Re: [Elecraft] K3 Below 500 KHz RX Antenna
Good, Fast, Cheap, pick two. At least that's what I told the General officer who wanted everything. We didn't get the job, thank God. An active E-field probe is probably the optimum, unless you have a lot of room and time. Small mag loops will work too, but often require a preamp 73, Fred K6DGW - Northern California Contest Club - CU in the 50th Running of the Cal QSO Party 3-4 Oct 2015 - www.cqp.org On 7/18/2015 11:52 AM, Phil Hystad wrote: What is the cheapest easiest although effective RX antenna for listening to whatever below 500 KHz with a K3 and the new K3SYNA board? Thanks, 73, phil, K7PEH __ 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 Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] K3/K3s Ethernet Interface
Jack, All valid points but take note of K9HZ's work as a start. Nevertheless, let's say native Ethernet control isn't worth the engineering effort. That should not preclude the integration of RemoteRig as an option into a K3/K3s. If I didn't care about the resale value of my K3 or RemoteRig, I could easily turn this into a weekend construction project and be up and running on Monday morning with an Ethernet cable hanging from the back of the K3. The RemoteRig board would come out of its enclosure then mount in the K3. It's just a matter of adding an RJ45 port, tapping +12V, internal audio, RS-232, PTT, key line, and ACC. The tapping of RS232 and audio is not trivial but it is completely manageable. While this adds little additional operational utility than it does now, it significantly cleans up K3 cabling with RemoteRig. No change is needed at the client end for use with the K3 mini. For K3 clients, a similar integration could accomplished or kept as it is now with external cabling. Of course, there must be enough demand from remote users to make it worthwhile as well as cooperation from Microbit. Paul, W9AC Sent from my iPhone6 On Jul 19, 2015, at 4:56 PM, Jack Brindle jackbrin...@me.com wrote: Paul; What is your proposal for the host-side interface? Pretty much all host programs these days use a serial interface. We usually use this through a USB-Serial adapter or through built-in serial ports, which are rapidly disappearing. To make this viable we would need drivers for all major platforms that implement a serial port driver interface to ethernet. Or, the host programs will need to be modified. There is a lot of work needed to make this suggestion viable, both on the host and radio sides. This is the fact same reason we still use serial interfaces for our rigs instead of true USB interface. Put forth a good proposal and let it be considered. Without that work (whoever does it), ethernet hardware isn’t very useful. - Jack, W6FB p.s., no, this isn’t a flame, but a challenge. Let’s get the whole thing viable, then we will take a good look at implementing it on all sides. On Jul 19, 2015, at 12:24 PM, Paul Christensen w...@arrl.net wrote: This inquiry is directed to both the Elecraft leadership team as well as K3/K3s owners who may have an interest in native Ethernet connectivity. In searching through the list archives, I noted that some K3 owners had previously expressed an interest in an Ethernet option - and some owners have been disappointed that the new K3s and KIO3B board does not include Ethernet connectivity. A bit of background: for the past few months, N4CC and I have been operating a remote Internet station that's located near the FL/GA state line. Our setup includes a K3 and RemoteRig at the remote site and either a K3 or K3-mini at the control locations. Since the installation, we've experienced almost no operating trouble and any issues that have developed are managed remotely though direct and back-door network access points. Last week, I made some internal changes to the K3 and also added an external USB data interface device for RTTY. What's apparent is that cable management is getting way out of control. To gain inside access to the K3 almost requires a meditation exercise before going in. Consider that a PR6 is mounted to the back of the K3. The rear of the K3 is an absolute rat's nest of cabling. With the RemoteRig and PR6, It was bad enough before the inclusion of the external USB sound car/interface, but now it's bordering on ridiculous. Moreover, RemoteRig does not allow clean access to the K3's ACC DB-15 connector for other purposes such as FSK keying. Sure, the connector can be opened to access pins, but it requires a wiring break-out, leading to yet a further rat's nest of cabling. To help deal with the cabling issues, I am replacing the external PR6 with the new KXVB3 board. Next, a KIO3B board will be added when it's available to existing K3 owners. That should eliminate the external sound card interface and clear up much of the cabling mess, but not all of it. The Holy Grail is an Ethernet interface that includes (optional) integrated RemoteRig hardware - just one interface board [e.g., KIO3E(thernet) board] that manages K3 Ethernet connectivity with or without RemoteRig attributes. Don't need Ethernet? Then don't get the board. Since the RemoteRig hardware is mature and consumes little circuit board space and DC current, perhaps it would be worth opening up a discussion with RemoteRig's designer since Elecraft already has a close relationship with Microbit.I know rear panel real estate is a concern, so it won't be easy to add yet another connector without adversely affecting other connectivity. Thoughts? Paul, W9AC __ Elecraft
[Elecraft] Fwd: K3/K3s Ethernet Interface
Gerry, we realize that. I indicated that cooperation from Microbit is necessary. The most efficient integration would require a redesign of their board as well as Electaft's boards. There are any number of ideas that would result in better cable management between RemoteRig and the K3. Paul, W9AC Sent from my iPhone6 On Jul 19, 2015, at 6:15 PM, Gerry Hull ge...@w1ve.com wrote: What you all fail to realize is that RemoteRig is a Microbit product, not an Elecraft product. It's designed to be used with a number of radios. What I'd like to see is RemoteRig in another form factor, with some type of high-density connector that has all the important signals. For example, why couldn't the Remoterig board be re-worked to fit on the back of a K3/0 Mini? That would be great. Perhaps Elecraft can work a deal with Microbit. From the RF site, a box redesign with a single high-density connector and one ethernet would be great. 73, Gerry, W1VE Remoting happily from Many K3/RemoteRig combos. Gerry Hull, W1VE | Hancock, NH USA | +1-603-499-7373 AKA: VE1RM | VY2CDX | VO1CDX | 6Y6C | 8P9RM On Sun, Jul 19, 2015 at 6:00 PM, Paul Christensen w...@arrl.net wrote: Jack, All valid points but take note of K9HZ's work as a start. Nevertheless, let's say native Ethernet control isn't worth the engineering effort. That should not preclude the integration of RemoteRig as an option into a K3/K3s. If I didn't care about the resale value of my K3 or RemoteRig, I could easily turn this into a weekend construction project and be up and running on Monday morning with an Ethernet cable hanging from the back of the K3. The RemoteRig board would come out of its enclosure then mount in the K3. It's just a matter of adding an RJ45 port, tapping +12V, internal audio, RS-232, PTT, key line, and ACC. The tapping of RS232 and audio is not trivial but it is completely manageable. While this adds little additional operational utility than it does now, it significantly cleans up K3 cabling with RemoteRig. No change is needed at the client end for use with the K3 mini. For K3 clients, a similar integration could accomplished or kept as it is now with external cabling. Of course, there must be enough demand from remote users to make it worthwhile as well as cooperation from Microbit. Paul, W9AC Sent from my iPhone6 On Jul 19, 2015, at 4:56 PM, Jack Brindle jackbrin...@me.com wrote: Paul; What is your proposal for the host-side interface? Pretty much all host programs these days use a serial interface. We usually use this through a USB-Serial adapter or through built-in serial ports, which are rapidly disappearing. To make this viable we would need drivers for all major platforms that implement a serial port driver interface to ethernet. Or, the host programs will need to be modified. There is a lot of work needed to make this suggestion viable, both on the host and radio sides. This is the fact same reason we still use serial interfaces for our rigs instead of true USB interface. Put forth a good proposal and let it be considered. Without that work (whoever does it), ethernet hardware isn’t very useful. - Jack, W6FB p.s., no, this isn’t a flame, but a challenge. Let’s get the whole thing viable, then we will take a good look at implementing it on all sides. On Jul 19, 2015, at 12:24 PM, Paul Christensen w...@arrl.net wrote: This inquiry is directed to both the Elecraft leadership team as well as K3/K3s owners who may have an interest in native Ethernet connectivity. In searching through the list archives, I noted that some K3 owners had previously expressed an interest in an Ethernet option - and some owners have been disappointed that the new K3s and KIO3B board does not include Ethernet connectivity. A bit of background: for the past few months, N4CC and I have been operating a remote Internet station that's located near the FL/GA state line. Our setup includes a K3 and RemoteRig at the remote site and either a K3 or K3-mini at the control locations. Since the installation, we've experienced almost no operating trouble and any issues that have developed are managed remotely though direct and back-door network access points. Last week, I made some internal changes to the K3 and also added an external USB data interface device for RTTY. What's apparent is that cable management is getting way out of control. To gain inside access to the K3 almost requires a meditation exercise before going in. Consider that a PR6 is mounted to the back of the K3. The rear of the K3 is an absolute rat's nest of cabling. With the RemoteRig and PR6, It was bad enough before the inclusion of the external USB sound car/interface, but now it's bordering on ridiculous. Moreover, RemoteRig does not
Re: [Elecraft] Miniature self-supporting HF antennas
I use two different portable antennas, One is the super antennas yp3 3 element antenna and the other is the TW 2010 antenna. If i'm going to be portable for a while Ill put the 3 element antenna up. Its pretty fiddly and changing bands is a pain. Its one band at a time. The performance is very good and it really lightweight and small to pack.The TW antenna works great and takes 5 minutes to set up. In a nutshell it's a DX antenna. Distant stations are worked with amazing frequency for such a small antenna. Its my favorite portable. Its actually larger to pack than the 3 element without the mast. However, that fades when its quickly set up and working. Like any antenna, keep them away from noise sources and in the clear and the results will be good. George NE2I On Sunday, July 19, 2015 7:21 PM, Fred Jensen k6...@foothill.net wrote: Usefulness of any 10 meter antenna is declining. :-) FWIW: My Buddipole weighed 17 lbs, and I sold it and used the proceeds to get an AlexLoop. It weighs about 1.6 lbs, less if I take it out of the neat canvas case, 2 lbs with the lightweight tripod. I like it a lot. I can set it up in less than 5 min, it is pretty much immune to anyone's definition of ground, and it works very well. Touchy to tune on 40, not so bad on 30 and easy on 20 and the rest. Very narrow BW, I sit under it so I can reach up and tune it using the K2 SWR indication. It's pricey, but you can make one yourself for about 1/10th the cost. Just remember, these guys are resonant transformers and MUST be at resonance so bypass the ATU. The EFHW is very popular with the SOTA crowd, extremely light, only needs one support. Mine works best with a 6 pigtail hanging off the shield of the BNC connector. They too seem to be fairly immune to ground, low current down where you are. My meager experience is that any antenna you can make resonant will probably perform a little better than a random wire, but I've made a lot of KX1 Q's with a 26 ft wire and counterpoise made from a piece of RG-58. KT5X believes [and I don't disagree] that vertical ground planes on mountain tops tend to radiate downhill which isn't real useful. If you're above the timberline, you're probably on a mountain. 