made to work just fine. The 723 is not a plug-and-play circuit block; it's really a 'kit of parts' on a chip, with all of its functions - voltage reference, op-amp, compensation - accessible on separate pins. These functions can be configured in several different ways, which means that the 723 will always require some good old 1970s-style analog circuit design... which includes plenty of opportunities for the designer to make mistakes. The classic reference for this style of detailed, up-close circuit design is 'The Art of Electronics' by Horowitz and Hill - one of the few college-level engineering texts that belongs on the workbench as well. Highly recommended. -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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] Phase Noise / CW Key Clicks
I don't scan the bands looking for bad signals because I spend my time contesting instead, but I always jot down the callsigns of the really bad signals I find and I highlight the worst of them in my 3830 report. I've seen others do the same, although it would certainly help if everyone did. Dave AB7E But we still need objective evidence, to justify action being taken. For this and many other reasons, it really would help is if we could *quickly* dump high-resolution screen grabs out of the P3SVGA's USB port, onto a memory stick for example. (A simple system-generated filename with a time stamp would be enough to identify the image for consideration later, without interrupting our own operating.) Part of that same signal analysis package would be a much faster waterfall for improved time resolution. These features were kind-of on Alan's list, but they need some momentum. -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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] Phase Noise / CW Key Clicks
David Gilbert wrote: True. As I said in another post, I'd love to see someone write an SDR application that captured and quantified such things, but in the absence of that screenshots from a scrolling spectrum display (waterfall) would help. The problem is that you lose the amplitude information when you use the waterfall that is necessary to establish the time correlation between center frequency and spurious crap. With a normal spectrum analyzer that shows amplitude you can't see the correlation in a screenshot. Maybe it's possible to display a 3D spectrum display! ;) It isn't necessary to measure or quantify key-clicks and splatter. For the purposes we are discussing here, the only requirement is to show that a signal is notably worse than others of similar strength nearby. A SVGA waterfall display with a good amplitude-sensitive color palette and faster scrolling can show up these defects very clearly indeed. Those features are standard in most PC-based SDR software, but have not yet been implemented in the P3SVGA firmware. The other requirement, as already noted, is to capture the image quickly and easily from the P3SVGA for future use. -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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] Ultimatic keying
Vic K2VCO wrote: On 8/12/2012 1:25 PM, stan levandowski wrote: For those Listers who don't know what Ultimatic keying is all about - and are afraid to ask - here is a description by Chuck Olson WB9KZY and some references also: http://wb9kzy.com/ultimat.txt 73, Stan WB2LQF In a few words: when you squeeze the key, Ultimatic doesn't send alternating dots and dashes - it interrupts whichever ones you were already sending, to send the opposite character instead. The Ultimatic logic is last paddle pressed, always wins. The Ultimatic system is more forgiving of small timing errors because it doesn't ever store a trailing character from the opposite paddle. In most implementations, Ultimatic allows plenty of time to release either paddle (if that's what you need to do) before it takes a fresh look at both paddles. Ultimatic is favored by two very different groups of people: 1. People who can read Morse faster than their fingers will send it, so they are *always* sending at their personal upper limit. 2. Extreme High Speed operators, who are sending at *their* upper limit, too... but for very different reasons. You guys got me interested, and I have a keyer that supports it, so I tried it. Couldn't send C's or K's. Both of which are in my call! Well, yeah... Ultimatic has got to feel different from the system you're already used to. (If it wasn't different, it would be the same :-) But the main point is that both the K3 and the KX3 offer an extremely limited set of menu options for the built-in CW keyer - which also is the ONLY way to send RTTY or PSK from the paddles. When the $6 K12 keyer chip offers a wider range of options than the K3 and the KX3 do, something is out of balance in the feature list. It is surely time for those additional options (including bug and Ultimatic) to be made available inside the box. -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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] P3 hookup
Don Wilhelm wrote: That will work ONLY if the SteppIR can listen in on 38400 bps traffic. If it needs any other speed, then you must put the Y on the P3. Check the data speeds that the SteppIR will handle. The older SteppIR controller can only handle up to 19200 bps. That speed must be manually configured in all three devices - the SteppIR controller, the computer and the P3 - and the SteppIR controller MUST be connected at the INput of the P3 (NOT to the K3) The connection between the P3 and the K3 will always be automatically reconfigured to 38400 bps (regardless of the manual configuration setting in the K3) so an older SteppIR controller cannot read the traffic at this speed. The newer SteppIR SDA-100 controller can handle 38400 bps so it could be connected to either the K3 or the P3, but again this speed must be manually configured in all three devices. -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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] P3 hookup
Mike K2MK wrote: Hi Ian, My 5 year old SteppIR controller works fine at 38400 bps. 73, Mike K2MK The one I originally used must have been a very early model, then, because that definitely was 19200 max. With my present SDA-100, everything can be set to 38400. Ian White GM3SEK wrote The older SteppIR controller can only handle up to 19200 bps. That speed must be manually configured in all three devices - the SteppIR controller, the computer and the P3 - and the SteppIR controller MUST be connected at the INput of the P3 (NOT to the K3) The connection between the P3 and the K3 will always be automatically reconfigured to 38400 bps (regardless of the manual configuration setting in the K3) so an older SteppIR controller cannot read the traffic at this speed. The newer SteppIR SDA-100 controller can handle 38400 bps so it could be connected to either the K3 or the P3, but again this speed must be manually configured in all three device -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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 and JT65/WSPR
Jim Brown wrote: On 7/19/2012 3:38 PM, Lance Collister, W7GJ wrote: Most of us EME types have sequencers, external preamps, and numerous old coaxial relays. Understood why YOU need the delay in your application, but 99% of us using digital modes, even JT65, are not doing stuff like that. I think it's important not to make things more complicated than they need to be, and simple VOX works just fine for most stations. 99% of us is far too sweeping. MANY users of JT modes on VHF - not just on EME, but almost ALL *serious* users - are also using external preamps, power amplifiers and relatively slow coaxial relays which do require an external sequencer. That may be less true at 50MHz, where HF and VHF/UHF techniques overlap, but the use of external sequencers is far too important to be swept away. -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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] OT Help to find rotator part
Dave Lankshear wrote: Hi folks. Apologies for the bandwidth, especially today, but I wonder if anyone can help me locate a 500 ohm pot that's used for direction indication in the Yaesu G-400RC rotator? I've been on a search mission now for quite a while and have achieved a 100% failure record thus far. In the instruction manual for the G-400, it's item 6 in the list of parts on page 14. The pot in the rotator is the same as the one in the RC, the round controller. Maybe there's one in a junkbox somewhere, or a dealer has one lying around? I'd really be most grateful. Thanks 73. Dave G3TJP As far as I know, the Yaesu G-400 is the same design as the old Kenpro KR-400. The same applies to the -600 models. More recently, Yaesu upgraded these to model numbers ending in -50, but still within the same family. All the RC (Round Controller) versions use the same 500R 360 degree pot in both the rotator and the controller, so this may help you to find a spare in a listing for some other model. Many other parts are also shared between different models (but obviously not all of them, so order with care). Any of the UK main Yaesu dealers should be able to help you. Alternatively, try the UK-contest, CDXC or RSGBtech mailing lists -there's sure to be someone who had to buy one fairly recently. -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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] Another way to access APF
Joe Subich, W4TV wrote: The macro facility is seriously overplayed as an answer to missing functionality. Remember that the K3 has only TWO dedicated macro buttons, PF1 and PF2. Anything beyond that requires hidden controls which are a nightmare for the guest operator. This is getting tiresome. If you want 101 buttons get a TS-990. what you are asking requires not only modifications to the firmware (when have you seen any of the Japanese manufacturers make general firmware updates that add new features?). In addition, it requires a new front panel and keypad to change the legends to match the changed functions - if changes that would be confusing to guest operators are to be avoided. Once again, Joe: Stop inventing things that I did not say. -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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] Another way to access APF
Al Lorona wrote: There was recent discussion about the need to HOLD a pushbutton to turn on the APF. In January 2011, Wayne made a post entitled Tips for using APF in which he wrote, 2. There are two filter Presets (I and II, accessed by HOLDing the HI/WIDTH knob). You can turn APF on for one preset and off for the other. This control is closer to where the action is than DUAL PB, and I find it more convenient to use. Although this still involves HOLDing a button it may provide a better alternative to the whole business of enabling APF. That suggestion will work, of course, and so too will the macro route - but both of them are work-arounds, to compensate for functionality that is missing from the button where it belongs. The same applies to SPLIT: the K3 is the only high-end radio with a non-configurable SPLIT button. All the others have an option to configure that button as Split and QSY - but in the K3, that function must be assigned to some other button, while the SPLIT button where that functionality should be is no longer used. The macro facility is seriously overplayed as an answer to missing functionality. Remember that the K3 has only TWO dedicated macro buttons, PF1 and PF2. Anything beyond that requires hidden controls which are a nightmare for the guest operator. -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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/KX3 Operating Tip: APF (audio peaking filter) for weak-signal CW work
Wayne Burdick wrote: on the K3, it's labeled DUAL PB (hold). The K3 actually provides two different special filter functions; use the DUAL PB menu entry to set up the switch for APF. On the K3, it would be really helpful to have an option to reconfigure that button on the K3 as tap = APF so that we don't have to lose hold = DUAL PB. Tap = APF would also bring the K3 into line with the KX3. Obviously APF and DUAL PB cannot both be selected at the same time, but it would still be helpful to have either one available QUICKLY on the same button. No XFIL users would be inconvenienced by making this a configuration option. -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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/KX3 Operating Tip: APF (audio peaking filter) for weak-signal CW work
Pierfrancesco Caci wrote: I'd hate to lose the possiblity to quickly tighten the filters with one tap (think digimodes, where you switch from looking at a 3 kHz waterfall down to a single psk signal with just 3 presses of that button). What about long hold (more than 3 seconds)? I think long hold is already used somewhere else in the firmware, so the function to recognize it is already there. A three-level button function including 'Long hold' is not user-friendly. 'Long hold' is slw (by definition!) which means that one group of users is sure to get a raw deal. Also, inexperienced users can easily get lost in the deeper levels. 'Choose two out of three for Tap and Hold' is far more user-friendly. As I already said, anyone who regularly uses XFIL could simply stay with the default. G3XDY has also identified a serious problem about the XFIL button when attempting to turn the APF off. With the bandwidth already cranked down to your narrowest CW filter, hear what happens if you don't hold the XFIL/APF button for long enough. A fraction of a second's error blows the bandwidth wide open! When you're wearing headphones and listening really hard for a weak signal, that blast of noise is extremely unpleasant. And the point is: it's fixable. -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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/KX3 Operating Tip: APF (audio peaking filter) for weak-signal CW work
Joe Subich, W4TV wrote: And the point is: it's fixable. It is not fixable to your definition without changing both the front panel (engraving) and keytops (legend). Moving XFIL to HOLD would be extremely inconvenient for users of that function (it is very difficult to do multiple HOLD gestures) and the current assignments are not cumbersome. Who said any of that that? Not I. I was only suggesting ONE new option. The existing options are: 1. Tap = XFIL, Hold = DUAL PB (the current default, and no reason to change that status) 2. Tap = XFIL, Hold = APF (the only current alternative) My simple suggestion, for those who use APF a lot but don't use XFIL, was: 3. Tap = APF, Hold = DUAL PB -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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] Meaning of EQ bands?
