[Elecraft] Zero-Beat Procedure for the Elecraft K3s (DRAFT)

It was not until recently that I acquired the TMP connectors and crimp tool to make a proper jumper cable from my K3s' J1 connector on my K3s’ TXCO (TMP) to my frequency counter (BNC), so I have always used the "zero-beat" method.  Periodically, I go back and repeat the TXCO calibration using

Re: [Elecraft] L Bladeless Fan Technology

The Dyson ad is misleading: it merely has no EXPOSED blades. What it is is a venturi pressurized by a bladed fan in the base. In this way it is trading high-pressure low-velocity for low-pressure high-velocity which is appropriate for a fan in free-air to cool human bodies.  Fans designed to

Re: [Elecraft] Intermod filter for the KX3

If the interference is a product of 2 or more out of band signals mixing together, then a band pass filter would help.    If this the case, use of noise reduction or noise blanking in the KX3 will likely make the issue worse, not better.     One test is to use a step attenuator between the

Re: [Elecraft] KPA1500 ATU TUNE/MODE button Q.

If you HOLD the ATU TUNE button, you switch the ATU between IN and BYPASS. When you tap ATU tune, and provide some RF from the exciter, the ATU searches for a match. If the SWR of the antenna is good enough without ATU reactances, the ATU discovers that the best tuning solution for that

[Elecraft] KPA1500

For everyone complaining about the fan noise, I would gladly trade my KPA500 and KAT500 for your noisy KPA1500 at a reduced rate. With 40% hearing loss, I'd love to hear the KPA1500. I mounted an IBM mainframe cooling fan on top of my SB200 to keep it cool while working DX. You want to hear

Re: [Elecraft] Intermod filter for the KX3

Rather than band pass filters, maybe try a good ‘ole low pass filter? Won’t work on two meters or maybe six meters, but I suspect most of the ambient RF is up in the VHF/UHF or above. And if it’s in-band interference, a band pass filter won’t help either. Used for the opposite reason -

Re: [Elecraft] KPA1500 Drive Power

Now I'm really confused.  I observed the power drop when operating several times, as described below. However, I just ran a test, both with an antenna and a dummy load, and saw only a very small change in output, perhaps 50 W, which is inconsequential.  I even tried simulating CW operating in

Re: [Elecraft] KPA1500 Fan Noise - Not An Issue

Well said, Don, and I agree.  Its not an issue with me either.  Even though its my first solid state amp I realize the need to cool it.  They're already up to suggestingwater cooling.  I think we need to talk about hydrogen cooling, something the radio room on the Enterprise from Star Trek

[Elecraft] KPA1500 ATU TUNE/MODE button Q.

I was noticing that when I hold the ATU TUNE/ATU MODE button, the BYPASS led above it always stays on. The IN led will switch on and off as I hold the button a second time, but the bypass led will always remains on. I don't hear any relays latch. This happens on all bands, except for 30m. On

Re: [Elecraft] KPA1500 Fan Noise - Not An Issue

Thanks for your report. I am a future owner. Paid for it and am awaiting delivery. As a FT of KPA500, I cannot imagine the 1500 would be any less and in fact appears to be much more... as it should given the additional technology. 73, Bill K9YEQ https://wrj-tech.com/ -Original

[Elecraft] Elecraft CW Net Report

Good Evening,    I am not used to rooting for a winning team but now the Mariners have gotten themselves into first place.  I guess I'll just have to deal with it.  I am gradually building up the number of 1500 watt amp operators I've worked.  The amps really help when the QSB is the way it

Re: [Elecraft] Does the K3(S) need occasional realignment?

Interesting topic. I actually had a tx gain cal failure with a new K3S on 6M but a subsequent tx gain try, it passed. I didn’t make any mistakes putting it together. Kind of an anxious moment with a a new rig right out of the box, but it did pass. I’m kind of shy to ever run tx gain cal again.

Re: [Elecraft] Fan Noise=Reflector Noise

The Fan thread is one topic that should remain on the list. It is technical and related to an Elecraft product which is the purpose of the list. As a future owner of the KPA1500, I want to know about issues, how to resolve them, and noted Eric's recent post, which all address this fine piece

[Elecraft] Fan Noise=Reflector Noise

I’m starting to wear off the “DEL” characters on my Delete Key, trying to wade through the Fan thread to get to the gems normally found on this reflector. I think it’s time to declare the thread closed. 73, Gary W2CS __ Elecraft

[Elecraft] Please take me off the Elecraft email list...

