[Elecraft] NAQCC 160 Meter Sprint
This Wednesday evening (Thursday morning UTC time) the NAQCC will be hosting a 160 Meter Sprint - great news for all you fans of the Top Band! The Sprint will be on Wednesday evening January 24th and will run from 8:30 to 10:30 PM EST, 7:30 to 9:30 PM CST, 6:30 to 8:30 PM MST and 5:30 to 7:30 PM PST or from 0130 to 0330 UTC on the morning of January 25th. The recommended frequencies are: 1810 kHz +/- 3kHz The exchange is as follows: RST - SPC (State Province or Country) - NAQCC Nr. (non-Members send power level in place of NAQCC Nr., e.g. 5W, 1W, etc. Be sure to add the W.) Remember the bonus multipliers that you get for using either a straight key or bug during the event. All entries must be postmarked or email dated before 2400Z on January 31st, 2007. For full details, please visit http://www.arm-tek.net/~yoel/sprint200701_special.html And to join the NAQCC (if you haven't already!) please go to http://www.arm-tek.net/~yoel/joinup.html ALSO !!! Please don't forget the ongoing NAQCC WAS Bear Hunt. I do not have 160 Meter capability and will not be able to join you in the Sprint. However, I will put station W2LJ on the air to give out that rarest of states, New Jersey, to anyone who might need it for QRP WAS! I will be on the air as follows: From 0100-0230 UTC on 7.055 MHz and from 0230-0400 UTC on 3.560 MHz. Before or after the Sprint come on by and say Hello! 73 de Larry W2LJ NAQCC #35 ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net 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
[Elecraft] Tuning knob Alternative
I always liked the looks of those FT-900 main tuning knobs on the K2. I had an opportunity to use one and the extra weight felt good. There don't seem to be very many extras of these knobs floating around. I've been looking for an alternative that would have the nice feel of that outer ring and the heft for tuning. It's hard to tell which current models have a similar knob by looking at adds. The IC-7000 looks close but I'm not sure about the actual diameter. Open to suggestions here. A knob about 1 3/8 diameter, with some weight and a rubber outer ring would be nice. If anyone has one of those FT-900 knobs available, I'm interested. Dohn N8EWY ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net 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
RE: [Elecraft] Tuning knob Alternative
Dohn, You may want to look at the Yaesu FT-847 tuning knob. I have not yet removed mine from its home on the FT-847, but it is about 1 1/2 inch diameter and has a finger-dimple hole and a rubber ring. Yaesu considers the ring a separate part. The FT-900 knob has been discontinued, and many have used the FT-100 knob which is a bit smaller. On my K2s, I have the rubber rings from the FT-900 that are stretched a bit and placed over the stock K2 knob - you can add a finger-dimple if you want, I have little use for them, but that is just my style. 73, Don W3FPR -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Dohn Sent: Tuesday, January 23, 2007 5:16 AM To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net Subject: [Elecraft] Tuning knob Alternative I always liked the looks of those FT-900 main tuning knobs on the K2. I had an opportunity to use one and the extra weight felt good. There don't seem to be very many extras of these knobs floating around. I've been looking for an alternative that would have the nice feel of that outer ring and the heft for tuning. It's hard to tell which current models have a similar knob by looking at adds. The IC-7000 looks close but I'm not sure about the actual diameter. Open to suggestions here. A knob about 1 3/8 diameter, with some weight and a rubber outer ring would be nice. If anyone has one of those FT-900 knobs available, I'm interested. Dohn N8EWY ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net 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 -- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.432 / Virus Database: 268.17.4/644 - Release Date: 1/22/2007 7:30 AM -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.432 / Virus Database: 268.17.4/644 - Release Date: 1/22/2007 7:30 AM ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net 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
