[Elecraft] [K3] AGC-OFF

[Kevin Rock]

I was having a hard time making out characters today during my daily sked  
into the Southeast.  The QSB was a fast flutter and was chopping up the  
letters badly.  I was running fast AGC and thought maybe slowing it down  
may help.  It did - a little.  So I took the next logical step and turn  
AGC off entirely.  The characters popped right out at me.  I just rode the  
RF gain as the signal went through its slower QSB while the fast flutter  
QSB did little to bother me.  AF gain was cranked to high as I normally  
run it while RF gain was set to where the background QRN was minimized.   
Turning off the AGC helped eliminate the fast flutter problems which were  
causing me difficulties copying.

This is most likely old news to many of you but I have been running AF  
gain at max and controlling volume with the RF (or IF) gain since 1960  
when I first started SWLing on my brother's Lafayette receiver.

I hope this helps at least one of you drag out a new one.
    73,
       Kevin.  KD5ONS