[Elecraft] K3 Tuning encoder pulses and birdie problem

[Jan Erik Holm]

Thanks for the info Dave.

First, I have no sub RX so can´t comment on that.

When checking this I had 50 ohm terminator right at the
SO239 antenna connector. The birdie indicates 2 bars on
the S-meter with preamp ON and no indication with it OFF.

This is subjective of course but with preamp ON those
tuning pulses are quite loud, IMO clearly would be a
problem. Of course with preamp OFF they do get quite
weak however on a frequency like 28 MHz the preamp
will be very much needed.
Now when 10m opens up and we do get some "atmospheric"
noise this tuning pulse deal might not be a problem.
Here in town with antenna connected the tuning pulses
cant be heard due to the high noise floor. However
at my "real" radio station I have very very low noise
floor.
Maybe I am just to picky about things.

Now as I did say before this birdie might be removable
with the 3.03 FW, since 3.03 had some flaws I´m waiting
for an update. Oh I see in your case it didn´t do anything
the the 28005 thing. Yes same pitch change here when
tuning across it, well lets call it a "internal created
carrier" then. More exactly this 28005 thing is more
like 28.0055 MHz in CW REV with normal pitch. Funny
thing is, I put radio in config and in the "ACC REF"
this carrier gets weaker. Guess some ACC REF oscillator,
says it´s at 5.00. Maybe something can be done to it.
I have to read the manual and see what it is.

/ Jim SM2EKM
-----------------
David Gilbert wrote:
> 
> With my K3 terminated in a dummy load and the preamp off, I can just 
> barely hear the decoder pulses.  I checked it in both CW and SSB, and I 
> set both modes to 1 KHz bandwidth and adjusted the shift for the same 
> center frequency of 600 Hz.  With the preamp on they are more 
> noticeable, making the S-meter briefly tick up to about S2 if I tune 
> quickly.  When I stop tuning, of course, the pulses disappear so I'm not 
> sure they would ever actually hinder me from making a QSO.
> 
> Here's an interesting quirk ... possibly just my imagination but I don't 
> think so.  I have the subreceiver installed, and if I engage it so that 
> I can simultaneously hear the main receiver in my left ear and the 
> subreceiver in my right ear, tuning the subreceiver across 28005 creates 
> louder decoder pulses in the main receiver than it does in the 
> subreceiver.  Then again, I have never found as many birdies in the 
> subreceiver as I have found in the main receiver, and those I've found 
> in the subreceiver are at least ten db weaker than their main receiver 
> counterparts.
> 
> I do not hear any birdie at that frequency, though.  If I listen very, 
> very hard with the preamp on, I can hear a tone just under the 
> background noise, but I have to tune the VFO to hear the changing pitch 
> in order to detect it.  Without the preamp on, it is impossible to hear 
> it at all.  It isn't a birdie, though ... the pitch changes smoothly and 
> slowly as I tune across it.  I have found (and removed via SIG RMV) a 
> few other birdies on 10m, on my rig 28005 isn't one of them.
> 
> I do believe that tuning artifacts vary quite a bit from K3 to K3, 
> though, so you may be experiencing a much greater problem than I am.  If 
> so, you may want to consider making an audio recording of it so that the 
> rest of us can hear it.
> 
> 73,
> Dave   AB7E
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Jan Erik Holm wrote:
>> When 10m opens up this will be a serious problem.
>>
>> On 28005 KHz a quite strong birdie carrier, on
>> each side of this carrier there are "tuning pulses
>> generated from the encoder in the segment 28000 to
>> 28010 KHz. All this gets stronger with Preamp ON.
>>
>> Is it only my K3? Or is this on all of them?
>>
>> Any solution?
>>
>> This internal carrier might be removed with the
>> new FW but any solution for this tuning puls
>> problem.
>>
>> 73 Jim SM2EKM
>>