Re : [Elecraft] Tuning knob Alternative
Oh boy... again... ;-)) Take a look at the Yaesu FT-100 knob... I have one on my K2, and one spare for my next K2. Take a look at my website at http://web.mac.com/jf.menard/ Click on the K2 MOD tab i the menu look at the last two pics... and click on it to make it bigger... A very nice look and feel when working with the knob. Best 73 J-F VA2VYZ - Message initial De : Dohn [EMAIL PROTECTED] À : elecraft@mailman.qth.net Envoyé le : mardi 23 janvier 2007, 05 h 16 min 12 s Objet : [Elecraft] Tuning knob Alternative I always liked the looks of those FT-900 main tuning knobs on the K2. I had an opportunity to use one and the extra weight felt good. There don't seem to be very many extras of these knobs floating around. I've been looking for an alternative that would have the nice feel of that outer ring and the heft for tuning. It's hard to tell which current models have a similar knob by looking at adds. The IC-7000 looks close but I'm not sure about the actual diameter. Open to suggestions here. A knob about 1 3/8 diameter, with some weight and a rubber outer ring would be nice. If anyone has one of those FT-900 knobs available, I'm interested. Dohn N8EWY ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net 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 __ Do You Yahoo!? En finir avec le spam? Yahoo! Courriel vous offre la meilleure protection possible contre les messages non nollicités http://mail.yahoo.ca Yahoo! Courriel ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net 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
[Elecraft] K2 #5874 is on the air!
Got the replacement choke and put everything together and the transmitter checkout went fine. Still have to add the KNB, KAT and KAF but I'm going to add those after playing around and making sure everthing is working right on the base unit. Plan to use the rig in the 80m QRP foxhunt tonight! 73 jim ab3cv ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net 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
[Elecraft] K1 phone plug
I have replaced the phones whitch in my K1 three times. Is there anything else I can do? The board is givingb out because of all of the replacements. 73 de Bob, WG7Y ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net 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
[Elecraft] K2 Receive tuning blips
As I tune the K2 across the band I get periodic little blips. They aren't birdies and they don't hinder reception. As I sit either side of the frequency where the blip occurred there is no apparent signal or interference. They actually tic the S-meter a few notches as well. The blip occurs when the display changes from 3-4 on the least significant freq digit. So there's really no way to sit on the frequency. I'm guessing this has to do with the way the PLL and VFO tuning interact. Is it normal to hear such little blips? Or do I need to do some debugging? Currently I get it at 7014.73 as I transition to .74. Likewise at 7019.73-74, 7024.73-74 and 7029.73-74. Interestingly I only hear it with my antenna attached and not when open or with a 50ohm dummy load. Antenna/feedline: 88ft doublet @ 50ft elevation remoted 60ft from house. 50ft of 450ohm windowline to SG211 at mounted directly below center point. 60ft underground feed via RG213 from SG211 to K2. 73 jim ab3cv ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net 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
[Elecraft] WTB: Older K2 MCU (U6)
If anyone has an older (Revision B - SN 3000 series) MCU (U6) that they no longer need, please let me know. I need to replace mine which has been damaged. Please contact me off list. Thanks, Daniel AA0NI ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net 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
[Elecraft] Monitoring IF of K2?
