Dave,
Open the K3 Utility and click on Calibration. Scroll down to Configure
Crystal Filters. The top line shows the various bandwidths of the
installed filters. You can see the big picture there with the checked
boxes.
Jim W6YA
My solution was to start with a brand new CM500 and use these ear pad
covers from Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Headphone-PChero-Washable-Strechable-Headphones/dp/B09B7JCY8H/ref=sxin_18_ac_d_bv?ac_md=0-0-QnVkZ2V0IFBpY2s%3D-ac_d_bv_bv_bv&content-id=amzn1.sym.8f2bf95d-b9c2-4e6d-96a9-5fdf77a1951d%
Eric, after seeing your post I upgraded to 2.66 after using 2.62 for
several QSOs this morning on CW. Immediately I had problems with
erratic SWR and failures. I went to STBY and there were no problems. I
changed to several different bands and antennas and the same thing
happened repeatedly.
Lee, just try searching with keywords, such as TX GAIN, K3 power spikes,
TX GAIN Calibration, etc. etc. The best thing you can do, if you're not
convinced transmitting at 5 or 50w is a risk, is ask Elecraft. K6XX,
who designed the KPA1500, was the first to tell me about this. Keith,
who serv
Dave,
You should _never_ key the K3s at 5w (or 50w)! It can disrupt the TX
GAIN settings and create huge power spikes, which can be a real problem
if you use an amplifier. Just use 6w or 4w or 5.5w, etc. You can
confirm this with Elecraft, who will tell you the same thing. Check
previous
Steve,
A good start would be to redo the K3 TX GAIN CALIBRATION. Do not use
the Utility, do it manually. This problem can occur as a result of
varying drive from the K3, typically from previously transmitting at
either 5 or 50 watts. Using your dummy load, set the K3 PWR to 5w. In
CONFIG:
FYI once again. You can confirm this with Elecraft support. Jim
https://www.mail-archive.com/elecraft@mailman.qth.net/msg252041.html
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Edd: Using the Utility for this process can have problems. I did it
manually on each band. K6XX also suggested to to it this way.
Connect a dummy load to the K3 output.
Set the PWR control on the K3 to exactly 5w
Set CONFIG: TUN PWR to exactly 5w
Hold TUNE for 2-3 seconds. Tap it again
Repea
Steve: I went through this exact problem until K6XX alerted me to the
likely cause of corrupt TXGAIN calibration. This was discussed
recently and reaffirmed by Elecraft on this reflector. Most likely the
problem originates from transmitting with either 5 or 50 watts with the
K3, which shoul
Now I see what's going on. Originally I used the Elecraft cable between
the K3 ACC and the KPA1500 and everything was OK. The K3 could be
powered down normally. When I moved that K3 to a spare position, that
cable wasn't long enough, so I ordered an extension VGA cable. This is
when the pro
When I plug the ACC connector cable for the KPA1500 into my newly
acquired spare K3, the POWER button doesn't shut off the backlight in
the display or the P3 that's connected to it. As soon as I remove that
connector or shut off the PS, it powers down normally.
This doesn't happen with the ot
Good points, Ray and Jim, I should have been more detailed with what I
posted. I checked The Bird 43 with two other Bird 2500w slugs from
friends and they were all reading the same with a dummy load at 1500w.
I did the KPA1500 calibration using the Bird with a high power dummy
load, then chec
I trust my Bird 43 wattmeter that's in line with the amplifier output,
so I recalibrated the KPA-1500 wattmeter reading per band to correlate
more closely with it. See WMTR ADJUST in the KPA-1500 menu. Jim W6YA
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Thanks to K6XX for solving this problem with a huge power output surge
on certain bands while driving with the K3. With the proper drive level
set on a new band the first dit would display a huge surge over 1900w,
then settle down to normal over 2-3 seconds. This would happen again if
the dri
I solved the CM-500 pad wear problem by getting some black Geekria cloth
covers from Amazon. They fit snugly around the pads. On the right side
the top of the cover tended to slide down until I got out a needle and
thread and tied the edges together on the outside of the headset, just
under t
Ben, The process I use is to first clear all the tuner settings on the
band I'm using. I go to STBY and hit ATU TUNE. Low power is applied to
start the search. When I first got the amp I did this when in OPER, but
even with low drive power I kept getting faults due to initially high
SWR. Re
Bruce, I remember that one time I redid all my tuner settings on each
band and the STBY power was then reduced to the same value as the drive
power. I had to set each band back to 100w in STBY. That solved the
problem. Check it out. It's a per-band setting. 73, Jim W6YA
Bruce,
You can set the KPA1500 to automatically go to STBY when you change
bands. Band Change > STBY: YES.
Jim
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Po
Jim, Thanks for the info. You understand the problem for sure. Dick is
being very helpful now, but I'm getting erratic data for him because
switching between antennas sometimes only results in "NEED TUNE PWR"
with OK result after a few seconds, and other times I get the fault due
to initially
Dave, yes, one coax from the amp to a manual switch. Your question is
the same as mine. Somehow the KPA1500 should know by sensing a rise in
SWR and shutting down most of the drive power or output somehow so the
tuner can go through its motions without excessive output or a fault.
