[Elecraft] MicroHAM DigiKeyer II with K3S

I have two MicroHAM DigiKeyer II's that I have used for years with Yaesu FT1000 Mark-V transceivers. I recently switched to using Elecraft K3S radios and purchased two new MicroHAM cables. I cannot get the MicroHAM router to recognize the frequency of my newest K3S. I have the radio RS232 set to

Re: [Elecraft] slightly OT -- acceptable network switch (aka Linksysproduces birdies)

I tried putting loads of mix 31 toroids on the lines, and it did very little. I'm wondering of moving to gigabit will change things. I tried using different power supplies I had on hand, but those had absolutely no effect on the noise. It's coming from the network switch. -john NE4U On Feb 6,

Re: [Elecraft] K3/K3S noise blanker performance greatly enhanced (at my QTH) -- need testers

Noise reduction is a difficult problem and hearing aid manufacturers have been trying to solve it for the last couple of decades. One important point to note is that noise reduction is normally aimed at reducing subjective noise and therefore reducing fatigue. Generally what you are doing is

Re: [Elecraft] K3S and RTTY Contesting with N1MM+/MMTTY

There is some confusion evident in your post on the roles of the connections between the radio and the computer. There are three separate connections needed for operation in data modes (possibly four in FSK). The first of these connections is for rig control from N1MM+. On a K3, this is the

[Elecraft] FS: K3/100 w/options

K3/100 Serial #250 with following options: KAT3 internal tuner KXV3 IO board KPA100 500 hZ cw filter. Gold pins on KPA and KREF boards. 12V rear panel mod. DSP upgrade board. Back from Elecraft in Jan 2016. Reason for selling-bought K3s. Will be shipped from W3FPR QTH to CONUS. $1995 plus 1/2

Re: [Elecraft] MicroHAM DigiKeyer II with K3S

I think I spent too long trying to resolve this when I really had some other plans on this beautiful sunny day and I did a poor job of swapping devices for troubleshooting. I believe that the problem is related to one of my DigiKeyer IIs. I just tried an old original design DigiKeyer that I had

Re: [Elecraft] Balun Questions

Almost all of G3TXQ's tests on his website with ferrite core baluns involved RG58, so I figured RG8X would be even better. I have a lot of it, and no RG58. Luckily, these things are easy to work with, so if I ever have/want/need to change it, it's so easy even a lawyer can do it, 3 out of 5

Re: [Elecraft] K3/K3S noise blanker performance greatly enhanced (at my QTH) -- need testers

David, My father made something like that many years ago. I'm thinking it is still here, one of the many things yet to be uncovered in his shack. Its in a blue plastic enclosure, I'll know it when I see it. He'd been a ham since 36 or 37 and he was an EE, worked for General Dynamics in

Re: [Elecraft] Balun Questions

Bob makes an excellent point. I've seen cases where even "solid" dielectric did that over time because, after all, it is not really solid. The dielectric is plastic so the coax can be bent. All coax has a minimum bending radius specification. Specific data is available on line but, in general,

Re: [Elecraft] MicroHAM DigiKeyer II with K3S

How have you connected Digikeyer II to the "RS-232 Port" in your K3S? Are you sure the RJ-45 connector is seated correctly and none of the wire/contacts have been crossed/dislocated? 73, ... Joe, W4TV On 2/6/2016 4:14 PM, j...@kk9a.com wrote: I have two MicroHAM DigiKeyer II's that I

Re: [Elecraft] Balun Questions

Tell me about it! I made a 1/2 wave balun for a 432 yagi. I used Times FM-8 foam coax. (RG-8 sized with low loss foam dielectric) and it was bent in a U shape that did not exceed the bending radius. I tested it with a 700 watt output amplifier and the VSWR went through the roof in under a

Re: [Elecraft] Balun Questions

If one wants a small 50 ohm coax that will take QRO with a very large margin and was *designed* for bending and use in aircraft wiring harnesses then use RG400 to wind around your core. RG400 uses a fine stranded silvered copper center conductor that is more flexible than its Teflon dielectric. It

[Elecraft] APF (audio peaking filter) on the K3/K3S/KX3

I've been using APF in my K3 since it was in Beta testing. I love it! I've found it necessary to use both the shift and Fine tuning-- these are not optional for effective use of APF. I've been using macros to engage and dis-engage the APF. One reason I keep combing through the Elecraft

Re: [Elecraft] slightly OT -- acceptable network switch (aka Linksysproduces birdies)

I am of the opinion that most if not all the issues associated with "noisy networks" is cheap switching power supplies that comes with the equipment. Cat5/6 cable in and of itself is pretty immune to noise pickup because of the twist in the conductors. That twist is there to knock down

Re: [Elecraft] Balun Questions

On Saturday, February 6, 2016, Jim Allen wrote: > I used RG8X coax, a 2.4" core, not sure exactly what mix, and 11 turns. > There is a *huge* variation in core materials and performance specifics found in the FT241 form factor. It really matters what the actual

