Mike,
Please disassociate my posts from official Elecraft. While I do
contract repair work on the legacy products (K1, KX1, K2, etc,) for
Elecraft, I do not represent Elecraft in any statements that I make here
on the reflector. What I suggest is my own independent offering.
73,
Don W3FPR.
Ed,
Don't forget there is a High/Low mike gain setting (MAIN:MIC SEL Tap 1 to
toggle High/Low). Probably not much use to you unless it can be somehow
selected for FM only.
73
Tom G3OLB
KL7UW wrote:
So I wonder if there is an internal mic gain pot that can be adjusted
for FM?
Aging of components?
Vy 73, Olli - DH8BQA
http://www.dh8bqa.de/
- Original Message -
From: w0ih mfros...@msn.com
To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net
Sent: Sunday, April 29, 2012 4:52 AM
Subject: [Elecraft] K3 Frequency Shift
A couple weeks ago, I was on 40 meters with a group of friends,
Not any more. I set an 80m SSB Sunday morning net up some time ago, it
was later run by Ian, G0VGS. There were few callers so we called it a
day.
73 Dave, G4AON
Dear all is there a eu/Uk Elecraft net. If so what the time and QRG please
Thanks
Tony G0GMS
I would be happy to join a net again, I've just strung up a new aerial and
you might hear me now on 80 or 40m.
David
G3UNA
- Original Message -
From: Dave Johnson dave.g4...@gmail.com
To: elecraft elecraft@mailman.qth.net
Sent: Sunday, April 29, 2012 10:08 AM
Subject: Re: [Elecraft]
I too would be happy to join again, but the time didn't suit me - a bit early
on a Sunday :-)
What about during the week in evening, (but diff band)?
73 de David, M0XDF (K3 #174, P3 #108)
--
Some primal termite knocked on wood, And tasted it, and found it good!
And that is why your Cousin May,
What is the last firmware ver. that is just for the K3? I don't have a P3 or
Amp. But I would like to keep the radio up to date.
Thanks
Chris W7CTH
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Help:
I use my K3 on 6 meters with a concerted SB-220. When using the PR6
connected to the KXV3 as intended and using the amp, the GaAs FET is
destroyed immediately. My work around was to employ an external TR relay on
the K3 to switch TX RX, connecting the PR6 to the RX side of the relay and
to the RX
Chris:
This information is posted on the
Elecraft website.
73, Ken K3IU
On 4/29/2012 8:47 AM, Chris Hembree wrote:
What is the last firmware ver. that is just for the K3? I don't have a P3 or
Amp. But I would like to keep the radio up to date.
Thanks
Chris W7CTH
Quite so. The calibration against WWV is not a one time event, I do it
at least a couple of times a year. Actually it can vary a few counts in
a day, mainly dependent upon heat soak of the front panel. Mine
regularly runs at 37C.
If my understanding is correct the REF CAL number is a stored
My K3 produces no RF in transmit at the 10 watt or 100 watt levels. The
display shows two horizontal lines during transmit and shows 0.0 watts output.
I have loaded older (4.47) firmware and then reloaded newer (4.48). I have
done a re-initialization and reloaded all parameters. I removed
Interesting. I looked at it from the other direction. With the K3 ANT1
connected to a dummy load and ANT2 connected also to a dummy load via my
WM-2 QRP wattmeter.
With 100W out at ANT1, out of ANT2 I measured 30mW at 50MHz down to 1mW
at 7.1MHz. A range of -30dB to -50dB. 50MHz is not in
I believe it is 4.48.
http://www.elecraft.com/K3/k3_software.htm
Good luck!
Keith
AG6AZ
Sent from my iPhone please excuse typos
On Apr 29, 2012, at 5:47 AM, Chris Hembree w7...@yahoo.com wrote:
What is the last firmware ver. that is just for the K3? I don't have a P3 or
Amp. But I would
Well I have the money in the bank and there is not a heck of a lot of
difference in the price of the K2 and KX3 so it's decision time. Do I buy a
K2 or get in line for a KX3?
I am looking forward to the building process, so that speaks for the K2. I
imagine, even in kit form that the KX3 is not
Gregg,
FWIW, I have a PR6 and use a THP amp on 6M with no problem.
73!
Kem - K0PP
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Post:
It would be interesting if someone with an EXTREF board installed would
post the change in REF CAL number from cold to hot and extended run.
For K3 #24, w/EXTREF:
Cold start: 49.379.774 is typical;
After ~2 hours warmiing up: 49.379.693 is typical.
