Michael,
Several factors come into play here:
For best sensitivity, you should adjust your K2 so that you discern no
change in the audio level when changing from AGC on to AGC off on a dead
band (caution - a high local noise level on the 'dead band' may cause an
erroneous conclusion).
The S-Meter reading on the K2 may not correspond to the S-meter reading on
your Kenwoods (I don't know what calibration 'standard' Kenwood uses for
S-meter readings).
The AGC (and S-Meter action) on your K2 can be adjusted with combinations of
AGC Threshold, S-LO, and S-HI settings. If you have the Elecraft SG-1 (or
other constant level signal generator), you can set S-9 equal to 50 uV with
careful manipulation of the above 3 settings - making a chart of the
combinations and the resulting S-Meter activity will help in deciding which
way to move each of the 3 settings to achieve whatever your goal may be.
Some compromise may be the 'correct' answer.
Because S-Meter readings are not subject to any real standards, directly
comparing the K2 to any other receiver may be an exercise in frustration.
After all, "REAL" S (signal Strength) reports are subjective, and reflect
the perception of the receiving station rather than some absolute standard.
73,
Don W3FPR
----- Original Message -----
I've only seriously used two other HF rigs besides the K2, that is a
Kenwood TS-530S and a Kenwood TS-930S. So, when I make comparisons, its
between the K2 and the Kenwoods. When I have the AGC set to FAST on the
Kenwoods and am receiving a CW signal at say S-9, I can turn the RF gain
down to say S-5 (to reduce background noise) and not notice a
significant reduction in the volume of the received signal. However,
when I do the same thing on the K2, I do notice a reduction in the
volume level. Is this normal for the K2?
I have the AGC set at 3.8V on the K2 and I notice only a little
difference between the background noise of a quiet band when I switch
the AGC on and off. Perhaps I still need to fine-tune the AGC a bit
downwards on the K2 or it may just be that the K2's RF gain and AGC
circuitry takes a different approach than Kenwood used to.
_______________________________________________
Elecraft mailing list
Post to: [email protected]
You must be a subscriber to post to the list.
Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.):
http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm
Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
