[Elecraft] K3 Beta firmware rev. 2.80: Improvements to AFSK-A, DATA-A, SSB, AM, FM, DVR

[wayne burdick]

K3 beta-test firmware revision 2.82 (with DSP rev 2.00) is now 
available. See release notes below.

Please send any problem reports to k3support at elecraft.com. For 
instructions on how to load beta firmware, please see:

     http://www.elecraft.com/K3/k3_software.htm

We also recommend that you use the latest revision of K3 Utility, which 
can also be found on this page.

73,
Wayne
N6KR

* * *

MCU 2.82 / DSP 2.00, 2-9-2009

Data Mode Changes:

* AFSK MODE TRANSMIT FILTERING: Some K3 owners have reported
hearing noise on their RTTY transmit signal when using AFSK-A mode. 
Possible
sources of noise include RFI, ground loops, low AF level, or poor 
mark/space
transition shaping by software. The effects of noise from many sources 
can
be eliminated by using a narrow, constant-delay transmit filter (DSP).
To enable this filter, set CONFIG:AFSK TX, to FIL ON (default is OFF).

* SSB/DATA-A/AFSK-A TRANSMIT POWER LEVEL: Power output in these
modes now more closely tracks TUNE power.  We recommend setting
CONFIG:TXG VCE to 0.0 dB after loading this release, then adjusting only
if necessary.

* DATA MODE ALC METERING: ALC metering for DATA-A and AFSK-A
modes has been adjusted to make the transmit audio level easier to 
adjust.
As before, the recommended audio level for transmission is 4 to 5 bars.
3 bars will appear as soon the minimum required level for good S/N ratio
has been reached.

* FSK POLARITY MENU ENTRY: Setting CONFIG:FSK POL to 0 reverses
RTTY data polarity (applies only to FSK-D mode transmit) . Note: If you 
use
the ALT switch to select DATA REV mode, this reverses both RX and TX
tones, in both AFSK-A and FSK-D modes. This should rarely be required.
FSK POL can be used by itself or in combination with DATA REV.

Misc. Changes:

* DVR MESSAGE CANCEL WITH PTT OR VOX: Both one-time and repeating
DVR transmit message play can now be cancelled cleanly with either
PTT or VOX.

* AM MODE SPEECH COMPRESSION: Speech compression is now
available in AM mode. This can add punch to your AM signal. As with any
type of compression, it should be used only when necessary.

* FM TX DEVIATION: This is now more accurate. Previous versions could
underdeviate by as much as 1 kHz. Setting is now accurate from 3.0 kHz 
to
5.0 kHz of deviation when modulated by 1 kHz tone with 5 bars of ALC
indicated.

For software developers:

* “BN” COMMAND ADDED (Band Number). GET only. This command returns
the K3’s present band number (0-10 = 160 m - 6 m, 11-15 reserved for
future use, 16-24 = XVTR bands 1-9). It is useful for software 
applications
that need to know if the operator has tuned the VFO across a logical 
band
boundary. This eliminates the need for applications to keep track of 
what the
K3’s internal band boundaries are.


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