[Elecraft] Subject: Re 3Y0I Bouvet

[dyarnes]

This is the first I’ve heard of it, but I don’t keep my ear that close to the 
ground on these things.  It is very strange, however.  Reading their website I 
get a strong sense they are actually pleading for funds, while trying to tamp 
down on the negative feelings about 3Y0Z’s problems.  

Then I see they are in Cape Town already, and as of early October!!!  It’s now 
late November!  They must have a lot of time on their hands  Not all of 
those team members look old enough to be retired!  Hi.

Dave W7AQK



From: John Harper 

It has been implied that their official announcement will be the first CQ
from 3Y. Also, the trip from ZS to 3Y will take 12 days according to their
team leader. I'd bet that they have already left and are en route.

John AE5X


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[Elecraft] Subject: Re: Subject Re: Just a thought...

[dyarnes]

Bill and All,

That sort of corresponds to my line of thinking when I go out on QRP Field 
Day—which rig is smallest, but still competent?  

Actually it might be fun to do something like what you suggest on a lark, but 
not sure exactly how you “weigh” the weight factor!  Hi. For example, is the 
weight including, or excluding, batteries?   I suspect a lot of KX1’s and KX2’s 
would become the rig of choice for those who have access to one.  I might even 
opt for something like my super small ATS-3b rig which I still consider to be 
something of a marvel.  



---
From: Bill Frantz 

Perhaps we need some contests where the weight of the entire 
setup: radio, computer (if needed), power supply, antenna, and 
antenna supports is part of the scoring. Extra points for 
distance from and altitude above the trailhead. :-)

73 Bill AE6JV



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[Elecraft] Subject Re: Just a thought...

[dyarnes]

Norm and all,

I bring mine down off the shelf every so often (a 4 bander), but not as often 
as it deserves!  I still remember how much fun it was to build it, and how 
exciting it was when everything worked as predicted!!!  

The KX1 sort of lost momentum, partly due to subsequent alternatives, and 
partly due to lack of parts availability.  When I first built mine it was only 
a two bander with two different boards to make it a 4 bander.  Then they 
figured out how to get 4 bands on one board, and I upgraded.  I just wish that 
had been an option from the get-go!  Then, I guess, the 4 band board parts 
became problematic, and soon the K1 was not viewed as being as desirable as it 
once was.  Somewhere along the way the KX1 came along, and that bifurcated 
interest as well.  I have one of those too—in fact, I have at least one of 
almost everything except a K3S.  

The K1 is still a terrific radio.  Even after I replaced it with newer models, 
I found it to be a particularly good choice for QRP Field Day!  Now, though, 
it’s hard to justify opting for my K1 on Field Day when I have a KX2 and KX3 to 
choose from!  Sort of an embarrassment of riches I guess.  

Anyway, my plan is to someday present that K1 to some deserving, young, new ham 
who needs a radio to get started—just like I did when I first got started.  Of 
course, that means I have to identify someone truly interested in CW, but, 
well, that’s part of my definition of “deserving”!  Hi.  In the meantime Norm, 
keep the “Mojo” going!

Cheers!

Dave W7AQK


---
From: Norm Lee 

Reading through all the posts on this list, it just occurred to me - am I the 
last person on earth to be running a K1?
Norm vk5gi
McLaren Vale
South Australia 



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[Elecraft] UV Data

[dyarnes]

Ted and all,

I also couldn’t resist sorting the data by county, but I was not at all 
surprised by the results.  Having lived for about 50 of my 77 years in Arizona 
and New Mexico, I knew we had to be near the top of the list.  I feel it every 
day!!!  Ironically, my early days of youth were spent in the northwest, where 
the numbers are exactly the opposite!  That’s why so many people up north have 
that peachy-creamy skin, and down here we all look like shoe leather!  Here in 
the southwest we also develop a close relationship with our dermatologists, or 
we darn well should!  The good news is that things don’t tend to rust here!!!  
Hi.

73,
Dave W7AQK



On Tue, 6 Nov 2018, Dauer, Edward wrote:

> Interesting to sort the list by UV flux data.  Doing that for the 3107 
> entries, my QTH in Teller County, Colorado, at an average elevation of about 
> 8500' and with 247 sunny days per year according to the tourist adsr, is 
> number 511.  53 of the 67 counties in Florida rank above it.  I would not 
> have guessed that . . .
>
> Ted, KN1CBR



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[Elecraft] Re KX3 booster

[dyarnes]

John and All,

I’m not necessarily recommending these amps, but you may possibly be confusing 
them with a prior model line--  The original  “HLA” series, such as the HLA 150 
and HLA 300.  Those amps were marginal at best, although if you ran them well 
below their rated output they weren’t “too dirty”!  Hi.  RM Italy also sold a 
line of amps that didn’t even have proper bandpass filtering as they were 
intended primarily for CB.  I think those just had an “HL” designation.

These newer models supposedly are a much better design.  I first saw them at 
Dayton a couple of years ago.  The price went up substantially too!  Supposedly 
these are all FCC certified, whereas the prior models were not.

Dave W7AQK




---
From: John Harper 

I'm surprised a reputable company like DXE would sell the brand:

https://www.dxengineering.com/search/department/amplifiers/brand/rm-italy/product-line/rm-italy-la-250-series-vhf-linear-amplifiers?autoview=SKU=Default=Ascending

John AE5X

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Re: [Elecraft] Vanity Calls

[dyarnes]

Hi All,

My call (W7AQK) is designated as a vanity call even  though it is the original 
call assigned to me back in 1955.  Under past FCC rules, I had to give it up 
when I moved to a different call area.  That actually happened twice!  The 
first time I reacquired this call it cost me nothing!  FCC just reassigned it 
to me as a previous holder.  However, in the early 90’s, when I decided I 
wanted my original call again, and I was again in the 7th call district, I had 
to do so under the vanity program, and pay extra for it too!  Even renewals 
were subject to a special fee!  Now that has changed, thankfully.  However, I 
still somewhat resent the fact that my call is considered a vanity call, even 
though I am a previous holder of it, and also that, at one time, I would have 
been reissued this call by “rights”.  

While I’m grousing about “vanity” issues, our Arizona Department of 
Transportation allows me to have a “vanity” license plate with my call on it.  
I pay an extra $25 for that, presumably to cover the cost of special 
processing.  However, I have to pay that same $25 every time I renew!  Why???  
It doesn’t cost them anything extra once the plate has been made and issued!!!  
Seems a bit unfair to me!

Dave W7AQK
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Re: [Elecraft] O.T. Morse is not dead, at least in the U.S. Navy

[dyarnes]

Fred and All,

I think Morse is exactly what they are using with the signal lamps.  The 
article I read about this confirmed that.

Dave W7AQK



-

There was a recent URL posted involving using the venerable signal 
lamps for high speed communications between ships.? I don't think it was 
Morse however.

73,

Fred ["Skip"] K6DGW
Sparks NV DM09dn
Washoe County

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Re: [Elecraft] kxpd3 question

[dyarnes]

Eric and all,

Will all due respect, I couldn’t disagree with you more!  First, I don’t think 
it is accurate to suggest that CW was used to keep people out of the hobby.  
The requirement for this skill was much less obtuse than that.  It was simply 
due to the fact that CW was/is probably the most basic method of 
communicating—at least it was for a long time.  You could touch two wires 
together and send a coherent message!  The device necessary to transmit such a 
signal was about as simple as it gets.  CW is still far more efficient and 
effective than voice modes unless you use considerably more power with the 
latter.  One shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that a dominant reason for us 
even being allowed to practice this hobby was that we could be a reliable 
alternative in case of emergency.  There was a lot of competition for our place 
in the spectrum.

I don’t disagree that “perfect code” isn’t a mandate, but I do think it should 
be an objective.  The farther away you get from perfect code, the less coherent 
it becomes.  The closer you get to perfect code, the easier it is to interpret! 
 Plain and simple!  

I hear a lot of crap CW on the bands.  Some of it comes from folks who are just 
not very good at it, but are trying to get better.  I’m not so bothered by 
that.  However, those who don’t do CW very well, and don’t care, and don’t have 
any intention of getting better at it, don’t interest me very much.  Trying to 
copy bad CW is a lot of work, and it is rather frustrating.  If I’m helping 
someone get better, it is worth it, but if I am just enabling someone to not 
get better, I don’t see the point of it.  

As to the comparisons to accents that Ron made in his post, I would suggest 
that there is a distinction as to degree.  It’s one thing to be “identifiable” 
because of some slight variation from perfect code, much like an accent in 
language is, but it is a completely different thing to be so far from perfect 
code that you become hard to interpret.  That’s not just an accent, but more 
like using poor grammar!  CW is, in effect, a language, and should be 
recognizable without excessive strain.  

My CW is far from perfect, but I try to make it sound as much “by the book” as 
I can.  I definitely don’t try to jazz it up like some people do.  Every so 
often someone comments that they find it easy to copy.  I’d much rather hear  a 
comment like that than have someone say they recognized my because of my accent!

Cheers!

Dave W7AQK


From: Eric J 

I'm with Ron. I've been in the hobby since 1957. CW has always been used 
as some sort of ham radio purity test. It was used to keep people out of 
the hobby altogether for decades. Many of those who persevered, learned 
the code under duress to get their license, then never touched a key 
again. And there's no evidence CW as a gatekeeper prevented lids as many 
of the worst offenders were General class or higher who had to have 
passed a code test.

As empty as the CW portions are now, except during any contest, I 
welcome anyone who knows enough code to make a QSO. Perfect code is not 
necessary for reliable communication. Besides, I love hearing all the 
various fists, and enjoy recognizing individuals by their fist.

Eric KE6US

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[Elecraft] : Re: California Fires

[dyarnes]

Hi All,

My condolences to anyone adversely affected by those fires.  From the TV 
coverage I’ve seen, they look absolutely horrible!!  

We are heading to Oregon next week, to visit our daughter, and I changed our 
normal route in order to go to Pacificon next week.  I suppose attendance may 
be affected somewhat by the fires.  After Pacificon, I thought I would do 
something different than I-5, and go Hwy 101.  However, that looks like It 
takes me right through problem areas.  So, that may get changed as well.  

Last month Oregon was burning up.  Now it’s California!  We seem to be having 
one disaster after another these days.  So many people are in trouble!  I think 
everybody needs to seriously review their insurance coverage!

Hope to see some of you in San Ramon!

73,

Dave W7AQK



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Re: [Elecraft] The times they are a changin

[dyarnes]

Hi All,

I also have a couple of the QCX kits here waiting to be assembled.  The only 
thing slowing me down is that I’m trying to recover from a very bad cold, and 
my eyes aren’t all that clear!  This is a fascinating rig design, and has an 
incredible cost/feature ratio.

As to whether or not “the mantle has passed” on smaller rigs, I’m not prepared 
to quite say that.  I’m just not sure it ever resided in just one person!  It’s 
true that Wayne Burdick is just about as good as they come in this regard, but 
he has long had some serious competition.  Steve Weber and Dave Benson are just 
a couple.  Wayne took it to a new level when he joined forces with Eric to form 
Elecraft.  I’m not convinced there aren’t a lot of great ideas along this line 
that are running through Wayne’s head.  He just has a lot on his plate right 
now.  Besides, the KX2 isn’t all that old, and it has Wayne’s fingerprints all 
over it!  

As for Hans Summer, who created the QCX rigs, well, he’s been around a good 
while too!  The problem is that a lot of us on this side of the pond, and maybe 
even other places outside the U.K., haven’t been all that aware of what Hans 
has been doing for a long time!  Hans was elected into the ARCI Hall of Fame 
back in 2009, and that recognition was probably late in coming!  Members of 
GQRP have probably been aware of Hans and his talents for years. If you have 
only been following the various Elecraft reflectors, you probably haven’t heard 
much about him.  It’s sort of like TV news channels—if you don’t flip around a 
bit, you don’t get the big picture!   I also think Hans has a “day job” which 
keeps him otherwise occupied.  

Right now I guess Hans is “The Man of the Hour” with his QCX kits.  Over 1,000 
of them have been sold in just a few weeks!  More are in process!  Amazing!  We 
are so fortunate to have stuff like this made available to us.  It’s no wonder 
this hobby keeps on giving!

Dave W7AQK




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Re: [Elecraft] New product idea for Elecraft...?

[dyarnes]

Hi All,

I generally am pretty reticent to take issue with my “Tucson Compadre” West, 
N7WS, as he most often is making very good points.  However, I think he 
exaggerates a bit (perhaps intentionally) in attributing so much of the split 
operation error to K3 owners.  There are a lot of us, but not even remotely 
close to being that many of us!!  I tend to attribute that error, more than 
anything, to the lost art of “mentoring”.  Too many hams these days have never 
been effectively schooled in proper/normal operating procedures, and have no 
clue as to the meaning of the simple term “UP”!  

Admittedly, there have been occasions when I was guilty of the sin mentioned, 
but only momentarily.  The K3 does have the “delta F” light to warn you, and 
the display does indicate “split”.  I do wish both were more obvious.  
Externally it looks like there might have been sufficient room to make both of 
those LED’s bigger and brighter.  The “split” indicator on the LCD could be 
bigger as well!  That would be a very good enhancement.  Is that possible 
through firmware?

If there is a problem with the K3, I think it can be attributed to the 
trade-off between rig size and display size.  I, for one, am happy with a 
smaller piece of gear on my desk, but I must admit that some of the display 
info is pretty difficult for these old eyes to see clearly.  

I’m inclined to agree with those who don’t feel the K3 requires an inordinate 
amount of menu accessing.  I think Elecraft did a marvelous job of putting most 
needed adjustments right on the front panel.  I have had a much bigger problem 
in this respect with other rig brands.  Of course, the urge to make rigs 
smaller caused much of this, but even some very big rigs have this problem.  
The Ten-Tec Orion II is a good example.  It has a big, beautiful display, and 
lots of panel space, but still you need to make several button pushes to make 
very commonly needed changes like power level and keyer speed.  Both of these 
are instant adjustments on the K3’s front panel.  

Most rigs these days are fairly complex and versatile.  Some are unduly complex 
or convoluted, but I don’t think that applies to the K3.  However, if you reach 
for a knob or a button on any of these rigs, you better be paying attention!  I 
think most operator errors are due to just that, and not to design issues.  If 
something on your K3 doesn’t sound or act right, take a good, hard look at your 
display and panel indicators.  The answer is probably right there in front of 
you!  How many times have we seen a response like ‘Are you on antenna 1 or 
antenna 2?”

Dave W7AQK







From: Wes Stewart 

Have you never turned on VOX when you meant to change bands? Or set up VFO A 
and 
B to split frequencies and then accidentally (and unknowingly) written A to B 
when you tried to turn on Split?? Your Split indicator gives you comfort but 
you're still transmitting on the DX.? Probably half the, "He's split you moron" 
comments in pileups are directed at K3 owners. And don't even get me started 
about memory management.

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Re: [Elecraft] Cruise Operation

[dyarnes]

I just completed a cruise on Holland America’s Westerdam.   I thought about 
trying to take a KX2 along (I’ve operated on cruise ships before), but their 
policy is discouraging.  You can operate in the territorial waters of Canada 
and the U.S., and I guess maybe even Holland, but not in other territorial 
waters.  Somehow, I thought there might be a work around on this from the 
Captain, but decided not to try.  Well, I did bring an HT, but never used it!  

Holland America’s policy is sort of intriguing.  It seems they don’t have a 
basic problem with operating, so long as you don’t obstruct things, but it also 
seems they are concerned about operating privileges in various countries.  In 
other words, does the operator have the necessary reciprocal permissions under 
CEPT or otherwise.  If that’s the case, I sort of see their point as it could 
be problematic for the ship.  However, it also seems that one could provide the 
necessary documentation to show permission.  I suppose that could be just too 
complicated for them to deal with.

I also interpret their policy to NOT be prohibitive if you are on the open sea! 
 On many cruises you are not really sure just how far out you are as you can 
often see land in the distance.  However, there are usually several “at sea” 
days, and on a trans-oceanic cruise you should be relatively safe.  On the 
Westerdam, the TV system has a channel that constantly shows the ship’s current 
position, so a little navigation skill could allow you to determine your 
distance from any country.  Even my cell phone indicated when we were “at sea”! 
 Hi.  

In essence, given their stated policy, I guess I could have done some operating.

Oh Well!

Dave W7AQK



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Re: [Elecraft] Rig Insurance

[dyarnes]

Hi All,

Ted, KN1CBR, makes some very good points about the complexities of coverage. 
I don't know about the rest of you, but my head spins when I try to decipher 
what my homeowner's policy will cover vs. what it will not cover!  The lower 
deductible with ARRL insurance is definitely an attractive feature. 
However, you probably need to evaluate just what risks are really 
relevant, and compare that to the added cost.


Rightly or wrongly, I've always tended to view the ARRL insurance program as 
protection that is best suited against total loss, such as fire or theft, 
and then considered just how much risk I actually have of that occurring. 
Then you have to correlate that to whatever protection you might have from 
your own homeowner's policy.  Insuring simply against damage may, or may 
not, actually make a lot of sense since the repair bill might not actually 
exceed your deductible plus the premium payments you have made over time. 
It's a crap shoot!


Then you have to consider what all you are actually going to include in your 
coverage--you probably don't want to insure everything--just significant 
items.  In so doing, however, you now are paying a premium on multiple items 
while the risk of loss may well be only for one item (but you don't 
necessarily know which one!), and so you are paying not just $1.50/hundred, 
but a multiple of that--in effect!  Maybe that doesn't make a lot of sense, 
but it sort of does to me.  Stated differently, assume you are insuring five 
$1,000 items and paying a premium accordingly.  Are all 5 items equally at 
risk simultaneously?  Maybe yes, but probably not.  Still, you are paying a 
premium for 5 items when, at any point in time, maybe only one of those 
items may be truly at risk--whatever that might be.  This may seem like an 
over-complication, but I certainly think that is, at least in part, how your 
insurance company views things when they set the premiums!  Their objective 
is to absolutely make money on covering you.  Unfortunately, the only way 
you may know for sure that your arrangement has been a good deal for you 
is if they cancel you because they aren't making money!  I had a claim, 
about 20 years ago, on a satellite receiver that got toasted by a 
lightning strike.  My insurance company didn't cancel me afterwards, but 
they did force me to up my deductible!  If they don't get you coming, they 
will get you going!


Insurance is a must have, particularly for the significant risks we are 
all exposed to, but I'm still somewhat cynical about the way insurance 
companies run their business.  You pay a premium supposedly based on a pool 
of risks, but if you become a claimant, the thrust of the backlash will 
most probably be more against you rather than the pool.  Never mind that 
your loss may simply have been a case of the law of averages!


Clearly we all should evaluate our homeowner's policies to see what coverage 
we have, or don't have.  If the coverage isn't very good, then the ARRL 
insurance probably makes a lot of sense.  It would be nice if we had some 
insurance gurus who could maybe enlighten all of us about this aspect! 
I'm not exactly sure about my own coverage, but this thread has started me 
thinking about looking into that--if I can just get my agent to stand still 
for a few minutes to explain it to me!  Hi.  I do know this--whenever I've 
been moved to get some sort of explanation about coverage, I often am 
disappointed in the response  There always seems to be more in the way 
of exceptions, limitations, and exclusions than there is in actual coverage.


Self insuring isn't a bad alternative, although it probably wouldn't be 
sufficient against major risks.  If we had the discipline to put that 
premium money away in a savings account, we very well might be better off as 
to any of the more common risks.  The problem is, most of us don't have that 
sort of discipline, and want the peace of mind of protection against a 
sudden significant cost outlay.  For example, I'm guilty of this with 
respect to one of these home warranty plans.  For many years I've been a 
slot machine for the insurance company, and I pay a fairly high deductible 
for any repair visits--probably enough to cover most of the service call!  I 
even got a new refrigerator out of it some years back, but the premiums I 
have paid cover that cost many times over.  Still, I keep doing it, mainly 
out of concern that one of my A/C units might blow up!  It's hard to argue 
against the peace of mind thing, so you pay your money and take your choice!


Dave W7AQK


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Re: [Elecraft] Is there a good reason to buy a K3S

[dyarnes]

Hi All,

The question has probably already been answered by several good posts.  It 
really seems to boil down to convenience, and maybe a little difference in 
money.


Elecraft has NOT made the K3 obsolete.  The K3S, for the most part, is just 
a repackaged K3.  There is an advantage to the K3S, however, in that many of 
the items that are add-ons to the K3, are now built into the K3S.  Some of 
those features may not even be important to you, and if not, why spend the 
extra money?  Still, an all inclusive package will be very appealing to many 
which is perfectly understandable.  In essence, you have even more 
choices!!!  Significantly better performance, however, is not obtainable by 
buying a K3S as long as you upgrade your K3 appropriately.