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I meant to say the tuner settings were made with the KPA1500 in STBY
with the K3 TUNE PWR set to 40w. Jim
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I followed N4ZR’s thread and did not see a solution.I have the same
problem as Pete.I’ve got two antennas on 3 bands.I’ve put the tuner
settings in all the bins on those bands for each each antenna.Neither
antenna has SWR over 2.5:1.I can then step through the bins with RF on
each of those band
K3 owners know that the P3 doesn't memorize the REF LVL setting on 160m
like it does on the other bands, unless the K3 is returned to 160m
before powering off. Does anyone know if there was ever a fix for this
annoying problem? 73, Jim W6YA
I have saved URLs to 10 reflectors, but always have opted _OUT of Email_
from all of them. The saved links are to their _archives_ only, viewing
by thread. Some, like the Elecraft reflector and all the groups.io
lists, are continuous. Other archives for lists like CQ-Contest, RFI
list, etc.
Problem solved (so far)! I removed all cables from the K3, opened the
top and re-seated all the TMP connectors. When removing the cables I
noticed the screws holding the RS232 connector were loose and the
connector was very slightly unseated on the left side. After putting
everything back to
Martin, thanks for the suggestion. It sounds like a likely source. It
was also suggested to be a bad transistor in the LPA. His was from
experience, also. Will first reseat those TMP and other connectors this
weekend. I'll try to reach telephone support on Monday before I ship it
to Elecra
Pete, the problem occurs with the K-3 connected directly to a dummy load
or various antennas. Power is read on K3 and Bird wattmeter.
Mike, I'll try reseating all TMP connectors if there is no magic bullet.
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I have a spontaneous K3 failure after making no changes. This morning my
K3 has only 1 or 2w power output when set to 100w or around 32w when the
KPA1500 is turned on and set to OPER. It's the same on all bands and
with a dummy load. It worked fine last night for several QSOs. I tried
a 5w T
Thanks to those who responded with good suggestions. This morning I
turned it on and saw a different set of error codes, but there was
audio. Powered off and on and saw MAIN freq display, but SUB had
disappeared. More power off/on resulted in going back to normal
operation. It has been fine
Ted, thanks for the note. I checked the error list immediately after
the failure and thought about that EPROM failure as a possibility. The
power supply is fine. The radio had been powered up and failed while I
had dinner. I know there are some pin connectors to the front panel
that could b
Tonight my K-3 failed after being on for about an hour when I was
away.It displays ERR EE2.When powered on again the same ERR EE2 is
displayed.Tapping any button on the radio brings up a different error
message, such as DS1, FPF LOAD PENDING, BP1, LPF, IO3, IF1, and on and
on.Firmware reload is
The reflector added those asterisks. Forget them, just use ^FC1 and ^FC5
Jim
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Jim, I just programmed my PF keys in the KPA1500 for fan speed 0 or 1.
Connect the USB cable to your computer from the KPA1500
Turn on the amp
Open the KPA1500 Utility program
Click on Configuration, then Edit Configuration
Click on the PF Keys tab at top
To set PF1 to fan speed 1 type *^FC1
*To
Dennis, I had the same problem with the line out jack. Spraying contact
cleaner on a plug and working it around didn't help; one channel was
open. You need to replace the whole board unless you want a huge task.
Find someone who has upgraded his K-3 to a K-3s. He will probably have
the old
Some asked that I post results for the variable power output problem. I
now have a pretty good idea why output varies from 1350w to over 1700w
at a given temperature with a fixed drive level between 7.000 and
7.050. The problem occurs only on 40m. The antenna SWR varies from 1.4
on 7.000 to
That's not the point at all. It's about having to ride the drive level
control on the K-3 constantly, especially in a contest, to avoid sudden
output of 1700w.
Why worry about it? No one on the other end would be able to tell one bit
of difference. I see power drop -- maybe 5 - 10 percent
Dummy load is no problem and never has been.
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Eric,
If the attenuator had more attenuation that caused the drive to be
closer to the K-3 output I would think this would reduce the sensitivity
of the drive level with respect to change in power output. 6w change in
drive (from a larger input attenuator) from 80w would result in less
outpu
Jack,
Thanks for the idea. I've not checked power in the drive line from the
K-3. However, when running the K-3 barefoot with the amp on or off at
any power level I see none of these power changes in the K-3 output.
Other than my previous comment about drive levels, I have to wonder if
it
Don,
I'm seeing the power changes on the front panel of the amp, on the
Utility, and on the Bird external to the amplifier. The Bird 2500w slug
is about 40 years old, so it probably needs recalibrating. Still, I can
see the relative differences at all 3 spots. There is no fault in the
amp
Antenna is 2 el. delta. Uses 1/4 wave 70 ohm matching section.
