Re: [Elecraft] OT: High school drafting class, ~1975

Wayne, Thanks for sharing the memories. I had been drawing things since a child, won a contest with a local radio show for my crayon drawings at age five. By the time I was in college I was already good at that. I got 1/2 point off one of my drawings in drafting class, otherwise got 100% (f

Re: [Elecraft] FS: MFJ-269B

SOLD! only took a few hours to receive an offer. Was shipped on Monday. Thanks. 73, Ed - KL7UW http://www.kl7uw.com Dubus-NA Business mail: dubus...@gmail.com __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinf

[Elecraft] FS: MFJ-269B

Thought maybe someone on the list might be interested. Used for several years but fully functional. 450 KHz to 170 MHz and 420 to 470 MHz. $200 and free shipping within the USA. Write me off list for details. Modification of MFJ-269B to 500-KHz (k

Re: [Elecraft] Can I rent a K4?

So one of you multi-millionaires might buy a dozen K4 and set up a rental business. Hmm? Rent at month minimum period for 10% of value and have clause to recover any damage. They rent cars that way. Of course they require the renter to have full-coverage insurance. So there is another bu

Re: [Elecraft] Automatic lightning protection for radios

This is a little bit "tongue-in-cheek" reply: Only sure way to avoid lightning is to live where there is no lightning. I happen to live in such a location. We hear thunder every other year and see.see/hear lightning about once out of four years. Odds of an earthquake or volcano eruption is m

Re: [Elecraft] Head Phones

I have a very old Sony MDR-V600 which is not noise cancelling but great sound and muffs very comfortable over my over-ear hearing aids. I bought the Antlion boom mic which uses a small earth magnet cemented to the head phones to mount the boom mic. I don't use the mic very much in the shack,

Re: [Elecraft] External sound card advice needed to attach to K3

Lets see, you know enough how to set up audio for running FT8 (wsjt-x) but not enough to disable alert tones?? Actually my solution is easier: I have a separate computer for running my ham radio programs so never need to hear that computer "burp". Internet and e-mail done on a separate comput

Re: [Elecraft] Used antenna - Arecio antenna collapses

Really a shame to see its demise. It might not be re-built in Puerto Rico due to exposure to Hurricanes and encroaching civilization threatens the radio quiet area for useful radio astronomy. Wonder if a new site might be chosen (someday)? I copied the 432 MHz SSB signal from Arecibo using m

[Elecraft] KX3: Computer I/F

Have posted new webpage showing my KX3 computer interface (diagram but no photos, yet): http://www.kl7uw.com/KX3_Computer_Interface.htm 73, Ed - KL7UW http://www.kl7uw.com Dubus-NA Business mail: dubus...@gmail.com __ Elecraft ma

[Elecraft] OT: KL7UW QRV for 6m eme/ms

Although my 2m-eme system is down (until next summer), my 6m station is QRV with two 7-element LFA yagis and 1000w for eme/meteor scatter/50.313 (FT8). I am aware that KL7 is highly sought after for 6m WAS & DXCC. Look for my activity on ON4KST chat/50-MHz IARU Region 2 and pskreporter.com. I

Re: [Elecraft] KIO3B Main Board Repair

Received e-mail from Elecraft that my KIO3 board is being shipped. Cost of new digital board $187.50 + $17.50 shipping. So my K3 will be restored for operating JT65 on eme end of the month. Only my 2m-eme array and tower crashed two days ago in high winds. http://www.kl7uw.com/2m-eme_down_1.