73, Fred K6DGW - Northern California Contest Club - CU in the 50th Running of the Cal QSO Party 3-4 Oct 2015 - www.cqp.org On 7/19/2015 9:45 AM, Wayne Burdick wrote: Hi all, Have you found the perfect above-the-treeline backpacking antenna for use with your KX3 or other small rig? I've used everything from a 10-meter coat hanger whip, to a yagi that breaks down into two dozen pieces, to a dipole held up at the center by a willing (and tall) campmate. The variety (and price range) of such antennas is staggering. I've had pretty amazing results using short, base-loaded antennas on the higher bands--especially when conditions were good. My personal best is JA from W6 on 15-meter SSB, running 3 watts to a Maldol 48 whip. These antennas collapse and break down into just two pieces, taking very little space in my lightweight go-bag. This leaves room for a couple of 25' wires, adapters, and weights for times when there are trees available. But the search for the ideal miniature HF antenna continues: something both very compact *and* highly efficient. Ideally it would break down to a length of 8 or less, do an excellent job on 20 meters and up, and earn a passing grade on 30 and/or 40 meters. One other key factor, at least with the KX3/KX1/K1 genre, is to take maximal advantage of the rig's internal ATU. A wide-range ATU (such as the KXAT3) can turn a narrow-banded antenna into one that covers a full band or even multiple bands, within limits. One general approach is to coarse-tune the antenna's own inductance, then let the ATU do cleanup. Is the best antenna for backpacking a very small magnetic loop? A cleverly designed, center-loaded telescoping whip? A length of #30 wire lofted by a small helium balloon? (Or, more intriguingly, some combination of these?) I'd be interested in hearing about your antenna theories and field experiences, backed up by entertaining fish stories, if they aren't embellished to an embarrassing degree. If your supporting documentation is too voluminous for the forum (attached photos, etc.), feel free to email me directly. If anything substantive or surprising emerges, I'll do a followup posting. 73, Wayne N6KR __ 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 Message delivered to n...@yahoo.com __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help:
Re: [Elecraft] [KX3] Digital transmissions problems solved finally
Correct. JT-65 has common frequencies on each band. Then JT-9 is about 2 kHz higher from JT-65, thus the move in frequency. There is a box to be checked on the application when changing from JT-65 to JT-9. It is best if the radio is under CAT control. Most issues in this regard are resolved by the software. 73 Bob, K4TAX On 7/18/2015 11:53 AM, WA8JXM wrote: Some of t he JT-65/JT-9 software has a +2 kHz offset option that moves the transmit carrier up 2 kHz to keep it in the proper transmit bandpass. Ken WA8JXM On 18/07/2015 00:01, Gary Hawkins wrote: The identified problem - I was trying to transmit the test Tone and JT9 signal above the 2.8KHz upper bandwidth limit on the TX path of the KX3. No matter what you have the RX bandwidth set to, the maximum audio frequency that will go through the transmit chain is 2.8kHz. __ 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 Message delivered to rmcg...@blomand.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 Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] Miniature self-supporting HF antennas
On Sun, Jul 19, 2015 at 9:12 PM, Don Wilhelm w3...@embarqmail.com wrote: Richard, Two properly spaced and phased radiators = I have a terrific wire-beam antenna that rolls up into a package that weighs only a couple of pounds. However, it requires one rope into a tree or other type of sky-hook. It is good for 20, 17, 15, 12 and 10 and is bi-directional. It's a form of W8JK, but is fed at the end and has series capacitors in each radiator to make it work over a 2:1 frequency range. I designed it with EZNEC and I'll send the model to anybody who wants it. It's fed with window line and requires a balun at the transmitter. It takes a good tuner to match it, but the Elecraft tuners can do the job. Anyway, it doesn't meet Wayne's request for a free-standing antenna, but it's a cool field-day antenna, especially here in the middle of the country where a bi-directional antenna is a good thing. Tony KT0NY __ 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 Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] K3/K3s Ethernet Interface
What you all fail to realize is that RemoteRig is a Microbit product, not an Elecraft product. It's designed to be used with a number of radios. What I'd like to see is RemoteRig in another form factor, with some type of high-density connector that has all the important signals. For example, why couldn't the Remoterig board be re-worked to fit on the back of a K3/0 Mini? That would be great. Perhaps Elecraft can work a deal with Microbit. From the RF site, a box redesign with a single high-density connector and one ethernet would be great. 73, Gerry, W1VE Remoting happily from Many K3/RemoteRig combos. Gerry Hull, W1VE | Hancock, NH USA | +1-603-499-7373 AKA: VE1RM | VY2CDX | VO1CDX | 6Y6C | 8P9RM http://www.yccc.org http://www.yccc.org/ http://www.facebook.com/gerryhull https://plus.google.com/+GerryHull/posts http://www.twitter.com/w1ve On Sun, Jul 19, 2015 at 6:00 PM, Paul Christensen w...@arrl.net wrote: Jack, All valid points but take note of K9HZ's work as a start. Nevertheless, let's say native Ethernet control isn't worth the engineering effort. That should not preclude the integration of RemoteRig as an option into a K3/K3s. If I didn't care about the resale value of my K3 or RemoteRig, I could easily turn this into a weekend construction project and be up and running on Monday morning with an Ethernet cable hanging from the back of the K3. The RemoteRig board would come out of its enclosure then mount in the K3. It's just a matter of adding an RJ45 port, tapping +12V, internal audio, RS-232, PTT, key line, and ACC. The tapping of RS232 and audio is not trivial but it is completely manageable. While this adds little additional operational utility than it does now, it significantly cleans up K3 cabling with RemoteRig. No change is needed at the client end for use with the K3 mini. For K3 clients, a similar integration could accomplished or kept as it is now with external cabling. Of course, there must be enough demand from remote users to make it worthwhile as well as cooperation from Microbit. Paul, W9AC Sent from my iPhone6 On Jul 19, 2015, at 4:56 PM, Jack Brindle jackbrin...@me.com wrote: Paul; What is your proposal for the host-side interface? Pretty much all host programs these days use a serial interface. We usually use this through a USB-Serial adapter or through built-in serial ports, which are rapidly disappearing. To make this viable we would need drivers for all major platforms that implement a serial port driver interface to ethernet. Or, the host programs will need to be modified. There is a lot of work needed to make this suggestion viable, both on the host and radio sides. This is the fact same reason we still use serial interfaces for our rigs instead of true USB interface. Put forth a good proposal and let it be considered. Without that work (whoever does it), ethernet hardware isn’t very useful. - Jack, W6FB p.s., no, this isn’t a flame, but a challenge. Let’s get the whole thing viable, then we will take a good look at implementing it on all sides. On Jul 19, 2015, at 12:24 PM, Paul Christensen w...@arrl.net wrote: This inquiry is directed to both the Elecraft leadership team as well as K3/K3s owners who may have an interest in native Ethernet connectivity. In searching through the list archives, I noted that some K3 owners had previously expressed an interest in an Ethernet option - and some owners have been disappointed that the new K3s and KIO3B board does not include Ethernet connectivity. A bit of background: for the past few months, N4CC and I have been operating a remote Internet station that's located near the FL/GA state line. Our setup includes a K3 and RemoteRig at the remote site and either a K3 or K3-mini at the control locations. Since the installation, we've experienced almost no operating trouble and any issues that have developed are managed remotely though direct and back-door network access points. Last week, I made some internal changes to the K3 and also added an external USB data interface device for RTTY. What's apparent is that cable management is getting way out of control. To gain inside access to the K3 almost requires a meditation exercise before going in. Consider that a PR6 is mounted to the back of the K3. The rear of the K3 is an absolute rat's nest of cabling. With the RemoteRig and PR6, It was bad enough before the inclusion of the external USB sound car/interface, but now it's bordering on ridiculous. Moreover, RemoteRig does not allow clean access to the K3's ACC DB-15 connector for other purposes such as FSK keying. Sure, the connector can be opened to access pins, but it requires a wiring break-out, leading to yet a further rat's nest of cabling. To help deal with the cabling issues, I am replacing the external PR6 with the new KXVB3 board. Next, a KIO3B
[Elecraft] K3 Below 500 KHz RX Antenna
phil, K7PEH, asked: What is the cheapest easiest although effective RX antenna for listening to whatever below 500 KHz with a K3... For what it's worth, I use an ordinary HF inverted L with a Jackson Harbor LF Converter to receive the VLF signals from the stateside submarine communications stations at 24.0, 24.8 and 25.2kHz, WWVB at 60kHz, and dozens of NDB stations from all over the US up to 400kHz or so, with a variety of receivers including an FT817 and a KX3. Robert K5TD __ 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 Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] K3/K3s Ethernet Interface
I have a prototype Ethernet interface running inside my K3 right now... simple replacement for the KIO3 board. I posted a couple of times suggesting it but was completely ignored so I build my own. It's just a pic with Ethernet capabilities and replaces the functions of the KIO3 completely and more. It will be available commercially soon... Dr. William J. Schmidt - K9HZ J68HZ 8P6HK ZF2HZ PJ4/K9HZ VP5/K9HZ PJ2/K9HZ Owner - Operator Big Signal Ranch - K9ZC Staunton, Illinois Owner - Operator Villa Grand Piton - J68HZ Soufriere, St. Lucia W.I. Rent it: www.VillaGrandPiton.com email: b...@wjschmidt.com -Original Message- From: Elecraft [mailto:elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Paul Christensen Sent: Sunday, July 19, 2015 2:24 PM To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net Subject: [Elecraft] K3/K3s Ethernet Interface This inquiry is directed to both the Elecraft leadership team as well as K3/K3s owners who may have an interest in native Ethernet connectivity. In searching through the list archives, I noted that some K3 owners had previously expressed an interest in an Ethernet option - and some owners have been disappointed that the new K3s and KIO3B board does not include Ethernet connectivity. A bit of background: for the past few months, N4CC and I have been operating a remote Internet station that's located near the FL/GA state line. Our setup includes a K3 and RemoteRig at the remote site and either a K3 or K3-mini at the control locations. Since the installation, we've experienced almost no operating trouble and any issues that have developed are managed remotely though direct and back-door network access points. Last week, I made some internal changes to the K3 and also added an external USB data interface device for RTTY. What's apparent is that cable management is getting way out of control. To gain inside access to the K3 almost requires a meditation exercise before going in. Consider that a PR6 is mounted to the back of the K3. The rear of the K3 is an absolute rat's nest of cabling. With the RemoteRig and PR6, It was bad enough before the inclusion of the external USB sound car/interface, but now it's bordering on ridiculous. Moreover, RemoteRig does not allow clean access to the K3's ACC DB-15 connector for other purposes such as FSK keying. Sure, the connector can be opened to access pins, but it requires a wiring break-out, leading to yet a further rat's nest of cabling. To help deal with the cabling issues, I am replacing the external PR6 with the new KXVB3 board. Next, a KIO3B board will be added when it's available to existing K3 owners. That should eliminate the external sound card interface and clear up much of the cabling mess, but not all of it. The Holy Grail is an Ethernet interface that includes (optional) integrated RemoteRig hardware - just one interface board [e.g., KIO3E(thernet) board] that manages K3 Ethernet connectivity with or without RemoteRig attributes. Don't need Ethernet? Then don't get the board. Since the RemoteRig hardware is mature and consumes little circuit board space and DC current, perhaps it would be worth opening up a discussion with RemoteRig's designer since Elecraft already has a close relationship with Microbit.I know rear panel real estate is a concern, so it won't be easy to add yet another connector without adversely affecting other connectivity. Thoughts? Paul, W9AC __ 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 Message delivered to b...@wjschmidt.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 Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] Miniature self-supporting HF antennas
