[Elecraft] K3 PSK Dreaming

[Bill Frantz]

Background:

I am a relatively inexperienced operator with a spiffy new basic 
K3. (The only installed accessory is the K144XV and its required 
KXV3A.) To give an idea of where I'm at as an operator, my first 
use of the K3 was to copy W1AW slow code practice.

Most of my HF QSOs are PSK31 on 20 meters using a Small Wonder 
Labs PSK-20, which is basically a single frequency, direct 
conversion, SSB transceiver covering about 3.5 KHz of the PSK 
subband on 20 meters. Because my MacBook Pro has only one audio 
connector run in half duplex, I use a SignaLink USB interface. 
With this setup I have been able to work over 45 states.

I've fallen in love with waterfalls. I'm a good prospect for a 
P3, once the budget and KI6SLX, my wife recover from the K3. :-)

I very quickly set the K3 up for sound-card mode operation by 
moving the audio cables from the PSK-20 to the K3 and turning on 
the K3's VOX. After setting the Config settings following the 
good description in the manual, I was able to make my first QSO 
on the K3.


The dream:

I read in the "Theory of Operation" section of the manual that 
audio is generated in a 24 bit DtoA converter and passed to line 
out. Wait a minute. The K3 is producing analog audio so I can 
immediately convert it back to digital. Ouch. (And the SignaLink 
is only 16 bits.)

What I would like to see is an accessory for the K3 that looks 
like a 24 bit sound card to the computer. Since the data rates 
are too fast for RS-232, and software already supports USB, a 
USB interface seems the way to go. Including the KUSB function 
in the interface could be nice way to reduce cable clutter.

This accessory would eliminate one audio level control, and 
allow more of the K3's dynamic range to show through to the 
computer. I would probably reduce the times I need to use the 
notch filter to filter down a strong local station.

Cheers - Bill, AE6JV

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bill Frantz        |"We used to quip that "password" is the most common
408-356-8506       | password. Now it's 'password1.' Who said 
users haven't
www.periwinkle.com | learned anything about security?" -- Bruce Schneier