Thanks. 73 KL4JN __ 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

Re: [Elecraft] Compare: K3 to Collins S-line receiver

I’m interested. Keep the thread going here Ron Genovesi Sent from My iPad > On Jun 3, 2018, at 7:22 AM, Kjeld Holm wrote: > > Dear Bill, > > Parts of the answer can be found at > http://www.sherweng.com/table.html > search for Collins and you will get some 3 - 5 hits. > > Vy 73 de OZ1CCM,

[Elecraft] KPA1500 Fan Noise - Not An Issue

A post this afternoon refered to KPA1500 fan noise as an "issue" that might need to be addressed. I personally think that is an unfair suggestion. Fan noise with this amplifier is NOT an issue to me. I have made previous comments and have also posted a video on this thread, and if I have given

Re: [Elecraft] [KX3] FT-8 vs. PSK31: an enlightening Sunday morning field report

Just out of curiosity, what's the difference between copying by ear versus copying by eye?  Every signal out there requires some sort of processing/demodulation for you to copy it.  Some modes turn it into audio and some modes turn it into text.  I think hardware even exists to turn it into

[Elecraft] Elecraft K1 parts for discontinued K1

I am looking for spare parts for the K1, Specifically KFL1-2 or KFL1-4 band modules. The purpose is to add 17 meters, and keep the current 14/21 band module. The other question is if there are any junk Elecraft K1s in which a band module could be salvaged and parts added for 17 meters. Ken

Re: [Elecraft] KPA-1500 Fan Noise

Eric, based on the comments about fan speed, I was confident you and Wayne and team would address the issue with a good solution. I have one on order and scheduled to be received in July. 72 & 73, Bill K9YEQ FT'er for K2, KX1, KX3, KXPA100, KAT500, W2, etc. -Original Message- From:

Re: [Elecraft] Does the K3(S) need occasional realignment?

Knut: First, let me make it clear,  I do not repair Elecraft radios. In fact within the past year I've stopped repairing all radiosexcept mine.   And in my case, I've sent my K3S back to Elecraft to repair. Even though I still have some $35K invested in test equipment inventory in

Re: [Elecraft] Does the K3(S) need occasional realignment?

Knut, Do you have a power loss on some bands that is not cured with a TX Gain Calibration? Have you measured the receiver MDS and found it to be lacking from the last time you measured it? If the answer to both those questions is "NO", then the answer is that it does not need any alignment.

Re: [Elecraft] Does the K3(S) need occasional realignment?

Hi Bob and all, Thanks for your reply. I certainly have no intention to hop in there and misalign my radio, so this is why I asked. If you encounter a misaligned K3 in your repair activities, how do you fix it? AB2TC - Knut Bob McGraw - K4TAX wrote > While repairing  quite a number of ham

Re: [Elecraft] Is K1 re-alignment worthwhile?

Doug, The answer is "maybe". If all is working fine and you have good power output, then I would suggest 'leave it alone'. In any case, you will only have to peak the bandpass filters on the band board(s) very slightly with a TUNE at a power level between 1.5 and 2 watts. Make certain it

Re: [Elecraft] Does the K3(S) need occasional realignment?

I”d be really surprised if this were a “routine maintenance” item. There probably aren’t more than a handful of people on the reflector that have the necessary equipment and expertise to do it themselves. And that would mean that Elecraft would get every K3/s back periodically for routine

Re: [Elecraft] Does the K3(S) need occasional realignment?

While repairing  quite a number of ham radios for others over the years, I've made a tidy bit of money repairing radios where hams thought they needed "touching up" with regard to alignments.  {If it isn't broke, don't try to fix it.} First, one should use some means and related test and

Re: [Elecraft] Is K1 re-alignment worthwhile?

Doug wrote: > I have a K1 that I built several years ago. It seems to work fine, > but I am wondering if it is worthwhile going back and doing a > re-alignment. Do they drift out of adjustment over time? The **most** critical adjustments on every tuned circuit of the K1 filter boards are made

[Elecraft] Does the K3(S) need occasional realignment?

Hi, Very recently there was the same question asked about the K1. I don't recall any mention of this topic on the K3 on the reflector. It has internal trimmers on the per ham band HF filter. Is it advisable to occasionally touch these up? I have no reason to believe that my oldest K3 (ser#82) is

[Elecraft] Bladeless Fan Technology

All, Regarding the ongoing discussions about LDMOS cooling and fan noise, I ran across this new concept for a bladeless (at least the exposed parts) method of generating airflow: https://www.dyson.com/fans-and-heaters/dyson-cool-overview.html I have no idea whether Dyson is considering

Re: [Elecraft] Intermod filter for the KX3

Thanks Nick for that info, I have a lot of power lines all around this apt building and I have wondered if a lot of the noise is coming from that. I like the idea of turning the power off, and locating the source of noise... at least then you have the satisfaction of knowing where it is coming