Re: [Elecraft] KIO3B Main Board Repair

In my case the RS232 I/F in my K3 (SN-4340) quit communicating with WSJT-X. Tested with K3 Utility with same result. Tried a different USB/RS232 cable, still not communicating. Troubleshot 9-pin receptacle and discovered the ground pin was not grounded. Pulled out the KIO3A and found the ch

Re: [Elecraft] Are Elecraft accepting return to Manufacturer for repairs yet

I returned my KIO3A module for repair of the digital I/F board. It arrived Sept. 30 and I just received word that the board will have to be replaced. They are awaiting a run of new boards. My original est. was 15-20 days (its now 28) and am hoping I can have it back in time to participate in

Re: [Elecraft] Amplitude variation on K3S with JT65B

Conrad and all: Another reason I am glad that I chose the 2.8 KHz and 400 Hz filters when I purchased my K3 in 2010. I do not use the 2nd IF when I run 2m-eme (JT65B under MAP65). In fact I have FL3 open (no filter) and select it in diversity mode to reduce zero frequency "suck out" on the

Re: [Elecraft] Elecraft 20M SSB Net for Sunday, September 27, 2020

I listened on 14.303.5 but heard briefly a SSB signal two minutes before the net time and nothing after. Been a long time since I checked in. Years ago Phil NS7P was net control and I could hear him often. Even WWV was missing on 15-MHz so guess 20m was not reaching up here. I run 100w int

Re: [Elecraft] K4 IF signal 'OUT' for external application useage

OK, so the only thing I do with ethernet is connect to the Internet via a router. So would the K4 ethernet connect via the router using a local network to communicate with my computer? I have that option to network my printer between multiple computers. One related question will the etherne

Re: [Elecraft] Elecraft] "Introduction to the Elecraft K4" manual now available

Impressive. I can see a lot of work went into this (I was a former tech writer for Hughes Aircraft 1968-71). If I could afford it, I would be on board to order the K4D when the VHF/UHF modules are available. My K3/10 (SN-4340) does well for me, though. 73, Ed - KL7UW http://www.kl7uw.com

Re: [Elecraft] K3: KIO3 digital board failed (I think)

Working with Rob at Elecraft Service, I removed and checked the KIO3 Digital I/F board and found L1 blown. L2, L3, R12, and R13 are all good. L1 is on the ground lead from the sub-D9 connector, pin 5 to ground in the K3. Definitely blown as there is a carbon smudge next to L1. I installed a

[Elecraft] K3: KIO3 dgital board failed (I think)

My K3 SN 4340 bought in 2010 apparently has a failure in the RS232 I/F. My computer says the FDTI cable is working and using com port-6 but there is no connection using the K3 Utility or WSJT-X which was running fine in July. The radio no longer keys up on computer boot-up as before. I bough

Re: [Elecraft] [OT] A Very Quiet Day

Here in Alaska, we have frequent power outages. More often in winter due to wind storms knocking down wires. A few years ago we bought a 6500w Honda inverter generator to provide emergency power. Its large enough to supply the entire house load. One of the interesting things was noting the

Re: [Elecraft] Inverted L for 160 meters

Originally, I was looking to hang a half-square on 80m as accidently ended up with two 50-foot towers spaced 130-foot apart. But then around 2011, I got interested and joined the ARRL 600m Experimental Group and was looking at 600m antennas. With just under 2-acres (200x300 foot). there was j

Re: [Elecraft] K4 shipping info

I'm not waiting as I did not order one, but... Won't it be simpler for Elecraft to post this on a link from their website. Those who want to know could access and management would be an addition for the Elecraft webmaster to handle. I have an extensive personal website and also manage a VHF

Re: [Elecraft] Inverted L for 160 meters

Kevinr, I have an inverted-L on 630m (that is 475 KHz) and is simply a vertical section with one horizontal section. A quarter wave vertical for 1.8 MHz would be 137-foot high so 80 foot is going to be short. The horizontal wires add capacitance to the top end of the vertical effectively sh

Re: [Elecraft] KIO3B waiting list

e two trips with it. Can't leave AK this year due to corona-virus so will be second summer it has been parked. Beginning to doubt wisdom of that purchase. (roughly $70K). 73, Ed - KL7UW At 12:50 PM 8/5/2020, Edward R Cole wrote: Lots about this option, but what exactly does the upgrade p

Re: [Elecraft] KIO3B waiting list

Lots about this option, but what exactly does the upgrade provide over the standard board? My K3, SN4340 dates from 2010 so assume it has a KIO3 board (not sure if A or B version). Trying to determine if I want/need the upgrade. I did add EXREF, TCXO3, upgraded both Synth boards and Gen Cove