Used to be a fellow that owned and operated motel in a small town in Ne. He was in a fringe area for tv.. and didn't want to have the guests bothered with anything more than just the fringe (noise and snow) reception on all but one tv channnel. SO.. his ham antenna was alternatively the 2nd story window screen (metal), and the bed springs, on the second floor. Yes.. they worked better with a good ground. He didn't contest, so it was a manual tuner. And it worked right nice. No one knew... but the fellows he talked to.. and after 6 - 8 months of chatter.. he might let you know what his antenna was. Neat guy! Nifty antenna! Have a great day, --... ...-- Dale - WC7S in Wy __ 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 Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] K3/K3s Ethernet Interface
Cool! Please publish the specs. How secure it it? SSL? TLS 1.2 (or better)? Will there be accommodations for upgrades as security problems are found? Does it do ipv6 (which is rapidly becoming a requirement)? My concern is this - we are putting a rather powerful transceiver on the internet. With Telnet or any other non-secure format/protocol there is a lot of potential for someone to take over the data stream and use the transceiver for their use. Even with secure protocols there has been a very poor record of vulnerabilities and other problems taking over computers, breaking in for information or other problems. Exposing a ham transceiver to this endangers your license and our spectrum. Anything that is not secure should not come close to a radio. Today that means TLS 1.2 and full security. And updates to fix bugs as they are exposed. We are at the beginning of the age of IOT, the Internet Of Things. There are many very good manufacturers working on chips and interfaces for embedded devices - refrigerators, lights, cars, and even ham transceivers. These will be secure and will accommodate the requirements I describe above and many more in a way that allows us to simply expand the radios we have now with new cards. This stuff is starting to come to market now - I would suggest we are a year to two off from adding them to our devices. Then we need to convince the ham software developers to start adding support for them in all the flavors that already exist. I suspect that won’t be very difficult when they find a willing market. Good luck with your venture. I’d love to see it when it becomes available. We need to see things like this to interest hams, show them (and us) what is possible, advance the state of the art and even to expose vulnerabilities with current schemes so we can all do (and demand) better. - Jack, W6FB p.s. Yeah, security is THAT important. On Jul 19, 2015, at 2:40 PM, Dr. William J. Schmidt, II b...@wjschmidt.com wrote: I have a prototype Ethernet interface running inside my K3 right now... simple replacement for the KIO3 board. I posted a couple of times suggesting it but was completely ignored so I build my own. It's just a pic with Ethernet capabilities and replaces the functions of the KIO3 completely and more. It will be available commercially soon... Dr. William J. Schmidt - K9HZ J68HZ 8P6HK ZF2HZ PJ4/K9HZ VP5/K9HZ PJ2/K9HZ Owner - Operator Big Signal Ranch - K9ZC Staunton, Illinois Owner - Operator Villa Grand Piton - J68HZ Soufriere, St. Lucia W.I. Rent it: www.VillaGrandPiton.com email: b...@wjschmidt.com -Original Message- From: Elecraft [mailto:elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Paul Christensen Sent: Sunday, July 19, 2015 2:24 PM To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net Subject: [Elecraft] K3/K3s Ethernet Interface This inquiry is directed to both the Elecraft leadership team as well as K3/K3s owners who may have an interest in native Ethernet connectivity. In searching through the list archives, I noted that some K3 owners had previously expressed an interest in an Ethernet option - and some owners have been disappointed that the new K3s and KIO3B board does not include Ethernet connectivity. A bit of background: for the past few months, N4CC and I have been operating a remote Internet station that's located near the FL/GA state line. Our setup includes a K3 and RemoteRig at the remote site and either a K3 or K3-mini at the control locations. Since the installation, we've experienced almost no operating trouble and any issues that have developed are managed remotely though direct and back-door network access points. Last week, I made some internal changes to the K3 and also added an external USB data interface device for RTTY. What's apparent is that cable management is getting way out of control. To gain inside access to the K3 almost requires a meditation exercise before going in. Consider that a PR6 is mounted to the back of the K3. The rear of the K3 is an absolute rat's nest of cabling. With the RemoteRig and PR6, It was bad enough before the inclusion of the external USB sound car/interface, but now it's bordering on ridiculous. Moreover, RemoteRig does not allow clean access to the K3's ACC DB-15 connector for other purposes such as FSK keying. Sure, the connector can be opened to access pins, but it requires a wiring break-out, leading to yet a further rat's nest of cabling. To help deal with the cabling issues, I am replacing the external PR6 with the new KXVB3 board. Next, a KIO3B board will be added when it's available to existing K3 owners. That should eliminate the external sound card interface and clear up much of the cabling mess, but not all of it. The Holy Grail is an Ethernet interface that includes (optional) integrated RemoteRig hardware - just one interface board [e.g., KIO3E(thernet) board] that manages K3
Re: [Elecraft] Miniature self-supporting HF antennas
Usefulness of any 10 meter antenna is declining. :-) FWIW: My Buddipole weighed 17 lbs, and I sold it and used the proceeds to get an AlexLoop. It weighs about 1.6 lbs, less if I take it out of the neat canvas case, 2 lbs with the lightweight tripod. I like it a lot. I can set it up in less than 5 min, it is pretty much immune to anyone's definition of ground, and it works very well. Touchy to tune on 40, not so bad on 30 and easy on 20 and the rest. Very narrow BW, I sit under it so I can reach up and tune it using the K2 SWR indication. It's pricey, but you can make one yourself for about 1/10th the cost. Just remember, these guys are resonant transformers and MUST be at resonance so bypass the ATU. The EFHW is very popular with the SOTA crowd, extremely light, only needs one support. Mine works best with a 6 pigtail hanging off the shield of the BNC connector. They too seem to be fairly immune to ground, low current down where you are. My meager experience is that any antenna you can make resonant will probably perform a little better than a random wire, but I've made a lot of KX1 Q's with a 26 ft wire and counterpoise made from a piece of RG-58. KT5X believes [and I don't disagree] that vertical ground planes on mountain tops tend to radiate downhill which isn't real useful. If you're above the timberline, you're probably on a mountain. 73, Fred K6DGW - Northern California Contest Club - CU in the 50th Running of the Cal QSO Party 3-4 Oct 2015 - www.cqp.org On 7/19/2015 9:45 AM, Wayne Burdick wrote: Hi all, Have you found the perfect above-the-treeline backpacking antenna for use with your KX3 or other small rig? I've used everything from a 10-meter coat hanger whip, to a yagi that breaks down into two dozen pieces, to a dipole held up at the center by a willing (and tall) campmate. The variety (and price range) of such antennas is staggering. I've had pretty amazing results using short, base-loaded antennas on the higher bands--especially when conditions were good. My personal best is JA from W6 on 15-meter SSB, running 3 watts to a Maldol 48 whip. These antennas collapse and break down into just two pieces, taking very little space in my lightweight go-bag. This leaves room for a couple of 25' wires, adapters, and weights for times when there are trees available. But the search for the ideal miniature HF antenna continues: something both very compact *and* highly efficient. Ideally it would break down to a length of 8 or less, do an excellent job on 20 meters and up, and earn a passing grade on 30 and/or 40 meters. One other key factor, at least with the KX3/KX1/K1 genre, is to take maximal advantage of the rig's internal ATU. A wide-range ATU (such as the KXAT3) can turn a narrow-banded antenna into one that covers a full band or even multiple bands, within limits. One general approach is to coarse-tune the antenna's own inductance, then let the ATU do cleanup. Is the best antenna for backpacking a very small magnetic loop? A cleverly designed, center-loaded telescoping whip? A length of #30 wire lofted by a small helium balloon? (Or, more intriguingly, some combination of these?) I'd be interested in hearing about your antenna theories and field experiences, backed up by entertaining fish stories, if they aren't embellished to an embarrassing degree. If your supporting documentation is too voluminous for the forum (attached photos, etc.), feel free to email me directly. If anything substantive or surprising emerges, I'll do a followup posting. 73, Wayne N6KR __ 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 Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] Miniature self-supporting HF antennas
Richard, Two properly spaced and phased radiators are all that is necessary for a 2 element beam - two Alexloops, 2 verticals, two dipoles, etc. While setup in 2 minutes may not be practical at 20 meters, it is practical at 2 meters, and you may even devise something that looks like an umbrella. Think of the Hex Beam - 2 elements that sort of look like an inverted umbrella. 73, Don W3FPR On 7/19/2015 9:43 PM, Richard Donner wrote: I guess I would like a 20 meter 2 elment beam that sets up in 2 minutes and weighs two pounds. If it could pop open and shut like an umbrella that would work for me. Any ideas. Richard __ 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 Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] Miniature self-supporting HF antennas
