[Elecraft] [K3] K3 RX audio on voice modes <oh no here we go again>

[Dave Hachadorian]

I have a friend who is considering buying a K3, and last 
Saturday I brought one of my K3's over to his house to 
compare with his FT-1000 Mk V. We were able to switch an 
antenna back and forth between the two rigs and just listen 
to snr on weak signals, while playing with NB, NR and 
shift/width. We were listening on the rigs' built-in 
speakers. Neither rig had a decided advantage in our little 
test. He also has heavy line noise from a nearby HV line, 
and neither rig was able to help much with that problem.

However, I was astounded at the difference in audio 
characteristics between the two radios. The K3 had much more 
accentuation of high frequencies. One person might call that 
"crisp," while another might call it "harsh." In contrast 
the Mk V might be labelled by one person as "mellow," or by 
another as "muffled." I tried to get the two radios to sound 
the same by playing with their shift/width, but was not 
really successful.

I'm not sure which sounds better, especially for long-term 
listening, but they sure do sound different.

Dave Hachadorian, K6LL
Yuma, AZ

















.