Re: [Elecraft] K3 :: firmware update failure
Steve , you went through the same exact thing that I did. I had thought that I missed a step, and then shut down too early or something... I guess this is an issue with the beta software, UNLESS, you start with the P3 off.. This is KEY. I did the power on button and the reset and NOTHING seemed to work.. I had the same issue with the polling not finding the rig. What I ended up having to do was 1 - Turned off the rig power supply, 2 - Closed the Port in the K3 utility under the Ports tab. Next I Then went into the windows Control panel, selected System, then into the hardware tab I selected Device Manager. From there I went into the com ports area, and I opened the com port that I was using for the K3. I checked on the speed, changed it from the default 9600 to 115200 (or 34800 doesn't matter) and I hit apply. After that I hit okay. Even if you don't need to make a change, change it just to restart the ports brains... I then moved the K3 serial cable over to the K3 (and out of the P3 completely) Next I turned the power supply back on for the K3, then I HELD the power button down for 10 seconds (until the red light started blinking). After that I went back to the K3 Utility and I went to the firmware tab. I pushed the button that said check versions now then low and behold it finaly read the port again on the rig.. I then hit the Download ALL button and everything worked from there. Give that a try and let me know if it doesn't work..I'm sure there's other ways to skin this cat... Date: Fri, 17 Sep 2010 20:26:13 -0400 From: invento...@gmail.com To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net Subject: [Elecraft] K3 :: firmware update failure I downloaded the new P3 utility and the latest firmware, plus the 4.12 release from the Elecraft server. I've never had any problem on a firmware update, and the new load onto the P3 worked just fine. Then, I opened the K3 fw utility and proceeded to install the 4.12 revision. First, a message popped up that said I have to shut the power off to the P3, so I did. Then, the process stopped. Inconsolable. Now, the rig says 'MCU LD' and the TX light is flashing. The computer cannot 'contact' the radio. Power cycles, and holding the power button to force the bootloader are to no avail. I will try connecting the serial port directly to the rig and attempt to 'fix' it that way. Any other suggestions? Steve KZ1X/4 K1, K2 ... K3 ? __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] K3 :: firmware update failure
This works, but it may be more complex than is required. The P3 currently sends initialization commands to the K3 when the P3 starts up, and it doesn't check before sending these commands that the K3 is acting as a K3. If the K3 is in its boot loader (showing MCU LD in the LCD) some of the commands sent by the P3 tell the K3 to start receiving firmware. In that state we don't get responses from the radio except on firmware block boundaries. If you turn everything off (remove the power plug from the K3 and P3, and if necessary, shut down the K3 Utility), then don't reinstall the P3 power plug, then start the K3 and the K3 Utility, the program should find the radio. There isn't a need to change the RS-232 cable, if the P3 stays off there is a bypass relay within it for the RS-232 connection. Some have reported that the COM port used by the K3 Utility is made unusable when the P3 gets into this state. I believe that may be dependent on the USB to Serial Adapter device driver you have. A PC reboot may be necessary to free the COM port. The K3 Utility Closes the COM port handle during all controlled termination scenarios except Task Manager termination. Windows process termination closes all open handles, but sometimes the device driver doesn't complete Close. If the K3 is in MCU LD state, the P3 must stay off from the time the K3 power is turned on until the K3 firmware load is complete. It's not good enough to turn the K3 on, have the P3 start up with it, and then turn the P3 off. During that brief period, the P3 sends the commands that influence the K3's boot loader. Usually you can just load firmware by turning the P3 off and sending the firmware. But if anything goes wrong with the firmware load and you end up in the K3 bootstrap loader (MCU LD on the front panel) at K3 startup, the P3 must stay off to recover. I have my P3 jumpered to not start up with the K3. It needs an explicit Power On button press, and I avoid this situation. Ultimately this will be resolved by a P3 firmware change to determine the K3's state before sending it commands that could influence the boot loader. The P3 owner's manual is being updated with the details of this procedure. 73 de Dick, K6KR -Original Message- From: elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net [mailto:elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of The Smiths Sent: Friday, September 17, 2010 11:08 PM To: invento...@gmail.com; Elecraft Reflector Subject: Re: [Elecraft] K3 :: firmware update failure Steve , you went through the same exact thing that I did. I had thought that I missed a step, and then shut down too early or something... I guess this is an issue with the beta software, UNLESS, you start with the P3 off.. This is KEY. I did the power on button and the reset and NOTHING seemed to work.. I had the same issue with the polling not finding the rig. What I ended up having to do was 1 - Turned off the rig power supply, 2 - Closed the Port in the K3 utility under the Ports tab. Next I Then went into the windows Control panel, selected System, then into the hardware tab I selected Device Manager. From there I went into the com ports area, and I opened the com port that I was using for the K3. I checked on the speed, changed it from the default 9600 to 115200 (or 34800 doesn't matter) and I hit apply. After that I hit okay. Even if you don't need to make a change, change it just to restart the ports brains... I then moved the K3 serial cable over to the K3 (and out of the P3 completely) Next I turned the power supply back on for the K3, then I HELD the power button down for 10 seconds (until the red light started blinking). After that I went back to the K3 Utility and I went to the firmware tab. I pushed the button that said check versions now then low and behold it finaly read the port again on the rig.. I then hit the Download ALL button and everything worked from there. Give that a try and let me know if it doesn't work..I'm sure there's other ways to skin this cat... Date: Fri, 17 Sep 2010 20:26:13 -0400 From: invento...@gmail.com To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net Subject: [Elecraft] K3 :: firmware update failure I downloaded the new P3 utility and the latest firmware, plus the 4.12 release from the Elecraft server. I've never had any problem on a firmware update, and the new load onto the P3 worked just fine. Then, I opened the K3 fw utility and proceeded to install the 4.12 revision. First, a message popped up that said I have to shut the power off to the P3, so I did. Then, the process stopped. Inconsolable. Now, the rig says 'MCU LD' and the TX light is flashing. The computer cannot 'contact' the radio. Power cycles, and holding the power button to force the bootloader are to no avail. I will try connecting the serial port directly to the rig and attempt to 'fix' it that way. Any other suggestions? Steve KZ1X/4 K1, K2 ... K3 ?