I recently used a 20m EFHW to operate from 12,300' Trail Ridge (SOTA W0C/FR-123) on June 28. I wanted a very quick activation due to thunderstorm concerns so I took a 15' mast (collapsible to ~18 inches), mounted it to a cairn of stones with a bungee and attached the far end to a stone. I made 6 contacts in 6 minutes and then beat a hasty retreat down the summit. About an hour earlier and 60 miles south of me several hikers were struck by lightning as they descended Mt. Bierstadt (see below). http://www.examiner.com/article/lightning-safety-tips-for-mountain-travel Fast and simple is my rule when operating above timberline in the summer! 73, Bill W4ZV -- View this message in context: http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/Miniature-self-supporting-HF-antennas-tp7605064p7605079.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 Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] Monitoring transmit spectrum with a P3
On 07/19/2015 02:16 PM, Fred Jensen wrote: The P3 is tunable over quite a range to accommodate various 1st IF's. Would it be feasible to disconnect it from the K3, tune it to 40 meters, transmit AFSK A RTTY at low power into a dummy load, and observe the transmitter's spectrum? Might need a short antenna in the BNC connector? Yes. The P3 will tune up to about 22 MHz (and above that with reduced sensitivity). If you go into the Xcvr Sel menu item and select the last item in the list, called 0 Hz. the P3 is tuned directly to the frequency on the screen. Tune using the CENTER control. (Center En has to be enabled in the menu.) The tuning rate is proportional to span, so select wide span for coarse tuning and then narrow span to dial in to the exact desired center frequency. One warning: The P3 IF input is unprotected so it is easily damaged by static discharge or high power. I recommend adding a pair of back-to-back switching diodes in parallel across the IF input. I did that using a BNC T connector and BNC plug so I wouldn't have to modify the P3. Alan N1AL __ 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 Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] K3/K3s Ethernet Interface
As a long time remote user I'll second that idea completely! 73, Olli Contest, DX radio projects: http://www.dh8bqa.de Am 20.07.2015 um 00:00 schrieb Paul Christensen: Jack, All valid points but take note of K9HZ's work as a start. Nevertheless, let's say native Ethernet control isn't worth the engineering effort. That should not preclude the integration of RemoteRig as an option into a K3/K3s. If I didn't care about the resale value of my K3 or RemoteRig, I could easily turn this into a weekend construction project and be up and running on Monday morning with an Ethernet cable hanging from the back of the K3. The RemoteRig board would come out of its enclosure then mount in the K3. It's just a matter of adding an RJ45 port, tapping +12V, internal audio, RS-232, PTT, key line, and ACC. The tapping of RS232 and audio is not trivial but it is completely manageable. While this adds little additional operational utility than it does now, it significantly cleans up K3 cabling with RemoteRig. No change is needed at the client end for use with the K3 mini. For K3 clients, a similar integration could accomplished or kept as it is now with external cabling. Of course, there must be enough demand from remote users to make it worthwhile as well as cooperation from Microbit. Paul, W9AC Sent from my iPhone6 On Jul 19, 2015, at 4:56 PM, Jack Brindle jackbrin...@me.com wrote: Paul; What is your proposal for the host-side interface? Pretty much all host programs these days use a serial interface. We usually use this through a USB-Serial adapter or through built-in serial ports, which are rapidly disappearing. To make this viable we would need drivers for all major platforms that implement a serial port driver interface to ethernet. Or, the host programs will need to be modified. There is a lot of work needed to make this suggestion viable, both on the host and radio sides. This is the fact same reason we still use serial interfaces for our rigs instead of true USB interface. Put forth a good proposal and let it be considered. Without that work (whoever does it), ethernet hardware isn’t very useful. - Jack, W6FB p.s., no, this isn’t a flame, but a challenge. Let’s get the whole thing viable, then we will take a good look at implementing it on all sides. On Jul 19, 2015, at 12:24 PM, Paul Christensen w...@arrl.net wrote: This inquiry is directed to both the Elecraft leadership team as well as K3/K3s owners who may have an interest in native Ethernet connectivity. In searching through the list archives, I noted that some K3 owners had previously expressed an interest in an Ethernet option - and some owners have been disappointed that the new K3s and KIO3B board does not include Ethernet connectivity. A bit of background: for the past few months, N4CC and I have been operating a remote Internet station that's located near the FL/GA state line. Our setup includes a K3 and RemoteRig at the remote site and either a K3 or K3-mini at the control locations. Since the installation, we've experienced almost no operating trouble and any issues that have developed are managed remotely though direct and back-door network access points. Last week, I made some internal changes to the K3 and also added an external USB data interface device for RTTY. What's apparent is that cable management is getting way out of control. To gain inside access to the K3 almost requires a meditation exercise before going in. Consider that a PR6 is mounted to the back of the K3. The rear of the K3 is an absolute rat's nest of cabling. With the RemoteRig and PR6, It was bad enough before the inclusion of the external USB sound car/interface, but now it's bordering on ridiculous. Moreover, RemoteRig does not allow clean access to the K3's ACC DB-15 connector for other purposes such as FSK keying. Sure, the connector can be opened to access pins, but it requires a wiring break-out, leading to yet a further rat's nest of cabling. To help deal with the cabling issues, I am replacing the external PR6 with the new KXVB3 board. Next, a KIO3B board will be added when it's available to existing K3 owners. That should eliminate the external sound card interface and clear up much of the cabling mess, but not all of it. The Holy Grail is an Ethernet interface that includes (optional) integrated RemoteRig hardware - just one interface board [e.g., KIO3E(thernet) board] that manages K3 Ethernet connectivity with or without RemoteRig attributes. Don't need Ethernet? Then don't get the board. Since the RemoteRig hardware is mature and consumes little circuit board space and DC current, perhaps it would be worth opening up a discussion with RemoteRig's designer since Elecraft already has a close relationship with Microbit.I know rear panel real estate is a concern, so it won't be easy to add yet another connector without adversely affecting other connectivity. Thoughts? Paul, W9AC
[Elecraft] Monitoring transmit spectrum with a P3
The P3 is tunable over quite a range to accommodate various 1st IF's. Would it be feasible to disconnect it from the K3, tune it to 40 meters, transmit AFSK A RTTY at low power into a dummy load, and observe the transmitter's spectrum? Might need a short antenna in the BNC connector? In the NAQP RTTY, I observed a station on the other side of the continent with a 20-25 KHz noise bump above [but not below] his signal. It was 8-10 dB above the ambient noise baseline. I watched it for quite awhile and every time he transmitted, it appeared, and when he finished it disappeared. No other station, even very strong ones, exhibited this effect. It's hard to conjure up how any form of phase noise would be asymmetric like this. It could be some form if IMD in his TX RF chain, I guess. Another possibility is he was running AFSK USB and the noise was being generated in the sound card. This could easily be me as well and I'd like to check. 73, Fred K6DGW - Northern California Contest Club - CU in the 50th Running of the Cal QSO Party 3-4 Oct 2015 - www.cqp.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 Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] K3/K3s Ethernet Interface
Radio protocols are bi-directional ASCII connections. They are usually implemented over serial ports, but there is no reason why they wouldn’t work over Telnet or ssh. Outside of amateur radio, I’ve only used a serial connection once in the past 20 years. That was hooking a console to an HP-UX server to get the networking set up. wunder K6WRU CM87wj http://observer.wunderwood.org/ (my blog) On Jul 19, 2015, at 4:56 PM, Jack Brindle jackbrin...@me.com wrote: Paul; What is your proposal for the host-side interface? Pretty much all host programs these days use a serial interface. We usually use this through a USB-Serial adapter or through built-in serial ports, which are rapidly disappearing. To make this viable we would need drivers for all major platforms that implement a serial port driver interface to ethernet. Or, the host programs will need to be modified. There is a lot of work needed to make this suggestion viable, both on the host and radio sides. This is the fact same reason we still use serial interfaces for our rigs instead of true USB interface. Put forth a good proposal and let it be considered. Without that work (whoever does it), ethernet hardware isn’t very useful. - Jack, W6FB p.s., no, this isn’t a flame, but a challenge. Let’s get the whole thing viable, then we will take a good look at implementing it on all sides. On Jul 19, 2015, at 12:24 PM, Paul Christensen w...@arrl.net wrote: This inquiry is directed to both the Elecraft leadership team as well as K3/K3s owners who may have an interest in native Ethernet connectivity. In searching through the list archives, I noted that some K3 owners had previously expressed an interest in an Ethernet option - and some owners have been disappointed that the new K3s and KIO3B board does not include Ethernet connectivity. A bit of background: for the past few months, N4CC and I have been operating a remote Internet station that's located near the FL/GA state line. Our setup includes a K3 and RemoteRig at the remote site and either a K3 or K3-mini at the control locations. Since the installation, we've experienced almost no operating trouble and any issues that have developed are managed remotely though direct and back-door network access points. Last week, I made some internal changes to the K3 and also added an external USB data interface device for RTTY. What's apparent is that cable management is getting way out of control. To gain inside access to the K3 almost requires a meditation exercise before going in. Consider that a PR6 is mounted to the back of the K3. The rear of the K3 is an absolute rat's nest of cabling. With the RemoteRig and PR6, It was bad enough before the inclusion of the external USB sound car/interface, but now it's bordering on ridiculous. Moreover, RemoteRig does not allow clean access to the K3's ACC DB-15 connector for other purposes such as FSK keying. Sure, the connector can be opened to access pins, but it requires a wiring break-out, leading to yet a further rat's nest of cabling. To help deal with the cabling issues, I am replacing the external PR6 with the new KXVB3 board. Next, a KIO3B board will be added when it's available to existing K3 owners. That should eliminate the external sound card interface and clear up much of the cabling mess, but not all of it. The Holy Grail is an Ethernet interface that includes (optional) integrated RemoteRig hardware - just one interface board [e.g., KIO3E(thernet) board] that manages K3 Ethernet connectivity with or without RemoteRig attributes. Don't need Ethernet? Then don't get the board. Since the RemoteRig hardware is mature and consumes little circuit board space and DC current, perhaps it would be worth opening up a discussion with RemoteRig's designer since Elecraft already has a close relationship with Microbit.I know rear panel real estate is a concern, so it won't be easy to add yet another connector without adversely affecting other connectivity. Thoughts? Paul, W9AC __ 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 Message delivered to jackbrin...@me.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 Message delivered to wun...@wunderwood.org __ Elecraft mailing list Home:
Re: [Elecraft] KX3 FD Operations?