Thanks to all for the many responses. The Cliffton Labs interface is clearly the way to go. Don K7FJ ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net 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
RE: [Elecraft] PROs/CONs on KPA100
I don't think this is true. Before the KPA100, my K2 had no fan. Front panel control board ran with no cooling support and drift was never an issue. I run the KPA100 with an external fan which keeps the hovercraft wizzer on the back of the rig from coming to life. Again, the front panel and control board operate with no cooling. - Keith N1AS - - K2 5411.ssb.100 - -Original Message- From: Darrell Bellerive From what I understand, one of the reasons for the fan is to keep the K2 RF, front panel, and control board components at a fairly constant temperature to reduce drift, etc. ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net 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
RE: Re : [Elecraft] Tuning knob Alternative
Moi aussi. I have the FT100 knob on my K2. It is much nicer to use than the stock knob but I wish it was a bit bigger. There's not much room though for a bigger knob on the crowded K2 front panel so I'll live with it the way it is. I bought my knob new from Yaesu parts. - Keith N1AS - - K2 5411.ssb.100 - -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Jean-François Ménard Sent: Tuesday, January 23, 2007 8:38 AM To: Dohn; elecraft@mailman.qth.net Subject: Re : [Elecraft] Tuning knob Alternative Oh boy... again... ;-)) Take a look at the Yaesu FT-100 knob... I have one on my K2, and one spare for my next K2. Take a look at my website at http://web.mac.com/jf.menard/ Click on the K2 MOD tab i the menu look at the last two pics... and click on it to make it bigger... A very nice look and feel when working with the knob. Best 73 J-F VA2VYZ ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net 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
Re: [Elecraft] PROs/CONs on KPA100
There is a fan accessory from Ten Tec for the Orion that is mounted on a metal bracket. It fits very nicely onto the KPA100 heatsink and is pretty quiet. You can even put a resistor in the line and drop the voltage from 12V to 5-7 V to cut down the RPM and make it almost dead quiet while still providing additional cooling at the heatsink. Lets go even better for those who like to experimentYou can put together a simple but effective water cooling system such as what is used for computer CPUs. Cut away the fins on the heatsink above where the finals are and mount a waterblock to the heatsink above the finals. This will draw the heat to the liquid that goes to a small radiator for cooling. A small pump keeps the system circulating. This should keep the small fan from having to come on at all. While this is a spur of the moment idea.it seems like it should workand well enough that you should be able to run digital modes without reduced power. Has anyone tried something like this? GL Greg AB7R On Tue, 23 Jan 2007 12:01:04 -0500 Darwin, Keith [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I don't think this is true. Before the KPA100, my K2 had no fan. Front panel control board ran with no cooling support and drift was never an issue. I run the KPA100 with an external fan which keeps the hovercraft wizzer on the back of the rig from coming to life. Again, the front panel and control board operate with no cooling. - Keith N1AS - - K2 5411.ssb.100 - -Original Message- From: Darrell Bellerive From what I understand, one of the reasons for the fan is to keep the K2 RF, front panel, and control board components at a fairly constant temperature to reduce drift, etc. ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net 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 ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net 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
RE: [Elecraft] K2 Receive tuning blips
Jim, Those are the 5 kHz transitions from the PLL. First check the resistance across RFC15 on the bottom of the RF Board - it should be quite low. If it is open and you do not have an immediate replacement, place a shorting jumper across it. If RFC15 is OK and you still have the clicks, re-run CAL PLL. Be certain the bottom cover is in place when running CAL PLL. 73, Don W3FPR -Original Message- As I tune the K2 across the band I get periodic little blips. They aren't birdies and they don't hinder reception. As I sit either side of the frequency where the blip occurred there is no apparent signal or interference. They actually tic the S-meter a few notches as well. The blip occurs when the display changes from 3-4 on the least significant freq digit. So there's really no way to sit on the frequency. I'm guessing this has to do with the way the PLL and VFO tuning interact. Is it normal to hear such little blips? Or do I need to do some debugging? Currently I get it at 7014.73 as I transition to .74. Likewise at 7019.73-74, 7024.73-74 and 7029.73-74. -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.432 / Virus Database: 268.17.8/648 - Release Date: 1/23/2007 11:04 AM ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net 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
