[Elecraft] Using KX3 with CW Skimmer
Having now given up any hope of ever getting my Perseus SDR to work reliably under Windows 7 with CW Skimmer, I'm now looking for another SDR Rx. I have been using the Perseus as a panadaptor with my K3 for quite a few years. I love Elecraft products and wonder if a KX3 is the way to go? My question is how do you set things up so the KX3 can work with Skimmer? I don't see a KX3 (or K3) option on the Skimmer setup. Assuming there is a way of doing it, what kind of bandwidth is available? I'd also like to know if anyone regularly uses this combination for monitoring propagation using the beacon network on 6m. If so, what are your experiences? Thanks and 73 Denis MW0CBC / GW8OQV __ 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/K3/KX3/P3 Android Phone Apps
I have had many requests from owners of Android phones for an Android version of my apps for the Apple iPhone. I am happy to announce that the following micro manuals are all available for Android phones now: 1. K3/KX3 Programmer's Reference 2. K3 Micro Manual 3. P3 Micro Manual 4. KX3 Micro Manual 5. K2 Micro Manual You can find these apps in Google Play. Just do a search for 'mike downs, ks7d'. Note that the minimum required Android version is Jelly Bean Version 4.1 (API level 16). Unfortunately, there is a glitch in earlier versions of Google's Android operating system that prevent these apps from functioning, so I have had to design them all for Version 4.1 and above. I hope you find these apps useful, and that they make operating your Elecraft rigs more efficient and enjoyable from wherever you are - at home or on the road. None of these apps requires an Internet connection, so they will operate from anywhere. Happy Elecrafting. 73, Mike, ks7d __ 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/K3/KX3/P3 Android Phone Apps
Hi Mike, Tnx for the nifty apps. Just purchased the K2 Micro Manual. Always happy to help support a fellow ARO. Take care es... Vy 73 de Bert WA2SI Sent from my android device. -Original Message- From: Michael Downs k...@verizon.net To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net Reflector elecraft@mailman.qth.net Sent: Sat, 28 Sep 2013 6:59 Subject: [Elecraft] K2/K3/KX3/P3 Android Phone Apps I have had many requests from owners of Android phones for an Android version of my apps for the Apple iPhone. I am happy to announce that the following micro manuals are all available for Android phones now: 1. K3/KX3 Programmer's Reference 2. K3 Micro Manual 3. P3 Micro Manual 4. KX3 Micro Manual 5. K2 Micro Manual You can find these apps in Google Play. Just do a search for 'mike downs, ks7d'. Note that the minimum required Android version is Jelly Bean Version 4.1 (API level 16). Unfortunately, there is a glitch in earlier versions of Google's Android operating system that prevent these apps from functioning, so I have had to design them all for Version 4.1 and above. I hope you find these apps useful, and that they make operating your Elecraft rigs more efficient and enjoyable from wherever you are - at home or on the road. None of these apps requires an Internet connection, so they will operate from anywhere. Happy Elecrafting. 73, Mike, ks7d __ 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/K3/KX3/P3 Android Phone Apps
These are excellent! Glad to see them on Android devices! Tnx es 73! Randy, KS4L On Sep 28, 2013, at 5:59 AM, Michael Downs k...@verizon.net wrote: I have had many requests from owners of Android phones for an Android version of my apps for the Apple iPhone. I am happy to announce that the following micro manuals are all available for Android phones now: 1. K3/KX3 Programmer's Reference 2. K3 Micro Manual 3. P3 Micro Manual 4. KX3 Micro Manual 5. K2 Micro Manual You can find these apps in Google Play. Just do a search for 'mike downs, ks7d'. Note that the minimum required Android version is Jelly Bean Version 4.1 (API level 16). Unfortunately, there is a glitch in earlier versions of Google's Android operating system that prevent these apps from functioning, so I have had to design them all for Version 4.1 and above. I hope you find these apps useful, and that they make operating your Elecraft rigs more efficient and enjoyable from wherever you are - at home or on the road. None of these apps requires an Internet connection, so they will operate from anywhere. Happy Elecrafting. 73, Mike, ks7d __ 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] mods to K2 Propagation
One way to quantitatively evaluate power versus probability of communicating is to use the VOACAP Online tool: http://www.voacap.com/prediction.html The tool includes transmitter power at several steps, 1, 5, 10, 50, 100, etc. Set the transmitter at your location and the receiver about 1300 miles away, optimal first hop for a 20 Degree radiation elevation angle. Then keeping all parameters constant, run a few prediction at various power levels and evaluate the area of the 90-100% probability on the resulting prediction plots. The resulting plot includes 10 lines, representing the 10% probability steps. John KN5L __ 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] [KPA500] Suggested checklist for installing KPA and KAT with K3?
All, Thanks for the comments. No one has mentioned anything other than the USB to Serial so maybe I have everything else covered (fat chance!). I planned to use the single USB to Serial along with the switch because I already had all the cables and adaptors and the switch on hand and rarely have used the K3 utility. I will look at the Gearmo and probably pick one up since I currently will be using most of my serial cables even though I would only be using one of the USB to Serial cables. I definitely do not want to use up all of my individual USB to Serial (I think I only have three unused ones at the moment). I am not a DXer or contester and doubt there will be features I will need to change on the fly. I suspect this will be a set up once and forget about it configuration for me. Thanks again. Chuck, W5UXH -- View this message in context: http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/KPA500-Suggested-checklist-for-installing-KPA-and-KAT-with-K3-tp7579314p7579326.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
[Elecraft] K3 Noise when moving KX3 VFO
Hello, Here is a weird problem. I have two dipoles in the backyard, one connected directly to a K3/10 and the other to a KX3. * No external tuners or any other equipment in the middle * K3/10 is on 40 meters to 7.187.00 * KX3 tuned to the same frequency * KX3 powered by internal batteries (same problem with external power) At this point if I tune around with the KX3 (between 7.184 and 7.186.75) and the K3 stays on the same frequency, you can hear a loud tone on the K3. Here is the video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DgHUcYxjVc In the video, the KX3 is on mute initially. All the audio (receive and tone) is from the K3. Is the KX3 generating some noise offset around the center frequency? -- VaibhaV __ 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 Noise when moving KX3 VFO
The KX3 has some leakage of the local oscillator when receiving. You can elimination this by turning on the isolation prepamp. Use the RX ISO menu item. See page 38 in the manual. wunder K6WRU On Sep 28, 2013, at 7:56 AM, VaibhaV Sharma wrote: Hello, Here is a weird problem. I have two dipoles in the backyard, one connected directly to a K3/10 and the other to a KX3. * No external tuners or any other equipment in the middle * K3/10 is on 40 meters to 7.187.00 * KX3 tuned to the same frequency * KX3 powered by internal batteries (same problem with external power) At this point if I tune around with the KX3 (between 7.184 and 7.186.75) and the K3 stays on the same frequency, you can hear a loud tone on the K3. Here is the video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DgHUcYxjVc In the video, the KX3 is on mute initially. All the audio (receive and tone) is from the K3. Is the KX3 generating some noise offset around the center frequency? -- VaibhaV __ 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 -- Walter Underwood wun...@wunderwood.org __ 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] Antenna suggestions, resent
