Re: [Elecraft] WA3WSJ: Blue Moon QRP AT Hike!
Hey, Nice card with a gothic touch Ed, Pity I'm just a tad to far away to work you. It's our FD contest Saturday afternoon, so ya never know. Call for FD is G5XV/P Have fun. Ken..G0ORH..K2 no,05877 - Original Message - From: Edward R. Breneiser [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; elecraft@mailman.qth.net; [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Friday, June 01, 2007 4:05 AM Subject: [Elecraft] WA3WSJ: Blue Moon QRP AT Hike! Hello all, Check out the Blue Moon QRP QSL Card you can have for working me tomorrow. Click on the link below - it's so cool! Blue Moon QRP Hike June 1, 2007 2200utc to 0100utc 7.030, 10.116, 14.060mhz http://www.wa3wsj.com/WA3WSJ-hiking.html 73, Ed,WA3WSJ ___ 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] WA3WSJ's Blue Moon QRP Hike Today 6/1/07
Hello all, Look for WA3WSJ/p operating from the AT today. If you work me, just send me a qsl card with a SASE and I'll send you out a unique Blue Moon QRP QSL Card. To look at the card, just click on the link below. I just printed some and they look really COOL! I might arrive an hour early to beat the traffic etc. Listen around 2100utc for me on the AT. I started working part time and they wanted me to work today as I usually have Mondays and Fridays off. - I said no way! I do have my priorities in order! WA3WSJ's Blue Moon Hike June 1, 2007 2200utc to 0100utc 7.030, 10.116, 14.060mhz +- qrm http://www.wa3wsj.com/WA3WSJ-hiking.html 72, Ed,WA3WSJ ___ 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] CW practice QSOs...
On 6/1/07, Fred Jensen [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Ron D'Eau Claire wrote: Look up Morse Gen on Google. It will send CW from a text file and whatever speed you desire. It will save it as a .wav file which you can burn onto a CD and listen to in your vehicle. On my website there are two morse training programs for Windows. Morsegen is a traditional practise program that can generate various types of practise material. It can generate WAV files. With the addition of a Lame encoder (that's the name of it, not a reflection on its capabilities :) ) it can create MP3 files of the practise sessions so you can listen on an MP3 player. Morsetest is a program based on the above that is a kind of contest simulation practise game. It's not a very good simulation, though, so I would go with the recommendation to use MorseRunner, which has an uncannily similar interface but is more like a real contest with options for QRN, QRM and so-on. Both these programs are free. 73, -- Julian, G4ILO G4ILO's Shack: www.g4ilo.com K2 s/n: 392 K3 s/n: ??? ___ 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] K3 Rx Antenna
Looks like there is a lot of protection for the Rx antenna... Is there a common mode isolation transformer in that circuit as well? 73, Julius n2wn ___ 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] Will Build or Complete your Elecraft
Hello, I'm available again to start another Elecraft kit ... either a new kit, or one you might have already started and perhaps had second thoughts or didn't have the time to finish. I also do repair and tuneups. If you plan to sell your rig, I can do a tuneup and inspection for you before you sell. You've probably seen me on the Builder-for-Hire site http://www.elecraft.com/k2_builders.htm. You can visit my home page at http://wilcoxengineering.com/ for more information. 73, Alan, W3DVX 570-321-1516 http://WilcoxEngineering.com Williamsport, PA 17701 ___ 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] Solid State Amps
When I attended Dayton this year and reading the magazines, I see there is now a great interest in solid state amps. I thought that these amps were...well...not as efficient as tube amps thus not being attractive to hams. I guess we wanted BIG iron for an amp. Ameritron has two amps out for quite some time...the 500 and 600 with the 600 now coming with a switching PS. It seems people who own the 600 watt model like them very much. Even E has the contesters contest amp and it is solid state. So, what has changed? Have the SS Amps gotten more efficient? Higher voltages? What effects the efficiency of these amps where now there seems to be a market for the Japanese and the Italians. Now most radios provide 100 watts output using transistors and the tube finals in rigs have long been gone. So, is this just a natural evolution of amplifiers or is some new technological breakthrough happened in high powered solid state amplifiers? Lee - K0WA In our day and age it seems that Common Sense is in short supply. If you don't have any Common Sense - get some Common Sense and use it. If you can't find any Common Sense, ask for help from somebody who has some Common Sense. Is Common Sense devine? ___ 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] Appalachian Trail Today around 19:00 UTC
