Well, for what it's worth: I've had my P3 for about a year now, and
I've found that how one operates it is highly personal and takes some time.
Function Keys: Mine are all SPAN selections, 4 [for looking at a single
signal's spectrum, 20 [almost always my choice for CW], 50 [CW/RTTY in
contests], 100 [SSB], and 200 [last used when tracking down noise from
an SMPS]. The other 3 have yet to be assigned.
Averaging: 2 or sometimes 3 [exactly the opposite of Jim's setting
:-))]. My screen is split in the middle and I use the monochrome
waterfall setting [colorblind, thanks Alan!]. I haven't used the PEAK
function since I first tried it out. I always use FIX TUNE [end points
are stable, receive cursor moves as I tune]. I use the FULL SCREEN mode
when I tune past the edge of the display [the half-screen really
confuses this OF].
I can tell the difference [barely] between the VFO A and VFO B cursor
unless I'm split, then they look the same. I've gotten fairly adept at
keeping track of VFO B and haven't incurred the wrath of the UP Cops in
a long time. The two MKR cursors look the same to me but since they
appear in the WF, I distinguish them from the VFO cursors easily. I've
used MKR A a bit, usually when looking a a single signal's spectrum,
I've never used MKR B and I've never QSY'd with the cursors.
I run the dBm scale on the ordinate and normally have the REF LVL set so
the noise is right on the baseline and the top of the spectrum display
is -100 to -95 or so. My K3 S-meter is in absolute mode and I
calibrated it to -73 dBm = S9 with my service monitor. Running it like
this, the background of the WF is black and signals even right at the
noise floor will trace visible lines.
As Jim says, read the manual several times and get the definitions of
all the terms straight in your head. Fred Cady's K3 book has a section
on the P3 and it is super useful. YMWV ["Your Mileage *WILL* Vary], as
I said, it seems to be a very personal thing.
73,
Fred K6DGW
- Northern California Contest Club
- CU in the 2014 Cal QSO Party 4-5 Oct 2014
- www.cqp.org
On 4/18/2014 9:42 AM, Jim Brown wrote:
First, always use averaging mode, with long averaging times, and set the
screen so that a large part of the display is the waterfall. Second, set
the scale and sensitivity. I use 24 dB for everyday operation and 42 dB
for contests. I set the sensitivity so that the noise level is very
close to the bottom of the display. And always use Fixed Tune Mode (the
limits of the display remain constant as you tune across the band. This
setup makes weak signals stand out best.
Next, program the buttons. I assign the Fixed Tune Toggle to a button,
the Peak/Average to another, and use the remaining buttons for display
widths of 2 kHz, 10 kHz, 20 kHz, 50 kHz, 100 kHz, and 200 kHz. The 10
kHz width is great for CW pileups, 20 and 50 for SSB. The wider settings
are useful for monitoring bands for DX openings (160M, 10M, 6M), for
contesting, and for recognizing various forms of noise.
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