Vic, Too bad you cannot consider a yagi for 20-10m. That would sit on a mast secured to the small roof-top building. So a 30x 10 foot space? I wonder if the 20x10 foot building extends beyond the 30x20 area? It it extends so total length is 50-feet You could put up a doublet across the length, either horizontal with 8 foot droop on both ends for full length half-wave on 40m or perhaps a pole in the center for inverted-V. Another idea is 50-foot with 8-footlegs at right angles but horizontal at the same height. Or consider a 120-foot horizontal loop if there are places for four support poles. Being on roof of ten stories means the wire does not need to be very high. An automatic tuner at the roof would finish off any multiband antenna with single coax run to shack. To add 6m/2m simple solution is a base-loaded 5/8 6m wave vertical (could be a mobile whip). They load fine on 2m as well (trick of VHF mobile stations). 73, Ed - KL7UW -- Date: Fri, 27 Sep 2013 21:47:41 -0700 From: Vic, K2VCO k2vco@gmail.com To: elecraft Reflector elecraft@mailman.qth.net Subject: [Elecraft] Antenna suggestions, resent Message-ID: 52465f6d.9060...@gmail.com Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed I just realized that my previous message was sent in html format. Which means that the reflector stripped the text! That explains some of the answers... Here is what I meant to ask: -- I am moving to an apartment on the top floor of a 10 story building. I have access to the roof which has a 30' x 10' flat space. On one edge of this space is a building 9' high with a flat roof of about 10' x 20'. I can put up antennas on top of this little building and on the flat area mentioned above. But there is a catch: the antenna has to be either a wire antenna, or substantially vertical. If vertical, it can't exceed 29' in height above the roof of the small building. Beams not allowed! I want to operate on 40 through 15 meters. The antenna needs to be able to handle 1500w. I prefer horizontal antennas because of the extra gain and lower noise pickup. I prefer a balanced antenna because of noise and RFI considerations. But I'll consider other options if there are overriding advantages. Suggestions 73, Ed - KL7UW http://www.kl7uw.com dubus...@gmail.com Kits made by KL7UW __ 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] mods to K2
Vic K2VCO-2 wrote This argument will never die. But remember the last time you called CQ and a station came back that you could hear, but not copy. (I'm thinking CW, but it also applies to SSB). You know he is in there, but despite struggling with the narrowest possible bandwidth and every trick your receiver is capable of, you just can't get his call as he floats in and out of the noise. I maintain that even ONE dB matters in this situation. IMHO 1 dB absolutely matters when signals are at or below the noise floor. I've lost several QSOs while activating SOTA summits for exactly the reason Vic described above. I find myself wanting my Beverages (at home) or the K3's APF, neither of which is available on a summit while using my K2. AB7E made a very useful set of recordings which demonstrates differences in weak signal copy in background noise. They also demonstrate why you should not send at QRQ speeds when signals are weak (an exception to this is when lightning crashes are prevalent). http://www.ab7e.com/weak_signal/mdd.html It's interesting to note significant differences in various SOTA activators ability to copy my signal from a summit (i.e. Summit-to-Summit QSOs). I usually hear other SOTAs well but some are deaf as stones. I believe this is due to inexperience by some in copying weak signals. 73, Bill W4ZV -- View this message in context: http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/mods-to-K2-tp7579293p7579329.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
[Elecraft] P3 Freezing while in RX
My P3 is freezing while in RX mode, no transmit. I have a K3 -P3-KAT500 and KPA500 My firmware for P3 is MCU 01.26 I have beads on all cables going to the P3 and I am using a separate power supply Any thoughts? __ 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] SoundCards
On 9/27/2013 11:22 PM, Chuck Smallhouse wrote: Can you give us the model numbers of the Numark and the Tascam USB Sound cards that you recommend ? The Numark doesn't have a number, or at least I've never found one, and I don't remember the number of the Tascam (the one I have has long been discontinued). BH Photo in NYC is a great vendor for this stuff, and has good prices. Search their website for Numark USB and Tascam USB, sort by price. They will be the cheapest of those brands. Both units and RCA stereo Line inputs and outputs, and RIAA phono inputs. The Tascam has more inputs, including for a mic and guitar, and is even a small mixer. 73, Jim K9YC __ 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 Blinking Annunciators
I don't recall where I found this but hopefully it will be of help to K2 owners: K2 Blinking Annunciators Decimal right of 1 kHz digit = LOCK On MHz Decimal= SCAN On Decimal left of Mode Ind= AGC Off NB Ind= LO NB THRESHOLD On A or B Ind = SPLIT On CW Mode Ind = CW TEST On CW Mode Ind CFCF = FAST PLAY On (CW memories) USB/LSB Mode Ind= VOX On 73, Bill W4ZV -- View this message in context: http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/f-blinking-on-display-tp7579304p7579332.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] Antenna suggestions, resent
Look up a cobweb antenna, it's a folded dipole design that works quite well. I built one and I really like the performance. Thanks Don Sent from my iPad On Sep 28, 2013, at 5:01 PM, Edward R Cole kl...@acsalaska.net wrote: Vic, Too bad you cannot consider a yagi for 20-10m. That would sit on a mast secured to the small roof-top building. So a 30x 10 foot space? I wonder if the 20x10 foot building extends beyond the 30x20 area? It it extends so total length is 50-feet You could put up a doublet across the length, either horizontal with 8 foot droop on both ends for full length half-wave on 40m or perhaps a pole in the center for inverted-V. Another idea is 50-foot with 8-footlegs at right angles but horizontal at the same height. Or consider a 120-foot horizontal loop if there are places for four support poles. Being on roof of ten stories means the wire does not need to be very high. An automatic tuner at the roof would finish off any multiband antenna with single coax run to shack. To add 6m/2m simple solution is a base-loaded 5/8 6m wave vertical (could be a mobile whip). They load fine on 2m as well (trick of VHF mobile stations). 73, Ed - KL7UW -- Date: Fri, 27 Sep 2013 21:47:41 -0700 From: Vic, K2VCO k2vco@gmail.com To: elecraft Reflector elecraft@mailman.qth.net Subject: [Elecraft] Antenna suggestions, resent Message-ID: 52465f6d.9060...@gmail.com Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed I just realized that my previous message was sent in html format. Which means that the reflector stripped the text! That explains some of the answers... Here is what I meant to ask: -- I am moving to an apartment on the top floor of a 10 story building. I have access to the roof which has a 30' x 10' flat space. On one edge of this space is a building 9' high with a flat roof of about 10' x 20'. I can put up antennas on top of this little building and on the flat area mentioned above. But there is a catch: the antenna has to be either a wire antenna, or substantially vertical. If vertical, it can't exceed 29' in height above the roof of the small building. Beams not allowed! I want to operate on 40 through 15 meters. The antenna needs to be able to handle 1500w. I prefer horizontal antennas because of the extra gain and lower noise pickup. I prefer a balanced antenna because of noise and RFI considerations. But I'll consider other options if there are overriding advantages. Suggestions 73, Ed - KL7UW http://www.kl7uw.com dubus...@gmail.com Kits made by KL7UW __ 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] Antenna suggestions, resent