Re: [Elecraft] K3+P3+MFJ-1026 = 3 black boxes = 1 happy camper
That's a very interesting account. I wonder if anyone who suffers PLT/BPL et al noise has similar experience. David G3UNA My P3 came a couple of weeks ago and went together just fine. The bands have been bad at my QTH for a long time yet every time I go camping they are good. The first thing the P3 showed me was a higher then expected noise level on all the bands. I had a noise level of -90 to maybe -100 at best. I took the K3 and P3 out to the camp ground about 70 miles from home and the noise on the bands ran from -120 to -130 dbm. No wonder all these years my 44 ft camping doublet seemed better than my Hy-Gain Hy tower or my 105 ft doublet fed with window line at home. I also notice on 40 meters at the camp ground that the background noise along with the signals came up at night. That would explain why I sometimes heard signals at home but always with lots of noise. When I got home I found my old MFJ Noise Canceling Signal Enhancer (MFJ-=1026) in my shed and hooked it up. I had never been able to make it work using the S meters of my IC-746PRO or K3. The S-meters just did not have enough resolution and a receiver does not look at enough of the band. I set the P3 to a scale of 30 and band span to 100 khz. I started playing with the 1026. I was able to measure the levels of each antenna on the P3 than match them. The phase knob and switch were set for a null in the noise than the strongest antenna was adjusted for more of a dip until the phase and antenna were adjusted for the minimum noise. I can tune in a signal and adjust to 1026 for best signal to noise. Now I can hear and work stations on 40, 20 and 30 meters. If I turn off the 1026 the stations I hear go away except for the strongest and they even get noisy. A station with 40 db signal to noise on the P3 becomes 5 db signal to noise when I turn off the 1026. When I turn the 1026 back on the band again has many stations and I am able to work them just like I can from the camp ground. Ken W0CZ __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] K3 and Susan's audio complaint
I've had the same experience and the LPF board being added to my DSP board is what was the final nail in the coffin to the annoying sound. The low audio extension by changing caps here and there helped a little but the low pass filter to help pull the high frequency stuff out of the audio signature. ~Brett (N7MG) On Fri, Sep 17, 2010 at 8:49 PM, Mike Scott m...@paxsen.com wrote: I agree with Lou about Susan's CW audio complaint but I did not once. When I read Susan's plaint I thought that she probably has not gone through the K3 audio modifications. There was a time that I could not listen to the K3 in CW mode for very long; it was like fingernails scratching on a blackboard. The sound so grated on my nerves that I needed to turn it off or stop operating CW altogether. Somewhere along the path after the audio low pass filter, the audio output coupling capacitor modifications, and firmware modifications enhancing LF response the K3 CW mode audio mellowed for me, actually night and day. The other thing that make a difference is AGC settings. AGC settings effect IF gain which can raise background noise level. All of the comments about running RF gain lower come to play also but I now find that I normally run full RF gain and I am not bothered by audio issues anymore. So Susan, what have you done to fix your audio problems in CW? I propose that you can remedy this. I'm surprised you find the CW mode so noisy. I find that one of the best things about the DSP in CW mode is that the more you narrow it, the more the noise disappears. If the signal is strong enough, I can get rid of the noise completely. Lou WA3MIX AE6WA Mike Scott Tarzana, CA __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] New K3 P3 Beta Firmware Available
I tried to load newest fimware to K3 and P3 Within loading 4.12 (and P3 inline) the K3 util said unable to load… and K3 hangs Tried to do forcing firmware download as descripted in manual… tx-led blinking and lcd – mcu ldthe util software is polling K3 on multiple baudrates but coult not find K3 Tried to new reboot PC just with one usb connection (only to k3) same problem Is there any other possibility to force K3 to connect to PC ?? 73 Klaus OE6KYG KX1 244 K2 1331 K3 115 -Ursprüngliche Nachricht- Von: elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net [mailto:elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net] Im Auftrag von Wayne Burdick Gesendet: Freitag, 17. September 2010 20:12 An: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net; elecraft...@yahoogroups.com Betreff: [Elecraft] New K3 P3 Beta Firmware Available Hi all, K3 beta firmware rev 4.12 and P3 rev 0.36 are now available. If you have a P3, you'll want to load both. They work together to greatly reduce serial I/O delays with PC applications such as HRD. There are many other improvements as well. See release notes for both K3 and P3 below. 73, Wayne N6KR * * * K3 Release Notes MCU 4.12 / DSP 2.60 / FPF 1.13, 9-15-2010 * K3-to-P3 SERIAL COMMUNICATIONS: The K3/P3 RS232 interface has been optimized to eliminate problems with VFO tuning and some third-party PC applications such as HRD. * DVR TRANSMIT MONITOR SEPARATELY ADJUSTABLE: Applies to TX message play as well as transmit playback of the 90-second loop. First, set CONFIG:TX DVR to IND (independent) and exit the menu. Next, hold in the CMP/PWR knob to select MON. Holding the knob in a second time alternates between MON xx and DVR xx. You can adjust MON or DVR level during transmit playback. * NO GAP IN 6-METER POWER RANGE: The PA now kicks in at 9 W on 6 m, rather than 13 W as on the other bands. This eliminates the original gap from 9 to 12 W on 6 meters. * 60-METER CHANNEL HOPPING DOWN TO 5.366.5 KHZ WORKS: Previously, the PLL voltage would sometimes go to zero in this case. * VFO B to A COPY NOW UPDATES THE P3. This is useful for re-centering the P3 at a desired center frequency. For example, you could leave VFO B set to the center of a band segment. After tuning VFO A around, use VFO BA to go back to the center. (To use VFO BA, assign CONFIG:VFO BA to a PFx or Mx switch.) * K144XV S-METER CORRECTION: The S-meter is now properly compensating for the added gain of the K144XV. * K144XV BAND-DATA OUTPUT ADDRESS RANGE INCREASED: Originally, CONFIG:XVn ADR was always set to “INT TRN1” to enable the K144XV. This set all band data outputs on the ACC jack to 0. Now, XVn ADR has of “INT TRN0” to “INT TRN9” for the K144XV. Band- data outputs are set accordingly. This may be useful when the K144XV is used as an IF for higher-band external transverters. (If you have a K144XV, the original INT TRN1 will now be INT TRN0 in the menu. This is the new recommended setting if you’re not using external transverters in conjunction with the K144XV.) NOTE: When using the K144XV, XVn RF can be set to the RF band of an external transverter that is using the K144XV as an I.F., rather than at the 2-meter band edge (144). P3 Release Notes MCU 00.36/ 9-16-2010 * Center frequency and markers now work on UHF transverter bands. * Additional latency reduction for K3 commands. * Extensive changes to the RS-232 handler. To obtain the full benefit of the improvements, use K3 firmware 04.12 or later. * Added Knob Tap and Knob Hold to the MENU. * Added 8215 kHz to transceiver menu. * Fixed missing single line in bitmap display upload. __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] K3+P3+MFJ-1026 = 3 black boxes = 1 happy camper
Tried a 1026 here against PLT interference. Made little difference, probably because the interference was not a point source, but was radiated from various mains wires from both in and outside the domestic property. Stewart G3RXQ On Sat, 18 Sep 2010 08:10:56 +0100, David Cutter wrote: That's a very interesting account. I wonder if anyone who suffers PLT/BPL et al noise has similar experience. David G3UNA My P3 came a couple of weeks ago and went together just fine. The bands have been bad at my QTH for a long time yet every time I go camping they are good. The first thing the P3 showed me was a higher then expected noise level on all the bands. I had a noise level of -90 to maybe -100 at best. I took the K3 and P3 out to the camp ground about 70 miles from home and the noise on the bands ran from -120 to -130 dbm. No wonder all these years my 44 ft camping doublet seemed better than my Hy-Gain Hy tower or my 105 ft doublet fed with window line at home. I also notice on 40 meters at the camp ground that the background noise along with the signals came up at night. That would explain why I sometimes heard signals at home but always with lots of noise. When I got home I found my old MFJ Noise Canceling Signal Enhancer (MFJ-=1026) in my shed and hooked it up. I had never been able to make it work using the S meters of my IC-746PRO or K3. The S-meters just did not have enough resolution and a receiver does not look at enough of the band. I set the P3 to a scale of 30 and band span to 100 khz. I started playing with the 1026. I was able to measure the levels of each antenna on the P3 than match them. The phase knob and switch were set for a null in the noise than the strongest antenna was adjusted for more of a dip until the phase and antenna were adjusted for the minimum noise. I can tune in a signal and adjust to 1026 for best signal to noise. Now I can hear and work stations on 40, 20 and 30 meters. If I turn off the 1026 the stations I hear go away except for the strongest and they even get noisy. A station with 40 db signal to noise on the P3 becomes 5 db signal to noise when I turn off the 1026. When I turn the 1026 back on the band again has many stations and I am able to work them just like I can from the camp ground. Ken W0CZ __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] New K3 P3 Beta Firmware Available