I have a fairly early serial number K3.  Over time I have added the various 
upgrades and accessories.  I recently acquired the new syn boards, and 
probably will upgrade the DSP when that becomes available.  From everything 
I've read there is apt to be no significant improvement that a K3S would 
give me over my older K3.  If I want, I can even add the USB option to my 
K3.  So, what little difference is out there between my upgraded K3 and a 
new K3S, actually boils down to a significant cost differential, and for 
very little noticeable difference.  My K3 is performing very well, and I 
know of no reason why that will change anytime soon.  It gets very hard to 
justify that unless money is no object.  I have to say, though, that I do 
like the idea of not having my 6 meter pre-amp hanging off the back of the 
radio!  Maybe a K3S is in my future too, but right now it doesn't seem to 
make much sense.


A lot depends, I suppose, on what happens to pricing for used K3's.  You 
definitely would want the new syn boards, so the price for a used K3 without 
them should reflect that absence accordingly.  It does make shopping for a 
used K3 a bit more complicated.  That fact alone may cause you to go the K3S 
route so you don't have to worry about it.  However, if you already have a 
K3, and are just considering upgrading models, I'd probably recommend 
against it.  That's the trap that other manufacturers get you into, but 
not Elecraft.  The TS-590 may be a good example.  The new SG model is 
significantly improved.  I think there was some sort of upgrade process for 
older models, but I don't think it went all the way to SG equivalency--not 
in the way a K3 can be upgraded to nearly identical specs to the K3S. 
Anyway, if that is not a good example, there are plenty of others that do 
make this point.


In short, it would be pretty hard to make a bad decision, either way.  The 
biggest difference between the two choices is apt to be money, but if it 
buys you the convenience you really want, then probably it is worth it.  For 
that matter, the cost differential, spread over the life of the radio, 
becomes pretty insignificant.  Probably not enough to get a brain cramp 
over!


Dave W7AQK


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Re: [Elecraft] OT: Ground Loss (long)

[dyarnes]

Hi All,

I cannot improve, or add much to, the excellent commentary provided by Jim 
Brown and others.  However, I can say that my experience tends to confirm 
a lot these findings.


First, I originally had an R7 vertical ground mounted.  Performance was 
O.K., but certainly not very exciting.  Later I elevated that antenna to 
about 15 ft. above ground, and the improvement was very noticeable. 
Subsequently I have replaced the R7 with an F8 (acquired in an estate sale), 
and the results are very much the same--the antennas are not all that much 
different anyway, but the R8 is a bit taller, and does cover 6 meters (after 
a fashion!).  If you look at the study Ward Silver, N0AX, did many years ago 
on various vertical antenna systems, the R8 is rated one of the very best. 
In any event, I've worked well over 100 countries QRP on 40 meters using 
this arrangement.


After hearing Rudy Severns' presentation about ground systems at Pacificon 
several years ago, I began elevating radials when using my portable antenna 
systems while camping.  Most of this was done using either an MP-1 or a 
Biddipole configured as a Buddistick.  Again, the results were very 
rewarding.  As Rudy indicates, elevating your radials even just a small 
amount can result in significant benefit.  Usually I try to deploy 4 
elevated radials.  Sometimes, though, only 1 or 2 are practical under the 
circumstances.  Still, it helps!


I also acquired a used Sigma 40XK, and now use it as my primary 40 meter 
antenna at home.  That antenna is raised about 6 feet off the ground, so the 
overall height is about 20 feet or so.  I wish I could go higher, but 
neighborhood restrictions prevent that.  I get a 1 to 3 Db improvement with 
this antenna over the R8, measured by comparisons using the RBN system. 
I've become a big fan of vertical dipoles!  When I go QRO (500 watts for 
me), I get some reports from DX stations that I consider to be exceptional. 
I also monitor myself on the RBN, so I have some idea as to who might hear 
me and who can't.  It's almost better than trying to interpret some of the 
propagation software.


I also have one of N6BT's Bravo 7 antennas, which he calls vertical dipoles 
also.  By the way, N6BT also designed the Sigma 40KX when he owned Force 12. 
Anyway, the Bravo 7 works pretty well as a portable system, but I'm not 
quite as happy with it as a 40 meter system.  Still, it is very portable, 
and easy to put up and take down.  N6BT makes some pretty aggressive claims 
about the performance of this system, but I am pretty sure most of his 
testing was done over salt water.  In any event, the higher up I deploy 
that system, the better it seems to work.  I think Jim Brown's suggestion of 
adding a better radial system to vertical dipoles may be exactly what I need 
to try and do with the Bravo 7, particularly for 40 meter operation.


Soil conditions here in Arizona are pretty awful.  It's not very often that 
I go camping anywhere that offers anything much better.  Deploying elevated 
radials can be problematic, but it certainly seems worth the effort most of 
the time.


Dave W7AQK


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Re: [Elecraft] K3S stainless screws

[dyarnes]

Hi All,

Interesting how experiences vary.  We spend most summers in our motorhome on 
the Oregon coast--only a couple hundred yards away from the ocean in an RV 
resort.  I've experienced corrosion in just a matter of days while staying 
there.  One summer I toasted a laptop just by using it occasionally 
outside under my canopy.  When I opened up the case it looked, well, you can 
guess!  On another occasion, a couple of poles from my Buddipole system got 
corroded so badly I couldn't get them apart, and they were only assembled 
together for about 10 days.  Typically I have to take my antenna down every 
week or two and refresh all the connections.


I don't know what causes the variation in experiences from being close to 
salt water.  Maybe it's the prevailing winds?  In our case it is almost 
always off the ocean (west to east).  I do know that, where we are located, 
we are frequently shrouded in fog--at least for as much as several hours. 
Even when it seems clear--or relatively so--you can feel the moisture in 
the air.


Anyway, my conclusion is that salt water is insidiously dangerous to 
anything electrical.  Even when I seal connections, the corrosion somehow 
sneaks in.  I know one thing--I would never buy a used car that I knew spent 
a good part of its life on the Oregon coast--or most any coast for that 
matter.  Stainless steel hardware is cheap insurance, and I try to use it on 
just about everything that might get even limited exposure to salt air.  The 
problem is that there is almost always some part of an assembly that isn't 
protected, and you best check it frequently.  On the K3, stainless steel 
screws are an excellent thing, but there are so many orifices in the rig, 
you need to look inside every so often!


Dave W7AQK


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[Elecraft] W6MMA SK

[dyarnes]

Hi All,

It is with the deepest of regret that I am passing on the news that Vern 
Wright, W6MMA, passed away yesterday.  Vern, and his wife June, are very 
dear friends, and I can't begin to express how sad it makes me to bring news 
like this to the rest of you.  I suppose this might not be the best place to 
convey this, but I do know Vern had a wealth of good friends among this 
group.


Vern's health has not been very good in recent years, but it was probably 
made worse by a lot of stress he has had to endure in recent years.  Only a 
few short weeks ago he suffered an episode with his heart (not his first!), 
and another, even more recent episode, is probably what was ultimately 
fatal.


Vern was one of the most generous people I have ever known.  He continually 
supported many of the QRP activities, and never passed up an opportunity to 
supply very nice door prizes, etc.  Being a retired dentist, Vern was very 
good with his hands.  If anyone has seen some of the things he constructed 
(not just antennas but radios too!), you know how highly skilled he was. 
Many years back he began tinkering with antennas, mostly for portable use, 
and that led to the formation of SuperAntennas.  His model MP-1 is a 
classic, but there were numerous variations of that, including a baby 12 V. 
screwdriver version.  He made several large screwdriver antennas as well, 
and I happen to have one!  Anyway, the list is pretty long, and each item he 
created was very well made.


Ham radio, and particularly the QRP community, has lost one of its very best 
friends.  I know I have!


Dave W7AQK




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Re: [Elecraft] K3 TX DELAY

[dyarnes]

Jim and All,

Not sure if you were really including Dick, K4XU, in your comment about 
those who are SK.  Dick is very much alive and kicking, and living now in 
Bend, Oregon!!!  Dick is a very dedicated CW op, so you can be assured that 
QSK was a big deal on his must do list.


I'm not all that amp savvy, but I do know that, except for Ten-Tec and maybe 
a few others, earlier amp manufacturers were not all that concerned about 
good QSK.  The MS company is now offering QSK models, but not sure how 
good it is.  I had an ALS-600 for a while, and it was awful.  Fortunately, 
AD5X came up with a fairly simple mod to convert it.  I did the mod, and it 
made a world of difference--made the amp a lot quieter too!  As I said, I 
don't know much about amps, but considering how simple (and effective) the 
AD5X mod was for the ALS-600, I don't understand why it was so difficult for 
all amp makers to properly include that feature.  It sure tells me that they 
didn't take the CW mode very seriously.  It was the same way with 
transceivers for quite a while.  Only Ten-Tec seemed to give a hoot!


Anyway, I'm now a K-Line user, and happy as a clam!  I guess some of the 
real QRQ folks were having some issues, but think that has now been 
effectively solved.  It sure is nice to have equipment made by a company 
that listens--and reacts!


Dave W7AQK


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[Elecraft] [K2] Number of toroids in a K2/100

[dyarnes]

Hi All,

I don't remember how many toroids I had to wind when building my K2, but it 
was more than a few!  However, I still think the grand daddy for toroid 
winding may have been my Sierra.  I jokingly tell people that is where I got 
my Phd. in toroid winding!  Hi.  Every band module required several, and I 
had all the modules that were available.


Dave W7AQK

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Re: [Elecraft] AGC

[dyarnes]

Hi again,

I got several very nice responses to my question already, and it seems I 
need to do some adjusting.  My AGC threshold was set at 5, which apparently 
is too low.  I've also increased by AGC slope setting as well.  I'll have to 
check all this out with some weaker signals to see just how much difference 
that might have made.  Apparently I need to pay a lot more attention to 
these settings, and may have to adjust them more often depending on 
conditions, etc.  It was also suggested I set these adjustments up in a 
memory position, which makes a great deal of sense.  The K3's AGC seems to 
work very well, and I just need to take advantage of the fact that it can be 
adjusted a lot to accommodate different conditions.


Thanks for the advice folks, and I welcome any other suggestions as well. 
With my modest antennas I have to dig signals out of the noise quite often, 
so I obviously need to take better advantage of what control I do have!!! 
Hi.


Dave W7AQK 


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[Elecraft] AGC

[dyarnes]

Hi All,

Band conditions of late have made things pretty difficult.  Lots of QSB, and 
I'm hearing a lot more noise than usual.  Of late, I've had problems getting 
100% copy on some stations because the QSB, even when fast and not too deep, 
has clipped characters I try to copy (on CW) making it easy to miss 
something here and there.  I've been checking my AGC to make sure it was 
fast rather than slow, but that didn't always solve the problem 
satisfactorily.  Now, I do often just turn the AGC off, but that's usually 
to avoid the pumping that the AGC can cause.  I've always been an advocate 
of turning the AGC off at times, but I noticed something else recently. 
Probably I've noticed it before and just didn't think about it.


The recent combination of QSB and higher noise were BOTH much improved by 
just turning the AGC off.  The noise went down considerably!!!  That 
improved everything, and copy became 100%, or close to it!  I don't know why 
I didn't think to do this sooner!  Anyway, I am guessing that the AGC is 
enhancing the noise, and it has nothing to do with the K3 itself as to any 
oddity.  Somebody can probably explain this anomaly better to me.  I always 
have to be very careful when turning the AGC off, especially if I am wearing 
cans, but it sure does make a big difference on weaker signals.


Anyway, it was sort of a slap your forehead moment here!  Hi.  Time for me 
to read, or re-read, how to properly take advantage of AGC!


Dave W7AQK


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[Elecraft] 2nd RX Vs. P3

[dyarnes]

Hi All,

There has been a fair amount of discussion here about which accessory for 
the K3 trumps the other --a P3 or a 2nd RX.  I don't have an answer, but I 
do have an opinion.


I have the full K-Line here, but due to neighborhood restrictions, my 
antennas are modest.  I use an R8 and a vertical dipole (Sigma 40XK) set up 
for 40 meters.  That gives me decent coverage from 40 meters up, but nothing 
really fancy--and not a sure fire pile up buster!  I'm certainly no threat 
to the honor roll!  Hi.  I think I have been a bit cavalier about relying 
too much on the P3 to spot DX listening frequencies with just the P3.  I 
love the P3, but I can't say I have been particularly accurate by using it. 
I do turn on the 2nd RX fairly often, but more often than not,  I get lazy 
about doing just that.


The recent K1N Dxpedition was sort of a wake-up call for me about using the 
2nd RX more.  I'd use the P3, and think  I had ID'd the listening freq., but 
it just wasn't producing any results.  Their split was very wide, and 
besides that, stations were calling and calling, even though they weren't 
the station K1N had acknowledged.  That' nothing new, but it was 
particularly bad on this operation.  I was getting a lot of false readings 
just using the P3.  For days I had zero success.  Eventually I went to the 
2nd RX, and the results improved dramatically.  I got 5 band slots in fairly 
short order by doing so.  There just doesn't seem to be a really good 
substitute for knowing exactly which freq. the DX station is listening on at 
the time.  It doesn't guarantee success, but it sure gives you a leg up!


I think, in my case at least, the 2nd RX may be the more advantageous for 
this kind of thing.  Stations with more power, and bigger antennas, have a 
definite advantage.  They can be picked out of the pile much more readily 
than I can.  Some of the big guns have signals so strong they are like 
magnets!  I think anyone in my shoes, who is trying to nab a good DX contact 
here or there, is apt to find the 2nd RX to be a great accessory, and more 
productive than the P3 for that particular purpose.  Chances are I'm not 
using the P3 to it's best advantage, but I am trying to get better at it. 
I'm sure there are tricks I'm not aware of.


Since the K1N DXpedition, there have been 4 or 5 other situations where the 
2nd RX got me a contact in fairly short order--a couple of them just this 
weekend.  Anyway, I'm getting more and more convinced that the 2nd RX was a 
good move on my part.  The P3 was too, but it is more useful to me for other 
reasons.  If I had it to do all over, and could only get one accessory, or 
only one at a time, I would start with the 2nd RX.


By the way, on the KX3, the dual watch feature is priceless, and very 
effectively emulates a 2nd RX!  K1N probably stretched the limits of that 
feature (15 khz), but generally that is more than adequate.  The KX3 is just 
a super slick radio, and with the PX3 you have a dynamite combo!


Dave W7AQK


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Re: [Elecraft] (Mini)P3 v SubRX

[dyarnes]

Hi All,

That modified (cut down) version of the P3 by WA6KBL is quite intriguing. 
Someone else has suggested that doing this could cause some interference 
action with the display, which is too bad if it is true.  It seems to me 
that, since the PX3 works fine in a smaller enclosure, why wouldn't the P3 
work O.K. as well?  Personally, I wish the P3 had less bulk, particularly 
since it seems excessive and clumsy.  I know the P3's dimensions were 
determined, at least in part, to correlate to the K3's dimensions.  However, 
so much wasted space would be nice to eliminate if possible.


Some time back, a friend of mine was casually asked whether he and his wife 
did much cooking at home.  After a brief pause, my friend's tongue in cheek 
response was that We store very valuable documents in our oven!  That's 
sort of how I felt about my old Orion II, which is (in my view) enormously 
oversized, and takes up a lot of desk space.  There is a lot of empty space 
inside.  Same goes for the P3 I now have.  The width and height are fine, 
which accommodates the display size, but the depth is seemingly excessive, 
and not by just a little bit.  I suppose some would say that the additional 
room you might gain by having a reduced sized P3 would just be dead space 
anyway.  However, I think a smaller version would add significantly to the 
portability and handling ease of the unit without any sacrifice in 
utilization--assuming the interference concerns are unfounded.  Even the 
modified version by WA6KBL doesn't cause things inside to seemingly be 
cramped.


I've traveled with my K3 several times, but I have never taken the P3 along, 
and mainly because I thought it was just too much additional bulk.  I might 
feel differently if my P3 was more in line size wise with the WA6KBL 
version.  So, if Elecraft feels they could offer a modified enclosure kit, 
I, for one, very well might be interested.  It looks to me like it might 
just be a matter of providing shortened top, bottom, and side plates.  The 
back plate could be preserved.  Would this be all that expensive or 
problematic to do???


Dave W7AQK


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Re: [Elecraft] Elecraft CW Net Announcement - the next

[dyarnes]

Fred and all,

You are correct!  The Navajo Tribe does not stay on AZ time (standard time) 
during the DST timeframe.  However, there are several reasons for that.  For 
one thing, the Tribe itself is scattered over 3 states--AZ, NM, and UT.  The 
biggest chunk is in AZ, but those other states do go on DST.  More 
importantly, perhaps, is that the capital of the Tribe, Window Rock, is 
just barely in Arizona.  However, for a great many things the Tribe is 
joined commercially at the hip with New Mexico.  The biggest nearby city of 
any consequence is Gallup, NM, and Window Rock itself is generally served 
mainly from NM sources.  Anything they need from an even larger city usually 
comes out of Albuquerque, including all (or nearly all) their professional 
services, etc.  So, since New Mexico does go on DST, I think that makes it 
much more convenient for the Navajo Tribe to do likewise.   I'm not sure 
what the Hopi Tribe does, and they are surrounded by the Navajo Tribe in AZ. 
That's the same issue that causes a couple of other non-DST areas to ignore 
their time zone in favor of what the nearest large metro center does.  I 
think Indiana has some of this.  At least one county in Oregon (my home 
state) is not in the Pacific time zone!  that county aligns more with Idaho.


I remember back in the late 50's, when I went to Ft. Knox, KY, the state of 
Kentucky was/is split between the central and eastern time zones (Tennessee 
is also).  The odd thing back then was that the eastern half did go on DST 
(it was optional back then), but the western half did not!  So, in the same 
state you had a two hour difference!!!  That was pretty crazy!


Isn't DST fun!!!

Dave W7AQK


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Re: [Elecraft] Elecraft CW Net Announcement - the next

[dyarnes]

Phil and All,

Since it's a slow day, I thought I would pass on this tidbit from the 
Washington Post about all the myths as to what really justifies Daylight 
Savings time.  Here in Arizona we don't change our clocks, but just about 
everyone else does--Hawaii Doesn't, and there are a couple more pockets that 
don't change.  Not that I particularly mind DST, except for the confusion it 
causes, but I never really understood how the claimed benefits were really 
backed up by fact.  To me, the energy savings argument never made sense 
because, for one thing, it seemed like a lot of folks would run their air 
conditioning longer!!!


Anyway, here's a link to the article:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/five-myths-about-daylight-saving-time/2015/03/06/970092d4-c2c1-11e4-9271-610273846239_story.html?wpisrc=nl_headlineswpmm=1

The article addresses various myths about why we have DST--it helps the 
farmers, it is healthier, it saves energy, business likes it, etc.  None of 
these seem to stand up to scrutiny.  In fact, there apparently is 
significant cost, in both dollars and extensive confusion, that counter the 
advantages--if they even exist!  Apparently, even the cows get confused by 
DST!  Hi.  Right here in Arizona I marvel at how many people really struggle 
with the fact that, during DST, we are on the same time as California!


Anyway, you may chose to believe what's written in the article, or not.  It 
is an interesting discussion!


Dave W7AQK


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Re: [Elecraft] Nifty Ham Accessories Plus Opt booklet

[dyarnes]

Mike and All,

The manuals that Elecraft puts out are very substantive.  However, some 
folks, including me, have a problem at times finding the portion of the 
manual that directly addresses the question I might have.  That's probably 
just me, but often I find it more effective to refer to the downloaded 
manual, then use the search feature on my computer to get me to the right 
place.  I think as much as anything it might be that I tend to find things 
more quickly when there is a really substantial Index.  There is one for 
the Elecraft rigs, but I'd prefer them to be a lot bigger.  Of course, just 
reading the manual thoroughly is perhaps the best way to get fully familiar 
with a rig, and it's features, but a lot of us don't take the time to do 
that, do we???


As for 3rd party manual aids, I can tell you that Fred Cady has produced 
some excellent reference material for several Elecraft products.  I highly 
recommend them.  The Nifty Manuals are handy, but I view them as being 
more like Cliff Notes, that you can carry around to remind you of various 
features.  They tend not to be substantive as the why's and wherefores' of 
the radio's operation, but they do serve as a good reminder of what control 
generally does what.  In order to make his manuals truly useful, Fred had to 
give the content a lot of thought, and do all he could to make them truly 
justifiable as an accessory.  I think he has done that!  Fred seems to have 
an exceptional knack for organization and strong content.  I have Fred's 
manuals for both my K3 and my KX3, and I use them regularly.  The biggest 
problem with them is, perhaps, the fact that Elecraft keeps upgrading the 
radios, so not all of the newest features may be covered.  Nevertheless, 
these manuals are a great way to find and answer to your problem/question 
fairly quickly.  No, they are not a mandatory accessory since the Elecraft 
manuals are pretty complete.  It's just a matter of convenience, and 
accommodating the idiosyncrasies of those of us who maybe don't think just 
like the manual author might think.