Re: [Elecraft] Elecraft Digest, Vol 170, Issue 7

K3 vs S-Line This is an interesting topic. Sherwood has made distortion measurements on many many receivers. As you see on his website, the K3 is far far better than the S-Line. The key measurements are dynamic range measurements—particularly with nearby signals. The radio is limited at

Re: [Elecraft] KPA500 and K3 SWR meters disagree

That's true. Especially when you let stuff sit for 6 months between uses. I need to get more of those covers 73 Jeff kb2m -Original Message- From: elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net [mailto:elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Clay Autery Sent: Sunday, June 3, 2018 2:34 PM

Re: [Elecraft] KPA-1500 Fan Noise - measured (sort of)

My measurements were taken with a microphone about 2 feet from the front panels of the components. I wondered if W2PA’s alpha 89 was as quiet as he reported, so I thought I’d report on what I found - Ham shack in a finished (insulated drywall) room in a metal shed with equipment and

[Elecraft] Water cooling; was KPA1500 Fan Noise

The Russian group, eb104, produces LDMOS water cooled amps. You can see them on their YouTube channel. The amps are much quieter than the KPA1500 but not as compact. 73, -John NI0K Clay Autery Sunday, June 03, 2018 1:08 PM "Water cooling" has come a LONG way from the

[Elecraft] Is K1 re-alignment worthwhile?

I have a K1 that I built several years ago. It seems to work fine, but I am wondering if it is worthwhile going back and doing a re-alignment. Do they drift out of adjustment over time? Thanks. Doug, W0UHU. __ Elecraft mailing list

Re: [Elecraft] KPA500 and K3 SWR meters disagree

Make and break syndrome!  Either there was a connector that was not fully mated even though you thought it was (something fouling a thread making it appear snug) or some oxidation/schmutz on one of the mating surfaces. I've experienced BOTH... it is maddening for sure.  That's why I now put

Re: [Elecraft] KPA500 and K3 SWR meters disagree

The jumpers connectors were good quality, but are very old I think I built them maybe 20 years ago. Anyway now I use better coax, and quality crimp on connectors I use either Amphenol or the DX Engineering brand which seem to me to be equal to the Amphenol brand. I'm not the type to pursue this

Re: [Elecraft] Intermod filter for the KX3

Second that. I have one external power supply from a well-known ham-gear manufacturer of somewhat questionable repute which throws off S9 racket all over everything, or did until I gave the output cord about 10 turns through a hefty ferrite. I'd forgotten about the RX Shift feature being

Re: [Elecraft] KPA1500 Fan Noise

"Water cooling" has come a LONG way from the days back in the 90s when we were machining out own water blocks from aluminum and copper, and trying to construct flow loops that didn't leak, find suitable radiators, etc. But I don't think there are any current CPU/GPU coolers on the market

Re: [Elecraft] KPA500 and K3 SWR meters disagree

Loose or poor quality PL-259. There are many which "look good" but are not. Always snug PL-259 connectors on the SO-239 such they are a bit more than finger tight. I use/have a pair of 4" Channel lock pliers on the desk. Bob, K4TAX Sent from my iPhone > On Jun 3, 2018, at 9:58 AM, jeff

Re: [Elecraft] [KX3] FT-8 vs. PSK31: an enlightening Sunday morning field report

There is nothing quite so satisfying as a nice ragchew in a quiet room with some nice light jazz or somesuch in the background. ... or Wayne may have enjoyed the quiet morning outside during his PSK-31 QSO. There are higher uses for ears, but obviously, YMMV. 73 -- Lynn On 6/3/2018 9:39

Re: [Elecraft] Intermod filter for the KX3

Wayne,  You missed one.  Depending on operation whether it is internal battery or external supply.  I have had problems with a lot of external source, so always put a dummy load on the antenna a see if the noise is conducted or radiated.  Just one more reason to go solar/battery in the field. 

