[Elecraft] Making K3 RX audio like K2

[hank k8dd]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "NZ0T" <NZ0T at cox.net>
To: <elecraft at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Tuesday, November 18, 2008 1:16 PM
Subject: [Elecraft] Making K3 RX audio like K2


>
> I like the sound of the RX audio of my K2 with the KAF2 filter better than 
> my
> K3.  It has less hiss and just sounds better - at least to my crummy 
> ears..
> I have played around some with the RX equalizer in the K3 and have 
> improved
> it some but has anyone had time to really find out what settings will best
> mirror the K2 with the KAF2?
>
> Thanks and 73,
>
> Bill NZ0T

Bill ....

I tend to agree - the K2 with the K2DSP does sound better on CW with the
DSP / NR turned on than the K3 with NR turned on.  At least to my old ears.

On the K3, with NR off   AGC SLP = 12   AGC THR = 5, it sounds pretty
close to my K2 with no DSP / NR.  ( My CONFIG & MENU settings are
on http://k8dd.com/k3/K3_Settings11-03-08.xls ).

I have recorded both with Audacity.  Without DSP both the K2 and K3 have
great sounding audio.  When you turn on the K2 DSP the signal may sound
a bit hollow, but the waveform of the CW is not destroyed.

With the K3's NR turned on with any of the levels set the leading edge of 
the
CW signal starts to flatten out or go soft and destroy the CW waveform - the
leading edge goes anywhere from looking like a .45 bullet to a 30-06!

It does, however bring the signal up out of the noise, but at higher speeds 
it
makes it hard to copy.

I recorded a CW contest in the spring and sent sound clips to some friends
and some QRP ops that I worked - one comment was "I've got to check my
rig - that keying sounds really soft."  It wasn't their keying - with the NR 
off
they sounded fine.

The end result is -- I don't use NR or RX EQ.  As has been stated, RX EQ
on CW causes very low audio when the bandwidth is 200 Hz or below.

I have not tried the MCU and DSP that came with the K3, but I do not
remember that NR altered the received CW waveform like it does now.

And I have no idea what NR does to signals on SSB ....That's my story and
I'm sticking to it

73    Hank    K8DD