Re: [Elecraft] K3/K3S noise blanker performance greatly enhanced (at my QTH) -- need testers

Even if this works for your noise, I wonder how well it will work using a wide roofing filter in contest conditions. Perhaps for RX testing only you can select a different narrower TX filter? John KK9A Bill W4ZV btippett at alum.mit.edu Sat Feb 6 05:34:34 EST 2016 I've been having a problem

Re: [Elecraft] Balun Questions

Ok, so this morning, I went out to the shack and whipped up a balun, from a G3TXQ design I found on the website of W5DXP.com. It is coax wrapped around a ferrite core, with appropriate connectors in a plastic weathertight box. I used RG8X coax, a 2.4" core, not sure exactly what mix, and 11

Re: [Elecraft] Balun Questions

If you're driving a 50 ohm load, then the cable wound around the core is just an extension of the transmission line and has no impedance modifying effects. The significant parameter is the common mode (CM) impedance. G3TXQ discusses a way to measure it here:

Re: [Elecraft] slightly OT -- acceptable network switch (aka Linksysproduces birdies)

John I think I have been mis-understood; or perhaps I mis-spoke. ;-) I could not migrate to gigabit ethernet from 10 MBPS because the CAT5 cable I was using only had two available pairs. I replaced the CAT5 with CAT6 with 4 available pairs, but that alone would not have solved my birdie

[Elecraft] K3S and RTTY Contesting with N1MM+/MMTTY

I am just posting to see what is the experience with others. I have a new K3S radio that uses the new USB for Sound and Radio Control. For RTTY contesting I use N1MM+ with the MMTTY interface. Since the USB Codec control appears to act differently than a standard serial port, I need to put

Re: [Elecraft] slightly OT -- acceptable network switch (aka Linksysproduces birdies)

After reading all of this, I investigated my system here. First, no birdies found on any of the bands. WHEW! Noise on the 160M center fed wire w/balanced feed line is about S-3 this morning, noise on the coax fed 75M inverted V is S-2, and noise on the coax fed 40M inverted V is S-3, and

Re: [Elecraft] Balun Questions

I would have concern that long term usage of RG-8X, being foam core dielectric material and bent in a tight radius, may allow the center conductor to migrate to the inside radius of the bend. The Minimum Bend Radius for RG-8X is 2.50". Thus the tight bend will allow the center conductor

[Elecraft] Script for setting tuner values?

I was wondering if anyone has written a script using the CAT commands for the KX3 or KXPA100 to incrementally go through the ham bands and tune? Something like: Change VFO A to frequency at bottom of band TUNE //the value for that match is stored in memory of tuner Change VFO A to previous

Re: [Elecraft] K3/K3S noise blanker performance greatly enhanced (at my QTH) -- need testers

Hi Bill. Does the same thing happen if you use the filters in the SubRX for the experiment? 73, Guy K2AV On Saturday, February 6, 2016, Bill W4ZV wrote: > wayne burdick wrote > > 2.8 kHz should give some improvement over a narrow filter on some types > of > > noise.

Re: [Elecraft] Balun Questions

Yep, good stuff. Be sure of your budget before buying a roll. It is a bit pricey. Handles legal limit HF power with a reasonable SWR. 73 Bob, K4TAX On 2/6/2016 7:10 PM, Robert Nobis wrote: I have used RG303/U for chokes. A bit smaller diameter than RG400 (0.170 versus 0.195 inches).

Re: [Elecraft] slightly OT -- acceptable network switch (aka Linksysproduces birdies)

The answer for me was shielded CAT 5. Different switches just produced noise at different places. Was also greatly affected by devices plugged in. On 02/06/2016 01:11 PM, Kevin Stover wrote: > I am of the opinion that most if not all the issues associated with > "noisy networks" is cheap

Re: [Elecraft] MicroHAM DigiKeyer II with K3S

The connectors on the MicroHAM cable and the Elecraft RJ-45 adaptor are properly seated. If I plug (swap) the MicroHAM DB-15 and USB into an obsolete DigiKeyer using the same radio, cables and computer the router recognizes the K3S frequency and it all appears to work properly. The other strange

Re: [Elecraft] slightly OT -- acceptable network switch (aka Linksysproduces birdies)

On Sat,2/6/2016 9:24 AM, Larry Gauthier (K8UT) wrote: I could not migrate to gigabit ethernet from 10 MBPS because the CAT5 cable I was using only had two available pairs. I'm confused by this statement. CAT5, 5e, and 6 are four pair cables. The pairs have a tight twist but each has a

Re: [Elecraft] Balun Questions

I can second Jim's concern about have one's work usurped by another. I can recall Googling a topic and having a paper come up on some Canadian's website that appeared to be written by him but in fact was my ladderline paper. I emailed him and asked him nicely to remove it and simply link to