Koppendorfer Klaus wrote: I tried to load newest fimware to K3 and P3 Within loading 4.12 (and P3 inline) the K3 util said unable to load… and K3 hangs Tried to do forcing firmware download as descripted in manual… tx-led blinking and lcd – mcu ldthe util software is polling K3 on multiple baudrates but coult not find K3 Tried to new reboot PC just with one usb connection (only to k3) same problem Is there any other possibility to force K3 to connect to PC ?? Do you have a computer with true serial RS-232? If so try downloading the latest K3 Utility (1.3.9.12) to it. http://www.elecraft.com/K3/k3_software.htm#k3util After physically disconnecting the power plug on the rear of the K3 for at least 1 minute, connect the serial cable to the K3 only, turn the K3 power on and then try to run the Utility. It sounds like you have some sort of problem with your USB connection (which seems to be a common problem). There's a link near the top of the software page above with the latest recommended USB driver. 73, Bill -- View this message in context: http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/New-K3-P3-Beta-Firmware-Available-tp5543809p5545565.html Sent from the [K3] mailing list archive at Nabble.com. __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] K3 and Susan's audio complaint
I think K3 HW modifications were the nail in the coffin for me also. I was asked off line what my AGC setting are. This was my reply... AE6WA Mike Scott Tarzana, CA I have AGC settings as follows: AGC Decay Soft AGC Hold 0.15 AGC Pulse Nor (Default) AGC Slope 12 (Default) AGC Threshold 003 AGC -F 120 (Default) AGC -S 020 (Default) I might be running AGC Slope higher but I want to hear the difference in signal strength in the two receivers when running in diversity mode. Wayne created the soft decay and AGC hold settings in the case that intermodulation distortion caused by noise modulating AGC gain was the culprit. I don't know the exact modification that changed things for me as too many changes were made near the same time. Perhaps the hardware modifications were the big help (LP filter, 100 uF audio out coupling). Both of the HW mods are on the revised RF board. Wayne's FW mod to extend low frequency audio capability may have helped also. I was a beta tester of the LP filter modification and that came almost at the same time as Wayne's FW modification. I suspect audio artifacts above the audio pass band were effecting me in the original case, artifacts that Wayne couldn't hear. I am surprised and grateful that he persevered to help me given that he thought everything was swell... Psychoacoustics is strange and probably very personal... -Original Message- From: Brett Howard [mailto:br...@livecomputers.com] Sent: Saturday, September 18, 2010 12:25 AM To: m...@paxsen.com Cc: elecraft@mailman.qth.net Subject: Re: [Elecraft] K3 and Susan's audio complaint I've had the same experience and the LPF board being added to my DSP board is what was the final nail in the coffin to the annoying sound. The low audio extension by changing caps here and there helped a little but the low pass filter to help pull the high frequency stuff out of the audio signature. ~Brett (N7MG) On Fri, Sep 17, 2010 at 8:49 PM, Mike Scott m...@paxsen.com wrote: I agree with Lou about Susan's CW audio complaint but I did not once. When I read Susan's plaint I thought that she probably has not gone through the K3 audio modifications. There was a time that I could not listen to the K3 in CW mode for very long; it was like fingernails scratching on a blackboard. The sound so grated on my nerves that I needed to turn it off or stop operating CW altogether. Somewhere along the path after the audio low pass filter, the audio output coupling capacitor modifications, and firmware modifications enhancing LF response the K3 CW mode audio mellowed for me, actually night and day. The other thing that make a difference is AGC settings. AGC settings effect IF gain which can raise background noise level. All of the comments about running RF gain lower come to play also but I now find that I normally run full RF gain and I am not bothered by audio issues anymore. So Susan, what have you done to fix your audio problems in CW? I propose that you can remedy this. I'm surprised you find the CW mode so noisy. I find that one of the best things about the DSP in CW mode is that the more you narrow it, the more the noise disappears. If the signal is strong enough, I can get rid of the noise completely. Lou WA3MIX AE6WA Mike Scott Tarzana, CA __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] [p3] Trap Conflict on FW 0.36
I've reloaded all Firmware back to K3 - 4.05 P3 - 0.32 I'm still getting the Trap Conflict message on power on, then the P3 goes into normal operation, but I have to remove power from 12V source to shut it off. de K2GN - Larry - http://k2gn.com K3 S/N - 3278P3 S/N - 51 -Original Message- From: elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net [mailto:elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Larry - K2GN Sent: Friday, September 17, 2010 6:57 PM To: Elecraft - K3 Subject: [Elecraft] [p3] Trap Conflict on FW 0.36 Power ON/Off - Trap Conflict After it's on for a while and I power off, it gave me: Trap Conflict, then start working. I have to remove power to shut it down. Once I was able to power down using the switch and it gave me: Download Firmware Ready for Download And sits. I can then turn power via the switch. I did the download and upload twice. K3 has FW 4.12, this upload went well. Anyone else with this problem? de K2GN - Larry mailto:k...@k2gn.com - http://k2gn.com http://k2gn.com/ K3 S/N - 3278P3 S/N - 51 __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 9.0.851 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/3139 - Release Date: 09/17/10 14:34:00 __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] New K3 P3 Beta Firmware Available
Bill W4ZV wrote: After physically disconnecting the power plug on the rear of the K3 for at least 1 minute, connect the serial cable to the K3 only, turn the K3 power on and then try to run the Utility. I probably should have added the following (from Greg AB7R) in place of turn K3 on and then try to run the Utility above: Starting with the power OFF. Turn it ON but HOLD the power button for about 10 seconds...till you see MCU LD on the LCD. The LCD will not be lit. This is a forced MCU load state. No using your K3 utility program in advanced mode, load JUST the MCU file by putting a check just in that box, nothing else. Then click on send checked items to K3. 73 GL! Bill -- View this message in context: http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/New-K3-P3-Beta-Firmware-Available-tp5543809p5545674.html Sent from the [K3] mailing list archive at Nabble.com. __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] Loading New Beta Firmware
Point your browser at ftp://ftp.elecraft.com/K3/firmware/beta/ Right click on K3fwr12.zip, and select Save link as.. or left click on it and save it, depending on your browser (Windows). Dunno about Mac. 73, Mike NF4L On 9/17/2010 9:26 PM, Don Cunningham wrote: Can someone point me to directions for installing the new Beta firmware on my K3 and P3?? The link I saved in one of Wayne's emails takes me to the software page on the Elecraft site, but I see NO instructions for downloading beta firmware like there used to be. Wish I had printed it off, hi. Thanks, Don, WB5HAK __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] [p3] Trap Conflict on FW 0.36
Latest status: I've reloaded all the different FW's for both the K3 and the P3 And nothing changes!! I still get Trap Conflict on P3 power up. (From and external power source, not the K3) The unit will not shut off. It cycles itself back on with the Trap Conflict. I have to remove the external power supply to turn the P3 off. The Trap Conflict comes on for a few seconds and then things seem to operate normal. What is this Trap Conflict? I can't find anything about it. de K2GN - Larry - http://k2gn.com K3 S/N - 3278P3 S/N - 51 -Original Message- From: elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net [mailto:elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Larry - K2GN Sent: Saturday, September 18, 2010 8:22 AM To: 'Elecraft - K3' Subject: Re: [Elecraft] [p3] Trap Conflict on FW 0.36 I've reloaded all Firmware back to K3 - 4.05 P3 - 0.32 I'm still getting the Trap Conflict message on power on, then the P3 goes into normal operation, but I have to remove power from 12V source to shut it off. de K2GN - Larry - http://k2gn.com K3 S/N - 3278P3 S/N - 51 -Original Message- From: elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net [mailto:elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Larry - K2GN Sent: Friday, September 17, 2010 6:57 PM To: Elecraft - K3 Subject: [Elecraft] [p3] Trap Conflict on FW 0.36 Power ON/Off - Trap Conflict After it's on for a while and I power off, it gave me: Trap Conflict, then start working. I have to remove power to shut it down. Once I was able to power down using the switch and it gave me: Download Firmware Ready for Download And sits. I can then turn power via the switch. I did the download and upload twice. K3 has FW 4.12, this upload went well. Anyone else with this problem? de K2GN - Larry mailto:k...@k2gn.com - http://k2gn.com http://k2gn.com/ K3 S/N - 3278P3 S/N - 51 __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 9.0.851 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/3139 - Release Date: 09/17/10 14:34:00 __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 9.0.851 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/3142 - Release Date: 09/17/10 14:34:00 __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
[Elecraft] [K3] 700 Hz K3 Roofing Filter Availability
The first batch of filters sold out within 12 hours of our mentioning it on the Reflector. This suggests that as many as 90% of K3 owners who want a 700 Hz filter, are members of the silent majority; preferring to wait for someone else to say yes I want one. We would love to offer this filter from stock. However, to do that we need more feedback to be sure there is indeed sufficient demand, and that yesterday's sales blip wasn't simply due to the novelty of our offering. If you want one for your K3, please email us at supp...@unpcbs.com and let us know. (With a ten-week manufacturing lead-time, we are already looking at delivery in early December for a next production run.) TNX 73, Gary KI4GGX webmaster, http://www.unpcbs.com/ __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
[Elecraft] P3 12 volt input fused?