Re: [Elecraft] Intermod filter for the KX3

Mike, What you’re describing sounds like noise that is in-band and would be debilitating for any radio. Not intermod. But just to be sure, set MENU:RX SHFT to 8.0 and turn off the noise blanker. This is the most resilient setup if you have monster signals actually causing IMD. Also try

[Elecraft] Intermod filter for the KX3

Hey group I have an issue here and am wondering if a good band pass filter would help? I pick up so much sqawks and buzzing weird interference, grating machine sounds, on my KX3 on all HF bands, it is horrible in my setting (ground floor apartment in the city). I have the same issues on 2 meter

Re: [Elecraft] [KX3] FT-8 vs. PSK31: an enlightening Sunday morning field report

Yet i still can't copy it by earstill just noise. Obviously YMMV. 73 de Lee, AA4GA On Sun, Jun 3, 2018, 12:20 PM Wayne Burdick n...@elecraft.com [KX3] < kx3-nore...@yahoogroups.com> wrote: > > > Thanks, everyone, for all the pragmatic and philosophical observations > about FT-8. Depending

[Elecraft] FT-8 vs. PSK31: an enlightening Sunday morning field report

Thanks, everyone, for all the pragmatic and philosophical observations about FT-8. Depending on who you ask, it’s anywhere from miraculous to take-it-or-leave-it. Or both. This is characteristic of many aspects of amateur radio, of course. To each their own. A different sub-noise-floor mode,

Re: [Elecraft] KPA500 and K3 SWR meters disagree

FIXED ! This morning I went through the RF jumper cables. I didn't find any issues after taking each one out and inspecting. So I went through all the other Elecraft supplied cables and also found no issues. So just to be sure I make a new set of RF jumper cables out of LMR-240. Hooked everything

Re: [Elecraft] Boldly OT: 6 meter Sporadic-E season and the FT-8 microjuggernaut

I have a Perl script that scrapes my DX cluster, and announces when a band is open... If you want it, email me DIRECT, NOT ON THE LIST, and I can send it to you. It uses no more resources than any other cluster client, so it can work on many clusters. The script has more comments than actual

Re: [Elecraft] Compare: K3 to Collins S-line receiver

Dear Bill, Parts of the answer can be found at http://www.sherweng.com/table.html search for Collins and you will get some 3 - 5 hits. Vy 73 de OZ1CCM, Kjeld -Original Message- From: elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net [mailto:elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Bill Sent:

Re: [Elecraft] Fan speed on meter?

Jim Thre only fan speed option on the LCD screen is the manual setting.  When the fans operate on auto there is no indication other than hearing the difference. BillK3WJV On Saturday, June 2, 2018, 10:27:14 PM EDT, Jim N7US wrote: Sorry, I forgot that I'm asking about the KPA1500.

[Elecraft] KPA1500 low output problems on15, 17, & 20 meters.

Just received SN 209 yesterday. Ordered late Oct 2017. Removed the KPA500 and put the big boy into place, using the same KPA cable to the K3. The K3 controls the amp and the amp band switches the K3, like it should. With between 30 and 40 watts drive I get full power out... except for the

[Elecraft] Compare: K3 to Collins S-line receiver

Discounting the digital capabilities such as memories, DSP, etc. and only considering actual signal reception: I have had S-lines in the past (dark dim past), so certainly am familier with them. However, as a point of curiosity, how does the S-line compare to the K3 (only interested in SSB).

Re: [Elecraft] KPA1500 Fan Noise

There are liquid cooling systems available for CPUs and graphics cards, used by gamers and overclockers. Have no idea how this would compare to cooling a 1500 watt RF power amplifier but probably more analogous than an airplane engine. 73, Drew AF2Z On 06/02/18 17:09, Dauer, Edward wrote:

[Elecraft] 6m open NA to EU right now...

from W1 to W4 only - so far... John AE5X https://ae5x.blogspot.com __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list

Re: [Elecraft] KPA1500 Fan Noise Video posted

Don Thanks for the video and the noise comparison with your other amplifiers. I've had my KPA1500 (s/n 083) a few weeks and have enjoyed using it on the air, as well as subjecting it to IMD and other tests at a variety of power levels. Individual tolerance of acoustic noise varies and I put

Re: [Elecraft] OT: 6M proceedure

Folks, we're drifting afar OT. Let's rest this thread in the interest of relieving email overload for our other list members. (Its amazing how quickly these threads grow. Especially when I am out of town at the Ham Radio Friedrichshafen show in Germany!) 73, Eric Moderator etc. elecraft.com

Re: [Elecraft] OT: 6M proceedure

Fred, I had both. Bought sixer in 1965 and installed it with vibrator PS in my 65 Mustang with a halo bumper-mounted. A couple years later bought the 6N2 and ran it at 150w plate-modulated AM (using PS and modulator of a DX100). Fun years operating from Mich. Re: 50.125, sure its the

[Elecraft] KPA1500 Fan Noise

Every amplifier has some level of fan noise. My new KPA1500 is seriously quieter than my former Expert 2KFA. My Henry 2K Ultra fans were so loud that I couldn't keep it in the radio room. Luckily I had the remote version. My Harris RF-3230 (all solid state) had 8 six-inch muffin fans! It