Re: [Elecraft] Reference Oscillator Calibration
Hi Don, I'm awaiting the arrival of the G5RV from True Talk. It has a lot of good reviews over at eham. I'm not sure where I'll put it, though. I was thinking of the attic, but 50 ft is longer than my 25 ft attic. I'm also considering one of the tak-tenna (taktenna.com) setups. This is another with good eham reviews and looks relatively simple to set up on the roof of the house. I know the antenna is as important as the transceiver, and I'm hoping for a more elaborate setup eventually, but right now I'd be happy with a basic operational level. I'm trying to figure out how to set up the grounding. Also, the wiring in the house wasn't done by professionals. The receptacle tester shows a number of outlets having a ground/neutral reversed error. Some check out ok and others don't even have the ground connection on the receptacle. Hopefully I won't have to rewire the whole house. As always, any suggestions are welcome. Merry Christmas to you, too! J KC9VBI On 12/22/11, gold...@charter.net gold...@charter.net wrote: HI jay, Once you have an antenna set up you will be able to do the reference oscillator calibration. It does not have to be done until you get on the air and it only takes a few minutes. When I finished my K3 I was afraid of the oscillator calibration so I thought the factory defaults would be ok. It did work but after caibration it sounded like a radio should. I called elecraft support for some help and they walked my thru the procedure as the manual was a little vauge for an inexperienced operation like myself. Anyway you did good with your K3 it is one of the best on the market and I had no idea on how good of a radio I acutally purchase. I almost bought another IC7000 for the shack, that would been a big mistake. The receive on this radio is fantastic and I always get random complements when on the air about my clean signal. So get ready for the ride as it will be fun. What are you planning for your first antenna? Merry Christmas ~73 Don KD8NNU On Wed, Dec 21, 2011 at 5:21 PM, g...@abcs.com g...@abcs.com wrote: Hello! I'm a complete newby when it comes to ham radio. Got my tech license a couple of weeks ago and I'm now studying for the General class exam. I thought building the K3 would be a good educational experience for me. I just finished assembly and all went well. I've had an excellent experience so far. But I'm stuck at the reference oscillator calibration stage. I don't have a frequency counter, though I suppose I could purchase one. I've tried hitting the frequencies for WWV but I'm not picking anything up. Of course, I don't have an antenna yet as the manual did not mention it as being a required piece of equipment. I'm short on radio sense, I think. I have one on order, but it has not yet arrived. I was hoping to have the K3 calibrated and then begin dealing with the antenna setup. Is there any other way of calibrating the ref oscillator? Can it be done online with the KUSB?Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks for your help, Jay __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] Reference Oscillator Calibration
Interesting, I haven't tried for WWV since I first got muine, but with propergation getting better... I used a Russian beacon originally, then a Racal 5MHz source which is very accurate stable. But not the YouTube calibration procedure. Jay, could you post the link here, save me (us) searching for it, please. Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year with good DX 73 de M0XDF (K3 #174, P3 #108, KX3 #???) -- I believe I found the missing link between animal and civilized man. It is us. -Konrad Lorenz, ethologist, Nobel laureate (1903-1989) On 22 Dec 2011, at 00:24, g...@abcs.com g...@abcs.com wrote: Thanks for the quick response, guys. I just went with the first couple of suggestions, cut a 10 ft piece of wire and put it in the antenna jack. I was able to locate WWV on 15 MHz and used the Youtube calibration technique (CW / Rev CW) that I found in the reflector archives. So, I've not only got the osc calibration done, I'm also picking up some transmissions. That's why it's taken so long to respond. It's a relief to know that I didn't screw anything up with the assembly! I'm in the U.S. The g3 in the address doesn't really mean anything. Heh! __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] Reference Oscillator Calibration