Is the P3 power in fused internally? Or would it be prudent to fuse the power in if not using the 12 volts from the K3? 73, John N1JM -- View this message in context: http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/P3-12-volt-input-fused-tp5545998p5545998.html Sent from the Elecraft mailing list archive at Nabble.com. __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] K3 and Susan's audio complaint
Mike, You have that Agc turning on as soon as, well, pretty much ANY signal passes through it. Having that Threshold at 3 seems extreme to me. Keeping the Slope at 12 I can kind of understand if you had your slope set to 5 or 6 perhaps, but it looks like pretty much everything you listen to has been compressed to death... I'm not even sure how you can differentiate different strength signals anymore. Just my thoughts on that. As for the AGC Decay on soft, I thought that Wayne had said that you were supposed to run your AGC in Slow in order for that to even work... No? That's the one thing you didn't mention. From: m...@paxsen.com To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net Date: Sat, 18 Sep 2010 05:00:52 -0700 Subject: Re: [Elecraft] K3 and Susan's audio complaint I think K3 HW modifications were the nail in the coffin for me also. I was asked off line what my AGC setting are. This was my reply... AE6WA Mike Scott Tarzana, CA I have AGC settings as follows: AGC Decay Soft AGC Hold 0.15 AGC Pulse Nor (Default) AGC Slope 12 (Default) AGC Threshold 003 AGC -F 120 (Default) AGC -S 020 (Default) I might be running AGC Slope higher but I want to hear the difference in signal strength in the two receivers when running in diversity mode. Wayne created the soft decay and AGC hold settings in the case that intermodulation distortion caused by noise modulating AGC gain was the culprit. I don't know the exact modification that changed things for me as too many changes were made near the same time. Perhaps the hardware modifications were the big help (LP filter, 100 uF audio out coupling). Both of the HW mods are on the revised RF board. Wayne's FW mod to extend low frequency audio capability may have helped also. I was a beta tester of the LP filter modification and that came almost at the same time as Wayne's FW modification. I suspect audio artifacts above the audio pass band were effecting me in the original case, artifacts that Wayne couldn't hear. I am surprised and grateful that he persevered to help me given that he thought everything was swell... Psychoacoustics is strange and probably very personal... -Original Message- From: Brett Howard [mailto:br...@livecomputers.com] Sent: Saturday, September 18, 2010 12:25 AM To: m...@paxsen.com Cc: elecraft@mailman.qth.net Subject: Re: [Elecraft] K3 and Susan's audio complaint I've had the same experience and the LPF board being added to my DSP board is what was the final nail in the coffin to the annoying sound. The low audio extension by changing caps here and there helped a little but the low pass filter to help pull the high frequency stuff out of the audio signature. ~Brett (N7MG) On Fri, Sep 17, 2010 at 8:49 PM, Mike Scott m...@paxsen.com wrote: I agree with Lou about Susan's CW audio complaint but I did not once. When I read Susan's plaint I thought that she probably has not gone through the K3 audio modifications. There was a time that I could not listen to the K3 in CW mode for very long; it was like fingernails scratching on a blackboard. The sound so grated on my nerves that I needed to turn it off or stop operating CW altogether. Somewhere along the path after the audio low pass filter, the audio output coupling capacitor modifications, and firmware modifications enhancing LF response the K3 CW mode audio mellowed for me, actually night and day. The other thing that make a difference is AGC settings. AGC settings effect IF gain which can raise background noise level. All of the comments about running RF gain lower come to play also but I now find that I normally run full RF gain and I am not bothered by audio issues anymore. So Susan, what have you done to fix your audio problems in CW? I propose that you can remedy this. I'm surprised you find the CW mode so noisy. I find that one of the best things about the DSP in CW mode is that the more you narrow it, the more the noise disappears. If the signal is strong enough, I can get rid of the noise completely. Lou WA3MIX AE6WA Mike Scott Tarzana, CA __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html __ Elecraft
[Elecraft] K2 - Need Some Help!
There's a 4.7 pf cap that goes into C6 on the upper right edge of the bottom of the RF Board. The instructions are subject to a great deal of interpretation and have me absolutely baffled. Perhaps I think too deeply, or, maybe I just think differently, or, my brainpower is in QRPp mode today. I'm now looking at the BOTTOM of the RF Board, with C104 to my immediate left. I'm going to label the three holes at C6 as 1, 2, and 3 with 1 closest to C104. Now, I think the two outer holes in which the 4.7 pf cap goes should be 2 and 3. Did I get it right? I'd appreciate hearing from someone who has already gotten past this. It's page 59 of the manual. This was like a brainteaser! The two outer holes could also be construed as #1 and #3, in which case the instructions could have simply said to avoid using the middle hole. The directions to Use the outer of the three holes, not the two holes closest to the left edge of the board are confusing because the left edge of the board depends upon whether one is holding it top up or bottom up and the previous sentence in the manual had the builder looking at J15 on the top of the board. Thanks much! Stan Levandowski WB2LQF HF QRP CW -- Doing more with less for over 50 years! QCWA #35038 OOTC #4558 NAQCC #4740 SKCC #6488 FISTS #(Pending) __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
[Elecraft] [P3] Installation Success
This week I received and installed P3 S/N 476. It took less than 2 hours to go from opening the box to watching signals on the display, and that included the K3 gain modification. It was nice of Elecraft to include both an SMT and a through-hole resistor for the K3 mod. I chose the SMT device, which wasn't too hard to install. I updated both the K3 and P3 firmware to the latest beta revisions. I really like the knob tap and knob hold assignments to the function keys. Now I need to learn what the signal displays are telling me. (Example - some AM BCB stations seem to use a high level of compression, keeping the sideband amplitudes at a constant level. The waterfall display has lots of green in it with a red carrier. Other stations have sidebands that slope more and the waterfall is mostly blue with specs of green). Using the P3 for finding shortwave stations has been lots of fun. The display of K3's bandwidth setting is nice but now I see that the bandwidth could be made larger to capture more of the AM signal. That was the reason that I originally bought the wider FM filter. But that is another discussion. hi hi. I updated my pictures on QRZ.com and eHam.net. eHam.net provides a larger-sized picture after clicking on it. Thanks to the Elecraft team for another great product, and inclusion of all needed cables etc. to make installation quick and easy. 73, John W2XS KX1 (S/N 015) w/KXPD1, KXAT1, KXB30 K2 (S/N 1116) w/KAT2, KSB2, K160RX, KIO2, KBT2, KNB2, KAF2, FDIMP Drake T4-X (S/N 6) K3/100 (S/N 919) w/KAT3, KBPF3, KUSB, KFL3A-200, 500, 2.7k, AM, FM, KRX3 w/2.7k, KXV3 P3 (S/N 476) HexKey (S/N 113 ) DL1, BL1, BL2, N-gen, XG1, W1, BNC-MM -- View this message in context: http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/P3-Installation-Success-tp5546148p5546148.html Sent from the [K3] mailing list archive at Nabble.com. __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] [K3] Why do they still use 1/4 inch phone jacks?
Absolutely. The real question ought to be: Why do we put up with the crummy little ones? Almost every radio I've had, including the K3, has had trouble with connections at the 3.5 mm jacks. I have come to think that the choice of plug matters. Some just seem to work better than others. In the cases where I went to the trouble to diagnose it, the fault was a failure of the sleeve to make a good connection to the the jack. I suspect inferior plating and/or corrosion on the sleeve. Buffing the sleeve with a bit of paper seems to have helped some of them. It's been suggested here that the problem is that there are two types of this plug, 1/8 and 3.5 mm, the latter being slightly larger. I measured all of mine with a dial caliper and they are all 3.5 mm. So that doesn't explain why some of mine give me trouble and some don't. I checked a few data sheets and all the drawings show 3.5 mm so maybe the 1/8 standard is a thing of the past. I'd suggest buying a good brand of plug and using it to replace the crummy ones. I'll be trying that to see if it makes a difference. Here's hoping that Switchcraft hasn't been bought out by some gang of quality-wrecking sharks. Maybe I'll lay in a lifetime supply while I'm at it... 73 and thanks for listening, Carl WS7L I like the 1/4 jacks. They are more durable generally. __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] K2 - Need Some Help!
I remember having the very same brain failure at that point in the construction. It can be very confusing. If you check the schematics in Appendix B of the K2 manual, on the RF board page showing the antenna connector, you can see the 4.7 pF cap connected at pins 1 and 3, which lets the signal bypass the 60 m module (assuming it's not installed) -- not across adjacent pins such as 1,2 or 2,3. This really should be clearer in the manual. After building my K2 and connecting the cap across the wrong pins, the receiver seemed deaf, and I ended up doing signal tracing until I found out there was no path between the antenna and the rest of the receiver. It took help from the Elecraft list to realize this. Guess it's my turn! --Andrew, NV1B .. On Sat, Sep 18, 2010 at 1:22 PM, stan levandowski sjl...@optonline.netwrote: There's a 4.7 pf cap that goes into C6 on the upper right edge of the bottom of the RF Board. The instructions are subject to a great deal of interpretation and have me absolutely baffled. Perhaps I think too deeply, or, maybe I just think differently, or, my brainpower is in QRPp mode today. __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] K2 - Need Some Help!
