[Elecraft] The ins and outs of PSK on the K3?

[Bill Frantz]

[Just catching up with the list]

My latest PSK method in my continuously evolving technique using 
the K3 is:

     Lock the K3 on the base frequency in DATA-A mode. (When I
     adjust the hi and low cut knobs I frequently bump the big
     tuning knob.)

     Set the low cut to 300 and high cut to 2400 so there won't be
     any falloff of signals at the ends of my 2KHz waterfall.

     Poke at signals on the waterfall for contacts. Use the manual
     notch filter to remove any single very strong signal if
     necessary.

     When I start a QSO, narrow the hi and low cut to about 150 Hz
     around the signal. Adjust the RF gain until the band noise is
     barely visible on the waterfall. Tune the signal with both
     "receivers" in my computer software (cocoaModem on a MacBook
     Pro), which will generally give a 1 Hz or so difference and
     improve decoding.

     When the QSO is over, open the bandwidth back up and continue
     searching.

When I'm calling CQ, I narrow the bandwidth as above so I can 
detect weak responses.

I have a macro to open the bandwidth, but because the audio 
frequency of the QSO is variable I haven't automated the 
narrowing of the bandwidth. I am thinking of making a mod to 
cocoaModem to send a command to the K3, but this project will 
have to wait until at least September.

One other issue is that the noise reduction in cocoaModem is 
quite effective when the bandwidth is open, but it becomes much 
worse when the bandwidth is narrowed. The K3 does not provide 
noise reduction in Data-A mode.

Cheers - Bill, AD6JV

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