Hello, Yesterday I arrived 18:30 UTC at the location I was to meet KD1JV. I seen two hikers looking at the board with the map. I asked them if they needed any help finding their next shelter. They were two soldiers that are stationed in AZ. They were on leave hiking a section of the AT. They told me that Steve passed them while they were taking a break and that they were heading to a shelter. I hiked to the shelter and found Steve, we chatted for a while and I asked them if they wanted to head towards town for their supplies. They were stocked up from the night before and did not need anything. I looked at my watch and it was already 19:30 UTC. So I started to setup the K1 station. Started calling CQ on 7.033 around 19:45 UTC. I was there calling CQ until 20:15 UTC. I did hear other stations on 40m but the signals were weak and a lot of QRN and QSB. The thunderhead clouds were building. I went to 30 meters and worked a station in Buena Vista, VA. We chatted for a while and then the dreaded QSB got us. So I went onto 20 meters and called CQ on 14.060 for 30 minutes. No takers so I ventured down in the lower 25 KHz. I worked LZ1RGM near Sofia, Bulgaria. New country for me and that was 799 QSO. I thought I would give someone a chance on the East Coast to work me for the 800th QSO. So I went back to 7.033 and called CQ for 50 minutes. I tuned around and could not find anyone or any CW signal on the 40m CW band. I did hear some Canadians talking on SSB above 7.040 but that was it. I went back to 30 meters and called CQ and the 800 QSO was calling me. The 800 QSO was with a station in Greenville, SC. We talked for about 15 minutes. The QSB and QRN started to build and I informed that he was my 800th QSO from the Appalachian Trail. Happy Dance!!! I talked to Steve for a little while longer and packed up my pack. I might see Steve today, Saturday or Sunday. They are hiking around 10 to 12 miles a day. They are starting out at 6 AM and stop around 1 or 2 PM. He said that they are taking it easy due to the heat and humidity. So far they have been finding plenty of water but that is starting to dry up. They will be hiking into the Delaware Water Gap and they he will go home. Sorry I did not work those that were looking for me. 72 and Thanks, Ron Polityka WB3AAL www.wb3aal.com www.n3epa.org/ K1 - SN 01011 K2 - SN 01392 ___ 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: Fwd: [Elecraft] KPA100 Failing to Produce High Power
Don and others who responded - thanks! (1) its hard to fix what isn't broke (2) i have been using this rig many years (3) somehow i falsely believed i could tweak the power knob BEFORE hitting TUNE (4) maybe i hard time believing i assembled this board without any issues! (5) the two button routine to transmit full power is actually nifty ! my rig does produce 100 watts! i do notice the finals are too hot to touch when transmitting, but they cool in a few seconds when transmit ceases. maybe this is normal (i have never touched an operational 50 watt device before). i guess i need to find where the K2 will tell me its temperature to see if all is well. 73, curt --- Don Wilhelm [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Curt, How are you attempting to initiate transmit? If you ae pressing TUNE, then 20 watts is what should be produced - the KPA100 firmware limits TUNE to 20 watts. If you need to try at a higher power than that, you must press TUNE and DISPLAY together. OTOH, if you are already doing TUNE/DISPLAY, then check the KPA100 LPF toroids for the correct number of turns - count the nmber of times the wire passes through the center of the core. 73, Don W3FPR Curt Milton wrote: I did some additional troubleshooting, but maybe there is nothing unusual in these bias measurements? Bias RxTx D11 13.70.7 D12 0.7129 D13 13.7 0.2 D14 0.7 129 Q1/2 base 00.6 Still puzzled as why rig is limited to around 20w output. Current draw is proportional to RF power output, as above 20w setting rig will neither draw additional current nor output additional power. --- Curt Milton [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Has anyone experienced this problem, or know if I should troubleshoot the bias, input, or output circuitry. All is well with the low power bypass path, and rig seems to work up to around 25 watts output. --- Curt Milton [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Date: Sun, 27 May 2007 12:08:40 -0700 (PDT) From: Curt Milton [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net Subject: [Elecraft] KPA100 Failing to Produce High Power All has been well up until now, including setting the bias per instructions. Without PA's my bias current was 330 mA, so I successfully set it for 730 mA with the PA's. I had adjusted R26 for 5w and got the VSWR sensor zeroed. During my high power test (into a matched antenna on a clear channel into a good antenna) my VSWR is reading 1.2 on the K2 and similar on my external meter. When I transmit the PA devices do get very hot (too hot to touch after about 10 seconds) but they quickly cool (maybe around 5 seconds or less) after transmit ceases. Here is the behavior i am getting. First column is K2 power setting (on 20m), second is what the K2 reads on transmit, and third is my meter. My meter is not state of the art but it is reasonable with my other rig. K2 SettingK2 Indicated Meter 1515 20 2020 28 2525 30 3023 28 3522 30 4022 35 5023 32 Thinking that maybe R26 was way off, i set the K2 for 40 watts and tried to adjust R26 to read 40 watts - no this got me no where. I tried to operate on different bands with two different antennas. Same impact on all bands, except it has even lower output on 10m. Troubleshooting suggestions appreciated! 