[Elecraft] Re: K3 sweepstakes this weekend

[Don Rasmussen]

Hi Dick,

Well - I didn't want to complain, but I will provide feedback to a station that may know about the unique sound (homebrew gear), or may not know that something unusual is going on with the station. I gave you the 589C and later keyed "chirp" because it's the only word I know of to describe an unusual condition on transmitted cw. 

With analog radios there are fewer sounds that are made from an out of spec transmitter, your signal was certainly not chirp as in the traditional sense. (bwop bip bwop bip). 

I also had one report of "bad keying" myself over the weekend, but my secondary receiver revealed nothing unusual and the next few contacts my "sig ok?" was answered positive so I kept operating. 

I've replied to the list in case anyone else might be interested. 

Great job on the qso counts - I enjoyed 200 contacts on 20m - S & P - but never send in my log. 

Thanks,
Don wb8yqj


Hi Don, Well, seems I sent my message for you to the reflector. Here it is again.
     Thank you for the SSCW contact this past weekend. I believe you were the one
 who told me I had a chirp. (If not, I am sorry to have burdened you with this).  
After the report, I immediately switched from my K3 to a K2 and finished the contest. 
I was using N3FJP software to key the K3 as well as a paddle for keying the K3 keyer.
 Can you tell me how bad the chirp was? I have had two other reports like this during
 contests - even the QRP ARCI at 5 watts. It seems it comes on after I have used the
 K3 for a substantial amount of time. I contacted Elecraft support and they suggested
 some things to check out, but it is very difficult to do when the radio works fine
 most of the time. I set it up here with a loop from the logging program and let it
 run into a dummy load for over an hour with no change. I may have to send it back
 to them for their analysis. Anyway, I finished the contest with 706 Qs in 77 sections
 (no ND, NL, NT) for a score of 100K+. Sure is a fun contest. I really enjoy the K3,
 but the K2 is still a very good radio for CW contests also. I made 357 Qs with the
 K3 and 349 with the K2. Thanks and best regards. Dick Housden, W0NTAGreeley, CO


--- On Tue, 11/4/08, Dick Housden, W0NTA <w0nta at arrl.net> wrote:

> From: Dick Housden, W0NTA <w0nta at arrl.net>
> Subject: K3 sweepstakes this weekend
> To: wb8yqj at yahoo.com
> Date: Tuesday, November 4, 2008, 8:34 AM
> Hi Don,
> 
> Well, seems I sent my message for you to the reflector.
> Here it is again.
> 
>     Thank you for the SSCW contact this past weekend. I
> believe you were the one who told me I had a chirp. (If not,
> I am sorry to have burdened you with this). 
> 
> After the report, I immediately switched from my K3 to a K2
> and finished the contest. I was using N3FJP software to key
> the K3 as well as a paddle for keying the K3 keyer. Can you
> tell me how bad the chirp was? I have had two other reports
> like this during contests - even the QRP ARCI at 5 watts. It
> seems it comes on after I have used the K3 for a substantial
> amount of time. I contacted Elecraft support and they
> suggested some things to check out, but it is very difficult
> to do when the radio works fine most of the time. I set it
> up here with a loop from the logging program and let it run
> into a dummy load for over an hour with no change. I may
> have to send it back to them for their analysis.
> 
> Anyway, I finished the contest with 706 Qs in 77 sections
> (no ND, NL, NT) for a score of 100K+. Sure is a fun contest.
> I really enjoy the K3, but the K2 is still a very good radio
> for CW contests also. I made 357 Qs with the K3 and 349 with
> the K2.
> 
> Thanks and best regards.
> 
> Dick Housden, W0NTA
> Greeley, CO