Hi to the group I know this is long so if you are not interested in Solar Field Days please hit delete. I am late telling about my experience with Field Day but I had so much research going that I wanted to wait until after my two week vacation to tell you all about it. I have been using class 1B ND battery all but one of the last 15 years. I started with my K2 built in 2000 along with a Radio Shack Tandy 1100FD laptop all running on an old group 27 battery. The year the battery was 18 years old it failed about 6 hours before the end of field day and would not take a charge again. I bought another group 27 battery and used my K3 and the 1100FD laptop the next year. The club talked me into running under my call the following year as a 100w 3A ND station using a Windows XP laptop and N3FJP software. The next year I had my new KX3 and went back to 1B ND battery. I used the I-PAD and Hamlog software but the I-PAD battery ran out of battery after just 7 hours of use. Last year I ran the KX3 and a Windows 8 laptop as 1B ND Battery but had to run the 40 watt laptop as the only load on my generator. I understand that meets the rules but I did not like it. This year I replaced all the lights in my camper with LED bulbs and dropped the load from 1.5 amps per bulb to 0.2 amp per bulb. I found a Verizon 12 volt power supply that would run an I-PAD and Hotspot at the same time on a discharging 12 volt battery. The I-PAD used about .4 amp as long as I was careful to turn the I-PAD OFF instead of to STANDBY when I was not using it. The I-PAD looks OFF when in STANDBY but runs the battery down doing things in the background and charges the battery when it is turned back on which draws additional 12 volt from the battery. I programed the fast memories of the KX3 for W0CZ, and 1B ND and used the built in paddles for anything else. You can see pictures of my camper and antenna on qrz.com. I also added a 33 ft MFJ fiber pole with a 29 ft vertical wire that loads on 40, 30, 20 and 15 meters using the KX3 built in tuner. A week before field day I was given ten five watt solar panels. Years ago I had built the KD5NDB solar regulator so I wir ed all 10 panels in parallel and the solar regulator to charge the battery. My results for field day were 132 cw five watt contacts with a claimed QSO score of 1320 plus bonus points for 100% emergency power, Natural power QSOs completed and using the b4h.net applet. The solar charger had my batteries fully charged by the end of field day after operating all night. Two days after field day we took off on a two week vacation to Northern Minnesota to camp grounds without electricity. I had the 8 year old group 27 battery and a 4 year old group 24 battery as my only source of electricity. I also had the KX3, PX3 and KXPA100 along and used the station extensively. The solar charger was able to recharge both batteries every day the sun was out and help them on the other days so I never did use the small generator I brought along. In bright sunlight I was able to make several nice rag chew CW QSOs at 100 watts. All my other contacts were at 50 watts night or day. I made one more change to my solar project when I got home. It is a Home Depot Grape Solar GS-STAR-100W panel. I found when I was camping that it was a lot of work to move 10 panels so this way when the sun moves I can follow it by just picking up the one panel. KD5NDB is a silent key and I do not know of anyone selling his kits but I did take pictures of his kit instructions and schematic drawing which I can E-Mail to anyone that wants to build this solar regulator. One advantage of his circuit is that it makes no RF noise. Many other SOLAR REGULATORS make serious RF noise. 73 and thanks for the band width Ken W0CZ w0cz at i29 dot net7 Sent from my iPad On Jun 30, 2015, at 10:16 PM, Carol F. Milazzo, KP4MD/W6 kp...@cfmilazzo.com wrote: I used the KX3 on 40 meter CW and PSK31 with Win4K3 software, DigiPan, an __ 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 Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] Miniature self-supporting HF antennas
My two cents worth. My favorite antenna for SOTA turns out to be the 20 meter Endfedz followed by the Alex Loop. I have done a receive comparison between the Alex loop , Endfedz and a full size 20 meter vertical with radials. In this sketchy little test the Verical came out best followed very closely by the other two antennas. It was amazing to see how well the 3 foot diameter loop performed. I guess I would like a 20 meter 2 elment beam that sets up in 2 minutes and weighs two pounds. If it could pop open and shut like an umbrella that would work for me. Any ideas. Richard __ 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 Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] Miniature self-supporting HF antennas
My favorite is the bush sloper. To launch it, I use an E-Z Hang (slingshot / fishing reel). The scrub on SoCal mountains is usable to support an end-fed wire, facing downhill. I recommend a counterpoise facing uphill. The end-fed can be 50 to 200 feet long (145 feet seems best all-around match using the ATU). I use a throway fishing weight to be the E-Z Hang projectile, tugging the #24 wire along until it bashes into a plant or the ground. The weight is attached to the wire via a short piece of thin monofilament, so it can break away without stretching the wire. I attach the radiator and counterpoise directly to the KX3 via a BNC - Banana adapter. When done, I just spool up the #24, usually losing the fishing weight in the process. If it's a multiple hilltop day, I have half a dozen of these in my pack. Being a sloper, it has some forward gain but a fairly high angle because of proximity to the ground. SoCal mountain ground is a rather vague concept though and I've made a few dozen DX contacts running 2-3W, CW. I have WAS done this way, minus RI and VT. I've had some luck using a tilt up telescoping aluminum 33 foot vertical on 40 and 15m, but the dern thing is unwieldy and heavy to pack around, and at 5.5 feet long (collapsed) only fits on my large hunting pack. I'd sure like to see a portable multi-band vertical that's easier to lug around than this, maybe one that collapses to less than four feet and weighs less than three pounds. The 33 footer weighs almost ten pounds I've stopped punishing myself, and don't use it much any more. No fish stories today, sorry. 73, matt W6NIA On Sun, 19 Jul 2015 09:45:47 -0700, you wrote: Hi all, Have you found the perfect above-the-treeline backpacking antenna for use with your KX3 or other small rig? I've used everything from a 10-meter coat hanger whip, to a yagi that breaks down into two dozen pieces, to a dipole held up at the center by a willing (and tall) campmate. The variety (and price range) of such antennas is staggering. I've had pretty amazing results using short, base-loaded antennas on the higher bands--especially when conditions were good. My personal best is JA from W6 on 15-meter SSB, running 3 watts to a Maldol 48 whip. These antennas collapse and break down into just two pieces, taking very little space in my lightweight go-bag. This leaves room for a couple of 25' wires, adapters, and weights for times when there are trees available. But the search for the ideal miniature HF antenna continues: something both very compact *and* highly efficient. Ideally it would break down to a length of 8 or less, do an excellent job on 20 meters and up, and earn a passing grade on 30 and/or 40 meters. One other key factor, at least with the KX3/KX1/K1 genre, is to take maximal advantage of the rig's internal ATU. A wide-range ATU (such as the KXAT3) can turn a narrow-banded antenna into one that covers a full band or even multiple bands, within limits. One general approach is to coarse-tune the antenna's own inductance, then let the ATU do cleanup. Is the best antenna for backpacking a very small magnetic loop? A cleverly designed, center-loaded telescoping whip? A length of #30 wire lofted by a small helium balloon? (Or, more intriguingly, some combination of these?) I'd be interested in hearing about your antenna theories and field experiences, backed up by entertaining fish stories, if they aren't embellished to an embarrassing degree. If your supporting documentation is too voluminous for the forum (attached photos, etc.), feel free to email me directly. If anything substantive or surprising emerges, I'll do a followup posting. 73, Wayne N6KR __ 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 Message delivered to mzil...@roadrunner.com Matt Zilmer, W6NIA -- Always store beer in a dark place. -R. Heinlein __ 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 Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
[Elecraft] Elecraft CW Net Announcement
Good Morning, Please join us this afternoon and evening. 14050 kHz at 2200z Sunday (3 PM PDT Sunday) 7045 kHz at 0100z Monday (6 PM PDT Sunday) 73, 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 Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] K3/K3s Ethernet Interface
Paul; What is your proposal for the host-side interface? Pretty much all host programs these days use a serial interface. We usually use this through a USB-Serial adapter or through built-in serial ports, which are rapidly disappearing. To make this viable we would need drivers for all major platforms that implement a serial port driver interface to ethernet. Or, the host programs will need to be modified. There is a lot of work needed to make this suggestion viable, both on the host and radio sides. This is the fact same reason we still use serial interfaces for our rigs instead of true USB interface. Put forth a good proposal and let it be considered. Without that work (whoever does it), ethernet hardware isn’t very useful. - Jack, W6FB p.s., no, this isn’t a flame, but a challenge. Let’s get the whole thing viable, then we will take a good look at implementing it on all sides. On Jul 19, 2015, at 12:24 PM, Paul Christensen w...@arrl.net wrote: This inquiry is directed to both the Elecraft leadership team as well as K3/K3s owners who may have an interest in native Ethernet connectivity. In searching through the list archives, I noted that some K3 owners had previously expressed an interest in an Ethernet option - and some owners have been disappointed that the new K3s and KIO3B board does not include Ethernet connectivity. A bit of background: for the past few months, N4CC and I have been operating a remote Internet station that's located near the FL/GA state line. Our setup includes a K3 and RemoteRig at the remote site and either a K3 or K3-mini at the control locations. Since the installation, we've experienced almost no operating trouble and any issues that have developed are managed remotely though direct and back-door network access points. Last week, I made some internal changes to the K3 and also added an external USB data interface device for RTTY. What's apparent is that cable management is getting way out of control. To gain inside access to the K3 almost requires a meditation exercise before going in. Consider that a PR6 is mounted to the back of the K3. The rear of the K3 is an absolute rat's nest of cabling. With the RemoteRig and PR6, It was bad enough before the inclusion of the external USB sound car/interface, but now it's bordering on ridiculous. Moreover, RemoteRig does not allow clean access to the K3's ACC DB-15 connector for other purposes such as FSK keying. Sure, the connector can be opened to access pins, but it requires a wiring break-out, leading to yet a further rat's nest of cabling. To help deal with the cabling issues, I am replacing the external PR6 with the new KXVB3 board. Next, a KIO3B board will be added when it's available to existing K3 owners. That should eliminate the external sound card interface and clear up much of the cabling mess, but not all of it. The Holy Grail is an Ethernet interface that includes (optional) integrated RemoteRig hardware - just one interface board [e.g., KIO3E(thernet) board] that manages K3 Ethernet connectivity with or without RemoteRig attributes. Don't need Ethernet? Then don't get the board. Since the RemoteRig hardware is mature and consumes little circuit board space and DC current, perhaps it would be worth opening up a discussion with RemoteRig's designer since Elecraft already has a close relationship with Microbit.I know rear panel real estate is a concern, so it won't be easy to add yet another connector without adversely affecting other connectivity. Thoughts? Paul, W9AC __ 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 Message delivered to jackbrin...@me.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 Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] Miniature self-supporting HF antennas
