[Elecraft] K3 and CQWW

[Matt Zilmer]

>Perhaps we should all use a K3 then we could squeeze more stations into 
>the available bandwidth...
>
I think you might be able to get the principals at Elecraft to sign up
to this idea.

>If I am bothering YOU, but you are not bothering ME - than that is 
>clearly YOUR problem.........
>
Well, it's a known issue.  It goes two ways, too.  I have a neighbor
that runs all gain controls fully clockwise, to the point that he
takes up half of 80m with splatter.  This renders the K3 deaf, because
there is serious on-frequency signal.  If I could just get this guy to
understand that he's supposed to keep his RF energy on frequency, and
could explain that using reasonable gain settings is one way to
accomplish this....  the problem would go away.

>or am I just being bolshy??
>
No - I've come across the same complaint from others.  The K3 remakes
how the world will use HF radio.  "In between" takes on a whole new
meaning.

73,
matt
W6NIA
K3 #24

>Tom
>GM4FDM
>
>
>
>GM0ELP wrote:
>> Hi All,
>> I was active as MM3T at the weekend with K3 #1293 and K2 #4688, Acom 1000,
>> Doublet 160/80, 1/4 GP 40 and Cobweb 20,15 and 10m. The last 3 CQWW CW I've
>> been using an FT1000MP MkV with inrad 4K roof filter (fully loaded) so was
>> keen to give the K3 the try for the first time.
>>
>> My K3 has 400/1k roofing filters installed. It needed the 400 engaged on all
>> but 15 and 10m which were quiet here in GM and so the 1k came in to good
>> use. I had intended to use Dual PB but forgot all about it.
>>
>> I had one problem with the K3 on top band when the rx went quiet and tx
>> power disappeared in a kind of intermittent way just after transmitting. It
>> took me a while to realise it wasn't the tuner/coax/LPF/Linear connections
>> and seemed to be located in the back panel audio connections area. Putting
>> my hand down the back of the transceiver and giving the connections a wiggle
>> seemed to bring the radio back to life. At one stage I power cycled the K3
>> and got an ERR PLL message or something on the display. This only happened
>> when I was on top band.
>>
>> I used fast AGC with AGC threshold 5 and AGC slope 10 for high bands and 8/8
>> for low bands respectively. I changed these settings a number of times
>> during the contest and ended up with several favourites dependant on
>> band/noise. I was raising the threshold in line with rising noise levels and
>> adjusting the slope downward when dealing with pile ups which helped my
>> brain separate the callers by adding sound level difference. Using the PF1
>> and PF2 keys for threshold and slope worked a treat.
>>
>> I had been using a K1EL keyer with the MkV in the past and decided to
>> simplify things this year with the K3 by using DTR-RTS for key-ptt. This
>> coupled with WinTest contest software worked flawlessly (even with open wire
>> feeder in the shack).
>>
>> I allowed condx to determine my sending speed, if things got hectic whilst
>> running, my speed went up and when trying to bag a weak one on a noisy band
>> my speed went down. I did miss the winkey variable pot when working slow
>> stations, but just had to hope they had been listening to me enough to get
>> the call right before calling. I get more angry with inefficient exchange
>> (mindlessly repeating things like my call) rather than slow speed callers.
>> The worst combo when working a pile up is a slow caller who thinks data type
>> exchanges are the norm, as 9/10 times this one station will cause someone
>> else to steal your frequency whilst you are waiting for his exchange to
>> finish.
>>
>> The EU really is a zoo during CQWW CW and I've tried using lesser radios in
>> the past and given in. I did 24hrs with the K3 and still love it despite the
>> top band band failure. A fully loaded MkV is a hard act to follow, but I did
>> spend $6000 (ROB) on it and then had to install an inrad roof and do key
>> click mods to get it to work properly.
>>
>> Thanks to all who worked me!
>>
>> Doug GM0ELP (MM3T)
>>