For a couple of years now, since getting K3 #145, I've had the impression
that activity in the big contests like CQWW has been dropping off because
now I don't seem to have problems finding a run frequency. Obviously it's
all down to the K3:-)
Ref key clicks.(bear with me!) I have
Another K3 user with a Topband score of note:
http://lists.contesting.com/pipermail/topband/2009-November/032025.html
N7UA is using a K3 in diversity with his TX 4SQ in one RX and phased
Beverages in the other. For any not familiar with Topband propagation it's
unheard of for the West Coast to
Don't know why they say K3 is noisy.I have owned MK5,2000,Orion and lately
ProIII and so far the less noisier radio was the K3,sometimes it sounds so
quite that I am afraid it might be broken or off.
AD4C
For a refined ham it is compulsory to own a k3
--- On Mon, 11/30/09, Joe Subich,
Stewart,
I'm starting a new thread on this subject because your post reminded me to
write in on the subject.
Since a key click is an impulse of signal to the RX, perhaps they could be
reduced by a noise blanker type of function. That will make it even more
impossible to know that you're close to
Steve,
In addition to being bad for your radio, the dry air that's allowing the
static charges to build up on your skin aren't good for the rest of your
body (sinuses, skin, etc.). We use a whole house humidifier that sits on
the floor near the wood stove (Vermont crude is a lot cheaper than the
That is exactly what's happening to me daily but on SSB,guys with poor
selectivity radios about 3Khz from me come to my freq to complain I am
bothering them and honestly I don't hear a thing even at 3Khz and with 30db
over 9 signal,when I go to CW I can be at just 300Hz away from
Guy, K2AV wrote:
Static electricity is YOUR problem, not the K3's. If you are rubbing
your feet over a rug, spray it with static spray. Or ground yourself
on a little bit of static pad that you put there for the purpose. Do
something so you are not a lightning bolt every time you move.
Steve,
I recall a VFO static problem with one of the Ten Tec models. My memory has
faded, but I thought part of their solution used a series of highly
conductive felt washers on the encoder shaft. Anyway, it would be
interesting to see if Ten Tec's encoder kit for that problem could be
I see a little odd symmetry here, between a local interference case
(my QTH) and contesting with the K3.
Incidentally, I get same complaints on CW and SSB. Can't hear them,
but their radios have such poor filtering or selectivity that my TX is
wrecking what they receive, when close to their
Noisy is what the uninitiated say whenever they don't yet know to back
off the RF gain just enough to take the riding band noise down to a
comfortable level. This was one of the lessons new Orion owners had to
learn as well, which could be set in the menu per band.
73, Guy.
On Tue, Dec 1, 2009
On Nov 30, 2009, at 9:19 PM, Ken Kopp wrote:
Don't forget touch lamps notorious sources of noise.
What is a touch lamp ?
Byron
KI6NUL
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A little further investigating and I found this:
We also had a few occasions where the operator stood up (sliding across
the chair) and touched the radio [Omni VII] and got zapped - resulting in
the radio needing to be turned off and on again. Unlike the ORION, this
routine takes only a
Hold on a moment Steve. Before you buy a humidifier, let me suggest
that something appears to be ungrounded internally as you suggest. My
shack is in an unhumidified work space in New Mexico. I can generate a
good bit of static if I wear a fleece sweater and slide just so on my
office
I had this problem occur with my Omni VI back in the 90's. When I would
walk in the room and touch the VFO the rig would shut down. A friend
across town had the same problem with his Omni VI. It took us a while
to figure out it was static electricity.
Ten-Tec's fix was to send out a short
Since touching the VFO knob causes the problem while touching the case does
not, I suspect your VFO encoder is not grounded to the front panel sheet
metal.
You can check with an ohmmeter if you're not adverse to removing the VFO A
knob*. Put one probe on the metal shaft of the encoder and the
Just received this from Elecraft:
The paint should be removed around the inside of the front panel where the
encoder mounts. This was not done on some early models, but it should have
been done on all later units. You might check that, and make sure the lock
washer is there on the threads of
Already done.
Using roofing and DSP width that are closely matched, a clicky signal
that is down very steep skirts will be converted into pulses. The
roofing and DSP skirts need to **combine to be as steep as possible**.
Set the NB to off for IF, and use DSP settings 2-7 or 3-7. I've had
3-7
Elecraft K-1 for sale. 2 band, mint, plus extras.
Please contact via w9...@arrl.net.
