[Elecraft] KX1 quirk: no AF nor HF output at all
Couldn't find anything in the archives, so here goes. My KX1 showed a strange problem. I had put it away in full working order about a week ago. Yesterday I wanted to listen to some live CW to polish up my skills. It switched on ok, but there was absolutely no audio output. Not even a hint of hiss. I tried several headsets, nothing. Also, there was no HF output at all into a dummy load. I thought it wise to refrain from taking it apart at that time... So this evening I tried again. No HF, no AF, the display was working okay, I could switch between all bands and the tuning seemed to be working as well. Battery power is 8V. I decided to see if the receiving circuits were still with me, but found that the S-meter indicated a strong signal all the time: it could not distinguish between the XG1 being switched on or off or even being disconnected! Hmmm... I took out the KXAT1 and without even putting the jumper in the audio hiss was there when I turned the KX1 on. I put the KXAT1 back in and it came fully alive with all bells and whistless working like a charm. What the hack is going on here? Anybody seen this before? Bart de PA3GYU ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] KX1 Receiver alignment
Vin, At 06:10 06-07-06 -0400, you wrote: [Aligning a KX1] So I took a metallic screwdriver and electrical taped the entire shaft except for the tip. Despite the insulation, the metal in influencing the alignment, of course, so I am trying to align slightly, pull away and see what happens. If I touch the board near the cap, the gains comes WAY, WAY up, but only for the duration of the touch. Yep, I noticed that to. I didn't have a plastic alignment tool, I ended up slipping a scrap of paper over the screwdriver to isolate it. Surprisingly, it worked. Also, I notice that while listening to receive, I am hearing signals, but not nearly as strong as I hear them on any other receiver in the shack on the same antenna. I did NOT notice that. If it still occurs even after you have the alignment straight, I'd say something isn't right. Best, Bart de PA3GYU ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] Re: Elecraft Digest, Vol 26, Issue 33
Steve I also...would like to mount the K2 and EC2 in a rack mount case for transport in and out of my RV .. I need brackets... any ideas? anyone done this? I saw a picture of a rackmounted K2 on the Elecraft website under 'Picture gallery'. Scroll down to 'More Picture gallery shots' and there it is: 'NP2B's Rack Mounted K2 and K1'. Hope this helps, Bart de PA3GYU ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] KX1 hi current on 80 and power mod.
Guys, Thanks for all the responses Frederick wrote: RE: High current on 80. I had a similar problem when I built my KX1. Do a search on KL7CW and see my post of April 19th on the Elecraft site. In the meantime I had decided to take the KX1 out of the housing and fiddle a bit with the LPF and the 3080 board. I have no idea what I did to fix it (there were definately no shorts!) but it worked... The waveform went to a straight sine and current draw normalized. Thanks for your response though - it makes me feel better to know I'm not the only one who encountered this. Your description sounds very similar to what I had here. Aftwerwards, I did the Power Output Mod. So. in response to the HAM asking whether all bugs are worked out of the 3080-module, I'd say: sort of. Most never run into this high-power-on-80m situation and those that do are able to fix it with a bit of wiggling ;-) I can savely say however that the KXB3080 and the Power Output Modification were the most challenging of the Elecraft experiences I have had. But I've only built one K2 (with options) and one KX1 (with options) so far. End result: all gear up and running, even the high-power-on-80 situation didn't last more than a day. And for those who are still curious about the KX1's output power: Power Supply 13,8 V: 3.8 W @ 80m, 850 mA 2.9 W @ 40m, 680 mA 4 W @ 30m, 620 mA 2 W @ 20m, 450 mA I don't know whether these are typical values, but hey, they're mine. Bart de PA3GYU ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] KX1 low output modification candidate.
My KX1 'suffers' from low output. On internal batteries (8.5 V, current drain not measured yet), I get into a 50 Ohm dummyload: 1 W @ 80m 0.7 W @ 40 m 1 W @ 30 m 0.7 W @ 20 m I probably should measure this again at 14DC input and also note the current drain, but I'm sitting here wondering about the effects of the 'KX1 Application note/Power output modification' that came with the kit. From the figures above I'd say my KX1 is a good candidate for the mod, but I'm curious what the effect on current drain will be Will current drain on transmit also double with installation of the mod? Wouldn't that constitute a considerable effect on battery life, even when one is not transmitting all the time... Seems like a high price to pay for what, half an S-point in signal strength. What do you guys think/already found out? Bart de PA3GYU ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] KX1 low output modification candidate, part II.