Joe Subich, W4TV wrote: The existing K3 manual seems quite misleading in talking about 8 bands of audio equalization. We now learn that the EQ facility allows the user to set the relative levels at 8 discrete frequency POINTS, and that the rest of the frequency response is interpolated by joining up the dots. That gives quite a different shape to the frequency response than many will have imagined. How so? That's the way graphic equalizers - whether they are octave or fractional octave - have operated for years. Please re-read what Lyle wrote. The underlying DSP does not use stepped frequency bands at all - not even as a concept. Whenever we use words to describe DSP, we are always at least one step away from reality. So let's not make that any worse than it has to be. A more accurate image of what's really happening is that the equalizers re-draw the frequency response curve by specifying its values at 50, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 2400 and 3200 Hz. Drawing a curve gives a much more accurate picture of what is really happening, especially at frequencies in between those points. Fortunately, the K3 doesn't care about any of this. For the first time in almost 50 years I'm receiving unsolicited compliments about my audio - so whatever is happening in there, it works. -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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] Meaning of EQ bands?
Thank you for the clarification, Lyle. I hadn't seen that information anywhere before. The existing K3 manual seems quite misleading in talking about 8 bands of audio equalization. We now learn that the EQ facility allows the user to set the relative levels at 8 discrete frequency POINTS, and that the rest of the frequency response is interpolated by joining up the dots. That gives quite a different shape to the frequency response than many will have imagined. How exactly are the EQ bands implemented in DSP, in terms of frequency response? In the KX3, the gain of the FIR filter at the specified frequency is set to the requested value, and a linear interpolation is performed from the next lower specified frequency. At the highest frequency, sertting, all frequencies higher are set to the requested value. The K3 operates in a similar fashion. These are inputs to the FIR coefficient generator along with center/width/lo cut/hi cut and manual notch to create the FIR filter. 73, Lyle KK7P -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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
[Elecraft] Meaning of EQ bands?
A new question, probably for Lyle to respond: How exactly are the EQ bands implemented in DSP, in terms of frequency response? Although the controls are presented in histogram form, what do the stated frequencies actually represent? Is the actual frequency response composed of overlapping sub-band filters, or what? -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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] MON on headphones only please?
Thomas Horsten wrote: I wouldn't want to disallow it for anybody, I'd just like the option That's an important point. The K3 is now a mature product, so almost every feature request from now on will need to be an OPTION. An OPTION is something that: * Does not affect anyone's existing menu settings * Has to be actively selected by those who do want it * Does not involve anyone who doesn't want it. Please can we add that to the ground-rules for future discussions? -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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] Using RX ANT OUT for a second receiver
Pete Smith N4ZR wrote: Any reason not to use a magic-tee splitter between the RX ANT OUT and RX ANT IN ports on a K3 (no antenna tuner) to feed the received signals simultaneously to a second receiver? I want to be able to use my main antennas with my QS1R for Reverse Beacon functions. I realize that will cost 3+ db on each port, but that doesn't look like a show-stopper. G4AON has been doing this for a long time, to feed his Perseus: See http://www.astromag.co.uk/k3, half-way down the page. -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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] [Elecraft_K3] Summary of comments on new K3 AGC
Wayne Burdick wrote: We have about 60 K3 owners testing the K3's new AGC. I'm sure we'll hear from some of them, but here's a summary of comments they've sent to me so far: - copy is much improved in dense pile-up conditions - signals have more clarity - QSB is more noticeable on weak signals (this is to be expected on signals that are not activating AGC) - the noise blanker has become more effective in some cases (also expected; its effect is not being muted by AGC compression) I'll be happy to send out additional copies of the new firmware. If all goes well this should become a beta release next week. Does this affect the C238 modification? -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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] question for psk users
Jim Brown wrote: Because with the close spacing of signals in the various PSK sub-bands, a signal of more than about 50watts will completely annihilate all the other PSK signals and make that sub-band unusable for everyone else. This is urban myth that keeps getting propagated and eventually everyone believes it as gospel. [...] The reason why a strong signal will annihilate all the other PSK signals is that most users are trying to receive an entire 2.5kHz bandwidth in one gulp. This means that even one strong signal within that bandwidth will activate the AGC and drive all the other signals down. Regrettably most PSK users don't understand what is happening, so they have to rationalize it into simpler terms like It's a crime to be loud. There are MANY factors that contribute to signal strength, including antenna efficiency and gain, antenna pattern, propagation, and yes, transmit power. Of those factors, transmit power is the SMALLEST. And propagation is by far the BIGGEST factor in making someone's signal loud, for the most innocent of reasons. What is FAR, FAR more important to prevent interference is making sure that your signal is CLEAN -- no sidebands produced by audio distortion, or by distortion in a poorly adjusted rig or power amp. IMD is certainly another important factor. Naturally, IMD will show far more clearly on a strong signal than a weak one so once again this gets rationalized into strong = IMD. But PSK's big, unacknowledged 'elephant in the room' will always be the habit of receiving in a 2.5kHz bandwidth. Unfortunately this is deeply engrained in the PSK culture. -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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] OT: Hearing Aid Advice
David Christ wrote: The most important thing is the audiologist. Find a knowledgeable one who is wiling to listen and work with you to meet your individual needs. Find one who is not tied to a single manufacturer. Most important: find an audiologist who is a techie like yourself, and can actually understand what decibels and DSP mean. From experience, this can save considerable embarrassment :-) -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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] txinh timing?? Measured
Mark n2qt wrote: It's a little bit quicker, full power in about 7-8ms. if anyone is interested in the pictures I took of the scope, email me directly and I'll send you a copy. (about 800k each) How much of that 7-8ms is part of the normal rise time? The value most people are looking for is the delay (if any) between release of txinh and the onset of the normal rising edge. -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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] txinh timing
Mark n2qt wrote: some have asked about the timing of the onset of carrier (rather than full power output) and the rise time of the carrier after release of TxInh. There is a bit of jitter in the onset of carrier that changes the onset from about 2.5 ms to 4 ms. Rise time to 100% is about 5 ms. Thanks, Mark. -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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] New KAT500 pics from the Visalia DX convention
Dick Dievendorff wrote: I have that same too busy ACC connector problem with antenna bandpass filter switching, amp, PR-6, and PTT/FSK connection to a microHAM device. I'm using a couple of layers of Y connector, dislike the solution, and I have ideas to resolve that problem somehow. One solution is to build a breakout box to move all of these interconnection problems away from the K3 itself. Since I also wanted to make a shallow base to raise the K3 about 1.5 inches above the table, both of these functions have been combined to make a breakout base on which the K3 stands. A short 15-way cable connects to the ACC socket of the K3, and all of those 15 lines are fanned out to a stripboard patch panel inside the base unit. Another short cable connects the switched 12V output from the K3. All of the input and output signals that would otherwise go to the ACC connector are now routed to individual connectors on the 10in wide rear panel of the breakout base. These currently include FSK input from the PC, PA inhibit from the SteppIR, additional band data outputs and three 12V outputs switched by the K3. This will perpetually be a work in progress, modified to meet current needs. For example, when an SSPA came on the scene, it was very easy to tap into all the necessary control and band data lines, and gather them into a custom umbilical cable. One day I shall complete the front panel of this unit, which currently stands empty. But, like Dick... Unfortunately I have more ideas than time to implement them. -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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] P3 USB keyboard option
Ian Kahn wrote: If you have the P3SVGA card, it has a USB port for this option, which is coming in a future firmware update Another potential use for the USB port is to write high-resolution screen capture files to a pen drive. -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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) 12VDC Current Mod Kit Received
Ron D'Eau Claire wrote: Yes, it's just three screws to get the KPA3 module out and makes it much, much easier to reach the parts without damaging anything, especially if you have the KAT3 installed. Even with the KAT3 installed, there shouldn't be any difficulty in reaching the RFC and the fuse without removing the KPA3 or even unplugging the fuse panel. Medical forceps or hemostats are very useful for this kind of work, to reach where fingers won't go. They give much better control than either pliers or tweezers, and are also very good for handling TMP connectors. -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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] head mounted lens or magnifier for SMT projects
For the kind of SMT work that most of us are doing, a head-mounted magnifier is far better than any fixed microscope. The problem with fixed microscopes is that they also fix YOU and the object you're looking at. The bulk of the microscope also blocks your normal direct view of the workbench, making it much more difficult to position the soldering iron tip without accidentally damaging other parts of the board. Fatigue, discomfort and irritation build up very quickly. A head-mounted magnifier follows your head movements with no effort, and gives a clear, unobstructed view of the entire work area. The best optical solution depends on your individual eyes, so one person's recommendation will not fit all cases. What works for me is a second pair of +4 half-moon reading glasses, perched in front of the varifocal (progressive) glasses that I wear all the time. These preamps magnify the downward view through the bottom edge of the varifocals, while still allowing a clear general view around the workbench. http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek/in-prac/best-of.htm#0809 I do have several other optical aids, including a x7-20 swinging arm stereo microscope on a swinging arm, but for most work I still keep coming back to the simple preamps. The big microscope is great for checking and inspection *after* the work has been done, but not for doing the work itself. The same web page contains a lot more information on choosing tools and equipment for SMT. The little LED worklight from IKEA (top of picture) is *very highly* recommended - this is probably the last worklight you'll ever need to buy. -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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] head mounted lens or magnifier for SMT projects
John Shaw wrote: A little bit different but you can get good magnification by mounting a webcam above the work piece and viewing it on a screen. Many old VHS cameras have superb zoom optics which are ideal for this kind of 'head up display'. I tried it once with the camera mounted a few feet above the workbench and the results were very good - a clear, unobstructed, MAGNIFIED view of the entire work area, with the superb light-gathering and depth of field that only a big lens can provide. The only problems were the magnified camera shake (which some cameras can help to deal with) and the requirement for a HUD monitor positioned directly behind the work area. -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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
[Elecraft] P3SVGA in UK?