The EXTREF here is driven by a Trimble
Joe,
Actually -- depending on the K2 option set you would choose, the KX3
could be less expensive than the K2.
But if your desire is to build by soldering parts on a board and winding
toroids, then the K2 will be your choice. Building the KX3 is more
about mechanical assembly - there is no
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Gregg,
Unless you have changed the open frame relay in the SB-220, it will take
at least 15 ms to switch and be clear of the contact bounce. I would
suggest you change the stock relay for something faster.
73,
Don W3FPR
On 4/29/2012 8:55 AM, Gregg Marco W6IZT wrote:
I use my K3 on 6 meters
Oops,
I should have written that I saw 100mW at 50MHz, not 30 which was the
loss in dB.
Regards,
Mike VP8NO
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Post:
I have a basic K3 and only update the FW when there is some new
feature that I'm interested in. I am still on 4.36. Don't know if this
version is just for the K3, but it is the last one that had anything
new that I was interested in.
If you're not sure which version to load you might as well go
Todd,
I experienced the same problem a couple of months ago. I never noticed a
fault, but maybe it did it, and I didn't notice.
I emailed Gary (supp...@elecraft.com) and tried the EE INIT including
reloading previously saved configurations. I ended up sending the radio
(S/N 3598) in. Keith
Don:
I have replaced the open frame relay with Schrack relays
73
Gregg
-Original Message-
From: Don Wilhelm [mailto:w3...@embarqmail.com]
Sent: Sunday, April 29, 2012 10:12 AM
To: Gregg Marco W6IZT
Cc: 'elecraft'
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] PR-6 issue when QRO
Gregg,
Unless you have
Chris:
There are a couple of ways to determine this:
http://www.elecraft.com/K3/k3_software.htm
shows the current K3 firmware revisions numbers.
If you start the K3 Utility and click the Copy Files from Elecraft from
the firmware tab, the K3 Utility will copy the most recent production
Joe -
The performance of each of these radios is so good that important (perhaps
more so) to consider 1) what you'll be doing with them and 2) what your
operating aesthetic is.
For me the strength of the K2 is high performance simplicity, for CW
operation, in a low-power, analog,
Greg,
Is that SB-200 a modified for 6 meters only amplifier, one that has
six meters added to the HF bands or is the problem happening when
operating on HF bands?
Is the K3/PR6 configured to bypass and turn the PR6 off when operating
on HF?
73,
... Joe, W4TV
On 4/29/2012 11:10 AM, Gregg
I may just have been lucky so far, but with a DEM 6M preamp and
converted SB220, everyone has been getting along with the default
8ms delay in the K3 and a stock SB220 relay.
Be aware that relay switching speeds are specified without a
snubber diode connected. Adding the diode can greatly extend
Over the past 6 months my K3 has developed a curious problem. When I turn
it on and it goes through it's boot cycle, I go to key the radio the rig
does not key properly in that it drops a dit or dah. It makes no difference
what antenna I use or if the amp is on or off or what I use to key the
I have a K2 that is performing perfectly, it has all the options except
for 60 meters. I am wondering it it is possible to integrate the P3
with the K2? I realize that some of the features of the P3 + K3 pair
will probably not be available, but will the basic P3 work with the K2
to display
Thanks to you guys for the ideas. The voltage does not vary when going to
transmit mode. It stays a constant 13.5 volts and the current drain stays
at about 1.18 amps. The horizontal lines are two lcd (end to end
horizontal) lines that take the place of the frequency when I go to
transmit.
Joe:
It is a 6m only amp. Yes, the K3 is set to bypass the PR6 when on HF. The TR
relay has been replaced by a TR switch that Dick, K5AND designed that uses
Schrack relays that are spec'd to switch in 8 msec.
73
Gregg
-Original Message-
From: elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net
The radios are very different and both are good. Wrack your brain and decide
which one you want! The wait time for a KX3 will pass and you will forget
about it, but whatever radio you buy will stay the same. Get the one that fits
YOUR needs and wants. I waited 17 years for a radio that I
Tom,
Thanks for that tip. I so rarely go into the menu so was not even
aware of a mic gain switch. I wonder what the level change is? If
it is 3-dB or more it might affect FM deviation sufficiently to fix
the low deviation reports I get. If that will accomplish the
deviation issue perhaps
My first thought was to change the EQ more like I have my TX eq set pulling
the low end down and raising the high end up does tend to accent the
high-end of speech for clarity on phone but on a quiet band makes the band
noise sound hissy.
