[Elecraft] K3 in the CQP

[Vic K2VCO]

If you worked W6GV in the CA QSO Party, you worked me and my K3.

I only had about 7 hours free for this, unfortunately, but I made 
400-odd contacts -- all running (calling CQ).

Here are a few things that I observed about the K3:

1) I was able to comfortably operate full QSK. Usually the clicks and 
pops drive one nuts. Most contesters use semi-QSK when running.

2) I was able to set the bandwidth to 600-800 Hz so as to make it easy 
to hear the many, many callers who were significantly off frequency. By 
turning on the Noise Reduction, it was quiet enough for me to listen 
comfortably. This was much better than the old way, which was to use 400 
Hz to keep the noise down, and keep my hand on the RIT.

3) While operating in the above wide mode, I did experience the dreaded 
"gain reduction from signals in the crystal passband but outside the DSP 
passband".

That is, I have 1 KHz and 400 Hz 'roofing' filters. When the DSP 
bandwidth was set to 600 Hz, a signal 400 Hz high, for example, would 
not be audible because of the DSP. But it is within the 1 KHz crystal 
filter bandwidth. So if it is greater than about S9+30, it causes the 
hardware AGC to reduce the gain to prevent overloading the ADC. And 
there were a lot of big signals!

The solution to this was to drop the width to 400 Hz, at which point the 
narrower crystal filter kicks in. But I wished for a 600 or 800 Hz 
filter. I think that when Elecraft comes out with the variable bandwidth 
CW filter that has been promised, this will be the perfect application 
for it.

4) The sound and shaping of the K3 sidetone is wonderful. This is 
important for a long contest.
-- 
73,
Vic, K2VCO
Fresno CA
http://www.qsl.net/k2vco