Re: [Elecraft] PROs/CONs on KPA100
Amateur astronomers use Peltier devices to cool the CCD on their astrocameras. The Peltier unit cools and circulating water/alcohol removes the heat. Without cutting a fin, aquarium tubing could be woven through the fins circulating cool liquid via a small pump system. These systems are small and are DIY. Then there is always liquid nitrogen. g 73 Gil NN4CW K2#3104 ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net 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
[Elecraft] IF feed for spectrum display
Eric put out a discussion of using an extra high impedance input buffer stage taking its signal from the output of the 2N5109 to properly isolate the external IF device. Does anyone have a simple circuit already worked out for this? If so, will they share it? I was contemplating a 2N5179 but would happily use something that is already engineered. I have one of the new SDR-IQ's and it is perfect to put behind the K2, gives 190KHz of bandwidth readout. See RFSPACE.COM Thanks Phil K3TUF ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net 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
Re: [Elecraft] PROs/CONs on KPA100
Then there is always liquid nitrogen. g Better check the temp specs on the finals -- might be TOO cold. Mark On 1/23/07, Gil Stacy [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Amateur astronomers use Peltier devices to cool the CCD on their astrocameras. The Peltier unit cools and circulating water/alcohol removes the heat. Without cutting a fin, aquarium tubing could be woven through the fins circulating cool liquid via a small pump system. These systems are small and are DIY. Then there is always liquid nitrogen. g 73 Gil NN4CW K2#3104 ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net 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 ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net 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
[Elecraft] PA cooling
Then there's Tygon tubing woven in-and-out of the fins, a bucket of water... with ice cubes? ... and an aquarium pump. (;-)) To be realistic ... a 12V computer fan from Radio Scrap with four sitck-on felt pads resting on top is really easy and inexpensive. 73! Ken Kopp - K0PP [EMAIL PROTECTED] or [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net 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
Re: [Elecraft] PA cooling
I know.I've been thinking about a water cooling system for my computer instead of noisy fans...with a goal of a silent, or almost silent, PC. Thought this may be interesting to try with the radio as well. On Tue, 23 Jan 2007 18:57:06 - Ken Kopp [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Then there's Tygon tubing woven in-and-out of the fins, a bucket of water... with ice cubes? ... and an aquarium pump. (;-)) To be realistic ... a 12V computer fan from Radio Scrap with four sitck-on felt pads resting on top is really easy and inexpensive. 73! Ken Kopp - K0PP [EMAIL PROTECTED] or [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net 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 ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net 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
[Elecraft] FS: K2 KAT/KPA100 Separates
I have K2, s/n 54?? with a KSB2, KIO2 and a KNB2(unbuilt) with separate KPA100/KAT100 in an EC2 case. All has been professionally built(except KNB2) and works perfectly. Also included is the Elecraft MD2 mic w/PTT foot switch. Comes with all manuals, cables and the extra cover for the EC2. $1400 shipped conus. Glad to answer any questions. [EMAIL PROTECTED] 73, Mark, W5EZY Grenada, MS Food fight? Enjoy some healthy debate in the Yahoo! Answers Food Drink QA. http://answers.yahoo.com/dir/?link=listsid=396545367 ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net 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
Re: [Elecraft] PA cooling
In a message dated 1/23/07 2:08:47 PM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: I've been thinking about a water cooling system for my computer instead of noisy fans http://www.tomshardware.com/2003/12/30/5_ghz_project/index.html Anything worth doing is worth overdoing 73 de Jim, N2EY ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net 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
Re: [Elecraft] PA cooling