[Elecraft] K3: interference on 50.313

Had a strange signal on 50.313 a couple days ago. To memory it was centered on 1500 Hz and about 1000-Hz wide. I went about looking for sources and disconnecting cables. With all antenna connections disconnected it was still there (oh bad). But I also wondered if a setting might have change

Re: [Elecraft] Tired of fretting about the K4.....see what a KX2 looks like at 12, 800 ft

Thanks for the write-up and especially the photos. Takes me back to my Sierra hiking days mid-1970's! 1977 I logged nearly 500 miles in the mountains (every weekend). I think there were less crowds back then. Solo hiking was quiet-serene. I also backpacked with the JPL Hiking Club back the

[Elecraft] (no subject)

73, Ed - KL7UW http://www.kl7uw.com Dubus-NA Business mail: dubus...@gmail.com __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.

Re: [Elecraft] Matching resonant antennas

Interesting discussion: But most of us probably tune our antennas for best SWR at the desired frequency. I have a dual-band 80-40m inverted-V with apex at 40-foot and 80m wire tail at 20-foot. The separate 40m wire is spaced 6-inches from the 80m wire with wooden dowels. I found by trial-n

[Elecraft] OT: CQ VHF Contest this weekend

Although not about Elecraft products: I though there may be some 6m ops on the list looking to work Alaska (KL7). I will be on with 3-element yagi pointed to West Coast of US running 80w on 50.313 (900-Hz) FT8. I will be using "Contest Mode" which exchanges four-digit grid squares instead of

Re: [Elecraft] KX3 power out

I also have the KX3 with 2m module and ATU. My understanding is Auto is used to tune the antenna but you then switch to MAN to operate after the ATU tunes to your antenna (my KXPA100/KXTA100 works the same way). My original 2m module (kit) did not reach full output so I returned the module t

Re: [Elecraft] KPA500 max heat sink temp?

Not a burning need, but I could see buying a KPA500 some day. I have the K3/10 and KX3 which are both 12w output and drive my KXPA100, nicely. It has the KXAT100 tuner. If I decided to have high power on HF that might also mean an upgrade in HF yagi (20-10m). I have an aged Hygain TH3mk4 wh

Re: [Elecraft] Difference in dummy loads

I bought an air-cooled Bird 8201 rated 500w to 3-GHz from e-bay for $300. It can handle 1500w for short transmissions. 73, Ed - KL7UW http://www.kl7uw.com Dubus-NA Business mail: dubus...@gmail.com __ Elecraft mailing list Home:

Re: [Elecraft] K3s noise figure spec

Dave, I don't know the NF, but my K3 with PR6 (which the K3s supposedly has internal) has a MDS of -145 dBm at 500-Hz bandwidth. That is fine for 50-MHz on eme (most demanding mode). I have a ARR P50VDG preamp at the base of my 6m-eme tower which provides 0.5 dBNF with 24 dB gain. I run it

[Elecraft] FD on 6m from Alaska

I plan to operate class-D on 6m FT8 during FD. I will be running my K3+KXPA100 (80w) with a 3-element yagi pointed SE (favoring the West Coast). This will be casual and intermittent calling/monitoring. I will call odd sequence (as I will be west of all except HI). Per special rules my log wi

Re: [Elecraft] FIXED--was NOT the feedline

My two cents worth: Professionally, I used a layer of Scotch-70 self-fusing tape covered by two layers of Scoth-33+ black electric tape. This was on coax cable connectors on small vessels that were in salt-water exposure. Removing 5-years afterward, connectors were still bright,dry, and loo

[Elecraft] (no subject)

Just read the KX3 (with upgraded firmware) does 15w output, so 31.6* x 15w = 474w from a KPA500; *15-dB. I have the KX3 but not the KPA500. 73, Ed - KL7UW From: "hawley, charles j jr" To: Tommy Judson Cc: Edward via Elecraft Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Availability I think I would get the K