I don't have my low end set up to the plus side as high
Mike,
I was one of the beta-testers of the K3EXREF and see about a move
from 49.380 to 49.380.080 over about an hour from cold start. Then
is settles down to moving only in single digit amounts. MY 10-MHz
reference is a surplus OCXO (oven controlled xtal osc) rated at +/- 5
E-12 which
While tweaking the rx EQ may help mask the problem I feel the root cause
is that the AGC operates at too low a signal level.
I like to set my RF gain at a level where I can hear what I want but
not the band noise. If I then engage the AGC it has the effect of
increasing the gain by 2 or three S
Fred- Thanks for the laugh! Very insightful.
And thanks for the other comments too. I realize conjecture is useless, but
somehow
we all do this when we are so interested in the fate of something as
compelling as the KX-3.
If Tom's list is only a fraction of the actual orders (and I think it
I'm guessing with the lengthy time to ship all back orders, the KAT500 is
being pushed further behind it's anticipated April delivery.. I am as
anxious to receive this as you are with the KX3.
Phil
Philip LaMarche
727-944-3226
727-510-5038 Cell
www.w9dvm.com
WWW.FLAMGROUP.COM
K3 # 1605
Jim,
Add an IF output buffer to the K2 and connect the P3.
Clifton Labs makes a Z1 buffer amplifier specific for the K2.
73,
Don W3FPR
On 4/29/2012 11:48 AM, Jim Wiley wrote:
I have a K2 that is performing perfectly, it has all the options except
for 60 meters. I am wondering it it is
On Sun Apr 29 at 0943 EDT Joe McGerald AF6NI wrote (on the Elecraft
K3 Reflector) ...
... I am looking forward to the building process, so that speaks for
the K2. ... What are your thoughts?
--
Joe,
Only you can answer this question. I can offer a few thoughts for
you to consider, but
Well, mostly all:
http://www.yemen2012.com/plans.php
John AE5X
http://www.ae5x.com/blog
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Hi all,
I decided to recalibrate the filters in my K2 because I noticed a small
RX-TX frequency difference which made it hard to use my NUE-PSK.
But I didn't get the calibration working...
I enter filter calibration menu. I select FL1 in open-mode. I adjust (in
RX) the BFO and watch the audio
Besides my earlier direct email to you Greg, changing the sb-220 120v FT
supply to a FWB rectifier and replace the C4 electrolytic with a 200uF to
320 uF works very well at speeding up the existing relay. The much larger
capacitor can be sourced from a good one from the HV capacitor bank when
Gregg, I can only comment that I have exactly the same setup on 6 with PR 6
and a W1QJ sb-220, and have never had any issue.
The PR6 is connected to K3 acc output for programmed band dependant
switching etc as per manual;
The PR6 can be connected directly to the RX ANT IN/OUT jacks on the K3's
You are getting some really worse numbers than I did.
You may have ant2 only terminated on one end of its cable connections,
which would be really worse on 6 meters than 160. There is one of those
bitty jacks that needs a cable attached to it and then terminated. It's
the other antenna
The TR relay has been replaced by a TR switch that Dick, K5AND
designed that uses Schrack relays that are spec'd to switch in 8
msec.
Is the K5AND TR Switch design documented anywhere?
Does it use a single relay or multiple relays? Is there any chance that
the input replay is dropping out
Hi Todd,
I experienced the same problem in the field a few months ago. It turned out
to be a connection problem between the 10w PA and the main pcb. Removing and
re-seating the 10w PA module fixed the problem.
Andy
--
View this message in context:
Yup. Great big clue there :) 73, Guy.
On Sun, Apr 29, 2012 at 1:19 PM, John Chappell G3XRJ j...@g3xrj.com wrote:
My receiver is fabulously quiet with the AGC off.
73 John G3XRJ
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The operation will get started at 21:00Z on April 30 and will go on until
21:00Z May 15.
There are 11 operators on Socotra right now with more to join them later and
some leave on earlier dates.
John AE5X
http://www.ae5x.com/blog
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Erik,
Do you see the BFO frequency flashed on the display when you exit? If
so, you are verifying that the value is being saved.
Fact, the DAC resolution in the K2 is about 20 Hz. If the difference is
less than 20 Hz, it my be a situation you have to live with - you have
reached the limit.
It has me stumped too Joe.
The TR switch uses two SPDT Tyco/Schrack relays. Dick layed out the PC
board. He has used it in several amps that he has built. Is it possible that
one of the relays is dropping out early? Maybe.