Stan, Are you using the new manual (Rev G) or an older one? There are 3 holes - C6 goes into the outermost holes of the set of 3 (the outer two holes of this set of 3 pads). In other words, the leads go into holes 1 and 3. If you can explain how your thought process is causing you to think otherwise, perhaps the manual can be changed again. Can you explain what you are attributing outer to? Outer edge of the board? Outer 2 holes? Outer left side of the board? Outer right side of the board? It has long surprised me how this has been misinterpreted, but then not everyone interprets the same way. Previously it did not use the outer two of the set of 3 phrase, but simply said the two outer holes, and it was changed to (hopefully) be more descriptive - apparently that effort failed. If you can be helpful with describing the proper two holes using a better phrase, please suggest it. Maybe your addition of a parenthetical expression (leave the center hole empty) would be helpful - please let us know. 73, Don W3FPR On 9/18/2010 1:22 PM, stan levandowski wrote: There's a 4.7 pf cap that goes into C6 on the upper right edge of the bottom of the RF Board. The instructions are subject to a great deal of interpretation and have me absolutely baffled. Perhaps I think too deeply, or, maybe I just think differently, or, my brainpower is in QRPp mode today. I'm now looking at the BOTTOM of the RF Board, with C104 to my immediate left. I'm going to label the three holes at C6 as 1, 2, and 3 with 1 closest to C104. Now, I think the two outer holes in which the 4.7 pf cap goes should be 2 and 3. Did I get it right? I'd appreciate hearing from someone who has already gotten past this. It's page 59 of the manual. This was like a brainteaser! The two outer holes could also be construed as #1 and #3, in which case the instructions could have simply said to avoid using the middle hole. The directions to Use the outer of the three holes, not the two holes closest to the left edge of the board are confusing because the left edge of the board depends upon whether one is holding it top up or bottom up and the previous sentence in the manual had the builder looking at J15 on the top of the board. __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] [K3] Why do they still use 1/4 inch phone jacks?
Hi, 100% agreement with you here. The other real question ought to be: Why do reputable manufacturers like Heil put the crummy connectors on their products? I have a late model Proset now connected to the rear of the K3 and the connectors both have a wobbly and awful feel to them. I do not currently have any connection problem, but frankly I don't dare touch them. My cables from Radio Shack connecting my LP-Pan to the sound card I have to reset every so often when suddenly spurs occur in the middle of the display and/or the image rejection drops to 0. AB2TC - KNut Carl Clawson wrote: Absolutely. The real question ought to be: Why do we put up with the crummy little ones? snip -- View this message in context: http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/K3-Why-do-they-still-use-1-4-inch-phone-jacks-tp5543920p5546276.html Sent from the [K3] mailing list archive at Nabble.com. __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] K2 - Need Some Help!
w3fpr If you can explain how your thought process is causing you to think otherwise, perhaps the manual can be changed again. Apparently Stan and I were similarly confused. In the Rev. G manual, Install C6 (4.7 pF) into the outer two holes of this set of 3 pads (of J15) could be interpreted as the two adjacent pins closest to the left edge of the board, if you're looking at it from the normal operating position. In this case, outer is relative to, say, the center of the board. It could also be interpreted as relative to the middle pin of the 3-pin group. The problem is outer is a relative term, and the reference isn't clearly defined. The clause of the 3 pads (of J15) clearly tells you what pin grouping we're dealing with, but still lacks the critical reference for outer. Possible alternatives: Install C6 (4.7 pF) into pins 1 and 3 of the 3-pin pad J15 (assuming silkscreen, pin numbers, etc. won't change in the future) Install C6 (4.7 pF) into the outer two holes (relative to the middle pin of the group) of the 3-pad group J15 I'm not sure it's worth redoing the printed manual -- as there's now some good documentation on the reflector -- but maybe just keep the existing manual (or fixing the online copy only), and do it with an errata sheet for existing print copies. --Andrew, NV1B __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
[Elecraft] K2 - Need Some Help!
Thank you to eveyone who responded so quickly. Yes, I should have looked at the schematic but frankly it didn't occur to me as I was overly preoccupied trying to understand the instruction manual. I don't want to make a big deal about this but if the instructions simply said to use the two outer holes and leave the middle hole empty, there would be nothing to misinterpret and it would be correct whether the builder was looking at the bottom of the board or the top; whether the builder was choosing to solder the top pads or the bottom. At least that's the way I would have written it. Thanks again everyone! Now I have to go desolder... Stan Levandowski WB2LQF HF QRP CW -- Doing more with less for over 50 years! QCWA #35038 OOTC #4558 NAQCC #4740 SKCC #6488 FISTS #(Pending) __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
[Elecraft] Elecraft SSB net announcement
The weekly Elecraft SSB net will meet tomorrow (9/19/10) at 1800z on 14.314 MHz. I will be net control from western Oregon, and I will try to swing the antenna in multiple directions to get as many of you as I can. See you then. 73, Phil NS7P __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
[Elecraft] [K3] Why do they still use 1/4 inch phone jacks?
Hi Carl, Please keep the list informed. I suspect that most of us deal with the annoying touchy jack/plug problem. 73! Ken Kopp - K0PP elecratcov...@rfwave.net __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
[Elecraft] K3 beginners config setting?
Aloha: Perhaps, since the K3 IS so versitle, there should be a setting for beginners. Using this setting sets everything to a reasonable setting for us that dont understand all the K3 settings. I dont mean a reset, but one for beginners. susan If you don't change direction you WILL arrive exactly where you're headed!! Susan Meckley, Skipper W7KFI-mm AFA9SM USSV DHARMA --- On Sat, 9/18/10, ab2tc ab...@arrl.net wrote: From: ab2tc ab...@arrl.net Subject: Re: [Elecraft] [K3] Why do they still use 1/4 inch phone jacks? To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net Date: Saturday, September 18, 2010, 8:31 AM Hi, 100% agreement with you here. The other real question ought to be: Why do reputable manufacturers like Heil put the crummy connectors on their products? I have a late model Proset now connected to the rear of the K3 and the connectors both have a wobbly and awful feel to them. I do not currently have any connection problem, but frankly I don't dare touch them. My cables from Radio Shack connecting my LP-Pan to the sound card I have to reset every so often when suddenly spurs occur in the middle of the display and/or the image rejection drops to 0. AB2TC - KNut Carl Clawson wrote: Absolutely. The real question ought to be: Why do we put up with the crummy little ones? snip -- View this message in context: http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/K3-Why-do-they-still-use-1-4-inch-phone-jacks-tp5543920p5546276.html Sent from the [K3] mailing list archive at Nabble.com. __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] K3 beginners config setting?
On Sat, Sep 18, 2010 at 2:18 PM, ussv dharma ussvdha...@yahoo.com wrote: Perhaps, since the K3 IS so versitle, there should be a setting for beginners. Using this setting sets everything to a reasonable setting for us that dont understand all the K3 settings. I dont mean a reset, but one for beginners. The Elecraft K3 default settings!?!? 73, Hank, W6SX Mammoth Lakes, California Elevation 8083 feet in John Muir's Range of Light __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] K3 beginners config setting?
I'm a fairly casual operator, more CW then SSB and Except for changing some TX-EQ, I've stuck with the default settings. Aside from some occasional odd AGC behavior, I've been quite happy with them. Lou WA3MIX - Original Message - From: Hank Garretson w...@arrl.net To: ussv dharma ussvdha...@yahoo.com; elecraft@mailman.qth.net Sent: Saturday, September 18, 2010 5:21 PM Subject: Re: [Elecraft] K3 beginners config setting? On Sat, Sep 18, 2010 at 2:18 PM, ussv dharma ussvdha...@yahoo.com wrote: Perhaps, since the K3 IS so versitle, there should be a setting for beginners. Using this setting sets everything to a reasonable setting for us that dont understand all the K3 settings. I dont mean a reset, but one for beginners. The Elecraft K3 default settings!?!? 73, Hank, W6SX Mammoth Lakes, California Elevation 8083 feet in John Muir's Range of Light __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] K3 beginners config setting?
OK then how about a tutorial explaining what each setting does if you went this way or that way from the defaults and how that changes related to the different modes? something like an expanded version of: AGC PLS = NOR. I used this on, Seems to help with fast static crashes... Kind of. or this AGC DCY = NOR. I use this in NOR Most of the time. However, when there's lots of stations in a pile up I tend to turn it on to Soft with the AGC set to SLOW. It helps separate the stations from one another. above were partial quotes from one of the list members... it would be great to have all this info posted here, and then perhaps someone(s) could get it up on a web site, that wouldn't disappear shortly afterwards. -- GB 73 K5OAI Sam Morgan On 9/18/2010 4:21 PM, Hank Garretson wrote: On Sat, Sep 18, 2010 at 2:18 PM, ussv dharmaussvdha...@yahoo.com wrote: Perhaps, since the K3 IS so versitle, there should be a setting for beginners. Using this setting sets everything to a reasonable setting for us that dont understand all the K3 settings. I dont mean a reset, but one for beginners. The Elecraft K3 default settings!?!? 73, Hank, W6SX Mammoth Lakes, California Elevation 8083 feet in John Muir's Range of Light __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] K3 beginners config setting?