By the way, anyone who may tend to be critical of Elecraft's manuals, as to 
thoroughness (which I am not!), might want to take a look at some offerings 
by other manufacturers.  Just in the last day or so, I've had occasion to 
peruse through the manual for an Omni VII, which a friend of mine has 
acquired, and was having some problems figuring out that radio.  The Omni 
VII manual seems to be decent, but I think it is rather skinny, at least 
compared to Elecraft's manuals.  Anyway, that was my perception.  Also, I've 
had some Yaesu radios in the past where the manuals were fairly substantive, 
but the radios themselves were excessively complicated (in my opinion) with 
all the necessity to dig deeply into menus for regularly required changes. 
Now, all modern radios seem to require a lot of menu adjustments in order to 
deal with the plethora of features contained therein, but I personally feel 
that Wayne and Eric gave a lot of forethought to accommodating a lot of 
features plus ease of access to those features.  If you will take the time 
to become as fully familiar as possible with each control on an Elecraft 
radio, and what all it will do, you will go a long way to making your life 
easier.  Many/most of the menu items on Elecraft radios are set them once 
and forget them type items, if you even need to do anything!  Almost all of 
the common adjustments are right there on the front panel!


In any event, the complexity of most modern radios almost necessitates that 
we get all the help we can to properly use them.  So, well organized 3rd 
party offerings are probably a good thing most of the time, but some are 
better than others.


Dave W7AQK


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Re: [Elecraft] Clock chip

[dyarnes]

Seems to me the answer may be simpler than trying to use VLF transmissions 
for U.S. or U.K. atomic clocks.  I think that technology is almost old hat 
these days.


I have a golf watch that gives me yardages on just about any golf course 
in the world, and it is all coordinated by GPS satellites.  It starts 
operating in just a few seconds from the time you turn it on--incredibly 
faster than the first GPS unit I owned.  The time function is instantaneous, 
and I assume that comes from the GPS satellites as well.  So, couldn’t 
something along this line be incorporated in a ham rig?  Heck!  It could 
even probably give you your current grid square!  Maybe this sound like it 
could be pricey, but I suspect the electronic guts of a GPS unit are 
becoming pretty inexpensive to create.  The incredible stuff I'm getting out 
of China these days, and for nickels and dimes, makes me think this is 
doable, and at a reasonable price!


Dave W7AQK


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[Elecraft] CW in SSB mode

[dyarnes]

Hi All,

I probably missed this somewhere as I don't do SSB all that much.  I can do 
CW in SSB mode, but not when I'm operating split.  It works fine if I am not 
operating split.  I do have the menu set for SSB + CW.  Am I doing something 
wrong?


Dave W7AQK


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Re: [Elecraft] Accessing KX3 buttons when using Side KX

[dyarnes]

Hi All,

I have the Side KX panels on my KX3, and it's really not a problem for me. 
As has been pointed out, there are fairly large slots on both sides through 
which you can access any of the buttons on either side row.  I suppose 
someone with especially large fingers might possibly have an issue, but in 
that case (or anyway!) just use the opposite hand!  It is no problem at all 
accessing buttons on the left side with the right hand and vice versa.  By 
the way, the left panel also has the two buttons identified that need to be 
pushed to turn the KX3 on or off.  So, they obviously thought about this 
when they designed the panels and determined the slot size.


One nice thing about the panels is that their size (depth) does not extend 
much beyond the main tuning knob.  So, if you KX3 fit snugly in whatever you 
were using for a case before, it probably will still fit with the panels in 
place.  I was slightly concerned about that when I ordered the panels, as I 
had already selected a carrying case, but there was no problem, before or 
after--and it is a nice, close fit.


Anyway, at worst I would say it is a minor concern.

Dave W7AQK


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Re: [Elecraft] OT: Ed Muns - W0YK

[dyarnes]

Ken and all,

Forget about Ed's prowess in ham radio!  Let's talk about something really 
important--like those wines he makes, for example!!!  Just kidding!  Ed's 
accomplishments are almost legendary.


I don't know Ed personally, though, and I wasn't aware of his involvement in 
the wine industry.  When I read that I thought this guy really has his 
priorities right!  Hi.  I couldn't help but reminisce about another old ham 
friend of mine from some 40 years back--Em Brakensiek, WA6OCT. 
Unfortunately, I lost contact with Em when he had to move around and into 
assisted care facilities, but we used to talk almost daily.  I'm sure he is 
SK now, and probably has been for some time.  Anyway, Em was also a wine 
maker, but at the other end of the spectrum from Ed.  Em made his own stuff, 
and was only somewhat proud of it.  He also ran a gift shop/printing shop 
combination, and so he printed up his own private brand labels for his 
homebrewed wine.  Being a very self deprecating fellow, the name he chose 
was Chateau Garbage' , pronounced, of course, with a nice French flavor on 
the last syllable.  What a guy!  I miss him.


Dave W7AQK




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Re: [Elecraft] My KX3 desk microphone project

[dyarnes]

Gary and all,

Whoa! Gary!  Don’t get your knickers in a knot.  Jim was NOT making a “personal 
statement”, as you suggest.  He was, however, making a definitive comment based 
on knowledge and experience.  That’s all!  It would make no sense for him to 
make some “wishy-washy” critique of your effort when he knows you are heading 
off in the wrong direction.  That could be just as confusing.  Of all the 
people on this reflector, Jim is possibly the most qualified to opine on your 
effort.  Apparently some of what you were trying to accomplish, and suggesting 
to others, could be seriously misleading as to the actual result!  I wouldn’t 
have known any better, nor would a lot of others, but Jim does, and said so.  
In effect, all he said is “you are wrong”, but he certainly did not do so in 
terminology to which you should take offense.  

I suspect what may have hurt your feelings was just learning that what you 
thought was a good idea really wasn’t!  Heck, we’ve all done that, and me 
probably more than others.  Just be grateful that someone was around, who has 
appropriate expertise, to prevent your error from becoming an even bigger one!  

If you are happy with your direction, that’s fine.  However, if what you 
suggest is inconsistent with the physics of the process, folks need to know 
that as well.  That’s a big part of the “beauty” of this reflector.  There is a 
lot of real expertise out there, and I benefit from it regularly.  However, if 
I say something, and I’m on thin ice in doing so, I need to be prepared to be 
called on it.  I don’t want to go down a road that has a dead end, and I 
certainly don’t want to lead others down that same road!  All too often folks 
tend to take what they read as “gospel” and run with it, so oversight is 
critical!  If we didn’t have people like Jim Brown participating on this 
reflector I wouldn’t learn much, and I’d probably be off beating my head 
against the wall on a regular basis!

Overall, I think you have a very nice project in process.  “Rolling your own” 
microphone is a good thing, and can be very satisfying as a project.  I’ve had 
a lot of fun doing some of that, and using relatively cheap electret elements 
to revive old microphone housings, etc.  For a few dollars you can duplicate, 
if not improve on, the results you would get from expensive commercial 
alternatives.  

Dave W7AQK
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Re: [Elecraft] [Bulk] 8 or5 Pole cw filters

[dyarnes]

Hi All,

Maybe I misinterpreted the data, but when I selected my filters, I opted for 
the 8 pole 400 hz, plus the 5 pole 200 hz.  I selected the latter one simply 
because the actual width seemed more compatible in relation to what the 400 hz 
filter provided.  The 250 hz filter almost overlapped the 400 hz filter.  
Besides, the 5 pole filters are not slouches!  The 8 pole filters may have 
somewhat steeper skirts, but not to the point that they make the 5 pole filters 
a bad idea, or a serious compromise.  In any event, I wasn’t trying to save the 
slight difference in cost.  However, maybe I erred in my assessment, which I 
often do!!!  I rarely have to go to the 200 hz filter, but when I do, it seems 
to do the job very nicely.

Dave W7AQK

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Re: [Elecraft] W1 versus WM1

[dyarnes]

You might be confusing the Elecraft W1 with the older Oak Hills WM-1 (and later 
model WM-2).  I don’t recall anything from Elecraft designated “WM1”.  

The Oak Hills watt meters were first offered in the mid 90’s, and were very 
popular—still are I guess.  I have a WM1, but the WM2 was something of an 
improved version I think.  Very accurate, but much bigger than the Elecraft W1, 
and limited to QRP levels.

I think you can still get a WM2 through Milestone Technologies.  Check this 
link out:  http://www.ohr.com/

Dave W7AQK

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[Elecraft] Heil Proset KX3 Element?

[dyarnes]

Carl,

Are you sure you have the the menus set correctly?  For the Heil Pro Set (“IC” 
model) MIC BIAS should be “on” and MIC BTN should be “off”.   I have one of 
those Heil Pro Set (IC) models, but haven’t tried it, or my Yamaha CM500, on 
the KX3.  I use the MH3.  The manual suggests that you can just plug the 
standard 3 ring “mini” plug into the jack and it will work, but you do need to 
set the bias.  It just sounds like you might not be getting proper bias.

If you have a “computer” headset around you might try that.  Most of those are 
electrets.  I just wonder if the plug is “seating” properly so that everything 
is making proper contact.  I’d be tempted to make up a 3 ring mini to 4 ring 
mini pigtail.  I’ve read that some of the 3 ring mini plugs tend to vary 
slightly in actual size.  If that’s true, they might not seat properly into a 4 
ring jack.  

Dave W7AQK
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Re: [Elecraft] KX3 Companion, does it work?

[Dyarnes]

Martin and All,

Yes, I think KX3 Companion does work.  Shortly after it was first released, 
I downloaded it onto my Motorola Droid Maxx.  Once I obtained the OTG 
cable (not easy to find locally), I hooked it up to my KX3, and it seemed to 
work very well.  I haven't really had a chance to use the program very much, 
but I also have connected a bluetooth keyboard to simplify the typing 
process.


I think there may be an update to the KX3 Companion program which I have not 
yet downloaded.  Possibly there is a glitch in that which may be giving you 
a problem???  I would think the program would work well on your Samsung.


Anyway, I can tell you that it should work, so keep trying.  Someone else 
may have better info to pass on to you.


Dave W7AQK


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Re: [Elecraft] QRQ CW

[Dyarnes]

Hi All,

I don't know if there is an official definition of QRQ, but 30 to 35 wpm
is pretty speedy compared to most.  I can copy that, and maybe just a tad
bit faster, but not much, and don’t do it often enough anymore to be very
good at that speed.  I'm not much good at trying to send at that speed,
however.  That really takes more practice.  When I was copying at those
higher speeds, it was usually with a Mil, or just in my head.

There are a lot of folks out there enjoying some real QRQ, at speeds in
excess of 50 wpm.  I think that is great, but it's not for me.  A good
friend, Chuck, W5UXH, does that a good bit, and he like to create his own
keyboards.  Now, Chuck is most capable without one, but he likes the
process.  I remember years ago, when Chuck and I used to chat with some
regularity, he kept urging me to go faster!  I don't know what his upper
limit is, but I sure wasn't able to test it!!!  No keyboards back then.

I tend to agree that 30 wpm, more or less, is a good speed for contests.
For whatever reason, stations going much faster than that are harder for me
to copy unless their sig is really good.  My keyer tends to be set around 25
wpm, and I move up or down about 5 wpm as dictated by the other station.
Seems to work for me 90% of the time.

I think I can almost always tell when a keyboard is being used.  The spacing
is too perfect!  Some folks fool me, but not many.  Of course, the dead give
away is when you hear periods and apostrophes coming across with regularity.

Dave W7AQK

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[Elecraft] PLEASE!

[Dyarnes]

Hi All,

I know this is probably the umpteenth time for this request, but it seems 
to need repeating.


When you reply to a post on this list, PLEASE, PLEASE, trim what you copy 
over from previous posts!  This is particularly problematic for those of 
us who take the digest form.  I just went through the last digest (Volueme 
119, issue 36), and the trail of prior postings is incredible!  Some had 5 
or 6 prior posts attached, and all of those had those same previous ones as 
well.  That's insane!


I know at least one or two lists where not properly trimming attachments 
would get you a hand slap (or more) from the moderator.  But it is really 
bad form, and just clogs up the server with excess gunk!


Anyway, it would be much appreciated if folks would be a bit more 
considerate, and help to make this reflector a more convenient tool to use. 
Just my opinion, and not trying to moderate, but I do think it is wholly 
appropriate for anyone to make such a request.


Thanks.

Dave W7AQK 


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Re: [Elecraft] K1 Kit display back light

[Dyarnes]

Hi All,

Notwithstanding the commentary to the contrary, I retrofitted my K1 some 
years back with the backlight option.  It certainly wasn't a piece of 
cake,  but it wasn't that daunting either.  It just took a little time and 
effort.  If you assembled your K1, you certainly can do the retrofit!  Just 
take a look at the instructions and make your own decision.


Dave W7AQK


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[Elecraft] QRQ KPA500 amp

[Dyarnes]

Mike and All,

Not sure what was so humorous exactly, about Full QRQ break-in,  but my 
reaction would be more like are you kidding me? .  Full QRQ break-in 
says two things--Not only does it have QSK capability (the full break-in 
part of that phrase), but also at really high CW speeds (QRQ), which a lot 
of other amps, and rigs for that matter, cannot do.  That's another world as 
far as I'm concerned.


Actually, the K3 was, at one point, a bit lacking on the QRQ aspect as far 
as some of the really super high speed folks were concerned.  However, in 
just another instance of how Elecraft responds to customer requests, they 
resolved that issue to just about everyone's satisfaction as far as I know. 
I'm guessing that the KPA500 will very effectively coordinate with the 
increased capability of the K3.  A good friend of mine, who is an excellent 
CW op and one of the QRQ folks who encouraged Elecraft to improve this 
aspect of the K3, is now apparently fully satisfied with the results.  I'm 
not sure what the upper limit is now, but I think it is in the neighborhood 
of 70 to 80 wpm now--maybe faster.  I'm not slow, but this is way out of my 
realm of operation, and I didn't even know the issue existed.


In any event, if the K3 had been a product of any other manufacturer, this 
deficiency would probably never had been resolved, except perhaps by a 
new improved model.  Additionally, the KPA500 probably would not have been 
designed as capably either by another manufacturer, or even by Elecraft, had 
it not been for their close attention to customer requests and requirements. 
I'm pretty sure that one of the objectives in the design of the KPA500 was 
NOT to inhibit the capabilities of the K3.


As I said, I'm not a QRQ type, but I do plod along at a decent clip using 
QSK.  It constantly amazes me how seamlessly the KPA500 follows along, and 
is whisper quiet!  No clicks, no clacks, just green bars!  Even if the fan 
comes on I have to strain to hear it.  I've never been much of an amp user 
either, until now, but I have used other amps now and then.  All of those 
other amps tended to drive me crazy with the racket they produce.  As long 
as I used headphones, I think I could operate the K-line in church and 
nobody would notice!


Dave W7AQK




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Re: [Elecraft] [K3] K3 frozen on power-up

[Dyarnes]

Good Morning All,

I can't explain the problem, and maybe I'm barking up the wrong tree. 
However, in recent years it has become pretty obvious to me that 
microprocessors are pretty finicky!  All the devices we use these days that 
have microprocessors seem to periodically get hung up due to even a small 
spike in voltage, or whatever.  More often than not, disconnecting 
everything, and probably doing a complete power down, seems to cure it. 
I've had to do that with routers, cell phones, satellite receivers, 
computers, etc., etc.  Every so often I have to do it with the K3 as well. 
So, anymore when something quits working correctly, the first thing I do is 
a complete power disconnect--even removing batteries is sometimes the 
answer.  Interconnecting cables may need to be unhooked as well because they 
also may have some small voltage passing through them.  Anyway, if something 
quits working, give this a try first.  It may save you from having to have a 
conversation with India!


Dave W7AQK


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Re: [Elecraft] K2: maximizing RF output, upping audio output.

[Dyarnes]

Ron and All,

I think Ron's cautionary comments are right on!  I remember a number of 
years back when the Kenwood TS-50 first came out.  It didn't take long for 
the tinkerers to realize that the output transistors in that rig were very 
conservatively rated.  It was often stated that they could probably run as 
much as two or three times the rating for the rig (100 watts).  Sure enough, 
a bunch of folks started hopping up their TS-50's.  Problem is, most of 
them forgot all about whether or not the output filters could handle that 
much extra power.  Apparently they couldn't, because soon you started 
hearing a lot of sad stories.


Beefing up a K2 beyond it's design capability seems like pure foolishness to 
me--unless you want to basically redesign the whole rig!  Besides, most 12 
volt rigs have significant IMD issues when run much above the design limit. 
It doesn't take much either.  The K3 runs pretty well at 100 watts, but at 
110 watts (which is would do initially) it started getting dirty.  I think 
they subsequently capped it at 100 watts via firmware.


A few more watts just isn't worth it---usually!  If you want to boost your 
power, get an amp--even a small one.  Or build one--there are a bunch of 
good designs around for simple and inexpensive amps .  Why jeopardize a 
great rig like a K2 for a few more watts?


Dave W7AQK


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Re: [Elecraft] 43' Vertical - mine is 31ft

[Dyarnes]

Wim DeWilder posted:


I have a 31 foot vertical myself (S9 V31) and since I have the KPA500 I
use the 600 WATT  MFJ remote auto tuner.
With about 8 radials of 30 ft it works well on 40m - 10m.
The MFJ can't tune it on 80m but the internal K3 tuner does.
Feedline is 100ft of RG213

-

Wim,

Is the MFJ tuner still in line when you tune with the K3 on 80 meters?

It seems to me that you are loading a 40 meter vertical on 80 meters, which 
means your feedpoint impedance is probably very high--maybe a few thousand 
ohms???  That's a pretty large order for most auto-tuners.


The K3 tuner is darn good, and just might give you a match of some sort, but 
that's a stretch for it as well.  10:1 is kind of the spec limit, and I 
think you may be exceeding that.  Still, I'm not sure what it might be 
tuning if you don't have the MFJ bypassed.


Also, that 100 feet of feedline, even though it's pretty good stuff, is 
probably giving you a lot of loss since you apparently don't have a good 
match at the base.  As I understand it, if you don't get pretty close to 50 
ohms at the base of the antenna, then your coax will just increase your 
losses considerably over and above what it would normally cause due to the 
length of the run.


I can tune my R8 vertical on 80 meters (and even 160 meters) just using 
the K3's ATU, and a run of about 50 feet of coax.  However, I am certain 
that my efficiency is crap!  I've only tried this a couple of times because 
it scares me to death to try it!


Dave W7AQK


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Re: [Elecraft] O.T.: End of (another) era

[Dyarnes]

Hi All,

Ed may be right--it's hard to say.  It also depends on what the definition 
of disappear is, meaning I think there will always be some adventurous 
souls using CW regardless of where technology takes us.  By  rights, I would 
have thought AM would disappear, but it hasn't--not totally.  There is 
even a feeding frenzy out there for old AM gear.


But CW is a conundrum.  It takes skill!  That is what seems to be 
disappearing from ham radio!  Look at the decline in the ability of the 
average ham to build his/her own gear, let alone repair it!  Admittedly, the 
radios we buy these days don't lend themselves to DIY repair, mainly due to 
the advanced technology of things like SMD's, etc.  These days, if you have 
a problem, it usually means swapping out an entire board rather than 
replacing a single part.


But back to CW--This is the most basic (I think) form of RF communication. 
By that  I mean it is the simplest form to create.  You actually only need 
two wires you can touch together to send it, but a paddle or key obviously 
makes it much easier.  It's more efficient that just about any type of voice 
communication, so with just a few watts (or less) you can work the world! 
The digital modes you mention are also very efficient, but I find them 
ultimately boring!  The computer has made everything so mechanical!  JT65 is 
a really slick creation, but you end up just playing a numbers game for 
exchanges.  It's gratifying for a while, but there is not much conversation 
going back and forth.  At least modes like PSK31 are conversational, and 
maybe other modes, yet to be invented, will be that way too.  It's hard to 
say what we will see in the next 20 or 30 years.  Technology moves at 
lightening speed!


For that matter, RTTY would seem to be old hat as well, but it still seems 
to be hanging around in strength.  The computer gave RTTY a reprieve, 
since we no longer have to rely on units like the old Model 26's, or 
whatever those things were that we used years ago.  I can even operate RTTY 
and PSK31 with my KX3, all by itself, but using CW as the input method! 
Again, the simplest form of input (CW) to generate an advanced mode.


A while back some Japanese company was seriously contemplating using CW as 
an input method for texting on cellphones!  It would only require two or 
three keys!  Interesting concept, but I guess it didn't fly--at least not 
now.  I still think there is just possibly some merit to this however.  Kids 
can learn anything  They text!  It's the old f**ts that have problems.


The absence of a mandatory level of CW proficiency has clearly reduced the 
level of CW activity--except in contests!  Interestingly, though, now 
that CW is no longer mandatory, a lot of newer hams (and some old ones too) 
seem to be having some sort of epiphany about the virtues of CW, and are 
voluntarily taking it up.  Very interesting!!!