Does anyone in the UK have a P3SVGA yet, please? Please reply by e-mail. -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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] P3 VGA - How to use it
ai6ii wrote: Impressive as the P3 Large Screen version is to look at, I wonder what it is like to use. That is, with the P3 and mini screen, my eyes are viewing the screen and the controls in close proximity. I can watch my finger press the FN3 (set to center the MRK A), reach to the right slightly and turn the SELECT knob to the signal I wish to pounce on next, while still seeing the signals on the mini screen. Then a quick push of FN4 (programmed to QSY to save wear and tear on the Select knob), and I see see the K3 jump to the new frequency centered in the P3 screen. This operation is constant for me (except when using CW Skimmer to control the K3 frequency) and my eyes never leave my handsor whatever the saying is. I'd agree with that 'view' of the ergonomics. If we want the P3 and the P3SVGA display to be hardworking tools, and not just eye candy, then all the displays and controls - including those of the K3 - need to be grouped together. Positioning the P3 on top of the K3 has already proved the operating efficiency of this 'eyes-front' display layout. The only downside has been the P3's small display, so a P3SVGA is now on its way, and waiting for it is a 15in 1024x768 monitor. This will be just the right size to sit on top of the K3, to give the same display as the P3 but in greater detail. 15in is now regarded as too small for office use, so there are thousands of perfectly good 15in monitors lying around in store-rooms. At present the 15in monitor is the #2 screen in an extended Windows display, usually displaying second-level information from the logging software. A VGA switch will allow it to continue in that role when needed. -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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] [Elecraft_K3] filters and contests and interference question/opinions
dalej wrote: I debated between the 2.1 and 1.8, I decided on the 1.8 and am glad I did. This is the first radio I've had with a 1.8 filter that doesn't sound like tweety bird on SSB. It is a good and tight filter while still bringing in some good audio. I used that same 1.8kHz Inrad filter in the old FT-1000MP, where it was very much needed for SSB contesting. Because that filter is also compatible with the K3, I decided to make a new adapter board and try it... and am very glad I did! The K3 is configured to switch in the filter at a DSP bandwidth of 1.9kHz, and with the center frequency set to 1.25kHz it gives a very good balance between selectivity and intelligibility - so good, in fact, that the SHIFT and WIDTH controls hardly ever need to be touched for the duration of an entire contest. That isn't just one person's opinion; my wife and guest operators also find those same filter settings immediately comfortable, so they can go straight ahead and operate. You won't be displeased. I agree with Dale. Although a narrower roofing filter isn't essential (we all understand that), the 1.8kHz filter does make a difference to SSB contesting. -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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] cable management
Tom Cooch wrote: I'm guessing a fairly high number of subscribers to this reflector recognize the reference in your first sentence. I wonder what the actual percentage is. Tom KB1UG I forwarded this to my friend GM4PMK: : The rear of your transceiver is a maze of twisty little cables, all alike. : Nothing happens. Here's what he just replied: : Pull cable. : There is a puff of colored smoke ... -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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] Source for Type 31 Toroids
F5vjc wrote: I have just opened a Mouser account in France and ordered a quantity of, 2631803802 = FT240-3 Fair-Rite. I hope they're OK. Thanks for the tip on the weight data Ian, I'll check them when they arrive. You should have no problem, as Mouser are one of those dependable suppliers. Their catalogue prices are not the cheapest, but Mouser's free international shipping makes them the least expensive way to buy Fair-Rite products in the UK. Do they have the same free shipping offer to France? 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek 2631803802 = FT240-31: 112-114g [1] 2643803802 = FT240-43: 120-122g [1] 5961003801 = FT240-61: 104-106g Original data from G3TXQ, since verified from dependable suppliers. [1] The Fair-Rite data sheet says 118.000g for both of these cores, but in fact the weights of #31 and #43 are distinctly different. -- __ 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] Source for Type 31 Toroids
Fred Jensen wrote: On 2/10/2012 2:05 PM, Jim Brown wrote: On 2/10/2012 1:39 PM, Ken Alexander wrote: Amidon does not make this stuff. They are a distributor of Fair-Rite and some other manufacturers, and NOT a good one. I'd bet there's no one there who has a clue about anything technical. There USED to be a ham there whose name was Amidon, but he's LONG LONG gone, and any technical data there is a leftover from his days. Many years ago [as in maybe 54], I needed a ferrite core for a 4:1 balun. DX Engineering hadn't been invented then. I drove over to Amidon [N. Hollywood/Burbank-ish] which turned out to be a suburban house. A fellow, who's name was Amidon opened the door, installed me in a living room filled to the brim with all sorts of boxes and stuff, rummaged around in a bedroom and finally came up with the toroid core. He wanted a lot for the core, in fact more than the 16 year old had. He finally asked me where I had come from, and when I told him S. Central LA, he gave me the core. The balun didn't work, probably because I wound it wrong. I'm really surprised they are still in business. Any company handling anonymous grey toroids needs to have perfect stock control... and Amidon still don't. I was sold a large number of #31 toroids which turned out to be #43 material. So if you do buy from Amidon, check the weight! 2631803802 = FT240-31: 112-114g [1] 2643803802 = FT240-43: 120-122g [1] 5961003801 = FT240-61: 104-106g Original data from G3TXQ, since verified from dependable suppliers. [1] The Fair-Rite data sheet says 118.000g for both of these cores, but in fact the weights of #31 and #43 are distinctly different. -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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] P3 SVGA Adapter with FFT Processor now available to order
Eric Swartz - WA6HHQ, Elecraft wrote: Will there be a facility to export high-resolution image files via the USB port? Not yet - Still at the current resolution. but we are looking at adding that to the f/w. Thanks, Eric - that's as much as we expect right now. But longer-term, there does need to be some way to show those high-res images to the rest of the world! (Maybe a simple write-only process to a USB stick, using a system assigned filename?) -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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] P3 SVGA Adapter with FFT Processor now available to order
Eric Swartz WA6HHQ - Elecraft wrote: The keyboard usb port h/w has been tested, but needs additional firmware to be written before we add the external keyboard feature. We hope to have it live in the next several months. Will there be a facility to export high-resolution image files via the USB port? -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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] RF Ammeter
Rick Bates wrote: A short Google search found: http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek/clamp-on/clamp-on.htm Merry/Happy Christmas, Rick WA6NHC -Original Message- From: elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net [mailto:elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Doug Faunt N6TQS +1-510-655-8604 Sent: Sunday, December 18, 2011 12:54 PM To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net Subject: Re: [Elecraft] RF Ammeter I couldn't locate the GM3SEK article (is it still there?), but this is also useful: http://www.w8ji.com/building_a_current_meter.htm And I believe that QST and/or the ARRL Handbook has information on this, also. 73, doug You're there ahead of me. The typical clamp-on RF current meter with a 10-turn secondary and a 50-ohm terminating resistance has a theoretical insertion resistance of 0.5 ohms, so it doesn't disturb the antenna very much. In practice the resistance is increased by the gaps in the core, so if possible I'd suggest threading the antenna wire through a ferrite toroid instead (probably #43 material for general HF use - NOT iron dust). The article by G0SNO on the page referenced above shows how the RF current meter can be quite accurately calibrated using a transmitter, wattmeter and dummy load. -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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] P3SVGA Display
Eric Swartz - WA6HHQ, Elecraft wrote: Also, with more vertical lines the waterfall covers a much longer time period. Will the waterfall also cover the same time period as at present, but with better resolution of keyclicks and other transients? (That is presently a major shortfall of the P3 compared with other SDRs.) -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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] Balun at input or output of tuner
Jim Brown wrote: On 12/13/2011 11:48 AM, Alan Bloom wrote: Is that a valid assumption? I thought that much of the loss in coax is due to the dielectric loss of the insulation. That implies that the bifilar winding should have less loss than coax. This is a very common misconception, and it is VERY wrong below UHF for nearly all practical transmission lines that aren't defective (for example, a wet dielectric). If you do the math, you see that below UHF, the loss is virtually ALL due to copper (taking skin effect into account for both conductors). Much of the confusion arises from the advertising for newer types of coax that have lower loss than a similar solid PE equivalent. The improvement is touted as being due to low loss foam dielectric when that simply isn't true. The reduction in loss is almost entirely due to increase in the diameter of the center conductor (because that conductor has the largest current density and hence the highest skin effect losses). The foam dielectric is merely something that *has* to be used to compensate for the thicker center conductor, in order to keep the same characteristic impedance. In all the coaxial cables we know in amateur radio, dielectric losses only begin to become important at frequencies above 1GHz. -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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] More precise pitch options?