73, Curt Be a PS3 game guru. Get your game face on with the latest PS3 news and previews at Yahoo! Games. http://videogames.yahoo.com/platform?platform=120121 ___ 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 Ready for the edge of your seat? Check out tonight's top picks on Yahoo! TV. http://tv.yahoo.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] OT Solid State Amps
From a purely manufacturing point of view, it's a lot easier to make a solid state amplifier, particularly with surface mount parts and flow soldering on a production line. Thousands can be made with high accuracy and repeatability and that alone reduces a major cost centre which is the manufacturing labour. Cheaper, more reliable devices and magnetics come close behind but I think design has to be more clever and equipment in the design process is more expensive to ensure stability. However, an rf transistor is the fastest fuse on 3 legs ! It's a lot easier to let the smoke out. David G3UNA - Original Message - From: Lee Buller [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Elecraft Reflector elecraft@mailman.qth.net Sent: Friday, June 01, 2007 3:01 PM Subject: [Elecraft] Solid State Amps When I attended Dayton this year and reading the magazines, I see there is now a great interest in solid state amps. I thought that these amps were...well...not as efficient as tube amps thus not being attractive to hams. I guess we wanted BIG iron for an amp. Ameritron has two amps out for quite some time...the 500 and 600 with the 600 now coming with a switching PS. It seems people who own the 600 watt model like them very much. Even E has the contesters contest amp and it is solid state. So, what has changed? Have the SS Amps gotten more efficient? Higher voltages? What effects the efficiency of these amps where now there seems to be a market for the Japanese and the Italians. Now most radios provide 100 watts output using transistors and the tube finals in rigs have long been gone. So, is this just a natural evolution of amplifiers or is some new technological breakthrough happened in high powered solid state amplifiers? Lee - K0WA In our day and age it seems that Common Sense is in short supply. If you don't have any Common Sense - get some Common Sense and use it. If you can't find any Common Sense, ask for help from somebody who has some Common Sense. Is Common Sense devine? ___ 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] harsh output note?
Rick Tavan N6XI wrote: Have you rearranged your station or added any equipment lately? Your problem sounds somewhat like the magnetic flux interference that some K2s experience in proximity with large power transformers. It can be quite dramatic if you transmit while moving the radio in and out of the magnetic field. Just transposing the positions of the K2 and an amplifier can introduce it. There is a shielding fix available from Elecraft if in fact this is your problem. This was exactly it! Removing the amp completely restored the note to the purity I have come to expect. Rearranging my desk so that I can place the amp on the right side of the K2 instead of the left kept it that way. This is the HFpacker/HFprojects 35W amp; it's got a voltage doubling switching supply inside it, and that seems to be the source of the interference. 73 de chris K6DBG ___ 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] dynamic range questions
I've got some questions for the receiver meisters. These are not K3 questions but will affect my understanding of the K3 specs when they appear. IMD for the K3 (Orion, FTxxx, etc) refers to spurious signals produced by operation of a stage (or stages) in the nonlinear portion of its transfer curve (or whatever it's called)? The measurement ground rules imply two signals: one at fc and the other at fc+x, where x is 20khz, 10khz, ... ? The parameter usually being determined is referred to as the two tone dynamic range and indicates the point at which third order signals resulting from 2fc-(fc+x) and 2(fc+x)-fc begin to appear in the signal path? fc and fc+x are chosen to put (at least one of) the third order signals in the IF passband? I assume that receiver circuit characteristics before the roofing filters (or IF bandpass filter) essentially determine the dynamic range. However, dynamic range figures always seem to degrade for small separations of fc and fc+x. Is this because fc and/or fc+x are falling within the IF passband and are producing spurious signals in the stages following the roofing filters? For the case of strong signals in the IF passband, are the dynamic range tests run with the AGC disabled? In actual operation, wouldn't the AGC reduce signal levels