Here is a diagram of my space (use fixed width font): || | | || | | || | | |- | | | | | The small rectangle on top is a small building (10'x20') on top of the roof of the 10-story apartment building. Actually, it will be my bedroom (and, I think, shack). The larger rectangle is the roof area at my disposal. It is about 10' x 30' plus the areas at the side of the building. The rest of my apartment is below the roof. I would love to put a little roof tower on the building with a beam on it! But as far as I know, that is not allowed. I am thinking about verticals, about 3 fiberglass masts holding up a shortened 40m dipole, etc. For 6 and 2 m I have 3 element beams which are small enough that they will be allowed. On 9/28/13 8:01 AM, Edward R Cole wrote: Vic, Too bad you cannot consider a yagi for 20-10m. That would sit on a mast secured to the small roof-top building. So a 30x 10 foot space? I wonder if the 20x10 foot building extends beyond the 30x20 area? It it extends so total length is 50-feet You could put up a doublet across the length, either horizontal with 8 foot droop on both ends for full length half-wave on 40m or perhaps a pole in the center for inverted-V. Another idea is 50-foot with 8-footlegs at right angles but horizontal at the same height. Or consider a 120-foot horizontal loop if there are places for four support poles. Being on roof of ten stories means the wire does not need to be very high. An automatic tuner at the roof would finish off any multiband antenna with single coax run to shack. To add 6m/2m simple solution is a base-loaded 5/8 6m wave vertical (could be a mobile whip). They load fine on 2m as well (trick of VHF mobile stations). 73, Ed - KL7UW -- Date: Fri, 27 Sep 2013 21:47:41 -0700 From: Vic, K2VCO k2vco@gmail.com To: elecraft Reflector elecraft@mailman.qth.net Subject: [Elecraft] Antenna suggestions, resent Message-ID: 52465f6d.9060...@gmail.com Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed I just realized that my previous message was sent in html format. Which means that the reflector stripped the text! That explains some of the answers... Here is what I meant to ask: -- I am moving to an apartment on the top floor of a 10 story building. I have access to the roof which has a 30' x 10' flat space. On one edge of this space is a building 9' high with a flat roof of about 10' x 20'. I can put up antennas on top of this little building and on the flat area mentioned above. But there is a catch: the antenna has to be either a wire antenna, or substantially vertical. If vertical, it can't exceed 29' in height above the roof of the small building. Beams not allowed! I want to operate on 40 through 15 meters. The antenna needs to be able to handle 1500w. I prefer horizontal antennas because of the extra gain and lower noise pickup. I prefer a balanced antenna because of noise and RFI considerations. But I'll consider other options if there are overriding advantages. Suggestions 73, Ed - KL7UW http://www.kl7uw.com dubus...@gmail.com Kits made by KL7UW __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html -- Vic, K2VCO Fresno CA http://www.qsl.net/k2vco/ __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] Antenna suggestions, resent
Hi Vic, You have a perfect place, I love it. No.. not a lotta real estate.. but it is wonderful How about... a a high as you can vertical on the top of your shack to be.. with 30 - 40 radials laid out and held in place with sand bags, bricks, or the like.. maybe just tied to the edge... make them long enough to reach the edge of the roof. If you can getthe vertical to be 43 or so ft high.. that's even better. Base feed with an auto tuner. Second... a wire beam.. laid out at a convenient height on the big roof.. built to face East. or a J-K beam to face e-w. Look at the Great Circle map to face to where you want to talk tothe most. Yes.. it would take a bit of planning ahead... but you could even rotate it.. say for the all asian contest... or for the TX QP.. move it a day ahead of the event.For the domestic contests... face towards the middle of the country. No problem. The vertical will do dx very nicely from there... and the wire beam would do domestic nice too.Good L uck, Oh.. and for vhf.. a J-pole does great from that high. Have a great day, --... ...-- Dale - WC7S in Wy Date: Sat, 28 Sep 2013 11:37:32 -0700 From: k2vco@gmail.com To: kl...@acsalaska.net; elecraft@mailman.qth.net Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Antenna suggestions, resent Here is a diagram of my space (use fixed width font): || | | || | | || | | |- | | | | | The small rectangle on top is a small building (10'x20') on top of the roof of the 10-story apartment building. Actually, it will be my bedroom (and, I think, shack). The larger rectangle is the roof area at my disposal. It is about 10' x 30' plus the areas at the side of the building. The rest of my apartment is below the roof. I would love to put a little roof tower on the building with a beam on it! But as far as I know, that is not allowed. I am thinking about verticals, about 3 fiberglass masts holding up a shortened 40m dipole, etc. For 6 and 2 m I have 3 element beams which are small enough that they will be allowed. On 9/28/13 8:01 AM, Edward R Cole wrote: Vic, Too bad you cannot consider a yagi for 20-10m. That would sit on a mast secured to the small roof-top building. So a 30x 10 foot space? I wonder if the 20x10 foot building extends beyond the 30x20 area? It it extends so total length is 50-feet You could put up a doublet across the length, either horizontal with 8 foot droop on both ends for full length half-wave on 40m or perhaps a pole in the center for inverted-V. Another idea is 50-foot with 8-footlegs at right angles but horizontal at the same height. Or consider a 120-foot horizontal loop if there are places for four support poles. Being on roof of ten stories means the wire does not need to be very high. An automatic tuner at the roof would finish off any multiband antenna with single coax run to shack. To add 6m/2m simple solution is a base-loaded 5/8 6m wave vertical (could be a mobile whip). They load fine on 2m as well (trick of VHF mobile stations). 73, Ed - KL7UW -- Date: Fri, 27 Sep 2013 21:47:41 -0700 From: Vic, K2VCO k2vco@gmail.com To: elecraft Reflector elecraft@mailman.qth.net Subject: [Elecraft] Antenna suggestions, resent Message-ID: 52465f6d.9060...@gmail.com Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed I just realized that my previous message was sent in html format. Which means that the reflector stripped the text! That explains some of the answers... Here is what I meant to ask: -- I am moving to an apartment on the top floor of a 10 story building. I have access to the roof which has a 30' x 10' flat space. On one edge of this space is a building 9' high with a flat roof of about 10' x 20'. I can put up antennas on top of this little building and on the flat area mentioned above. But there is a catch: the antenna has to be either a wire antenna, or substantially vertical. If vertical, it can't exceed 29' in height above the roof of the small building. Beams not allowed! I want to operate on 40 through 15 meters. The antenna needs to be able to handle 1500w. I prefer horizontal antennas because of the extra gain and lower noise pickup. I prefer a balanced antenna because of noise and RFI considerations. But I'll consider other options if there are overriding advantages. Suggestions 73, Ed - KL7UW http://www.kl7uw.com dubus...@gmail.com Kits made by KL7UW __ Elecraft mailing