Don Putnick wrote: I've seen what a difference in pitch can do. I used to be the code guy in our ARRL VE group. Several applicants would flunk the Novice code test because they said the ARRL standard pitch was not the same as what they used when they were learning the code. Sounded like a lame excuse to me, but I'd tweak the tone and they'd pass with no problem. All credit to you, Don, for understanding that someone else could have a problem, even though you don't have that particular problem yourself. This so-called Elecraft community needs a whole lot more of that kind of understanding. -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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] Balun on tuner input?
Ross Primrose N4RP wrote: On 12/9/2011 6:09 PM, Jim Brown wrote: If it is an automatic antenna tuner, that is less of a problem. Except that the automatic circuitry, and it's power supply must also be isolated from ground. That part of the design problem seems non-trivial. Seems fairly simple to me, use a transformer in the PS, and float the secondary side... Nope - there will be a large capacitance between the transformer windings. In parallel with this will be the capacitance between the entire RF sub-chassis and the outer metal case. If the choke balun is connected on the input side of the ATU, these quite large parallel capacitances will partially unbalance the output. Worse yet (as Alan points out), if you select a coaxial output with the SO-239 socket grounded to the case, the balun becomes short-circuited from end to end. Alpha are working on a very similar auto-ATU but their proposed schematic shows exactly how 'broken' this concept is: http://www.rfconcepts.com/PRODUCTS/New-Products/Alpha4040 Elecraft have done well to avoid this trap, and to decide that the KAT500 will be all-coaxial - because there simply isn't a one way fits all solution for a balanced ATU. Different user installations will require different solutions on different bands, so the optimum solution will always involve some customization, swapping or switching between 1:1 balun, 4:1 balun and 'no balun'. Please don't be confused by some ATU manufacturers' efforts to sell us a one way fits all balanced ATU. They're only doing that because a fully versatile engineered solution would be too complex and expensive. So Engineering steps back and Marketing takes over instead - bending *your* perceptions to fit what they have to sell. Again, Elecraft have done well to avoid this. Some time ago it was suggested that an all-coaxial KAT500 should also include programmable band-switched relay control outputs (rather like DIGOUT0 and DIGOUT1 on the K3) so that users have the option to configure their own custom relay switching if they need it. Did anything happen to that suggestion? -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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 hardware AGC experiment shows promise
Wayne Burdick wrote: Joe Subich, W4TV wrote: Remember, IMD is driven by total *peak* signal level. The peak signal level is not simply the scalar sum of the levels ... it is a vector sum as the individual signals add in phase. And those peaks could be slightly modulating the AGC loop. Maybe that should say modulating the AGC loops (plural)? The HAGC loop and the DSP AGC loop interact strongly - especially around the HAGC threshold - and this creates the possibility for each loop to modulate the other. When the HAGC begins to act, we know that the firmware automatically adjusts the DSP AGC to give consistent audio levels and correct S-meter readings. The firmware monitors for HAGC action by digitizing the voltage on the HAGC1 line, but there has to be some delay before it can become aware of any change. The dynamics of this process create the possibility for the HAGC loop and the DSP AGC loop to modulate each other. As far as I'm aware, this feature is unique to the K3, which may help to explain the rig-specific nature of the problem. If this is a valid model, the effects would predictably be worst around the HAGC threshold where the response is inherently nonlinear. The dynamic interaction between the two loops would be quite sensitive to the rate(s) of amplitude variation in the composite incoming signal, as individual components are keyed on and off. It would also be affected by added noise, due to its dependency on the instantaneous vector sum of *all* incoming signal, noise and interference components hitting the HAGC detector (as identified by W4TV). The mathematics of two cascaded feedback loops are way beyond me, but the benefit of increasing the HAGC time constant by a very large factor (10-20) sounds at lot like avoiding competition between the dominant poles in the two loops. But the same model also explains why this wouldn't be a complete cure. This is all speculation, because much depends on hidden detail in the DSP AGC firmware... but might it make some sense? -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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] Diversity mode preamp
Wayne Burdick wrote: I use B SET to adjust preamp and other settings when using diversity. And using B SET is about the most cumbersome operation imaginable to simply check (or set) subrx preamp. Macros? With great respect, macros are not the answer to every usability problem. Macros are enormously powerful, but they are not a substitute for cleaning up the rough edges that still remain in the K3's firmware. Macros need to be used sparingly because the K3 only has two completely uncommitted programmable keys (PF1 and PF2). Any additional macros will either block some of the normal functions of the Memory/DVR keys or else they must be executed from outside the K3. Each of those workarounds will create problems for a segment of users. And then there's the SPLIT button. The one button that above all others *should* be reassignable to a macro, is not! The K3's SPLIT button simply engages split mode and does nothing more. Every other high-end transceiver has the option to protect the user from accidentally transmitting on the same frequency as VFOA - and most DXers will want to take that option. But in the K3, this 'smart split' option requires a macro which must then be assigned to some *other* programmable key. The existing SPLIT button then becomes a booby-trap for the tired owner; or even worse, it risks a very unpleasant introduction to the K3 for someone else. I'm sorry if this reads like a rant, but someone just said Macros? one time too many. -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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] Diversity mode preamp
Tom W8JI wrote: I guess I can build external attenuators/preamps, but I would rather use the internal. That's funny - those same words are exactly my reason for wanting to keep the preamp/attenuator settings independent, and having them *not* track. As we so often see, there are valid reasons why different users need their K3 to behave in completely opposite ways, so any firmware change would need to be an option in the config menu. -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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] [Elecraft_K3] Re: My K3 is Due Tomorrow 11/11/11 !
Alan Bloom wrote: I agree with all Ian's comments except: Almost any ani-static mat and wrist strap will be OK My testing has shown that not all anti-static mats are created equal. In particular, the Radio Shack portable mat P/N 276-2370 has much too high a resistance to be effective. Here is my previous posting that includes the results of the tests and a recommendation for a suitable anti-static mat: http://www.mail-archive.com/elecraft@mailman.qth.net/msg94407.html Thanks for the correction, Alan. Does anyone have details of ESD mats that comply to similar European performance standards, and where to buy them at reasonable prices in Europe? -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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 Filter question - SSB
Al Lorona wrote: 1.8 kHz is deemed better than 2.1 kHz, and 1.5 kHz is deemed better than both. But at some point intelligibility itself suffers because you start to eliminate the signal you're trying to copy in the first place. I for one suffer from a type of listener's fatigue when forced to copy SSB signals in anything less than about 2.2 kHz or so. Others folks suffer from hearing loss and need to hear as much of the voice frequencies as possible. 1.8 kHz just doesn't work for many of these folks. Here's some more individual data. Although my hearing cuts off sharply at about 2.5kHz, I love the 1.8kHz crystal filter for heavy QRM. That Inrad filter was originally purchased for the 'narrow SSB' slot of my old FT-1000MP, and I'm so glad that I kept it for the K3. The 1.8kHz filter also works very well for my wife and other guest operators who don't have hearing loss. In our typical contest QRM conditions (running W/VE with the whole of Continental Europe right behind us) the narrower filter helps to eliminate the high-pitched splatter which we find the most tiring. Unlike a 1.8kHz DSP filter with a 2.5kHz roofing filter, the 1.8kHz crystal filter also avoids artefacts caused by pumping of the hardware AGC loop by strong signals in the gaps between the wider and the narrower passband. The 1.8kHz filter does require careful initial setting of the center frequency to obtain the best possible intelligibility; but those settings will then require very little further adjustment. In other words, they make a very effective working compromise to maximize the QSO rate. The 1.8kHz crystal filter is switched in at a DSP setting of 1.9kHz to avoid excessive narrowing of the passband. I would certainly agree that 1.5kHz is too narrow, because almost every voice would then require its own critical tuning. If you're okay with such narrow bandwidths, more power to you, but you can't make blanket statements about them being equally effective for everybody. But neither can anyone else make blanket statements about them being INeffective. The fairest that anyone can say is, If you don't like the 1.8kHz DSP setting, then don't even think about buying the crystal filter. But if you do like 1.8kHz DSP, you might like the crystal filter a lot. -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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 Filter question - SSB
Jim Brown wrote: On 11/10/2011 8:34 AM, David Gilbert wrote: there is so much atrocious splatter from crummy rigs or ignorantly adjusted rigs during a major contest YES, YES, YES. that it is truly rare to find such a narrow filter actually being helpful. I also would trade my 1.5 KHz filters for a pair of 1.8 KHz filters in a heartbeat. I strongly agree. I have 1.8 kHz filters in my K3s, and find that I rarely use them during a contest for the reasons that W4ZV has articulated. Paraphrasing from another world, it's the TRASH, stupid! Forgive me, Jim, but claiming that it's only about one single thing will always lead to bad advice. One-line slogans don't even work in politics, and even less so in engineering. Whatever the problem, it's ALWAYS about finding the optimum working balance between several different aspects. In this particular case we are trying maximize the QSO rate by finding the best possible balance between intelligibility, minimum use of front panel controls, longer-term operator fatigue and probably several other factors that will be of genuine importance to some people, at least some of the time. -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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] Clamp-on RF current meters - a question for Ian and others..