Wayne, From time to time, my radio club collars me to do a program at one of our meetings. I usually lecture on antennas targeting the new ham. There are two points I try to leave the crowd with: 1. There is no such thing as the perfect antenna. Each is a compromise of some sort. 2. No ham has too many antennas. Efficiency, size, effectiveness, cost, and bandwidth are all inter-connected. I wish you great success in your quest. I'll be watching as I too would like to discover the perfect antenna. Having said this, have you tried a vertical dipole fed with open wire or ladder line? You gain by having a low angle antenna with low transmission line loss, and it requires only one support. 73, Barry K3NDM - Original Message - From: Wayne Burdick n...@elecraft.com To: elecraft elecraft@mailman.qth.net Cc: KX3 k...@yahoogroups.com Sent: Sunday, July 19, 2015 12:45:47 PM Subject: [Elecraft] Miniature self-supporting HF antennas Hi all, Have you found the perfect above-the-treeline backpacking antenna for use with your KX3 or other small rig? I've used everything from a 10-meter coat hanger whip, to a yagi that breaks down into two dozen pieces, to a dipole held up at the center by a willing (and tall) campmate. The variety (and price range) of such antennas is staggering. I've had pretty amazing results using short, base-loaded antennas on the higher bands--especially when conditions were good. My personal best is JA from W6 on 15-meter SSB, running 3 watts to a Maldol 48 whip. These antennas collapse and break down into just two pieces, taking very little space in my lightweight go-bag. This leaves room for a couple of 25' wires, adapters, and weights for times when there are trees available. But the search for the ideal miniature HF antenna continues: something both very compact *and* highly efficient. Ideally it would break down to a length of 8 or less, do an excellent job on 20 meters and up, and earn a passing grade on 30 and/or 40 meters. One other key factor, at least with the KX3/KX1/K1 genre, is to take maximal advantage of the rig's internal ATU. A wide-range ATU (such as the KXAT3) can turn a narrow-banded antenna into one that covers a full band or even multiple bands, within limits. One general approach is to coarse-tune the antenna's own inductance, then let the ATU do cleanup. Is the best antenna for backpacking a very small magnetic loop? A cleverly designed, center-loaded telescoping whip? A length of #30 wire lofted by a small helium balloon? (Or, more intriguingly, some combination of these?) I'd be interested in hearing about your antenna theories and field experiences, backed up by entertaining fish stories, if they aren't embellished to an embarrassing degree. If your supporting documentation is too voluminous for the forum (attached photos, etc.), feel free to email me directly. If anything substantive or surprising emerges, I'll do a followup posting. 73, Wayne N6KR __ 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 Message delivered to k3...@comcast.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 Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] K3/K3s Ethernet Interface
Indeed, and yet it's called wireless. A non-ham visitor once asked me, How do you keep track of all the wires? I replied, It works right now, I don't ever touch it. 73, Fred K6DGW - Northern California Contest Club - CU in the 50th Running of the Cal QSO Party 3-4 Oct 2015 - www.cqp.org On 7/19/2015 12:24 PM, Paul Christensen wrote: Last week, I made some internal changes to the K3 and also added an external USB data interface device for RTTY. What's apparent is that cable management is getting way out of control. To gain inside access to the K3 almost requires a meditation exercise before going in. Consider that a PR6 is mounted to the back of the K3. The rear of the K3 is an absolute rat's nest of cabling. With the RemoteRig and PR6, It was bad enough before the inclusion of the external USB sound car/interface, but now it's bordering on ridiculous. __ 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 Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
[Elecraft] Miniature self-supporting HF antennas
Hi all, Have you found the perfect above-the-treeline backpacking antenna for use with your KX3 or other small rig? I've used everything from a 10-meter coat hanger whip, to a yagi that breaks down into two dozen pieces, to a dipole held up at the center by a willing (and tall) campmate. The variety (and price range) of such antennas is staggering. I've had pretty amazing results using short, base-loaded antennas on the higher bands--especially when conditions were good. My personal best is JA from W6 on 15-meter SSB, running 3 watts to a Maldol 48 whip. These antennas collapse and break down into just two pieces, taking very little space in my lightweight go-bag. This leaves room for a couple of 25' wires, adapters, and weights for times when there are trees available. But the search for the ideal miniature HF antenna continues: something both very compact *and* highly efficient. Ideally it would break down to a length of 8 or less, do an excellent job on 20 meters and up, and earn a passing grade on 30 and/or 40 meters. One other key factor, at least with the KX3/KX1/K1 genre, is to take maximal advantage of the rig's internal ATU. A wide-range ATU (such as the KXAT3) can turn a narrow-banded antenna into one that covers a full band or even multiple bands, within limits. One general approach is to coarse-tune the antenna's own inductance, then let the ATU do cleanup. Is the best antenna for backpacking a very small magnetic loop? A cleverly designed, center-loaded telescoping whip? A length of #30 wire lofted by a small helium balloon? (Or, more intriguingly, some combination of these?) I'd be interested in hearing about your antenna theories and field experiences, backed up by entertaining fish stories, if they aren't embellished to an embarrassing degree. If your supporting documentation is too voluminous for the forum (attached photos, etc.), feel free to email me directly. If anything substantive or surprising emerges, I'll do a followup posting. 73, Wayne N6KR __ 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 Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] K3 Below 500 KHz RX Antenna
On Sun,7/19/2015 10:20 AM, Merv Schweigert wrote: Dont overlook perhaps an antenna you already have up, Great advice. I use an 80 meter dipole thats fed with open line, I short the open line at the shack and feed that into the receiver, I have copied the east coast many times from Hawaii, and of course all the other guys between, up to Alaska, thats on 475KHZ. Both CW and WSPR. No preamp used. Something like this was my 160M antenna in Chicago. So if your wanting to just listen and get an idea of whats there, maybe check your present set up, coax fed dipole would work the same if you short the coax at the shack end. Yes, except that if there's a choke at the feedpoint, you'll be using only the feedline as the antenna. 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 Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] K3/K3s Ethernet Interface
I ordered the K3S to replace my K3, partially for the cable clean up. I've stopped using the Y cables as they contribute to the tangle. I prefer to run over to a breakout panel with modules on DIN rails from www.winford.com. 73 jim ab3cv __ 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 Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] Miniature self-supporting HF antennas
I’m interested in where this one’s going. Restrictions on my living accommodations relegate me to an indoor wire. I managed to work coast to coast with the KX3 and JT65 using its internal tuner. I’d like more ideas. dale W5OHM On Jul 19, 2015, at 11:45 AM, Wayne Burdick n...@elecraft.com wrote: Hi all, Have you found the perfect above-the-treeline backpacking antenna for use with your KX3 or other small rig? I've used everything from a 10-meter coat hanger whip, to a yagi that breaks down into two dozen pieces, to a dipole held up at the center by a willing (and tall) campmate. The variety (and price range) of such antennas is staggering. I've had pretty amazing results using short, base-loaded antennas on the higher bands--especially when conditions were good. My personal best is JA from W6 on 15-meter SSB, running 3 watts to a Maldol 48 whip. These antennas collapse and break down into just two pieces, taking very little space in my lightweight go-bag. This leaves room for a couple of 25' wires, adapters, and weights for times when there are trees available. But the search for the ideal miniature HF antenna continues: something both very compact *and* highly efficient. Ideally it would break down to a length of 8 or less, do an excellent job on 20 meters and up, and earn a passing grade on 30 and/or 40 meters. One other key factor, at least with the KX3/KX1/K1 genre, is to take maximal advantage of the rig's internal ATU. A wide-range ATU (such as the KXAT3) can turn a narrow-banded antenna into one that covers a full band or even multiple bands, within limits. One general approach is to coarse-tune the antenna's own inductance, then let the ATU do cleanup. Is the best antenna for backpacking a very small magnetic loop? A cleverly designed, center-loaded telescoping whip? A length of #30 wire lofted by a small helium balloon? (Or, more intriguingly, some combination of these?) I'd be interested in hearing about your antenna theories and field experiences, backed up by entertaining fish stories, if they aren't embellished to an embarrassing degree. If your supporting documentation is too voluminous for the forum (attached photos, etc.), feel free to email me directly. If anything substantive or surprising emerges, I'll do a followup posting. 73, Wayne N6KR __ 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 Message delivered to dled...@camtel.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 Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] Miniature self-supporting HF antennas