Hmmm, stupid me - I just searched Google and there it was. And Yes, I can hear WWV on 10, 15 20 MHz! 73 de M0XDF -- When one door closes another door opens; but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us. -Alexander Graham Bell, inventor (1847-1922) On 22 Dec 2011, at 08:49, David Ferrington, M0XDF wrote: Interesting, I haven't tried for WWV since I first got muine, but with propergation getting better... I used a Russian beacon originally, then a Racal 5MHz source which is very accurate stable. But not the YouTube calibration procedure. Jay, could you post the link here, save me (us) searching for it, please. Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year with good DX 73 de M0XDF (K3 #174, P3 #108, KX3 #???) -- I believe I found the missing link between animal and civilized man. It is us. -Konrad Lorenz, ethologist, Nobel laureate (1903-1989) On 22 Dec 2011, at 00:24, g...@abcs.com g...@abcs.com wrote: Thanks for the quick response, guys. I just went with the first couple of suggestions, cut a 10 ft piece of wire and put it in the antenna jack. I was able to locate WWV on 15 MHz and used the Youtube calibration technique (CW / Rev CW) that I found in the reflector archives. So, I've not only got the osc calibration done, I'm also picking up some transmissions. That's why it's taken so long to respond. It's a relief to know that I didn't screw anything up with the assembly! I'm in the U.S. The g3 in the address doesn't really mean anything. Heh! __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] Reference Oscillator Calibration
The way I do it: Let the K3 run for an hour or so to warm up. Choose freq 14.996 MHz in mode CW. Then you are tuned to RWM, that transmits time signals and has a strong signal in EU that can be received by a standard K3. It transmits a continuous carrier at h:00 and h:30 for nearly 8 minutes to zero-beat against. Then use the calibration method from the K3 manual, page 50. method 2. Works FB. 73 Arie PA3A __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] Reference Oscillator Calibration
HI jay, Once you have an antenna set up you will be able to do the reference oscillator calibration. It does not have to be done until you get on the air and it only takes a few minutes. When I finished my K3 I was afraid of the oscillator calibration so I thought the factory defaults would be ok. It did work but after caibration it sounded like a radio should. I called elecraft support for some help and they walked my thru the procedure as the manual was a little vauge for an inexperienced operation like myself. Anyway you did good with your K3 it is one of the best on the market and I had no idea on how good of a radio I acutally purchase. I almost bought another IC7000 for the shack, that would been a big mistake. The receive on this radio is fantastic and I always get random complements when on the air about my clean signal. So get ready for the ride as it will be fun. What are you planning for your first antenna? Merry Christmas ~73 Don KD8NNU On Wed, Dec 21, 2011 at 5:21 PM, g...@abcs.com g...@abcs.com wrote: Hello! I'm a complete newby when it comes to ham radio. Got my tech license a couple of weeks ago and I'm now studying for the General class exam. I thought building the K3 would be a good educational experience for me. I just finished assembly and all went well. I've had an excellent experience so far. But I'm stuck at the reference oscillator calibration stage. I don't have a frequency counter, though I suppose I could purchase one. I've tried hitting the frequencies for WWV but I'm not picking anything up. Of course, I don't have an antenna yet as the manual did not mention it as being a required piece of equipment. I'm short on radio sense, I think. I have one on order, but it has not yet arrived. I was hoping to have the K3 calibrated and then begin dealing with the antenna setup. Is there any other way of calibrating the ref oscillator? Can it be done online with the KUSB?Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks for your help, Jay __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] Reference Oscillator Calibration
On Wed, Dec 21, 2011 at 4:21 PM, g...@abcs.com g...@abcs.com g...@abcs.com wrote: ... I've tried hitting the frequencies for WWV but I'm not picking anything up. Of course, I don't have an antenna yet... === Jay, a 10-foot piece of wire should be enough antenna to get WWV at 5, 10 or 15 mhz. Especially in the evenings at 5 mhz, WWV is pretty loud everywhere. But you don't need to calibrate to make your K3 work. Tony KT0NY __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] Reference Oscillator Calibration
You might be able to use 10-15 feet of wire as a temporary receiving antenna. WWV has a pretty strong signal (depending on your location and propagation conditions, of course). 73, Bob, N7XY On Dec 21, 2011, at 2:21 PM, g...@abcs.com g...@abcs.com wrote: Hello! I'm a complete newby when it comes to ham radio. Got my tech license a couple of weeks ago and I'm now studying for the General class exam. I thought building the K3 would be a good educational experience for me. I just finished assembly and all went well. I've had an excellent experience so far. But I'm stuck at the reference oscillator calibration stage. I don't have a frequency counter, though I suppose I could purchase one. I've tried hitting the frequencies for WWV but I'm not picking anything up. Of course, I don't have an antenna yet as the manual did not mention it as being a required piece of equipment. I'm short on radio sense, I think. I have one on order, but it has not yet arrived. I was hoping to have the K3 calibrated and then begin dealing with the antenna setup. Is there any other way of calibrating the ref oscillator? Can it be done online with the KUSB?Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks for your help, Jay __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html _ N7XY DX Cluster Node - telnet to n7xy.net, port 7300 __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] Reference Oscillator Calibration