VK7JB wrote: I've been reading the discussions about RF and common mode current and using a clamp-on RF current meter to sniff out common mode current in the shack. I've checked the calibration of my MFJ 854 and am surprised that it's calibrated quite well: I measure 1A of current measured running 50W into a 50ohm dummy load. The MFJ-854 is quite a competent piece of equipment - see my review for Radcom, at: http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek/clamp-on/mfj-reviews.pdf (In contrast the same review warns against the MFJ-805, a definite Don't Buy.) There is more info about HB clamp-on meters at: http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek/clamp-on/clamp-on.htm So, here's my question: how much common mode current is considered acceptable? This meter measures down to a few milliamps. Is it an impossible/futile goal to try to eliminate any stray CMC completely? There is no general answer, because RFI depends not only on the level of CM current but also - very much - on the type of victim equipment. As we well know, there is a huge spread in sensitivity to RFI between different types of equipment, and even between different models of the same general type. Also, RFI very often shows a 'threshold level' above which you have a problem, but below which the problem is either disappears completely or is of no concern to the user. All of these things combine to prevent any general answers about acceptable levels of CM current. When should you call it quits and accept what you find? If you don't have an RFI problem, you can usually call it quits and stop worrying :-) However, some of us like to understand what's really going on, so I'll at least try to answer your next question... Just curious, because the only CMC I can measure in my shack is about 10mA measured at the coax connector on the back of one of my rigs while tuning up with 10W output. At 10W you'd be driving about 450mA of normal differential-mode RF current into a 50-ohm antenna feedpoint. Meanwhile, down in the shack, you're measuring 10mA of CM current on the outside of the feedline. Most victim equipment can tolerate 10mA, and you aren't reporting any RFI problems... but I'm not at all sure that everything is OK. It only means that 10W isn't enough power to cause a problem! With 1kW output the CM current would be 100mA, and at that level many kinds of victim equipment might start to fall over. So yes, I think this is worth investigating further. The first test should be to swap to a dummy load, and also to swap transmitters, to see if there's a shielding problem on that particular rig. If all the CM current disappears (as it may appear to do, with a simple diode detector) then the problem probably lies closer towards the antenna and its feedline. The next place to measure the CM current would probably be where the coax feedline enters the shack. Measure what happens if you insert a good ferrite common-mode choke at this point (eg several turns on a giant #31 snap-on bead; see K9YC's papers and web presentations). Also check for CM current on all the *other* feedlines - not forgetting the rotator cable - because the problem isn't always where you first imagined. Interesting discussion, because I'd never thought of quantifying CMC before. The clamp-on CM current meter is a really valuable tool for finding and fixing RFI problems - sometimes before they even happen. And please don't imagine that QRP operators are automatically immune! Even if you don't cause any RFI problems, CM currents can also affect the noise level in your receiver so a 'common-mode cleanup' is still worthwhile. The clamp-on current meter doesn't have to be complicated - just a split ferrite bead with a 10-turn secondary windings, a simple Schottky diode detector and a 100uA meter. My website shows an example in ugly construction that took about 30 minutes to build. Who knows, one day some enterprising company may offer it as a 'bare-board' kit? (We'll be away for the weekend, so I look forward to reading the list mail on Monday.) -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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] USB interface
David Ferrington, M0XDF wrote: Pity the won't ship the the UK ROSH compliance I guess. Why do you want to ship an FTDI-based USB adapter from the USA? They are available from local vendors in every major country, and they're all functionally identical because they use the same FTDI chip. Google for: ftdi usb adapter site:uk FTDI is a relatively small company, still privately owned and still based here in Scotland, that has become a world leader by specializing in just one thing... but doing it better than anyone else. (Does that sound familiar?) -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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 band stacking suggestion
drewko wrote: I agree with Don-- use some pattern-based system. To me this seems much better than a scheme which relates the numerals printed on the keys to the corresponding bands. A geometric pattern seems better. If you have another rig close by that has clearly labeled band buttons, make the K3 the same. -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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] USB Adapters and RF
Lee Buller wrote: I run legal limit on some contests. I seem to burn up USB to Serial devices. I am grounded properly. I am suspect of these things in high RF fields. But...what is a guy gonna do when RS232 Serial ports are totally discontinued. Turn down or turn off the amp. Hmm! Look very carefully at that statement I am grounded properly; because the evidence suggests otherwise. More specifically, it suggests that the ground terminals for various parts of your shack are not correctly bonded together. Another very common source of RF in the shack is a bad shield connection inside a PL259. A few minutes applying a clamp-on RF current meter to various connecting cables could tell you a great deal. -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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] Update on my LACK of progress - Now General RF Issue
Don wrote: Well the suspect coax has been replaced and the problem lives on. Now I have no idea on what to do to get rid of the problem. I think its common mode on the coax but now I am not sure. I have to walk away for awhile and think about what to do next. Clamp-on RF Current Meter! At least its only a hobby not something that is real important in life. Not in this neighborhood :-) -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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] Update on my progress - Now General RF Issue WAS 160m loop experiment a big failure
Don wrote: ...] 1) fixed green wire problem 2) unearthed coax and it is laying on the ground on the top of the grass 3) build choke with 31 mix at antenna out on the tuner 4) moved PC I am on the air. To do when the order shows up from UPS. Install new coax, I assume the one I have is not happy anymore and test the system to see if I can remove the choke at the tuner. From my perspective I am on the air, but I do not have a robust installation being on the 2nd floor. I probally can survive this winter this way with the simple antenna shield grounding outside as I did last winter as there is no lightning normally. However, I have to determine the best way to redo the installation and am considering moving the shack to the basement where then it will be signficantly eaiser to have the shack properly grounded for safety and then bonded. Again thanks for the help, as I am on the air but not convinced that I have it fully cured. So there may be more questions in the future when I find stuff starts to not work again. Well done - you made some real progress. While you're waiting for the brown van, how about building a simple clamp-on RF current meter? It is the most useful tool for this kind of RFI investigation, because it lets you *see* where the stray currents are. Once you've tried one, you'll wonder how you ever managed without it. The simplest 'Mousetrap' version only takes a half-hour to build: http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek/clamp-on/clamp-on.htm In a review of commercial meters for 'Radcom' (RSGB), the MFJ-854 performed well but I found the MFJ-805 very poor: www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek/clamp-on/mfj-reviews.pdf -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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]_[KRC2]_Is_there_a_KRC3_in_the_w orks?
Alan Bloom wrote: On Fri, 2011-10-21 at 22:24 -0500, Gary K9GS wrote: Anyone?? On 10/19/2011 9:58 PM, Gary K9GS wrote: So, if I was going to purchase a monitor, say 23-25 diagonal, what should I look for besides the 1920 X 1080P resolution? Pixel response time? 5ms seems to be the norm. I assume a 16:9 aspect ratio? I believe that's determined by the resolution since the pixels are normally square. so 1920x1080 is16:9, 1280x1024 is 5:4 and 1024x768 is 4:3. Earlier, Alan had also mentioned that the plan is to support all three of those formats. (For reference, the native P3 format is 480x272, very close to 16:9.) Any chance of some teaser screen shots at these higher resolutions, please? It would help many people to plan their future station layout. -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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] Now General RF Issue WAS 160m loop experiment a big failure
As Jim Brown says: if all these problems came on suddenly, focus on what parts of the installation have CHANGED. You may well have identified one: Right now I am thinking that I have a bad coax line outside of the house. The reason for this is that I had a new propane tank installed and they needed to back the truck up and had to drive over the buried coax. I did put boards down to spread out the load and protect the lawn and also the coax. However the problem has started since this incident. I pulled the coax out of the ground and it has bend marks at the edges where the boards were which to means that it was deformed and maybe it is now crushed. Is there any chance that the shield has been pulled apart, and is now completely open-circuit? A broken shield connection can be a major cause of RFI, as RF currents can appear in very odd places in their search for a new return path. How would a TDR respond to a broken shield? Installation-dependent, I suppose... -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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] OT: really cool home-brew electronic project
Tony Estep wrote: I believe that reflector participant Ian GM3SEK is an audio engineer, You're maybe thinking of Jim, K9YC. (I couldn't even play an audio engineer on the radio, and most people think that my musical instrument already makes too much noise.) -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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] Toroid Balun Cores
Ron D'Eau Claire wrote: They also didn't do much except make us feel better. Ferrite core chokes actually DO something useful. The cracked balun was poorly designed, so it overheated. That's a DESIGN mistake, not a defect of ferrite cores. 73, Jim K9YC Why would you think that? Properly designed, an air core balun and a ferrite core balun are electrically identical. That simply isn't true. Air-cored chokes are reactive in impedance, narrowband and easily detuned. A properly designed ferrite core choke is predominantly resistive and broadband, which makes it a much more dependable solution. Steve Hunt G3TXQ has measured a wide range of different chokes and plotted the results on a graphic that shows this point very clearly. http://www.karinya.net/g3txq/chokes/ In Steve's graphic, an effective choke needs the largest possible bandwidth of dark green, preferably with the black underline denoting predominantly resistive impedance. This can only be achieved with the help of ferrite - and even then, only with the right ferrite core and the right kind of winding. Air-cored chokes are shown to be relatively ineffective, narrowband devices... and then there's worse. Steve has also shown that the series reactances of the feedline and the wrong kind of air-cored choke can sometimes cancel, leading to a higher level of common mode current than before. This cannot happen with a ferrite choke that is predominantly resistive. For further information read Steve's page followed perhaps by my own article, at: http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek/in-prac/index.htm#1005 That in turn will lead you on to K9YC's much longer papers. Steve, Jim and I have different styles of presentation but we're absolutely agreed on the one key point: an air-core choke and a ferrite-core choke are very different indeed. -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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] KPA500 Hum
Ron D'Eau Claire wrote: Mike, I certainly concur with Eric's observation. What I thought was very unusual was that you said that the hum would come and go, which I presume happens when you aren't doing anything at the amp. Hum that comes and goes for no apparent reason might be caused by some other large electrical appliance distorting the AC supply waveform - for example, an electric motor with a chopper-controlled Variable Speed Drive. Although the 60/50Hz hum level from the KPA500 transformer is normally very low, a sudden increase in the higher harmonics could be quite noticeable. -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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: switching on click
Stephen, you are a saint! I'd have gone back with exactly what he deserved. I'm guided by 'Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance'. The K3 is one great radio, but the snap crackle and pop (even with the built-in speaker) put my teeth on edge, it's as simple as that. It's like a loud start-up rattle on an otherwise fine engine. If you haven't read the book, it's a fine read, in fact as it says on the cover, it changed my life! Agreed: the K3 attracts radio amateurs who are in pursuit of quality in that special sense which Pirsig spends half the book explaining. I thought Elecraft genuinely understood that, but as the K3 has moved into mainstream production with so many of its initial problems still unaddressed, I'm becoming far less sure. Operation of K3 radio require great peace of mind... but we're still not being given that. -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK __ 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] K1 praise
Rick Dettinger wrote: You can take my K1 when you pry it from my cold, dead fingers! Since 'Men In Black', we have to be more careful about that line: -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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] Repairing Circuit Boards - sort of OT
Pete Smith wrote: I recently repaired a KIO3 board, replacing U1 to restore serial port operation. It worked, but in the course of doing the job it was annoying to contend with the circuit board skittering across my work surface. Now I have another KIO3 to repair, and I'd like to avoid the hassle. What do you folks use to hold a circuit board in place flat on your work surface? For small boards I use a Panavise (clone) to hold the board firmly at a convenient angle for soldering: http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek/in-prac/best-of.htm#0809 For ESD protection, the clip lead connects the circuit ground on the PC board to the safety ground for the soldering iron, and also to an ESD wrist strap. -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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] KPA500 and KAT500 Ports