The bottom line is that technology is apt to change everything!  It might 
even substantially wipe away ham radio all together!  It certainly has 
distracted newcomers who now seem to be nearly totally focused on computers. 
I have some serious concerns about the survival of ham radio itself, but for 
now, I think the biggest threat is CC  R's!  Hi.


Dave W7AQK




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Re: [Elecraft] OT- Radials for Vertical Antenna

[Dyarnes]

Hi Randy and All,

A lot of answers to your questions, but I think what you really need to do 
is read the extensive coverage of this topic by Rudy Severns, N6LF.  Go to 
this website:


http://www.antennasbyn6lf.com/

There are at least two groups of QEX articles you probably would be most 
interested in reading.  One is his general series on ground system 
experimentation, and his later articles on elevated radials.  All these were 
published in QEX, and Rudy did a great deal of study and experimentation in 
preparation for writing them.  Few people understand this subject better, or 
at least the practicalities of such systems.


Early on Rudy commented that as few as 4 elevated radials could probably 
outperform an extensively laid ground radial system.  However, it turns out 
that this also required very rigid tuning procedures, and that probably 8 or 
more were really what would be necessary.  The bugaboo, apparently, is 
getting the current distribution right in the radials themselves--otherwise 
they can become counter productive, or I think that was his conclusion.


In any event, this is really good stuff, and well worth studying.  It may 
not answer all your questions, but you will undoubtedly learn a lot about 
radial systems in the process, and you can experiment on your own as you see 
fit.


Dave W7AQK


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Re: [Elecraft] Elecraft and Ten-Tec

[Dyarnes]

Hi All,

I like Jim Brown's comments best.  He gets right to the heart of a lot of 
it.


Seriously though, we see this kind of question a lot, and it's really 
difficult to give definitive answers, especially when we are talking about 
equipment from two highly regarded companies known for quality products.  A 
big problem, however, is really knowing exactly what is important, and what 
is not so important, to the person asking the question.  Rarely do we see 
full disclosure in this regard.


I will say this--in the past I have owned several Ten-Tec rigs.  They all 
performed well, and I thought Ten-Tec supported them well--exceptionally 
well in fact.  However, I am now pretty much totally equipped with Elecraft 
products.  I have my reasons for that--good reasons I think--but they may 
not be the same reasons someone else might have.  I would also say that 
Elecraft support is as good as it gets!


Here's what I think someone faced with this kind of decision should really 
do.  Download both manuals.  Read them thoroughly to get, not only a feel 
for what the rig can do, but how you make it do it.  See if you really think 
one or the other is too complex or convoluted for your personal pleasure. 
Next I would re-read each manual with a view towards picturing yourself 
operating that particular radio.  Think of the things you do normally when 
operating, and how each radio allows you to perform those tasks.  Do this 
carefully and thoroughly, though, because it is easy to gloss over certain 
things if you don't really give each item your full attention.  I know this 
sounds painful, but how else are you really going to get some sort of feel 
for the radio, unless you actually have the opportunity to try it our first 
hand--that's obviously always preferable.


Anyway, this may lead to some very specific questions which can be more 
appropriately answered in a forum like this.  There well may be steps or 
procedures that aren't readily understood.  Those are specifics, and not 
necessarily judgmental questions.  Those are the kinds of questions that are 
apt to receive the most accurate response.


Of course, you should also check out the equipment reviews that appear in 
the better magazines.  You tend to get some pretty good performance info 
from these, and in some sort of comparable form.  These tend to be more 
technically oriented, but they often culminate in some subjective 
conclusions that may, or may not be totally useful--it depends on the 
reviewer!


I will say that I fully agree with Jim Brown's conclusion about the Elecraft 
menus.  Yes, they are extensive, and perhaps complex is an appropriate 
description, but they are for the most part what you need to suffer 
through in order to set the radio up initially.  Remember, these are very 
sophisticated pieces of gear.  Once you do that part, it's usually a set it 
and forget it situation.  The controls you then need most often are right 
there on the front panel.


Ten-Tec is not so easy for day to day operating in my view.  Too many 
adjustment I make normally and often require entry into the menu system, or 
at least excessive button pushing.  That's probably my biggest gripe with 
Ten-Tec these days, but again, that may not be a big deal for others.


Dave W7AQK


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Re: [Elecraft] Kit or factory assembled K3?

[Dyarnes]

Dick,

My first inclination would be to say do the kit.  As others have said, 
it's not terribly difficult--more assembly than anything, and you just put 
it together piece by piece.  Perhaps the most laborious part of the process 
is doing a careful inventory of the parts, and arranging them logically so 
you put the right screw in the right hole!  As one guy once said to me about 
assembling the K3, if you can pump gas, you can put this together!  An 
exaggeration, and he was joking of course, but he was primarily being 
complimentary to the very excellent engineering that went into this rig.


However, you add the admonition about your age, which should give me, or 
anyone else, some hesitancy.  The fact you are even contemplating the kit 
suggest to me that your age is not a terribly limiting factor.  I know lots 
of folks in that age range who could do this kit nicely, and hopefully you 
fit that category.  The main thing would be decent eyesight.  You have to be 
reasonably careful to make sure you align pins into connectors, etc.  So, 
with due respect to your years, and knowing my eyesight isn't as good as it 
once was, I would at least give you that caution.


There is no soldering involved, and all the parts fit nicely together--some 
take a little coaxing, but they do fit neatly.  I compare this project, 
somewhat, to putting a computer together from the various boards and large 
components.  It's probably a little more complex than that, primarily due to 
the close fitting of components, but with care and patience, it works.


I would urge you to go through the assembly manual, which is available 
online, and see if anything jumps out at you as being potentially 
problematic.  Also, you could always get a 2nd pair of eyes to follow along 
as you do it, which would greatly reduce the chance for any problems.


It's rewarding to do stuff like this yourself, but then again, it doesn't 
make a lot of sense to be penny wise and pound foolish.  If you have been 
doing any constructing lately, I'd guess it would be no problem. 
Otherwise, see what you think based on the manual.


Dave W7AQK



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Re: [Elecraft] [Elecraft_K3] Re: Elecraft Hats at Dayton?

[Dyarnes]

Hi All,

I’ve never been particularly interested in paying for the “privilege” of 
advertising someone’s commercial product.  It’s one thing to buy your shirt, 
hat, or whatever, with a club logo or name when it’s a non-commercial entity.  
However, there is something dissatisfying in functioning as a “billboard” and 
paying to do it.  Yaesu, and some others, pass out stuff like this for free at 
Dayton.  There’s a reason they do that.  It gets their name out there—en 
masse—and they have obviously concluded that the expense is justified.  Perhaps 
they view it more as “customer relations”, but I doubt it.  There is “method to 
their madness”.  Most of the time these items are purchased in bulk, and at 
very nominal cost.  

Sports figures wear logo apparel but they don’t pay to do it—they get paid!  
And a bunch of those folks are people you’ve never heard of, or may never hear 
about!  Not that we deserve to get paid, but I don’t think we should have to 
“contribute” to their advertising budget either.  There is great value 
(apparently) in just getting your name out there, and you might be surprised 
how much some companies will pay just to influence a single potential customer. 
 

What really gets me is when we are expected to pay “top dollar” for something 
with a company logo on it.  Not only are they using us as a billboard, but they 
are also making a profit center for themselves out of the process.  Crazy!

Yeah, I know, it is gratifying to many to have somebody’s logo on their hat, 
shirt, or whatever.  If that really appeals to you then I have no argument 
against it.  Besides, maybe you just need a hat or shirt, and this is a 
convenient way to get one.  It just doesn’t appeal to me.  Actually, every so 
often (but not very often) I see something like that which really looks “cool” 
and seems particularly attractive.  But it’s usually not the logo, it’s the 
style or unique nature of it that is attractive.  

I’m not much of a “fashion plate” when it comes to hats anyway.  I usually wear 
a somewhat goofy looking terrycloth bucket hat, mainly because it is imminently 
more practical (I can wet it down if it’s hot—like on the golf course, and it 
shades my face better).  I do have a rather cool looking baseball cap which has 
Begali’s logo on it.  It’s good looking (I think), and unique.  I greatly 
admire Begali products, so I’m happy to wear it and be a “billboard” for him.  
The clincher, though, is that Piero gave it to me, I didn’t have to buy it!  I 
also greatly admire Elecraft products—I certainly have enough of them!  
However, I don’t feel inclined to pay to advertise for them.  But, maybe they 
will come up with something that is so good looking I would be inclined to do 
so.  That would be different!  

Obviously there are many out there who won’t agree with what I have said.  
There seems to be something of a “frenzy” going on about having an Elecraft 
hat.  Nevertheless, several have expressed disappointment that they weren’t 
free.  So, I guess I might have at least a few folks who sympathize with my 
view.  

Dave W7AQK



From: Goldtr8 (KD8NNU) 
Sent: Sunday, May 19, 2013 5:36 AM
To: elecraft yahoo groups 
Cc: elecraft@mailman.qth.net 
Subject: [Elecraft_K3] Re: [Elecraft] Elecraft Hats at Dayton?

  
I did purchase a hat at Dayton yesterday.

Maybe we can convince Elecraft to work with one of those suppliers who do 
hats and allow us order direct and then we could get our Call Sign added at 
the time of purchase.

I know this can be done. Then Elecraft does not have to bother directly 
with the hat guys.

If you take it to the full extreme we could maybe have hats and shirts and 
look cool at field days, club events and ham shows. Not sure about tattoos 
:-)

Elecraft would have to do something to make this happen as they are the 
owners of the trademark.

~73
Don
KD8NNU


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Re: [Elecraft] Cheap headphones

[Dyarnes]

Hi All,

I think a lot of us who have CM-500 headsets did so based on the 
recommendation from Jim Brown, K9YA.  Jim is very knowledgeable about this 
sort of thing (he's an audio engineer), and he spent a lot of time 
evaluating the CM-500 before mentioning it to the rest of us.  I, for one, 
am most pleased with my set (I actually have two of them), and think they 
are head and shoulders above the Heil headset combo I had been using (the 
IC model, which is the same thing Elecraft sells under their own name). 
The earphones are considerably better, and they fit nicely.  The microphone 
is an electret, and electrets seem to work great generally.  The one thing I 
would caution you about on the CM-500 is the headband.  There is a 
cushioning strap that goes across, under the headband itself, and it is not 
able to take much abuse.  Adjusting the headset for proper fit is not as 
smooth and easy as with some headsets, and you have to manipulate each side 
with some care.  My point is that, if you just pull on the two sides, that 
strap may tear.  Mine did!  Anyway, with just a little care in getting the 
adjustment right, you will probably be very happy!  For the price I don't 
think you can beat this headset.


Dave W7AQK


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Re: [Elecraft] N6BT Antennas

[Dyarnes]

Hi All,

I have to say that N6BT's antenna sales operation is something of a 
conundrum.  It seems that just about all I hear is that he doesn't respond 
to inquiries, even those wanting to purchase one of his products.  Very 
strange!


I have one of Tom's recent creations, the Bravo 7K.  I heard Tom speak at 
Yuma last year, and he discussed performance of the Bravo 7K a good bit in 
his presentation.  Tom does a lot of antenna design work for DXpeditions, 
and this was one that he had very good things to say about.


Most of you know that Tom was the person who started Force 12, and he had 
many interesting designs there, including one that I picked up used--the 
Sigma 40XK--which is a vertical dipole.  It's somewhat shortened (loaded), 
but works very well for me on 40 meters.  It's supposed to be a multi-band 
antenna, but changing bands is not easy!


Anyway, when I heard Tom talk about his new Bravo 7K, and later saw it on 
display at his sales table, I got pretty interested.  It is extremely 
portable, considering it's size, and that really caught my interest.  Tom 
calls it a vertical dipole, but it is a variation on the traditional 
configuration to the point that I don't fully understand how the description 
fits.  In any event, changing bands is much easier than on my Sigma 40 XK, 
and it sounded like a perfect option for use with my motorhome.


I talked Tom into selling me his display model at Yuma.  Probably a good 
thing, since otherwise I might never have gotten an order by mail even 
acknowledged!  When I mentioned to Tom that I also had a Sigma 40XK, he said 
the Bravo 7K would be equally efficient--maybe better!


My results subsequently don't bear that statement out.  The antenna seems to 
work pretty well on 20 and up, but I can't get it to perform anywhere close 
to my Sigma 40XK on 40 meters.  So, I've tried, multiple times, to contact 
Tom for advice on what I may be doing wrong.  No response!  None  Very 
frustrating and disappointing.


I haven't given up on the Bravo 7K on 40 meters, but I haven't really had 
time to try changes and adjustments.  I think the answer may be to just 
improve the ground side of the antenna, but it could be that I just don't 
have it deployed in the most advantageous way.  The vertical portion of the 
antenna is nearly equal to 1/4 wave on 40, so to me it's more like a 1/4 
wave vertical.  The neat thing about the antenna is that it does collapse 
into a very small package for carrying, and the matching network is fairly 
easy to adjust.  I think he even has a version of this antenna whereby you 
can remotely make those matching adjustments.  Interesting and innovative, 
but not much good if you can't even get him to acknowledge your inquiries!!!


I sure wish he would come out of hiding!

Dave W7AQK


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Re: [Elecraft] Don Wilhelm Plaudits

[Dyarnes]

Hi All,

The recent outpouring of appreciation for Don's help and mentoring is 
certainly well deserved.  I too have been in awe of the time and effort Don 
puts forth to help others.  It's Herculean!  I can't actually put my 
finger on the statistics, but I'm guessing that, when someone has posted an 
SOS on just about any Elecraft product (in fact, on just about any 
problem!), there was better than a 50-50 chance that Don would offer some 
assistance.  Don has a wealth of knowledge and experience, and shares it 
most willingly.  I know, sometimes it may not be exactly what others might 
suggest, but at least he tries to offer something viable.  When he does, it 
is always from a significantly informed perspective.  For someone like me, 
who struggle a bit with all the complexities, it's like finding an oasis in 
the desert.


Don is on my must read list too.  I often point out that I only know what 
I read, and although I may not know much, I know a heck of a lot more than 
I otherwise would thanks to Don.  It's like getting periodic injections of 
knowledge to read Don's offerings.  Don Wilhelm's Internet University! 
What's great about Don's posts is that he not only gives you a possible 
answer, he typically tells you why!  That's priceless!


I've had the privilege of meeting Don, several times, at Dayton and FDIM. 
It's opportunities like that which make going there really worthwhile.  Don 
is a very fine fellow, and we are most fortunate to have him as a friend of 
us all.


Dave W7AQK




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[Elecraft] KX3 Amp

[Dyarnes]

Hi All,

To echo Jim Brown's cautionary statement about IMD with the RM Italy HLA 
series amps, there is some good info on Tom Rausch's (W8JI) website 
concerning the HLA-150.  That amp will run up to 150 watts or so, but 
according to some testing that Rausch did, if you go much over 100 watts, 
the IMD gets pretty marginal!  Presumably the HLA-300 have some similar 
optimal point below it's maximum capability.  Apparently this is not at all 
uncommon, particularly with 12 V. amps.  Even the K3 loses some of it's IMD 
quality if you go over 100 watts, which you can do somewhat.


Dave W7AQK 


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Re: [Elecraft] OT--RFI Issue

[Dyarnes]

Hi All,

First, I hope this thread isn't viewed adversely by the moderator.  I think 
it's educational, at a minimum.  Of course, I have a vested interest in the 
topic right now, but sooner or later, just about every ham will probably 
face this issue--rightly or wrongly!


I loved the old Jimmy Hatlo cartoon that Missouri Guy posted!  Hatlo's 
cartoons were a mainstay years back, and I sure miss them.


I very much tend to agree with both Don Wilhelm's response and with Phil 
Kane's comments as well.  I tend to think it isn't too much wrong to try 
simple speaker line filters, which often do solve an issue, but as Phil 
points out, today's electronics are much different than what we had in the 
past, and it is easy to do exactly the wrong thing!  For example, I think 
the old stand by trick of using bypass caps, which used to work very often 
in old stuff, isn't a good idea with today's equipment.  Apparently 
transistorized  equipment, like audio amps, won't necessarily be happy with 
such a fix the way older tube type gear would.  I wouldn't try that!


In any event, I don't want to even attempt to go inside someone else's 
equipment.  I DO want to appear genuinely concerned and intent on trying to 
resolve the issue!


Often the problem, is convincing the affected party that it really is a 
defect in their equipment, or installation thereof, and not yours.  Of 
course, you need to be pretty darned sure that is the case!  That was my 
situation from the outset.  All my neighbor wanted to focus on was how much 
money he had spent on his system, equating money spent to a lessened 
responsibility.  It's very esoteric for most people when you start talking 
about bad ground connections on their end, and anomalies like speaker wire 
runs acting as rectifiers of RF.  They don't think they have done anything 
wrong, and they are almost right, except for the laws of physics.  In any 
event, they tend to view it as an infringement on their rights, and don't 
feel any concern that we also have the right to operate a properly 
functioning station.


I very much appreciate the responses on this issue.  Apparently internet 
issues are not that rare, but I was assuming (wrongly I guess) that the vast 
disparity between my operating frequency and that used by internet devices 
would make this less probable.  You learn something everyday!  When you 
think about it, though,  unwanted RF comes from all sorts of 
devices--florescent lights, dimmer switches, etc.  So there doesn't always 
seem to be a harmonic relationship.


Hopefully I will find a good answer to all of this.

Dave W7AQK


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[Elecraft] OT-RFI Interference--Update

[Dyarnes]

Hi All,

It seems appropriate to relate today's very interesting (to me, anyway) 
events regarding this matter.  All day I noticed a cable company truck 
running all around our neighborhood, checking this and that.  Late this 
afternoon, the truck went to a fairly large control box of some sort, that 
is located at the front of my house.  Then I saw my complaining neighbor 
pull up next to him in his car, get out, and engage in some conversation 
with the cable repairman.  I thought this would be a good opportunity to try 
and discuss the issue and my concerns about it as well.  Anyway, for some 
time I just listened as he related his problem to the repairman.  He was 
very frustrated because he was experiencing continual disconnects with his 
internet--it had been happening, not just today, but every day, and for some 
time.  Aha!  I haven't even been on the air for days!  Also, his phone 
problem turns out to be some VOIP service he is using--in other words, more 
internet issues, not necessarily his landline service.


I listened patiently as he described his problems to the repairman, and at 
an appropriate time, I pointed out that I had similar disconnect issues 
with my service, also with the cable company's internet service.  His phone 
issue is apparently something along the lines of him hearing everything 
well, but whoever he is talking to can't always hear him.  It would cut in 
and out--his part of the conversation would be clipped, and sounded similar 
to a how an improperly set VOX system would act.  In any event, I took the 
opportunity to make the point clearly that I had not even been on my radio 
for days!  I think my neighbor was getting the picture somewhat, but 
wasn't at all apologetic.


The repairman conveyed how he was noticing some strange carrier that would 
show up on his test equipment periodically.  I asked him if he had checked 
carefully for loose connections, and particularly ground connections.  His 
response was vague.  Then he, for whatever reason, volunteered that there 
was a particular device in this control box that often gives them problems. 
He took a screwdriver, fiddled with the connections, and the 'strange 
carrier seemed to go away!  The contacts looked burned (his description), 
and he attributed it to a voltage problem--something he apparently sees 
quite often.  In any event, he said he would immediately schedule it for 
replacement.  He didn't want to do it immediately because he would have to 
take everyone's internet down.  So it is something they apparently do at 
night!


This may not be the end of the issue, but now my neighbor knows that his 
problem occurs whether or not I happen to be operating.  In other words, It 
probably ain't me!  He was, more than likely, drawing an illogical 
conclusion.


In any event, I took the opportunity to assure him of my concern, and that I 
hoped he would call me any time he noticed a problem so that I could confirm 
whether or not my operating was at all involved in the issue.  He agreed to 
do that, so maybe we are on a better path.


By the way, I'd love to send the Jimmy Hatlo cartoon that Missouri Guy 
posted, but now is probably not the best time to do that.  Some day, if we 
are (hopefully) having a cordial conversation, I might offer it.


I might also mention that I have had somewhat similar inconsistent problems 
with my internet.  It just shuts off--quite often, and I have to reset my 
router.  I've even tried three different routers, but all exhibit the same 
issue, and it is similar to what my neighbor describes as part of his 
problem.


Anyway, I'm not going to get overconfident that the problem is 
solved/identified, but I think I'll have a beer!


Again, my appreciation for all the comments and suggestions.

Dave W7AQK 


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[Elecraft] OT--RFI Issue

[Dyarnes]

Hi All,

I am in need of some informed counseling.  Hopefully I won't start a thread 
of war stories.