Re: [Elecraft] Antenna suggestions, resent
Don't discard the magnetic loop as a possibility: http://radiopreppers.com/index.php/topic,180.0.html Gil. -- PGP Key: http://keskydee.com/gil.asc __ 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] Antenna suggestions, resent
Go for the beam ... a pair of butternut verticals and phase 'em! ... maybe three in a triangle for more directions. 73, Mike WA5POK -- From: Dale Putnam daleput...@hotmail.com Sent: Saturday, September 28, 2013 2:49 PM To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net; k2vco@gmail.com Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Antenna suggestions, resent Hi Vic, You have a perfect place, I love it. No.. not a lotta real estate.. but it is wonderful How about... a a high as you can vertical on the top of your shack to be.. with 30 - 40 radials laid out and held in place with sand bags, bricks, or the like.. maybe just tied to the edge... make them long enough to reach the edge of the roof. If you can getthe vertical to be 43 or so ft high.. that's even better. Base feed with an auto tuner. Second... a wire beam.. laid out at a convenient height on the big roof.. built to face East. or a J-K beam to face e-w. Look at the Great Circle map to face to where you want to talk tothe most. Yes.. it would take a bit of planning ahead... but you could even rotate it.. say for the all asian contest... or for the TX QP.. move it a day ahead of the event.For the domestic contests... face towards the middle of the country. No problem. The vertical will do dx very nicely from there... and the wire beam would do domestic nice too.Good L uck, Oh.. and for vhf.. a J-pole does great from that high. Have a great day, --... ...-- Dale - WC7S in Wy Date: Sat, 28 Sep 2013 11:37:32 -0700 From: k2vco@gmail.com To: kl...@acsalaska.net; elecraft@mailman.qth.net Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Antenna suggestions, resent Here is a diagram of my space (use fixed width font): || | | || | | || | | |- | | | | | The small rectangle on top is a small building (10'x20') on top of the roof of the 10-story apartment building. Actually, it will be my bedroom (and, I think, shack). The larger rectangle is the roof area at my disposal. It is about 10' x 30' plus the areas at the side of the building. The rest of my apartment is below the roof. I would love to put a little roof tower on the building with a beam on it! But as far as I know, that is not allowed. I am thinking about verticals, about 3 fiberglass masts holding up a shortened 40m dipole, etc. For 6 and 2 m I have 3 element beams which are small enough that they will be allowed. On 9/28/13 8:01 AM, Edward R Cole wrote: Vic, Too bad you cannot consider a yagi for 20-10m. That would sit on a mast secured to the small roof-top building. So a 30x 10 foot space? I wonder if the 20x10 foot building extends beyond the 30x20 area? It it extends so total length is 50-feet You could put up a doublet across the length, either horizontal with 8 foot droop on both ends for full length half-wave on 40m or perhaps a pole in the center for inverted-V. Another idea is 50-foot with 8-footlegs at right angles but horizontal at the same height. Or consider a 120-foot horizontal loop if there are places for four support poles. Being on roof of ten stories means the wire does not need to be very high. An automatic tuner at the roof would finish off any multiband antenna with single coax run to shack. To add 6m/2m simple solution is a base-loaded 5/8 6m wave vertical (could be a mobile whip). They load fine on 2m as well (trick of VHF mobile stations). 73, Ed - KL7UW -- Date: Fri, 27 Sep 2013 21:47:41 -0700 From: Vic, K2VCO k2vco@gmail.com To: elecraft Reflector elecraft@mailman.qth.net Subject: [Elecraft] Antenna suggestions, resent Message-ID: 52465f6d.9060...@gmail.com Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed I just realized that my previous message was sent in html format. Which means that the reflector stripped the text! That explains some of the answers... Here is what I meant to ask: -- I am moving to an apartment on the top floor of a 10 story building. I have access to the roof which has a 30' x 10' flat space. On one edge of this space is a building 9' high with a flat roof of about 10' x 20'. I can put up antennas on top of this little building and on the flat area mentioned above. But there is a catch: the antenna has to be either a wire antenna, or substantially vertical. If vertical, it can't exceed 29' in height above the roof of the small building. Beams not allowed! I want to operate on 40 through 15 meters. The antenna needs to be able to handle 1500w. I prefer horizontal antennas because of the extra gain and lower noise pickup. I prefer a balanced antenna
Re: [Elecraft] P3 Freezing while in RX
Good news, reloading the firmware seemed to do the trick. Thanks for the suggestion. Greg WI4T -- View this message in context: http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/P3-Freezing-while-in-RX-tp7579330p7579338.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] Antenna suggestions, resent
The problem with the magloop is that it's hard to build one that can handle more than about 100 watts. The voltage across the capacitor gets astronomical! On 9/28/13 11:53 AM, Gil G. wrote: Don't discard the magnetic loop as a possibility: http://radiopreppers.com/index.php/topic,180.0.html Gil. -- PGP Key: http://keskydee.com/gil.asc __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html -- Vic, K2VCO Fresno CA http://www.qsl.net/k2vco/ __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] Antenna suggestions, resent
I'm no expert on loops, but isn't the voltage lower on a BIG loop? On 9/28/2013 12:22 PM, Vic, K2VCO wrote: The problem with the magloop is that it's hard to build one that can handle more than about 100 watts. The voltage across the capacitor gets astronomical! On 9/28/13 11:53 AM, Gil G. wrote: Don't discard the magnetic loop as a possibility: http://radiopreppers.com/index.php/topic,180.0.html Gil. -- PGP Key: http://keskydee.com/gil.asc __ 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] Antenna suggestions, resent
Vic, If that were my situation, I would put up 2 inverted vees - at right angles to each other. Each fed with ladderline. A pole as high as you can manage right in the middle, and a pole in the each corner of the larger building. Arranged that way, you have room for 2 44 foot doublets (even if you have to fold the ends down a bit). The advantage of the 44 foot length is that it can be used for 40 through 10 meters with the only lobes broadside to the radiator. To operate on 80 meters, lay 4 or more wires (more is better) on the roof and use them as a counterpoise and tie the feeders together to produce a top loaded vertical - it may even work on 160. 73, Don W3FPR On 9/28/2013 2:37 PM, Vic, K2VCO wrote: Here is a diagram of my space (use fixed width font): || | | || | | || | | |- | | | | | The small rectangle on top is a small building (10'x20') on top of the roof of the 10-story apartment building. Actually, it will be my bedroom (and, I think, shack). The larger rectangle is the roof area at my disposal. It is about 10' x 30' plus the areas at the side of the building. The rest of my apartment is below the roof. __ 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 Afternoon, I need to get this out before I lose my Internet access. Tonight I am to receive approximately 10 inches of rain with winds up to 80 mph. Currently my connection is terrible; I only expect it to get worse. I should lose power tonight when the broken trees fall through the power lines. The battery bank is fully charged so I will be able to run the nets tomorrow if the antennas and house are still here. Please join us this 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 0100z (Sunday 6 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
