[Elecraft] K3 not recieving

Tue Mar 8 18:38:39 EST 2011

That's quite possible Mike, but there's an electrical reason for the 42'
10-80 meter vertical height. 

42 feet is 5/8 wavelength on 10 meters. Above that length, the pattern
shifts skyward quickly which greatly reduces DX performance on 10. 

It's still long enough to be very efficient on either 40 or 80 with a good
ground system. 

Ron AC7AC

-----Original Message-----
From: elecraft-bounces at mailman.qth.net
[mailto:elecraft-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Mike
Sent: Tuesday, March 08, 2011 2:45 PM
To: elecraft at mailman.qth.net
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] K3 not recieving

I've heard quite a few people use balun, when they meant impedence
transformer or unun.

I heard somewhere (and the tapes have been erased) that the 43' length came
about 
because it was the most economical length for a manufacturer to cut stock
with the 
least waste to meet shipping limitations.

73, Mike NF4L

On 3/8/2011 5:29 PM, David Herring wrote:
> Here's a follow-on question to the reflector...
>
> Vernon's set-up brings a question to mind.  He says he's using a 4:1 balun
on his vertical.  At first brush that seems counterintuitive, doesn't it?
Isn't a vertical unbalanced?  Certainly the coax is unbalanced.  When you're
mating an unbalanced feedline with an unbalanced antenna, wouldn't one be
better off using an unun rather than a 4:1 balun?
>
> In further support of my line of questioning, I've read numerous, albeit
anecdotal, reports of people being displeased with the performance of their
vertical, particularly the untuned ones like Zero-Five for example. But when
they add an unun they are then amazed at how the antenna allegedly "sprung
to life."
>
> 73,
> Dave  AH6TD
>
> On Mar 8, 2011, at 6:20 AM, Vernon Mauery wrote:
>
>> Yes.  I can see the S-meter go from 3-4 down with static down to
>> nothing with quieter static.  My best guess is that I am not trying
>> the right times at the right places.
>>
>> Thanks to everyone for the help.
>>
>> --Vernon N7OH
>>
>> On Tue, Mar 8, 2011 at 8:12 AM, Ross Primrose N4RP<n4rp at aiko.com>  wrote:
>>> Does the received noise decrease when you disconnect the antenna?
>>>
>>> 73, Ross N4RP
>>>
>>> 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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>>>
>>> --
>>> FCC Section 97.313(a) "At all times, an amateur station must use the
>>> minimum transmitter power necessary to carry out the desired
>>> communications."
>>>
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