Some time back, my neighbor complained that I was getting into his TV 
system.  He has Dish Network, by the way, which is the same thing I have. 
Anyway, I immediately tried to be responsive, went to his house to hear the 
problem for myself, with the aide of another local op who operated my rig 
while I listened.  I was getting into his system all right, but it was an 
anomoly.  I don't have any problem with my own systems here.  Anyway, I 
tried a few toroidal filters, but it didn't seem to help.  Fortunately, I 
got some assistance from the local ARRL RFI committee, and it was determined 
that it was his sub-woofer leads that were the culprit, and I had not 
filtered that particular lead previously.  He has a serious rats nest 
wiring system running all through his house.  Anyway, A filter seemed to 
solve the issue.


Fast forward to the present--now I'm told he thinks I am getting into his 
phone system and his internet!  I can believe the phone thing--that's not 
uncommon, but also not necessarily indicative of a dirty signal.  On the 
other hand,  I've never heard of a problem with someone's internet 
connection.  We both use the same internet system also--Cox Cable internet, 
and I don't have any problem whatsoever here at my own house.  He is not far 
away, but obviously farther away than my own systems!


I suspect he may be a bit paranoid, and is assuming any problem is being 
caused by me.  However, I want to be proactive!  I do, however, want to try 
and be logical about the whole thing.  Intuitively, I assume that if I was 
transmitting a dirty signal, it would probably affect my phone system 
(also wireless like he has, but probably a different brand) and internet 
service.  Also, I have now added a low pass filter, but haven't checked to 
see if that made any difference, but I will.  For one thing, I'm going to 
try and talk to the guy on the phone to see If I can hear anything when I 
key up.  I've also been reviewing my connections.  In any event, I don't 
want to make the mistake of assuming that, just because I don't have a 
problem with my systems, it must be faulty equipment at his end--or 
something entirely unassociated with my operating.


So, any thoughts or ideas from the group?

Dave W7AQK


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[Elecraft] TX5K

[Dyarnes]

Hi All,

Apparently they are starting to shut things down--a bit early it seems!  My 
DX cluster had a note that the 160/80 antennas are down now!  Nothing on 
their blog about that.  Supposedly they still have almost 2 days to go.  At 
this moment they only have 40 SSB  up and running!


I guess I've worked them everywhere I can.  I have them on all CW bands 
(except 6 meters, of course), and all SSB bands except 80 meters (and 6 
meters).  Also on 3 digi bands--30, 20, and 17.  19 band slots in all.  It 
has been fun snagging them, and the Elecraft stuff here all performed just 
great!  I'm particularly please with how much easier things are now that I 
have the KAT500.  With my antenna situation here it really makes a big 
difference.  Clipperton isn't so far away that it is a big deal to work 
them, except the competition is ferocious.  The folks who worked them 
running QRP have much bigger bragging rights.  Well done!


The real kick in the pants is working them on RTTY without a computer!  That 
feature in the K3 (and the KX3) is so cool!  This time around I just 
loaded a couple of memories with the ID info and the report info.  I've done 
it with direct paddle input in the past, but using the memories makes it a 
snap on DX stuff.  I wanted to try it with the KX3, but the competition was 
so heavy, and my antenna so inadequate, I had to go to the K3 with a bit 
more power.


Working them on 160 SSB, but not 80 SSB was something of a surprise.  I bet 
I'm in just the wrong spot propagation wise for 80 meters.  I could even 
hear some of the Europeans working them.  Guess I should have started trying 
a lot earlier!


The TX5K website is pretty slick!  You can see confirmation of your QSO 
within just a minute or two.  These DXpeditions get fancier all the time 
with this logging info.


Anyway, I had fun.  Hope a lot of other folks did too.

Dave W7AQK












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Re: [Elecraft] TX5K

[Dyarnes]

Yep, I worked them on 160 SSB on the 8th, which was apparently about the 
last day for that band.  I worked them on 160 CW a few days earlier.  Not 
sure why the antenna for 160 and 80 came down so early--maybe it blew 
down???  It seems like after they crossed the 100K QSO mark, their activity 
started to fall off.  Perhaps that was their goal, and after that they 
wanted to enjoy a little R  R?  Or, maybe the sand crabs got to them!  Hi.


Like you, I wasn't sure 160 SSB was on their agenda.  I don't think VP6DX 
brought up anything on 160 SSB, so maybe that's not considered to be a 
particularly productive band/mode combination.  In any event, the TX5K 
website had a neat feature that showed, at any point in time, just what 
bands and modes were active.  At this moment they are still only operating 
on 40 SSB.  It's odd to only see one position light on.  Usually there were 
at least 4 or 5, and as many as 7 or 8.


As I mentioned previously, my working them on 80 and 160 is still sort of 
amazing--to me anyway.  I say that because I've tried various goofy 
antennas on 160 before with almost no luck whatsoever.  An R8 vertical isn't 
supposed to work on 80, let alone 160.  I had tried it, mainly as a lark, on 
the VP6DX DXpedition.  Surprise!  Surprise!  They heard me!  You know my ERP 
had to be just one step up from a dummy load.  It's proof positive that just 
about anything will radiate something, and further provided whoever is at 
the other end has a decent antenna to hear you with!  The R8 actually shows 
a half-way decent SWR even without the tuner.  160 is more problematic, but 
the KAT500 (or just the K3 internal ATU when running barefoot) will bring it 
down to close to 1:1 on both bands.  That certainly substantiates some of 
the performance claims by Elecraft.  If you just don't get greedy, and run 
very much power, everything behaves nicely.


By the way, it was interesting to see them often on the same band with more 
than one mode.  Not all DXpeditions do that--at least not as much.  I think 
at least part of the credit for being able to do that is the Elecraft 
equipment.


Dave, AA7EE posted a link to a very interesting historical summary of 
Clipperton Island on the QRP-L reflector.  I've added the link below for 
those who may be interested.  I found it fascinating!


The other historical thing I am reminded of is that, back around the time I 
first got my license, there was a DXpedition to Clipperton Island by the 
YASME group--mainly Lloyd Colvin (W6KG?).  It was all over the cover of CQ 
Magazine.  Maybe that was the first DXpedition to Clipperton???  Do I also 
remember that later there was some sort of flap about YASME?


Here's the link on Clipperton's history.

http://www.damninteresting.com/the-tyrant-clipperton-island/

Dave W7AQK

-Original Message- 
From: Fred Smith

Sent: Saturday, March 09, 2013 3:13 AM
To: 'Dyarnes' ; elecraft@mailman.qth.net
Subject: RE: [Elecraft] TX5K

Did you work them on 160m phone (they weren't going to work 160 phone
according to them) I missed them on that and 12m SSB. Most all the early
info shows them shutting down today, haven't looked at their web site.

Good job to you! I hope we can work them as well on their next big
DXpedition (deep breath) I think a lot of people need it. These guys did a
great job and I liked the log as well as any I have ever seen.

BTW I tried for 20 mins the other morning after I had worked them QRO on 80m
SSB (1st call lucky) with my KX3 I was never heard. The noise floor was
rather high but I thought with their superior equipment 8) that they might
hear me but no joy it was a poor band/mode choice, but I tried you never
know.

Fred/N0AZZ



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Re: [Elecraft] TX5K

[Dyarnes]

Milt,

You’re right!  I had forgotten what bands/modes they were on.  I did work them 
on  both 160 SSB and CW.  I checked their website just now, which is still up 
and running with the QSO logs.  I worked them on 20 band slots—missed a couple 
of the digi bands they ran with only a few contacts.  

That was a very well run DXpedition!  One of the best in my memory.

Dave W7AQK





From: Milt -- N5IA 
Sent: Saturday, March 09, 2013 8:55 AM
To: Dyarnes ; Fred Smith ; elecraft@mailman.qth.net 
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] TX5K

-Original Message- 
From: Dyarnes 
Sent: Saturday, March 09, 2013 6:16 AM 
To: Fred Smith ; elecraft@mailman.qth.net 
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] TX5K 

---SNIP---

I don't think VP6DX brought up anything on 160 SSB, 

---SNIP---

I had tried it, mainly as a lark, on the VP6DX DXpedition.  Surprise!  
Surprise!  They heard me!  

---SNIP---

Dave W7AQK



Dave,

160 SSB was alive and well at VP6DX.

Please see 
http://www.radio-sport.net/vp6dx-n5ia-leads-single-ops-in-cq-160-ssb-cn3a-top-multi-op/
 

I searched my log and you are not among the 1,163 contacts during the contest 
period.

Sorry I missed you.  It was a tremendous opportunity and at the end of both 
nights once the terminator had crossed all of the USA except the Pacific Time 
Zone, there was essentially no competition for the W6-W7 crowd.  I worked folks 
who forced a Watt or two into a 40 Meter dipole at 25’ AGL.  The JA’s have no 
160 M SSB allocation and I had worked all the ZL, VK and other Pacific area 
stations.  Consequently there was a fair amount of open air time for the last 
hour or so before Ducie sunrise.  Again, too bad you didn’t get on.

There were approximately 200 Qs made on 160 SSB a couple of nights before the 
contest.

There were another 200 Qs made on 160 SSB during the 3 nights of operation 
after the contest.

VP6DX made a total of 6,671 Qs on 160 Meters of which 1,574 were with the SSB 
mode.

73 de Milt, N5IA

No virus found in this message.
Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
Version: 2013.0.2904 / Virus Database: 2641/6156 - Release Date: 03/08/13
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[Elecraft] TX5K

[Dyarnes]

Hi All,


I suspect lots of folks are working the Clipperton gang so my working them 
too is not such a big deal.  However, I snagged them on, not only 40 and 30, 
but also 80 and 160 CW.  The antenna I was using is the unique thing--an R8 
vertical, which is only really supposed to go down to 40 meters!  I did use 
the KPA500 and KAT500, but only at about 200 watts on those bands.  I was 
afraid to try anything higher, but didn't need it!  However, the KAT500 gave 
me a nice match--1:1 on 80, and about 1.4:1 on 160.  I give all the credit 
to the KAT500 tuner, even though my ERP was probably pretty darn low--maybe 
even QRP off the antenna!  Great tuner!  Those folks on Clipperton probably 
have some pretty decent antennas too.  They were LOUD!


I'll probably get chided for trying 80 and 160 with my R8, but I think I 
kept the power low enough not to do any harm.  I did the same thing for the 
VP6DX DXpedition--even on SSB--worked them on 20 band slots.  Otherwise, I 
pretty much stay clear of those two bands.  It's fun, though, to see what 
you can get away with sometimes.  Anyway, I'd never be able to do that 
without a really FB tuner like the KAT500, even though I'm just matching 
50 ohms at the rig and not really tuning the antenna to anything remotely 
efficient.  When I worked the VP6DX DXpedition I was using a manual tuner 
(but a pretty good one--an old Ten-Tec), but it took several minutes to 
finally find an acceptable match.  With the KAT500 it was only a matter of a 
few seconds.


Kudos to the folks at Elecraft!

Dave W7AQK


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Re: [Elecraft] KPA500 vs THP HL-550FX

[Dyarnes]

Hi All,

A nice comparison of the KPA500 and the THP amp.  Pros and cons for either 
I'm sure.  However, the question of weight makes me curious.  As a KPA500 
owner I know that there isn't much inside the KPA500 that adds a lot of 
weight other than that nice, husky transformer.  Erroneously, perhaps, I've 
always thought that bigger was better when it came to transformers--more or 
less.  So, does this suggest the transformer in the THP might be less 
substantial?  Not necessarily inadequate, but less substantial??  Just 
curious.


Dave W7AQK


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Re: [Elecraft] Selling my K2.

[Dyarnes]

Fred and All,

I think Fred's comment is a bit excessive.  It's a shame he had a bad 
experience, but the same thing could have happened if he had used almost any 
other venue for selling gear, like Eham, or QTH, or whatever.  You can't 
just blame Ebay for your own mistakes.  His comments about being more 
careful about just how you effect the transaction are more appropriate. 
Truth is, you can make a bad deal anywhere!


I don't use Ebay a lot, but I have made a few acquisitions through it. 
Fortunately, they all turned out O.K.  I guess I was just lucky.  Like Fred, 
I'm somewhat cautious about some things I see there, but that's mainly 
because it is so wide open.  Half the time you really don't know who you are 
really dealing with.  Usually, though, you do have the option to contact the 
seller first, so it doesn't have to be totally blind faith.


In any event, if you have any significant concerns, you should probably 
follow Fred's suggestion and get some sort of assurance that you have 
recourse.  You should probably do that with any 2nd hand acquisition, 
regardless of where you get it.  I think Ebay has some sort of problem 
resolution process, but I don't know how effective it is since I've never 
had to use it.  If it has any value at all, it may be better to buy there 
than on some other venues.  However, I think the first rule of any such 
transaction should be to have at least some idea as to who you are dealing 
with.  If it's some phantom, hiding behind some obtuse ID, you don't have 
much upon which to place your faith.  I also have another rule--When in 
doubt, pass!  If you can't get the assurances that make you reasonably 
comfortable, I'd let the deal go.  Except in rare instances, there is almost 
surely going to be another equally reasonable deal, if not better, coming 
down the pike.  Personally, I have to keep reminding myself of this last 
rule.  It's hard not to get somewhat excited (and possibly foolish) when you 
see a good deal come along.


Dave W7AQK



---
Fred Smith Said:

I make it a point of never buying any radios on eBay usually there is a
problem with them or they wouldn't be there. 


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Re: [Elecraft] Are you satisfied with your K3?

[Dyarnes]

Hi All,

Obviously most of the responders here are either K3 owners, or K3 potential 
owners, who have experienced the quality of this radio.  So, am I totally 
satisfied?  No!  Am I reasonably satisfied?  Absolutely!


The K3 is a wonderful radio, and something all of us who own one can be very 
proud of having.  However, it is not the perfect radio, nor will it ever 
be such.  But then, again, I never expected it to be the perfect radio!


I don't care how much money you spend, you will never own the perfect radio. 
No radio will ever have the complete (or even nearly complete) compliment of 
features and performance that we seek.  If that were possible, then most, or 
all, companies would go out of business!  More importantly, it just isn't 
achievable.


I don't care how many features you put in the K3, or any other radio, 
someone will have an issue--or ten issues!  What Elecraft achieved with the 
K3 is a top quality radio at a greatly reduced cost.  That's extremely 
significant!


The K3 is NOT the perfect radio for everyone, but it is the perfect radio 
for most of us.  There are too many variables, and personal preferences, to 
satisfy the entire ham community.  Many of the shortcomings are well 
founded, but not necessarily reasonable, for all that many users.  I see all 
this Sturm und Drang about this feature or that feature, and I have to 
wonder whether or not it really matters!  Performance wise the K3 is near 
the absolute top end.  Ergonomically, it also is near the top.  Nonetheless, 
some folks are not happy, and never would be, with something specifically 
designed along the line of the K3.  To those folks I simply say go ahead 
and buy whatever better meets your wants and desires.  However, you won't 
achieve much, if any, improvement in performance.  If you can detect a 
significantly better performing radio, then your ear is much better than 
mine.


Elecraft has an incredible advantage over other manufacturers because they 
have a support team that is second to none.  If you have a problem, they 
will fix it--one way or another!!!  Other manufacturers will somewhat 
similarly fix your radio, but not necessarily to the extent of making it 
better than it was when you bought it.  Elecraft will fix it, and it all 
probability make it even better!


Some features are lacking in the K3, and some are very significant. 
However, just about everything that could be crammed into the K3 has been. 
If it isn't there now, it very well may be with software upgrades.  No other 
manufacturer is so dedicated to keeping their top line radio so forward 
capable.  Even though other manufacturers have adopted the firmware 
upgrade capability, nobody is doing more with that capability than 
Elecraft!  Pure fact!


If the K3 doesn't meet your expectations, sell it!  I seriously doubt you 
will replace it without spending a great deal more.  You won't gain much, if 
anything, in performance, but you might get something that fits you more 
appropriately.  If your problem with the K3 was a specific performance 
attribute, then possibly you will solve that, but somewhere there will be 
some compromise!


Right now I don't anticipate ever needing more than what the K3 provides me. 
That feeling may change, but I would bet large amounts of money that it will 
take a very serious up scaling cost wise to achieve that.  In the 
meantime, so many of the deficiencies in the K3 are being addressed by 
software upgrades, I can't imagine why I would become less convinced that I 
now have the right radio.  Who else is doing so much to achieve perfection 
than Elecraft?  They won't get there, but they keep trying


All you need to do, to truly see the value of a K3, is to compare features 
and cost.  If another manufacturer gets closer to your wants and needs, by 
all means go for it!  Somehow, though, I think you would be part of a very 
small minority.  The K3 was too well planned, and too well designed to be 
easily outdone.  Yes, something will come along that exceeds it, but not 
anytime soon.  When that happens, will it be enough better to justify my 
switching?  I doubt it.  Either the cost, or the marginal improvement will 
probably make that be unnecessary.  Unless I do something stupid, and blow 
up my K3, I'm probably set for a very long time!


Dave W7AQK



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Re: [Elecraft] OT: IDIOM PRESS

[Dyarnes]

Hi All,

What a lot of folks don't realize is that a great many of the amateur radio 
suppliers, and especially the QRP type suppliers, are one man operations! 
As such, they don't have a particularly organized and sophisticated ordering 
and shipping process.  Accordingly, if you are in a particular hurry, or 
need something quickly from one of these very small companies, you should 
talk to them personally and make sure you are going to receive your order in 
the timeframe you are expecting.  There are a thousand reasons why it might 
take longer than you expect to fill your order.  Most of these little 
companies are operating out of their garages, or similarly small space, and 
parts coming in versus things going out can be an issue.  I'm not making 
excuses for bad service, but so many of these operations are reliant on 
their receiving the necessary parts, which they really can't control.  They 
can't afford to maintain large inventories of parts, so a sudden rush of 
orders probably means a lag time that would normally be considered 
unacceptable.


By all means, you should talk to the supplier personally and find out if 
there is going to be a delay of any significance.  Most of them will tell 
you whether or not they have everything you want in stock.  Some of these 
folks are doing this on the side, in addition to their regular job, so 
don't be surprised if it takes a little time to fill an order.  It may 
involve a good bit of personal effort to make sure what they send you is 
correct.  It's entirely different from being a full blown manufacturing 
operation where they have employees specifically responsible for making sure 
that everything needed is on the shelf and ready for shipment.


Some QRP suppliers, like Dave Benson and Steve Weber, are good examples of 
this.  Both of those guys usually geared up for a production run of X 
number of kits.  However, if more orders than that came in, they typically 
had a hiatus of time in order to re-stock the necessary parts.  The NorCal 
kits were the same way.  They could handle the number of orders they 
announced, but if interest exceeded that, well, it was probably going to be 
a wait of some time before they could handle the orders received.  I don't 
know that much about Idiom press (they have been around for a long time), 
but I suspect they are in the same category.  I'm not sure what they sell is 
sufficient to qualify for being a full blown manufacturing operation with a 
staff sufficiently large to make sure everything necessary is on the shelf 
and ready for shipment.


Bottom line, if you are in a big hurry, call them and talk to them 
personally to find out what delay might be in the offing!  I know, some of 
these operations promise more than they can handle, but most of them, I 
think, try to be reasonably forthright in their advertising.  In any event, 
if time is of the essence, I'd be verifying things them personally.


Most of these small operations are incredibly innovative in what they offer, 
so don't expect too much too soon!  Even Elecraft started out to be a 
somewhat laggard operation, but the quality of their offerings soon made it 
possible for them to rise to big company reliability.  Not every QRP 
supplier will achieve that level of success, so you have to be a little 
patient.  Usually that will be greatly rewarded, but it is a bit 
frustrating.  If you can't stand to wait a bit, then maybe you should be 
looking elsewhere.


I have no clue as to whether Idiom Press meets the criteria I describe 
above, but I'd be almost willing to bet that it does.  Over the years I've 
seen dozens of companies like this with the same lag time issue.  On top 
of that, much of the delay can be because various personal issues arose 
which complicated their ability to devote the necessary attention to this 
sideline business.  Hey!  That's just part of the mix!  I will tell you , 
though, that rarely have I been unhappy in the end.  It's just that the 
timeframe has been disappointing.  Your expectations are not unreasonable, 
but the basic fact of life is that you should verify the validity of your 
expectations when dealing with any small company.  There is just too much 
that can interfere with achieving a satisfactory result when you are 
patronizing small suppliers.  Too many things can go wrong for them to not 
hit a bump here or there.  Just think about it!


Dave W7AQK


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[Elecraft] Updated Info on the New Argonaut VI

[Dyarnes]

Hi All,

This info (see link below) was just passed on to me via GQRP-L.

http://g3xbm-qrp.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/the-argonaut-vi-is-coming-soon.html

There are still a lot of missing details, but it's hard for me to see how 
this rig competes effectively with the KX3.

