[Elecraft] Noisy K3 receiver

[Ed Muns]

> I've had #1823 for just over a year, and I still don't like 
> the sound of the receiver. That's the reason the K3 sat in a 
> box for months while my trusty FT-1000mkV sat on the 
> operating desk (until the MkV went on strike in the middle of 
> the SS CW :-(

I've read all the posts in this thread and have to say ... I just don't "get
it".  What noise?!  If anything my two K3s are too quiet!  It has occurred
to me more than once that I might have an antenna disconnected or perhaps
blew out the front-end to the radio.  The most distinguishing characteristic
of the K3 (for me) is how quiet it is when you slip on the headphones.  The
K3 is distinctively quiet compared all the Icom, Yaesu and Kenwood radios I
own or have operated.  I now realize that all the pre-K3 radios I've used
were somehow amplifying or emphasizing the band noise, plus adding a bunch
of digital artifacts, in the audio.  I am completely stunned by the posts
here that report "noisy K3 receiver" and escaping to a "quieter" Japanese
radio.

I've been using K3s 11 and 17 ever since the field test units first came
out.  I've kept current with all the updates and mods so despite the early
serial numbers, these radios are equivalent to what is currently shipping.
I always have the latest field test firmware in both radios.  This is
pre-Beta and pre-production firmware that has never interfered with my use
of the radio.  I use the radios primarily for CW, RTTY and (rarely) SSB
contesting, plus a bit of DXing.  It took me a full month of using the K3 to
finally accept the fact that its receiver is so incredibly quiet compared to
any other radio.  I thought something was wrong!  And yet with the greatly
reduced band noise in the headphones, extremely weak signal are easy to
copy.  80 and 160 are like new bands, more like the higher bands, with my
K3s.  And the pile-up/crowded band receive capability is far superior to any
radio I've ever operated.

I'm not doubting the reports here on the reflector about "noisy K3
receiver", but I have to say that either the specific radio has a major
defect or the various gain and AGC controls are not setup correctly.  W4ZV
has posted on this reflector several excellent explanations on how to
properly adjust the K3, or any radio for that matter.  I would love to hear
one of these "noisy K3 receivers" and see how they are configured.

Ed - W0YK
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Ed Muns
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