Nothing else is connected to the PR6. I thought about the RX antennas,
Don, tnx for the answer.
Yes, the difference was small. Tnx for the info about 20 Hz, then I now the
limitation of the construction.
Yes I can use the FL1 (open) as both TX and RX (well of course TX is alway
using FL1). But if I want something more narrow I like to use FL2 - FL4.
And now I know
Erik,
The K2 will preserve the pitch when the BFO is changed. Of course, if
you move the BFO enough, the signal will no longer be inside the passband.
You must move the VFO to change the pitch, just changing the BFO will
not do it. The filter passband edges will change, but the pitch of a
Joe,
I would echo Gary's thoughts. If you order the full K2 and its accessories,
then the rework isn't necessary. The microphone Internal Mic adapter is a
must in my opinion. I have that unit installed in mine. The K2 is a
wonderful radio. I have one fully loaded, except for the amp. I have
I thought it was clear that all I was looking at was a transmit
parameter, that is, what came out of ANT2 when ANT1 was was carrying a
signal. This gives an idea of the coupling across the C/O relay K18
which selects ANT1 or 2. In this context both ports were terminated.
I fail to see why I
Save more pennies - buy both! My K2 was a fun build, and I still have
an option or two to add; the K2 has a long term future in my shack.
And my KX3 kit is on ordercan hardly wait!
geoff - W1OH
On 4/29/12 9:43 AM, af6ni wrote:
Well I have the money in the bank and there is not a heck
eVERY ASPECT OF HAM radio is not for all hams.I do not do jf65However
that said, Pactor III is a godsend for us hams that are cruising on our
boatshere in the south pacific, I can send/rec email, and get all kinds of
weather charts/info to make my sailing safer. Pactor III may not
H. I've been trying to figure out the best way of using the
band switching on modern radios. In my use, it is an impediment
to using different modes. Most of the time, when I switch to the
20 meter band, I arrive set up for the PSK sub-band. If I want
to use CW or SSB, I have to make a
If you're the Skipper, do you have a crew, or is all that just an
additional duty as we said in the military?
73,
Fred K6DGW
- Northern California Contest Club
- CU in the 2012 Cal QSO Party 6-7 Oct 2012
- www.cqp.org
On 4/29/2012 4:20 PM, ussv dharma wrote:
eVERY ASPECT OF HAM radio is not
However that said, Pactor III is a godsend for us hams that are
cruising on our boatshere in the south pacific, I can send/rec
email, and get all kinds of weather charts/info to make my sailing
safer. Pactor III may not be for you, but it is for me
And commercial or quasi-commercial
Pactor 3 is heavily used by the marine operators. I ran SCS pactor 3
modem with my Icom radios in the past and it was very good. Regrettably, there
is still no specific cable to link up my K3 and the SCS Pactor 3 modem.
To respect the intellectural right of the software developer, I would
Hear Hear Whoopie somebody needed to say that!!
Good on ya Joe.
73,
Rick W3BI
-Original Message-
From: Joe Subich, W4TV
Sent: Sunday, April 29, 2012 8:19 PM
To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] PACTOR iii
However that said, Pactor III is a godsend for us
Aloha:
I use pactor III with both my ICOM 718 and my K3simple hook up on both
xcvrs.
If you don't change direction you WILL arrive exactly where you're headed!!
Susan Meckley, Skipper W7KFI-mm AFA9SM
USSV DHARMA
From:
Ok, this time the manual is correct! It can be found here:
http://va2fsq.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Windows4P3-Windows-Desktop-Experience-for-the-Elecraft-K3.pdf
--
View this message in context:
http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/Windows4P3-Status-tp7488686p7512080.html
Sent from the
Amen!
There are a lot of Yachtsmen/women who got their license for one reason
and one reason alone. To keep from paying for the Sail Mail
subscription. it amounts to $250/yr or about $21/month uses marine
frequencies and marine type accepted equipment and the
ubiquitous/infamous SCS Pactor
In your context the ANT1 circuit was normally terminated, one port in the
transmitter, the other in an antenna. That's normal, a load on both ends.
ANT2 was NOT normally terminated unless you want to treat the reactive 10
k+ Z termination of the tiny capacitance across the relay as normal.
If
*Right on Joe!
There other 'auto-bots' on the amateur bands also and it is most
disconcerting to have a rare contact qso destroyed by the sudden appearance
of an automatic generated digital mode.
