[Elecraft] Re: K3: New firmware will get a few corrections shortly

[wayne burdick]

Augie Hansen wrote:

> In line with what others have already mentioned, my K3 (S/N 441) 
> exhibits a noticeable reduction in the peak power output level on 
> voice compared to CW output, but it also varies as a function of the 
> selected sideband. Jim, W7ZQ has found this to be true with his K3 
> (#28) also. Output is lower than requested peak power on USB by some 
> 15-30%, with LSB being lower by as much as another 20%. My K3 has the 
> 2.8KHz filter and Jim's uses the 2.7HKz filter. The differences noted 
> are consistent for all bands.

We discovered that the TXG VCE menu entry wasn't functioning correctly. 
When we post the next update, try setting TXG VCE to about 1.0 dB. The 
difference between LSB and USB should be a small fraction of a dB, 
although it will vary a bit from one filter to the next due to slight 
passband ripple. An extreme amount of variation might indicate a 
problem with that filter.


>
> Also, I have rerun the transmit gain setting procedure several times 
> and noted that the VFO A frequency is no longer displayed when the 
> TXGN menu is selected.

This hasn't been the case for quite awhile. But you should rarely need 
to access this menu entry anyway. You can do power calibration without 
being in the menu or selecting this entry. Just set it to 5 W, do TUNE 
into a dummy load on each band, and repeat at 50 W.

> In addition, when I select the 80 meter band, the frequency display 
> area shows "Pr80" during the HP calibration (but not for LP). Nothing 
> shows for any other band selection. I can't find any description of 
> this item. What does it mean?

This indicates that the preamp is in use during transmit mode (recall 
that the K3 has a reversible IF strip so that the low-noise 
preamp/mixer/postamp can be used in TX mode as well). The ability to 
turn the preamp off on 80 meters sometimes comes in handy for 
troubleshooting. This will be noted in the next manual update.

73,
Wayne
N6KR


---

http://www.elecraft.com