Re: [Elecraft] EFHW

Ray, I think that is 'stretching' the facts a bit. A halfwave dipole is a halfwave dipole whether fed at the center or at an end or somewhere in between. The radiation pattern and efficiency is the same. The problem is that an end fed resonant dipole does need a little bit of a counterpoise

Re: [Elecraft] Quieter fans on the K3 ?

It would appear you made a good choice in fan selection FYI, I use sorbothane for isolators and other damping needs. Works great. Noise reduction depends on making sure to interrupt the connection between the fan body and the mounting point in the case to include not letting the same

Re: [Elecraft] Quieter fans on the K3 ?

Yep... I forgot... :) __ Clay Autery, KY5G MONTAC Enterprises (318) 518-1389 On 2/11/2017 5:12 PM, Harry Yingst wrote: > No problem with them being a bit thicker as the fans are external > > > > >

[Elecraft] [K3] Noctua fan

Is the Noctua fan mentioned in a previous thread a plug-level replacement for the stock Elecraft K3 fan? That is to say, have others purchased some version of this fan and successfully drop-in replaced the 'old' one, experiencing an improvement in sound level or otherwise? My K3 is #6108 ...

[Elecraft] KPA500 fan

On the subject of quieter fans, any thoughts on a quieter fan for the amp? I do a lot of AM and a quieter fan would be nice - else the amp will get relocated to a different location in the shack. Bill W2BLC K-Line __ Elecraft mailing

Re: [Elecraft] KPA500 fan

Bill, Have you considered (or already done) setting the minimum fan speed to 2 (or 3)? Doing this helps delay the onset of higher fan speeds. Of course, long duration AM transmissions this may not help, but I have notice it help on lower duty-cycle modes. 73, Bruce, N1RX

Re: [Elecraft] K3S and Heil PR10

Tom, Unless I read the K3 and K3S manual incorrectly, Heil has the "HIGH" and "LOW" mic gain settings reversed. The HIGH and LOW settings refer to the mic gain, and not to the microphone output. Those Heil mics have very low output and should use the HIGH mic gain setting. 73, Don W3FPR

Re: [Elecraft] K3S and Heil PR10

Something isn’t racking then because Fred in his K3s book recommends high for the electrek mic.  Per Fred and Heil’s recommendation I am using a Heil BM-10ic and have the radio set to High with bias and I get good audio reports. You have me wondering now? 73, Tom - KQ5S On Feb 11, 2017, 8:22

Re: [Elecraft] EFHW

jX = 0 Sent from my iPhone > On Feb 11, 2017, at 1:29 PM, Charlie T, K3ICH wrote: > > Define "resonance". > > Chas > > -Original Message- > From: Elecraft [mailto:-boun...@mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Fred > Jensen > Sent: Saturday, February 11, 2017 2:40 PM > To:

[Elecraft] K3S KRX3 carrier-operated relay noise at 20w plus... gets louder

I'm pulling my hair out on this one... all morning trying to do my due diligence. I picked up a used K3S which is like new... I got a great deal. Anyway, I verified with Elecraft that this K3S was factory assembled and there were not any field upgrades installed based on the verification of the

Re: [Elecraft] [K3] Noctua fan

I can confirm that both a friend and I have fitted Noctua fans to our 1,000 series K3's and that they do the job much more quietly. They come with an assortment of connectors and were very easy to fit, but you have to get used to their different colour Hi Hi! They appear to be high quality and

Re: [Elecraft] [K3] Noctua fan

It's been a couple of years since I put them in, they come with a 3 pin connector instead of a stock 2 pin connector. As I recall I clipped the third wire (yellow wire) and then trimmed the connector down to 2 pins (red and black). If you search the messages archive I believe someone listed

[Elecraft] Using OS X 10..7.5 & the K3 Utility

If anyone is super comfortable on 10.7.5 and would not mind giving me some pointers for navigating and using the USB connection, please QSL via private email. Computer is a 2007 Macbook which is 64 bit Intel version. Thanks, Doug W5JV

