[Elecraft] K3 #1037 in IARU contest

[Jim Brown]

On Sun, 13 Jul 2008 14:16:37 -0500, Ed Gray W0SD wrote:

>BTW having just got back from operating TO5E for 10 days the on the air 
>audio of 40% of the hams we worked is a VERY, VERY sad commentary on 
>operators inability to operate there equipment correctly.  They sounded 
>horrible.  On the positive side about 40% were excellent for cutting the 
>pile up and were still excellent communication quality.  About 20% had 
>good rag chewing audio. The K3 "TEST" mode should make it possible for 
>any amateur to make sure there signal sounds OK.  Obviously or lets say 
>I assume the 40% that sounded terrible had never listened to themselves. 
>   When I say terrible I really mean it!!!

I STRONGLY AGREE!  For at least the past five years, there are guys 
trying to do serious contesting whose transmit audio, especially on 
computer playback, is so awful that I can't copy their call, even when 
they're 30 dB above the noise, and even when I listen to their CQ more 
than a dozen times!  It's serious distortion, plain and simple, probably 
caused by badly overdriving the audio input of the radio. This is so bad 
that there are guys I simply could not work because I couldn't copy their 
call. In some cases, I called these guys anyway, worked them, then got a 
fill on their call from his live mic. 

Ed -- please send this part of your commentary to NCJ and every contest 
forum you can think of, especially those that hams from other countries 
will read. It is VERY much needed. 

73,

Jim Brown K9YC