I have a P3 but I am in the US.
-Original Message-
From: elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net On
Behalf Of Paul Barlow
Sent: Thursday, October 26, 2023 1:14 AM
To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net
Subject: [Elecraft] Wanted P3
Dear Elecrafters,
After a long period of inactivity, I have been back
I am putting my well-loved and pampered K3 and P3.
K3 s/n 3934
Factory serviced and updated and in top operating condition.
100 watt unit
Dual receiver
General coverage bypass filter in main Rx
Both synthesizers upgraded with S synthesizers
DVR
Internal 100w ATU
5 filters in main Rx, FM,
Disregard, sent to wrong addres
-Original Message-
From: elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net On
Behalf Of George Thornton
Sent: Saturday, September 16, 2023 10:02 AM
To: Rick Bates, NK7I ; elecraft@mailman.qth.net
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] OT: The day I found out I was going
The other thing about this video is that he did not test the 180-600 at
different apertures. Reports from earlier videos say it does better at f8
instead of wide open.
-Original Message-
From: elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net On
Behalf Of Rick Bates, NK7I
Sent: Saturday, September
That was not my experience.
Right out the bat we were occupying a frequency and calling. We were heard so
well we found ourselves at the bottom of a pileup for the next two or more
hours.
You might want to take a closer look at your various mic and transmitter
settings. These have to be
I think this was an Icom 7300 but I am not sure.
-Original Message-
From: elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net On
Behalf Of Steve L
Sent: Saturday, July 1, 2023 8:47 AM
To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Field Day Operation
I was wondering too about the huge signal in
Our group was a 6A. The signal was from the 20 meter voice station in our
group. This station in the picture was GOTA operating under a separate call
sign.
The 20 meter voice station showed up large on our waterfall, but we kept
elsewhere on the band and no problems.
There was another
This was my station.
I appreciate the suggestion and will see what we can do next year to increase
the Man-Cave effect.
Thanks for producing such a quality rig. It was a joy to use and was very
popular with our GOTA operators.
-Original Message-
From:
I have a similar sized lot and am located in a city.
Antennas are everything on HF and the bigger the better.
I tried just about everything but eventually sprung for a rooftop tower and a
SteppIr 3 element. Huge improvement. Much better than a dipole.
I hear the hex beam antennas work
It is possible the parameters set in the computer after reboot don't match
those set in the program. Check the port and baud settings.
Generally xom port settings need to match for communication to occur.
Sent from my Galaxy
Original message
From: "Peter Dougherty
I had a situation with a frankly fraudulent internet vendor that was claiming
discount prices on a name brand product. The web page looked identical to the
official company in design and appeared to be an outlet for the company.
I placed a small order as a test but then changed my mind within
As a former K2 owner I can say at least half the fun of one of these was to
build it myself.
This is one of the last kinds of major kits that involve assembling all the
components onto a circuit board. Today with all the surface mount devices the
technical challenge is too much for most of us
I normally use a K3s in a highly competitive 6A field day environment. One
year my K3s had a problem and a KX3 was substituted. I did not notice any
problems in the multi transmitter environment with the use of the KX3.
-Original Message-
From: elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net On
I think you just have to read the instruction manual for installing it and work
backwards.
-Original Message-
From: elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net On
Behalf Of Dave Agsten
Sent: Sunday, November 7, 2021 1:46 PM
To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net
Subject: [Elecraft] 2nd RX Removal
Is
Check electrical codes. I don't believe a power strip for 220 is legal under
the electrical code. Too much power.
Concur that you can build an on/off switch to control the outlet.
-Original Message-
From: elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net On
Behalf Of Ken Winterling
Sent: Thursday,
Roughly in the same price range is the Array Solutions AIM UHF.
In the course of my HAM career I have used a variety of analyzers.
I have a NanoVNA and it does work, but its menu system is horrible and counter
intuitive. In addition the use of tiny connectors is not ideal for our common
N and
The P3 is designed to work with both the main and sub receiver using the IF
output.
