[Elecraft] Need K3 firmware testers (extended AF bass, "live" memory recall, flat data-mode EQ, etc.)

[Wayne Burdick]

Hi all,

We're getting very close to a long-awaited K3 beta firmware release.  
Since the changes are extensive, we'd like to send the code to a new  
group of "pre-testers" in addition to our usual field-test group.

Please read the release notes below. If you're interested, and can  
start testing right away, send me a direct email (n6kr at elecraft dot  
com) and I'll send you the latest firmware. I'll also include a link  
to the associated new release of K3 Utility, which is required to  
complete the "RF GAIN Calibration" procedure.

73,
Wayne
N6KR

MCU 3.37 / DSP 2.36, 9-25-2009

* NO RX EQ OR TX EQ IN DATA MODES. (That is, the response is flat.)

* "LIVE" MEMORY RECALL (M>V):  If you tap M>V, then start rotating
VFO A to select a memory channel, the K3 will now switch to the
band/mode specified in each memory. Exit memory recall by tapping
M>V a second time.

* VFO COARSE STEP ROUNDING: Tap '1' in the VFO CRS menu entry
to select RND=NO or YES. (Default for new K3s will be YES.) If YES,
the VFO frequency will be rounded up/down when COARSE tuning
is in effect. Coarse step size is selected using this same menu entry.
Note: The RIT/XIT control can be used to move the VFO in coarse
steps whenever RIT and XIT are both turned off. To disable this feature,
set CONFIG:VFO OFS to OFF.

* RF GAIN CALIBRATION PROCEDURE UPDATED:  Changes to
both K3 Utility and the DSP code are now in place to make RF GAIN
calibration work smoothly. Main/Sub S-meter discrepancy also
eliminated. All K3 owners are encouraged to run the RF GAIN cal
procedure on both main and sub receivers. (Requires 50 uV signal
source, such as an Elecraft XG1 or XG2.) Please use the latest rev of
K3 Utility.

* IMPROVED RX LOW-FREQUENCY RESPONSE in
AM, SSB and CW modes. (For best results, use headphones or external
speakers with extended bass.) NORMalizing the DSP passband still
sets the low-frequency bound to about 100 Hz in SSB modes.
But by using SHIFT, WIDTH or LO CUT, you can extend the audio
response to around 50 Hz. User-configurable NORM1 and NORM2
settings, or presets I/II, can then be used to store desired values
(per-mode). The two lowest MAIN:RX EQ ranges (50 and 100 Hz)
can be used to further enhance bass.

* SUB RX NOISE BLANKER NOW FULLY INDEPENDENT OF MAIN:
This includes the on/off state and NB LEVEL settings. Note: Set
CONFIG:NB SAVE to YES if you wish to keep the noise blanker ON
even when changing bands. The NB on/off state is stored on a per-band
basis for both main and sub receivers.

* DSP INTERNAL ERROR MONITORING: The DSPs now do additional
self-checking so they can automatically detect and prevent any type of  
rare
AF output anomaly. If you hear anything unexpected, please report
the associated information to Elecraft. While in the TECH MD menu entry,
tap 1 (main) or 2 (sub) to display the most recent data, shown in  
hexadecimal.
If it is “FFFF”, no error has been detected. After writing down the  
values,
tap CLR to reset them, allowing additional errors to be trapped if  
necessary.

* PL TONE DEVIATION ADJUSTABLE: Tapping '1' in CONFIG:FM DEV
changes menu entry name to "PL DEV" and allows setting PL tone deviation
from 300-600 Hz in 30-Hz steps (default is 360 Hz).

* EU REPEATER 1750 HZ PL TONE BURST:  In FM mode, if PL TONE is
selected and the tone pitch is set to 1750 Hz (using the PITCH  
switch), a
500 ms tone burst at 1750 Hz will be transmitted on each activation
of PTT. As a reminder, the -T icon will flash briefly at the start of  
each of
each transmission, then turn off until you’ve finished transmitting.

* EXTENDED 6-METER TUNING RANGE: The VFO can now be tuned
down to 44 MHz to monitor signals that may be correlated with 6-meter
band openings. Since the K3 has narrow band-pass filters, loss rapidly
increases as the VFO is tuned below 49 MHz (-34 dB typ. at 45 MHz). If a
preamp is in use ahead of the band pass filter (such as an Elecraft  
PR6), the
noise figure may still be adequate for monitoring strong 44-49 MHz  
signals.

* KEYPAD (1-9) SWITCH TONES WORKING FOR M>V AND V>M, M1-x:
Some keypad switches weren't producing a dual tone during memory
store/recall operations and message play.