Craig Smith wrote: I certainly understand the impracticality in terms of cost and size of designing the basic KAT500 with a large number of output ports. My personal wish is that an optional external Elecraft unit will eventually be available that will allow for port expansion based on the user's desire for number and configuration. It should be waterproof (or easily made so) and controlled by the same bus as the external KAT500. Waterproof (or easily made so) is very important because the optimum location for an ATU is remote from the shack, as close as possible to the antenna(s) so that the main feedline is operated at low SWR. Waterproofing requirements vary hugely around the world, and any design errors will have very expensive consequences, so a designer in California shouldn't even try to guess what is needed in Scotland, for example :-). On the other hand, customers in Arizona shouldn't have to pay for heavy-duty waterproofing that they don't need. Please let us hope that one version of the KAT500 will be a bare board-level module that users can package to meet their own environmental requirements. If anything goes wrong, I'd much rather blame myself than blame Elecraft. Returning to antenna switching, most stations will also have a number of antennas that don't need an ATU. These users may be content with only two switched outputs on the KAT500 itself, and instead will want to use a normal 50-ohm remote switch *ahead* of the KAT500. But look where this discussion is headed... the more antenna switching possibilities we envision, the less realistic it becomes for the KAT500 to meet them all. However, there is a half-way solution which could be implemented at relatively low cost. That is to provide a number of open-collector relay drivers within the KAT500, remotely configurable through the control bus. These relay outputs could then be used to create custom antenna switching arrangements outside of the KAT500. When the KAT500 is commanded to energize one of its external relay ports, it would know that a different antenna is being connected to the output of the tuner, and could then switch to a different bank of stored settings. This system would greatly expand the flexibility of the KAT500 at very little hardware cost (no RF-rated parts required, only an addressable relay driver array and a pin header; all the rest is done in firmware and the configuration utility). It would also be completely transparent to anyone who didn't want to use it - they wouldn't even know it was there. The key to making this work is to incorporate the external relay drivers *within* the KAT500 control system. Independent external switching wouldn't work because the KAT500 wouldn't be aware of it, and would be continually forced to retune. -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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] Headphones
Don Wilhelm wrote: I use the same type hearing aids. Probably not exactly the same, because Phonak is a brand name (Swiss) offering several different models, each available with a number of different earpieces, and then of course a vast range of programming options. Talk with your audiologist. My audiologist set a Music program for me, which does not have the echo cancellation. I can even listen to an organ with that setting. The default music program on mine does have some echo cancellation (though not as aggressive as the speech program) and I was rather disappointed with its limited dynamic range before DSP artefacts appear, and they have to be switched off when *playing* a musical instrument quite close to the ear. I'd love to borrow the audiologist's programming interface for a few weeks! I do get feedback with some headphones, but I have success using the Sony MDR series (consumer grade, not the pro version of similar 'phones. That's interesting; I'd have assumed that all fully-enclosing headphones would have been very similar in respect of feedback to a hearing aid inside the earmuffs. Maybe some of them sit more closely over the microphones... but in that case, you'd also be getting less correction from the hearing aids. I just ordered a Yamaha CM500 which has gotten rave reviews on this reflector, and I am hopeful that they also will allow me to wear my over-the-ear aids with them. Good luck with them, Don, and we'll look forward to your report. -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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] Headphones
Fred Jensen wrote: I appreciate this thread. I too am both nearly deaf, and even with level and frequency correction, I can't understand someone speaking behind me. My loss occurred all at once from an RPG explosion one night, and I've been told the rocks on your hair cells are gone so it affects my sense of balance as well. The latest hearing aids the VA gave me are Phonak multi-program DSP gizmos, and are many light years ahead of anything else I've had. They run at afterburner roar and do not work under the Heil Proset I got from Elecraft. However I do get to walk around with $6K of fairly effective micro-electronics stuffed into my ears thanks to very generous American taxpayers. Thank you all, I hope I deserve it. Chalk up another Phonak user here, again a behind-the-ear design with a remarkable adaptive DSP and user-selectable programs for special functions. My natural hearing is almost exactly 'SSB quality', good up to about 2.5kHz but then rolling off rapidly, so the hearing aids are programmed to restore the higher frequencies that I haven't been hearing lately. Unlike the usual solid ear mold, mine have open earpieces within the ear canal which allow the lower frequencies to enter and be heard naturally. The hearing aids are only adding (or emphasizing) what's missing. The one application where I don't need the hearing aids at present is when listening to SSB or CW... but that may change as my frequency rolloff is likely to continue its downward march, so this whole discussion remains very relevant to me. The problem with using on-the-ear headphones (such as computer headsets) is that behind-the-ear hearing aids cannot pick up the full headphone sound that they need to process. But over-the ear headphones that completely enclose the hearing aids are not workable either, because the headphone sound creates a constantly changing feedback environment which can upset the DSP echo cancellation and sounds terrible. The only solution then is to operate without the hearing aids, and rely on either the radio or some external EQ to apply the necessary corrections. The K3's receive EQ can do this for us, but some users will find it essential to have independently adjustable EQ for each ear. A preset L-R balance would also be useful, so that the concentric AF gain controls can be reserved for their normal use. We're all getting older, but most of us are intending to keep our K3s for a long, long time, so the numbers of people who could benefit seem likely to increase. -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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] RF on pipes
Geoffrey Mackenzie-Kennedy wrote: Evening Fred, If the pipe is OPEN at its ends, would not the current flowing on the outside of the pipe fold over at the end of the pipe and continue to flow on the inside skin? The reverse, if you like, of the situation where a coax feeder is used to feed a dipole / doublet. No - HF fields cannot propagate inside an open tube because it behaves as like a 'waveguide beyond cutoff'. Any HF EM field injected into the open end will only penetrate a very short distance inside before it decays away. Coax is different because it contains *two* conductors: the inner skin of the tube and the outer skin of the centre conductor. The internal field is created between these two conductors and is thus able to propagate down the line. So the answer to the OP's question is that tubing will only give him the benefit of the larger outside skin. -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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] P3 RFI
John Lemay wrote: Good morning all I raised the issue of noise coming from my P3 several months ago. It is noticeable on 2m, using an EME array that is about 50ft from the rig. There is a combination of azimuth and elevation in which the array looks directly at my shack and under those circumstances the noise level on 2m rises several dB. I was advised to put chokes on the cables at the P3 end, and to revisit the cleaning of metal panels on the P3 where they meet. I've done this till I'm blue in the face, but it doesn't help because the P3 radiates a small amount of hash from the display screen. It's not practical to screen this ! Regards John G4ZTR It seems rather unlikely to be a radiating EM field launched directly out of the panel cut-out of the P3. The aperture is too small to act as an efficient radiator at a wavelength of 2 metres, and the internal noise source is unlikely to be driving it efficiently either. It seems more likely to be starting out as conducted interference - internal RF currents escaping perhaps through that hole or through other defects in the shielding (which unfortunately are endemic in this 'flat pack' style of construction). Those RF currents will then flow over the outer surfaces of the metalwork and the connecting cables, and that could be where the radiation is actually taking place. Have you checked which of the cables are actually carrying the noise currents? A clamp-on ferrite bead with a 10-turn secondary winding is a very good diagnostic tool, coupled into a spectrum analyser or a totally independent VHF receiver with an S-meter. Another option to use with the clamp-on transformer is W7ZOI's AD8307 microwattmeter, which is so sensitive it's scary. An interesting experiment would be to blank off the entire screen aperture with a metal plate, solidly grounded to the front panel, just to see what difference it really makes. It obviously isn't a solution, but it could be a useful as a diagnostic. -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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] p3 beta upgrade
Stephen Prior wrote: What I like best in 1.08 is the red tx marker which appears as soon as split (or RIT/XIT) is implemented without having to command the P3 to display VFOb. Nice feature, and I like the use of shaded bars to display the RX passband as well as the bright line for the TX frequency (or suppressed carrier frequency, as applicable). One small point while we're still in beta: when the VFOB/TX bar is tuned away off-screen, the arrow markers do not appear until the entire shaded passband has gone. It would be better if the arrow markers came on as soon as the bright TX line has disappeared, because the remaining part of the shaded passband bar can be quite difficult to see (even at 100% LCD brightness). -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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] KE7X book at lulu.com
David Lankshear wrote: I was just ordering Fred's book as a download, but stopped when lulu decided to add VAT to the price. Here, in the UK, books are exempt from VAT, Sadly, that only applies to printed books. [...] G, just so others in the EU know what to expect. Do expect to be charged VAT on either the download or the CD. However, these are 'consumer' sales (not 'business to business') so Lulu should be displaying prices including VAT where applicable. The good news was that the discount code very nearly saved the VAT - thanks, Bill! -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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] Private Sales of used Elecraft Rigs
Edward R. Cole wrote: In my case, the major reason I don't want to sell internationally is the matter of customs and duties, with the associated paperwork. Here it's mostly ignorance of what is needed, what the procedures are, etc. I might look at it differently with a ham I knew as the buyer. Nothing parochial beyond ignorance. :) 73, Jim K9YC -- =And I think THIS is really the problem folks are having - they imagine all sorts of issues! Customs and duties are paid by the receiving party (not the shipper). All you need do is describe the item. Simple as saying Ham radio parts. Estimate their value (this is what the customs will charge by), your name/address, the destination name/address, your done! Not any harder than filling out a money order. The form is half-page in size and most boxes do not need to be filled in as they do not apply. Let me repeat that: import duties and taxes in the destination country are categorically NOTYOUR PROBLEM ! All you have to do is write down the total value (in US$) and an adequate description. AMATEUR RADIO PARTS is usually close enough. That's all - you're done. NB: Always write out AMATEUR in full. Ham will be subject to extra import restrictions :-) -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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] Private Sales of used Elecraft Rigs
Joe Subich, W4TV wrote: All you have to do is write down the total value (in US$) and an adequate description. AMATEUR RADIO PARTS is usually close enough. That's all - you're done. That works in western countries. However, anything containing radio is automatically contraband in many countries outside Western Europe and the Americas. Could you name any such countries to which a private US citizen would actually be *likely* to make a shipment? I regularly ship AMATEUR RADIO PARTS - truthfully declared on the Customs form - to a wide range of countries (including India and even distant Alaska :-) without any problems. There are often import taxes to be paid, but that is a different issue. In 12 years and almost 2000 shipments I have never had a single report that the import of AMATEUR RADIO PARTS was not legal. -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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] manual download
tony rowland wrote: time line for k-500 kit manual on the download list? All Elecraft manuals are here, in date order (newest first): http://www.elecraft.com/manual/?M=D The KPA-500 preliminary assembly manual was posted a week ago. -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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] KX3: Paddles
Wayne Burdick wrote: Note that the KX3 also has a jack for a keyer/paddle/handkey/etc. of your choice. It can be used simultaneously with the attached paddle, too. Will the KX3 development phase be an opportunity to add more facilities to the keyer firmware, and feed them back into the K3 as well? Compared to all the other facilities of the K3, the internal keyer remains rather ordinary. Even a $6 K1EL chip has *many* more options. Keying is very much a personal preference, and some operators would like to use other modes besides Curtis A and B without being forced to use an external keyer (and lose the facility to send RTTY and data from the paddle). I'm not suggesting cloning the entire feature set of an external keyer, but the K1EL keyers would be a good roadmap for enhancements. -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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] Monitor output...