I don't think you can separately hook up a P3 just for the sub receiver. I
think the radio puts out a signal to the IF output for whatever receiver is
active at the time.
-Original Message-
From:
I am not active in CW, most of my HF work is voice. I do some contesting but I
have conflicting time demands that make it difficult to spend a lot of time in
the operating chair.
The K3 has been my rig of choice and I am very comfortable with the rig.I
am of course intrigued by the K4.
I think it is correct to say the basic k4 does not exceed the K3 raw
performance (based on the Sherwood engineering standard) but I think the
results are pretty close for practical purposes. I would not say the K4 is
materially worse. I think it would be up to individual K3 owners to decide
I don't know the FTDX10 but it looks like it has a single receiver and can't be
updated.
I note these Yaesu rigs seem to have crystal filters and use a combination of
superhet and direct sampling architecture whereas the K4D is direct sampling.
I would hold off on reaching conclusions on
I agree that the price for the K4 has to be compared with the fully loaded K3
plus P3. In that respect it is not overpriced.
I don't think we should make too much of the Sherwood Engineering test data at
this point.I would suspect it would be hard for the human ear to tell the
difference
I have a more or less fully loaded K3 with the synthesizer upgrades. The K3
was gone through at the factory and appears to be running well.
I have a P3 that also has the SVGA card and the transmit monitor add on.
On a number of occasions my P3 seems to freeze and fails to move with tuning as
Which radio?
With respect to the K3 I would recommend use of external speakers. They can
improve comfort for longer listening periods.
I am a personal fan of the Sounds Sweet communications speakers. Unfortunately
although the web page remains open they have not been selling them for
The reports I have seen so far already confirm to my mind that the upgrade is
worth doing. Now I just have to get the purchase past She Who Must Be Obeyed.
-Original Message-
From: elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net On
Behalf Of Dana
Sent: Thursday, April 22, 2021 1:21 PM
To:
Hackers are getting very sophisticated. I have heard of situations where they
have hacked into individual and business email accounts, sending messages to
banks and other organizations to steal substantial sums of money.
You have to be very careful these days.
-Original Message-
From:
I think Elecraft has enough on its hands with COVID 19 just getting these rigs
designed, updated, built and shipped.
I am not aware that any major manufacturer of HF amateur radio transceivers
maintains an equipment rental program.
A rental program would be complex to administer. You would
Wet is much more of a problem with electronic equipment than 100 plus degree
heat.
I live in Western Washington, my locality has about the same total rainfall as
the middle east coast states but we rarely have downpours. It just drizzles
and mists all the time.
I have owned boats in this
I have followed the Sherwood Receiver test data over the years and I know
Elecraft has always been in or near the top spot.
I also would be reluctant to upgrade to a K4 if my K3 is the same or pretty
close to the same in the key performance characteristics.
I wonder whether we are nearing the
It is my understanding Sherwood Engineering obtains a K4 and tests it. Until
they have done that it will not show up on the list. Since Elecraft is a major
player they will test it when they can.
-Original Message-
From: elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net On
Behalf Of Greg Herman
Can we all please stop the flaming. It does nothing for this forum and drives
good people away.
-Original Message-
From: elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net On
Behalf Of w...@w2xj.net
Sent: Friday, January 1, 2021 7:48 PM
To: Linda M
Cc: elecraft@mailman.qth.net; donov...@erols.com
I don't know the answer to all your questions but I will note the following:
The KIOb3 board is not essential. You just need to have a serial port or a USB
adapter for connecting with a computer. I never bothered to upgrade mine when
I upgraded the synthesizers on my K3.
Many of us have
You might take a look at the SGC company website. They make excellent
autotuners designed to be mounted outdoors at the antenna. The site includes a
number of guide articles and manuals with a wealth of information.
These tuners are fully automatic in that when you first transmit on a
I concur with this statement.
For instance, SGC makes "smartuners" that can be remotely mounted from your
transceiver. These tuners work automatically to tune the antenna when a
transmission occurs. The long press on the XMIT button function transmits a
low power continuous tune sufficient
The K3(s) as I understand it has protective circuitry that will reduce mic
output if there are return power issues.