[Elecraft] k2 vco alignment
K2 #7449 VCO alignment difficulty. Cannot get 4.0 MHz R30 voltage to change at all - it measures 7.97V. Have confirmed all the cap values, varicap diodes are correct parts, T5 wound and wired correctly. Have scoped the area comparing to a second operational K2 the wave forms look and behave the same as the rigs are tuned. The voltage on R30 is simply too high at 4.0 MHz. I set the K2 to 3.5MHz and adjusted L30 for the lowest voltage, this gave the following results: 3.50 4.144.007.97 7.00 4.397.306.30 10.00 5.08 10.155.86 14.00 3.84 15.005.98 18.00 4.42 18.204.67 21.00 3.83 21.455.38 24.80 5.92 25.006.40 28.00 4.64 28.805.66(29.70 6.87) Should I continue the build or what else should I check? THANKS 73, Rob KC2VMP __ 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] Antenna suggestions, resent
A so-called magnetic loop is defined as one smaller than about 1/3 wl in circumference. Bigger than that is a loop, but has a different pattern -- and you are correct that the voltage across tuning components is lower. On 9/28/13 12:38 PM, Lynn W. Taylor, WB6UUT wrote: I'm no expert on loops, but isn't the voltage lower on a BIG loop? On 9/28/2013 12:22 PM, Vic, K2VCO wrote: The problem with the magloop is that it's hard to build one that can handle more than about 100 watts. The voltage across the capacitor gets astronomical! On 9/28/13 11:53 AM, Gil G. wrote: Don't discard the magnetic loop as a possibility: http://radiopreppers.com/index.php/topic,180.0.html Gil. -- PGP Key: http://keskydee.com/gil.asc __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html -- Vic, K2VCO Fresno CA http://www.qsl.net/k2vco/ __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] Antenna suggestions, resent
Certainly, but I've reached Russia with mine (21ft. perimeter) using 5W with the loop inside the house on the second floor, turned the wrong way.. So, they do work really well.. If you're into contesting, I understand, otherwise, you don't need more than a few Watts CW, maybe 25 for SSB. You can find vacuum capacitors on Ebay for $150.. I use a $60 air capacitor rated for 4.5KV, used it with my 12W KX3, no arcing.. Gil. -- PGP Key: http://keskydee.com/gil.asc On Sep 28, 2013, at 3:22 PM, Vic, K2VCO wrote: The problem with the magloop is that it's hard to build one that can handle more than about 100 watts. The voltage across the capacitor gets astronomical! __ 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] National Hamfest, Newark Showground
I had the privilege of attending Eric's excellent presentation on the KX3, etc, at the National Hamfest today. It was very well attended, the entire lecture room being filled and people standing at the back. It was good to hear first hand about the development of the KX3 from its early beginnings to final production and beyond. I note that several people were 'filming' the proceedings on their cell phones. Doubtless some of these will appear on Youtube in due course. Good work Eric. 73 de David G4DMP -- + - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - + | David M Pratt, Kippax, Leeds. | | Website: http://www.g4dmp.co.uk | + - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - + __ 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 vco alignment
Rob, There is either too much inductance or too much capacity in the VFO circuit - the high voltage means that the K2 is trying to reduce the capacity to bring things into line. Count the turns on T5 very carefully. Each wire through the center counts as one turn - a full wrap around the core equals 2 turns. If the T5 turns are correct, spread the red turns of T5 out as much as possible to see if that resolves the problem. Worst case, you may have to remove a turn from T5. BTW, if you discover an extra turn on T5, you might want to count the turns on the other toroids you have wound to be certain they contain the right number of turns. Winding an extra turn on toroids is not uncommon for builders with limited experience in winding toroids. 73, Don W3FPR On 9/28/2013 4:16 PM, Rob Gault wrote: K2 #7449 VCO alignment difficulty. Cannot get 4.0 MHz R30 voltage to change at all - it measures 7.97V. Have confirmed all the cap values, varicap diodes are correct parts, T5 wound and wired correctly. Have scoped the area comparing to a second operational K2 the wave forms look and behave the same as the rigs are tuned. The voltage on R30 is simply too high at 4.0 MHz. I set the K2 to 3.5MHz and adjusted L30 for the lowest voltage, this gave the following results: 3.50 4.144.007.97 7.00 4.397.306.30 10.00 5.08 10.155.86 14.00 3.84 15.005.98 18.00 4.42 18.204.67 21.00 3.83 21.455.38 24.80 5.92 25.006.40 28.00 4.64 28.805.66(29.70 6.87) Should I continue the build or what else should I check? THANKS 73, Rob KC2VMP __ 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 vco alignment
Don, Thank you, with this it only took me 3 minutes to fix it with this info. The coverage on T5 was the critical factor here. The good news is that I've spent the last 4 hours confirming that EVERYTHING else around the VCO is correct! 73, Thanks again! kc2vmp On Sat, Sep 28, 2013 at 5:11 PM, Don Wilhelm w3...@embarqmail.com wrote: Rob, There is either too much inductance or too much capacity in the VFO circuit - the high voltage means that the K2 is trying to reduce the capacity to bring things into line. Count the turns on T5 very carefully. Each wire through the center counts as one turn - a full wrap around the core equals 2 turns. If the T5 turns are correct, spread the red turns of T5 out as much as possible to see if that resolves the problem. Worst case, you may have to remove a turn from T5. BTW, if you discover an extra turn on T5, you might want to count the turns on the other toroids you have wound to be certain they contain the right number of turns. Winding an extra turn on toroids is not uncommon for builders with limited experience in winding toroids. 73, Don W3FPR On 9/28/2013 4:16 PM, Rob Gault wrote: K2 #7449 VCO alignment difficulty. Cannot get 4.0 MHz R30 voltage to change at all - it measures 7.97V. Have confirmed all the cap values, varicap diodes are correct parts, T5 wound and wired correctly. Have scoped the area comparing to a second operational K2 the wave forms look and behave the same as the rigs are tuned. The voltage on R30 is simply too high at 4.0 MHz. I set the K2 to 3.5MHz and adjusted L30 for the lowest voltage, this gave the following results: 3.50 4.144.007.97 7.00 4.397.306.30 10.00 5.08 10.155.86 14.00 3.84 15.005.98 18.00 4.42 18.204.67 21.00 3.83 21.455.38 24.80 5.92 25.006.40 28.00 4.64 28.805.66(29.70 6.87) Should I continue the build or what else should I check? THANKS 73, Rob KC2VMP __**__**__ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/**mailman/listinfo/elecrafthttp://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.**htmhttp://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:elecr...@mailman.qth.**net 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 suddenly dies
Good news! Brought the rig home and connected to a different RS-35A and cable and all is well!! So, it's either the power supply or cable--easy and much less expensive fixes. Thank you all for your suggestions! Gary W7TEA - 73, Gary W7TEA K3 #1001, #5763 -- View this message in context: http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/K3-suddenly-dies-tp7579305p7579349.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
[Elecraft] Voltage of K2 2.9AH Gel Cell?