Due to varying types of operating requirements it would be extremely difficult to come up with a One Operating Setup that would be any better than the supplied Default settings. I have tried many of the suggestions offered on this list from time to time and I would be very surprised if my now current settings were not a mixture of some of these suggestions. Without any intention to sounding condescending I firmly believe that new owners of any of the current crop of amateur radios should really follow the manufacturers suggestion to read the manual prior to operating. Certainly we get excited and need a quick fix by firing the rig straight out of the box. But still there is no way to replace fiddling with the new toy. The TX side is fairly straight forward and easy to enough to get right followed by small adjustments to get it just right for the individual. The RX is certainly more complex along with connecting and setting up auxiliary equipment and operating priorities and again there is no substitute for perusing the manual as you work through the setup. Some quick start guides may be advantageous to those who wish to speed up the learning curve but time spent in front of the rig listening on the bands is always going to get you to the point where you will find your own unique settings that work for you. I have found that starting with your most common mode of operation that you are most comfortable with will get you on the air quickly with little or no difficulty. Then simply work through other modes at a leisurely pace. Just my nickel's worth, keep the change..:-) 73's Gary On Sun, Sep 19, 2010 at 7:21 AM, Hank Garretson w...@arrl.net wrote: On Sat, Sep 18, 2010 at 2:18 PM, ussv dharma ussvdha...@yahoo.com wrote: Perhaps, since the K3 IS so versitle, there should be a setting for beginners. Using this setting sets everything to a reasonable setting for us that dont understand all the K3 settings. I dont mean a reset, but one for beginners. The Elecraft K3 default settings!?!? 73, Hank, W6SX Mammoth Lakes, California Elevation 8083 feet in John Muir's Range of Light __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html -- Gary VK4FD - Motorhome Mobile http://www.qsl.net/vk4fd/ K3 #679 For everything else there's Mastercard!!! __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] K3 beginners config setting?
Hi, Of course the factory default settings should be the starting point for beginners or anybody else for that matter, and for the most part they are reasonable. The only settings I found I had to change the first day I operated my new radio were the AGC settings. The default slope of 012 caused a strong signal to blast my ears and the default threshold of 05 makes the radio way to lively (noisy and hissy to quote a few people) on bands 20m and lower. I set them both to their maximums and the radio is still too lively on the lower bands for my liking. I wish for at least 6dB higher AGC threshold to be available. Currently the only way to make the radio quieter is using the RF gain control. AB2TC - Knut Hank Garretson wrote: On Sat, Sep 18, 2010 at 2:18 PM, ussv dharma ussvdha...@yahoo.com wrote: Perhaps, since the K3 IS so versitle, there should be a setting for beginners. Using this setting sets everything to a reasonable setting for us that dont understand all the K3 settings. I dont mean a reset, but one for beginners. The Elecraft K3 default settings!?!? 73, Hank, W6SX snip -- View this message in context: http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/K3-Why-do-they-still-use-1-4-inch-phone-jacks-tp5543920p5546643.html Sent from the [K3] mailing list archive at Nabble.com. __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] [K3] Why do they still use 1/4 inch phone jacks?
Mouser carries the Neutrik Rean line of connectors. They're maybe not quite as good as the Switchcraft parts, but they're are of significantly higher quality than most of the junk out there -- and they're a lot cheaper than Switchcraft. I've used the Neutrik connectors exclusively for all the many cables I've built in the last couple of years. The 3.5mm stereo plug part number is NYS231G, currently selling for $1.47 at Mouser (www.mouser.com). The Mouser site does show they have very limited stock of these right now. I think they are also available from Parts Express online as well. 73... Randy, W8FN I'd suggest buying a good brand of plug and using it to replace the crummy ones. I'll be trying that to see if it makes a difference. Here's hoping that Switchcraft hasn't been bought out by some gang of quality-wrecking sharks. Maybe I'll lay in a lifetime supply while I'm at it... __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
[Elecraft] Problem with my K3
I need some advice. I had the K3 on this afternoon and tuned to the low end of 20M (about 14.001x). I had been going into and out of the shack with the radio in receive mode. I went into the shack and heard a continuous string of dots. I tried to tune the signal, only to realize that it was my sidetone (the watt meter in the SB200 was bouncing). I had to turn off the power supply to stop it. When I powered it back on, the ERR KEY message was displayed. I looked it up and saw that the key line must be active at power on. I disconnected the Bencher paddle, and the ERR message went away. It appears that the dot contact on the Bencher had changed enough to make it touch. I adjusted the paddle, and that problem went away. The problem now is that on 20M, keying the radio gives a HI SWR message and the SWR indicates 99.9:1. This is with either the 20M antenna or a dummy load. The other bands appear to be fine. I fear that I may have fried something in the 20M output circuit. Any suggestions? Help please! 73, Phil, NS7P __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] Problem with my K3
Obvious suggestion, but did you check antenna port assignment on 20M? Could you have inadvertently changed it from ANT1 to ANT2 or something on that order? Grant/NQ5T On Sep 18, 2010, at 5:33 PM, Phil and Christina wrote: The problem now is that on 20M, keying the radio gives a HI SWR message and the SWR indicates 99.9:1. This is with either the 20M antenna or a dummy load. The other bands appear to be fine. I fear that I may have fried something in the 20M output circuit. Any suggestions? Help please! __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] K3 beginners config setting?
Check your email my friend, check your email.. LOL Date: Sat, 18 Sep 2010 16:33:41 -0500 From: k5oai@gmail.com To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net Subject: Re: [Elecraft] K3 beginners config setting? OK then how about a tutorial explaining what each setting does if you went this way or that way from the defaults and how that changes related to the different modes? something like an expanded version of: AGC PLS = NOR. I used this on, Seems to help with fast static crashes... Kind of. or this AGC DCY = NOR. I use this in NOR Most of the time. However, when there's lots of stations in a pile up I tend to turn it on to Soft with the AGC set to SLOW. It helps separate the stations from one another. above were partial quotes from one of the list members... it would be great to have all this info posted here, and then perhaps someone(s) could get it up on a web site, that wouldn't disappear shortly afterwards. -- GB 73 K5OAI Sam Morgan On 9/18/2010 4:21 PM, Hank Garretson wrote: On Sat, Sep 18, 2010 at 2:18 PM, ussv dharmaussvdha...@yahoo.com wrote: Perhaps, since the K3 IS so versitle, there should be a setting for beginners. Using this setting sets everything to a reasonable setting for us that dont understand all the K3 settings. I dont mean a reset, but one for beginners. The Elecraft K3 default settings!?!? 73, Hank, W6SX Mammoth Lakes, California Elevation 8083 feet in John Muir's Range of Light __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] Elecraft Digest, Vol 77, Issue 27
Hi All, I assembled and installed P3 s/n 497 this week, and it all works perfectly. Here are a couple of suggestions for firmware upgrades that I think would make the P3 more functional when it's used with a K3 (in addition, of course, to wider span range). I understand that some of these suggestions may not have broad enough appeal to warrant serious consideration, and I'm sure some have been previously mentioned. 1. The Center Frequency adjust isn't well described in the manual. Currently, it's really just a fixed offset from the K3 VFO A frequency, and moves as the K3 is tuned. To me, once selected, the center frequency should stay put. This seems so obvious to me that I wonder if the current implementation is actually just a firmware bug? 2. The Tap=QSY feature is nice, but it would be more convenient if the the K3 actually tuned in the peak being clicked on. Thus, if the K3 was on USB, it would QSY to the appropriate place on the peak signal's bandpass -- kind of an autotune, or AFC mode, analogous to that the K3 now uses for autotuning CW signals. 3. A Peak Search feature, which tuned the K3 to the biggest peak on the P3 display, would be useful on the 10m and 6m bands, where there is very often very little activity. A refinement on this concept would be a Peak Search Right and Peak Search Left mode. These are common features on spectrum analyzers. 4. Band Limit Settings on the P3, like those implemented on the IC-7700 and IC-7800. Here, one would specify upper and lower band frequencies (e.g., L=7000 kHz and U = 7300 kHz), so that whenever the K3 was tuned to a ham band, the P3 would show the selected fixed frequency range as a menu option. 5. Encoder default setting: It would be helpful if a menu choice could set the encoder so that it defaulted to Span or Level, when no other function had selected it. 6. Assign unused FN1 - FN8 to K3 functions. I suspect most P3 users will not assign all eight FN buttons to P3 menu functions. Since the P3 and K3 talk to each other via the RS232C port, how about using spare FN buttons to control K3 functions? In my case, I'd like to have dedicated mode buttons for SSB, CW, AM, etc., or possibly for band changes. 7. Color choices on the LCD. Currently, the P3 uses only white, blue and yellow. Assuming the display is actually capable of other colors, it would be nice to give operators a choice of other color combinations. (The current color choices are pretty, but a bit jarring next to the orange display on the K3!) 8. A brief explanation of spectrum analyzer terminology (since, the P3 is really just a spectrum analyzer) would be a nice appendix to the manual. For example, I suspect many users aren't familiar with the meaning of resolution bandwidth, why the sweep rate changes with span width, etc. I'm sure a short tutorial would be appreciated by many owners. Thanks and 73, Jim Garland W8ZR __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
[Elecraft] Oops!
