[Elecraft] K3 not recieving

Tue Mar 8 11:21:51 EST 2011

Vernon,

Have you checked your coax , maybe open.
Try hooking up just the center conductor of the 
coax to your rig , leave the shield unhooked.

73 Ken K5DNL
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--- On Tue, 3/8/11, Vernon Mauery <vmauery at gmail.com> wrote:

> From: Vernon Mauery <vmauery at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [Elecraft] K3 not recieving
> To: don at w3fpr.com
> Cc: "elecraft" <elecraft at mailman.qth.net>
> Date: Tuesday, March 8, 2011, 9:33 AM
> Don,
> 
> It looks like you and at least one other person have said
> that I need
> more radials.  I will have to look into that. 
> Thank you for your
> suggestion.
> 
> --Vernon N7OH
> 
> On Tue, Mar 8, 2011 at 4:59 AM, Don Wilhelm <w3fpr at embarqmail.com>
> wrote:
> >  Vernon,
> >
> > If your K3 is receiving static, I would tend to blame
> your problem on the
> > antenna rather than the K3.
> > However, there is a way to check the K3.  Beg, borrow
> or purchase an
> > Elecraft XG2 signal generator.  That will give you a
> tool to produce a 50 uV
> > signal (S-9) and also a tool to do MDS measurements on
> your K3.
> >
> > I do suspect your antenna.  Verticals do not work
> well in all locations -
> > good performance depends on your soil conditions, and
> 25 foot radials are
> > likely not long enough.  For a good ground screen
> with the 43 foot radial,
> > you need at least 32 43 foot radial wires for it to be
> effective.  A
> > vertical works great right on the edge of salt water,
> but inland locations
> > vary depending on the soil conditions.  I have always
> been disappointed with
> > verticals.
> >
> > Actually, I suggest a more simplistic approach - use
> horizontal dipoles.
> >  Use the 43 foot vertical as a mast to hold up the
> center of a dipole.  Get
> > a 1:1 balun and construct a dipole for 40 and 20
> meters.  2 radiator wires
> > 33 feet long and two 16 foot long these two antennas
> can run on a single
> > feedline..  Run the center up to the top of your 43
> foot "mast" and hang the
> > ends of the dipole wires as high as you can using
> whatever supports are
> > available.  You want an angle between the wires to be
> at an angle greater
> > than 45 degrees.  The two wires for 40 meters (the 33
> ft long ones) should
> > be in the same vertical plane, and the two wires for
> 20 meters should be at
> > right angles to the 40 meter wires to keep interaction
> to a minimum.
> >
> > You mentioned 10 meters.  Propagation conditions may
> be a problem too.  The
> > higher HF bands do not have many signals during the
> hours of darkness, and
> > 10 meters may not have many signals during the day.
>  20 meters during the
> > daylight hours is usually reliable and 40 meters at
> night will typically
> > have good signals.  During periods of greater sunspot
> activity, the higher
> > frequency bands will show more activity, but during
> the recent sunspot
> > minimum, there were times when 20 meters was barely
> usable, but conditions
> > are improving.
> >
> > 73,
> > Don W3FPR
> >
> > On 3/8/2011 1:06 AM, Vernon Mauery wrote:
> >>
> >> At the risk of exposing what a n00b I am when it
> comes to HF, I really
> >> need some help.  I recently (last month)
> purchased a K3.  First HF
> >> radio I have owned.  I got my license 2 years ago
> and have spent most
> >> of the time since playing with VHF.  I have been
> trying to teach
> >> myself CW and decided that it was time to step
> into the HF waters.  I
> >> studied, ogled, and dreamed of my ideal HF
> transceiver.  I finally
> >> found the K3 and having looked (at least a cursory
> glance) at all the
> >> others, I was sold.  I saved my pennies and
> purchased.  I also got
> >> myself a 43' untuned vertical antenna, balun, and
> radial wires.
> >>
> >> My setup: K3/100 has 100 feet of low loss 400 coax
> out to the 43 foot
> >> vertical on the hill in my back yard.  It has 8
> 25 foot radials and a
> >> 4:1 balun.  The K3 has the KATU3, KPA3, KTCXO3-1,
> KFL3A-400, and
> >> default 2.8KHz filters.  I assembled it and did
> followed the
> >> calibration instructions as well as I could.  I
> think I got
> >> everything, but obviously I missed something.  Or
> maybe I just need an
> >> elmer to tell me what to do.
> >>
> >> I cannot seem to find any signals that make the S
> meter go above a 3
> >> or 4.  I have the RF gain turned up a fair ways
> (mostly to the top),
> >> and I can hear static.  As I tune up some of the
> bands on SSB, I can
> >> hear a tone that changes higher in pitch as I tune
> up in frequency.  I
> >> have tried listening for CW, but I am hearing
> nothing as I scan
> >> through the bands.  I had a 10m horizontal dipole
> taped to my wall for
> >> a while until I found time to run the coax out to
> the back yard.  I
> >> had hoped that since it was resonant on the 10m
> band, maybe it would
> >> be able to pick up something, but it was no better
> (or worse) than my
> >> vertical.
> >>
> >> As far as I can tell, the radio seems to transmit.
>  I can see the
> >> power meter moving and the SWR meter moving.  The
> ATU seems to be able
> >> to find acceptable settings on most of the bands
> with the vertical.
> >> But I can't hear them.  You can't work them if
> you can't hear them,
> >> right?
> >>
> >> This is a desperate plea for help.  Is it the
> radio or me?  Please
> >> have pity on the n00b and walk me through my first
> HF contact.
> >>
> >> --Vernon N7OH
> >>
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