Re: [Elecraft] KX3/KX2 remote for FD

I agree with what Bob says: So a couple comments: Whether we realize it (or not) the pandemic "is" an emergency, so this year's FD has different restrictions which may not be supported by the "contest rules". 15-years as communications chief for an emergency response organization, the overwh

Re: [Elecraft] Establishing A New Station

Look at my website for example of KX3 plus KXPA100 installed in an RV (4wd truck, in my case, which tows a 5th wheel): http://www.kl7uw.com/Mobile.htm 73, Ed - KL7UW http://www.kl7uw.com Dubus-NA Business mail: dubus...@gmail.com

Re: [Elecraft] Rig forCW

OK. So lets look at what 15-dB does with 10w; answer 316w. So if you bought a KPA500 might feel that's wasting its full potential. If you had a K3/10 or K3s/10 they put out 15w with the firmware upgrade. That would result in 474w. 474/600 is 1-dB. But then what is the cost differential be

Re: [Elecraft] CM500 headset on K3S and KX3?

A couple years ago I bought the CM500 based on al the nice comments by others on this list. They failed me terribly; set up howling like a banshee minute I put them on (over my hearing aids) and not even connected to the radio. My hearing so poor that the amount of gain in my hearing aids fed

Re: [Elecraft] KX3 digital 0ps?

For running the KX3 on digital modes, I bought the Rigblaster OHMIC on suggestion by W7GJ: http://www.bigskyspaces.com/w7gj/KX3.htm Probably not make as many modification as I will just connect CW key to the KEY jack. I'm not doing eme with the KX3 s

Re: [Elecraft] Upper limits of KPA500?

That seems excessive (shows good engineering). FM seems to be the hardest mode on amps. If you are long-winded probably exceed 3-minutes which is common Time-out-timer limit on commercial FM gear (and several ham rigs, too). I have a fan switch on my 150w 2m amp and too often forget to switc

Re: [Elecraft] OT: The Great KPA Fan Mystery

My comment NOT about Elecraft cooling design, but: I am finding a lot of amplifier designs place fans to exhaust heated air with cool air being drawn into the heat sink by the partial vacuum created by the fans. My 6m converted Harris ch.2 TV linear is set up this way (amp has openings in th

Re: [Elecraft] OT: The Colpitts mystery

I guess a lot of us took the Commercial Radiotelephone License. I got my Novice and Technician License by my mentor. That was the General Class written exam back then. Tried several times to pass my General CW test at the Detroit FCC office (we lived 70-miles away so not qualified for a Cond

Re: [Elecraft] RX Ant K3 Preamp vs External Preamp

Indeed! Most eme'rs encounter this issue some point in their operation. I started out on 144-MHz with only 100w on CW. Then began use of digital in 2003. But it was not until I started running above 800w in 2011 that I began to see preamp failure. I like my preamps to not see RF over 0 dBm

Re: [Elecraft] RX Ant K3 Preamp vs External Preamp

Assuming this question is for the K3, K3S, and K4, then the only bands that preamp NF and preamp location matter is on 10m & 6m. I run eme on 50, 144, and 1296 MHz; at 144 and above a so-called masthead preamp (close to antenna) makes a difference in receiver sensitivity (ability to hear the w

Re: [Elecraft] K3S poor CW keying further investigation

Just an observation regarding Don's comment: Last week I decided to do my radio shack reorganization (complete relocation of things) and one result is the main 12v line from my station Astron 50M PS, which is welding wire (no.6 awg?), to my main distribution strip was shortened from about 16 t

Re: [Elecraft] Elecraft K3s, etc. bonding

Interesting statement. How did you determine this? I brought home from work my professional service monitor and checked my K3 (SN-4340) s-meter. Except from S0-S1 all other steps were exactly 6-dB. S9 = -73 dBm as advertised. I didn't bother much measuring above S9 so cannot comment on lin

Re: [Elecraft] [Elecraft-K3] Latest on the new home for my K3...

