[Elecraft] K3 in the CQWW contest

[Duncan Carter]

John wrote:s
> At 01:36 PM 01/12/09, you wrote:
>   
>> And that seems to be squeezing
>> down to 400 and narrower, which some folks derisively have called the
>> K3 effect.
>>     
>
>
> The effect started showing up with the K2.......I first noticed it in 
> 2002 SSCW qrp.
>
> John
> k7up
>   
I'm a new K3 owner and not, at this point, a serious contester although 
I was back in the dark ages, aka when I had hair on top of my head.  I 
have a 8 pole 2.8 kHz and a 250 Hz filter.  What I'm finding is that my 
"normal-broad" cw width is 200 Hz with the narrower dsp settings as 
needed.  300 to 400 hz width is only used on cw when I'm scanning a 
semi-dead band.   If the ability to use less bandwidth routinely is a K3 
effect, it seems to be a desirable effect.

For agc and gain control, on most bands and conditions, I use the 
attenuator and only occasionally switch it on on 15 meters and above; my 
location in a townhouse complex is not quiet enough to allow more 
sensitivity.  I usually have the AF gain at about 1/3 open and adjust 
the RF gain so that the station that I'm listening to is at the 
threshold where th "s-meter" increases only on stronger signals which is 
about the same technique as I used with my Hallicrafters S-40 50+years ago.

73, Dunc, W5DC