Re: [Elecraft] K2 and NaP3 IF offset values
NaP3 already includes the ability to set different offsets for CW and CW-R and those offsets are used in conjunction with the global offset which applies to all modes. To make it work for the upper bands, you'd need to be able to specify a separate global offset value based on the band you're on. I'm afraid there isn't much interest in making things work right for the K2 at this point. I see that NaP3 has the ability to poll the rig for the IF frequency and filter shift and that appears to be for the K3. I don't believe the K2 has the ability to respond to those commands. -- View this message in context: http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/K2-and-NaP3-IF-offset-values-tp7610348p7610373.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] K2 and NaP3 IF offset values
Yep - I'm aware of the K2 difference on the higher bands. I'm running V4 RC3, and it definitely does not correct the change on the higher bands. I've not tried the earlier V4 version or any V3 version with the K2, so can't shed any light on when things might have gone bad. I'm also using LPB-2 and that seems to work flawlessly with the K2. 73, Floyd - K8AC -- View this message in context: http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/K2-and-NaP3-IF-offset-values-tp7610348p7610399.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
[Elecraft] K2 and NaP3 IF offset values
I've been using my K2 with LP-Pan and NaP3 for a few months on the lower bands and just recently got on 20 and 15 meter CW with it. I found that the offsets you specify in NaP3 were considerably different on 15, 12 and 10 meters while that for 20M was just a bit off from the lower bands. 17M offset was the same as the lower bands. For example, the global offset required on 80, 40 and 30M is 1170 in my case. For 20M, it's 1200. For 15M it's (-285) and (-330) for 10M. When I say the "offset required", that means the value I need to specify in order for the NaP3 center frequency indicator line to be exactly in the middle of a received CW signal. Not quite sure why the offset difference - obviously the IF signal is not exactly the same for all bands, but why not? -- View this message in context: http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/K2-and-NaP3-IF-offset-values-tp7610348.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] K2 and NaP3 IF offset values
I suspect that the difference I saw in the offset for 20M was indeed due to a different filter selection. If I center the signal on the NaP3 indicator using my most-often-used 400 Hz filter, advancing through subsequent narrower filters I see just a bit of movement of the signal relative to the pointer. But, with the two wider filter positions, the movement is substantial and would require a much larger or smaller offset in NaP3 to get the signal aligned with the pointer. With a bit of work, I can probably get the signal and pointer pretty much aligned by tweaking the BFO settings for the wider filters. I'll watch the shape and position with Spectrogram while doing that. By the way, this isn't just an academic exercise. When I'm operating split and chasing DX, I often need to be able to position the transmit VFO pointer on a signal and have the K2 exactly on that frequency and not a couple hundred Hz away. -- View this message in context: http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/K2-and-NaP3-IF-offset-values-tp7610348p7610356.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] K2 - KPA100 RS232 interface repair
Hi Jim. Well, when this incident occurred, I was deep into working on an associated software problem and needed to quickly try the PC serial port directly. I agree with you comment about reading the manual and in fact I did so just a couple of weeks back when I acquired this unit. Unfortunately, at my age, I don't always recall 100% of what I read. Now that I have this problem, of course I remember reading all about needing the special cable But, I disagree regarding the use of the DB9 connector on the K2. Having worked on tons of gear with communications ports, I've never run into one that purportedly used an RS232 interface, but would self-destruct if a real RS232 interface were attached. The KPA-100 manual clearly describes it as an RS232 interface and the schematic has it labeled as such. If it doesn't support RS232 voltage levels, then it isn't an RS232 interface in my book. And I know that there are devices that use a DB9 connector but are not RS232 compliant, but that isn't the issue here. In the document that Gary Surrency and Tom Hammond wrote on the subject several years ago, they clearly pointed out the need for a more prominent label warning of the possible consequences of connecting the wrong cable. Had I seen such a warning, I'd have remembered the reason for it and would have avoided the problem. At any rate, the worst result should be a failure to communicate and not the destruction of several important components in the unit. Having read many of your writings, I doubt that you'd have ever designed something with that sort of risk involved. When I get everything working again, I plan to document in detail what fails, how to determine if it had failed and what to do about it. Current documentation on that is rather lacking and I'll bet that there are scores of K2s out there with the same problem. 73, Floyd - K8AC On 8/22/2015 7:26 PM, Jim Brown-10 [via Elecraft] wrote: Hi Floyd, I've owned and operated a pair of K2s, both of which I bought used. Elecraft makes it very clear that the DB9 connector on the K2 is NOT an RS232 interface, that it is not RS232 compliant, and that a standard RS232 cable should NOT be used. Rather, the DB9 connector provides both serial control AND several control functions. The DB9 connector is a generic part, and can be used for many things besides RS232. It is also well known that while the RS232 Standard defines voltage levels, MANY modern products produce far less than those levels. I've owned a lot of gear in my lifetime, and the first thing I do is open the manual, study it, study the wiring of the various connectors, study the specs, and study the operating instructions. 73, Jim K9YC -- View this message in context: http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/K2-KPA100-RS232-interface-repair-tp7606571p7606587.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] K2 - KPA100 RS232 interface repair