Re: [Elecraft] Frequency Counter for Calibrating K3S

You can also use CHU for frequency standard calibration check depending on propagation. 3330.000, 7850.000, and 14670.000kHz   73, Mike AC5P On Saturday, February 11, 2017 12:20 PM, John Stengrevics wrote: Thanks all for the comments. I think I will stick

Re: [Elecraft] EFHW

Walt, Which LNR End-Fedz are you using that has a trap. I have never seen one with a trap. On 2/11/2017 4:22 PM, Walter Underwood wrote: The LNR End-Fedz antennas use traps. They appear to work just fine. __ Elecraft mailing list

[Elecraft] K3S and Heil PR10

I have an Elecraft K3S and a Heil PR10. I recently started getting complaints about my audio and may have inadvertently changed a setting on the radio. With regard to this combination of mic and radio, where should I set the following: Mic Gain Range - Low or High? Mic Bias - On or Off?

Re: [Elecraft] EFHW

A dipole has two elements. An end-fed half-wave is a monopole. One element. A half-wave antenna is still a half-wave, whether it is center fed (Hertz) or end fed (Marconi). wunder K6WRU Walter Underwood CM87wj http://observer.wunderwood.org/ (my blog) > On Feb 11, 2017, at 1:46 PM, Don Wilhelm

Re: [Elecraft] EFHW

That's a common misconception, especially among those of us who have spent time working with center fed dipoles. The "poles" refer to the voltage nodes, not the number of elements. A dipole, having a voltage node at each end, is a di(two)pole radiator, while a quarter wave antenna, having only

Re: [Elecraft] Quieter fans on the K3 ?

No problem with them being a bit thicker as the fans are external From: Clay Autery To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net Sent: Saturday, February 11, 2017 5:55 PM Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Quieter fans on the K3 ? It would appear you made a good choice in fan

Re: [Elecraft] EFHW

No, end fed halfwaves are not dipoles. They are monopoles. Take a look at the ARRL antenna book, LaPort, Johnson or any of the classic antenna books. There is a reason why all the AM broadcast Stations with halfwave end fed antennas have radial systems that consist of 120 radials that are 0.4

Re: [Elecraft] K3S and Heil PR10

Here is what Heil says: We highly suggest our dynamic element microphones (HC-7, HC-5.1 , HC-6, Goldline GM series or PR-781 type). In this case, while setting up the MAIN: MIC SEL menu, tap [I] to toggle to "LOW" Mic Gain, and be absolutely certain that Mic Bias is off by tapping [2], as

Re: [Elecraft] KPA500 fan

I think about the only real solution for the fan noise on the KPA500 is to remote it. From: Bill To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net Sent: Saturday, February 11, 2017 7:46 PM Subject: [Elecraft] KPA500 fan On the subject of quieter fans, any thoughts on a quieter

Re: [Elecraft] K3S and Heil PR10

Tom, I would use whatever setting works the best; if you are receiving good audio reports, "leave sleeping dogs lie".  If your mic gain is set at something reasonable (mine is "9"), I wouldn't worry about what is "suggested".  Too many variables with your voice characteristics; if you are

Re: [Elecraft] Different comm speeds on my KX3 and my KXPA100

Somehow the kxpa100 serial speed has been changed. Check the kxpa100 command reference to be sure, but try entering ^BRX3; followed by ^BRP3; in the KXPA utility command tester. Then go back to the utility's port tab and click test communications. It should be 38400 at that point. Firmware

Re: [Elecraft] K3S and Heil PR10

The real bottom line is to use the indication on the K3 (K3S, KX3 and KX2) ALC meter. If you are driving the voice audio up to the 5 to 7 bars level, that is correct. If it is going higher reduce the MIC gain or switch to the low mic gain setting. If it is lower than the 5 to 7 bars,

Re: [Elecraft] EFHW

Brian: The end fed I use uses a stub for 20 meters. When I set it up I tuned the antenna for 40 meters. Then I added the stub 1/2 down the antenna and trimmed that for best SWR on 20 meters. Worked exactly as expected with an antenna analyzer. K On Sat, Feb 11, 2017 at 2:03 PM, Brian Pietrzyk