New measurements: Power Supply 13,8 V: 3.7 W @ 80m, 800mA. 1.8 W @ 40m, 500 mA 1.8 W @ 30m, 510 mA 0.8 W @ 20m, 380 mA Power supply 10 V: 2.2 W @ 80m, 680 mA 1.2 W @ 40m, 400 mA 1.2 W @ 30m, 400 mA 0.5 W @ 20m, 300 mA Power supply 10 V: 1.6 W @ 80m, 600 mA 0.8 W @ 40m, 350 mA 0.8 W @ 30m, 350 mA 0.8 W @ 20m, 280 mA There's two things I'm interested in: 1) Leaving out the results for 80m, is this KX1 a candidate for the Power Mod? 2) See next e-mail (to keep the subject on topic) Bart de PA3GYU ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] KX1 distorted wavefom on 80m.
I just measured my KX1 output: Power Supply 13,8 V: 3.7 W @ 80m, 800mA. 1.8 W @ 40m, 500 mA 1.8 W @ 30m, 510 mA 0.8 W @ 20m, 380 mA There is clearly something wrong on 80m. Waveform on a scope looks badly distorted. Reception on 80m sounds okay to me. Current drain at receive 63 mA. I have no idea where to start looking. Anybody any clues? Bart de PA3GYU ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] KX1 Side Tone Pitch range?
David said: Nothing is 'up', Bart. You have the latest v1.02 firmware fitted. The notes for the firmware explains that the upper sidetone limit is 650Hz. My KX1 came with this firmware, so I never checked the firmware notes. That explains it, thanks David. Bart de PA3GYU ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] KX1 Issue
Brian, I also notice that when I transmit now, I only get one LED at the far left of the display to pop on...it used to show three or four...external meter shows 3w usually. This is normal behaviour for a KX1 without the antenna tuner. Only with the KXAT1 in place it displays power output with 0.5 Watt/bar. ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] Q: Building the K2
Tom WB2QDG wrote: Yes the basic K2 with the ATU also has 2 antenna jacks. I also put a dummy load on 'Ant 2', I can't tell you how many times I tried to auto tune into an empty 'Ant 2', before I finally caught on. Been there, done that, still do it occasionally As I seldom have my K2 at full power, I ended up using a 50 ohm 'terminator' on 'Ant2'. It looks like a BNC connector and has a small chain that you can screw down so you can't loose it. In the old days these were used to terminate 50 ohm Ethernet networks. I'm not sure about the power they are supposed to be able to handle, but this particular one has survived many of my attempts to tune 'Ant2' Bart de PA3GYU. ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] KX1 Side Tone Pitch range?
Manual says STP can be varied from 500 to 700 Hz. Mine will not go higher than 650 Hz. What's up? Bart de PA3GYU ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] KX1 C1: on top or on the bottom?
The manual says C1 (4.7 pF) shoud be mounted on the top side of the board, which is also where it's outline is printed. But the schematic in Appendix B indicates it should be 5pF and mounted on the bottom. Can I savely assume the schematic to be wrong? Bart de PA3GYU ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] Errata! Check for errata!
Peter, No need to do, Bart, They have forgotten to put the errata into the kit. This happened first time and I got an alarm message immediate from Elecraft to add it to my stock kits. Normaly the erratas are in the kit. 'Normally' being the key word here. Apparently they can't keep up at the moment. Case in point: my KX1 that also arrived this week and came with errata sheet Rev B5 of Jan 30 2006. Following my own advice, I found errata sheet Rev B-6 of April 12 2006 available on the website. And the differences aren't trivial! To Howard, AC4FS: just make sure that before you actually start building, you check for new errata. Elecraft is known for its dedication to quality and is continuously revising the errata sheets. And from my own experience: when I received my K2 two years ago I wasn't in a position to start building immediately. But I did whip out the manual and read it front to back, back to front and probably sideways too. Applied the changes mentioned in the errata. It was great pre-fun only to be topped by the fun of the building itself. See if you can negotiate this with the wife ;-) Bart de PA3GYU ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] Errata! Check for errata!