*Hi, All.* *What is the voltage of the 2.9 AH Gell Cell Battery for the K2 when fully Charged?* *Thanks and Best 73.* *Jim.* *WA4NTM* __ 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] Antenna suggestions, resent
Dale's suggestion would also minimize the RF field directly under the antenna and noise pickup from within the building. I'd probably go with a trap vertical or a pair of verticals for 40 through 10 meter coverage since a 1/4 wavelength on 40 is a full wavelength on 10 -- way too long for best low-angle radiation. 73, Ron AC7AC -Original Message- From: elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net [mailto:elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Dale Putnam Sent: Saturday, September 28, 2013 11:49 AM To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net; k2vco@gmail.com Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Antenna suggestions, resent Hi Vic, You have a perfect place, I love it. No.. not a lotta real estate.. but it is wonderful How about... a a high as you can vertical on the top of your shack to be.. with 30 - 40 radials laid out and held in place with sand bags, bricks, or the like.. maybe just tied to the edge... make them long enough to reach the edge of the roof. If you can getthe vertical to be 43 or so ft high.. that's even better. Base feed with an auto tuner. Second... a wire beam.. laid out at a convenient height on the big roof.. built to face East. or a J-K beam to face e-w. Look at the Great Circle map to face to where you want to talk tothe most. Yes.. it would take a bit of planning ahead... but you could even rotate it.. say for the all asian contest... or for the TX QP.. move it a day ahead of the event.For the domestic contests... face towards the middle of the country. No problem. The vertical will do dx very nicely from there... and the wire beam would do domestic nice too.Good L uck, Oh.. and for vhf.. a J-pole does great from that high. Have a great day, --... ...-- Dale - WC7S in Wy Date: Sat, 28 Sep 2013 11:37:32 -0700 From: k2vco@gmail.com To: kl...@acsalaska.net; elecraft@mailman.qth.net Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Antenna suggestions, resent Here is a diagram of my space (use fixed width font): || | | || | | || | | |- | | | | | The small rectangle on top is a small building (10'x20') on top of the roof of the 10-story apartment building. Actually, it will be my bedroom (and, I think, shack). The larger rectangle is the roof area at my disposal. It is about 10' x 30' plus the areas at the side of the building. The rest of my apartment is below the roof. I would love to put a little roof tower on the building with a beam on it! But as far as I know, that is not allowed. I am thinking about verticals, about 3 fiberglass masts holding up a shortened 40m dipole, etc. For 6 and 2 m I have 3 element beams which are small enough that they will be allowed. On 9/28/13 8:01 AM, Edward R Cole wrote: Vic, Too bad you cannot consider a yagi for 20-10m. That would sit on a mast secured to the small roof-top building. So a 30x 10 foot space? I wonder if the 20x10 foot building extends beyond the 30x20 area? It it extends so total length is 50-feet You could put up a doublet across the length, either horizontal with 8 foot droop on both ends for full length half-wave on 40m or perhaps a pole in the center for inverted-V. Another idea is 50-foot with 8-footlegs at right angles but horizontal at the same height. Or consider a 120-foot horizontal loop if there are places for four support poles. Being on roof of ten stories means the wire does not need to be very high. An automatic tuner at the roof would finish off any multiband antenna with single coax run to shack. To add 6m/2m simple solution is a base-loaded 5/8 6m wave vertical (could be a mobile whip). They load fine on 2m as well (trick of VHF mobile stations). 73, Ed - KL7UW -- Date: Fri, 27 Sep 2013 21:47:41 -0700 From: Vic, K2VCO k2vco@gmail.com To: elecraft Reflector elecraft@mailman.qth.net Subject: [Elecraft] Antenna suggestions, resent Message-ID: 52465f6d.9060...@gmail.com Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed I just realized that my previous message was sent in html format. Which means that the reflector stripped the text! That explains some of the answers... Here is what I meant to ask: -- I am moving to an apartment on the top floor of a 10 story building. I have access to the roof which has a 30' x 10' flat space. On one edge of this space is a building 9' high with a flat roof of about 10' x 20'. I can put up antennas on top of this little building and on the flat area mentioned above. But there is a catch: the antenna has to be either a wire antenna, or
Re: [Elecraft] Antenna suggestions, resent
Vic K2VCO-2 wrote I am moving to an apartment on the top floor of a 10 story building. I have access to the roof which has a 30' x 10' flat space. On one edge of this space is a building 9' high with a flat roof of about 10' x 20'. I can put up antennas on top of this little building and on the flat area mentioned above. But there is a catch: the antenna has to be either a wire antenna, or substantially vertical. If vertical, it can't exceed 29' in height above the roof of the small building. Beams not allowed! I'd stay away from a vertical. You'll have problems with manmade interference in an apartment complex and vertical polarization will make it worse. I'd go for a 44' doublet/inv-V supported by a nonconductive mast and fed with twinlead...or an OCF fed with coax. 73, Bill W4ZV 73, Bill W4ZV -- View this message in context: http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/Antenna-suggestions-resent-tp7579318p7579351.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 suddenly dies
We all tend to think the worst at times like this. In the absence of test equipment, I'd examine the fuse(s) to see if it shows the obvious. I would sooner think that the crowbar circuit has operated. I have found that several times over the years without a fuse operating. It would look like no voltage to the radio. Dick, n0ce - Original Message - From: W7TEA Gary gt...@mac.com To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net Sent: Saturday, September 28, 2013 5:48:46 PM Subject: Re: [Elecraft] K3 suddenly dies Good news! Brought the rig home and connected to a different RS-35A and cable and all is well!! So, it's either the power supply or cable--easy and much less expensive fixes. Thank you all for your suggestions! Gary W7TEA - 73, Gary W7TEA K3 #1001, #5763 -- View this message in context: http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/K3-suddenly-dies-tp7579305p7579349.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 suddenly dies
Take a small piece of scotchbrite pad and clean the fuses and holders if possible and use some deoxit to the fuse connector and fuses. They can build up a high resistance oxidation causing severe voltage drop. Then try the cable on the good supply. If that works then try the reworked cable with the old supply. Hopefully that is all. I have had this issue with another brand of rig and got it back up to snuff. Good luck. - Original Message - From: W7TEA Gary gt...@mac.com javascript:; To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net javascript:; Sent: Saturday, September 28, 2013 5:48:46 PM Subject: Re: [Elecraft] K3 suddenly dies Good news! Brought the rig home and connected to a different RS-35A and cable and all is well!! So, it's either the power supply or cable--easy and much less expensive fixes. Thank you all for your suggestions! Gary W7TEA - 73, Gary W7TEA K3 #1001, #5763 __ 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] Antenna suggestions, resent
