Vernon, If your K3 is receiving static, I would tend to blame your problem on the antenna rather than the K3. However, there is a way to check the K3. Beg, borrow or purchase an Elecraft XG2 signal generator. That will give you a tool to produce a 50 uV signal (S-9) and also a tool to do MDS measurements on your K3.
I do suspect your antenna. Verticals do not work well in all locations - good performance depends on your soil conditions, and 25 foot radials are likely not long enough. For a good ground screen with the 43 foot radial, you need at least 32 43 foot radial wires for it to be effective. A vertical works great right on the edge of salt water, but inland locations vary depending on the soil conditions. I have always been disappointed with verticals. Actually, I suggest a more simplistic approach - use horizontal dipoles. Use the 43 foot vertical as a mast to hold up the center of a dipole. Get a 1:1 balun and construct a dipole for 40 and 20 meters. 2 radiator wires 33 feet long and two 16 foot long these two antennas can run on a single feedline.. Run the center up to the top of your 43 foot "mast" and hang the ends of the dipole wires as high as you can using whatever supports are available. You want an angle between the wires to be at an angle greater than 45 degrees. The two wires for 40 meters (the 33 ft long ones) should be in the same vertical plane, and the two wires for 20 meters should be at right angles to the 40 meter wires to keep interaction to a minimum. You mentioned 10 meters. Propagation conditions may be a problem too. The higher HF bands do not have many signals during the hours of darkness, and 10 meters may not have many signals during the day. 20 meters during the daylight hours is usually reliable and 40 meters at night will typically have good signals. During periods of greater sunspot activity, the higher frequency bands will show more activity, but during the recent sunspot minimum, there were times when 20 meters was barely usable, but conditions are improving. 73, Don W3FPR On 3/8/2011 1:06 AM, Vernon Mauery wrote: > At the risk of exposing what a n00b I am when it comes to HF, I really > need some help. I recently (last month) purchased a K3. First HF > radio I have owned. I got my license 2 years ago and have spent most > of the time since playing with VHF. I have been trying to teach > myself CW and decided that it was time to step into the HF waters. I > studied, ogled, and dreamed of my ideal HF transceiver. I finally > found the K3 and having looked (at least a cursory glance) at all the > others, I was sold. I saved my pennies and purchased. I also got > myself a 43' untuned vertical antenna, balun, and radial wires. > > My setup: K3/100 has 100 feet of low loss 400 coax out to the 43 foot > vertical on the hill in my back yard. It has 8 25 foot radials and a > 4:1 balun. The K3 has the KATU3, KPA3, KTCXO3-1, KFL3A-400, and > default 2.8KHz filters. I assembled it and did followed the > calibration instructions as well as I could. I think I got > everything, but obviously I missed something. Or maybe I just need an > elmer to tell me what to do. > > I cannot seem to find any signals that make the S meter go above a 3 > or 4. I have the RF gain turned up a fair ways (mostly to the top), > and I can hear static. As I tune up some of the bands on SSB, I can > hear a tone that changes higher in pitch as I tune up in frequency. I > have tried listening for CW, but I am hearing nothing as I scan > through the bands. I had a 10m horizontal dipole taped to my wall for > a while until I found time to run the coax out to the back yard. I > had hoped that since it was resonant on the 10m band, maybe it would > be able to pick up something, but it was no better (or worse) than my > vertical. > > As far as I can tell, the radio seems to transmit. I can see the > power meter moving and the SWR meter moving. The ATU seems to be able > to find acceptable settings on most of the bands with the vertical. > But I can't hear them. You can't work them if you can't hear them, > right? > > This is a desperate plea for help. Is it the radio or me? Please > have pity on the n00b and walk me through my first HF contact. > > --Vernon N7OH > ______________________________________________________________ > 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 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