Jim Brown wrote: On 5/16/2011 10:35 AM, Tony Estep wrote: True of electrons, and other subatomic particles as well. For those who wish to delve into quantum mechanics and find out what the uncertainty principle actually deals with: If you read a bit further down in Wikipedia with respect to the uncertainty principle you will find the following: = = = = = = In the context of signal processing http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Signal_processing, particularly time--frequency analysis http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time%E2%80%93frequency_analysis, uncertainty principles are referred to as the *Gabor limit*, after Dennis Gabor http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dennis_Gabor, or sometimes the /Heisenberg--Gabor limit./ The basic result, which follows from Benedicks's theorem, below, is that a function cannot be both time limited http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_limited and band limited http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Band_limited (a function and its Fourier transform cannot both have bounded domain) -- see bandlimited versus timelimited http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_limited#Bandlimited_versus_timelimited. Stated alternatively, one cannot simultaneously localize a signal (function) in both the time domain http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_domain (/f/) and frequency domain http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frequency_domain (Fourier transform). When applied to filters, the result is that one cannot achieve high temporal resolution and frequency resolution at the same time; a concrete example are the resolution issues of the short-time Fourier transform http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Short-time_Fourier_transform#Resolution_issues -- if one uses a wide window, one achieves good frequency resolution at the cost of temporal resolution, while a narrow window has the opposite trade-off. = = = = = = 73, Jim K9YC __ All of that is true in its proper context, but off-topic here because NONE of it is limiting the present performance of the P3. At present the frequency and time resolution are limited only by the numbers of PIXELS in the small 480 x 272 display. There's a lot more performance waiting inside the P3, and the VGA display will show it to us. -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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] XV432 Oscillates with Amp connected - FIXED
Stu2 wrote: 1) Make sure the paint on the inside of the case was removed in the appropriate spots (connectors, joints, etc.) A stainless steel scratch pen is your best friend - USA:http://www.cooltools.us/Scratch-Brush-Pen-Style-Steel-p/brn-209.htm UK: http://www.eileensemporium.com/index.php?option=com_virtuemartpage=shop .browsecategory_id=1Itemid=9 Use the centre hole of a large steel washer to isolate the area you want to clean. Don't stop when the black paint has gone - make sure you also cut away the primer, which is very tough and not so easy to see. -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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] Monitor output...
On Sun, May 15, 2011 at 3:04 PM, Alan Bloom n...@sonic.net wrote: Right, no computer will be required. You'll just plug a VGA monitor into the connector on the back of the P3. Since we are in question answering mode, will you be able to switch between just monitor, just P3, and both? That would certainly seem reasonable. Alan N1AL Many thanks for the updates on the resolution issue, Alan. 2048 real FFT points interpolated to 1024 (or more) horizontal pixels will be a significant improvement in frequency resolution. However, the increase in vertical (time) resolution should be even more dramatic. With only 272 vertical pixels, some of which have to be used for the spectrum display and for scales and labels, the P3's waterfall display struggles to represent brief transients like key clicks, electric fences and other forms of QRN. With 768 (or more) vertical pixels rather than 272, these transients should all become clearly visible. Having a dual-monitor PC display but no space for a third large screen, I will probably switch the second (15in) monitor between the P3 and the radio PC as required, while keeping the P3 display active as well. Thinking about that, the button labels will not be useful on the larger display, so will it be possible to show those on the P3 only? -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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] Monitor output...
Tony Estep wrote: On Fri, May 13, 2011 at 10:18 PM, Gary K9GS garyk...@wi.rr.com wrote: a P3 driving a nice big 20 something inch monitor would be the way to go I set up a panadaptor display on my computer in parallel with my P3. It gives a nice big, detailed picture, but I soon scrapped it. Why? Because the monitor is a step backward from the P3 if it doesn't have point-and-shoot. There has to be communication between computer and K3. This adds complexity, software, and another cable. So it's not such a simple task. I came to the P3 from an SDR-IQ using a 15in second monitor [1], linked to the K3 and N1MMLogger through LP-Bridge. For the moment, the much tighter integration between the P3 and the K3 (particularly the tracking cursors on *both* VFOs) overrides the need to peer at a small screen that is lacking in detail. The 480x272 display of the P3 is pin-sharp and superb for its size, but the fine detail is still a major loss. A 1024x768 display with appropriate sampling provides much clearer information on other stations' signal quality and spectrum occupancy, and it gives the operator a much better understanding of what's happening on the band. With plenty of space for the waterfall, it has extra clarity in two dimensions, both frequency and time. From experience, the more detailed display allows *much* better judgements when choosing a 'clear' frequency. The loss of detail in the P3 has brought back an uncomfortable element of guesswork. Anyone who has used a larger, more detailed panadapter display to choose a clear frequency will know exactly what I mean. Anyone who has only ever viewed seen the band through a P3... well, continue to enjoy; but when the VGA adapter arrives, you'll be due for a big surprise! Elecraft have already promised that the VGA adapter will allow a more detailed display (it won't be simply a block graphics version of the existing screen) and I'm very much looking forward to that. [1] By the way, the 15in display was the *smallest* 1024x768 monitor that I could find. Filling the screen, the panadapter display is just about the right size to take in all the information at a glance. A larger-screen, wide-format monitor looks great from a distance, but the operator soon develops a severe case of swiveling eyeballs :-) -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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] P3 - Appearent P3 Anomoly
Alan Bloom wrote: The paint must also be removed from the sheet metal around each of the points where it attaches to the 2D fasteners. My recent P3 metalwork had much more paint underneath the spray masking tape than the 3-y-o K3 had. It needed a vicious stainless steel scratch pen to clean the P3 panels down to bare bright metal around the fixing points. Also make sure all the chassis screws are tight. This is very important in Elecraft's 'flat pack' style of construction. With no internal chassis and no continuous edge-to-edge bonding between panels, RF shielding and grounding is *critically* dependent on that relatively small number of panel-to-panel fixings. -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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] P3 on DXpeditions (was P3 and SSTV)
Fred wrote: You can Hold CENTER and move the DX station's freq to the left edge of the display and set SPAN so the pileup is spread across the whole display. The two controls interact some but it is easy to do while you are listening to figure out the operator's pattern. Thanks, Fred, that works for me. (Jim's method also works, of course, but yours is closer to my normal habits.) I already have four different SPAN settings pre-programmed into the function keys, and one of those is always close enough. -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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] P3 on DXpeditions (was P3 and SSTV)
gary bartlett wrote: I figured that I could use the P3 to look around any given band before I started creating a pile-up to see how much damage I might be doing, and once I found the best (i.e., least offensive) portion of the band, I was going to use the Span adjustment in Tracking Mode to set the upper boundary of the pile-up so as to be able to contain the mess without worrying about undue growth. That's a very responsible attitude (although the same result can be achieved with a panadapter). [...] This was before the introduction of the P3 Fixed-tune Mode which probably would have made things even better again for a P3 nut. Fixed-tune mode is excellent for pileups, except that all the information is crowded into the right-hand half of the screen because the DX operator is normally listening UP. A very useful option would be a 'SPLIT UP' mode, like fixed-tune but with VFO A fixed at one division from the left. That would allow us to view the pile-up at the highest available resolution, spread across 9 divisions rather than 5. -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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] P3 on DXpeditions (was P3 and SSTV)
Ian White GM3SEK wrote: That's a very responsible attitude (although the same result can be achieved with a panadapter). Sorry, low coffee error: ...same result can be achieved withOUT a panadapter. -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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] optimizing recorded audio
Jim Brown wrote: Finally, go to change tempo. This can make your recording play faster or slower without changing pitch. Don't change the beats, but rather trim the time length of your recording. A little bit goes a long way. For example, when I recorded my call the clip was about 3 seconds long. Cutting it to 2.6 seconds got rid of inter-syllabic pauses etc and made it sound urgent but didn't introduce any unnatural sound. Time compression tends to make voices sound artificial. Time compression, or talking too fast with poor articulation, can make it difficult for others to copy your call. That is confusing a problem with its solution. The problem, everyone agrees, is trying to talk too fast with poor articulation. But time compression isn't part of that problem - applied correctly, it is part of the CURE. Try this: record your messages (CQ and callsign) focusing 100% of your attention on speaking clearly. Don't worry at all about speed; speak as slowly as you find necessary to get good articulation. Then you can use the 'tempo' function to bring the recording up to a normal speed. Most people can improve articulation dramatically by slowing down only 10-20%, so it only requires a modest increase in the tempo setting to restore a normal brisk speed. Time compression is a re-sampling technique and it does introduce some artefacts, but these are minor compared with everything else that happens to a SSB voice signal. At this point, you can bring in a third factor: pacing. If the gaps between words or syllables don't sound quite right, you can experiment by cutting out (or pasting in) small segments of 'quiet time'. This is a very simple cut-copy-paste operation in Audacity, easy to follow on the scope trace. The golden rule is: listen to the results after every step in the editing process. If it doesn't sound good, then Undo that step and try something else. If it's done well (which really isn't hard, and quite fun to learn), you'll find that your voice sounds clearer, but still quite natural. In fact, you'll probably sound *more* natural than if you were straining for optimum articulation, speed and pacing, all at the same time. And after 24-48 hours of SSB contesting, your recorded voice is *guaranteed* to sound better than your natural self! -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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_P3_160_CW