Re: [Elecraft] EFHW

Define "resonance". Chas -Original Message- From: Elecraft [mailto:elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Fred Jensen Sent: Saturday, February 11, 2017 2:40 PM To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net Subject: Re: [Elecraft] EFHW Ummm ... A full-wavelength wire is not resonant? 73, Fred

Re: [Elecraft] K3S and Heil PR10

Tom, Yes, the electret mics typically have high output levels and thus can use the low mic gain setting. In other words, the Heil website has it "backwards". I am not sure Heil will be willing to change it. 73, Don W3FPR On 2/11/2017 8:53 PM, Tom wrote: Don, You may be correct. Fred in

Re: [Elecraft] Quieter fans on the K3 ?

Fan selection depends on a LOT of different factors rated fan speed vs. voltage applied, CFM vs fan speed, dB vs. speed vs. CFM. Min/Max current required, dimensions including thickness, type of bearing system, etc, etc... Ambient temperature Inlet restrictions, outlet restrictions,

Re: [Elecraft] EFHW

The next time I experiment with end fed antennas, I want to try a matching transformer at the end of the antenna wire of about a 50:1 matching ratio. That way I will have an impedance in the feed line of about 50 ohms and minimize coax loss. Now if I am connecting the antenna directly to

Re: [Elecraft] K3S and Heil PR10

I also have it set the same way. All reports are great audio. Roy AB7CE -Original Message- From: Tom Robertson Sent: Saturday, February 11, 2017 7:28 PM To: donw...@embarqmail.com Cc: elecraft@mailman.qth.net Subject: Re: [Elecraft] K3S and Heil PR10 Something isn’t racking then

Re: [Elecraft] EFHW

This thread has really given me things to try when earth tilt/absence of white rain is back in our favour. Great group of folks on this forum btw. The many contributions to this thread have given me the confidence to try end feds (for the first time) on my up coming trip to HI9 land. I'm

Re: [Elecraft] EFHW

Correct. Fan dipoles work because the resonant 1/4-wave elements are lower impedance than the non-resonant elements, so they get the majority of the power. A neat trick, really. The LNR End-Fedz antennas use traps. They appear to work just fine. wunder K6WRU Walter Underwood CM87wj

Re: [Elecraft] EFHW

On Sat, Feb 11, 2017 at 3:46 PM, Don Wilhelm wrote: A halfwave dipole is a halfwave dipole whether fed at the center or at an > end or somewhere in between. > The radiation pattern and efficiency is the same. > This is 100% correct. Two minutes spent with

Re: [Elecraft] Quieter fans on the K3 ?

New Fan : Noctua NF-A6x25 FLXAirflow : 17 cfm (29.2 m3h converted to cfm)Noise : 19.3dbSpeed : 3000 RPM (at 12 v)Static Pressure : 2.18 mmCutent : 120 mA   (.12 A) Original Fan : UTEC AT6015L-12L2B-ND2Airflow : 15.4 cfmNoise : 24.8Speed : 3000 RPM (at 12v)Static Pressure : 2.21mmCurrent : 100

Re: [Elecraft] K3S and Heil PR10

Tom, I don't know about the Heil Electret mics, but in my experience with the K2, the electret mic output from the Heil "iC" microphones is equal to that from most other electret microphones such as the Elecraft MH2. Perhaps Heil has reduced the output of their more recent electret

Re: [Elecraft] Frequency Counter for Calibrating K3S

If you end up still wanting to get a frequency counter and want to spend a few bucks, I would keep your eyes peeled for a good deal on an HP 5385A or something similar on fleaBay, don't mess with the sub $100 cheap ones. Then get a 10mhz GPSDO reference like the Leo Bodnar GPSDO

Re: [Elecraft] EFHW

On 2/11/2017 13:03, Brian Pietrzyk wrote: Now comes the fantasy thinking... What about making it an end fed multi band by either putting traps in the 80m end fed or better still adding on a couple of fan EFHW wires for 40 and 20? Anyone tried this? How would the efficiencies compare to their