Described in ON4UN's Low Band DXing. Used for 38 years with various
tube amplifiers and no tuners. All coax has been replaced as recently
as 10 years ago. SWR measurements always similar. Power output with
tube amps does not va
I'm using my K-3 with the KPA-1500 and have a problem with extreme
changes in power output with a given drive level on 40m CW. This
happens to a lesser extent on other bands with different antennas. My
40m antenna is tuned to 7.025 where SWR is 1.1:1. On 7.000 it is 1.4:1
and at 7.050 it's 1
I just spent 20 minutes trying to find 2.17 on the Elecraft KPA1500
Firmware download area. Only 2.10 and earlier betas are shown as
available. I get nowhere with the Utility. Where is 2.17 hidden? -Jim
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Bob and Mike,
Thanks for that tip. Somehow it got changed. Not sure how. That was
the answer! Thanks.
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One of the features I liked with the K-3/KPA-1500 combo was having power
setting in the K-3 remain at 100w for barefoot or amplifier STBY
position. When the KPA-1500 was set to OPER, the power from the K-3
reverted to the low drive level, such as 32w. Now it remains at one
power setting eithe
Today I called Yamaha parts dept. to order pads for my CM500. I was told
they don't supply any parts for that headset, but if the pads break down
within warranty they will just replace the entire headset. My son in law
does part time work for Yamaha, and verified that they work this way
with al
I ask the same question: Has anyone found a source for Yamaha CM500
replacement pads? The thin internal part that fits against the transducer
is very fragile and comes apart after a while. I assume by now someone out
there has replaced those pads.
73, Jim
W6YA
--
View this message in contex
After seeing some people complain about the burden of sorting through
the reflector Emails, I can't imagine why anyone would do that. It's
much easier to save a URL that goes right to the reflector, opening it
up with threads. You can scan through the titles in seconds to see if
there is anyt
Joe, Guy,
Thanks for the answer. That's what I was looking for in N1MM, but
missed it.
Guy, there are things that some of us still feel would be an improvement
for the K-3:
1. No amp keying until PTT is activated
2. Have at least the _option_ to have memories only affect the MAIN, not
the
On a recent post I discussed the need to use a memory to return to the
bottom of a CW band without changing the SUB frequency. While using
N1MM the best answer seems to be to use a zero in the entry window or
clicking on band bottom with the bandmap. However, this changes the CW
REV to CW (us
Ooops, I forgot to mention that the bandmap is in N1MM. Anyhow, that's
not an option.
Jim
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In CQWW CW it was common to find a pileup that was a big mess, or the DX
at the bottom of it was hard to ID for some reason. Time to move on and
return later. The frequency is left on the SUB receiver while tuning
the MAIN. Eventually I want to return to the bottom edge of the band
without s
Eric,
Next time I order a ARRL handbook, it will be AFTER they finally produce
it in two separate volumes. My 5 pound 2010 version is far, far too
unwieldy to use in most cases. I speak for many friends who stopped
ordering because it got too heavy. I think they are finally getting the
mess
This is a K-3 macro that I find useful for general DXing.
To start, assume you are calling a DX station that has several other
callers.You may have used your RIT or XIT or both, in order to get his
attention on the best frequency.Suddenly he announces that he's
listening "up." You need to "spli
Jim,
Thanks for those suggestions! It never occurred to me to decouple the
transformers from the AC line. In other words, disconnect the antenna
from the monster. I'm told that many of these little switchers have
toroids or little transformers in them that are pretty effective with
noise su
There is a very serious problem with the local noise source from low
voltage lighting systems. These are sold as pendants, single lights, or
multiple lights on a support, such as a bar. The retailer supplies them
with a choice of two types of transformers, either a regular magnetic
type (non
Ralph, VE7XF, took the words right from my own mouth. This situation is
unique, extremely annoying, and I have not been able to get used to this
anomaly after several years. Using my spare FT-1000D is a big relief in
that particular area. I have asked for a solution to this for years,
but to
Alan, Dick, Wayne
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for the FIXED TUNE
option!!
Now I will start using my P3 which previously had become a boat anchor!!
Fixed tune rules!
Jim
W6YA
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Thanks, Greg. Good observation. Since I only use the K-3, I'm SO2V.
With or without the "A" makes no difference.
I'll try putting this problem on the N1MM reflector... maybe someone
over there knows how to config N1MM properly. I think that's where the
problem is.
73, Jim
_
Last year N6ML came up with a great scheme for using 4 function keys on
the keyboard with N1MM to key the KDVR3 on SSB. I used it afterward in
the CQWW SSB contest, and it worked flawlessly. Now, for some reason,
it won't work in this ARRL SSB DX contest. The entry in N1MM for those
keys had
Juergen and others.
I'm glad to see this thread get so much attention; it's about time this
issue was brought into focus. In spite of my huge appreciation for this
radio, I find it to be very noisy and fatiguing to listen to, especially
with weak signals.
I have, like others, tried all t
The new audio mix feature for dual receiving is great, but I have a
suggestion to improve it. Right now the mix doesn't show any right-left
perception, apparently due to full mix between channels. Signals from
both main and sub appear directly in front, so it's hard to tell which
channel is w
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