The subject of my previous email was supposed to be Proposed P3 Firmware Upgrades Sorry! Jim W8ZR __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] Problem with my K3
Hi all, Thank you for the suggestion about ANT2. I had inadvertently switched 20M over to the unterminated ANT2 connector. All is well now. Assuming I don't get written up for transmitting 20 or 30 minutes of 25 wpm dots at 14.001 MHz (hi). I had the Bencher contacts locked down tightly, but I guess I had the spacing too close for the paddle's tolerances (it was cool in the shack). 73, Phil, NS7P -Original Message- From: Tom Hammond [mailto:n...@embarqmail.com] Sent: Saturday, September 18, 2010 3:57 PM To: Phil and Christina Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Problem with my K3 Phil: Any chance you might have, by accident, switched to an empty ANT2...??? 73, Tom N0SS At 17:33 09/18/2010, you wrote: I need some advice. I had the K3 on this afternoon and tuned to the low end of 20M (about 14.001x). I had been going into and out of the shack with the radio in receive mode. I went into the shack and heard a continuous string of dots. I tried to tune the signal, only to realize that it was my sidetone (the watt meter in the SB200 was bouncing). I had to turn off the power supply to stop it. When I powered it back on, the ERR KEY message was displayed. I looked it up and saw that the key line must be active at power on. I disconnected the Bencher paddle, and the ERR message went away. It appears that the dot contact on the Bencher had changed enough to make it touch. I adjusted the paddle, and that problem went away. The problem now is that on 20M, keying the radio gives a HI SWR message and the SWR indicates 99.9:1. This is with either the 20M antenna or a dummy load. The other bands appear to be fine. I fear that I may have fried something in the 20M output circuit. Any suggestions? Help please! 73, Phil, NS7P __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
[Elecraft] K2 #6980 - WOW, it works!
This is one sweet rig - I'm about to begin the final part, Part III, but I've already wasted the last two hours just listening to and playing around with what I've built so far. I can't seem to turn the power off because I'm having way too much fun. So far, everything - except for the outer and inner problem with C5 - has gone off perfectly. I thought it would take me a month to build and align this kit. Instead, it looks like I'll be finished this weekend and fully on the air next week. And I only began building a few days ago. I'm already beginning to really appreciate the ergonomics of the K2 compared to the IC-7000 I just sold off. Stan Levandowski WB2LQF HF QRP CW -- Doing more with less for over 50 years! QCWA #35038 OOTC #4558 NAQCC #4740 SKCC #6488 FISTS #14992 __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] Problem with my K3
A fairly common occurrence. Those of us with cats or small children get in the habit of clicking off the VOX any time we walk away from the radio. But it's not a bad idea for everyone. Kids are grown up now, still got the cat. 73 -- Carl WS7L Assuming I don't get written up for transmitting 20 or 30 minutes of 25 wpm dots at 14.001 MHz (hi). __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] Problem with my K3
Thanks again for all of the suggestions. The K3 came through fine. Just a bit of a red face for me. ;) I will still be on the net tomorrow. 73, Phil, NS7P -Original Message- From: Grant Youngman [mailto:n...@tx.rr.com] Sent: Saturday, September 18, 2010 4:11 PM To: Elecraft Reflector Cc: Phil and Christina Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Problem with my K3 Obvious suggestion, but did you check antenna port assignment on 20M? Could you have inadvertently changed it from ANT1 to ANT2 or something on that order? Grant/NQ5T On Sep 18, 2010, at 5:33 PM, Phil and Christina wrote: The problem now is that on 20M, keying the radio gives a HI SWR message and the SWR indicates 99.9:1. This is with either the 20M antenna or a dummy load. The other bands appear to be fine. I fear that I may have fried something in the 20M output circuit. Any suggestions? Help please! __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] Elecraft Digest, Vol 77, Issue 27
Before we ask for Fn keys to be assignable to the K3 we may want to know just what added FW and HW are proposed for the P3? The future options may require or be better suitable with available Fn keys on the P3? Just thinkin out loud..:-) Gary On Sun, Sep 19, 2010 at 9:44 AM, 4CX250B 4cx2...@muohio.edu wrote: Hi All, I assembled and installed P3 s/n 497 this week, and it all works perfectly. Here are a couple of suggestions for firmware upgrades that I think would make the P3 more functional when it's used with a K3 (in addition, of course, to wider span range). I understand that some of these suggestions may not have broad enough appeal to warrant serious consideration, and I'm sure some have been previously mentioned. 1. The Center Frequency adjust isn't well described in the manual. Currently, it's really just a fixed offset from the K3 VFO A frequency, and moves as the K3 is tuned. To me, once selected, the center frequency should stay put. This seems so obvious to me that I wonder if the current implementation is actually just a firmware bug? 2. The Tap=QSY feature is nice, but it would be more convenient if the the K3 actually tuned in the peak being clicked on. Thus, if the K3 was on USB, it would QSY to the appropriate place on the peak signal's bandpass -- kind of an autotune, or AFC mode, analogous to that the K3 now uses for autotuning CW signals. 3. A Peak Search feature, which tuned the K3 to the biggest peak on the P3 display, would be useful on the 10m and 6m bands, where there is very often very little activity. A refinement on this concept would be a Peak Search Right and Peak Search Left mode. These are common features on spectrum analyzers. 4. Band Limit Settings on the P3, like those implemented on the IC-7700 and IC-7800. Here, one would specify upper and lower band frequencies (e.g., L=7000 kHz and U = 7300 kHz), so that whenever the K3 was tuned to a ham band, the P3 would show the selected fixed frequency range as a menu option. 5. Encoder default setting: It would be helpful if a menu choice could set the encoder so that it defaulted to Span or Level, when no other function had selected it. 6. Assign unused FN1 - FN8 to K3 functions. I suspect most P3 users will not assign all eight FN buttons to P3 menu functions. Since the P3 and K3 talk to each other via the RS232C port, how about using spare FN buttons to control K3 functions? In my case, I'd like to have dedicated mode buttons for SSB, CW, AM, etc., or possibly for band changes. 7. Color choices on the LCD. Currently, the P3 uses only white, blue and yellow. Assuming the display is actually capable of other colors, it would be nice to give operators a choice of other color combinations. (The current color choices are pretty, but a bit jarring next to the orange display on the K3!) 8. A brief explanation of spectrum analyzer terminology (since, the P3 is really just a spectrum analyzer) would be a nice appendix to the manual. For example, I suspect many users aren't familiar with the meaning of resolution bandwidth, why the sweep rate changes with span width, etc. I'm sure a short tutorial would be appreciated by many owners. Thanks and 73, Jim Garland W8ZR __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html -- Gary VK4FD - Motorhome Mobile http://www.qsl.net/vk4fd/ K3 #679 For everything else there's Mastercard!!! __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
[Elecraft] P3: QSY knob mod
I use the P3 with a fairly wide span to spot and pounce on signals in the CW bands. The P3 is near the edge of the table and I find myself most comfortable when placing the heel of my hand on the table edge and twirling the QSY knob with the index and middle fingers to move the cursor around the band. This was hard to do with the stock knob, it seemed a bit small and I needed a little more friction also. While rummaging around in a drawer I found a couple of those dipped vinyl protective caps used made to fit SO-239 connectors was inspired. One of these fits snugly over the P3 QSY knob. It fattens the knob considerably and offers a lot more friction. I can twirl away effortlessly now, and tapping is easy too. Here's a photo link: http://www.whitemesa.com/nw8l/images/p3-knob.jpg Bob NW8L __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] Problem with my K3
