[Elecraft] K3 10 meter contest

[Ed Gray W0SD]

During a serious effort this week end in the 10 meter contest and 
fighting snow static I had a lot of experience with the pre-amp and snow 
static and the NB!  We had a blizzard here all Saturday night and Sunday 
and a bit below zero and lots of snow blowing around so I really could 
only use the 5 element at just below 200 feet which was pretty much 
above the blowing snow.  Early on when it was still dark on Sunday 
morning it was snowing some and even the NB did not take care of it. 
For those of you down south when it is cold the snow is "dry" and the 
snow static is much worse.  Anyway I had to turn the pre-amp on and off 
depending on the snow static noise.  Several times I was having trouble 
hearing people and I would notice the pre-amp was off and would turn it 
on and be able to copy them.  Before turning the pre-amp on I had the 
volume really cranked up and when it was quiet I would turn the volume 
down and turn on the pre-amp and it definitely made a difference.  What 
I am saying is that I could copy signals with the pre-amp on that I 
could not copy with the pre-amp off no matter what I did if I did not 
have the snow static.  The bottom line is I had the pre-amp on as much 
as I could.  For me I had more trouble with what I would called NB 
induced splatter than on 160M CW but I think it was a factor of the wide 
filter 2.8 khz and the DSP at 2.1.  I tried the 1.8 filter a few times 
but I seemed to have trouble hearing the weak ones and when you are 
trying to survive it is not the time to be learning how to use your 
radio.  We had great success using the 1.8 khz filter in SS but 10 
meters with trying to copy weak signals and having someone strong right 
next door and using the NB and Pre-amp I just did not get it figured out 
how to use the 1.8 filter.  I will have to try and learn this summer 
during the better sporadic "E" season but it is nearly impossible to 
simulate the 10M contest.

I have a lot of people calling me that I just can not pull out.  The 
truth is with 1500 watts it is impossible to hear someone running a few 
watts if they are just barely hearing me.  I am sure there were a lot 
that called that I did not hear and there were others I just could not 
copy calls, etc. I do everything I can with having quiet rcv conditions 
and 7/8" heliax but the heliax just makes me louder on transmit so 
really no help there on hearing the weak ones.  Anyway last year before 
the K3  arrived this summer I used the FT-1000D for a number of years 
and previous to that a TS-950SDX and the K3 is much better on 10 meters 
than they were.  On another note I did notice the K3 puts out full power 
on 10 meters which a lot of radios do not.  I was amazed at how cool the 
K3 stays.

FWIW I operated split in the contest a lot as it is a lot easier tuning 
for those off frequency of which there seems to be a lot on 10 meters 
than using the small RIT knob.  The RIT on the K3 is better than other 
radios I have used but going split is a lot better.  Just like the 
FT-1000D tuning the "SUB" in the right ear is not the most "FUN" with 
the small knob.  I see that physically there is room for a bigger knob.

Is there someway one could but your "CQ" frequency in memory and use the 
main knob for the "SUB".  I think I am dreaming but with the firmware 
lots of things are possible.

For those in the NE my heart goes out to you with the "ICE".  I have had 
ice here and it causes a lot of work to be destroyed in a short time!!!

Ed W0SD