No but you DO need to calibrate it for it to work correctly. :) Greg On 12/21/11, Tony Estep estept...@gmail.com wrote: On Wed, Dec 21, 2011 at 4:21 PM, g...@abcs.com g...@abcs.com g...@abcs.com wrote: ... I've tried hitting the frequencies for WWV but I'm not picking anything up. Of course, I don't have an antenna yet... === Jay, a 10-foot piece of wire should be enough antenna to get WWV at 5, 10 or 15 mhz. Especially in the evenings at 5 mhz, WWV is pretty loud everywhere. But you don't need to calibrate to make your K3 work. Tony KT0NY __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] Reference Oscillator Calibration
Jay, You did not say where you are in the world - does the g3 in your email address put you in England?, or are you somewhere in the US. Tech license and General class speak to a US ham, but then we are an international community, so I hate to make assumptions about your location. What are you using for an antenna to pick up WWV (and where are you located)? I have trouble receiving WWV on just a hunk of wire, but it comes in strong on a dipole or vertical cut for the band you are receiving WWV on, just go with the flow and follow the instructions in the K3 manual. While your experience may not allow you to immediately identify the beat note, listen carefully and try to figure it out - when the beat note (the wow-wow tone) goes to zero, you have achieved zero beat. Nothing more complex that that - just open your ears and listen. 73, Don W3FPR On 12/21/2011 5:21 PM, g...@abcs.com g...@abcs.com wrote: Hello! I'm a complete newby when it comes to ham radio. Got my tech license a couple of weeks ago and I'm now studying for the General class exam. I thought building the K3 would be a good educational experience for me. I just finished assembly and all went well. I've had an excellent experience so far. But I'm stuck at the reference oscillator calibration stage. I don't have a frequency counter, though I suppose I could purchase one. I've tried hitting the frequencies for WWV but I'm not picking anything up. Of course, I don't have an antenna yet as the manual did not mention it as being a required piece of equipment. I'm short on radio sense, I think. I have one on order, but it has not yet arrived. I was hoping to have the K3 calibrated and then begin dealing with the antenna setup. Is there any other way of calibrating the ref oscillator? Can it be done online with the KUSB?Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks for your help, __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] Reference Oscillator Calibration
Thanks for the quick response, guys. I just went with the first couple of suggestions, cut a 10 ft piece of wire and put it in the antenna jack. I was able to locate WWV on 15 MHz and used the Youtube calibration technique (CW / Rev CW) that I found in the reflector archives. So, I've not only got the osc calibration done, I'm also picking up some transmissions. That's why it's taken so long to respond. It's a relief to know that I didn't screw anything up with the assembly! I'm in the U.S. The g3 in the address doesn't really mean anything. Heh! Thanks again, to everyone, and I hope you all have a Merry Christmas! Jay __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] Reference Oscillator Calibration
Glad it worked Jay. It's proper list etiquette to add your call to your first name. 73, Ron AC7AC -Original Message- From: elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net [mailto:elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of g...@abcs.com g...@abcs.com Sent: Wednesday, December 21, 2011 4:24 PM To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Reference Oscillator Calibration Thanks for the quick response, guys. I just went with the first couple of suggestions, cut a 10 ft piece of wire and put it in the antenna jack. I was able to locate WWV on 15 MHz and used the Youtube calibration technique (CW / Rev CW) that I found in the reflector archives. So, I've not only got the osc calibration done, I'm also picking up some transmissions. That's why it's taken so long to respond. It's a relief to know that I didn't screw anything up with the assembly! I'm in the U.S. The g3 in the address doesn't really mean anything. Heh! Thanks again, to everyone, and I hope you all have a Merry Christmas! Jay __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
