[Elecraft] CQWW SSB observations

[Mike]

Interesting comments. I've had my K3 for less than a month, and I'm not 
sure I'll ever learn all there is to know about it, especially in light 
of it being software defined and in a constant state of flux. That's an 
item of considerable appeal for me. I don't have to wait for a new model 
to have quirks in the current one fixed, or whole new features added!

I wonder if the load/save configuration function of the utility would 
answer your thought about having an op preference?

73, Mike NF4L

Gary and Kathleen Pearse wrote:
> I was offered a chair at the recent KL7RA M/M CQWW effort, so I drove  
> 550 miles
> as quickly as possible to get set up with my K3. The other four rigs  
> were all
> IC-781's. I had opped locally with them during the last Solar Cycle.  
> Since then,
> Rich relocated and built a new station on the Kenai Peninsula to the  
> south.
> There's much better propagation from KL7 from that location, and his  
> scores will
> improve.
>
> We put my K3 on the 80M spot feeding an Alpha 87 into a 4-square  
> dipole array,
> and ran it the full 48 hrs when propagation allowed without  
> malfunction. Most
> of the ops (7) had no major problems interfacing with the rig. Some were
> skeptical at first but learned the important controls, and a minority  
> just
> passed it off as a one-owner radio not suitable for M/M Contesting  
> due to it's
> initial complexity.
>
> The NB, and occasionally the NR, were required on a westerly heading  
> due noise
> re-radiation from the nearby 160M vertical. They both worked very  
> well. I
> adjusted the AGC slope and threshold, and we all set the filter  
> offset and width
> to our own needs to provide best audio. Both of my 2.7 and 2.1  
> filters were used
> as required. We never used the second receiver with duplicate  
> filters. The
> recently installed optional voice keyer worked perfectly, as did the  
> VOX,
> providing the adjacent station noise was compensated for by setting  
> the VOX
> floor in the CONFIG menu. The Manual was available for everyone to  
> refer to, as
> was I.
>
> The biggest complaints and temporary problems arose from the Tap vs.  
> Hold
> functions (how much is each, etc.), and inadvertently touching the wrong
> button(s). Nobody really got too lost, but there were some anxious  
> moments as
> they figured out what had happened. Most were used to bigger simpler  
> radios, so
> the somewhat cramped controls gave some the fits. I wished to try it  
> on the more
> crowed bands and in the huge pileups (especially JA's on 15), but  
> that was not
> to be.
>
> What might be helpful for new ops would be a way to selectively  
> enable certain
> functions, and lock/disable the unneeded. Also, an "OP preference"  
> control list
> would be nice so one could quickly return to their favorite settings  
> after
> following others in the chair.
>
> Rumor has it (second hand) that some Contesters are now shying away  
> from the K3
> due to it's complexity, but not necessarily it's performance. As a  
> relatively
> experienced owner I had no problem running what I consider to be  
> excellent
> radio. I've owned or operated most of the modern rigs sold in the  
> last 15 years,
> and find the K3 (and my IC-765) to be the best of the group.
>
> 73, Gary NL7Y
>
>
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