Yesterday I received an XG1 Receiver Test Oscillator. One resistor has the wrong value: R8 (1.27 k) was actually delivered as 1.24 k. Claiming this at Elecraft's much praised 'help-I'm-missing-a-part' department, Scott AH6KL replied promptly and to the point: Yes you do have the correct resistor for XG-1 R8 as it needs to be 1.24 K ohms or 1240 ohms. Inadvertently Elecraft did not include an errata with your kit describing this substitution. Please go ahead and install the 1240 ohm resistor at R8 with confidence. Apologies for the oversight. Only after I received Scott's email, I checked at Elecraft's website and noticed there is an errata for this kit. All it says is that R8 has a different value and should be 1.24 k Darn, now why didn't I think of checking the website for errata first? Well, actually because I didn't think there could be an errata-sheet for a four page manual: I figured it would be small enough to be up to date. Apparently not. I'll check the website again for the other kits I've received just to make sure. There is always a chance new errata's are published. Lesson learned, ymmv. Bart de PA3GYU ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] Binaural CW tuning
Vic Wrote: I've always wanted to try some kind of crossover device that would distribute the signal between the two earphones according to frequency. Then as I tune through a CW signal, it would seem to move. This has been on my mind too for a long time. I even seem to recall I've got a schematic saved somewhere for a circuit that does just that, so somebody beat us to it. I just never came around to built and test it for myself For details, contact me offline and I'll try to dig up the circuit. I'd expect the hiss that 'll always appear in one ear to cause fatigue. Anybody 'been there, done that' and willing to tell us about it? Bart de PA3GUY ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] Re: Ordering form PA
Sjoerd, I am seriously considering ordering a K2, but before i do that i would like to know what the 'extra costs' are before the kit is in my shack. I think 19% tax , but are there more costs?? Tnx in advance.. Sjoerd PE2SVN We've ordered two K2's a year ago, with identical bells and wisthles. From my notes: the K2's were EUR 2172 (Elecraft list price including transport). On top of hat came EUR 413 'invoerrechten' and EUR 10 'Inklaringskosten'. Now this EUR 413 is 19% of 2172, which is the going VAT-rate (BTW), so I figure there are no other duties to pay. Two notes: 1. I seem to recall that this was a cheaper route then buying from Germany, but do check for yourself. 2. I seem to vaguely recall that we asked Elecraft to mark the package as 'transmitter', with a special customs-code. I can't recall exactly which code that was, but may be able to retrieve it from an e-mail archive (that is currently on another computer). Contact me directly if interested. Then again, I'm not certain that it made any difference. I've only once ordered from them. So mine cost me just under EUR 1300, that's a K2, KSB2, KNB2, K160RX, KAT2, KIO2, KAF2, MH2, KBT2 and an additional BATT. Well worth it. Best, Bart de PA3GYU ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] Heil handmike discontinued.
Heil discontinued the hand mic. Yes, we are working on a new one, but it will be a little bit before we get them to market. Which leads to the question: why? Some of us who already have one may wonder what's wrong with it BartW. ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
RE: [Elecraft] Low receiver sensitivity
Ron, At 04:01 11-05-05 -0400, you wrote: You can't get an idea of the absolute sensitivity of your K2 looking at the S-meter, Mike. [SNIP] Look up Receiver Sensitivity Testing (Page 4 of the XG1 manual) and Signal-to-Noise and MDS Calculations (page 5) for instructions on how to use the XG1 to measure receiver sensitivity. I did, and found this procedure and example: A. Divide S+N by N; call the resulting ratio R. B. Take the base-10 logarithm of R (log key on most calculators). C. Multiply the result by 20 to obtain the S+N/N ratio at 1 microvolt, in dB. D. If the S+N/N is greater than 10 dB, then the MDS is approximately equal to the result from (C) subtracted from -107 dBm. Example: DMM readings of 1.0 Vrms (XG1 on), and 0.030 Vrms (XG1 off). A. R = 1.0/.03 = 33 B. log(30) = 1.52 C. 20 x 1.48 = about 30 dB (this meets the requirement for step D) D. MDS = -107 dBm - 30 dB = -137 dBm Two remarks: 1. I think the second step in the example should read: B. log(10) = 1.52. 2. I may be missing something here, but if the outcome of B) equals 1.52, why is 1.48 used in C)? (Not that it changes much, only 0.8 dB, but hey: it might confuse some people!) Best, BartW de PA3GYU ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] Re: K2/SSB Construction