Re: [Elecraft] Frequency Counter for Calibrating K3S

It is my opinion that the K3s rates the use of a proper quality frequency counter. I bought a used, "lab grade" counter with an OXCO, and supply it with an external GPSDO signal. Is it required? No, not really I initially calibrated the K3s with one of the government time beacons... not

Re: [Elecraft] EFHW

All efficient antenna systems are "resonant" (jX=0) but the shorthand often used is "resonant" to mean "self resonant". That is true of any 1/4 wavelength long radiator (again our common shorthand is usually "1/4 wave wire") or any multiple thereof worked against ground. It is also true of any

Re: [Elecraft] EFHW

You're close, Bill. The short counterpoise should go at the antenna end of the feedline by the transformer, not at the radio. It probably won't make much difference, though, as the outside of the coax will serve as a counterpoise. Depending on the design of the transformer, its inductance

Re: [Elecraft] EFHW

Bill, you are close to the famous Zeppelin antenna. It was a single-frequency antenna. The idea was to move the RF field as far as practical from the airframe. RF arcs between elements of the duraluminum airframe were to be avoided, especially up near the top of the airship where there was always

[Elecraft] [OT] end-fed halfwave antennas

My Elecraft rigs are connected to guyed, end-fed half wave vertical monopole antennas, one each on 30 meters and 40 meters. I use tapped-L-parallel-C matching networks at the base of these antennas, which are ground mounted and insulated. They radiate at the horizon, or darned close to it, and

Re: [Elecraft] Frequency Counter for Calibrating K3S

Some people seem to have a lot of trouble detecting "zero beat" but once the technique is learned, it's easy to calibrate the K3/K3S to within 0.2 Hz of WWV's carrier (one beat every 5 seconds). One could get closer depending upon your patience. It's useful to wait until WWV transmits a steady

Re: [Elecraft] EFHW

Ummm ... A full-wavelength wire is not resonant? 73, Fred ["Skip"] K6DGW Sparks NV DM09dn Washoe County -Original Message- From: Elecraft [mailto:elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Lynn W. Taylor, WB6UUT Sent: Friday, February 10, 2017 12:13 PM To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net

[Elecraft] EFHW

As was said previously, all end fed antennas are monopoles with displacement current flowing from the antenna element to earth. Unlike dipoles where the displacement currents flow from element to element. So without an adequate radial system to reduce the ground loss all end Feds regardless of

Re: [Elecraft] EFHW

True, but that wasn't the point (and I think you understood that). A wire that is approximately 67 feet long will be resonant on 20 meters. The impedance at the ends will be very high. A wire that is approximately 80 feet will not be resonant on 20 meters, but an Elecraft tuner will be able

[Elecraft] Exhaust Fans

Howdy Fellow Elcrafters: Been reading the posts about fans for the K3. So here’s my dumb question for the week. Are there fans specifically designed to exhaust hot air from radios as opposed to fans that blow cool air into the radio? Or is it simply a matter of turning the fan upside down to

Re: [Elecraft] Exhaust Fans

Joe, If the fan is to cool a large area like a heatsink, it is better to exhaust the air rather than blowing it in. Only in the case of where the fan should blow onto a relatively small area would it be wise to direct the flow inward. In the case of the K3, the fan should exhaust the air.

Re: [Elecraft] Different comm speeds on my KX3 and my KXPA100

Thanks, that was the ticket! The one time that I had the PA off and the speed was 38400 sort of nailed the PA as the culprit component. :) On Sat, Feb 11, 2017 at 3:33 PM, Dick Dievendorff wrote: > Somehow the kxpa100 serial speed has been changed. Check the kxpa100 >

[Elecraft] Fw: KPA500 fan

-Original Message- From: lmarion Sent: Saturday, February 11, 2017 6:22 PM To: Bill Subject: Re: [Elecraft] KPA500 fan I just lay a soft bladed fan on the top grill to pull air up. its run by a variable power supply. WAY quieter than the back fan, because it never comes on. It’s a

