[Elecraft] Re-post from KX3 reflector (a Field Tester's review)

Mon Feb 6 15:28:35 EST 2012

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/KX3/

On 6 February 2012 19:25, Igor Sokolov <ua9cdc at gmail.com> wrote:

> How can one subscribe to KX3 reflector please?
>
> 73, Igor UA9CDC
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Wayne Burdick" <n6kr at elecraft.com>
> To: "Elecraft Reflector" <elecraft at mailman.qth.net>
> Sent: Monday, February 06, 2012 11:37 PM
> Subject: [Elecraft] Re-post from KX3 reflector (a Field Tester's review)
>
>
> Hi all,
>
> Matt (W6NIA) posted this to the KX3 list. Since it's the first report
> on one of the current field-test KX3s, he and I thought it would be of
> interest here, as well. He included a photo, but of course that can't
> be posted to this list.
>
> 73,
> Wayne
> N6KR
>
> * * *
>
> Elecraft KX3: Field Tester Review of S/N 6
> All-
>
> Attached is a photo of KX3 #6 [actually not--see note above--WB].
> It's an outdoor shot with the backlight off.  This unit is in Field
> Test here, which is its own type of milestone for all those waiting
> patiently.  I'll be writing objective appraisals of this FT unit.
> That will be my intent, anyway (objectivity).  This email is a first
> cut.  Read on.
>
>
> My personal opinion is that this is the coolest amateur transceiver
> ever designed, built, or dreamed of.  Perfect size, perfect weight,
> VERY respectable performance.  You can *really* take the KX3 with you,
> and you’ll really want to.  Mine’s going everywhere with me, including
> the workplace!  I know my engineering staff will demand to see how
> Wayne and crew fit it all in, and how well the KX3 works.
>
>
> After one day using this unit, I've reached the conclusion that the
> KX3 is basically ready for initial production.  As is usual for a
> 'young' rig from Elecraft, firmware is still a work in progress.  This
> should be no surprise to anyone on this list.  The hardware is at
> near-100% shape, IMHO.  There are a few minor issues - mostly features
> not yet implemented.  And I mean minor.  If I weren't an engineering
> manager in the consumer products industry I would not have noticed any
> of them.  The electronics seems solid, and I've done a bit of lab
> testing for MDS and selectivity.  Most of my testing has been on the
> air though.  My lab testing shows MDS better than -136 dBm, but my
> signal generator can't extend any lower.  No problems with rejecting
> out of band signals (away from the roofing filter's coverage).
>
>
> On the air:  I've had about fifteen CW QSOs, using between 1 and 12
> Watts output power.  The antenna is a homebrew multi-band vertical,
> ground mounted.  Four of these Qs were on battery power.  No
> differences were found between operating on external and internal
> power, except for the output power limitations due to batteries.  One
> Q was with an extremely weak QRP station in New Mexico.  The APF
> helped with this, to the point that I could not have pulled him out
> without the feature.  With APF engaged, his signal was 539 with rapid
> fades to 319.  He was running 0.5W and I was running 3 W.  Great
> ragchew, with very few repeats.
>
> Except for Navy-Marine Corps MARS, I'm mostly a CW op.  Several SSB
> contacts went successfully after a false start: I had to finagle the
> MH3's input connection a bit (a virgin socket seating issue).  I set
> the MIC and CMP values by listening on a second receiver and built in
> MONitor, giving  MIC=18 and CMP=10 as the best combination.  Audio
> reports using the MH3 and this setting were excellent - "clear as a
> bell" and "good presence”.  Output using the internal speaker is
> adequate, though not amazingly loud.  Some of that is probably my 55
> year old ears and too many rock concerts when I was younger.  The
> frequency response seems relatively flat and lows are surprisingly
> well-represented.  Distortion is low (< 2% THD the way I hear it).
>
> The FOC and NA contests run this weekend were an interesting
> environment for first-time ops on the KX3.  Lots of strong signals,
> many in excess of S9+25.  A majority of the QSOs mentioned above were
> near strong signals and with the roofing filter in place I had pretty
> good luck ignoring the big guns while working weak signals.  I have to
> admit this is completely subjective, however years of experience with
> the K3 also tells me that the KX3 has similar characteristics in this
> regard.  The best example from on-air testing was the NM CW station I
> mentioned above.  His signal was marginal, meaning the APF was
> essential for pulling him out of the band noise.  At the same time, 3
> to 4 KHz up was one of those big guns thumping away.  I could even
> hear key clicks from the contester, but only a tiny amount of blocking
> from his signal on the KX3.  That's what I mean by "similar to the
> K3".  It's not identical though.  I found instances where a little bit
> of a strong station's signal was near- or in-band, and as you would
> expect some pretty severe blocking occurred.  I'd recommend everyone
> make sure they have the roofing filter on the "essentials" list for
> purchase.  In many ways the roofer makes the KX3 what it was meant to
> be.
>
> One thing that’s notable and exceptional:  I haven’t seen any of the
> typical issues of a “zero IF” architecture.  No image problems, no
> ripple in the passband (in either SSB or CW), no audio artifacts.  The
> advantage to a zero IF architecture is that there’s no “donut hole”
> around the IF frequency; there are others too – one single conversion
> takes less space than multiple conversions, less power consumed, less
> heat generated.
>
> As a Navy-Marine Corps MARS operator, I’m looking forward to using the
> KX3 in our ECOM exercises.  Its size and power consumption are perfect
> for such types of portable operation.  It’s the item that will take
> the least amount of space in your Go Kit.
>
>
> Sorry so much of this is non-quantitative.  I'll try to get more out
> after another day or two.
>
>
>
> Standard disclaimer:  I am not employed by nor do I have a fiduciary
> interest in Elecraft.
>
>
>
> 73,
>
> Matt Zilmer, W6NIA / NNN0UET / NNN0GAF THREE
> NMCM RMS Winmor: NNU9ET-5: Upland, CA.
> mzilmer at ...
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