I once had an experience during Field Day where my K3 was suddenly not
transmitting or doing so at a very low level. Mine was traced to a SO239
connector that had worked loose
I have owned both a K2 and K3. I have also worked but have not owned a KX3.
I am also not a CW operator.
The K2 was one of the more interesting kit projects, I had a lot of fun with it
and learned a lot. It is built "old school" with very little surface mount
chips.
It is however a 22
I am in the same boat as you. My primary interest is e-commerce and public
service. The k3 works well for me. I want to see significant improvement in
receiver and sound quality. I am waiting for the k4 to get out and be reviewed.
Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone
FYI they still sell the PR6-10 preamps new from Elecraft. I just bought one a
month ago.
I have the K3 and I have made some (but not all) of the conversions to K3s
standards.
My K3 is performing well. I have my eye on the new K4 but want to see some
comparative performance test results
Concur.
The K3 can in my experience be vulnerable to voltage drop which can happen with
a questionable power source.
For a rig like the K3 you should draw straight from the battery. You can add
some additional protection in a mobile setup by incorporating a voltage
regulator In the
When something strange like this happens another step to try is to refresh the
firmware in the radio.
-Original Message-
From: elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net On
Behalf Of Hank Garretson
Sent: Sunday, August 9, 2020 8:10 PM
To: Nr4c
Cc: Elecraft Reflector
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] P3
Assuming this is not just keying you are also going to have to disinfect the
microphone. You also have issues with computer keyboards for logging.
For working with computers I would think the commercial equipment wipes would
be OK.
I typically wet paper towels with alcohol so it is damp but
I have a portable monitor made by AOC. The stand folds into the back for
convenient storage and transport. Connects to computer via USB. Very
convenient and good for tight spaces.
-Original Message-
From: elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net On
Behalf Of Mark Goldberg
Sent: Saturday,
I have owned a K3 forever. I am not myself a contester except on Field Day.
Most performance measurements for the K3(s) show it still in the top group in
terms of ability to hear weak signals adjacent to a stronger signal, an
important measure for performance in a contest. Until recently they
I would add the following comments.
You can easily reach the point of obsession with antennas, and some of the
choices involve heavy expense, tons of room, tolerant neighbors and a lot of
maintenance.
I think the Yagi antennas are among the best choices, by their nature they
concentrate
Concur that a standard computer VGA card will not work here. On the other had
if you are referring to a pre-owned Elecraft SVGA option card that you buy used
on the market I don't think that will be a problem, I am not aware of later
generation cards and most of the feature upgrades are in
That was my experience as well. I initially had the LP Pan but later switched
to the P3 panadapter.
The P3 in my experience is far easier to use under practical operating
conditions. You can widen or shorten the span to zoom in on a narrow part of
the band, or zoom out to see across the
Concur.
-Original Message-
From: elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net On
Behalf Of Vic Rosenthal
Sent: Tuesday, December 24, 2019 9:34 PM
To: hawley, charles j jr
Cc: elecraft@mailman.qth.net
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] K3 - Power cable voltage drop
I have a Fluke DVM also. I gulped when I
I am a happy owner of a K3 that has been partially updated to K3s standards.
I am not a contester (other than at Field Day) and it is a big financial jump
to go to the K4.
Since my existing equipment is working so well for me, I am not likely to move
to the K4 unless there is some degree of
I want to echo my appreciation of Elecraft repair service.
I had my K3 in a few years ago after it malfunctioned during field use.
They also went through it and made all sorts of additions and calibrations.
Really well worth the moderate cost and inconvenience.
The unit continues to
>From a physics standpoint, heat is radiated from an object either by direct
>radiation of heat into space (photons) or by transfer of heat to an adjacent
>object with lower temperature.
For heat transfer to another object, the amount transferred depends
substantially on the heat absorbing
I have the TX monitor feature in my K3/P3.
I find that feature very useful.
Will that same capability be built into the K4, and can I use the same sensor?