72
Bob, W9EWW
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Even with a lesser receiver, I allow plenty of frequency spacing between
myself and another station on CW, recognizing that the other station may not
have superb selectivity. Around the CW QRP frequencies, I often allow a full
kHz and several hundred Hz on other frequencies.
When getting ready to
Key clicks can be generated by several different mechanisms within the
receiver itself. Paradoxically, it's easier to produce false clicks with a
high performance receiver than it is with a lesser receiver.
These have nothing to do with the transmitted signal.
The first line of defense is to
All good suggestions, Ron -- including turning off the NB if not mentioned
previously. Engaging the NB function oftentimes produces
internally-generated clicks.
Paul, W9AC
- Original Message -
From: Ron D'Eau Claire r...@cobi.biz
To: 'Elecraft Reflector' elecraft@mailman.qth.net
Great information. Too bad it isn't possible to make K3 DSP changes via
macros. I wouldn't want to use those settings all the time in a
contest, but it would be nice to quickly jump to them with the push of a
K3 button or N1MM function key when needed.
73,
Dave AB7E
Guy Olinger K2AV
Hi Byron,
A touch lamp is a lamp that is turned ON and OFF by
touching ... usually a table lamp of some sort ... with the
base / stand responding to the capacity of one's hand
for the switching action. Basically the lamp has a
free-running oscillator that is detuned when the lamp
is touched,
Hi,
Well I just completed my first 6M contest this past weekend and found it quite
good.
There was some time ago a lot of comments on the K3's sensitivity on 6M.
The result was Elecraft produced a pre-amp and not much comment has been seen
since.
If anyone on the list is a 6m operator with a
Hi Gary,
You DEFINITELY need to use a high gain low noise external preamp if you are
interested in any weak signal work on 6m. If all you are interested in doing
on
6m is woring strong Es or TE signals, then you can obviously get by without it.
In
fact, you will probably be thrilled to be
I'll accept all of that, but it still doesn't change the fact that there
are some rigs out there that generate bad key clicks for no reason other
than the fact that their users either don't realize it or don't care
enough to fix them.
When I first received my Icom 756Pro (now my backup rig)
On Tue, 01 Dec 2009 18:23:22 +, Lance Collister wrote:
You DEFINITELY need to use a high gain low noise external preamp
if you are interested in any weak signal work on 6m.
Because this is a general interest topic, I'm responding to the
reflector. YES, unless you live in a really noisy
Gary,
I will echo Lance's comment about the 6M preamp.
I had built a Down East Microwave kit ... a well thought
of company here in the US ... and found the Elecraft PR3
to be equal, so sold the DEM preamp to a local friend and
kept the PR3 because of it's easy integration into the K3.
My only
On Tue, 01 Dec 2009 11:29:24 -0700, David Gilbert wrote:
In my experience with the K3 in several major contests since I bought it
last January, the very great majority of bad signals I've heard on the
air have been due to the TX on the other end, not the RX on my end.
Strongly agree.
And I
Oh how well I know! We had a touch lamp that produced a signal at 450khz so
strong it could be heard for blocks. I gutted the circuit and installed a
line cord switch. I suspect my neighbor has one now and I'm trying to figure
out how to approach him about it.
Steve
N4LQ
n...@carolina.rr.com
And I strongly DISAGREE with Ron's statement that clicks are an essential
part of CW. Clicks are a function of a FAST RISE TIME and DISTORTION, not
keying speed. There's a KH6 contester who moved from K4 with a monster
signal, monster clicks, monster SSB splatter, and monster attitude to
While on 160m a few nights ago I heard loud key clicks and tracked it down
to a ham just 1 mile away who was chasing a DX station. When he transmitted,
my K3 was rendered totally deft from any signal within 10 Khz of him! My
200hz roofing filter, ATTN, preamp off and RFG down had no effect. I
From the CQ newsroom...
Jerry Sevick, W2FMI, became a Silent Key on November 29 after a brief
illness. Sevick was a renowned authority on antennas and transmission
line transformers, and was active on the air until just days before
his passing. He was 90 years old. Sevick is best known among
When I first received my Icom 756Pro (now my backup rig) several years
ago I discovered that the default rise/fall times (adjustable in one of
the menus) was set to 2 msec (!). That's unconscionable...
It's unconscionable with some rigs, but not all. Take a look at the K3's
keying envelope
Karl N6XVT,
Ground the radio. If it is, test it. The see if your front panel is
grounded.