Dave W7AQK


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[Elecraft] KAT500 Arrives

[Dyarnes]

Hi All,

KAT500 number 71 arrived by UPS today.  We were supposed to be on the road 
today, but my wife was been pretty sick last week, and needed an extra day 
to get ready for the trip.  Anyway, it works great!  I'm happy.  Actually, 
I'm very happy!  The main reason is that running higher power has always 
been something of a dichotomy for me.  I tend to need more power at times, 
mainly because my antennas are marginal--I don't hear better, but I can be 
heard a bit better.  On the other hand, high power has always been something 
of a pain, if not unnecessary, much of the time.  You have to be very 
careful running higher power--tune-up can't be done casually, house wiring 
has to be up to the task, everything is bigger and heavier, and accidents 
with high power tend to be much more destructive.  etc. etc.  RFI can be a 
much bigger issue too.  I'd much rather put the time, effort, and money into 
better antennas, but that just isn't practical at my location.  So, after a 
bunch of years (50+) at 100 watts or less, and much of that at 5 watts or 
less, I've succumbed to using up to 500 watts when conditions/circumstances 
seem to require it.  I have access, on occasion, to another station with 
even higher power capability, but I still go at it sans amplifier if 
possible.

Anyway, the KAT500 replaces my old Ten-Tec 229 manual tuner.  That's a 
really good tuner, but it's manual, and takes a good bit of manipulating to 
get a good match.  With the KAT500, once you get a few memories set, it's 
pretty much tap the paddle once, and you are set.  That's a luxury I've been 
looking forward to ever since I acquiesced to using higher power.  Perhaps 
I'm not getting a better match than I did with the old Ten-Tec, but it sure 
is a bunch faster and easier now.

As for my serial number (71), I might have wished that it was one number 
higher, since that would match my original K2's serial number.  However, 
this is sort of a birthday present to myself, and that's just a week away. 
Next week (11/20) I will be 71!  So, even though it was accidental, Elecraft 
actually gave me a very fitting serial number!  I guess I can find irony in 
almost anything!

So, we are sneaking up on having 100 or so of these things in hand.  I 
suspect the kits will start shipping shortly.  This is the first time I 
haven't opted for a kit from Elecraft, but I figured for just $50, what the 
heck!

Dave W7AQK


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Re: [Elecraft] Small HF amp suggestions

[Dyarnes]

Hi All,

I just read the post by Bill Schmidt, K9HZ, who defended the RM Italy HLA 
series amps as not being as bad as many folks seem to think.  I had posted 
a similar response earlier, but thought I should add some substance to my 
defense (and perhaps to Bill's).

I think much of the confusion stems from the fact that RM Italy makes 
several different series amps.  Some were apparently only intended to be 
single band amps (CB perhaps?) and did not have very effective filtering. 
However, the HLA series amps are intended to cover multiple bands, and do 
have decent filtering.  I own an HLA-150 amp, and have found it to be a 
decent performer, although it does have lots of deficiencies.  As I said in 
my earlier post, Tom Rausch, W8JI, made some extensive tests of that same 
model amp, and though he found some serious issues, he defends the amp's 
adequacy when operated conservatively--that mainly being to not run it much 
above 90 to 100 watts output.  Hopefully most of you are familiar with W8JI, 
who has considerable credentials in the ham community regarding amplifiers 
(he designed many of the more popular amps being used today), and is very 
knowledgeable on other topics as well.  Anyway, here is a link to Tom's 
website wherein he discusses the pros and cons of the HLA-150.  You might 
want to take a peek at it.

http://www.w8ji.com/rm_hla-150_test.htm

I'm not suggesting that this amp is a great piece of gear, or the equivalent 
to new stuff coming out currently--just that it might be usable, and not 
nearly as inadequate as some would suggest.  I also think there are many 
other choices, including the upcoming Elecraft amp, which would undoubtedly 
be a better choice.  However, I got my HLA-150 pretty cheap (used), and I 
think they tend to be sold at fairly low prices on the used market, which 
might make them attractive--at least as an interim choice--while you wait 
for some of the newer ones to become available.

Just a few watts will drive an HLA-150 to 100 watts plus.  The amp is auto 
band switching, which is a very handy feature.  It is moderate in size and 
weight.  Supposedly it will work just by using RF sensing, but I have found 
that to be problematic.  On CW the amp seems to cut off the first dit or 
dah, so it really needs to be used with a keying line from the transceiver. 
Also, it's not really a QSK amp, and that is a big deficiency in my view. 
You can bet the Elecraft amp will have good QSK, and I think the new Ten-Tec 
418 amp does as well.  The HLA-150 doesn't purport to cover 6 meters either, 
and that is another issue which other alternatives will solve.  I doubt 60 
meters is covered by the HLA-150, but the Elecraft amp will cover 60 meters, 
as will the new Elecraft amp.

Personally, I'm a little reticent about the Ten-Tec 418 amp for various 
reasons.  I'm not so sure they didn't overcook it a bit.  First of all, it 
looks too big.  It's twice the size of my HLA-150 (and HL50-B), and weighs 
twice as much.  Is that necessary?  All I've seen of the new Elecraft amp is 
a picture, but it looks more reasonable--and practical.  The Ten-Tec 418 
incorporates, among other things, a big LCD display, and two fans--things I 
wouldn't have thought were necessary in a small amp, but maybe they are.  I 
still have an old Ten-Tec 405 linear, which will run 50 watts+, and is less 
than half the size and weight of the 418, no fans, but has power and SWR 
metering included.  It still works FB too, even after 30+ years!  Apparently 
the new Ten-Tec amp covers 60 meters, but initially I don't think it was 
going to.  By the way, the new Ten-Tec QRP rig doesn't cover 60 meters or 12 
meters, and I think their amp was originally going to skip these bands as 
well.  I'm genuinely confused by Ten-Tec's omission of these bands, but 
that's another issue.

So, if you are just looking for something reasonably affordable to boost 
your QRP rig a couple of S units, and not too concerned about bells and 
whistles, then the HLA-150 might be a good option--at least in the interim. 
I certainly wouldn't expect many of you to just take my word for it, but I 
think W8JI's discussion is more convincing.  Sooner or later though, most of 
us will probably yearn for the kinds of features and capabilities that the 
new Elecraft amp will undoubtedly offer.  For versatility I ultimately want 
a small amp that has good QSK, and when I want to use it with some of my 
simpler QRP rigs, I'd like to have good, effective RF sensing (hopefully 
that's a reasonable expectation).  I also want it to cover ALL of the bands 
through 6 meters.  If the new Elecraft amp does all of this, and at a 
reasonable price, I'll probably get one.  I can unload the HLA-150, and my 
THP HL50-B, and probably not be out of pocket much, if anything.  Well, I 
might have to look around for something else to unload as well, but 
hopefully it won't be a problem.  The new Ten-Tec amp is pretty expensive in 
my view.  8 bucks a watt seems 

[Elecraft] KAT500 Arriving Tomorrow

[Dyarnes]

Hi All,

According to UPS, my KAT500 should hit my doorstep sometime tomorrow. 
Problem is we are planning to leave tomorrow morning for a couple of weeks 
in Oregon!  Fortunately, if it comes after we leave, my daughter will be 
here to accept delivery.

It's almost amazing how deliveries from Elecraft come just as we are about 
to leave for somewhere.  I just barely got my KX3 before a previous trip. 
The K3 was a close call too.  It's not that we go somewhere all that often, 
but that's just the way it is.  Anyway, I'm sure looking forward to the 
package--even if it's a couple of weeks before I really get to check it out. 
I wouldn't be taking it on the trip anyway, so I guess it doesn't really 
matter that much.  This unit should really simplify my operating situation 
since I use at least one multi-band antenna that needs a little help to 
obtain an agreeable match for the KPA500.  From the reports I've seen so 
far, the unit seems to work exceptionally well.

By the way, mine is a factory built unit, and I ordered it at Dayton.  I 
can't remember for sure, but it may have been on Saturday at Dayton before I 
got my order placed.

At one point I had hoped to say that this might be my last acquisition for 
a good while, but now the K3/0 has me intrigued!  Then there's the 
possibility I'll get infatuated with the 100 watt amp for my KX3.  I'm not 
sure there is an end to this!  The only thing saving me is that I'm 
faithfully adhering to my policy that, when something comes in, something 
has to go out!  After 57 years of doing this stuff, I'm clearly over 
equipped.  In truth, a LOT more needs to go out than comes in, and I'm about 
to start dedicating myself to that proposition.  What makes that easier to 
do is the fact that a lot of the new stuff really replaces more than one 
item--at least in my inventory!  The KX3, for example, made a lot of things 
on my shelf obsolete--not just one or two items, but several.  Well, 
obsolete may not be the right word, but unnecessary is perhaps more 
adequate.  It's about time I got serious!  I need to start making a list, 
but I'm afraid my wife might see it, and then I'll never hear the end of it! 
She's really been a good soldier all these years, about all of this, but I 
know what would really make her happy.

Dave W7AQK


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Re: [Elecraft] Small HF amp suggestions

[Dyarnes]

Hi Again All,

I was just informed by private email that the Ten-Tec 418 amp will NOT do 
QSK!  That astounds me!  I just assumed it did I guess.  I'm no designer, 
but I didn't think QSK was all that hard to incorporate--especially in an 
amp that seems to be priced in the full feature price range.  I even added 
the QSK mod to an ALS-600 amp which Phil Salas, AD5X,  came up with.  It 
made a huge improvement in the amp, and wasn't all that hard to do.  Shame 
on me for having assumed too much on the Ten-Tec amp.  Heck, I even talked 
at length with a friend of mine, who was field testing that amp, and never 
even thought to ask about QSK.  We pretty much got sidetracked, I guess, 
talking about a lot of the other aspects of the amp.  Anyway, I went to the 
Ten-Tec website, looked at the spec's on the amp, and sure enough--not a 
word about QSK.  My bad!  Sorry if I mislead folks.  Hopefully I'm not wrong 
about the Elecraft amp being QSK.  That would really make me bite my tongue!

Dave W7AQK 

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Re: [Elecraft] Small HF Amp Suggestions

[Dyarnes]

Once more!

Man, this is like a tennis match!  O.K.  The word is in--and this time it's 
from Paul Clinton, Service Manager at Ten-Tec.  The 418 amp WILL do QSK! 
Whew!  Now I feel better!  Kind of strange, though, that they don't make 
that absolutely clear in their brochure.

Dave W7AQK




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Re: [Elecraft] CW Decoding - Your Brain is best

[Dyarnes]

Hi All,

I'm not going to totally throw cold water on those trying to rely heavily on 
the CW decoding capability of the K3 (and KX3), but I think you will be 
mostly frustrated.  First of all, the decoding capability of these rigs is 
heavily dependent on several factors, including a pretty good signal and 
properly sent characters (including spacing).  Even if the characters are 
well formed, you can still think you are getting some gibberish if the 
spacing isn't correct--you have to focus on properly separating the 
characters, and some ops really make that a chore!

I do appreciate the capability these rigs have, and even use it once in a 
while--very seldom though.  One example is when I run across a handful of 
ops on 40 meters who like to gather nearly every day and play burn out!  A 
couple of these guys are going 40 wpm plus, and that is a bit too fast for 
me--I get a lot of it, but not all.  Fortunately, they tend to send pretty 
good code (I am suspicious that some of them may be using keyboards), so I 
can fill in what I miss from the code reading feature on my K3 and KX3. 
I'm not participating in the conversation, but use it for code practice.

Probably the biggest benefit of the code reader is when I am showing off the 
radio to someone who doesn't know code.  Not only can they see what I am 
hearing (at least most of it), they can see what I am sending as well.  The 
abbreviations we use on CW will throw them a bit, but they tend to get the 
gist of the conversation--I can explain the shorthand later.  This really 
is helpful!  An observer's eyes can glaze over pretty quickly when all they 
hear is a bunch of dits and dahs that have no meaning.  However, when they 
can see that real information is being passed back and forth, and they can 
interpret it, their attention span, and interest, is much greater.

I applaud Wayne and Lyle's efforts to try and make the code reading 
capability better, but I am somewhat pessimistic that they will be able to 
make substantial improvements.  I say that primarily because I think the 
deficiencies of the sender are apt to be too great, and too variant, to 
really overcome.  Too many ops out there just don't seem to be motivated to 
try and emulate machine quality code.  I don't know, from a technical 
standpoint, what adjustments Wayne and Lyle are trying to make, so I can't 
really say with any certainty how successful they will be.  Perhaps they can 
get the reader to accept variations in the 1 to 3 ratio more readily. 
That could help I suppose.  I think they inferred that was one objective. 
However, I don't know how you can ever overcome most of the spacing issues. 
That's my biggest problem in just trying to copy CW, and it seems to be 
where most code reading software tends to go sideways.  If someone is going 
to insist on running characters together, only the human brain can probably 
figure that out--eventually!  If you are dealing with weak signal problems 
I'm not sure what improvements can be made.

I like the code reading capability on these rigs--it's clever and sometimes 
beneficial.  However, I see very little promise of it becoming something an 
operator can rely on primarily.  Your best chance of doing so is if 
keyboards are being used.  However, if you do that, without being able to 
translate things yourself, it really does become just another digital 
mode, and not much different than using something like PSK31.

Dave W7AQK


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Re: [Elecraft] Small HF amp suggestions

[Dyarnes]

Hi All,

I have a RM Italy HLA150, but I haven't tried it yet with the KX3.  I've 
been using another amp, the THP HL50B, which works quite well.  Not QSK 
though.  It has good RF sensing, and gives me abut 60 watts or a bit more. 
It isn't auto band-switching either, but otherwise it has been an excellent 
performer for me with all sorts of different QRP rigs.

The HLA-150 I have works O.K., but it really needs to be hard wired to the 
rig, rather than trying to rely on RF sensing.  That's a problem for some of 
my QRP rigs because they don't have provision for keying an amp.  That's why 
I tend to use the HL50-B.  The biggest problem I've heard about, with regard 
to the HLA-150, is that if you run it much over 100 watts it tends to get 
dirty.  W8JI wrote a lengthy analysis of this amp, and seemed to think it 
was O.K. otherwise.  It is auto band-switching, which is nice.  So, I 
wouldn't be too concerned about that amp so long as you use it prudently. 
Some RM Italy products get a bad name, mainly because they don't have 
effective band filtering, but the HLA series does.

A friend of mine field tested one of the new Ten-Tec amps and liked it.  I 
think it's a little expensive, but it seems to have a lot of features.

I have no doubt that the yet-to-be-released Elecraft amp will be a very good 
option.  The delay in production tells me that Elecraft is probably trying 
to pack every feature they can into the package.  Obviously it will be very 
easy to mate with the KX3.  We don't know the price yet.  Hope it's not too 
much.  I have to wonder if Elecraft isn't re-working their offering after 
seeing what Ten-Tec was putting out.  There are a lot of features on the 
Ten-Tec amp that don't seem like they would be included in Elecraft's amp, 
based just on the preliminary picture of it.  But then again, maybe they are 
planning on a somewhat simpler, but effective product at a lower price?? 
From the picture, the Elecraft amp seems more comparable to the THP type 
amp.  There is such a vacuum of information, I don't know what to expect, 
except I'm sure it will be a very good product.

Other small amps you might consider include the HF Packer Amp, which has 
gone through a number of feature upgrades over time.  It doesn't put out as 
much power though.  Also, the old Ten-Tec 405 linear is a good choice if you 
can find one.  The biggest problem with those is that they are annoying due 
to relay chatter.  I bet that could be modified.  Those will easily put out 
50 watts or more.  I'm not sure it will cover the WARC bands.

So, lots of choices out there.  I'd probably wait to see just what Elecraft 
comes out with before I made a serious acquisition.  For now I'm happy with 
my HL50-B.  If I like what I see from Elecraft, I can probably cover a good 
portion of the cost by selling that one.  For that matter, I've probably got 
a few other things around here I could unload and maybe end up not being 
out-of-pocket much, if anything.

Dave W7AQK






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Re: [Elecraft] Looking for QRP Balun

[Dyarnes]

Ed and All,

Here is a link to a bunch of variations on 4:1 baluns you can construct 
yourself.

http://www.google.com/search?q=4:1+balunhl=enprmd=imvnstbm=ischtbo=usource=univsa=Xei=6PqXUNXAPM-l2AW454DoBQved=0CDUQsAQbiw=1463bih=709

As for something commercial, the Elecraft BL-1 is a good option, and it can 
be constructed as either a 1:1 or 4:1--your choice.  The BL-2 is better yet, 
as it is switchable!

Dave W7AQK


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[Elecraft] Remote Operating

[Dyarnes]

Hi All,

I've been tinkering with remote operation.  It's been on my wish list 
since I saw my first demo by Paul, W9AC, at FDIM a few years ago.  He was 
using his TS-480, which is a fairly easy rig to set up for remote operation. 
I say easy, but there is some complexity to it.  However, it is very 
intriguing.

Right now I'm using my TS-480, and I've acquired the Swedish RemoteRig 
system to accomplish the task.  This is a very nice system!  It makes the 
process somewhat less complex than what W9AC was using.  However, what I 
really have my eye on is the possibility of doing remote operation with my 
K3.  Obviously, the K3 is a far better radio than the TS-480, and to have 
something like that available on a remote basis would be very cool indeed.

Elecraft currently has the K3/0 unit available, and I got to see it in 
action when Eric came down for our Tucson Hamfest a month or so ago.  Eric 
was remote operating his K3 back in California, and it was very impressive 
indeed.  He really has a Cadillac system set up, and some great software 
which allows him to control just about everything in his shack--including 
his antennas and amplifier!  The RemoteRig accessory package is part of the 
system.

Eventually I may opt for the K3/0, but what I'm really hoping for is that 
Wayne's inference that someday the KX3 might be a possibility to match 
remotely with a K3 at your base location.  I sure hope this comes to pass, 
since I also have a KX3.  The K3/0 is probably more capable, but it also has 
more bulk.  However, since the architecture of the KX3 is different from the 
K3, I suspect there will still be something else required to hang on the end 
of the KX3 to enable remote operation.  I further assume that the RemoteRig 
system (or something similar) will also be required.

Remote operating opens up a lot of doors.  For me, it's potentially very 
beneficial.  We travel in the summer a good bit, and I can remote back to my 
home station without having to drag along a lot more equipment and antenna 
options.  Motel stays can be a lot more enjoyable!!!  Then there is the 
plight of folks with deed restrictions.  What if you could set up something 
remotely somewhere, outside the restriction area, and have a reasonably 
competent station?  I'm sort of one of those too.  My antennas are 
definitely compromise due to deed restrictions.

I can tell you, just from what I've been able to do so far, that remote 
operation has improved to where just about all modes are possible with 
reasonable efficiency.  I'm primarily CW, and the keying issue is pretty 
effectively resolved with the RemoteRig system.  I can't do QSK, and there 
is a very, very slight delay, but it's nominal.  It's not the end all 
solution, but it's pretty darned good!  With my TS-480 I just have to carry 
the remote head, the small RemoteRig control side box (another box is 
connected at the other end with the radio itself), a computer, and a small 
power supply.  You only need the computer to connect you to a WiFi system. 
You do have to set up a virtual private network (VPN) connection on the 
computer, but once you do it once, you just activate it each time you begin 
operation.  No additional software is required, although you can use some if 
it suits you better.  It can get more complex at the base station end, 
depending on what controllability features you want, like turning things on 
and off, antenna control, etc.  The control head functions just as it would 
if you were directly connected to the rig itself.  As long as the WiFi is 
half way decent, you are in business!  A K3 based remote system would be 
pretty much the same arrangement except you substitute the K3/0 for the 
TS-480 remote head.

If this peaks anyone's interest, you might want to download the manual for 
the RemoteRig system.  It describes how to set up  a system for various 
rigs, including the K3.  Also, I'm sure others have considerably more 
advanced setups than I have, so there may be a lot of additional info 
available from this group, including corrections of anything I may have 
misstated here.  I'm still in the novice class on remote operation, but 
what I've been able to do so far is pretty fascinating.

Dave W7AQK


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Re: [Elecraft] KAT500 Owner's Manual?

[Dyarnes]

Phil,

Heck, if you have something in draft form, that you are apparently willing 
to disseminate, why not just post it in the files section and mark it 
clearly as a preliminary draft???

Dave W7AQK


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[Elecraft] A Bummer! Well, Sort Of!

[Dyarnes]

Hi All,

Last Saturday I got a notice from Elecraft that my KAT500 was in the loop, 
and for me to confirm my order, which I did post haste.  Monday morning I 
got an auto shipping notice.  I thought, Boy, that's fast!  The tracking 
info said it would be here today.  Well, a package did arrive, from 
Elecraft, but it was the KXBC3, for my KX3, instead of the KAT500!  Shucks! 
Of course, I'm glad to have the KXBC3, but it isn't close to what I'm most 
anxious to have on the operating desk.  Sure wish Elecraft would put a bit 
more info in their shipping notices, like what it is that's coming!  I 
suppose that's too time consuming.