OK - many thanks, Don. I'll get busy looking at those things. 73, Floyd On 8/22/2015 6:33 PM, Don Wilhelm-4 [via Elecraft] wrote: Floyd, You say the voltage at U4 pin 5 is -15.4 volts, and that *may* be a perfectly valid voltage - that is a MARK. It should not be constantly that way, so check U4 pin 12 - if it is zero, then the MAX1406 is behaving properly in response. That line originates from the MCU (Control Board U6) pin 25, and should be +5v under normal conditions, but pulses to zero when the K2 sends data. If you find KPA100 U4 pin 12 at 5 volts while pin 5 is going negative, then replace U4. OTOH, if U4 pin 12 is at zero volts, suspect the K2 MCU or some problem on the signal line between those points. As a quick check on whether the base K2 or KPA100 is pulling that signal to zero, remove the KPA100 ribbon cable, then power the base K2 and see whether CB U6 pin 25 goes to +5v with the ribbon cable removed. If it stays at 0 volts, remove the MCU and make a resistance measurement on U6 pin 25 to make sure it is not shorted - if you read a high resistance, replace the MCU IC. The most likely symptom if the KSB2 board has been damaged from plugging in a serial cable is that you could have damaged either the KSB2 MCU (AUXBUS line), or Q1 (high voltage on the VRFDET line or the ALC line can do damage). Note that if you were previously connecting the USB to serial adapter directly to the KPA100 AUX I/O connector, it may be possible that no damage would occur *if* the voltage out of the adapter did not exceed 5 volts and never went negative. In the PC world of short RS-232 signalling, some try to get away' with those levels, where a real serial card will typically have voltages in excess of +/-12 volts. So if you did not previously use the special cable, you will need to build one - the instructions are in the KPA100 manual page 60. 73, Don W3FPR On 8/22/2015 4:28 PM, Floyd Sense wrote: Anyway, maybe you can help me determine what areas to focus on in the repair. Here's what I know: 1. The RF chokes RFC6-9 are all intact. 2. The ALC is functioning properly - the power control properly controls the output 3. U1 in the KPS-100 appears to be functioning as the relays are being activated at the right time as I switch through the bands. 4. Data sent from Hyperterminal through the USB/serial converter to the K2 shows up on Pin 6 of the KPA-100 U4 (the Max1706) and can be seen at pin 26 of the K2 MCU (U6). But, the K2 doesn't act on the commands that are sent. 5. The voltage on pin 5 of U4 (MAX1406) is -15.4 VDC, seems that indicates U4 is toast? I haven't observed any other problems. I found the document written by Gary Surrency and Tom Hammond regarding this situation. Which leads me to some questions: 1. Reference is made to possible damage to the KSB2. Do you know what the symptom would be in that case? 2. Apparently, any damage to the MCU IC might be isolated to just the input from the interface - pin 26. I say that because everything else appears to function normally. Are you aware of anything else I might check for regarding the MCU function? 73, Floyd On 8/22/2015 3:16 PM, Don Wilhelm wrote: Anyone who has purchased a used K2 needs to take notice, lest it happen to you too. That connector is marked AUX I/O for exactly that reason, it is not a computer RS-232 connector even though it contains TXD, RXD and signal ground. As a result, one must always use the special cable that is built as part of the KPA100 to connect to a computer serial port. You are not likely to have damaged anything in the KPA100 when connecting a standard serial cable to the K2, although KPA100 U6 may have a damaged output at pin 6, and the inductors located just behind the DE-9 connector should be checked for continuity. The TXD and RXD signals in the serial cable will connect to U4 just the same as if the special cable were used. You could have also damaged the computer serial port because pin 1 was grounded by the K2. You will find most of the damage will be in the base K2. Internal signals AUXBUS and VRFDET could have caused the MCU IC to be damaged as well as the KSB2. The fact that the 8R voltage rail appears on that connector, that may have caused further damage. 73, Don W3FPR __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[hidden email] /user/SendEmail.jtp?type=nodenode=7606582i=0 This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to [hidden email] /user/SendEmail.jtp?type=nodenode=7606582i=1 If you reply to this email, your message will be added
[Elecraft] K2 - KPA100 RS232 interface repair
I had been using an Elecraft USB/serial cable with my recently acquired K2 and the PC communications worked properly. In debugging a software problem, it was suggested that I try using a real serial port, which I did. Unfortunately, I was unaware that I wasn't supposed to use a standard RS232 cable. So now, the K2's port won't work with the USB/serial cable either and I assume that the interface in the KPA-100 was damaged. I guess that U4 (MAX 1406) is a prime suspect for failure in this case. Any suggestions? -- View this message in context: http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/K2-KPA100-RS232-interface-repair-tp7606571.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