Hope it will help.
N6XVT 73
Sent from my iPhone
On Nov 30, 2009, at 6:39 PM, Steve Ellington n...@carolina.rr.com
wrote:
What can I do to eliminate the static electricity problem with K3?
Every
To start with, visit the neighbor and explain the problem. They will
think you are nuts, but it you ask them if they have any
touch-controlled devices, and the answer is yes, then you may be able to
get them to unplug or temporarily power-down any such devices to see if
the interference
elecraft-requ...@mailman.qth.net wrote:
Send Elecraft mailing list submissions to
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To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
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or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to
I have an early K3 that had the ESD problem. I removed the front panel and
board attached to the front panel. I removed the VFO A encoder and burnished
the paint off around the backside of the front panel encoder hole. I have not
had an ESD lockup since.
I also had an Omni VII that had the
Not once in my experience has the K3 NB made clicks worse (that's N*B*
I'm talking about, not N*R*). I gave a formula in an earlier post in
this thread. I invite anyone to actually try it and see. NR does not
seem to do anything for or against clicks.
73, Guy.
On Tue, Dec 1, 2009 at 12:57 PM,
I had two tough controlled reading lamps in my bedroom. They didn't
cause rfi but they changed on/off state each time I transmitted.
Ferrite clamps didn't change the sensitivity of the lamps to RF. I
replaced them with manual switch controlled lamps; my #2 son who is not
a ham has them now.
Hi Matt
Most of us are black box operators. We need regulations for the amateur service
that specifies how our transmitters must perform, just like every other HF
spectrum user.
Its amazing how the amateur service holds its head up high as some sort of
technical demigod society, yet we cant
Are you recommending in a CW contest that one not engage in running if
one cannot find a space with an open kHz above and an open kHz below?
:)
Common contest practice in recent decades is 500 kHz between signals
regardless of folks without filters. And that seems to be squeezing
down to 400 and
On Tue, 01 Dec 2009 08:55:55 -1000, Merv Schweigert wrote:
Not sure if you checked his signal in the last couple contests? If so
you are criticizing a K3 for having monster Klix and SSB splatter.
The exciter is not the ONLY click or trash generator in a station. ANY
non-linear device can
Karl N6XVT,
Saw this old email. Also saw ad in QST, sounds more like a copey of
Icom 7700.
Sent from my iPhone
On Nov 23, 2009, at 10:43 AM, David Y. w7...@cox.net wrote:
Just curious--is it true the FT-5000 only has one receiver? In the
brochure
I see multiple AF and RF gain controls,
At 01:36 PM 01/12/09, you wrote:
And that seems to be squeezing
down to 400 and narrower, which some folks derisively have called the
K3 effect.
The effect started showing up with the K2...I first noticed it in
2002 SSCW qrp.
John
k7up
My little K2 performed very well in the contest too! Don't let the K3 guys
think they have the only rig capable of feats of magic...the K2 filters and
sturdy front end allowed me to pull out some really weak DX sigs on 80 and 40
right next to full S-meter stateside signals, with no problem! I
What cheap/accurate tools are available for K3 construction? I'm aware of the
Elecraft XG2 which I think can be used as a signal generator. NorCal QRP has a
NorCal S9 signal generator, but their kits are not currently available.
I'm struggling to find a 1 mW to 5W capable RF power meter. I
John wrote:s
At 01:36 PM 01/12/09, you wrote:
And that seems to be squeezing
down to 400 and narrower, which some folks derisively have called the
K3 effect.
The effect started showing up with the K2...I first noticed it in
2002 SSCW qrp.
John
k7up
I'm a new K3 owner
On 1 dec 2009, at 00.14, Joe Subich, W4TV wrote:
Operators were mixed
when it came to receiving a single signal on a quiet band
- those who preferred other radios felt the K3 was too
noisy.
The K3 can feel a little over charged with full RF Gain and preamp
inline... like driving a race car
On 30 nov 2009, at 22.49, Jim Brown wrote:
Thanks to my K3, I didn't even know they were there, and
couldn't hear them with my IF opened up to 400 Hz.
I had a very strong station throwing a couple of hundred dits into my
passband when I was trying to copy a weak JA. Just narrowed the
Hi Guys,
A few years ago I was up late at night and decided to send a couple of
late night CQ's on 40 meters. On about my third CQ
my wife appeared at the door to my shack looking very upset. She had
gone to bed a couple of hours earlier and was awakened
by the touch lamps blinking on either
Clicks are a function of a FAST RISE TIME and DISTORTION, not
keying speed.
