[Elecraft] K3 6-meter Performance Question

[Lee (WW2DX)]

Thanks Dick for the new one on 6. You guys are doing a great job.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBF3Q4xrnjA

K3 to K3 Q?

Can you give a little info on the protoype preamp? external? how is it  
powered? pics?

ok ok, you can answer all that when 6 dies down ;)

Thanks!

Lee
WW2DX


On Jul 1, 2008, at 5:19 AM, Dick Hanson wrote:

> Ciao, from CY0X, Sable Island.....
>
> Well, let's see now, is the K3 sensitive enuff for serious weak sig  
> work on
> six.
> Based on our first week here on Sable, doing mostly weak signal  
> work, I
> could not be more pleased.
> We were fortunate to have been given one of the prototype preamps to  
> use
> ahead of the radio on six, and I can tell you that it has been an  
> excellent
> addition.
> We have been monitoring many of the EU TV offsets, world-wide  
> beacons and of
> course listening for many of the signals from across the pond.
>
> Consider this: we are running approx 800 watts into a 12dbd ant at  
> 70' ASL,
> surrounded by salt water; we have zero man-made noise towards EU, AF  
> and
> Asia, so we are hearing very well. Many of the stations we are  
> working in EU
> do not have as much power or antenna; hence many of them hear us  
> better than
> we hear them. Yet, we have logged nearly 2500 contacts thus far in  
> 60 dxcc.
> My conclusion is that we are not suffering from a hearing loss.
>
> Since it is so easy to switch out the outboard preamp, we have  
> frequently
> done this on some of the weak sigs just to see if we could still  
> hear them.
> In many cases we could hear them Q5 with just the internal preamp.  
> Ian,
> GM3SEK, et al, have pointed out that the stock radio NF is somewhere  
> in the
> 8-10db range, which is not stellar as six meter radio specs go.  
> Nonetheless,
> you'd be surprised at how many weak sigs we can still hear with only  
> the
> internal preamp engaged.
>
> I also have the XV50, and will keep it, but that is because I tend  
> to keep
> my radio gadgets a long time.
>
> FWIW: we love the K3 and how it performs on six. Hopefully, we have  
> already
> worked a number of you. If you haven't yet made contact, please  
> check our
> website at www.cy0x.com and then stop by 50108 and give us a call.
>
> 73,
> Dick
> K5AND/CY0X
>
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