Re: [Elecraft] K3S and Heil PR10

Don, You may be correct. Fred in his book recommends High for Heil mics, both electrek and dynamic where as Heil only recommends High for the electrek. I would have thought if the Heil site was wrong someone would have noticed it by now and Heil would have changed it. I also thought the Heil

[Elecraft] Elecraft CW Net Announcement

Good Evening, Propagation has gotten slightly better. A little is from the noise level dropping and some from the sun moving northward. I have not had much chance to get on the air since last weekend. The power stuttered moments after the second net and went out for three days an hour

Re: [Elecraft] EFHW

It is with some reluctance that I smack this whole EFHW tarbaby, but here goes. Comments in no particular order: 1) A resonant antenna (even one that is self-resonant), e.g. one with a non-reactive feedpoint, isn't necessarily "efficient." A quarter-wavelength monopole over lossy earth

Re: [Elecraft] EFHW

I'd have to total it up, but I probably made close to 1,000 contacts with an EFHW and KX1 last year. The whole antenna system, including the 38 foot fishing pole and tuner, weighs about 1.5 pounds. Of course, it doesn't work as well as a high, full-sized antenna, but if anyone can come up

Re: [Elecraft] EFHW

​So what we are saying here is that all the local and DX QSOs we make from a picnic bench with an end fed or random wire thrown up in a tree and a short or no counterpoise doesn't really happen or, at best, is a fluke. The end fed is only 10% efficient (did I get that right) and most of our QRP

Re: [Elecraft] EFHW

On Sat,2/11/2017 9:52 PM, Wes Stewart wrote: However, I submit that you (and I) would have more fun with better antennas. Absolutely! I had fun as a kid with antennas at about 25 ft in the maple trees at the front and back of our lot. I had fun with dipoles strung between telephone pole in

Re: [Elecraft] K3S KRX3 carrier-operated relay noise at 20w plus... gets louder

I figured out what was going on here... I'm assuming that the carrier sense relay is only on the new KAT3A?, and in this case, it helped me solve an RFI issue in my shack. I was powering a receive antenna pre-amp and a 10mhz reference signal distribution box with the same PS as I was using for

Re: [Elecraft] EFHW

A certain inductance places at a correct place along the 80m HW will make multy band EFHW. Here is the example http://myantennas.com/wp/product/efhw-8010p/ 73, Igor UA9CDC 12.02.2017 1:50, K9MA пишет: On 2/11/2017 13:03, Brian Pietrzyk wrote: Now comes the fantasy thinking... What about

Re: [Elecraft] EFHW

I'm pretty sure the laws of physics are still in place. What you describe isn't much different from my situation on 160 meters. I have an inverted vee dipole with the apex at 45' and the ends at 6 feet or less. With 500W I have worked about 60 counties. But I am under no illusions that

Re: [Elecraft] EFHW

Ha, ha!!! Well put Wes! Some mountain portables erect low "horizontal" antennas on the side of a steep mountain. The result is a very low angle of radiation because, even though the main lobe is "straight up" from the mountainside from the antenna, the slope puts that lobe at a fairly low

Re: [Elecraft] EFHW

10% efficient is for a “short” end fed antenna and a ground rod or similar. Something near a quarter wave and a typical one or two wire counterpoise is much better. It doesn’t take much effort to get to 50% efficient with a quarter wave or longer wire, and a few short radials. After that, there

Re: [Elecraft] K3S and Heil PR10

Don, Can't argue with the advice in your email; in fact, I think the best response I have read. As for "how you sound" on the other end, one setting no one mentioned is transmitter equalizer settings.  I could be wrong, but from what I remember, Heil used to sell mics with a freq response

Re: [Elecraft] KFL3C-200 Filter

Hi Don, I removed the 200Hz filter this morning, and as you said, the offset was on the paper tag. I set up the -0.87 offset via the K3 utility, and now all is well. Thank you for your help, much appreciated. 73, Stuart GD0OUD. -Original Message- From: Don Wilhelm

[Elecraft] Quieter fans on the K3 ?