I'm halfway thru a complete shack reorg. Cabling not so fancy but I am using peg-board with tiewraps thru the holes to dress cables. I have 17 external antenna cables and at least that many rotator and control cables going outside. Main advantage of the reorg is shortening cable length to bo

Re: [Elecraft] Power supply for KS

Maybe find an old one that still working?? My Astron 50A analog PS has been run 24/7 for 16 years (or so) and was in commercial use before (years?). Previous to it I bought an Astron V35M (new in 1980) which lasted many years until blowing (open) one of the rectifier diodes. It sits on my w

Re: [Elecraft] KX3/KXPA100 as a mobile?

I would say the pair were designed for mobile operation. Be sure to use the RJ45 control cable to remotely control the KXPA100. I installed mine in my Ford F2504x4 truck for use when traveling with our 30-foot 5th wheel trailer. Details: http://www.kl7uw.com/Mob

Re: [Elecraft] 75ohm Impedance question K3S and Antenna side.

I agree with those who say just try it with TV cable connected, direct. Tuner will keep the transmitter happy. If you can cut the run to integrals of half wave that might be marginally better on Tx. Back before WWII hams never worried about SWR and just maxed RF current. Open-wire transmiss

Re: [Elecraft] The Big Three...

Probably not add much of value to this discussion. When I first got my K3 in 2010 using the internal speaker the SSB audio seemed harsh. So didn't take me long to hook up my old 10-inch 1950's era National speaker (made a lot of difference). For demanding operation (usually meaning working v

Re: [Elecraft] Off-Topic: Your advice/suggestion about antenna

OK, well one can study theory for several years before deciding what antenna to use ... or just put up something and try it. My guess a quarter-wave vertical with some radials will work. How well? You will only find out by trying it. My favorite HF antenna has been the simple half-wave dipole

Re: [Elecraft] Off-Topic: Your advice/suggestion about antenna

As far as a vertical mounted on solid rock, ever heard of radials? Almost all analysis shows angle lowering by copious addition of radials to a vertical. I suggest You find the QEX articles written By Rudy-N6LF which studied radials thoroughly. Even with very short radials my 630m inverted-

Re: [Elecraft] KAT500 antenna selection

630m is a 7-KHz wide band. Probably not requiring an auto-tuner. Most on 630m will be running a very short antenna in terms of wavelength which usually incorporates a large loading coil in series. My 630m antenna is an Inverted-L 43 by 122 feet and I have a base coil to ground which tunes ou

Re: [Elecraft] SSB Net on 20 and 40 meters

First off all the e-mail in the digest I received at 8:27am on Monday, Feb. 24 were posted on Saturday, Feb.22. Is it normal for the digest to wait 48-hours before posting. My email is set for auto-checking every 30-minutes. Kevin's CW Net announcement was only 24-hours late by the time I re

Re: [Elecraft] QRO - KPA500 Failure

I checked the operating specs on two of my QRO amps. Not a KPA500. 2m-1500w PA using a MRF1K50 in class AB: 945w 1398w dc 67% eff 453w disp 1511w 1888w dc 80% eff 377w disp 2m-1200w PA using a MRFE6VP61K25H in class AB: 566w 1200w dc 47% eff 634w disp 1133w 1542w dc 73% eff 409w disp les

Re: [Elecraft] KX3 with KPA100/KAT100

At first I read KXPA100, not KPA100. Of course the KXPA100 was designed to be a companion to the KX3. I have one and drive it with either my KX3 or K3/10 (10w version of the K3). I suppose one could build an interface from KX3 to KPA100. Basic need would be PTT, RF drive, and Band switching

Re: [Elecraft] Ameritron 240V inrush limiter: any benefit on a KPA500?