below the point where distortion products were being generated (in the stages following the roofing filters)? The two tone test is only a proxy for the real world. In actual operation, if any signal (or signals) in the RF passband or mixer passband exceeds the receiver dynamic range, will ALL of the signals in the passband begin contributing third order products? Is the magnitude of the third order distortion products a function of the degree of the nonlinearity? Can different receiver models with the same dynamic range numbers (operating under the same conditions) differ considerably in the signal strength of junk signals? When test results are phase noise limited, what is going on? Is the phase noise acting simply as RF noise that masks the spurious signals being observed? Or is it acting as a third signal that mixes with fc and fc+x and causes the production of third order products at a lower signal level than fc and fc+x would alone? Mike W5FTD ___ 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] DSP2 or KAF2
Judging from the comments,the kaf2 is preferred over the dsp2 and that includes me. Thanks to those who expressed thier opinion, i appreciate it. Being a CW op since 1954,its always been my favorite mode and I still enjoy it the most. The reason for my post is, i have found a partially built K2 with most of the boards unbuilt at a very good price and was curious about the kaf2 which is similar to a ten tec 525 Argosy I owned at one time. Thanks for the imput, best 72/3 John KF7OM ___ 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] Solid State Amps
-Original Message- From: Lee Buller [EMAIL PROTECTED] I see there is now a great interest in solid state amps. I thought that these amps were...well...not as efficient as tube amps thus not being attractive to hams. So, what has changed? Have the SS Amps gotten more efficient? In the case of truly *linear* amplifiers (not Class E or Class D), I don't think the SS amps have gotten much more efficient than they were years ago. What *has* changed is this: First, the cost of a tube amp keeps increasing because the tubes themselves and the parts around them are low-quantity items. You can still build a tube amp for cheap *if* you don't insist on 100% new parts. Rig manufacturers have to use all-new parts, though. Meanwhile, the cost of SS keeps going down. I also think the dollars-per-watt cost of RF transistors has gone down and the watts-per-device has gone up over the years. Second, under the old rules of way back when, we hams measured power by DC input, so efficiency was a big deal, since at the legal limit, higher efficiency meant more watts to the antenna. But since the rules changed 20-odd years ago to output, DC-to-RF efficiency takes a back seat. The difference between a legal-limit amp that's 66% efficient (2250 watts input gives 1500 watts output) and one that's 50% efficient (3000 watts input gives 1500 watts output) is 750 watts at the DC input. That seems like a lot, but consider that with SS there are no heaters to keep warm 100% of the time and that the 750 watts difference is only needed when actually transmitting. Third, switching power supplies. Fourth, things like no fans, no tuning and easy remote/computer control have become more important to a lot of hams, as well as less expensive in the overall picture. Consider a K3, KPA1500 combo - won't *that* be a sweet setup? Yet in inflation-adjusted dollars, it will probably cost less than an S-line of 40 years ago. Fifth, in the old days it was common for contesters to have separate amps for each band so they didn't have to lose time retuning. With an SS no-tune amp, computer-controlled and integrated into the rig, one amp can be just about as flexible as the old stack of them. IOW, it's evolutionary, not revolutionary. And the evolution has been going on a long time. I still remember, as a relatively-new ham, when a QST arrived that showed a legal-limit all-HF-bands all-solid-state linear amplifier on the cover. Full homebrewing details, too - you could build one from the article. Back then I thought well, we won't see tubes in ham shacks for much longer, because now even the high-power folks don't need tubes in their rigs. That QST issue was for April 1976... 73 de Jim, N2EY AOL now offers free email to everyone. Find out more about what's free from AOL at AOL.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] K2 speaker jack question
OK, a possible dumb question. K2 finished and working FB ! Audio from the headphones is fine, but no audio from the internal speaker, or from the external speaker jack on the back. Receive current is 220mA, so no apparent ground short, as warned against in the manual. All the connections look good. Has anyone encountered this before? Could I have gotten an external speaker jack that is supposed to be wired as in the manual rev. F, rather than in the errata rev F-12 (which is the exact opposite of the original manual)? Thanks for any help or suggestions. 73 Eric N0HHS K2 #6106 ___ 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] which do you prefer?