Cool! If they can overclock a CPU to 5 GHz, perhaps we can coax 200W out of a KPA100. Jim KA2RVO From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], elecraft@mailman.qth.net Subject: Re: [Elecraft] PA cooling Date: Tue, 23 Jan 2007 19:14:30 EST In a message dated 1/23/07 2:08:47 PM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: I've been thinking about a water cooling system for my computer instead of noisy fans http://www.tomshardware.com/2003/12/30/5_ghz_project/index.html Anything worth doing is worth overdoing 73 de Jim, N2EY ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net 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 ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net 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
[Elecraft] RE: In Shack Radials and Ground
Don, Maybe my thinking is too simple. But here goes. I believe that we both have indicated that quarter wavelength can eliminate RF in the shack among other RF problems caused by less than a perfect antenna system. I believe that we also agree that a half wavelength does not do that. Therefore, a half wavelength ground wire has no positive influence on RF problems. That indicates to me that I should avoid half wavelength ground runs as they have no positive influence on RF problems. I would guess in the world of amateur radio there are RF problems that are not recognized. Half wavelength grounds runs do nothing to clear up those problems. Of course, the real solution is to have an adequate antenna system. You can bet that in commercial systems a proper antenna system is used. Jim, AB0UK From: Don Wilhelm [EMAIL PROTECTED] Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: JIMMY D HARRIS [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: RE: In Shack Radials and Ground Date: Mon, 22 Jan 2007 23:23:09 -0500 Jim, The way I read your post was that half wave lengths of wire to the ground rod are things to stay away from. Perhaps I mis-understood your intent - but you did say to stay away from ground rod runs that are a half wave or a multiple thereof, and that is the incorrect part. Yes, the run to the ground rod can radiate - but that is not necessarily a bad thing. The really best place to create the RF Ground is at the antenna (or its feedpoint), but not all folks are blessed with a controllable situation and must resort to other 'cures' like tuned counterpoise wires. I have no RF in the shack problems here, all my antennas have an effective RF ground as an integral part of their design (no OCF antennas here), and I have to suffer with a 150 foot run of coax before I get to the distribution point going to the antenna field. It keeps the RF out of the shack, but requires low loss coax runs. 73, Don W3FPR -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of JIMMY D HARRIS Sent: Monday, January 22, 2007 10:46 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; elecraft@mailman.qth.net Subject: RE: [Elecraft] In Shack Radials and Ground Don, I'm not sure we disagree. I seems like we are both are agreeing to stay away from quarter wavelength ground runs (wires) and use half wavelength. That is what I intended to say. Usually ground systems are not effective RF grounds. The connecting wire may be a relatively effective radiator or an element in tuning an antenna system. Jim, AB0UK k2/100 S/N 4787 From: Don Wilhelm [EMAIL PROTECTED] Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: JIMMY D HARRIS [EMAIL PROTECTED],elecraft@mailman.qth.net Subject: RE: [Elecraft] In Shack Radials and Ground Date: Mon, 22 Jan 2007 22:27:08 -0500 Jim, Sorry to disagree - consider what happens on a quarterwave wire: It has a low impedance at one end and a high impedance at the other end. Think about what will happen if you connect the far end of a quarter wave wire to a good ground (low impedance) - the other (near) end will have a high impedance at that frequency, and will not serve as an RF ground at all (in fact quite the opposite). A halfwave wire however can have a low impedance at each end, so grounding the far end of a half wave wire will make the near end at a similarly low impedance. A grounded radial and a counterpoise wire are two different things - the counterpoise wire creates a low impedance (about 35 ohms) by nature of having the far end ungrounded, whereas a grounded (or buried) radial forms a screen or reflector - yes, the counterpoise will radiate because it becomes a part of the antenna system. The counterpoise controls the radiation instead of having it wander willy-nilly around the shack and other places where it should not be present. I do understand that this is not intuitive - we have to think in terms of antenna theory when dealing with RF grounds - what works fine at DC and low frequency AC does not necessarily work at RF. Ground rods can be a good RF ground, but the wire connecting the ground rod to the shack may not behave as expected - a 16 foot connection to the ground rod will present a high impedance to 14 MHz RF at the shack end - but should be a good RF ground for 10 meters since it is a halfwavelength away from the low impedance ground rod. 73, Don W3FPR -Original Message- There was mention about ground rods not being a good RF ground. For the most part I agree with that. However, the wiring to the ground rod is in fact a radial that is some part of a wavelength long. As we know quarter wavelength radials can tune out RF. By the same token other fraction of wavelength ground runs (radials) can create RF in the shack when used in conjunction with a poorly designed antenna system. Stay away from ground runs that are halfwave wavelength (or near) or multiples thereof of