FWIW, I worked a guy in Hawaii who had an arrangement I liked. He fed a vertical on the beach as the driven element. Then he used another vertical as either a reflector, or a director. He had sockets in a pre-measured radius around the driven element. When he wanted to aim his signal a certain direction, he would run out and change to the appropriate socket. Dick,n0ce - Original Message - From: mikefur...@att.net To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net Sent: Saturday, September 28, 2013 1:57:54 PM Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Antenna suggestions, resent Go for the beam ... a pair of butternut verticals and phase 'em! ... maybe three in a triangle for more directions. 73, Mike WA5POK __ 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] Antenna suggestions, resent
IMHO - If wire, I would make a fan dipole. Multiple dipoles (one length for each band) connected together at the feed point and run together (a few inches apart) for their full length. For the 40 meter portion if it is too long just let the ends hang down as long as you are using fiberglass poles (tie them so they don't fly in the wind) or bend them horizontally (do not bend tighter than 90 degrees) instead of using coils as your efficiency will be better and your power will not be restricted. 73, de Jim KG0KP -Original Message- From: elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net [mailto:elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Vic, K2VCO Sent: Saturday, September 28, 2013 1:38 PM To: Edward R Cole; Elecraft Reflector Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Antenna suggestions, resent Here is a diagram of my space (use fixed width font): || | | || | | || | | |- | | | | | The small rectangle on top is a small building (10'x20') on top of the roof of the 10-story apartment building. Actually, it will be my bedroom (and, I think, shack). The larger rectangle is the roof area at my disposal. It is about 10' x 30' plus the areas at the side of the building. The rest of my apartment is below the roof. I would love to put a little roof tower on the building with a beam on it! But as far as I know, that is not allowed. I am thinking about verticals, about 3 fiberglass masts holding up a shortened 40m dipole, etc. For 6 and 2 m I have 3 element beams which are small enough that they will be allowed. On 9/28/13 8:01 AM, Edward R Cole wrote: Vic, Too bad you cannot consider a yagi for 20-10m. That would sit on a mast secured to the small roof-top building. So a 30x 10 foot space? I wonder if the 20x10 foot building extends beyond the 30x20 area? It it extends so total length is 50-feet You could put up a doublet across the length, either horizontal with 8 foot droop on both ends for full length half-wave on 40m or perhaps a pole in the center for inverted-V. Another idea is 50-foot with 8-footlegs at right angles but horizontal at the same height. Or consider a 120-foot horizontal loop if there are places for four support poles. Being on roof of ten stories means the wire does not need to be very high. An automatic tuner at the roof would finish off any multiband antenna with single coax run to shack. To add 6m/2m simple solution is a base-loaded 5/8 6m wave vertical (could be a mobile whip). They load fine on 2m as well (trick of VHF mobile stations). 73, Ed - KL7UW -- Date: Fri, 27 Sep 2013 21:47:41 -0700 From: Vic, K2VCO k2vco@gmail.com To: elecraft Reflector elecraft@mailman.qth.net Subject: [Elecraft] Antenna suggestions, resent Message-ID: 52465f6d.9060...@gmail.com Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed I just realized that my previous message was sent in html format. Which means that the reflector stripped the text! That explains some of the answers... Here is what I meant to ask: -- I am moving to an apartment on the top floor of a 10 story building. I have access to the roof which has a 30' x 10' flat space. On one edge of this space is a building 9' high with a flat roof of about 10' x 20'. I can put up antennas on top of this little building and on the flat area mentioned above. But there is a catch: the antenna has to be either a wire antenna, or substantially vertical. If vertical, it can't exceed 29' in height above the roof of the small building. Beams not allowed! I want to operate on 40 through 15 meters. The antenna needs to be able to handle 1500w. I prefer horizontal antennas because of the extra gain and lower noise pickup. I prefer a balanced antenna because of noise and RFI considerations. But I'll consider other options if there are overriding advantages. Suggestions 73, Ed - KL7UW http://www.kl7uw.com dubus...@gmail.com Kits made by KL7UW __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html -- Vic, K2VCO Fresno CA http://www.qsl.net/k2vco/ __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support
[Elecraft] Antenna help thank you!
I want to thank everyone who responded on and off list to my request for suggestions about what to put on a rooftop 10 stories up! I have been EZNEC-ing my butt off all day, and so far the winner is the suggestion of KL7UW and W4TV, a 20'x30' horizontal rectangular loop about 20' above the roof, fed with 600-ohm open wire line in the center of one of the longer sides. This antenna will have excellent horizontal and vertical patterns on all bands 80 through 10 meters, and should be easily tunable on 40-10 (for 80 I may need to do something special to match it). The old standby, a tuned 44' doublet works fine for 40 and 20, but the pattern breaks up and produces much too much cloud-warming on higher bands. Remember, the antenna will be at 120' above ground. The horizontal pattern is also not ideal on all bands. I got a lot of votes for a vertical, which is the easiest solution. But the horizontal antennas will be quieter in the urban environment. They have some gain in the desired direction. Also I have had better luck from the standpoint of RFI with balanced horizontal antennas. Now there is just the mechanical question of how to keep the poles that hold up the loop at the corners of the roof from bowing inward too much. There's nothing to guy them to. I also appreciate the forbearance of Eric S., who tolerated this OT discussion for so long. FWIW, RF going into the antenna will come from my K2 and K3. -- Vic, K2VCO Fresno CA http://www.qsl.net/k2vco/ __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] mods to K2
I was curious to determine what a 3 db increase in power output might mean in terms of total number of possible contacts. So I set up my K3 to run WSPR on 20 meters for a while today: At regular intervals over the course of 9 hours the power output was toggled back and forth between 5 and 10 watts, logging some 2,000 signal reports for the entire period. So, how much is a 3 db increase in power output worth? According to my WSPR log data, about 40% more contacts. (At that rate a 6 db increase would give nearly twice as many contacts. And a K3/100 should have about three times as many QSOs in it than a K3/10...) Anyhow, the original intention to mod the K2 might be justified. It's not an insignificant improvement, though it might be good to log a few thousand more reports to make sure. 73, Drew AF2Z On Fri, 27 Sep 2013 08:24:39 -0700, you wrote: My first thought on the audio was to get some efficient earbuds. Lightweight and cheap. Over on the KX3 list, people like the Chill Pill powered speakers. I know it is a second box, but the Hardrock 50 amp has been getting good reviews. You would not need to get it out except in an emergency, so it could stay deep in the pack. See: http://www.hobbypcb.com/amateur-radio/amateur-radio/hardrock-50-hf-power-amp-kit.html I think there is a lot of evidence that 3dB does not matter. 10dB matters. 6dB might matter. wunder Walter Underwood K6WRU CM87wj __ 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] mods to K2