Once a cleaning lady pushed a book against a microphone switch on a two meter rig, and it keyed up the 5 state Mt. Beacon, NY 146.97 repeater for nearly 20 hours before it was located with direction finding gear. What was amazing was that it didn't set the room on fire. The door to the shack was closed to the room as was its window, and when we went upstairs with the very red-faced ham and opened the door, the temp was easily 120 degrees inside. The 2 meter transmitter was a converted tube type mobile phone that ran nearly 100 watts to a ceramic transmitting tube. His friends found out about it because some of them heard us on an alternate wide coverage repeater chasing it down and showed up as we were leaving. Probably never lived it down. A friend in the Raleigh area with a good signal on 80 meters in the Sweepstakes, left the rig to get a snack, but forgot to turn off his auto-CQ which auto resumed. While in the kitchen he decided to take a nap. Lot of people answered his CQ but got no reply. He claims that he just sat back down to the rig a half hour later and started working people. It took a bunch of us in the local club to convince him that he had really done it. I'm still not sure he really believed us. Stuff happens. 73, Guy. On Sat, Sep 18, 2010 at 8:08 PM, Carl Clawson carlclaw...@verizon.netwrote: A fairly common occurrence. Those of us with cats or small children get in the habit of clicking off the VOX any time we walk away from the radio. But it's not a bad idea for everyone. Kids are grown up now, still got the cat. 73 -- Carl WS7L Assuming I don't get written up for transmitting 20 or 30 minutes of 25 wpm dots at 14.001 MHz (hi). __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] P3: QSY knob mod
Hmmm, mind if I steal your idea?...:-) Gary On Sun, Sep 19, 2010 at 11:51 AM, Bob Cunnings bob.cunni...@gmail.comwrote: I use the P3 with a fairly wide span to spot and pounce on signals in the CW bands. The P3 is near the edge of the table and I find myself most comfortable when placing the heel of my hand on the table edge and twirling the QSY knob with the index and middle fingers to move the cursor around the band. This was hard to do with the stock knob, it seemed a bit small and I needed a little more friction also. While rummaging around in a drawer I found a couple of those dipped vinyl protective caps used made to fit SO-239 connectors was inspired. One of these fits snugly over the P3 QSY knob. It fattens the knob considerably and offers a lot more friction. I can twirl away effortlessly now, and tapping is easy too. Here's a photo link: http://www.whitemesa.com/nw8l/images/p3-knob.jpg Bob NW8L __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html -- Gary VK4FD - Motorhome Mobile http://www.qsl.net/vk4fd/ K3 #679 For everything else there's Mastercard!!! __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] P3: QSY knob mod
Gary, Don't steal the idea, just copy it. If asked, give proper credit. 73, Don W3FPR On 9/18/2010 10:01 PM, Gary Gregory wrote: Hmmm, mind if I steal your idea?...:-) Gary On Sun, Sep 19, 2010 at 11:51 AM, Bob Cunningsbob.cunni...@gmail.comwrote: I use the P3 with a fairly wide span to spot and pounce on signals in the CW bands. The P3 is near the edge of the table and I find myself most comfortable when placing the heel of my hand on the table edge and twirling the QSY knob with the index and middle fingers to move the cursor around the band. This was hard to do with the stock knob, it seemed a bit small and I needed a little more friction also. While rummaging around in a drawer I found a couple of those dipped vinyl protective caps used made to fit SO-239 connectors was inspired. One of these fits snugly over the P3 QSY knob. It fattens the knob considerably and offers a lot more friction. I can twirl away effortlessly now, and tapping is easy too. Here's a photo link: http://www.whitemesa.com/nw8l/images/p3-knob.jpg __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
[Elecraft] Elecraft CW Net Announcement
Good Evening, It has been very soggy. Lots of fog rain and now the real thing; in buckets. The new ditching dug this summer will be tested on its way down the mountain. I drove into town earlier and the road is developing a lot of drainage systems right down the middle. I think they should have graded the gravel before the first rains. However, the rainy season is very early. Summer started very late and now it has gone again. I have been checking and the locals are reporting very bad fruit crops. Apple trees have only one or two fruit per tree. Raspberries are only now being harvested. Corn has tassled out but a long way from harvest. Propagation on twenty meters had strong QSB but when the signal was there it was very good. From what I have read folks further east were effected by the deep QSB too during the QRP field event. When I scanned the news on Space Weather I found we are about to have the largest sunspot in quite some time start spewing flares. M class are predicted within the next day or so. Should be an interesting week propagation-wise and for those who enjoy aurora borealis (or australis for that matter). Please join us tomorrow afternoon and evening. 1) Hail signs (first letter or two of the suffix of your call) 2) NCS help (as well as QSP/QNP relay help) Sunday 2200z (Sunday 3 PM PDT) 14050 kHz Monday z (Sunday 5 PM PDT) 7045 kHz Stay well, Kevin. KD5ONS __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] Problem with my K3
Indeed, stuff happens. But it's a sobering reminder that Hams are responsible for securing transmitters so they cannot be operated by an unlicensed individual, much less put in transmit mode accidentally. For most of us, having the shack inside our home eliminates unlicensed operators, but the accidental transmission is just as bad. AFAIK, the FCC doesn't levy huge fines easily to such people, recognizing that accidents can happen, but it's still a very serious violation of the FCC rules. Careless is never an excuse. Part of the design of any Ham station *must* be a positive way of disabling the transmitter(s) when the licensee is not present. Ron AC7AC -Original Message- Once a cleaning lady pushed a book against a microphone switch on a two meter rig, and it keyed up the 5 state Mt. Beacon, NY 146.97 repeater for nearly 20 hours before it was located with direction finding gear. What was amazing was that it didn't set the room on fire. The door to the shack was closed to the room as was its window, and when we went upstairs with the very red-faced ham and opened the door, the temp was easily 120 degrees inside. The 2 meter transmitter was a converted tube type mobile phone that ran nearly 100 watts to a ceramic transmitting tube. His friends found out about it because some of them heard us on an alternate wide coverage repeater chasing it down and showed up as we were leaving. Probably never lived it down. A friend in the Raleigh area with a good signal on 80 meters in the Sweepstakes, left the rig to get a snack, but forgot to turn off his auto-CQ which auto resumed. While in the kitchen he decided to take a nap. Lot of people answered his CQ but got no reply. He claims that he just sat back down to the rig a half hour later and started working people. It took a bunch of us in the local club to convince him that he had really done it. I'm still not sure he really believed us. Stuff happens. 73, Guy. __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] P3: QSY knob mod
Found those caps here: http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.dxengineering.com/Images/TN/78_12_Cap.jpgimgrefurl=http://www.dxengineering.com/Parts.asp%3FID%3D1159%26PLID%3D205%26SecID%3D109%26DeptID%3D32%26PartNo%3DDXE-VC-0612usg=__1zvxrmvcGg7cK5-1IgdnQY4tlB4=h=62w=100sz=3hl=enstart=1zoom=0um=1itbs=1tbnid=kJDNpapL93gBBM:tbnh=51tbnw=82prev=/images%3Fq%3Dso-239%2Bvinyl%2Bcap%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26sa%3DN%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox%26tbs%3Disch:1 Steve - Original Message - From: Bob Cunnings bob.cunni...@gmail.com To: Elecraft Reflector elecraft@mailman.qth.net Sent: Saturday, September 18, 2010 9:51 PM Subject: [Elecraft] P3: QSY knob mod I use the P3 with a fairly wide span to spot and pounce on signals in the CW bands. The P3 is near the edge of the table and I find myself most comfortable when placing the heel of my hand on the table edge and twirling the QSY knob with the index and middle fingers to move the cursor around the band. This was hard to do with the stock knob, it seemed a bit small and I needed a little more friction also. While rummaging around in a drawer I found a couple of those dipped vinyl protective caps used made to fit SO-239 connectors was inspired. One of these fits snugly over the P3 QSY knob. It fattens the knob considerably and offers a lot more friction. I can twirl away effortlessly now, and tapping is easy too. Here's a photo link: http://www.whitemesa.com/nw8l/images/p3-knob.jpg Bob NW8L __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] K2 - Need Some Help!
Stan, glad to see you've got this nailed down now. I suppose, in a strange way, I now feel somewhat less stupid! I had exactly the same interpretive dilemma, made the same incorrect soldering decision, and naturally had the same result-- a deaf K2. I too, did not think of checking the schematic, which would, of course, have cleared things up instantly! And I have a Ph.D that was supposed to teach me critical readings of texts! At least I console myself that C6 was the one and only mistake I made in the whole K2 construction. [Ron (AC7AC) I second Stan's suggested rewording as it seems some of us are just 'different'!] 73 John N6JW K1, K2, K3 [and if UPS are true to their promise, on Monday, P3] owner. -- View this message in context: http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/K2-Need-Some-Help-tp5546298p5546981.html Sent from the Elecraft mailing list archive at Nabble.com. __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