I am not an antenna purist and will use whatever is handy but my favourite antenna (at the moment) are a 44 foot Center feed zepp with tv twinlead and a 4:1 balun or if trees are not available I really like my semi homebrew center loaded vertical using a 12 inch base rod, a Wolf River Silver Bullet coil and a collapsible military whip for 80/40 or just a 36 inch whip for 20 - 10 if I want to be stealthy. I had a buddy stick but it is to finicky to tune, whereas the Wolf river coil just slides down for maximum noise and let the KX3/KXPA take the last bit of swr out. For radials you can't beat the tape measure radials. On Sun, Jul 19, 2015 at 12:45 PM, Wayne Burdick n...@elecraft.com wrote: Hi all, Have you found the perfect above-the-treeline backpacking antenna for use with your KX3 or other small rig? I've used everything from a 10-meter coat hanger whip, to a yagi that breaks down into two dozen pieces, to a dipole held up at the center by a willing (and tall) campmate. The variety (and price range) of such antennas is staggering. I've had pretty amazing results using short, base-loaded antennas on the higher bands--especially when conditions were good. My personal best is JA from W6 on 15-meter SSB, running 3 watts to a Maldol 48 whip. These antennas collapse and break down into just two pieces, taking very little space in my lightweight go-bag. This leaves room for a couple of 25' wires, adapters, and weights for times when there are trees available. But the search for the ideal miniature HF antenna continues: something both very compact *and* highly efficient. Ideally it would break down to a length of 8 or less, do an excellent job on 20 meters and up, and earn a passing grade on 30 and/or 40 meters. One other key factor, at least with the KX3/KX1/K1 genre, is to take maximal advantage of the rig's internal ATU. A wide-range ATU (such as the KXAT3) can turn a narrow-banded antenna into one that covers a full band or even multiple bands, within limits. One general approach is to coarse-tune the antenna's own inductance, then let the ATU do cleanup. Is the best antenna for backpacking a very small magnetic loop? A cleverly designed, center-loaded telescoping whip? A length of #30 wire lofted by a small helium balloon? (Or, more intriguingly, some combination of these?) I'd be interested in hearing about your antenna theories and field experiences, backed up by entertaining fish stories, if they aren't embellished to an embarrassing degree. If your supporting documentation is too voluminous for the forum (attached photos, etc.), feel free to email me directly. If anything substantive or surprising emerges, I'll do a followup posting. 73, Wayne N6KR __ 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 Message delivered to bill.va...@gmail.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 Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
[Elecraft] K3/K3s Ethernet Interface
This inquiry is directed to both the Elecraft leadership team as well as K3/K3s owners who may have an interest in native Ethernet connectivity. In searching through the list archives, I noted that some K3 owners had previously expressed an interest in an Ethernet option - and some owners have been disappointed that the new K3s and KIO3B board does not include Ethernet connectivity. A bit of background: for the past few months, N4CC and I have been operating a remote Internet station that's located near the FL/GA state line. Our setup includes a K3 and RemoteRig at the remote site and either a K3 or K3-mini at the control locations. Since the installation, we've experienced almost no operating trouble and any issues that have developed are managed remotely though direct and back-door network access points. Last week, I made some internal changes to the K3 and also added an external USB data interface device for RTTY. What's apparent is that cable management is getting way out of control. To gain inside access to the K3 almost requires a meditation exercise before going in. Consider that a PR6 is mounted to the back of the K3. The rear of the K3 is an absolute rat's nest of cabling. With the RemoteRig and PR6, It was bad enough before the inclusion of the external USB sound car/interface, but now it's bordering on ridiculous. Moreover, RemoteRig does not allow clean access to the K3's ACC DB-15 connector for other purposes such as FSK keying. Sure, the connector can be opened to access pins, but it requires a wiring break-out, leading to yet a further rat's nest of cabling. To help deal with the cabling issues, I am replacing the external PR6 with the new KXVB3 board. Next, a KIO3B board will be added when it's available to existing K3 owners. That should eliminate the external sound card interface and clear up much of the cabling mess, but not all of it. The Holy Grail is an Ethernet interface that includes (optional) integrated RemoteRig hardware - just one interface board [e.g., KIO3E(thernet) board] that manages K3 Ethernet connectivity with or without RemoteRig attributes. Don't need Ethernet? Then don't get the board. Since the RemoteRig hardware is mature and consumes little circuit board space and DC current, perhaps it would be worth opening up a discussion with RemoteRig's designer since Elecraft already has a close relationship with Microbit.I know rear panel real estate is a concern, so it won't be easy to add yet another connector without adversely affecting other connectivity. Thoughts? Paul, W9AC __ 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 Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
[Elecraft] TEST
73, Ed - KL7UW http://www.kl7uw.com Kits made by KL7UW Dubus Mag business: dubus...@gmail.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 Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] Miniature self-supporting HF antennas
Dave, Re It's not going to radiate any lower than the horizon... -- I'd swear, based on on-the-air results, that I've had a few antennas which achieved that dubious distinction :-) 73, Phil W7OX On 7/19/15 9:52 PM, David Gilbert wrote: It's not going to radiate any lower than the horizon, and that kind of low angle is extremely useful for long distances. That can be appropriate even for QRP, although it might be more propagation dependent versus making some high angle short skip contacts. If I want to see how far I can work when backpacking, I'm going with a vertical unless the ground conductivity is just plain awful. Dave AB7E On 7/19/2015 5:07 PM, Fred Jensen wrote: KT5X believes [and I don't disagree] that vertical ground planes on mountain tops tend to radiate downhill which isn't real useful. If you're above the timberline, you're probably on a mountain. 73, Fred K6DGW - Northern California Contest Club - CU in the 50th Running of the Cal QSO Party 3-4 Oct 2015 - www.cqp.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 Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] K3/K3s Ethernet Interface
On 19 July 2015 23:40:51 CEST, Dr. William J. Schmidt, II b...@wjschmidt.com wrote: I have a prototype Ethernet interface running inside my K3 right now... simple replacement for the KIO3 board. I posted a couple of times suggesting it but was completely ignored so I build my own. It's just a pic with Ethernet capabilities and replaces the functions of the KIO3 completely and more. It will be available commercially soon... Dr. William J. Schmidt - K9HZ J68HZ 8P6HK ZF2HZ PJ4/K9HZ VP5/K9HZ PJ2/K9HZ Owner - Operator Big Signal Ranch - K9ZC Staunton, Illinois Owner - Operator Villa Grand Piton - J68HZ Soufriere, St. Lucia W.I. Rent it: www.VillaGrandPiton.com email: b...@wjschmidt.com -Original Message- From: Elecraft [mailto:elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Paul Christensen Sent: Sunday, July 19, 2015 2:24 PM To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net Subject: [Elecraft] K3/K3s Ethernet Interface This inquiry is directed to both the Elecraft leadership team as well as K3/K3s owners who may have an interest in native Ethernet connectivity. In searching through the list archives, I noted that some K3 owners had previously expressed an interest in an Ethernet option - and some owners have been disappointed that the new K3s and KIO3B board does not include Ethernet connectivity. A bit of background: for the past few months, N4CC and I have been operating a remote Internet station that's located near the FL/GA state line. Our setup includes a K3 and RemoteRig at the remote site and either a K3 or K3-mini at the control locations. Since the installation, we've experienced almost no operating trouble and any issues that have developed are managed remotely though direct and back-door network access points. Last week, I made some internal changes to the K3 and also added an external USB data interface device for RTTY. What's apparent is that cable management is getting way out of control. To gain inside access to the K3 almost requires a meditation exercise before going in. Consider that a PR6 is mounted to the back of the K3. The rear of the K3 is an absolute rat's nest of cabling. With the RemoteRig and PR6, It was bad enough before the inclusion of the external USB sound car/interface, but now it's bordering on ridiculous. Moreover, RemoteRig does not allow clean access to the K3's ACC DB-15 connector for other purposes such as FSK keying. Sure, the connector can be opened to access pins, but it requires a wiring break-out, leading to yet a further rat's nest of cabling. To help deal with the cabling issues, I am replacing the external PR6 with the new KXVB3 board. Next, a KIO3B board will be added when it's available to existing K3 owners. That should eliminate the external sound card interface and clear up much of the cabling mess, but not all of it. The Holy Grail is an Ethernet interface that includes (optional) integrated RemoteRig hardware - just one interface board [e.g., KIO3E(thernet) board] that manages K3 Ethernet connectivity with or without RemoteRig attributes. Don't need Ethernet? Then don't get the board. Since the RemoteRig hardware is mature and consumes little circuit board space and DC current, perhaps it would be worth opening up a discussion with RemoteRig's designer since Elecraft already has a close relationship with Microbit.I know rear panel real estate is a concern, so it won't be easy to add yet another connector without adversely affecting other connectivity. Thoughts? Paul, W9AC __ 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 Message delivered to b...@wjschmidt.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 Message delivered to p...@tippete.net William, What does it need on the control computer side? Will it be totally transparent to existing applications, k3util, fldigi, hamlib and so on? Does it require a specific operating system? Does it supports firmware uploads to the radio? Pf -- Pierfrancesco Caci __ 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 Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
[Elecraft] Access to the back of the K3
I saw the comment about the rats nest of wires we have behind out equipment. Based on convention, people normally put their tables up against the walls. I have my tables 18 from the walls. This gives me enough room to go behind to fiddle with the wires, which I seem to do every few days. Just sharing. Bob/nz2z On 7/19/15 10:51 PM, elecraft-requ...@mailman.qth.net wrote: Last week, I made some internal changes to the K3 and also added an external USB data interface device for RTTY. What's apparent is that cable management is getting way out of control. To gain inside access to the K3 almost requires a meditation exercise before going in. Consider that a PR6 is mounted to the back of the K3. The rear of the K3 is an absolute rat's nest of cabling. __ 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 Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] K3/K3s Ethernet Interface
