[Elecraft] K3 Calibration

[Fred Jensen]

A few days ago, someone posted a several paragraph procedure to 
calibrate the K3 using the beat between the MON tone and the signal 
while doing CONFIG:REF CAL.

Whoever you were, thanks!  I copied the meat of your procedure to 
Notepad and printed it, and now don't have the email header.

It worked, just like you said, and yes, I really could detect the small 
variations due to propagation, especially on 15.000.000 MHz.  I've 
figured my K3 [642] has been about 25-50 Hz off for quite awhile. 
Exactitude doesn't really matter for anything I do with my radio, as 
long as it is close, but being an ex-engineer [OK, wife says "there's no 
such thing as an EX-engineer"], knowing it bugs me.  We'll see now if 
the cluster spots put me on frequency when I'm running SO Assisted.

Generally speaking, I run a constant XIT of 100 Hz in contests where I 
expect to encounter pileups ... that wasn't the ARRL 160 this weakend 
:-)  That puts the station in my hearing sweet spot, and hopefully puts 
me somewhere different from the rest of the crowd but still in his 
passband and "sweet spot."

Never heard Kevin on 20m ECN, or anyone else for that matter, so didn't 
get to check out the "AGC Off Scenario."  I checked, my tower and 
tribander did not fall down.  Things are usually pretty strong on 40, 
we'll see.

73,

Fred K6DGW
- Northern California Contest Club
- CU in the 2011 Cal QSO Party 1-2 Oct 2011
- www.cqp.org