I used on-rush current limiting series resistors on the 240vac input to my 4200 volt transformer and one on the 5v filament of my 8877 amplifier. The filament drew normal 11A, so on-rush was huge. Simple resistor-capacitor time constant timer controlled relay to short out large 50w and 100w

Re: [Elecraft] Copying CW at high speeds

I'm not a high speed CW operator. Most of my operation was on 40m in my Novice year and a little on CW eme. I found my self hearing complete words or character groups at about 10wpm. Examples: CQ, QRZ, SK, Name, RST, 73, QTH, and certain well known callsigns. Others that I can't recall at t

Re: [Elecraft] Upgrading the Shack

This topic probably worn out. I ran a small ham radio business and used USPS to domestic and international destinations with good results (most of the time). There was one shipment to the UK that was sent to Canada, and another to Germany was fowarded by funkpost to Saudia Arabia (fortunately

Re: [Elecraft] Reaching Across the Chronological Divide

Sub-Topic: survival in emergencies. I had a good "taste"of that a few years ago when the road from Anchorage to the Kenai Peninsula (pop 60K) (where I live) was blocked by avalanches for three weeks. All store products come by truck down that 180-mile road (there is only one road). Power tie

Re: [Elecraft] K3 - Power cable voltage drop

In my current station layout the rack-mounted Astron-50M is separated from the radio shelf, so I need a 15-foot run of cable. The Astron runs 14.2 vdc. I have 13.69 v at the main power strip (handles 10ga wiring). The primary dc power cable is No. 6 welding cable (more flexible than std No.

Re: [Elecraft] Operating from a retirement home

First off, I question the legality of renting a ham station for profit (which this example seems to be). But it seems to be done for renting stations in exotic (rare DX) locations with no heart attack by hamdom. Treated as vacation rentals. But owning your own remote located station using in

Re: [Elecraft] THE FUTURE OF OUR HOBBY

Quoting myself: "an inexpensive entry level transceiver might find market with newcomers on tight budgets (eg the K1, etc.); something other than a VHF HT", the $150 ten-watt HF transceiver based on SDR is what I was thinking of: Today's "Heathkit Lunchbox"! From: John Harper To: Elecraft li

Re: [Elecraft] Installing a Sub Receiver

I have two of the old synth boards for the K3. Available for FREE plus $7.90 for small USPS Priority Mail box 73, Ed - KL7UW http://www.kl7uw.com Dubus-NA Business mail: dubus...@gmail.com __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http:/

Re: [Elecraft] THE FUTURE OF OUR HOBBY

Mentors for ham radio: Well, I had only one who was a young music teacher in a nearby town who taught a ham class in the evening. I got my father to drive to them and the teacher lent me one of the paper tape CW practise machines to study CW. He then gave me my Novice and Tech license exams.

Re: [Elecraft] THE FUTURE OF OUR HOBBY

Bob, Already see this in recent hams joining our local ham club. Most are 40-60, in their later working years or recently retired, kids have left home and time & money available for pursuit of hobbies. My finances did no turn around until age 50 to enable serious ham radio purchases. I was

Re: [Elecraft] Reaching across the chronological divide

Fascinating to read the stories how many of you got started in ham radio. I'm six years younger than Jim W9VNE / VA3VNE. As a youngster, space travel caught my interest (back when it was science fiction) and I developed an interest in science. At age 12, I happened to discover a Zenith short

Re: [Elecraft] DZOTA: Dead Zones On The Air

Actually fruit cake makes a great dummy load ... eat it and you turn into a dummy! - Date: Tue, 10 Dec 2019 15:26:34 -0800 From: Fred Jensen To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net Subject: Re: [Elecraft] DZOTA: Dead Zones On The Air Message-ID: <5960967f-f037-32e2-

Re: [Elecraft] DZOTA: Dead Zones On The Air

Of course Alaska doesn't count as most companies don't consider Alaska as part of the USA (eg free shipping except AK/HI). Back in 2012, I worked for Wallmart and we had many angry cell phone customers who bought phones in the lower-48 and were assured they worked in AK. They were given Veriz

Re: [Elecraft] TCXO drift and calibration

To add a little to what Wes said: The K3 TCXO rest freq is 49,380 KHz. It is a temperature corrected oscillator so will still drift with radio warm up but less than a non-compensated oscillator.So best to calibrate after at least 30-minutes warmup. If you have the 100w model K3, there wi

Re: [Elecraft] K3S accessories availability, moving forward

Don explained it well; Elecraft support appears to continue for the K3, K3S. Obtaining new options apparently has a shorter life-span. If I were shelling out new dollars at this point I would get the K4 vs K3S so seems a logical shift in emphasis. I am happy with my circa-2010 K3, KX3, KXPA1

Re: [Elecraft] KRX3A sensitivity

Conrad, Assuming this is for 2m-eme, I would guess you have two preamps before the transverter which are adding gain and setting the system NF. If the preamp gain is approx 25 dB or higher, it will likely set the system NF as it has enough gain to overcome the NF of the transverter and K3S.