Not quite ... keyclicks are often a second derivative effect.
They occur when the rate of change of the rate of change is
high - specifically at the corners of the waveform (a abrupt
change in the slope coupled
It's basic physics, Jim. A keyed signal is amplitude modulated and an
amplitude modulated signal produces sidebands.
Your are quite right that the rise time affects the amount of spectrum the
sidebands make. Of course, higher keying speeds require faster rise and fall
times, otherwise one code
Many years ago, I build a full size vertical for 160 M with 19 full length
radials, see, W6SAI HF antenna handbook, section 6-17. OK so far. In
testing, I found the ground currents and the close in field substantial at 1
KW. One of the storage building was about 60 feet from the base of the
Hi John,
While I agree with much of your argument, there could be a price to pay in
the form of Equipment Type Approval.if further regulations were imposed on
the Amateur Service. Without doubt Type Approval would increase the selling
price of the black boxes, and put an end to the use of
Yeah, and the K2 has MOJO. It's just simple and pure. ;-)
Gary, N7HTS
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This
I suspect that over-driving an external amplifier is a major cause of
excessive clicks on the bands today. Many Hams think that CW doesn't require
the final amplifier be linear and drive their rigs into saturation. But a
linear amplifier needs to be linear for CW just as with any amplitude
I've asked our support guys to contact him. This usually only is a
problem on very earlyK3s where the inside area of the front panel sheet
metal was not masked off when powder coated. That resulted in leaving
the VFO encoder shaft un-grounded. Its possible one of the newer FP
sheet metal
On Tuesday 01 December 2009 01:59:36 pm Richard Hill wrote:
What cheap/accurate tools are available for K3 construction? I'm aware of
the Elecraft XG2 which I think can be used as a signal generator. NorCal
QRP has a NorCal S9 signal generator, but their kits are not currently
available.
I email'd him when he first posted to check for good bare metal contact with
the inside
tooth washer on the encoder shaft behind the FP. Never heard back.
-
73,
Greg - AB7R
Whidbey Island WA
NA-065
On Tue Dec 1 15:00 , Eric Swartz - WA6HHQ, Elecraft sent:
I've
Joe Subich, W4TV wrote:
Clicks are a function of a FAST RISE TIME and DISTORTION, not
keying speed.
Not quite ... keyclicks are often a second derivative effect.
They occur when the rate of change of the rate of change is
high - specifically at the corners of the waveform (a abrupt
change in
I'll get the ohmmeter after it tomorrow and find out if the vfo shaft is
actually grounded. Serial #410 but the FP is almost new. I didn't have this
problem last winter so the new FP must need some attention. 73
Steve
N4LQ
n...@carolina.rr.com
- Original Message -
From: Greg - AB7R
I've got the preamp, but my antennae have been on the ground since I got
the K3. Going back up this weekend, and I'd definitely like to hear what
people have to say about it, so I'd appreciate the discussion being held
on the reflector.
73, Mike NF4L
rfenab...@gmail.com wrote:
Hi,
Well I
On Tue, 1 Dec 2009 16:52:00 -0500, Joe Subich, W4TV wrote:
Not quite ... keyclicks are often a second derivative effect.
They occur when the rate of change of the rate of change is
high - specifically at the corners of the waveform (a abrupt
change in the slope coupled with high power
I suspect that over-driving an external amplifier is a major cause of
excessive clicks on the bands today. Many Hams think that CW doesn't
require
the final amplifier be linear and drive their rigs into saturation. But a
linear amplifier needs to be linear for CW just as with any amplitude
Thanks Steve. Please keep k3supp...@elecraft.com informed of what you find.
Also check the hex nuts the go over the encoder shaft on the top of the FP
(under the
knob) to make sure they are snug enough to ensure the bare metal underneath is
in
contact with the inside tooth washer. If those
The 'RC rise/decay' wave shape that was in the handbooks for many years
is actually a *bad* shape because it has a very sharp corner on key-up.
Ian, *bad* may be a bit too harsh. The League's optimized envelope was
described during a time when only simple R/C values were used to develop a
Rich,
Yes, you can buy an HP435A with sensors for big bucks, and you will have
power measurement accuracy over a wide range. But there are other less
expensive ways (homebrew) ---
Have you considered building an RF Power Meter? Take a look at the one
published by Wes Hayward W7ZOI and Bob
I put mine together with a digital VOM and an anti-static mat/wristband.