By a wide margin, the KDSP2; far more versatile, especially when it comes to digging the really weak ones out of the noise. The KAF2 works great as well -- but as a peaking filter, which by it's nature, increases ringing. The KDSP2, in addition to having adjustable levels of aggressiveness for noise reduction , also offers very narrow filters, with the ability to set a a 'hard' or 'soft' character. Both products work extremely well for their intended purpose; I just like having the extra tools of the KDSP2 at my disposal when the going gets rough. Just my $0.02 worth ... 73, Dale WA8SRA K2, SN 3039 jpgabbard wrote: If you prefer CW which filter would you chose? the KDSP2 or the KAF2?. Thanks, John KF7OM ___ 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] dynamic range questions
Mike for two tone dynamic range testing, both signals are located intentionally outside the detection passband (narrowest filter) of the receiver, and the receiver is tuned so that one of the third order intermods is within the passband. you may find that this is a useful reference: http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/pdf/109435.pdf when the measurement is bounded by phase noise, it means that instead of introducing a distortion product or reducing the level of a weak signal, instead the phase noise introduced by the receiver itself (generally the local oscillators) has degraded detection of the weak signal. otherwise, you seem to be on the right track with your understanding. 73, curt --- [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I've got some questions for the receiver meisters. These are not K3 questions but will affect my understanding of the K3 specs when they appear. IMD for the K3 (Orion, FTxxx, etc) refers to spurious signals produced by operation of a stage (or stages) in the nonlinear portion of its transfer curve (or whatever it's called)? The measurement ground rules imply two signals: one at fc and the other at fc+x, where x is 20khz, 10khz, ... ? The parameter usually being determined is referred to as the two tone dynamic range and indicates the point at which third order signals resulting from 2fc-(fc+x) and 2(fc+x)-fc begin to appear in the signal path? fc and fc+x are chosen to put (at least one of) the third order signals in the IF passband? I assume that receiver circuit characteristics before the roofing filters (or IF bandpass filter) essentially determine the dynamic range. However, dynamic range figures always seem to degrade for small separations of fc and fc+x. Is this because fc and/or fc+x are falling within the IF passband and are producing spurious signals in the stages following the roofing filters? For the case of strong signals in the IF passband, are the dynamic range tests run with the AGC disabled? In actual operation, wouldn't the AGC reduce signal levels below the point where distortion products were being generated (in the stages following the roofing filters)? The two tone test is only a proxy for the real world. In actual operation, if any signal (or signals) in the RF passband or mixer passband exceeds the receiver dynamic range, will ALL of the signals in the passband begin contributing third order products? Is the magnitude of the third order distortion products a function of the degree of the nonlinearity? Can different receiver models with the same dynamic range numbers (operating under the same conditions) differ considerably in the signal strength of junk signals? When test results are phase noise limited, what is going on? Is the phase noise acting simply as RF noise that masks the spurious signals being observed? Or is it acting as a third signal that mixes with fc and fc+x and causes the production of third order products at a lower signal level than fc and fc+x would alone? Mike W5FTD ___ 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 Got a little couch potato? Check out fun summer activities for kids. http://search.yahoo.com/search?fr=oni_on_mailp=summer+activities+for+kidscs=bz ___ 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: KAF2
Selling a KAF2, constructed, works perfectly asking $50.00. Please answer off list. 73, Doug W6JD ___ 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 - High Current Low Battery on 20m only
Paul, I believe you may have 2 problems. The LO BAT indication - check the jumper or switch on the control board just to the right of center - if it is a switch, be certain it is positioned to the left (INT) position, but if you have a post-SN3000 K2, the switch has been replaced with a jumper/header, and thejumper should be in the INT position (to the left IIRC). For the HI CUR indication on 20 meters, first check to be certain you have the K2 bandpass filter aligned correctly for a peak (do this adjustment at 2 watts). If you found no problem with the bandpass filter alignment, then look at KPA100 R19 and R20. If the resistors have blue bodies, they are possibly inductive (the non-inductive resistors have a reddish brown body). Should you have the inductive variety, request replacement resistors from [EMAIL PROTECTED] 73, Don W3FPR Paul K wrote: I have K2/100 #3132 with the 160m, SSB, and DSP modules installed. I am also using a KAT100. I have had this set up for a couple of years. The power source is a battery that is being charged as I am operating. My antenna is a Zirpel (like a Carolina Windom). The KAT100 is able to find a match on all bands. On 160m, 80m 40m, 15m, and 10m all is fine (I don't operate that much on 30m, 17m, and 12m). However, on 20m I usually get a High Cur warning when I first operate (CW or SSB) on that band. Then it goes away. All seems to be operating OK. Sometimes, a bit later when operating on 20m, I get a Low Batt indicator. That too goes away and all seems to still be operating OK. I have a voltmeter attached to the battery and when the K2 gives the Low Batt warning, the voltmeter says 13.2 volts. I have not seen any of these symptoms on any other band. ___ 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] Remote Head Mounting Question.....
