[Elecraft] SSB contesting

[Lyle Johnson]

Hello Barry!

> One issue here is that the K3 only allows a single audio source.  Some
> other radios (e.g., Orion) allow you to enable both the rear line-in
> jack and the front panel mic jack.

We have an active discussion going on with the FT group about this very 
topic.

The K3 hardware can allow simultaneous LINE IN and _either_ the front or 
the rear mic to be active at the same time.  Seems simple.

But the devil is in the details.  What if you have audio on both?  Do 
you mix them?  Does one over-ride the other?  If so, which has 
precedence?  How do you do this so it is consistent and intuitive 
without adding Yet Another Menu Entry (tm) ??

I'd be happy to receive your thoughts on this topic.

> The simple K3 work-around seems to be to "Y" the front panel mic jack
> and pad down the line level audio to go in the front in parallel with
> the mic.

This opens a path for ground loops and other delights.  The LINE I/O is 
transformer isolated; the mic is not.

***

One important thing for everyone to keep in mind is that the K3 is 
evolving.  Due to its Flash Firmware Architecture, and the easy-to-use 
K3 Utility software for updating, we are regularly adding features to 
the K3, and all K3s in the field can take advantage of them.

We solicit input from our customer community on these features, and we 
try very hard to listen.

73,

Lyle KK7P