The best thing you can do at this point is to get an experienced local ham who knows what to expect to listen to your setup. I bet that if you posted the name of your town on the list there would be someone nearby that could help you. Or you could contact a local radio club.
Yes, you need more radials for an efficient antenna, but I don't think that's the problem. It's also the case that 100' of coax is a lot for a 43' vertical which you are matching at the transceiver. The KAT3 will make the rig see a matched antenna, but the SWR along the line will be quite high on some bands, which will cause significant loss. Having said that, I still don't think that's the problem. It may just be that you are listening at the wrong times. 40 meters in the early evening should be good. On 3/8/2011 7:33 AM, Vernon Mauery wrote: > Don, > > It looks like you and at least one other person have said that I need > more radials. I will have to look into that. Thank you for your > suggestion. > > --Vernon N7OH > > On Tue, Mar 8, 2011 at 4:59 AM, Don Wilhelm<w3...@embarqmail.com> wrote: >> 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 -- Vic, K2VCO Fresno CA http://www.qsl.net/k2vco/ ______________________________________________________________ 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