Works great.
73, Mike NF4L
Richard Hill wrote:
What cheap/accurate tools are available for K3 construction? I'm aware of
the Elecraft XG2 which I think can be used as a signal generator. NorCal QRP
has a NorCal S9
My suggestion of a kHz was for operating near the QRP frequencies where
simple receivers and rock-bound transmitters are often in use.
As I said, I use less spacing in other parts of the band after a QRL?
although I always listen with a wide bandwidth for those with
broad-as-a-barn receivers who
Re static discharge problems:
I've posted this story before but it sounds like it is worth
repeating.
K3 #95 suffered from ESD when I touched the VFO A knob, and in
reaction the radio would go all dark, then re-boot on its own. The first
time it occurred, I had no idea of what
Original NJQRP/AMQRP kit in original packaging.
Description:
Resistive-type SWR bridge displays the relative SWR by illuminating
combinations of colorful LEDs. Handles up to 5W RF power and includes a tunable
parallel resonant circuit (ATU) using a tapped inductor that readily tunes an
Some of the newer electric blankets have a CHEAP switching P/S similar to
those on laptop power supplies. Check them out too - good possibility as
nights are colder. Some stay on whenever plugged in others cycle on and off.
Some also have an IR controlled temperature control (at least mine
Back In my youth I lived in this little grandmother cottage (converted garage)
behind a house in San Jose. One day, after I had been on 75 meters the
previous night with my HW-101 and SB-220 (the cottage didn't have a 230V line
but did have both sides so I made a 230V extension cord), the
Hello All,
I am selling my K1 #2646.
Purchased last October and finished in June of this year.
2 band module 80 and 15.
Internal battery kit installed.
Works great.
Price is lowered to $300.
73,
Jim C
KC2ROF
__
Using 3.57 when I go split on RTTY and listen on B, the mode changes from
FSK-D to AFSK-A on its own. I change it back to FSK-D and if I do not
switch from A to B, no problem, but as soon as I do switch it goes back to
AFSK-A.
Lee, KY7M
Hi Lee,
We fixed this in the latest beta-test revision (now a production
release).
73,
Wayne
N6KR
On Dec 1, 2009, at 7:47 PM, Lee Finkel wrote:
Using 3.57 when I go split on RTTY and listen on B, the mode changes
from
FSK-D to AFSK-A on its own. I change it back to FSK-D and if I do
Fixed in 3.59.
On Dec 1, 2009, at 7:47 PM, Lee Finkel wrote:
Using 3.57 when I go split on RTTY and listen on B, the mode changes
from
FSK-D to AFSK-A on its own. I change it back to FSK-D and if I do not
switch from A to B, no problem, but as soon as I do switch it goes
back to
Another one that may have always been there and I never noticed ,
when engaging the NB control the signals drop noticably, my settings
are T1-4 and IF Narrow -4 when I press NB to remove power line
noise the signal also drops in strength, as I say that may be normal
and I have not noticed it
I did call QRL? a few times before starting my run.
He obviously felt I was a bit close to his run frequency so He spotted
me with a comment.
(other other similar posts)
It's good that you called QRL?and that
may be cool to slip in close to somebody's run freq,
but the problem is that
Just under 53 pounds! I have a question for Rob or anyone who might know.
What is Yaesu's mu-Tuning unit? Is it just a preselector? I remember
Motorola using helical resonators many years ago.
--
View this message in context:
Paul Christensen wrote:
When I first received my Icom 756Pro (now my backup rig) several years
ago I discovered that the default rise/fall times (adjustable in one of
the menus) was set to 2 msec (!). That's unconscionable...
It's unconscionable with some rigs, but not all. Take a look at
I've tried really hard to adjust to CW on LSB, but it just doesn't work for
me.
To make matters worse, much software (eg. N1MM) insists on re-setting the
CW mode to 'normal' (after I've set it to 'REV') at the most inopportune
moments.
I plead for a CONFIG option to set CW 'normal' to USB.
I'd
Added to the list -- thanks for the suggestion.
73,
Wayne
N6KR
On Dec 1, 2009, at 10:43 PM, Ralph Parker wrote:
I've tried really hard to adjust to CW on LSB, but it just doesn't
work for
me.
To make matters worse, much software (eg. N1MM) insists on re-
setting the
CW mode to 'normal'
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