Brian, Not the Control Panel, but the Front Panel has been successfully mounted remotely - on a bicycle no less by Andy Meng. Check near the bottom of the Elecraft picture gallery's first set of photos http://www.elecraft.com/PictureGallery/old_pics3.htm 73, Don W3FPR Brian Gieryk wrote: Hi all! Has anyone here remote mounted just the control panel for the K2? Any and all info is welcome! TNX, and 73 Brian KE6IYC ___ 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: Fwd: [Elecraft] KPA100 Failing to Produce High Power
Curt, If you are transmitting full key-down for more than a few seconds (as with digital modes), you should limit the power to 35 watts. The CAL TPA menu will provide a reference for when the fan turns on - be certain you have it set correctly - allow everything to cool to room temperature (at least 1 hour) and then set the CAL TPA parameter to correspond with the room temperature in degrees Celcius. If you have not snugged down the mounting screws for the PA output transistors yet, please do that to assure that they have adequate contact with the heat sink. Yes, the PA transistors will be hot to the touch after a few seconds of keydown - but SSB and CW are intermittent modes, and full power is normally only present for brief periods. The KPA100 watt rating is only valid for CW and SSB modes, for other contiuous duty modes, 35 watts is the recommended maximum power. 73, Don W3FPR Curt Milton wrote: i do notice the finals are too hot to touch when transmitting, but they cool in a few seconds when transmit ceases. maybe this is normal (i have never touched an operational 50 watt device before). i guess i need to find where the K2 will tell me its temperature to see if all is well. 73, curt ___ 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] [K1-2277} Front Panel construction -- R1
If your VFO tunes in a direction opposite what it should, then you have something reversed with the pot wiring - no other harm will come of it. Also, a certain miswiring of the K1 tuning pot will leave you with virtually *no* tuning range. Yep, I've done it. Scott N1AIA ___ 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 speaker jack question
Eric, I doubt if you got the wrong jack, but it is possible. Check a few other things first - do you have the wires in the connector housing correct, or are they reversed? Are you plugging the speaker connector to P5 on the RF Board? A few builders have tried plugging it into P5 on the Control Board, and of course, no speaker audio is available there. Are the crimp pins inserted properly into the housing? They must be inserted until the locking tabs secure the crimp pins - the top of the crimp pins will be below the top of the housing and should stay in place when the housing is mated with P5. If you are still concerned about the jack wiring, you can check it for continuity with an ohmmeter. The hot side of the speaker connector housing should have continuity with the speaker + terminal, but if you plug a phone plug into the jack, the speaker should not show continuity, but you should have continuity to the tip of the inserted plug. 73, Don W3FPR Eric Ward wrote: OK, a possible dumb question. K2 finished and working FB ! Audio from the headphones is fine, but no audio from the internal speaker, or from the external speaker jack on the back. Receive current is 220mA, so no apparent ground short, as warned against in the manual. All the connections look good. Has anyone encountered this before? Could I have gotten an external speaker jack that is supposed to be wired as in the manual rev. F, rather than in the errata rev F-12 (which is the exact opposite of the original manual)? Thanks for any help or suggestions. 73 Eric N0HHS K2 #6106 ___ 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] K3 chatter on the TenTec reflector
Hi all: Was surfing around tonight and checked out the TenTec reflector archive. I was surprised to see that they had almost as much chatter about the K3 as we did. I was even MORE surprised to see a posting by Eric there. Wow...these E guys really, really, really have done their homework. VFB OM! Counting the days de Doug KR2Q ___ 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] dynamic range questions
Curt, Would you not agree that a 3rd Order dynamic range test performed with both test tones placed outside of the IF filter's passband ,with a product in the passband, does not provide a complete measure of a receiver's odd order IMD performance but only that of its front end? A receiver with a weak cascade following the IF filter might appear to be be a good performer based on tests done this way, but will probably fall apart when two or more strong signals enter the IF filter's passband. During the development of high performance receivers common practice in my experience was to employ multiple signal tests, two tones in the IF passband and one or two placed on the skirts. I am aware of suggestions that have been made during the past years regarding these test procedures used to evaluate amateur receivers, likewise to restore proper useage of the term MDS which is another story :-) 73, Geoff GM4ESD Curt Milton [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Mike for two tone dynamic range testing, both signals are located intentionally outside the detection passband (narrowest filter) of the receiver, and the receiver is tuned so that one of the third order intermods is within the passband. you may find that this is a useful reference: http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/pdf/109435.pdf when the measurement is bounded by phase noise, it means that instead of introducing a distortion product or reducing the level of a weak signal, instead the phase noise introduced by the receiver itself (generally the local oscillators) has degraded detection of the weak signal. otherwise, you seem to be on the right track with your understanding. 73, curt ___ 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] dynamic range questions
