This is one of the main reasons I got re-involved in ham radio after many years, and why I chose the K3 (after several years playing around with Yaesu rigs). I live in Southern California, and I know that some day -- it's a matter when, not whether -- we will have The Big One. I know that there will be no communication capability whatsoever, other than amateur radio. The K3 is perfectly suited to this assignment. Coupled with a home-brew version of the Buddipole antenna system and a battery pack (thanks to Niel WA7SSA) I feel well prepared to communicate under any circumstance.
Lew K6LMP On Aug 28, 2010, at 8:12 PM, Wayne Burdick wrote: > Most of our customers choose the K3 for its contesting or DX > performance. But with all the world-wide flooding, earthquakes, and > heat waves and power-outages we've seen this year, I'm reflecting on > how the K3 can serve as a flexible station for emergency communications. > > Here's a brief list of K3 features that could help in such situations: > > - Only about 9 pounds, and sized so it's easy to carry to any location. > > - Bulletproof receiver--important for multi-transmitter environments. > (If you have to set up more than one HF/VHF station in a small area, > you'll want them not to interfere with each other.) > > - Coverage of HF and SW broadcast, as well as two local/emergency > bands (6 and 2 meters). > > - Low receive-mode current drain (about 1 amp) for extended operating > time when using batteries, solar panels, etc. Most radios with > comparable performance have current drain three times higher, and even > garden-variety radios are usually in the 2-amp-plus range. In transmit > mode, current drain can be very low at QRP power levels (12 watts or > less) because the PA is completely turned off. > > - Runs from up to a 15-V supply, but usable down to as low as about 10 > V in a pinch, thanks to the use of low-dropout voltage regulators. > Also, we selected the APP power connector specifically because it is > as close to a standard as exists in the portable-comms world; you'll > be able to "borrow" power when you need to. > > - Wide-range ATU matches nearly any ad-hoc field antenna. Many built- > in ATUs cover only a very small range, while the KAT3 can easily match > loads with SWRs of 10:1, and in some cases (at QRP levels) far higher. > The two antenna jacks allow instant A/B testing on individual signals. > > - High-performance sub receiver with true diversity receive; could > help copy traffic in difficult conditions. > > - Built-ins that reduce the need for other equipment: real time clock > (with alarm), calendar, digital metering (current, voltage, > temperature, SWR, power). > > - DVR and CW/DATA auto-repeating messages for beacon or net use, and > built-in text decode/display for copying bulletins (PSK31, RTTY, CW). > > - And if you have room for a P3 at your emergency operating position, > you'll be able to find weak signals calling without endless tuning of > the VFO :) > > 73, > Wayne > N6KR > > > > > > > > ______________________________________________________________ > Elecraft mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto:[email protected] > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[email protected] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