__
Elecraft mailing list
Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
I have a fully provisioned K3 with some of the K3s upgrades. I have the P3
with transmit sensor and SVGA additions. A few years ago I had it serviced and
everything is working nicely. By now I am comfortable with operation and I
have figured out how to tune things up for maximum performance.
I also have this power supply and use it frequently for field work.
Have had no problems.
-Original Message-
From: elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net On
Behalf Of j...@kk9a.com
Sent: Wednesday, June 12, 2019 10:19 AM
To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Silent power
If Elecraft reflects things to get left hand orientation, does that mean all
the letters on the front panel will be reversed? Will lefties also need a
mirror to read the labels?
Just a joke from a right hander.
-Original Message-
From: elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net On
Behalf Of
Are you replacing the connector that plugs into the K3 or are you replacing the
part built in to the K3?
If the part that is built into the K3, I would strongly suggest getting the
part direct from Elecraft. These have to be securely mounted within the radio.
If the part that connects, note
I have been an active HAM since about 2000.
After a brief and very unsatisfactory experience with a Kenwood 2000, all my HF
rigs have been Elecraft and I have always gone kit.
I currently own a well-populated K3 with some of the K3s modifications.
I am less concerned about bells and whistles
I concur wholeheartedly and thank you.
-Original Message-
From: elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net On
Behalf Of Eric Swartz - WA6HHQ, Elecraft
Sent: Sunday, April 7, 2019 9:05 PM
To: Ken G Kopp
Cc: Elecraft
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] OT: BIZARRE OFFERING FROM MFJ
Folks - I just been made
I am one of Rose's satisfied customers.
I do need to report an unfavorable experience with USPS.
I mailed a simple envelope on a Friday and sent it priority mail. The letter
was going from Seattle to a town in central Colorado.
The letter did not get there until the following Thursday.
I have owned both the K2 and K3. Perhaps the most fun I had in HAM radio was
building the K2. I learned a lot about soldering and assembly techniques.
Electronics technology has advanced with miniaturization and surface mount
parts. The skill and equipment requirements for surface mount
If you are used to working large rigs with lots of buttons, I can see how the
K3/K3s might be an adjustment.
I have found the K3 controls to be natural and appropriate. For most of my
operation the buttons and dials I need to use in action are right at my
fingertips. Once set up correctly, I
I would add to that my comments:
I think if you are chasing DX on sideband it might be helpful to also get
either the 1.8 or 2.1 filter. These filters are effective at blanking out
adjacent stations so you can hear the weaker DX signal.
I would not be afraid to go under the hood and add
I too had the LP-Pan before the K3.
Computers can be finicky and I found using the LP-Pan to be at times difficult
to keep running. I also did not find it easy to adjust the scale ranges to
make the graphics displays optimized for what I wanted to do.
By contrast, the P3 was easy to set up
The Time Domain Reflectometer (TDR) is a hugely important feature, and is now
available with other brands, including some of the RigExpert models.
I do a lot of field work with both HF and VHF/UHF. In my experience most of
the problems I have encountered have been traced to cable defects of
I don't live in California but I have driven all through the area.
Elecraft is located near the coast north of Monterrey and south of Santa Cruz.
This is as I recall very roughly 50-100 miles south of San Francisco and a
couple hundred miles north of Los Angeles.
Most of the fires are either
I would start by bringing your tests down to the basics and eliminating any
possible computer software configuration cause.
I would first re-load the firmware and re-run calibration.
Assuming those all work correctly, the next issue is to properly configure the
microphone settings. There are
I have been using cases like that to transport my K3 to Field Day for a number
of years. Although I thought I was being very careful I found that the radio
sustained damage to some of the parts that stick out, specifically the SO239
connector and a knob in the front that cracked.
I now use
I want to strongly echo others' statements of confidence and support for
Elecraft's quality, integrity and follow through.
I started with Elecraft by building a K2 (great kit building experience) and
later K3/P3 with all the bells and whistles.
