[Elecraft] K3 as a SW receiver

[Bill W5WVO]

Just have to add my two cents here. For me personally, this has
nothing to do with relaxing, high-fidelity AM listening. It has
everything to do with weak-signal SWBC DXing. I've been a serious
SWBC DXer off and on for 50 years, and I've used all kinds of
receivers, including a fully rehabbed and up-to-spec R-390A, which
I would not part with for anything.

HOWEVER, for digging weak AM signals out of adjacent channel QRM,
I've yet to find anything better than a good steep-skirted SSB
filter in the IF. And, since (as stated below) it IS very annoying
to tune through all those whooping carriers... Don't do it! It's
easy to avoid most of them, especially when listening to SWBC
stations, which are typically on 5-kHz channels. Set up the RIT
knob to act as the VFO CRS tuning when RIT is not engaged. Then
set up the VFO CRS config parameter to 5.0 kHz steps and use the
RIT knob to tune to the appropriate channel. Use the main tuning
to zero it in if necessary. Toggle MODE:ALT to switch between the
USB and LSB sides of the carrier and listen to the side with the
least QRM. In the absence of QRM on either side, you can also
switch quickly back and forth between sidebands as QSB changes
which one is coming through the best.

In the absence of a synchronous detector, this works pretty darn
good, IMO.

Bill W5WVO


KM5Q wrote:
> I agree with Mike that for occasional listening to AM stations
outside
> the ham bands, the stock SSB filter in SSB mode is fine. Zero
beat the
> station and it sounds OK. Switch to AM mode and it's too narrow.
For
> tuning around casually, having to listen to carriers as you tune
is
> annoying.
>
> The 13 kHz FM filter adds a lot of quality to the fidelity, and
lets
> you tune and listen in AM mode with pleasant results.
>
> And yes, other Mike, bandswitching and VFO management are still
> problematic outside the ham bands.
>
> Windy KM5Q
>
>
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