Anyway, guess I'll have a beer and get ready for the onslaught tonight! 
Halloween!  We tend to get lots of kids, which I don't mind.  The reason we 
get so many is that we live in a relatively enclosed neighborhood 
development, with just two ways in and out, whereas most of the other homes 
in the area surrounding us are scattered all over the desert.  So, lots of 
folks bring their kids here, from Lord only knows where, and let them do 
their thing!  A little unfair for us here in the neighborhood, perhaps, but 
hey!  It's for the kids!  I think I have about an hour and a half before the 
doorbell starts ringing off the wall!

Happy Halloween everyone!

Dave W7AQK


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[Elecraft] Tucson Hamfest

[Dyarnes]

Hi All,

The Tucson area hams have made a concerted effort to upgrade our annual 
hamfest.  Today was the day.  This year they somehow encouraged several 
vendors, including Elecraft, to make an appearance, and I think it all went 
extremely well.  Maybe a bit light yet, but if they keep working at it, I 
think this could become a really great event.  Congrats to the local area 
hams who made it possible.

The venue this year was the Marana Regional Airport, which is adjacent to 
Tucson.  This was perfect for Eric Swartz, who many of you know has his own 
airplane.  Eric simply flew in, jumped in a rental car with his goodies, and 
came across the runways from the FBO where he parked his plane.  Probably 
there was a detour in there somewhere, but it was very handy nonetheless.

Texas Towers was there as well, as were several other, smaller vendors. 
This is just a start at upgrading our event, but with continued, and 
hopefully increased, support, we may have something really good going here.

The Elecraft display included remote operation from Eric's home station 
using the K3/0.  Very slick!  Eric even has software that allows him to 
control his KPA-500 at home, in addition to the K3, and it was just really 
fun to see.  Of course the KX3 was prominently displayed, as was the new 
KAT-500--Eric says that will start shipping very shortly!  Sure hope so, 
since I have one on order to complete my K-line.  I'm really excited about 
it.  I'm also pretty stoked about remote operation, since I have a perfect 
situation for taking advantage of it when we go to Oregon in the summer 
months.

Eric was pretty busy, but we did have a chance to chat a bit more than we 
are able to at places like Dayton, which is a constant madhouse.  I've 
always been extremely impressed with Eric's management of Elecraft, along 
with Wayne of course, and our brief chat only reinforced my high opinion of 
how well things are going.  It's pretty obvious that these two guys are 
having a lot of fun, running a great company, and full of ideas.  When I 
casually mentioned that it might be hard to keep coming up with new toys, 
Eric's eyes just  lit up, and I knew there were lots of things to come. 
These guys really have their act together, and we should all feel pretty 
good about it.

I also got to visit with an old friend, Gary Surrency, who I haven't seen 
much of (even though he lives in Phoenix) since he went to work for 
Elecraft.  As you may know, Gary is a very big part of Elecraft's tech 
support team, and a crackerjack technician at that.  I think he mentioned 
that he had been with Elecraft for 13 years now!  That's amazing to think 
the company goes back that far, but my K2 serial number confirms that!!! 
Gary and I first met when we were forming the Arizona ScQRPion group.  He's 
an original charter member, as am I, but he's also been super busy ever 
since.  Anyway, I think a lot of Gary, and if he happens to be on the other 
end of a problem you are having, you are in great hands.

Anyway, it was a very enjoyable day, and hopefully one we will be able to 
repeat many times in the future here in Tucson.  57 years of this ham radio 
stuff and I'm still having a blast!

Dave W7AQK










ts of things 

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Re: [Elecraft] FW: TEN-TEC announces new amplifier

[Dyarnes]

Hi All,

Actually, I think this thread is totally relevant to this reflector given 
the fact that it has the capability of mating nicely to the KX3!  It's not 
like we are discussing something that bears absolutely no relationship to an 
Elecraft product.

In any event, I would add a few comments about the new Ten-Tec amp.  I do 
agree it seems to be very aggressively priced--in the wrong direction--but 
that's Ten-Tec's call.  I can't honestly say whether or not it is justified, 
but apparently the folks in Sevierville think it is.

A good friend of mine, W5JAY, was a field tester on this amp, and he and I 
did some on the air testing with it while he had it.  I know Jay was 
reasonably impressed with the product, and he doesn't give positive 
impressions easily.  I was actually going to do some hands on testing of 
it after Jay was done, but I had to decline because of our pending trip up 
here to the northwest.  Besides, I don't think I could have added much to 
the process since Jay is very good at putting equipment through it's paces. 
Anyway, what I heard sounded very good, and what Jay was seeing first hand 
seemed to suggest that the amp was a good product.  I also saw it at Dayton, 
and it does, indeed, appear to have a lot of redeeming features.

I have every reason to assume that the upcoming Elecraft amp will very 
effectively compete with Ten-Tec's product.  I'm sure most of us hope it 
will compete effectively as to price as well.  I'd be hard pressed to 
justify Ten-Tec's pricing in my budget, but I also have a couple of options 
on hand already.  Heck!  I even still have my old Ten-Tec 405 linear, from 
my days of operating with the original Argonauts.  In any event, it will be 
up to Elecraft to make their product more desirable, and I wouldn't bet they 
won't do it.  I'm thinking, but I just can't bring any Elecraft product to 
mind that didn't have, when it was introduced, some really unique and 
intriguing features to it.

Anyway, while I know there is a very large amount of interest in an amp like 
this, given the incredible success of the KX3, I'd be very reluctant to jump 
on Ten-Tec's offering before I knew for sure just what the Elecraft is going 
to offer.  I think we've already been given a bunch of clues about close 
compatibility.  For just a small example, look at the instructions for the 
KX3 regarding antenna selection and tuner operation.  We've all heard it 
said that patience is a virtue, and this may be a very good opportunity to 
learn how true that is.

Dave W7AQK

--
N3KHK Said:

Hi all

Is this the TEN-TEC reflector?

Enough on this topic PLEASE, PLEASE.

Will someone create a new group just for this new amp?

73 ES CUL  DE  N3KHK 

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[Elecraft] Remote Operation

[Dyarnes]

Hi all,

Last weekend I had the privilege of being invited as a guest to the 
Northwest FOC gathering in Seattle.  The invitation came from my friend 
Shin, JA1NUT, who was in attendance.  It was wonderful to meet this fine 
fellow after so many years of having chatted with him on 40 and 20 CW.  I 
also got to meet a number of other fine folks with whom I have been enjoying 
lots of good contacts on the air.  I will tell you that this group sure 
knows how to put on a superb event.  Lots of things to do, great food to 
eat, and, of course, a lot of very interesting conversation.  Even the 
spouses have a great time.

Anyway, at our hotel we had a hospitality room in which Steve, W7QC, had set 
up his K3.  We were on the top floor, and they had temporarily installed a 
multi-band vertical on the roof which performed very well.  If anyone had a 
QSO with K7FOC last weekend, that was us!

One of the more interesting highlights of the operating part was provided by 
Tof, DJ6ZM, who was also in attendance.  He has his station in Munich 
remoted, and we even had a contact between Tof, in one room, and K7FOC, in 
the adjoining room!  Tof uses the Remoterig system, and only has to bring 
one of the two pieces of the Remoterig system, plus the remote head from his 
TS-480--and a paddle, of course!  Tof's setup in Munich is rather elaborate, 
in that he can actually control several different operating positions, and 
several different antennas. all of which are very substantial.  However, the 
system doesn't need to be so elaborate in order to communicate effectively. 
Nonetheless, his is an awesome system.

This wasn't my first exposure to a remote setup, as Paul, W9AC, had also 
shown me his remote setup a couple of years back when we were all at FDIM in 
Dayton.  Paul uses the TS-480 also, but with a slightly different method of 
remote operation, which involves having twin K1EL keyers, one at each end. 
That system worked very well also.

In any event, I'm getting very keen on being able to set up some sort of 
remote system of my own.  As most of you know, Elecraft now has its own 
remote system using the K3/0 remote module.  I've not seen that one in 
operation, but I'm sure it works equally well.  So, you have several 
commercial options available currently.  If you are a K3 owner, the K3/0 may 
well be your preference since it gives you pretty much complete duplication 
of all the K3's capabilities from your remote location.  This is 
particularly attractive if your remote location is some place where you can 
establish a somewhat semi-permanent setup, like a summer home, etc.  As a 
portable, traveling unit it might be somewhat less attractive due to size, 
but perhaps not.  We tend to view the K3 as a reasonably portable unit, and 
the K3/0 is no bigger.  You still need something like the Remoterig devices, 
but it only adds a small additional amount to what you have to transport. 
Alternatively, however, you could use a rig like the TS-480, and only have 
to transport one side of the Remoterig setup plus the 480's remote head--a 
somewhat smaller, more convenient package for traveling.

I'm still sorting out in my mind all the requirements for operating in this 
fashion, but it is most intriguing.  It's also pretty impressive when you 
have something like W9AC's system, or DJ6Zm's system, as to what you can do 
and how effective it is.  I'm currently up here in Oregon for the rest of 
the summer, and something like this would be very useful.  I can set up a 
modest station here, but antennas are an issue.  I have an extremely limited 
space in which to erect anything.  I am getting close to deciding that 
remote operation may be my best option.  I can still use something like my 
KX3 for local operation, but a remote system tends to eliminate 
complexities with various locations I might find myself in as we travel.

Anyhow, just thought I would pass on my impressions from my recent 
observations.  It's just another way to have fun with ham radio.

Dave W7AQK


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[Elecraft] KX3: use at 500-KHz

[Dyarnes]

Hi All,

This issue seems to come up with just about every rig that offers general 
coverage.  I know it was a topic of discussion with the K3 when it first 
arrived.  It has always been my understanding that offering general coverage 
on a ham rig meant compromise somewhere.  Most of the earlier rigs that 
started offering general coverage tended to compromise on the ham band 
performance in order to accomplish the wide RX capability.  That's why many 
didn't even try to offer it.  I think Elecraft's approach has been to offer 
it, but without degrading the ham band performance, which means the wide 
band stuff may be a bit lacking, particularly at the low end.

I've only checked the BC band performance on my KX3 once or twice, and just 
to see if I heard much of anything!  Actually, I could hear things pretty 
well, but probably not like I would on a more specifically designed radio. 
I also suspect the antenna I was using wasn't a very good match.  Wayne's 
explanation seems to at least make good sense to me, and I'm sure the 
technical issues involved are real.  Heck--just about every radio I own 
drops off somewhere!  I just want the least adverse effect to occur on the 
ham bands.  Also, I wonder what the internal ATU does (or is capable of 
doing), if anything, when I tune down to the BC band.  From a strictly 
intuitive standpoint, I know that a lot of tuners tend to lose capability 
below 80 meters, so I wonder if the KX3 ATU can/does even function at the BC 
band.  My guess is that it doesn't!  You can't activate it down there, so I 
don't know what's happening.  Does that mean you really need an antenna that 
is reasonably resonant at that frequency?  I suspect there have been some 
tricks applied to generate some sort of performance that low, but I really 
don't expect much.  Seems like we may be chasing ghosts to expect too much.

Dave W7AQK


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[Elecraft] Where's The Propagation?

[Dyarnes]

Hi all,

Well, I feel like the proverbial guy who is all dressed up and nowhere to 
go!  My KX3 is up and running, and the bands suck!  I did make 3 or 4 nice 
QSO's, but they were cut short by erratic conditions.  Right now I don't 
hear much of anything.  Oh well, I can always spend time re-reading the 
manual!

Dave W7AQK


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Re: [Elecraft] ZN-SLR

[Dyarnes]

Hi All,

At Dayton a few weeks ago I got to test drive a number of Tony's paddles. 
I was walking around with my friend Jay, W5JAY, who knows Tony very well. 
We spent a fair amount of time chatting, and while Jay and Tony were 
discussing various things, I spent a good bit of time trying out various 
models.  I also dropped back by a few more times to give most of his paddles 
a 2nd and 3rd look.  Now, the last thing I need is another paddle, but I 
must admit I was sorely tempted.  I pretty much concluded that Tony's 
paddles are, for the money, about as good as you will find.  I, too, was 
very impressed with his vertical paddle in particular.

Some of you may know that I am something of a Begali paddle fan, and I own 
several different models--too many!  However, to me, they are still the best 
you can buy.  Two Begali paddles I own--the Sculpture and the Limited 
Edition Graciella--are my absolute favorites of all the paddles I have ever 
used.  Problem is, most Begali paddles are fairly expensive.  The 
workmanship undoubtedly justifies the price, but they are expensive 
nonetheless.  Begali had several new paddles on display at Dayton, and all 
were most impressive.  It's just all quality stuff!  One new paddle of his 
was most impressive because, not only did it have great feel, but it was one 
of his lesser priced models.  I think it was called the Expedition, and it 
was under $300.  It wasn't quite as glamorous as most of Piero's other 
paddles, but a very nice looking paddle to be sure.  I don't even see that 
model on his website yet, so it must really be that new.

Picking a good paddle is a very personal thing.  What feels great to one 
person may not feel that great to another.  Accordingly, I won't dwell on 
what I think is mandatory for a paddle to be really considered to be a good 
one.  I would suggest that anyone interested in buying a new paddle take a 
look at the series of articles in QST a while back authored by Bruce Prior, 
N7RR.  Bruce did a great job of describing, in detail, what the pros and 
cons are for a number of different makes.  In the end, his conclusions may 
not be the same as yours, but you will know a great deal about how he came 
to his conclusions.  However, nothing beats a personal test drive!

Dave W7AQK


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Re: [Elecraft] ZN-SLR

[Dyarnes]

Jim and All,

Bruce Prior, N7RR, wrote several QST articles about paddles he had tested. 
In March 2009, there is one on High End Dual Lever Paddles.  That one 
includes the Mercury, the Begali Sculpture, and a top end N3ZN paddle.  Then 
in May 2009, he followed up with an article on Portable Dual Lever 
Paddles.  Some great info there also.  The articles he wrote in 2 parts, in 
May and June of 2010, were on a variety of other popular dual lever paddles. 
I think the Bencher, Kent, Begali Simplex, and several others are covered 
there.  All in all, it is a fairly encyclopedic review of most of the 
paddles you see/hear about.  All of these articles are available in the ARRL 
archives.

Dave W7AQK


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[Elecraft] K3 For Sale--Estate of K7SVV

[Dyarnes]

I've been helping K7SVV's widow dispose of much of his gear. We are now
offering for sale a K3 in absolutely excellent condition. It is an early 
serial
number, but very, very lightly used--I mean, really lightly used! 
Nevertheless,
as a precaution, the K3 was sent to Elecraft for a thorough going over. All
mods and upgrades have been added, so it is like one coming off the assembly
line. It is in perfect shape! Elecraft states that it meets or exceeds all
factory specifications.

Here are the contents:

K3/100---100 Watt model
KAT3-Internal ATU
KBPF3General Coverage RX module
KXV3AIF Out and Xverter Interface
Filters:
13 Khz Filter
6 Khz Filter
2.8 Khz Filter
1.0 Khz Filter
400 hz Filter

Note that all filters are 8 pole versions.

At retail, this unit would sell for just shy of $3600. The asking price is
$2800, which is about a 20% savings.

If interested, please contact me directly.

Dave W7AQK 

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Re: [Elecraft] Portable Antennas (near end fed)

[Dyarnes]

David and All,

I have a Bravo 7K, and so far, I find it to be only a fair performer. 
This assessment is based only on limited testing against my Sigma 40XK 
vertical dipole, which is another N6BT design from his time as owner of 
Force12.  So far, I've only been able to run limited A/B tests on 40 meters, 
and the Bravo 7K is down about 1 S unit or more.  I had hoped it would be 
much better than that, particularly based on the positive commentary from 
N6BT himself, but I do need to try more variations of location and setup.  I 
just haven't had a chance to do much additional testing due to a number of 
other tasks and projects which are eating up my free time.

On the positive side, I am quite impressed with the portability of the Bravo 
7K.  It sets up quickly and easily, and is very easy to break down and 
transport.  It's quite possible I haven't found the right combination of 
settings and location for the Bravo 7K.  For example, it may be adversely 
affected by other nearby objects.  I'd also like to elevate it a bit more 
than what the basic system allows.  As supplied, the Bravo 7K is only about 
2 feet off the ground at the bottom.  My Sigma 40XK is 5 or 6 feet off the 
ground.

I will tell you that the Sigma 40XK has been a very good performer on 40 
meters.  At one time it was available for something similar in price to what 
the Bravo 7K sells for now, but the current owners of Force 12 have jacked 
up the price considerably.

Anyway, hopefully some day soon I can get back into the experimentation 
process with the Bravo 7K.  If I accomplish anything noteworthy, I will 
report it here.

Dave W7AQK



-
David, G3UNA said:

I wouldn't buy a loop.  IF you only have those 3 choices, I would go for
the Buddipole, but I'm sure there must be other choices out there, I
don't like spending a lot of money on antennas unless it offers
something really special.  Have you seen the Bravo?

See   http://n6bt.com/n6bt-Bravo-dayton-faq-1.htm

Not sure if it would fit inside your hotel bedroom.

David
G3UNA 

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[Elecraft] VE7CC Cluster

[Dyarnes]

Anybody besides me having trouble pulling up the VE7CC  DX cluster this 
morning

Dave W7AQK


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Re: [Elecraft] Estate of John McClain--K1 and KX1

[Dyarnes]

Hi All,

Thanks for the nice response.  Both rigs are sold pending receipt of funds. 
I've kept all inquiries in case something falls through.

Dave W7AQK 

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[Elecraft] Estate of John McClain, K7SVV

[Dyarnes]

Hi All,

Here are two more Elecraft radios from the estate of John McClain, K7SVV.

First is a very nice 4 band K1.  This one is set up for 40, 30, 20, and 17
meters.  Also comes with the internal ATU,  backlight option, and the wide
range tilt stand.  I checked it out on the air, and everything works FB.

New this would be around $700, and asking $390 plus shipping.  I have one of
these myself, and it has been one of my favorite Field Day radios on many
occasions.  A very good design, and well built by John.


The other radio is a KX1.  This is also a 4 band version, and covers 80, 40,
30, and 20.  I worked several stations on it this morning, and it seems to
work well.  The RX seems even better than the one I have, but the TX puts
out a bit less than mine does--around 2.5 watts on this one.  I know John
built this, and then didn't do much with it.  There are some tricks and
tweaks to boost the power a bit, but apparently he didn't bother.  To be
honest with you, John wasn't that big on CW, but loved building these
radios.  Anyway, it's very clean, well built, and comes with the internal
ATU and the KXPD1 paddle.  That's just under $600 new, and will sell for
$325 plus shipping.  This is a great portable rig, particularly with the ATU
option built in.  It's nearly shirt pocket size, and even has some wide band
RX capability.  It's CW only, of course, but you can switch it on RX for
either LSB or USB.  Has a built in variable filter that goes from .5 to 2.0.
Very cool radio!

Contact me if interested.

Dave W7AQK 

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Re: [Elecraft] [KX3] Amazing opening on 20 meters right now

[Dyarnes]

U are right Wayne!  I’m haunting the CW portion, but Europe is very strong here 
too.  Hope you grab a bunch of them—know U are using that KX3!

Have a great weekend!

Dave W7AQK



From: Wayne Burdick 
Sent: Friday, May 04, 2012 9:52 PM
To: Elecraft Reflector 
Cc: k...@yahoogroups.com 
Subject: [KX3] Amazing opening on 20 meters right now

  
In northern California I'm hearing dozens of very strong EU stations 
on 20 meter SSB. Wow.

Wayne
N6KR



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[Elecraft] K7SVV Estate Sale

[Dyarnes]

Hi All,

First rig to sell is a K2.  This is a relatively late model (serial # 5K+). 
It is the QRP version, and has the SSB option and 160 meter option.  I also 
have the ATU option, but it is not installed--it does come with the rig, 
however.  NOT a difficult add-on.

I checked the radio out today, and it works super FB.  Neat, clean, and 
assembled by a guy who was fastidious!  He was an IBM tech, so that might 
give you some comfort.  I looked hard, but found no issues.  Not surprising, 
though, since this guy loved to build stuff, but didn't use them much. 
Anyway, I think it's a good buy, and if I didn't already have two K2's, I'd 
buy it myself!

List for what he had in it is around $1100+.  I think a more than fair price 
for this rig is $675 plus shipping.

Let me know if you are interested.

Dave W7AQK


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Re: [Elecraft] K7SVV Estate Sale--K2

[Dyarnes]

Hi all,

The K2 I listed on behalf of the estate has been sold, pending receipt of 
funds.  Thanks for the interest and inquiry.  I will have more stuff soon.

Dave W7AQK 

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[Elecraft] New KX3 Owners

[Dyarnes]

Hi All,

I'm getting a really big kick out of all the excitement from those lucky 
enough to already have a KX3 in hand.  It's like a bunch of kids in a candy 
store!  Can't blame you!  I know how you feel, since all my other Elecraft 
rigs have pretty low serial numbers, except for back-up K2, which is a 
much later model.  Even though I'm fairly high up on the KX3 order time 
line, it looks like my KX3 is going to have a pretty high serial number. 
That's O.K. though, providing you early owners are diligent enough to report 
any early production glitches!  I'm not sure there will be that many, but be 
diligent nevertheless!