Gnashing teeth does not get that rare one in the log...:-(
Gary
*
On 30 April 2012 10:19, Joe
Joe,
It's my understanding that the semiautomatic stations wait until there is a
connect request before transmitting, and that Pactor is bugged because it
ignores existing activity on the frequency, unlike Winmor which won't transmit
unless the frequency is clear.
Matthew Pitts
N8OHU
There are a lot of Yachtsmen/women who got their license for one
reason and one reason alone. To keep from paying for the Sail Mail
subscription. it amounts to $250/yr or about $21/month uses marine
frequencies and marine type accepted equipment and the
ubiquitous/infamous SCS Pactor III
Gregg, check inside the amp and see if the RF choke between the pi network
and the antenna jack is OK.
I was running a SB221 converted to 6 and i had a bad choke connection to
ground and when going to receive it would blow the rec. pre amp.
what happens when that choke fails the plate blocking
That is correct on it's face, however,
The Pactor III protocol allows the robot server to auto-adjust it's
bandwidth/speed.
It may start a session at 500Hz but if the bands in good shape with not
a lot of repeat requests it's widen out to 2.5KHz all by itself. If you
next to one running at
So what you are essentially saying is the K3 has a design fault because
in a perfectly normal factory configuration it is leaving a port
unterminated. Maybe it is the electronic equivalent of a Persian rug.
I'm not rigging anything, it's how it is right out of the box.
I think the real
It's my understanding that the semiautomatic stations wait until
there is a connect request before transmitting,
Semi-automatic stations will still come up on top of other traffic
if they receive a connect request from a station that can't hear
the other traffic (e.g. in the skip zone or the
Please tell me, what constitutes a clear frequency? No activity for a
preselected time period? What if a DX operator goes to the John and takes 5
minutes? There are others on the frequency to say the frequency is in use
until one of the digital boxes says, wait it's been 5 seconds, the frequency
I guess I'm one of the unclean. I licensed 3 1/2 years ago primarily
because I wanted to be able to use my vessel's SSB while making an
occasional offshore passage. Now I'm a die-hard Elecraft fan with a
KX1, a K2, (jonesing for a KX3) and a slowly increasing code speed.
Except for those
The problem with PACTOR III is the price of the SCS modem. Recently, I
have been using the WINMOR waveform to do the very same thing with the
WINLINK network. WINMOR uses your sound card for all of the heavy DSP
lifting. The interface is RMS express which has a feel like Airmail. You
can find
Ed,
what happens when that choke fails the plate blocking cap builds up
a neg charge on the pi side and has no way to discharge untill it
goes to receive and it discharges through the pre amp.
But with the PR6 one would expect that negative voltage to impact the
KAT3, the lowpass filters,
I uploaded the new P3/P3SVGA firmware last night, and now I have what
appears to be a minor, but annoying issue. When I first boot everything
up, I have my P3 set up to display both waterfall and bandscope displays.
However, the P3SVGA only shows the bandscope display. I have to turn the
dual
Well, some of the irritation is brought about something you mention
casually: Your using Pactor to email family and friends. Unless your
family and friends are all amateurs, communicating with them was at one
time not allowed. Amateurs were not allowed to communicate with
non-amateurs, no
I'm a little puzzled by the irritation with the presence of amateur
Pactor3 transmissions in the Ham bands. The usual Pactor RMS
frequencies seem to be well away from the commonly used CW frequencies
(30m maybe an exception), and when operating CW I've never found them
to be a problem.
I have no dog in this hunt. However, this seems to me rather far removed
from Elecraft discussions :-)
73
Gary W2CS
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My philosophical negative feelings about Pactor III and other proprietary
systems is that they approach the use of codes and ciphers that are
prohibited in the amateur service. Amateur radio is in many ways self
policing. Proprietary coding impedes that.
The other thing in particular about
As last week, propagation was a mixed bag today. Some strong stations but a
number that
needed to be relayed in. We had 35 participants over a 23 minute period. One
station (K6XX) checked in with a
KX3. Have a great week.
Here is the list of participants.
Station NameQTH Rig
K3BI I would have thought one such as yourself on arrl, etc...would know that
pactor/winlink does not allow any commerical type traffic. That is relegated
to sailmail and marine frequencies.
If you don't change direction you WILL arrive exactly where you're headed!!
Susan Meckley,
Don't forget, the initial shippings are built at Elecraft, and they go out as
they're built. One the kits start going out it's logical that they will go out
much more quickly
Sent from my iPhone
On Apr 29, 2012, at 10:48 AM, AB5N 7000...@gmail.com wrote:
Fred- Thanks for the laugh! Very
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