RE: [Elecraft] RE: In Shack Radials and Ground
Perhaps you are being a bit hard on the poor half wavelength, Jim! Actually, the villain in your scenario is the 1/4 wavelength wire, not the 1/2 wavelength wire. But they are both really good guys around the shack! A wire that has RF flowing along it with show a range of impedances from high to low, depending upon its length in wavelengths. The earth shows a low impedance to RF. A wire connected to the earth will show an impedance of, essentially, the resistance of the connection to the earth. At HF and using a simple ground rod, you can expect this resistance to be several hundred ohms, typically. If you connect a wire to that ground and feed RF into the other end of the wire, current will flow into the ground provided the wire is very short in terms of wavelengths - say less than 0.1 wavelength long. That's about 40 feet on 160 meters, 20 feet on 80 meters, but only 5 feet on 20 meters and 2.5 feet on 10 meters. Those are *maximum* practical lengths for a ground wire if you don't want the length to play a significant role in the circuit. As the wire is made longer, you must consider the length to understand what to expect. With one end of the wire grounded, 1/4 wave away from the ground the impedance, and RF voltage, will be very high. At the highest it can be under the circumstances, actually. One quarter wave further along - 1/2 wave from the ground connection - the impedance and the RF voltage will be the same as it is at the ground connection! That is, whatever impedance is present at one end of a half wave length of wire, it will be repeated every 1/2 wave along the wire. So a 1/2 wave ground wire would be perfect! But only where the wire is 1/2 wave long. If that were the case, say, we used a 32-foot ground wire on 20 meters, it would be an effective ground connection, but on 40 meters the 32-foot wire is 1/4 wave long. Remember, the impedance will be very high 1/4 wave from the ground, so now the rig would be at a high RF voltage because of that same 'ground' wire that worked so well on 20. Suppose we disconnect that 32-foot wire from the ground stake when we're on 40 meters and isolate the far end. Isolating (insulating) the far end forces it to be at a high impedance instead of the low impedance it saw connected to the earth. If the impedance at the far end is high, then the impedance at the rig *must* be low! Now that wire provides a rather good RF ground for the rig! For most of us, it's easier to arrange a 1/4 wave ground for each band that is isolated at the far end than it is to arrange 1/2 wave length wires on each band that are connected to the earth, but either one will work equally well. Remember, the impedance repeats every half wave along the line: what you find at one end repeats at the other end. That's why both ends of a half wave antenna are at a high-impedance point and the center, 1/4 wave from each end, is at a low(er) impedance point. The impedance of a 1/4 wave wire inverts. That is, if it's high at one end (insulated) it will be low at the other end. Ron AC7AC -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of JIMMY D HARRIS Sent: Tuesday, January 23, 2007 4:40 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; elecraft@mailman.qth.net Subject: [Elecraft] RE: In Shack Radials and Ground Don, Maybe my thinking is too simple. But here goes. I believe that we both have indicated that quarter wavelength can eliminate RF in the shack among other RF problems caused by less than a perfect antenna system. I believe that we also agree that a half wavelength does not do that. Therefore, a half wavelength ground wire has no positive influence on RF problems. That indicates to me that I should avoid half wavelength ground runs as they have no positive influence on RF problems. I would guess in the world of amateur radio there are RF problems that are not recognized. Half wavelength grounds runs do nothing to clear up those problems. Of course, the real solution is to have an adequate antenna system. You can bet that in commercial systems a proper antenna system is used. Jim, AB0UK ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net 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
[Elecraft] K2 FS