A few years ago I replaced the stock fans on my K3 with the Noctua NF-A6x25 FLX fans and rubber mounts.  The new ones are much quieter and the low rumble is gone. Last night I got thinking about the fans and about the rumble of the stock ones.  The question I now have is I wonder if the low

[Elecraft] FS Elecraft loaded 4band K1

Greetings All, My Elecraft K1 is beautiful, perfect and ready to go. 4 bands include 40,30,20 and 15. All options including ATU, NB, Battery option, LED backlit option and finger dimple on main tuning knob. Comes with power cable and original manual including all info on all options. Will be very

[Elecraft] Different comm speeds on my KX3 and my KXPA100

Hi all, I'm the proud (and slightly overwhelmed) owner of a KX3 station - the whole smash. I think I've managed to figure out SSB and CW, and now I'm trying to work out the kinks in digital operations. That's not what this post is about; this one is about communications. When I launch HRD, or

[Elecraft] Frequency Counter for Calibrating K3S

I am considering buying a frequency counter to calibrate my K3S. I see that Amazon has several for <$100. Has anyone had any experience with these? Are they just a waste of money? Thanks, John WA1EAZ -- View this message in context:

Re: [Elecraft] Frequency Counter for Calibrating K3S

What? I didn’t know that Elecraft offered frequency counters. Or, do you mean something like the XG2, a signal source for testing rigs? 73, phil, K7PEH > On Feb 11, 2017, at 9:39 AM, stengrevics wrote: > > I am considering buying a frequency counter to calibrate

Re: [Elecraft] Frequency Counter for Calibrating K3S

Frequency counters will also need to be calibrated. I have been quite happy using WWV with my K3, and you can't beat the price. 73 Bill AE6JV On 2/11/17 at 9:39 AM, jstengrev...@comcast.net (stengrevics) wrote: I am considering buying a frequency counter to calibrate my K3S. I see that

Re: [Elecraft] Frequency Counter for Calibrating K3S

I think you would do much better getting something like a used Racal-Dana 1992 or the like of of ebay with the crystal oven. From: stengrevics To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net Sent: Saturday, February 11, 2017 12:39 PM Subject: [Elecraft] Frequency Counter

Re: [Elecraft] Frequency Counter for Calibrating K3S

John, You do not need a frequency counter to calibrate the K3S, use Method 2 with WWV, it is just as accurate. Actually it is likely more accurate than you would get with a <$100 frequency counter, unless you calibrate the frequency counter beforehand. I suspect any frequency counter costing

Re: [Elecraft] Frequency Counter for Calibrating K3S

Thanks all for the comments. I think I will stick with WWV. John’ WA1EAZ > On Feb 11, 2017, at 1:17 PM, Don Wilhelm wrote: > > John, > > You do not need a frequency counter to calibrate the K3S, use Method 2 with > WWV, it is just as accurate. > Actually it is likely

[Elecraft] Digital mode JT65 + JT9 at the same time using K3S

Hi everyone, I’m a fairly new K3S user since last November. I’m using with a lot of success and appreciation my K3S for digital modes, especially JT65 and JT9. I can actually do both without any issue. But, I would like to experiment doing « both » at the same time by having a wider « look »

[Elecraft] Early Morning QRPing on 80 Meters

Pete et al --- I'm on the low bands (160, 80 and 40) almost every morning from 1200Z (or so) 'till 1400Z..80, in particular, is where my RBN reports are THE most promisingBUTvery seldom do I hear any QRPers on 3.560. Often, I get so bored with the little CW activity that I move to

Re: [Elecraft] Digital mode JT65 + JT9 at the same time using K3S

Great Joe!!! Easy to understand now….. :-) :-) Hi Hii ‼️ Thanks for the tip !! 73 de Jeff | VA2SS Le 11 févr. 2017 à 08:53, Joe Subich, W4TV > a écrit : Use the *Split* features in WSJT-X. See the WSJT-X help files for specific details.