Geoffrey Mackenzie-Kennedy wrote: A receiver with a weak cascade following the IF filter might appear to be be a good performer based on tests done this way, but will probably fall apart when two or more strong signals enter the IF filter's passband. Well... yeah,sure. That's why the K3 offers a selection of appropriately narrow roofing filters at the 1st IF frequency. If you're trying to copy CW with the 6 kHz AM filter inline, of course you're going to have problems, just as you certainly do with all the up-conversion radios (like the TS-2000 I own) with broad-as-a-barn-door roofing filters in the 1st IF. Strong off-frequency signals within that wide passband will cause later stages to fall apart, no question. That's why the K3 (and a few other radios like the Orions) are designed the way they are -- to do everything possible to mitigate against that possibility. Bill / W5WVO During the development of high performance receivers common practice in my experience was to employ multiple signal tests, two tones in the IF passband and one or two placed on the skirts. I am aware of suggestions that have been made during the past years regarding these test procedures used to evaluate amateur receivers, likewise to restore proper useage of the term MDS which is another story :-) 73, Geoff GM4ESD Curt Milton [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Mike for two tone dynamic range testing, both signals are located intentionally outside the detection passband (narrowest filter) of the receiver, and the receiver is tuned so that one of the third order intermods is within the passband. you may find that this is a useful reference: http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/pdf/109435.pdf when the measurement is bounded by phase noise, it means that instead of introducing a distortion product or reducing the level of a weak signal, instead the phase noise introduced by the receiver itself (generally the local oscillators) has degraded detection of the weak signal. otherwise, you seem to be on the right track with your understanding. 73, curt ___ 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 speaker jack question
I just replaced the connector on my K2 #4887 because the internal bypass switch that is supposed to connect the speakers when the headphones are unplugged wasn't making contact. Check continuity across the bypass switch contacts with the power off and the headphones unplugged. If it's not a dead short you may have a damaged jack. Mine worked OK when new but after 2 years of almost constant headphone use the connection just wasn't there. I'll dissect the broken jack someday to see what caused the open. Al WA6VNN ** See what's free at http://www.aol.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] KX1 amplified external speaker $5
I picked one up today as well, after reading your post. No go at first, as is so often the case there is little or no QA on these cheap things. Out of the box the thing rattled, so I had to take it apart. Not only was there a piece of solder wire rattling around loose, but one of the speaker wires was not connected. Also the thing was always on, caused by a solder bridge between two leads on the power switch. Sigh. Out came the soldering iron, and after fixing those faults I also had to touch up some really miserable workmanship in the soldering of the other wires. Wires weren't soldered into the through-holes provided on the board, just tacked onto the annular ring around the hole. Yuk. Of course mine may not be representative, just the result of an assembler rushing to meet a quota or whatever. However once fixed up it works very well indeed with my KX1, plenty of output, I like it! It's so small and light I can take it hiking. Bob NW8L On 5/29/07, Leigh L. Klotz, Jr. [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Today I was at Walgreen's Drug Store and saw an external amplified iPod speaker for $5.99 or two for $10. They had both black and white. It's a little bigger than that Macally brand I've used before, but the Macally one required an outboard audio transformer to get enough volume. This one worked right off. It takes two AAA's instead of one AA, but not having to hack it is worth plenty, and it's a lot cheaper. It looks similar to a unit I've seen under the Belkin brand for $20. The brand is GoStereo, UPC 8-19003-00888-9, distributed by Price Point Accessories, LLC. Pix at http://wa5znu.org/log/2007/05/kx1-speaker.html Leigh/WA5ZNU ___ 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] dynamic range questions