I have K2 #5439 that I would like to sale. The K2 has the following options; KNB2 noise blanker KSB2 SSB option K160RX 160M / RX antenna KAF2 Audio Filter Real Time Clock KPA100 100 Watt PA KAT100-1 150 Watt ATU The radio and all accessories were very carefully built and all work great with no issues. The filters were aligned using Spectrogram. I built the K2 last spring and the PA over the summer. The KAT100 is new, just finished it up last week. The PA is revision C however I installed the revision D updates. I have all manuals and they are included. The radio is in like new condition with no scratches, dents or dings. It comes from a non smoking environment. I have over $1500 invested in this station. I am willing to sale the K2, KPA100 and KAT100-1 separately or together. I would like you to make your serious offer for this equipment, you know what it cost. I have pictures if you like. Thanks Brent WB4X ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net 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
RE: [Elecraft] In Shack Radials and Ground
Don, I concur with what you are saying. At one installation the equipment was quite a distance from the ground rod. I installed a good DC ground. But there was still RF floating around. What I did was parallel insulated wires between the amp and the ground rod. Each wire was longer than the next. If I remember each of the insulated wires was a quarter wave on 15, 20 and 40M. RF problems disappeared. 73, N2TK, Tony PS - K2 #3481 is ready to take back to WP2Z the end of February for ARRL SSB Test. -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Don Wilhelm Sent: Monday, January 22, 2007 10:27 PM To: JIMMY D HARRIS; elecraft@mailman.qth.net Subject: RE: [Elecraft] In Shack Radials and Ground Jim, Sorry to disagree - consider what happens on a quarterwave wire: It has a low impedance at one end and a high impedance at the other end. Think about what will happen if you connect the far end of a quarter wave wire to a good ground (low impedance) - the other (near) end will have a high impedance at that frequency, and will not serve as an RF ground at all (in fact quite the opposite). A halfwave wire however can have a low impedance at each end, so grounding the far end of a half wave wire will make the near end at a similarly low impedance. A grounded radial and a counterpoise wire are two different things - the counterpoise wire creates a low impedance (about 35 ohms) by nature of having the far end ungrounded, whereas a grounded (or buried) radial forms a screen or reflector - yes, the counterpoise will radiate because it becomes a part of the antenna system. The counterpoise controls the radiation instead of having it wander willy-nilly around the shack and other places where it should not be present. I do understand that this is not intuitive - we have to think in terms of antenna theory when dealing with RF grounds - what works fine at DC and low frequency AC does not necessarily work at RF. Ground rods can be a good RF ground, but the wire connecting the ground rod to the shack may not behave as expected - a 16 foot connection to the ground rod will present a high impedance to 14 MHz RF at the shack end - but should be a good RF ground for 10 meters since it is a halfwavelength away from the low impedance ground rod. 73, Don W3FPR -Original Message- There was mention about ground rods not being a good RF ground. For the most part I agree with that. However, the wiring to the ground rod is in fact a radial that is some part of a wavelength long. As we know quarter wavelength radials can tune out RF. By the same token other fraction of wavelength ground runs (radials) can create RF in the shack when used in conjunction with a poorly designed antenna system. Stay away from ground runs that are halfwave wavelength (or near) or multiples thereof of frequencies your antenna system is designed for. 'nough said.. Jim, AB0UK K2/100 S/N 4787 -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.432 / Virus Database: 268.17.4/644 - Release Date: 1/22/2007 7:30 AM ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net 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 ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net 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
[Elecraft] KY; command response
I have been trying to use the computer control for my K2/100. I am using the RS232 port on the KPA100. I cannot seem to ever get any response except KY0; to the KY; command. If I send a KY; immediately after KY 123456789012345678901234; while the K2 is still sending the first character, it should respond KY1;, but I get instead KY0;. If I send KY; after the sending is complete I get KY0; instead of KY2;. What am I missing? I always get KY0; as a response. 73 Kevin w9cf ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net 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
[Elecraft] RE: In Shack Radials and Ground