Re: [Elecraft] KAT-500 problem

Something is acting as an antenna. I made several hundred mile contacts with a 100w light bulb "dummy load" on 40m in the 1950's. Might be ground system is working as antenna or radio as found connection via other equipment. Be interesting to find out what you discover. 73, Ed - KL7UW http:

Re: [Elecraft] External 10 Mhz reference level

+4 to +16 dBm (2.5mw to 40mw). It's stated on last page of kit instructions (I don't have a copy of the current manual as I was a beta tester). but look here: http://www.kl7uw.com/K3EXREF.htm I use a 10-MHz amplifier with four 10 dBm outputs made by DEMI: https://www.downeastmicrowave.com/sea

Re: [Elecraft] KXPA100

Quick question. I have the KXAT100 installed which provides two antenna ports. It switches between fine, but I note that it defaults back to ANT1 when amp power is shut off on front panel. I have a 80/40m invert-V attached to ANT1 and a SP4T relay attached to ANT2. The relay permits choosin

Re: [Elecraft] [Elecraft-K3] K3S to be discontinued

Elecraft has made their design decisions for the K4. Since someone suggested running a 100w 12v device at 60w then it occurs to me to obtain 100-120w then run two devices in parallel or push-pull. Should not increase weight or drive requirements by a significant amount. Cost probably under 1

Re: [Elecraft] (OT) Ca Fires

Wayne has described the issues with susceptibleness to wildfire, well. In the last 100 years (or so) wildfire has been suppressed by man thus providing an increase in "fuel" growth. Only in the last few years have forest scientist and managers modified this to allow natural fire to correct th

Re: [Elecraft] Transceivers vs operators

Jim, W9VNE/VA3VNE Certainly the brain is heavily involved in CW "translation". But also the sound transducer (the ear) and the RF converter (the antenna/radio). High speed CW receiving requires skill in language translation. Those with true multi-linguistic ability "think" in all languages

Re: [Elecraft] Clock Accuracy

Since I run mostly digital eme (JT65) my computer time accuracy needs are pretty strick (<1 second). For years I used dimension 4 and switched to BktTimeSync (from IZ2BKT) last four years to utilize GPS time using a cheap USB dongle GPS unit. BktTime can sync to NTP off the Internet or from a

Re: [Elecraft] Center-fed antennas

A simple way to make a center-fed half-wave dipole multi-band is by using alligator clips to disconnect outer section a dipole in order to run on a higher freq band. Simple make a dipole for the lowest freq of interest and then cut the wires at the length for the higher band, attach an alligat

Re: [Elecraft] K3 CW Text Decoding

Barry, I had CW skimmer installed on my old winXP computer but was not impressed with CW detection of weak CW (same for the K3). But I was using K3 line-out audio so maybe I will try it with my new i5 64-bit machine and feed IF via LP-Pan and UADC4 (brand new A/D converter which supplies 96K

Re: [Elecraft] Rhombic antenna "gain"

I guess they were used a many military sites. In 1984 I helped install a 250w commercial VHF link from top of Mt. Balleyhoo (above Dutch Harbor in the Aleutians) and there was the remains of many 90 foot wooden poles arrayed up in a valley on the side of the mountain that was used by the milit

Re: [Elecraft] KPA-1500 on digital modes

Never realized that, but I checked dc input power vs output RF power on my LDMOS amps and that appears to be true. I had intended to run my 2m 1500w amp at 600w for SSB (to be kinder and more linear), while running JT65 at 1300w which is where saturation begins. 1385w RF: 37A x 47.2V = 1746

Re: [Elecraft] K3--Too much ALC creates energy on opposite sideband?