These guys make excellent products and they
I just got my K3 back from the factory after a repair and upgrade and have to
re-set up my microphone.
I have the PR 781 microphone. I was wondering what settings (mic gain,
compression, TX equalization) people with this microphone have used for best
results
From:
I agree with this assessment.
I like the Elecraft solution. The K3 screen gives you clearly and simply what
you need to know at a glance. No fuss and always there for you.
You want a screen with a lot of other information including a band scope, put
it in a separate box. That leaves you
...@gmail.com]
Sent: Friday, May 26, 2017 10:31 AM
To: George Thornton <gthorn...@thorntonmostullaw.com>; Jorge Diez - CX6VM
<cx6vm.jo...@gmail.com>; j...@johnjeanantiqueradio.com
Cc: Elecraft Reflector <elecraft@mailman.qth.net>
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Mouse and P3 SVGA
I second that. Hav
The value of mail lists is the ability to share information. The curse is the
tendency for things to grow out of control.
I handle this by creating a rule in Outlook that automatically shunts my
listserve messages to a separate folder. That way it is there if I want to
look at it but is
I have tried other computer based panadapters and I now have the P3 with SVGA.
I found that mediating through a computer using a sound card creates
configuration issues and results in occasional operating headaches.
By contrast, the P3 is specialized hardware and connection is more reliable and
I have not looked at this in recent years but it used to be you declare value
so the shipper can set rates for insurance. They are going to charge more for
something that is hugely valuable.
To me the problem is not so much damage in transit but loss of the package.
I have had two incidents
I have built several kits of all kinds going back to Heathkit days and I built
my own K2.
I had a lot of problems with the sub-Rx installation. I have big hands and
could not seem to be able to see to line things up properly, not to mention the
pesky TMP connectors.
I am at the point with
My experience was different.
My first HF radio was one of those that had all the features including VHF/UHF.
I thought it was a good buy at under $2000 because it was so versatile. I am
not naming radio names.
The problem is the receiver on that rig was absolutely horrible. As a new HF
Exerting too much force with PL259’s can put stress on the radio SO 239
connectors, I have had some of the internal mounts work loose over time.
Top quality Amphenol connectors are more precisely machined, fit better and are
much easier to work with. I don’t get failures with these and hand
I have written about this before. I have had similar problems at Field Day,
and some friends of mine have also had issues while in mobile contest use.
>From what I can tell, the K3 can be very sensitive to power voltage levels.
>If there is any issue with the power supply itself, or if the
I am using an Astron 35 amp ps.
I did not use a dmm, just the meter on the k3. I only got a .2 drop when I
connected direct with a five foot thick gauge wire. But using the same pwrgate
setup as yours it dropped a full volt or more on transmit.
A friend had problems running in a mobile
I had something somewhat similar happen and the best I could tell it was
related to power supply issues. Now I use thicker wire direct from the power
supply to the K3 and it so far seems to be working better.
An advertised way to fix it is to re-load the firmware and recalibrate the
transmit
To amplify this answer, the dual-receive and filter options available only on
the K3S are valuable tools for penetrating pileups. The dual receive also
allows for diversity reception, which can improve your ability to pick out a
weak signal from the surrounding noise.
I did not know the PX3
I have had the opportunity to work both options on Field Day.
The KX3 is a nice rig and it performs very well. When you add the amplifier
and PX3 you have a completely workable setup that has the added advantage of
extreme portability.
However, the K3s has a number of features and
The current Sherwood Engineering receiver test data list includes all of these
radios.
In the latest figures, the K3 (old synthesizer) rates above both the 7300 and
TS590G. The 7300 is down 5 in the list from the K2 and the 7300 is two above
the TS590G.
If you just installed the upgraded
I have used both. I much prefer the P3.
The LP-Pan is tricky to set up and configure, and computers can be balky and
unreliable. Adjustments can be tricky and counterintuitive, and require
specialized knowledge of how the particular program works.
The P3 is a plug and play device.
Constructing my old K2 was one of the most fun and challenging things I have
done with electronics. Before that I built a few things long ago with Heathkit.