Yes you can use it one of two ways... in TCP mode, there is a small driver loaded on your PC that creates a pseudo RS232 port on the computer that all your existing software connects to. Your software thinks it's talking to your radio via RS232... but really that is an emulation that gets ported over the Ethernet to the radio (where the Ethernet to RS232 server is) and deconstructed into RS232 (RXD and TXD) with DTR and RTS for keying. Your computer can be right next to your radio or half way around the world and the radio will never know the difference. Latency is not a problem. Second mode is WEB server where the radio is emulated in web pages in the onboard web server (eg web page looks like the radio). You can change any parameter in the setup or knob on the radio that you could via RS232. No security is provided. Nor is there with the FLEX, Ten-tec, or any other radio that has an Ethernet connection currently. I just use a Netgear firewall and VPN through it securely. Dr. William J. Schmidt - K9HZ J68HZ 8P6HK ZF2HZ PJ4/K9HZ VP5/K9HZ PJ2/K9HZ Owner - Operator Big Signal Ranch – K9ZC Staunton, Illinois Owner – Operator Villa Grand Piton – J68HZ Soufriere, St. Lucia W.I. Rent it: www.VillaGrandPiton.com email: b...@wjschmidt.com -Original Message- From: Pierfrancesco Caci [mailto:p...@tippete.net] Sent: Monday, July 20, 2015 12:35 AM To: b...@wjschmidt.com; 'Paul Christensen'; elecraft@mailman.qth.net Subject: Re: [Elecraft] K3/K3s Ethernet Interface On 19 July 2015 23:40:51 CEST, Dr. William J. Schmidt, II b...@wjschmidt.com wrote: I have a prototype Ethernet interface running inside my K3 right now... simple replacement for the KIO3 board. I posted a couple of times suggesting it but was completely ignored so I build my own. It's just a pic with Ethernet capabilities and replaces the functions of the KIO3 completely and more. It will be available commercially soon... Dr. William J. Schmidt - K9HZ J68HZ 8P6HK ZF2HZ PJ4/K9HZ VP5/K9HZ PJ2/K9HZ Owner - Operator Big Signal Ranch - K9ZC Staunton, Illinois Owner - Operator Villa Grand Piton - J68HZ Soufriere, St. Lucia W.I. Rent it: www.VillaGrandPiton.com email: b...@wjschmidt.com -Original Message- From: Elecraft [mailto:elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Paul Christensen Sent: Sunday, July 19, 2015 2:24 PM To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net Subject: [Elecraft] K3/K3s Ethernet Interface This inquiry is directed to both the Elecraft leadership team as well as K3/K3s owners who may have an interest in native Ethernet connectivity. In searching through the list archives, I noted that some K3 owners had previously expressed an interest in an Ethernet option - and some owners have been disappointed that the new K3s and KIO3B board does not include Ethernet connectivity. A bit of background: for the past few months, N4CC and I have been operating a remote Internet station that's located near the FL/GA state line. Our setup includes a K3 and RemoteRig at the remote site and either a K3 or K3-mini at the control locations. Since the installation, we've experienced almost no operating trouble and any issues that have developed are managed remotely though direct and back-door network access points. Last week, I made some internal changes to the K3 and also added an external USB data interface device for RTTY. What's apparent is that cable management is getting way out of control. To gain inside access to the K3 almost requires a meditation exercise before going in. Consider that a PR6 is mounted to the back of the K3. The rear of the K3 is an absolute rat's nest of cabling. With the RemoteRig and PR6, It was bad enough before the inclusion of the external USB sound car/interface, but now it's bordering on ridiculous. Moreover, RemoteRig does not allow clean access to the K3's ACC DB-15 connector for other purposes such as FSK keying. Sure, the connector can be opened to access pins, but it requires a wiring break-out, leading to yet a further rat's nest of cabling. To help deal with the cabling issues, I am replacing the external PR6 with the new KXVB3 board. Next, a KIO3B board will be added when it's available to existing K3 owners. That should eliminate the external sound card interface and clear up much of the cabling mess, but not all of it. The Holy Grail is an Ethernet interface that includes (optional) integrated RemoteRig hardware - just one interface board [e.g., KIO3E(thernet) board] that manages K3 Ethernet connectivity with or without RemoteRig attributes. Don't need Ethernet? Then don't get the board. Since the RemoteRig hardware is mature and consumes little circuit board space and DC current, perhaps it would be worth opening up a discussion with RemoteRig's designer since Elecraft already has a close relationship with Microbit.I know rear panel real estate is a concern, so it won't be easy to add yet another connector without adversely
Re: [Elecraft] KX3 FD Operations?
The SCC3 meets all its design objectives, at least as I can measure them here. Been using one for about two years - the 20A version. It is quieter than the Samlex PSU I have here for AC/12VDC use. The difference is observable on a directly-connected spectrum analyzer, but not an issue with average HF band noise. 73, matt W6NIA On Sun, 19 Jul 2015 20:25:23 -0700, you wrote: I have been using a SCC3 - 12 Volt 20 Amp Solar Charge Controller (modifiable for 60 amp operation) from http://www.cirkits.com/scc3/. The design is by G. Forrest Cook. The design goals include low RF noise, and I haven't noticed any noise when using it with my K3. 73 Bil AE6JV On 7/19/15 at 6:26 PM, w...@i29.net (Kenneth Christiansen) wrote: KD5NDB is a silent key and I do not know of anyone selling his kits but I did take pictures of his kit instructions and schematic drawing which I can E-Mail to anyone that wants to build this solar regulator. One advantage of his circuit is that it makes no RF noise. Many other SOLAR REGULATORS make serious RF noise. --- Bill Frantz| Privacy is dead, get over| Periwinkle (408)356-8506 | it. | 16345 Englewood Ave www.pwpconsult.com | - Scott McNealy | Los Gatos, CA 95032 __ 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 Message delivered to mzil...@roadrunner.com Matt Zilmer, W6NIA -- Always store beer in a dark place. -R. Heinlein __ 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 Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] Miniature self-supporting HF antennas
On Sun,7/19/2015 9:52 PM, David Gilbert wrote: It's not going to radiate any lower than the horizon, and that kind of low angle is extremely useful for long distances. That can be appropriate even for QRP, although it might be more propagation dependent versus making some high angle short skip contacts. If I want to see how far I can work when backpacking, I'm going with a vertical unless the ground conductivity is just plain awful. The soil conductivity on most high mountaintops IS just plain awful. :) BUT -- there's nothing like having your antenna on a 3,000 ft tower, even if it is made of rock. When you get there, almost anything works, and anything decent works really well. W6GJB has a go-kit for his KX3 that includes a simple telescoping antenna that mounts to a tripod with a coax connector in the base, and a couple of wire radials that can be tossed into surrounding vegetation if there is any, or lay on the ground if there is not. Last summer as a site survey for FD, we set that up at Berryessa Peak (70 miles N of SF), and in about ten minutes, made three contest-style CW Qs to JA, SA, and the east coast of the US. Spiderbeam sells a 40ft (12M) telescoping fiberglass pole that weighs 7# and collapses to 3ft-10in. About $135 with shipping from TN). For about the same price, there's the DK9SQ 33 ft carbon fibre pole that collapses to 3.8 ft and weighs 2.2#. I used one of those with my K2 at my old Chicago club's annual QRP night in a local park. A photo is on my qrz.com page. I taped a #22 wire to it, wedged it between the seat and the top of the picnic bench (at roughly a 45 degree angle), and laid out two more wires as radials. Running 5W on 30M, I easily made a half dozen QSOs, including one that was a Caribbean station running a pileup. I agree that the Alex Loop, as well as home brew versions of it, can be a pretty decent backpacking antenna. W6GJB also has one of those. 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 Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] KX3 FD Operations?
The Genesun GV-series controllers are RF quiet, and their MPPT design typically results in 25-25% greater charging current. batteryspace.com sells them. If you're backpacking, you probably don't need a charge controller for any panel you're likely to drag up the trail. :) 73, Jim K9YC On Sun,7/19/2015 8:25 PM, Bill Frantz wrote: I have been using a SCC3 - 12 Volt 20 Amp Solar Charge Controller (modifiable for 60 amp operation) from http://www.cirkits.com/scc3/. The design is by G. Forrest Cook. The design goals include low RF noise, and I haven't noticed any noise when using it with my 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 Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] KX3 FD Operations?
I have been using a SCC3 - 12 Volt 20 Amp Solar Charge Controller (modifiable for 60 amp operation) from http://www.cirkits.com/scc3/. The design is by G. Forrest Cook. The design goals include low RF noise, and I haven't noticed any noise when using it with my K3. 73 Bil AE6JV On 7/19/15 at 6:26 PM, w...@i29.net (Kenneth Christiansen) wrote: KD5NDB is a silent key and I do not know of anyone selling his kits but I did take pictures of his kit instructions and schematic drawing which I can E-Mail to anyone that wants to build this solar regulator. One advantage of his circuit is that it makes no RF noise. Many other SOLAR REGULATORS make serious RF noise. --- Bill Frantz| Privacy is dead, get over| Periwinkle (408)356-8506 | it. | 16345 Englewood Ave www.pwpconsult.com | - Scott McNealy | Los Gatos, CA 95032 __ 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 Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] Miniature self-supporting HF antennas
It's not going to radiate any lower than the horizon, and that kind of low angle is extremely useful for long distances. That can be appropriate even for QRP, although it might be more propagation dependent versus making some high angle short skip contacts. If I want to see how far I can work when backpacking, I'm going with a vertical unless the ground conductivity is just plain awful. Dave AB7E On 7/19/2015 5:07 PM, Fred Jensen wrote: KT5X believes [and I don't disagree] that vertical ground planes on mountain tops tend to radiate downhill which isn't real useful. If you're above the timberline, you're probably on a mountain. 73, Fred K6DGW - Northern California Contest Club - CU in the 50th Running of the Cal QSO Party 3-4 Oct 2015 - www.cqp.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 Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
[Elecraft] K3 memory editor
Using the memory editor, cut and paste does not work on my 'spreadsheet'. Not via toolbar or menu or keyboard control c v Clues anyone? Chris VK2ACD K2 K3 KX3 etc __ 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 Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] K3 Below 500 KHz RX Antenna
Dont overlook perhaps an antenna you already have up, I use an 80 meter dipole thats fed with open line, I short the open line at the shack and feed that into the receiver, I have copied the east coast many times from Hawaii, and of course all the other guys between, up to Alaska, thats on 475KHZ. Both CW and WSPR. No preamp used. So if your wanting to just listen and get an idea of whats there, maybe check your present set up, coax fed dipole would work the same if you short the coax at the shack end. 73 Merv K9FD/KH6 Good, Fast, Cheap, pick two. At least that's what I told the General officer who wanted everything. We didn't get the job, thank God. An active E-field probe is probably the optimum, unless you have a lot of room and time. Small mag loops will work too, but often require a preamp 73, Fred K6DGW - Northern California Contest Club - CU in the 50th Running of the Cal QSO Party 3-4 Oct 2015 - www.cqp.org On 7/18/2015 11:52 AM, Phil Hystad wrote: What is the cheapest easiest although effective RX antenna for listening to whatever below 500 KHz with a K3 and the new K3SYNA board? Thanks, 73, phil, K7PEH __ 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 Message delivered to k...@flex.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 Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