Any thoughts will be appreciated. Thanks for the help. A while back, I reported this on the KSB2. Allthough some reactions suggested I must have put in the resistor packs tilted, I'm certain they are straight. Also, some other people reported the chokes *are* a tight fight. Your mileage may very. begin old message--- Maybe it's just me, but I found RFC1 and RFC2 on the KSB2 to be very tight fits. They are both quite stuck between the crystal and resistor pack. That would normally not be a problem, but allthough the manual says to 'try to avoid scrapping the wire', one of my RFC's apparently did not come through unscraped. After mounting and checking for continuity, I had the good sense to check for a short to the crystal can and Bingo! Shorted! I might have made some more room, if the manual had warned that the crystal and the resistor pack should have been soldered as far away from eachother as possible. I'm not sure, as this is my first KSB2. I'd rather not start messing with them now they are already in there. end old message--- Good luck! Bart de PA3GYU ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] Re: RFC1 and RFC2 on KSB2
You must have had the R-Paks tilted in toward the crystals a bit rather than vertical. They are exactly straight up. I may have the crystals shifted a bit, bit no more than the play of their leads in the pads allow for. They are straight up as well. I just checked 2 KSB2s that I just built and there is enough space to slide a business card thickness easily between either the crystal and the RF Choke or on the R-Pak side. Very odd, looking from my board They are absolutely stuck in there. I really can't imagine why you scraped the wire on the smooth crystal body (or on the R-Pak either) I may have been unclear in my original post. The wire got scraped while winding the RFC, I didn't scrape it during installation. Bart de PA3GYU ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] RFC1 and RFC2 on KSB2
Maybe it's just me, but I found RFC1 and RFC2 on the KSB2 to be very tight fits. They are both quite stuck between the crystal and resistor pack. That would normally not be a problem, but allthough the manual says to 'try to avoid scrapping the wire', one of my RFC's apparently did not come through unscraped. After mounting and checking for continuity, I had the good sense to check for a short to the crystal can and Bingo! Shorted! I might have made some more room, if the manual had warned that the crystal and the resistor pack should have been soldered as far away from eachother as possible. I'm not sure, as this is my first KSB2. I'd rather not start messing with them now they are already in there. If it's just me, no problem, it's fixed. If it is more common, maybe it would be a good idea to have the manual check for shorts between the RFC and the crystal. I'm not sure how long it would have taken me to find this one if I hadn't done it right away. From the schematic I'd say it would have introduced some weird filter switching problems Bart de PA3GYU. ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] KIO2: set 'Port' to 'Off' when not in use?
Is there any advantage (i.e. save power) in switching the IO-port off when not in use? Any other reason not to leave it 'On' forever once the KIO2 is installed? Just curious. Bart de PA3GYU ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] KIO2 connector safety modification?
Guys, I knew you would come through...;-) So there's basically three ways to do this: 1. Block pin 4 of the KIO2 and cut the corresponding pin from the male connector. 2. Create a short cable and leave it attached. 3. Cut a slot in the shell of the male connector directly above pin 3, and solder a bit of wire for a key onto the shell of the female connector. See http://members.cox.net/cwnut/KI02_Serial_2.pdf The latter one I had seen before, but forgot about. As soon as I saw it again, I recognized the pictures.. And solution #1 was what remembered and thought I'd seen pictures of. Thanks for sorting me out. I think I'll go for #3 with a slight twist (why standardize, eh?): I think I'll put the wire on the female connector at the bottom instead of on the top (yes I'll remember to file the slot accordingly). The female connector will look less 'doctered' that way. Thanks again, Bart de PA3GYU. ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] KIO2 connector safety modification?
Guys, I seem to recall that somebody somewhere reported adding a safety measure to the IO connector and the matching cable. It involved plugging one hole in the K2's IO socket and cutting a pin fom the corresponding connector on the cable, I think. The idea was to prevent one from using any old cable in a moment of -let's-get-it-going- rush, a phenomenom we all seem to recognize... ;-) Anyway, being in the proces of building the KIO2, I cannot find the article anywhere but contemplate implementing such a safety feature. I wouldn't know which pin to sacrifice (might take one out that is needed in a future application). Any pointers from the list? Best, Bart de PA3GYU ___ 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