One BIG problem which I should have mentioned before is that while you might get away with it on CW, doing this would increase IMD for SSB or digital modes a great deal. On 9/28/13 7:19 PM, drewko wrote: I was curious to determine what a 3 db increase in power output might mean in terms of total number of possible contacts. So I set up my K3 to run WSPR on 20 meters for a while today: At regular intervals over the course of 9 hours the power output was toggled back and forth between 5 and 10 watts, logging some 2,000 signal reports for the entire period. So, how much is a 3 db increase in power output worth? According to my WSPR log data, about 40% more contacts. (At that rate a 6 db increase would give nearly twice as many contacts. And a K3/100 should have about three times as many QSOs in it than a K3/10...) Anyhow, the original intention to mod the K2 might be justified. It's not an insignificant improvement, though it might be good to log a few thousand more reports to make sure. 73, Drew AF2Z On Fri, 27 Sep 2013 08:24:39 -0700, you wrote: My first thought on the audio was to get some efficient earbuds. Lightweight and cheap. Over on the KX3 list, people like the Chill Pill powered speakers. I know it is a second box, but the Hardrock 50 amp has been getting good reviews. You would not need to get it out except in an emergency, so it could stay deep in the pack. See: http://www.hobbypcb.com/amateur-radio/amateur-radio/hardrock-50-hf-power-amp-kit.html I think there is a lot of evidence that 3dB does not matter. 10dB matters. 6dB might matter. wunder Walter Underwood K6WRU CM87wj __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html -- Vic, K2VCO Fresno CA http://www.qsl.net/k2vco/ __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] mods to K2
That depends upon what one means by QSO. I stepped out of the discussion when it was abundantly clear that a QSO for some means teasing a call sign out of the noise on CW. That's fine for DX-chasing and even much contesting. For me, a rag-chewer, a QSO occurs when I can exchange a CW message containing 50 or 100 words without lots of repeats. With that criteria, common variations in the band over that time will swamp out very small changes in signal strength. Personally, I don't get excited about a change unless it can make a 6 to 10 dB difference. 73, Ron AC7AC -Original Message- From: elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net [mailto:elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of drewko Sent: Saturday, September 28, 2013 7:19 PM To: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net Subject: Re: [Elecraft] mods to K2 I was curious to determine what a 3 db increase in power output might mean in terms of total number of possible contacts. So I set up my K3 to run WSPR on 20 meters for a while today: At regular intervals over the course of 9 hours the power output was toggled back and forth between 5 and 10 watts, logging some 2,000 signal reports for the entire period. So, how much is a 3 db increase in power output worth? According to my WSPR log data, about 40% more contacts. (At that rate a 6 db increase would give nearly twice as many contacts. And a K3/100 should have about three times as many QSOs in it than a K3/10...) Anyhow, the original intention to mod the K2 might be justified. It's not an insignificant improvement, though it might be good to log a few thousand more reports to make sure. 73, Drew AF2Z On Fri, 27 Sep 2013 08:24:39 -0700, you wrote: My first thought on the audio was to get some efficient earbuds. Lightweight and cheap. Over on the KX3 list, people like the Chill Pill powered speakers. I know it is a second box, but the Hardrock 50 amp has been getting good reviews. You would not need to get it out except in an emergency, so it could stay deep in the pack. See: http://www.hobbypcb.com/amateur-radio/amateur-radio/hardrock-50-hf-powe r-amp-kit.html I think there is a lot of evidence that 3dB does not matter. 10dB matters. 6dB might matter. wunder Walter Underwood K6WRU CM87wj __ 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] Antenna help thank you!
One trick the power company uses is to put a short stub out the side of the pole and then run a line from the top over the stub back to the base. Makes a truss of sorts. |\ | \ | \ |\ | | / | / | / David K0LUM On Sep 28, 2013, at 9:13 PM, Vic, K2VCO wrote: Now there is just the mechanical question of how to keep the poles that hold up the loop at the corners of the roof from bowing inward too much. There's nothing to guy them to. __ 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] mods to K2
The original request was for emergency communication. That means a reliable exchange of unknown information without spots or known frequencies. This is not the same as most DX, SOTA, or WSPR and very different from exchanging 59 and callsigns. Though, if you really want reliable emergency comms in the backcountry, I'd carry a sat phone. What if you get hurt? Can someone else use the radio effectively? I have a bigger writeup here: http://wunderwood.org/most_casual_observer/2011/10/emergency_communication_in_the.html wunder K6WRU On Sep 28, 2013, at 8:04 PM, Ron D'Eau Claire wrote: That depends upon what one means by QSO. I stepped out of the discussion when it was abundantly clear that a QSO for some means teasing a call sign out of the noise on CW. That's fine for DX-chasing and even much contesting. For me, a rag-chewer, a QSO occurs when I can exchange a CW message containing 50 or 100 words without lots of repeats. With that criteria, common variations in the band over that time will swamp out very small changes in signal strength. Personally, I don't get excited about a change unless it can make a 6 to 10 dB difference. 73, Ron AC7AC -Original Message- From: elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net [mailto:elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of drewko Sent: Saturday, September 28, 2013 7:19 PM To: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net Subject: Re: [Elecraft] mods to K2 I was curious to determine what a 3 db increase in power output might mean in terms of total number of possible contacts. So I set up my K3 to run WSPR on 20 meters for a while today: At regular intervals over the course of 9 hours the power output was toggled back and forth between 5 and 10 watts, logging some 2,000 signal reports for the entire period. So, how much is a 3 db increase in power output worth? According to my WSPR log data, about 40% more contacts. (At that rate a 6 db increase would give nearly twice as many contacts. And a K3/100 should have about three times as many QSOs in it than a K3/10...) Anyhow, the original intention to mod the K2 might be justified. It's not an insignificant improvement, though it might be good to log a few thousand more reports to make sure. 73, Drew AF2Z On Fri, 27 Sep 2013 08:24:39 -0700, you wrote: My first thought on the audio was to get some efficient earbuds. Lightweight and cheap. Over on the KX3 list, people like the Chill Pill powered speakers. I know it is a second box, but the Hardrock 50 amp has been getting good reviews. You would not need to get it out except in an emergency, so it could stay deep in the pack. See: http://www.hobbypcb.com/amateur-radio/amateur-radio/hardrock-50-hf-powe r-amp-kit.html I think there is a lot of evidence that 3dB does not matter. 10dB matters. 6dB might matter. wunder Walter Underwood K6WRU CM87wj _ __ 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