Re: [Elecraft] Balun Questions

Guy, After reviewing specs from several manufacturers, the “recommended” minimum bend radius for RG303 and RG400 is essentially the same at 1.0 inches. 73, Bob Nobis - N7RJN n7...@nobis.net > On Feb 6, 2016, at 23:07, Guy Olinger K2AV wrote: > > RG303 is not rated

Re: [Elecraft] Balun Questions

Bob, Yes, it is a bit expensive: $2.91 per foot from “The Wireman” plus shipping. (For lengths under 100 feet.) 73, Bob Nobis - N7RJN n7...@nobis.net > On Feb 6, 2016, at 18:21, Bob McGraw K4TAX wrote: > > Yep, good stuff. Be sure of your budget before buying a

Re: [Elecraft] Balun Questions

A favorite of mine for transmission line transformers or common-mode chokes (a.k.a. "baluns") is to use a twisted pair instead of coax. Cheap and effective and with a little calculation you can approximate any impedance line you want. K2 builders know this technique from winding T6 in their

Re: [Elecraft] Balun Questions

I have used RG303/U for chokes. A bit smaller diameter than RG400 (0.170 versus 0.195 inches). RG303/U has a solid copper center conductor that is silver plated. The shield for RG303 is also silver plated copper. The jacket is Class 9 Teflon. Also the dielectric material is teflon. 73, Bob

Re: [Elecraft] slightly OT -- acceptable network switch (aka Linksysproduces birdies)

ALL Cat-5 and CAT-5e is 4-pair wire. All Cat-5 wires are NOT alike... Just like NOT all HF+6 radios are alike... Buy "Elecraft" quality CAT-5e cables, and you shouldn't have to worry about it. Unless you're worried about signal leakage arounf or above the design frequency of near about 300

Re: [Elecraft] Balun Questions

RG303 is not rated for the tight bends. RG400 with its fine stranded center conductor is rated for corner bends in aircraft wiring harnesses and will not deform the dielectric within the bends. I would not wind any solid center conductor coax on a toroid. I would only buy cut lengths of RG400

Re: [Elecraft] Balun Questions

Wow, that is eye opening! I always thought I was just lazy/cheap when I merely polished my amplifier tank coils and sprayed them with clear plastic (Krylon), but it seems I was doing the right thing after all. Vic 4X6GP/K2VCO > On 7 Feb 2016, at 3:48 AM, Wes (N7WS) wrote: >

Re: [Elecraft] Balun Questions

On Sat,2/6/2016 4:33 PM, Jim Allen wrote: Almost all of G3TXQ's tests on his website with ferrite core baluns involved RG58, so I figured RG8X would be even better. I have a lot of it, and no RG58. Did you study the material on my website? My measurement method is clearly described in

Re: [Elecraft] slightly OT -- acceptable network switch (aka > Linksysproduces birdies)

Bob, Just a quick question here. Are your power feeds Romex/NM, or is everything run in conduit? Would/could that make a difference (i.e. can electrical noise from a device such as a modem/router or its power supply be radiated via the home's AC wiring?) TNX/73, Al On Sat, 6 Feb 2016

Re: [Elecraft] Balun Questions

On oft repeated myth. See: http://k6mhe.com/n7ws/Plating.pdf On 2/6/2016 5:49 PM, Guy Olinger K2AV wrote: That's silvered strands whose silver sulphide patina or tarnish is conductive as opposed to the green copper sulphate that separates copper strands that have been water soaked.

Re: [Elecraft] K3/K3S noise blanker performance greatly enhanced (at my QTH) -- need testers

Isn't that how the Transporter in Star Trek works?  :) -- 73's, and thanks, Dave For software/hardware reviews see: http://www.nk7z.net For MixW support see: https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/mixw/info For SSTV help see: http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/MM-SSTV/info On Sun, 2016-02-07

Re: [Elecraft] APF (audio peaking filter) on the K3/K3S/KX3

N1EU wrote > I suspect that when the K3 APF was first engineered, the Yaesu FT-1000D > APF > (original hi-Q version) was used as the model because many prominent > dx'ers/topbanders always raved about it. I lifted the "original" FT-1000D APF from the schematic in 2009 and Al W6LX did a circuit

Re: [Elecraft] K3/K3S noise blanker performance greatly enhanced (at my QTH) -- need testers

I just discovered the same thing. I found the perfect noise to try it on on 15m, too. 73, Vic, 4X6GP/K2VCO Rehovot, Israel http://www.qsl.net/k2vco/ On 6 Feb 2016 12:34, Bill W4ZV wrote: wayne burdick wrote 2.8 kHz should give some improvement over a narrow filter on some types of noise.

Re: [Elecraft] K3/K3S noise blanker performance greatly enhanced (at my QTH) -- need testers

wayne burdick wrote > 2.8 kHz should give some improvement over a narrow filter on some types of > noise. Worth a try. Just temporarily tell the firmware that it's a little > bit wider than your narrow filter, then use the WIDTH control to switch > between narrow and wide. Re-optimize the NB