Alan Bloom wrote: The P3 keeps track of the preamp/attenuator status reported by the K3 so that the dBm or S-unit display reads accurately. That can lead to some non-intuitive behavior. For example, turning on the K3 preamp typically makes the noise level on the P3 go down rather than up. The reason is that the P3 is turning down its gain to compensate for the increased gain in the K3. However this doesn't always work correctly when switching the RX antenna on the K3. Currently the K3 does not send an update to the P3 if switching antennas causes the preamp or attenuator status to change. This is on Wayne's bug list. From the wider viewpoint of optimizing the dynamic range on each band, it would be very helpful if the required preamp/attenuator settings were saved separately for each antenna input. Those settings would then be 'applied' to whichever receiver(s) are using that input. Don has just shown exactly why this is needed, because it's the *antennas* that create the variations in signal levels and background noise. -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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] [QRP-L] New Elecraft product: XG3 All-Band RF SignalSource
Phil Hystad wrote: I really have this great urge to get rid of all connecting cables just like in the old Star Trek TV episode The Ultimate Computer (episode #53, stardate 4729.4). Meanwhile, back in Series 1, Mr Spock was still having trouble with the small screen of his P3: http://tinyurl.com/3ed9dwu -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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] Lightning in New Mexico
They are not big government to be scorned, they are based on God's Laws of Physics to be learned and respected. Amen! -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK __ 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] paddle key training
Jack West wrote: I can send using paddles right or left handed. [...] I am able to QSO CW by alternating letters back and forth using both hands. Occassionally I may send two or three letters from the same paddle but not often. I dont have tothink about it...it comes naturally. I call my Demo TWO FISTED CW 73 de Jack / W7LD / Lucky Dog Lucky Dog indeed - the only way that my brain could be separated into independent sides like that would be with an axe! CW sending always seems to be an extreme case of Your Wiring May Vary. -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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] paddle key training
Fred Jensen wrote: The message: Do what works for you, there is no 'right' answer. And also: Don't ask a talented person - ask someone who had to work at it. -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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 S9 43' Vertical
Phil Debbie Salas wrote: If you CAN'T do radials right, DON'T do grounded verticals. As simple as that. I disagree. Licensed in 1964 at 15, I operated with a 4BTV through high school and college with just a ground rod. I didn't know any better, but had lots of fun - even with a Knightkit T60 transmitter. Was it efficient? Nope. But I sure enjoyed the hobby during that time. Of course, I later learned that I could have had even MORE fun if I'd had radials. Phil - AD5X Fun, yes... but do we really want every newcomer to start out in the same ignorance as we did? They can have even more fun if they're helped to start out the right way, right now, instead of taking 50 years over it. -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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] P3 Feature Request
Alan Bloom wrote: I agree that XIT is probably used much less often than VFO B to control the transmit frequency. I think a lot of people use RIT (which does affect the cursor frequency on the P3) but fewer use XIT. The main use for XIT is in CW contests and simplex DX pileups, to apply a small 'tactical' offset of typically a few tens of Hz. Full split operation is not appropriate in this situation - you can already hear everything in the main RX. In either case, it would be nice to have an indication of the actual transmit frequency on the P3. Nice makes it sound like eye candy - but it's more than that. Exactly where you'll be transmitting within the displayed spectrum is one of the most important pieces of information that the P3 has to offer. I'm not sure that another cursor is the right answer though. The display is already crowded with two cursors and up to two markers. I'm thinking along the lines of little arrows at the top and bottom of the screen, where the frequency tic marks are located. They could be colored red to make them stand out. In order of importance I'd put the transmitted spectrum occupancy some way ahead of the markers. It should pop up on the P3 whenever the 'delta-F' LED is active on the K3, and preferably in red. -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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] Why I won't purchase K3
Alexey Kats wrote: With K1, K2, KX1 I learned a lot from its schematics, I was able to figure out what went wrong if something went wrong (just to prove to myself that it was me who was an idiot). From personal experience, the K3 can offer all of that ;-) -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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] tx/rx isolation and safe tx input power for K3
Jim Brown wrote: On 3/1/2011 6:17 AM, pendulous wrote: I recently installed the DX engineering bidirectional Beverage systems. Are you also using the DX Engineering preamp? It's got a lot of gain, more than is needed to bring your Beverages up to match other antennas, and that could be contributing to a high signal level from your TX signal. Consider putting a simple passive attenuator between the preamp and the K3. You can build the attenuator from a few resistors. Another name for such an attenuator is pad. I suspect that there are some formulas in the ARRL Handbook to calculate the resistor values. Just working off the top of my head, I'd start with a 68 ohm resistor in parallel with the line at the input of the pad, a series resistor of about 270 ohms, and a second 68 ohm resistor in parallel at the output of the pad. This will be good for something on the order of 14 dB, and will be close enough to a decent match for either 50 ohm or 75 ohm coax. In this application, that's plenty close enough. If you want more attenuation, increase the 270 ohm to 560 or 680 ohms, which will get you a bit more than 20 dB. 73, Jim K9YC. WinATT by GM4PMK is a nice little Windows program that designs Pi and T attenuators in a snap. As well as calculating theoretical values for the attenuation you require, it also finds the closest standard resistor values in the E6, E12 or E24 series and calculates the attenuation and VSWR for those values too. The 64KB stand-alone exe file is at: http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek/in-prac/winatt.exe -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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] FW: FW: K3: KPA500 on a generator?
Jim Brown wrote: On 2/19/2011 7:32 AM, Ian White GM3SEK wrote: Very few US manufacturers are capable of in-house testing on 50Hz, so it's good to see that Elecraft have placed a KPA500 with Brendan. //I can assure you that Elecraft engineers are smart enough to design for 50 Hz power. Of course; but smart companies like Elecraft will also take good care to *verify* their designs under actual conditions of use. Operation from a 50Hz supply will push almost every aspect of a design much closer to its margins, especially the temperature rise (which is notoriously difficult to predict). Far too often, we in Europe have literally had our fingers burned! Jim himself has carried out a very important thermal stress test of the KPA500, operating for many hours in an RTTY contest at a high CQ:RX ratio. Those results (stayed cool as a cucumber) are very encouraging... so please can we look forward to a repeat on 50Hz, where everything will get hotter? -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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] FW: FW: K3: KPA500 on a generator?
David Cutter wrote: Thanks Brendan and Jeff with good advice, I've done this myself and it works well. However, small generators I have seen do not produce mains-quality sinewave output: it's more triangular and I just want to know if Elecraft are happy with their kit running on this sort of supply which is also varying in voltage and frequency. I can think of several mechanisms to stress a psu. Another stress factor is that European generators run at 50Hz, like our mains. Many mains transformers run much hotter at 50Hz than at 60Hz, ripple voltage increases and induction motors run more slowly, considerably affecting blower performance. Very few US manufacturers are capable of in-house testing on 50Hz, so it's good to see that Elecraft have placed a KPA500 with Brendan. -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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] Split not available
Harry wrote: I configured my K3's RIT button (push hold) to engage split with the VFO B freq 5kHz up from VFO A, and the XIT button (push hold) to clear split. For split the macros I put together are: SWT13; SWT13; FT1; UPB7; RT0; XT0 For clear split the macros are: FT0; RT0; XT0; LN0; SW000 Hope this helps, Harry WE1X Thank you - I've been enjoying a very similar 'advanced split' function since the day (literally) that macro programming became available. I love the K3's macro functions, but this is a shared K3 and we often have guest operators too, so I hate the proliferation of tacky little printed labels on the K3's front panel. What we're now discussing is the logical next step: an option to move that personalized 'advanced split' function back onto the SPLIT button where it belongs. For ongoing reference: * The feature request under discussion is for config options to make the SPLIT (hold AB), (tap REV) and (hold REV) buttons available as additional user programmable macro keys. * The reason for requesting this enhancement as a config option is to avoid any impact upon users who prefer the existing SPLIT and REV behavior (and hopefully to avoid tank tracks on the front lawn :-) -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek __ 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
