[Elecraft] K3 Calibration

[Fred Jensen]

OK Folks,

Last year, during a snowstorm when the static was unbearable on the 
radio, I decided to "tidy up the computer."  The result was I formed a 
"New Rule," don't save stuff you print.  I pasted this down into my 
engineering notebook, but I no longer have it on this computer. 
Sometimes, "tidy" sucks.

The best thing would be for whomever posted this wisdom step up and 
repost it, no doubt he has not done the "tidy job" on his machine.

The abridged version [from my notebook] is:

1.  Go to CW, 200Hz BW

2.  Tune in WWV or your favorite frequency standard.  In the 60's in SE 
Asia, that was JJY.  Tune it as close to your PITCH frequency as you 
can.  At 200Hz BW, you won't hear a whole lot of the modulation, just 
the carrier which, at any rate will stand out.

3.  Go to CONFIG: REF CAL.  You'll see a number in the 49.mumble range, 
I have no idea what that means, but just forge ahead.

4.  Tap SPOT.  You will now hear the WWV [or whatever] carrier and your 
spot tone.  You may have to go back and adjust the MON level to 
correspond to the level you hear your freq std station at.

5.  Adjust VFO A knob slowly and you'll get a slow beat note, and you 
can, if you're patient, find a point where the beat frequency goes up on 
either side of the minimum.  Mine has about a 3 sec beat on WWV at 10 
MHz at the minimum.

6.  The "Original Poster Who So Far Can't Be Named," said there are 
propagation disturbances which will make the very slow hetrodyne vary 
ever so slightly.  If you are so inclined [as most engineers are], 
listen long enough and you can really hear the ionosphere in action.  I 
got to see it, in N. Alaska, right overhead, and hear it on the radio. 
Whale songs, from intergalactic whales.

It doesn't matter what your sidetone pitch is set to, the K3 adjusts for 
that.  On CW, sync with your sidetone, and you're on exactly the same 
frequency as the other guy.

Sorry, this is the best I can do with a very tidy computer and as an 
ex-engineer.

73,

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

On 12/5/2010 2:23 PM, Jim Miller KG0KP wrote:
> Fred, I guess I missed the original post and searching my last 2 months
> of messages in this folder, I cannot locate it. I am asking if you could
> forward your cut up version to me. Note the original author if possible
> so he gets credit for it.
>
> Thanks es 73, de Jim KG0KP