[Elecraft] ZLX8 - K3 firmware

Mon Nov 22 09:43:50 EST 2010

Rich and Bill,

Contrary to Rich's experience, I  have found that the P3 is an outstanding 
tool for busting pileups.  The combination of the KRX3 and P3 is well worth 
the investment required to have both.  I use the P3 all the time to identify 
which station is being worked in a pile up.  If a bunch of other stations 
are calling out of turn, I don't always finds the station being worked with 
the P3.  But I would estimate that the P3 allows me to visually identify the 
right station about 70% of the time.  I then use the subRX to confirm that 
the station on the display is indeed working the DX in question.  The P3 has 
allowed me to break many pileups much faster than when using the subRX by 
itself.

Just this last weekend I worked ZL8X on 10 meters largely due to the P3.  He 
was working stations about 3 to 4 kHz up and then worked a station only 1 
kHz up from his transmit frequency.  I found this station with the P3.  The 
P3 showed a signal pop up well below the main pileup.  I quickly turned VFO 
B to that frequency and heard that station send "tu" in the right ear.  ZL8X 
immediately sent tu in the left ear and I knew that he was now listening 
below the pileup.  I made one call and he immediately came back to me.  I 
would have never heard this station calling so far down from the main pileup 
if I was using only the subRX.  Since getting the P3 this scenario has 
repeated itself over and over.  The combination of visual and audio 
monitoring of a pileup is a powerful new tool that is only offered by the 
KRX3 and P3 in combination.

I might add that the P3 also allows me to find small openings within a large 
pileup.  I will often reduce the span to +/- 10 kHz in order to have the 
signals of the pileup sufficiently separated to find an opening for 
transmitting my call.  The P3 also performed unbelievably well during the SS 
CW test.  I used it all the time to move up and down the band -- often 
finding weaker stations next to louder ones that I could work and also 
helping me to find openings to call CQ.

I use the P3 much more often for busting pileups than I do for just 
listening to a quite band.

Dave, N4QS

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Rich - K1HTV" <k1htv at comcast.net>
To: "'Bill VanAlstyne W5WVO'" <w5wvo at cybermesa.net>
Cc: <elecraft at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Monday, November 22, 2010 6:20 AM
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] ZLX8 - K3 firmware

> Bill,
>    By far, I believe that in the long run, if you are interested in 
> working
> more DX stations running split pileups, the KRX3 will serve you much 
> better than
> the P3. With the audio of the sub-receiver in your right ear, you will 
> find it
> easy to identify stations working the DX. You will also be able to 
> determine the
> tuning pattern they are using. Some DXpedition ops work many callers on 
> the same
> frequency. Others tune up or down in small frequency increments. Other DX
> stations randomly tune around after each QSO in a Russian Roulette style.
>
> A P3 will help finding activity on a quiet band. On a busy band, it can 
> show you
> where pileups have developed, but NOT where the station presently being 
> worked
> is operating. That could happen only if all stations calling the DX would
> immediately stop transmitting while only the one station being worked 
> transmits
> solo. If that miracle would happen, a single pip would show up on the P3 
> screen
> and you could click on it to move you K3 to that frequency. If you have 
> listened
> to pileups calling DX stations you know that the chance of that happening 
> is
> near nil. Once you have determined the working pattern, you can adjust 
> where you
> place your signal with VFO-B to improve your chances of working that DX 
> station.
> Much of my success over the years in working DX using split operating can 
> be
> attributed to placing my 100 Watt signal on the proper frequency, 
> improving my
> chances of making the QSO.
>
> In addition to being able to use the KRX3 for listening to two frequencies 
> at
> once, there is the ability to listen to weak stations in the diversity 
> mode with
> separate antennas on each receiver. This can produce amazing results on 
> some
> signals as their signals fade down and out on the left ear while fading up 
> in
> into the right ear. The brain can integrate what the left and right ears 
> hear to
> produce Q5 copy where using either separately would produce fractured 
> copy.
>
> Hope that these observations from my frequently using the K3 sub receiver 
> are of
> some help in making you KRX3 vs. P3 decision.
>
> 73,
> Rich - K1HTV
> www.qrz.com/db/k1htv
>
> = = =
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Bill VanAlstyne W5WVO [mailto:w5wvo at cybermesa.net]
> Subject: Re: [Elecraft] ZLX8 - K3 firmware
>
> ZL8X is running seven (7) stations concurrently. See their website:
> http://www.kermadec.de/organisation/equipment/index.php
>
> They may be running K3s, but they make no mention on their website of what 
> brand
> of equipment they are using, and Elecraft is not one of their sponsors 
> (nor are
> any of the other radio companies -- IKenSu etc.).
>
> Worked them on 40 CW this morning with 100W to a non-resonant SWL sloper 
> 15 ft
> up at the top end. After two hours banging away at the pileup (which was 
> nearly
> 3 kHz wide, BTW), I was about to give up when I was finally able to find a
> contact's transmit frequency and tail-end him -- switching back and forth 
> using
> the RIT button with XIT turned on. This would have been MUCH easier with a 
> P3 or
> with a KRX3, or both! When each QSO transmission is about 2-3 seconds 
> long, this
> is really doing it the hard way. But I did it, and I'm in their online log 
> this
> evening.
>
> To all veteran HF CW DXers -- If I were going to get EITHER a KRX3 or a P3 
> to
> make working split pileups more efficient and productive, WHICH should I 
> invest
> in first?
>
> Bill W5WVO
>
> = = =
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Rich - K1HTV
> Sent: Monday, November 22, 2010 01:17
> To: 'Johnny Siu'
> Cc: elecraft at mailman.qth.net
> Subject: Re: [Elecraft] ZLX8 - K3 firmware
>
> Hi Johnny,
>   I think you meant ZL8X. I'm sure glad that they are using a K3 on that
> Dxpedition to Kermadec. They must have been using it on 160 Meters this 
> morning
> when I worked them. I was running 100 Watts to an Inverted-L from my VA 
> QTH.
> They were Q5 here on my K3 with the APF turned ON. There is nothing wrong 
> with
> the APF, but I did notice that when I reduced the RF gain control a bit 
> the copy
> became better. Must have been hitting the DSP with a bit too much of my 
> local
> noise.
>
> ZL8X on Kermadec Island is K1HTV country #221 with 100 Watts. I can thank 
> having
> K3 on both ends of the path, as also occurred for my 160M QSO with Dave,
> KH2/N2NL a few weeks ago.  Thank you Elecraft!
>
> 73,
> Rich - K1HTV
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:Elecraft at mailman.qth.net
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
> 