Geoff, While all the situations that you pose are valid measurements, I believe that the 'figure of merit' that should be applied is with both signals within the receiver passband. That alone will indicate the ability to copy a weak signal in the presence of a strong one - that is basic BDR (IMHO). Third order blocking IMD is quite another thing - there are many variables to consider. The best that we can hope for is that the 'standardized' tests will provide a good indicator of the performance on the real world - a receiver with narrow 'roofing filters' should excel in that test - although the test reports should specify the filter widths. The close spacing tests go a long way toward simulating the 'real world', but are really only a set of conditions that are defined for lab tests - the real world operating conditions may present an entirely different set of parameters. Current tests do consider MDS to be the minimum signal that can be demodulated with no other considerations. Right or wrong, that is the way it is for now - something must be defined for lab measurements to be valid - we just trust that they are adequate to be useful in actual operating conditions. 73, Don W3FPR Geoffrey Mackenzie-Kennedy wrote: Curt, Would you not agree that a 3rd Order dynamic range test performed with both test tones placed outside of the IF filter's passband ,with a product in the passband, does not provide a complete measure of a receiver's odd order IMD performance but only that of its front end? A receiver with a weak cascade following the IF filter might appear to be be a good performer based on tests done this way, but will probably fall apart when two or more strong signals enter the IF filter's passband. During the development of high performance receivers common practice in my experience was to employ multiple signal tests, two tones in the IF passband and one or two placed on the skirts. I am aware of suggestions that have been made during the past years regarding these test procedures used to evaluate amateur receivers, likewise to restore proper useage of the term MDS which is another story :-) ___ 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] K3
http://www.elecraft.com/news.htm On 6/1/07, Scott McDowell [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Hi What do you get with the basic 10 watt K3? I assume it does CW, but is it equipped for SSB? Or digital modes. I've never seen anything about what you are actually getting, other than roofing filters. Thanks N5SM ___ 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] K3
You get the 10 watt K3 with all its operating modes - the modulation and demodulation are all done in the DSP segment - so if your chosen filter selections permit the bandwidth required by that mode, all is possible. 73, Don W3FPR Scott McDowell wrote: Hi What do you get with the basic 10 watt K3? I assume it does CW, but is it equipped for SSB? Or digital modes. I've never seen anything about what you are actually getting, other than roofing filters. Thanks N5SM ___ 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] K3
Scott, The K3/10 comes with one 2.7 kHz roofing filter. It operates CW, SSB, AM, FM and data modes. If you review the fact sheet on the website it gives you all the features. Tnx and 73 from SeaPac. Greg AB7R -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Scott McDowell Sent: Friday, June 01, 20 To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net Subject: [Elecraft] K3 Hi What do you get with the basic 10 watt K3? I assume it does CW, but is it equipped for SSB? Or digital modes. I've never seen anything about what you are actually getting, other than roofing filters. Thanks N5SM _ PC Magazines 2007 editors choice for best Web mailaward-winning Windows Live Hotmail. http://imagine-windowslive.com/hotmail/?locale=en-usocid=TXT_TAGHM_migratio n_HM_mini_pcmag_0507 ___ 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] dynamic range questions
Don Wilhelm wrote: Third order blocking IMD is quite another thing - there are many variables to consider. The best that we can hope for is that the 'standardized' tests will provide a good indicator of the performance on the real world - a receiver with narrow 'roofing filters' should excel in that test - although the test reports should specify the filter widths. Rob Sherwood always specifies rig settings/options -- don't know about ARRL. Not so much, I don't think. This should be done universally, and in detail. The devil is definitely in the details here. That said, I believe real-world performance can be expected to pretty much follow the bench metrics, based on my own limited experience (especially on the negative end). To wit: Some years ago, before I was dry behind the ears in terms of understanding receiver design concepts and metrics, I acquired a Kenwood TS-2000, seduced by its sexy looks, multi-band multi-mode capabilitities, and so forth. Having used this rig on 6M under difficult contest conditions (extraordinarily strong sporadic-E openings with many S9+40 signals) over several years, I can tell you for sure that this rig absolutely falls on its derrière in the presence of nearby strong signals. It is the next thing to useless as a contest radio, especially on SSB. (I don't think much of it on CW, either.) Subsequent to my acquiring it, Rob Sherwood came out with his 2 kHz dynamic range metrics, and these showed the TS-2000 to be almost at the bottom of the pack in terms of 3rd-order IMD dynamic range (57 dB). ARRL's numbers pointed in the same direction, though they only measured to 5 kHz separation. This experience made a believer out of me, as the test data exactly illustrated my own on-air experiences with this whoreson dog of a radio. ;-) On the other end of things, the TenTec Orion and Orion II continue to be the contesters' radios of choice, despite the plethora of problems both these radios have had with design, manufacturing, and firmware. I doubt that steely-eyed contesters are going to stick with a problematical radio unless there is really something going there in terms of basic performance that they can't get anywhere else. At the end of the day, it's dyanamic range, dynamic range, and dynamic range. So yes, I do believe in receiver bench metrics! Bill / W5WVO ___ 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