I assume the measurements with bare K3/K3S were using 100w internal amp. I wonder how the 10w version of these radios Tx IMD perform? On 6m, I run with the KXPA100 at 11w output (K3 at very low output) to drive a 1000w Harris surplus TV linear (which is rated to 1600w continuous duty). 1000w

Re: [Elecraft] Fan for KXPA100

I mounted my KXPA100 in my truck under the back seat for mobile operation. Ford made a nice lockable compartment accessed by tilting up the seat and the amp just fits but the seat bottom rests on the top of the heat sink fins. As we were traveling thru hot weather, I was concerned there would

Re: [Elecraft] Dummy Load

Don-K8MFO and I attended MSU together in the 1960's; old time friend. We visited him at his home in OH a couple years ago and found he was in the Christmas tree business (my parents ran a Christmas tree farm). Don has been a long time Dxer and CW buff (has a tremendous collection of keys).

Re: [Elecraft] Dummy Load recommendation

This discussion reminds me that most on this list are HFers and never go above 30mcs (MHz). Or buy all their ham stuff and believe the mfrs specs or meters without question. Probably do not build homebrew equipment so never had to measure if such-an-such actually is working (and at what level

[Elecraft] (no subject)

Kjeld, I agree with Conrad PA5Y, both Kuhne Engineering or HA1YA make very good transverters and are available in EU. I would add the DEMI L-series transverter which now is made by a company called Q5 (located in US) for any NA hams reading the mail on this topic. I use DEMI transverters o

Re: [Elecraft] Elecraft KX4

Ah guess this is "letting you know I read the mail": Mobile is a reach from KX4 as the topic - but - here's my drift: I outfitted my new (in 2016) truck to be equipped for HF/6m/2m/70cm. Mostly when parked in eve. with our 5th wheel trailer (even provided for two coax lines to the trailer for

Re: [Elecraft] Dual Receiver Tricks

Dave AB7E, I have been doing something similar with my K3 with subRx: I feed signals from two antenna that are orthogonally polarized (one is horz and other is Vert polarity, both pointed in the same direction and essentially in-phase). I use the eme sw MAP-65 to process the output of both Rx

[Elecraft] Buddy Pole

I got to see the Buddy Pole antenna for first time at FD last weekend. Very impressed in quality of materials and ease of installation. It was set up for 40m and I helped them tune it by use of my MFJ-269B antenna tuner. The loading coil arrangement was a little awkward, I thought. By nicer

Re: [Elecraft] Low Power Output on 160 and 6 meters

Well I have a K3/10 and KXPA100 with fw vers 5.60 (yeah I need to update). K3/10 gets 10w on 14-MHz and 8w on 50-MHz. KXPA gives 100w on 14-MHz and 80w on 50-MHz using a Bird43 meter with a Bird dummy load. Into an antenna power is dependent on match (as one would expect). The KXPA only need

Re: [Elecraft] MH3 Mic

Interesting as I have a MH3 for my KX3 bought during the initial roll out of kits (SN475) and mic looks like new. Most its life is inside but it did take a two-month trip logging 11K miles as a mobile last summer. Just wondering if long exposure to sunlight in a mobile is cause of cracks? I

Re: [Elecraft] K3S - Win4K3Suite - SDRPlay

I resisted upgrading my winXP23 SP3 computer because essential accessories were not supported with win10 drivers. A few months ago a better device was offered that interfaces with USB and runs under win10, so I bought a new i5 win10. I will be offering my M-Audio Delta44 and emu-0202 for sale

Re: [Elecraft] New K1 Kit

Its a skill that one needs time and practise to master. I used to run a home business building smd kits for others after a career as a component level technician where I did smd repairs. But the last generation of MOT intrinsically safe radios required a $10,000 school and a dedicated repair

Re: [Elecraft] Alpha Antenna/KX3

Interesting reviews on some of the loop antennas. I've seen W4OP adv's for several years. I plan to make a receive-only 630m loop (4 to 6 foot diam) out of some surplus 1/2-inch hardline that is too old for coax use. The copper shield should do well in a loop. I will use a preamp with it (

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