I'm kind of curious as to how many KX3 owners are also first time Elecraft 
owners.  Seems like, based on some of the conversation, it's a fairly high 
number.  I don't know exactly what to attribute that to, but I suspect more 
than a little of it is due to the success of the K3.  Seems like a lot of 
folks are viewing the KX3 as a poor man's K3, and perhaps rightfully so. 
The unique versatility of the KX3 has also drawn a lot of attention from 
those who previously thought rigs like the FT-817 and IC-703 best suited 
their preferences.  It isn't going to take them long to realize they got a 
whole bunch more than just a new and improved portable radio!  I honestly 
think this radio is going to mark the beginning of a whole new way of 
thinking about size versus capability.

There are already rumors about a KX3 look-alike from China.  Ten-Tec has a 
new QRP radio in the works, and a small amp as well.  I've even worked 
someone with a prototype.  Isn't it interesting how many manufacturers are 
following the lead from Elecraft!  Look what happened with the down 
conversion architecture.  Ten-Tec may have actually initiated it with the 
Orion, but Elecraft really went a lot further in trying to perfect it, and 
made it truly successful--mainly because they support their radios better!

I don't minimize the fact that some other manufacturers are rolling out some 
very nice products, but I know I'm having a bunch more fun just watching 
the Elecraft line progress.  This is where most of the real innovation seems 
to be occurring.  Stated differently, other manufacturers seem to be in a 
mode of mainly  upscaling their products--adding features to make their 
next model somewhat more attractive.  Elecraft, on the other hand, seems 
more innovative.  I think I know why that is, at least to some extent.  The 
designer/engineers and Yaecomwood sit around and think about how to add 
fins, or a bigger engine, like Chrysler--maybe throw in a new twist or two, 
like a bandscope, and more button versatility.  That's good!  However, 
Elecraft folks think about how can we make the radio perform better--even 
at the top of the scale!  That's what led to down conversion, incorporating 
powerful versatility and upgradeability through firmware enhancement, 
enhanced DSP capability, etc.  It's not about adding more buttons, but 
instead, adding more technology.  That may sound like an overstatement, but 
I defend it by pointing to the fact that other manufacturers are seemingly 
adopting the Elecraft approach in many instances--but after the fact!  The 
other big innovation is in SDR stuff, and the comparison is most intriguing.

The KX3 is a perfect example of this.  It's a total departure from where a 
lot of folks thought Elecraft was going.  There was all this talk about a 
K4!  Surprise!  Elecraft looks for niche's in the market, and then fills a 
perceived void with avengeance.  The KPA500 is another example of that. 
There are a plethora of 1 KW+ amps out there--and darned good ones--but few 
in the 500-700 watt range.  For many, that's more than enough extra oomph, 
and technically, it covers the best part of the cost/benefit curve.  Plus, 
it opened up new opportunities like offering the KAT500  as a matching 
accessory.

I just think the whole thing is fascinating!  Clearly not everyone will 
agree, not even with my premise, but I think it has merit.

Dave W7AQK


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[Elecraft] Preliminary Estate Sale Info-K7SVV (SK)

[Dyarnes]

I've been asked by the widow of a ham friend, John McClain, K7SVV, to assist 
her in disposing of several Elecraft rigs.  The information I have at the 
moment is a bit sketchy, but I will be going over to determine more precise 
info on all these radios in the next couple of days.  In any event, I 
thought it might be appropriate to give advanced notice in case anyone 
wanted to get his/her oar in on the sale.

What is/will be available is the following:

A K1--something in the area of a 13XX serial number.  I don't know for sure 
if it is a 4 bander, but I think it is.

A K2--this has the ATU, SSB option, and 160 meter option.  It's a QRP 
version.

A K3--this is an early serial number, 100 watt model, with ATU.  I need to 
confirm what filters are included.  I'm pretty sure there is no 2nd RX.

You can pretty much assume that all of these rigs are near immaculate. 
John was a retired IBM tech, and an excellent builder.  He was also 
fastidious about taking care of his equipment.  All of these items are 
lightly used, as John was somewhat distracted by other interests, and didn't 
really operate all that often.  In fact, I'd be surprised if any of these 
rigs have more than 50-100 hours of operation--maybe even less!  He loved 
putting them together, and owning them, but his airtime was pretty 
minimal.

You don't need to contact me yet, unless you are particularly interested, 
but anyone seriously contemplating any of these radios might want to watch 
for my follow-up info.  I'm pretty certain these would all qualify as a very 
good find for anyone genuinely interested.

Dave W7AQK


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[Elecraft] KX3 Power Supply

[Dyarnes]

Several posts were recently made regarding the small Radio Shack switcher 
power supply (RS 22-507).  Most comments seemed pretty favorable about it. 
Anyway, one of those came available in a local estate sale for one of my ham 
friends who recently passed away.  I decided to give it a try, and it does 
seem to work well.  I scanned all my commonly used ham bands for noise and 
found none.  It seems to be pretty clean to me.  I also hooked up my K1 to 
it, and it ran that rig just fine.  Next I'll have to try the K2, but I 
suspect it will work fine with that rig also.

I don't much care for the list price Radio Shack is asking, but if you find 
one of these at a decent discount I think it's a good buy.  I have another 
similar supply, a Jetstream, but it's a tad bit bigger.  This RS model will 
be somewhat handier to tote around.  It's really quite small.  The Jetstream 
does work equally well, though, and has voltage and current metering.  I 
can't remember exactly, but that one is rated quite a bit higher as to 
current draw--maybe even 8 or 10 amps or a bit more.  Still, it's just 
enough bigger to make the RS model seem more convenient for specific use 
with the KX3.  By the way, no detectable noise on the Jetstream either.  I 
think several of their models have been given favorable reviews.

  Dave W7AQK 

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Re: [Elecraft] K3: Terminology

[Dyarnes]

Ron and All,

I dunno Ron!  40 is still a great CW band.  I just wish we could work out a 
peace treaty with the digital folks!

Another great CW hangout of old was the top 50 khz of 20 meters.  I used to 
work a lot of DX up there.

Dave W7AQK 

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[Elecraft] Which ONE rig would I buy?

[Dyarnes]

Hi All,

This seems to come up a lot, and I always have to wonder how such a question 
can be effectively answered, at least convincingly.  The problem is that 
everyone has different wants and needs.  Also, just about every radio out 
there is significantly different in various ways, whether it's price, 
features, size, or whatever.

In my view, the only way someone can really pick the radio that's best for 
them is to make a serious list of what's really important to their wants and 
needs.  You also need to actually get your hands on whatever radio you are 
considering, because the ads don't tell you everything you need to know!  We 
often tend to focus on features, while forgetting things like ergonomics, or 
maybe just how we really want to use it.  In my case, for example, I wanted 
the best radio I could afford, but one that I could also use in a variety of 
situations.  I travel, therefore, I want to be able to take my radio with 
me.  In the past, this usually meant having two radios, but the K3 allows me 
to accomplish just about everything with just the one radio.

Personally, I think the K3 is the best radio out there--at least compared to 
most anything even remotely close to it's price.  I also think it has more 
features, and better ergonomics than just about any other radio in its 
class.  I've not owned or used any of the higher end Yaesu's or Icoms out 
there, but I've seen and touched them, and I know they are definitely one 
location radios.  I did have an Orion II, but it was huge, and I didn't 
like the ergonomics at all--not to mention that I believe it was somewhat 
inferior to the K3.  I also owned a Yaesu Mark V, but you don't move that 
radio around much either.  It's possible, even still, to make a Mark V 
perform exceptionally well, but it takes lots of extra filtering, etc.

Some folks say the K3 is too small.  I don't get it!  Someone once actually 
measured the knob differences and spacing between the K3 and at least one of 
the much larger radio, and found almost no justification for the complaint. 
The fact that it has a smaller front panel is more than offset by the fact 
that Elecraft astutely incorporated multiple feature controls with a single 
knob or button.  O.K.--no separate touchpad for selecting bands.  That's 
about the only thing I don't have on the K3 that I had on the Orion II, but 
you can do a work-around with the K3's memory features.  The display was 
bigger, but no more informative, and the bandscope was worthless! 
Otherwise, I found the Orion's ergonomics to be inferior, and required 
considerably more button pushing that the K3.  The Mark V was so menu 
intense, I never got comfortable with it.

I am impressed with a lot that the bigger Icoms and Yaesus now offer, but it 
comes at a much bigger price.  Some of the features they have are wonderful, 
but I seriously question claims that they perform better than the K3--at 
least overall.

I guess what I would recommend is that you use the K3 as a standard, and 
then compare the pros and cons with other radios.  You may well determine 
that some other radio has the features you truly prefer, but at least you 
are basing it off a radio with truly outstanding features, support, and 
adaptability.  If you do this, I think you will make a much more informed 
decision.  Also, don't be inappropriately mislead by the pro and con 
commentary you see/hear.  You need to evaluate these sources.  I have a 
short list of folks whose comments are, I believe, fair and informed.  Some 
folks are overly critical, and others are overly enthusiastic.  I'm no 
expert either, so the grain of salt process starts here!

I have one other suggestion, just based on my experiences.  I either own, or 
have owned, a lot of radios over my 57 years in the hobby.  The only real 
buyer's remorse I've had, other than from a radio that just didn't perform 
as advertised, was when I under-bought.  If you spend a little too much, 
you can usually live with that after a bit of a struggle with your budget. 
However, when you under-buy, there is almost an immediate sense of 
frustration, which often leads to making another purchase and taking a loss 
on your original one.  Sometimes, coughing up an extra couple of hundred 
dollars or so on the front end might save you a thousand dollars later on. 
I guess the old cliché' penny-wise and pound foolish fits here.  I offer 
this commentary because I know there are a few newer rigs out there that, 
although seemingly quite capable, and perhaps a few hundred dollars less 
than a K3, really may not be sufficiently cheaper in the long run 
considering what you lose in features.  But it's not just the K3 rivals I am 
thinking of--I could make the same argument as to all these Icom models that 
have come out, or the various models of the Yaesu 5000.  Much of this seems 
to me to be these companies trying to hit price points as their primary 
objective.  Also, don't be overly influenced by the base 

Re: [Elecraft] KAT500/KPA500 Positioning

[Dyarnes]

I think the KAT500 may be sturdy enough for the KPA500 to sit on top of it, 
but I am a bit nervous about interrupting the air flow around the amp.  I 
think, during my recent discussion with Eric, he suggested it be set on, or 
under, the K3.  Airflow is important there too, but not as critical perhaps. 
If you set it on top of the K3 you block the speaker, so I'm contemplating 
putting it under the K3.  The KAT500 has the same dimensions as either the 
K3 or the KPA500--it's just not as high.  I'd bet there will be a lot of 
variations on setup, and hopefully several of them will be satisfactory.

Dave W7AQK


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Re: [Elecraft] KAT500 vs KAT3 Matching Range

[Dyarnes]

As Eric recently explained to me, the KAT500 is based on the same design as 
the ATU for the K3--only bigger!  So, yes it should have much the same 
spec's, which means something like a 10:1 SWR capability.  Actually, Eric 
noted that, provided you a somewhat closer SWR variance, like 3:1 or better, 
the KAT500 will handle a good bit more than it's 500 watt specificed power 
rating.  How much more he didn't say exactly, but the KAT500 will very 
probably work just fine on some of those 800 watt amps that are out there, 
and just as well or better than various other ATU's.  Mating the KAT500 with 
the KPA500 is the primary objective, but they are intentionally aiming at 
other amps as well--within a reasonable power range.  If you think about it, 
that only makes sense not to limit yourself to just your own matching amp. 
I don't know how aggressive they will be about the actual spec's when those 
are formally released, but Eric specifically pointed out that they wanted 
this ATU to be fairly versatile.

Dave W7AQK


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[Elecraft] Cheap Pelican case

[Dyarnes]

Hi All,

Wow!  Everyone is going bonkers trying to get ready for their KX3!  Can't 
blame you--me too!  I may be wrong, but I don't remember this much 
excitement about a new product ever!

Pelican cases have always seems a bit bulky, and even unhandy to me.  I do 
have one for my KX1, but I'm not sure it isn't overkill.  Of course, those 
things would probably survive a plane crash!

I like the idea of a camera case.  They come in all sorts of sizes and 
shapes, and many are very effectively padded, etc.  They don't weigh much 
either.  Some of the very best out there are Lowepro models, but Case Logic 
makes some very nice ones as well.  A good camera case has to be well 
designed because not only the cameras are fragile, but the lenses can be 
particularly fragile.  It doesn't take much of a shock to get a 
multi-element lens out of whack!

I know there is a lot of serious planning going on, but I highly recommend 
that you consider all the accessory items you want to be able to fit into 
the same case.  It's the accessories that make picking the right case more 
difficult.  Some of the better, small camcorder cases are compartmentalized, 
which makes it nice to keep things from banging against each other.  You 
will have a nice handle/carrying strap, so that makes it even better.

Anyway, I gave up trying to identify just the right case until I have 
everything in hand, and can assemble all the extras I want to carry.  Then 
I'll decide which case really does the job for me.  I may already have 
something, but chance are I don't.  I suspect that soon after the first few 
start shipping, some folks will have live examples of what really seems to 
work.

Dave W7AQK


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Re: [Elecraft] Review of excellent portable antenna

[Dyarnes]

The Bravo 7K is, indeed, an interesting new design by Tom Schiller, N6BT.  I 
initially home brewed a version of it, which wasn't that hard to do using 
the information available online.  Subsequently, I was able to obtain the 
actual antenna itself, and I have been doing a lot of comparisons with it. 
What's really impressive about the antenna is that it is really something 
that qualifies as being portable, although it's not like an MP-1, or 
similar, as far as portability goes.  Nevertheless, it breaks down quickly, 
and into something that you could easily fit in a relatively small canvas or 
nylon bag.  It's also lightweight, but reasonably durable.

I also have a Sigma 40XK (Force12), which is another Tom Schiller design 
from when he owned that line.  Most of my comparison efforts so far have 
been between that antenna and the Bravo 7K.  I will tell you that I have 
been very happy with the Sigma's performance on 40 meters.  It's something 
of a compromise antenna, but still it does a very good job, and better than 
my R7 on that band.  The problem with the Sigma is that, although it is 
advertised as being multiband capable, changing bands is no easy task.  So, 
I tend to leave mine on 40 meters.  The Sigma 40XK could also be considered 
to be portable, as it breaks down nicely as well, but not as quickly and 
easily.

The Bravo 7K, on the other hand, is much easier to switch from one band to 
another.  The matching section is easier to access, and is designed for 
relatively quick band changing.  There is even a version of this antenna 
that allows you to do all this remotely, but it's considerably more 
expensive.

Unfortunately, my comparison testing on 40 meters, so far, has demonstrated 
that the Bravo 7K is consistently about an S unit, or a bit more, below 
the performance of my Sigma.  That's not terrible, but it was disappointing, 
particularly due to my expectations based on the hype.  I do need to do more 
tests, however, since I may not have the antenna located quite properly, 
etc.  As Tom Schiller is quick to point out, if you've ever heard him make a 
presentation, it's very easy to have nearby objects interfere with antenna 
performance.  I think I am quoting him reasonably accurately when I say that 
anything within a quarter wavelength distance or so can be a culprit.

I also read Ward Silver's review of this antenna, in the March 2012 issue of 
QST, with great interest.  I believe Ward to be something of an antenna 
guru, so I tend to take his opinions seriously.  Sometimes, though, I 
can't help but wonder if QST isn't a bit loathe to be overly critical of 
some things they review.  It certainly seems that way at times.  In this 
review, for example, Ward makes no attempt to confirm the designers claim as 
to antenna efficiency.  I've seen other examples of antenna reviews by Ward 
where he goes into considerably more detail about analyzing performance. 
Nevertheless, Ward made a fairly strong statement in support of this 
antenna's merits at the end of his review.  If he's right, I should be able 
to get even better performance from mine with a little adjusting.

The portability of this antenna is not insignificant.  For me, this antenna 
could be an excellent solution to some of my varied operating needs for 
travel, camping, etc.  For example, we spend a good part of our summers on 
the Oregon coast, and I am anxious to take this thing right down on the 
beach (with my soon to be acquired KX3)!  It also could solve a lot of 
problems I have putting up an antenna when operating from my motorhome.

I think this antenna has certain advantages over something like a Buddipole. 
The disadvantage might be that you really can't (easily) use it as a 
horizontal antenna, but horizontal antennas at relatively low heights don't 
generally perform that well in my view.  As a vertical antenna I suspect the 
Bravo 7K is apt to be more efficient.  From a portability standpoint, I 
think they are at least equal.  By the way, I have a Buddipole as well.

Hopefully I'll get a chance to do some more comparison testing soon.  I've 
been ailing a bit of late, but better now, and so is the weather!  It's 
beautiful today in Tucson--not windy as it has been.

Dave W7AQK


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[Elecraft] Yuma Hamfest

[Dyarnes]

Hi All,

I just got home from the Yuma/ARRL SW Division Hamfest.  It was a nice 
gathering, but not huge--not as big as Pacificon, for example.  Friendly 
folks, though, and some pretty decent weather.  It was much better in Yuma 
than just east in Tucson, where I live.

I got to see several old friends, which always makes these gatherings worth 
doing.  I hadn't seen Ron, KU7Y, for several years.  He and I are old 
golfing buddies, as some of you QRP Quarterly readers may remember from 
our cover photo some years back--we did a little DX operating from a golf 
cart--on an otherwise very empty golf course, I might add, so we weren't 
holding anyone else up while we played with the radio!

My good friend Jim Duffy (Dr. Megacycle), KK6MC, made the trip from 
Albuquerque, which I thought was a valiant effort.  He enjoyed it a lot--his 
words--so it was worth the long drive.

Chuck Adams, K7QO also came over from Phoenix--I think to scope out the KX3, 
as a lot of us were doing.  I get the feeling that Chuck may opt for a K2 
first, but he's definitely sniffing around for something new.

Doug Hendricks brought his QRP Kits Road Show along, and he had a very nice 
booth set up.  I was a little worried as to how many QRP enthusiasts might 
show up, but Doug says he did pretty well selling his kits, so I guess it 
turned out O.K.  It's really kind of impressive to see how many kits Doug 
has in his line-up these days--including the Red Hot kit line from a few 
years back, which he recently acquired the rights to from Dave Fifield. 
That was a superb kit, and Doug was pretty astute to bring it back.  Doug 
also revived the DCXX mini QRP transceiver kits--these are single board, 
xtal controlled transceivers for various bands, and dirt cheap!  I built one 
for 40 meters, and it works great!  Chuck Carpenter added a nice little VXO 
mod for it, and it just so happens that my friend Tony Fishpool, G4WIF has 
recently been toying with a VXO circuit using ceramic resonators that might 
be available from GQRP.  Anyway, that's a great transceiver project, 
especially for new hams.

I have to add that I was fortunate to have a winning door prize ticket, and 
my prize was an Elecraft XG2, which I traded up for the new XG3, since I 
already have the XG2.  Not bad for $5 worth of tickets.  Apparently, though, 
I didn't win any of the grand prize stuff, which was really a lot of very 
nice items.  Guess I can't get too greedy!

I chatted briefly with Eric Swartz about the upcoming new items from 
Elecraft.  Of course, the KX3 is uppermost in most peoples minds, and 
apparently they are getting pretty close to production.  Nobody will say how 
many have been pre-ordered, but it is a bunch!  I was particularly 
interested in hearing any news on the KAT500, and Eric said that is 
progressing nicely as well.  It will be summer, probably, before that's 
ready to go.  Eric is pretty excited about the KAT500's capabilities, and I 
am too.  He says it will handle 500 watts without breaking a sweat, and 
mentioned that if your actual SWR is something around 3 to 1 or less, it 
will handle a lot more!  At the design power levels it will handle a much 
broader range of SWR's, as it is the same basic design as what you see in 
the K3's ATU, etc.  No commitment regarding price yet, but I think I read 
between the lines as to the probable range.  It's speculation, though, so I 
won't go further as to our conversation on that matter.

So, a nice weekend here in the desert.  Sorry more of you couldn't make it, 
but there are a lot of other great events coming up in the near future.

Dave W7AQK


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Re: [Elecraft] Yamaha CM500/PPT Headset

[Dyarnes]

This is not an elegant solution, but I do use my Yamaha CM500 most of the 
time.  I have it plugged into the back of the K3.  My MH2 microphone is 
still plugged into the front, and I just use the push to talk switch on 
the MH2, even when I'm using the CM500.  Of course, a simple switch could be 
created, but this took no effort and isn't all that bad an alternative.

Dave W7AQK


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