Don, Seems we are in basic agreement. I agree that the equipment termination point of the ground wire can be a subtle thing. My preference would be at the actual point of generating the RF, i.e. the transceiver usually. Here I go again, but my way of thinking is an antenna tuner is only an impedence matching device and has no direct relation to the length of ground wires. Jim, AB0UK From: Don Wilhelm [EMAIL PROTECTED] Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Elecraft reflector elecraft@mailman.qth.net,JIMMY D HARRIS [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: RE: In Shack Radials and Ground Date: Tue, 23 Jan 2007 22:49:00 -0500 Jim, Actually a half wavelength run to a ground rod will produce a low impedance at the shack end - if the ground rod is truly a good RF ground (sometimes it is and sometimes not). So yes, it can have a positive influence, but it will not guarantee it (the effectiveness depends on the ground characteristics at the grounded far end) - the half wave wire only repeats what it has on the other end. Yes, we agree that a proper antenna system is the ideal solution, and that quarterwave counterpoises can help (as long as the user remembers that the quarter wave starts at the antenna tuner or transceiver - it seems that subtle fact is often overlooked or ignored). 73, Don W3FPR -Original Message- From: JIMMY D HARRIS [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, January 23, 2007 7:40 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; elecraft@mailman.qth.net Subject: RE: In Shack Radials and Ground Don, Maybe my thinking is too simple. But here goes. I believe that we both have indicated that quarter wavelength can eliminate RF in the shack among other RF problems caused by less than a perfect antenna system. I believe that we also agree that a half wavelength does not do that. Therefore, a half wavelength ground wire has no positive influence on RF problems. That indicates to me that I should avoid half wavelength ground runs as they have no positive influence on RF problems. I would guess in the world of amateur radio there are RF problems that are not recognized. Half wavelength grounds runs do nothing to clear up those problems. Of course, the real solution is to have an adequate antenna system. You can bet that in commercial systems a proper antenna system is used. Jim, AB0UK From: Don Wilhelm [EMAIL PROTECTED] Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: JIMMY D HARRIS [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: RE: In Shack Radials and Ground Date: Mon, 22 Jan 2007 23:23:09 -0500 Jim, The way I read your post was that half wave lengths of wire to the ground rod are things to stay away from. Perhaps I mis-understood your intent - but you did say to stay away from ground rod runs that are a half wave or a multiple thereof, and that is the incorrect part. Yes, the run to the ground rod can radiate - but that is not necessarily a bad thing. The really best place to create the RF Ground is at the antenna (or its feedpoint), but not all folks are blessed with a controllable situation and must resort to other 'cures' like tuned counterpoise wires. I have no RF in the shack problems here, all my antennas have an effective RF ground as an integral part of their design (no OCF antennas here), and I have to suffer with a 150 foot run of coax before I get to the distribution point going to the antenna field. It keeps the RF out of the shack, but requires low loss coax runs. 73, Don W3FPR -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of JIMMY D HARRIS Sent: Monday, January 22, 2007 10:46 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; elecraft@mailman.qth.net Subject: RE: [Elecraft] In Shack Radials and Ground Don, I'm not sure we disagree. I seems like we are both are agreeing to stay away from quarter wavelength ground runs (wires) and use half wavelength. That is what I intended to say. Usually ground systems are not effective RF grounds. The connecting wire may be a relatively effective radiator or an element in tuning an antenna system. Jim, AB0UK k2/100 S/N 4787 From: Don Wilhelm [EMAIL PROTECTED] Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: JIMMY D HARRIS [EMAIL PROTECTED],elecraft@mailman.qth.net Subject: RE: [Elecraft] In Shack Radials and Ground Date: Mon, 22 Jan 2007 22:27:08 -0500 Jim, Sorry to disagree - consider what happens on a quarterwave wire: It has a low impedance at one end and a high impedance at the other end. Think about what will happen if you connect the far end of a quarter wave wire to a good ground (low impedance) - the other (near) end will have a high impedance at that frequency, and will not serve as an RF ground at all (in fact quite the opposite). A halfwave wire however can have a low impedance at each end, so grounding the far end of a half wave wire will make the near end at
Re: [Elecraft] KY; command response
That was very helpful. Thanks and 73 Kevin w9cf On Tue, Jan 23, 2007 at 09:52:57PM -0800, Jack Brindle wrote: Kevin; This tends to be a confusing command to many people. I have found that using the extended response format provides better information than the basic response, allowing the K2 to better throttle data coming from the computer. ... ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net 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