[Elecraft] K3 and P3 for sale
K3 - Serial #5053 , P3 - Serial #994 Options: KAT3: Auto-tuner KRX3: 2nd receiver KFL3A-2.1K: 2.1 KHz 8 pole filter in main receiver KFL3A-400: 400 Hz 8 pole filter, one in each receiver KFL3A-200: 200 Hz 5 pole filter in main receiver KXV3A: RX Ant, IF Out Xvrtr Interface Both receivers have the 2.7 KHz SSB filter Email me if interested. No responses here, please. 73, Floyd - K8AC -- View this message in context: http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/K3-and-P3-for-sale-tp6184914p6184914.html Sent from the Elecraft mailing list archive at Nabble.com. __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] K3 and P3 for sale - more info
The K3 is actually a K3/100. -- View this message in context: http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/K3-and-P3-for-sale-tp6184914p6185432.html Sent from the Elecraft mailing list archive at Nabble.com. __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] Macro for Power Output
At least one logging package, DXLab, provides the necessary conditional statements that allow you to build scripts attached to buttons or sliders that can accomplish this. For example, I have one button that appears in the Commander (the DXLab application that does PC to K3 communications) window that reads the band the K3 is set to and then sets the power out to the value that produces just under the legal limit for my amp on that band. Using the same facility, you could define a slider control that would increment or decrement the power level by a fixed value each time it was moused. Or, you could drag the slider to set any desired power level. Since standard K3 commands are used, when the power level is changed via one of these controls, the new power level is displayed on the VFO-B section of the display just as if you had turned the PWR knob. 73, Floyd - K8AC -- View this message in context: http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/Macro-for-Power-Output-tp6164356p6164855.html Sent from the Elecraft mailing list archive at Nabble.com. __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] K3/P3 and Palstar Auto-tuner
Tommy Alderman wrote: There is also a problem if you use any type of PC control for your radio. RS-232 is designed to operate ONE device at a time. 73, Tom - W4BQF There's another way to get around this problem. I use DXLab for logging and its Commander application (the app that communicates with your rig(s) ) offers the ability to define a secondary CAT device on a serial port. Your primary CAT port might have your K3 attached and the secondary might have a Yaesu, Icom, Kenwood, etc. (anything that uses one of the supported interfaces in Commander). You can specify that frequency changes in either (or both) devices will cause the other to track the changes. With things set up that way, I can tune my K3 and have my Icom Pro III track the changes, or vice versa. The delay in responding to frequency changes is extremely small on my system. Your PalStar could be the secondary CAT device and thus track the K3 just fine. 73, Floyd - K8AC -- View this message in context: http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/K3-P3-and-Palstar-Auto-tuner-tp6097972p6130117.html Sent from the Elecraft mailing list archive at Nabble.com. __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] Split not available
How about just making the SPLIT button one that can be programmed via macros. Seems more reasonable than the current situation that often results in calling on top of a DX station when you meant to be split. 73, Floyd - K8AC -- View this message in context: http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/Re-Split-not-available-tp6012850p6019507.html Sent from the [K3] mailing list archive at Nabble.com. __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] K3 RX AGC right after a transmission
Lyle - I too noticed this during the contest and at times it was a real pain. Switching to fast AGC circumvented it, but there are many reasons that I prefer to run slow AGC. Also, many of us do NOT run full break-in for a variety of good reasons. In that case, having the AGC state resume where it was at the last receive point - perhaps 3-6 seconds ago - isn't very useful. In many cases, the last AGC state was set by a strong station and the new receive state starts with a very weak signal calling. I don't ever recall running into this situation on my K2 or Pro III and really would prefer some sort of option to prevent it from happening on the K3. Perhaps we don't need a new option, but could key an operational change from whether or not QSK was being used? Lyle Johnson wrote: Hello Arie! ... We SUSPECT that the AGC was still at the level from BEFORE the transmission. Yes, AGC is suspended during transmission, then resumes during receive. The assumption is that the band hasn't changed that much in the milliseconds (CW QSK) to several seconds (SSB voice). ...the work around was setting the AGC to fast. In general, fast AGC is most often used for CW and slow AGC for voice or data operation. 73, Lyle KK7P ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com -- View this message in context: http://n2.nabble.com/K3-RX-AGC-right-after-a-transmission-tp1596220p1599459.html Sent from the Elecraft mailing list archive at Nabble.com. ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