Top end modern transceiver technology has moved beyond the K2, which is why
Elecraft did a complete redesign with the K3 and K3s. The
I have toyed with the idea of moving up to an amp. My problem is I live in an
urban location with houses close together. I am concerned that with too much
power I might start lighting up the neighbors' TV's and computers.
I think the best money invested is in the antenna. I got a used 3
I am not sure I understand your problem, and therefore my potential solution
may be irrelevant.
I experienced sudden extremely low power output recently during a contest.
The solution was to re-install the firmware and recalibrate TX power.
I later determined the cause was voltage drop coming
I did some checking today on my voltage to the K3 using two different routes.
I am using an Astron RS-35m power supply. It was tuned up to output slightly
under 14v. Normally it mediates through a PG40s backup and switching device,
connected to three 140AH backup batteries as well as the
The history of my Astron 35 metered power supply is that it has been moved
around a lot because I have brought it to Field Day for multiple years.
I took it apart today and found that although the connection between the power
leads and the bolts was tight, the connection between the bolt and
I have an old Astron 35A that I have been using for a number of years. I
always take it with me to Field Day. Lately I have been having software issues
with my K3 that the factory has suggested might be related to an erratic power
supply.
From: Elecraft
antenna was down
for servicing.
The synthesizers were upgraded about two weeks ago without a problem.
From: Ken G Kopp [mailto:kengk...@gmail.com]
Sent: Sunday, September 4, 2016 8:42 AM
To: George Thornton <gthorn...@thorntonmostullaw.com>; elecraft@mailman.qth.net
Subject: Re: [El
I have been having some mostly transmission issues that I suspect might be
related to the power supply.
The issue is intermittent failure of the K3 to generate full power on transmit.
It operated fine for an hour or two at Field Day but suddenly we were QRP on
my k3/100. No error messages,
This is indeed an awesome area. I have done some SCUBA diving near this
location at a place called God's Pocket.
This is not a warm or dry place. I think water temperature even in the summer
is about 48 degrees.
-Original Message-
From: Elecraft
I have a k3 that was working fine but now will not power up.
I had lent the unit to someone to use at Field Day. They reported it would not
power up.
Going through the unit it appears that a nut and washer has come off of one of
the PL259 antenna plates. A thorough internal inspection
I have tried a number of different things over the years. I have finally
settled on a 3 element Steppir. I got it used and paid half the cost of new,
so it was not exorbitant. With a little care they can be made to function as
good as new.
The 3 element stepper and K3 are a potent mix. I
I would have only one word of caution with respect to filters.
Replacing filters with a single receiver unit is fairly easy. However, the
process is more tricky when you have a sub receiver involved.
I personally found the sub receiver unit very tricky to install. The
clearances are tight
This might be a stupid question, but here goes.
I have a small lot. I currently am using a 3 element Yagi that barely fits on
the property. I was thinking about getting a vertical as a second HF antenna.
If I put it up it is going to have to be pretty close to the Yagi.
I have a dual
I have had my K3 for about four years.
The unit can be intimidating at first to a new user. The menu system is
massive and at times scary. The microphone gain and compression have to be set
correctly if you want to get through a pileup. There are a few other operating
tricks that help
A short while ago I reported my P3 with SVGA would freeze up from time to time.
Following recommendations on this reflector I have solved the problem.
The freeze only happens when set on maximum screen resolution. I dropped the
resolution by one level and everything works like a charm. The
I have the following setup:
K3 (with two receivers)
P3 with SVGA
Steppir 3 element Yagi
External monitor attached to P3
I am having problems with the P3 SVGA being sluggish and periodically locking
up. Sometimes the external monitor locks up, sometimes both. I can usually
get it running
I have the QC2 Bose headset, the Yamaha CM500 everyone recommends and the MH2.
I work mostly SSB.
I am happy with either the Bose or Yamaha with the K3. The Yamaha works just
fine. You don't need noise cancelling and the Yamaha does not need a battery.
I reserve the Bose for use with a
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