[Elecraft] K3 Couple of issues during CQWW RTTY

[Don Wilhelm]

Joe,

I don't know anything in the K3 that would cause your problem 1, but I 
strongly suspect that is an N1MM related situation.

My guess on your problem 2 is that you were not driving the audio hard 
enough.
With the K3, you cannot follow the frequent advice given for data modes 
to "set the power to max and use the audio drive to bring up the power 
to the desired level" -- that WILL NOT work well with the K3.  Do as the 
K3 manual indicates, set the audio level for 4 ALC meter bars solid with 
the 5th one flashing (you can do that in TX TEST so you do no0t bother 
anyone on the air) - then set the power knob for the desired power.

Failure to follow those instructions will result in "power creep" like 
you were seeing.

73,
Don W3FPR

On 10/1/2012 3:09 PM, Joe K2UF wrote:
> I had the following two problems during the RTTY contest this past weekend.
>
>   
>
> 1.-   I had to reset the mode from FSK D to AFSK A many times.  Usually when
> I changed bands or a large change in frequency within the same band.  When I
> get to the top of the band and want to go back to the bottom of the band I
> would type the frequency in N1MM.  Radio would QSY to the new frequency but
> the mode would revert back to FSK D.  This would not happen every time but
> quite often.
>
>   
>
> 2.-  Using the K3 / KPA500 setup with N1MM running on a Win XP desktop pc
> with a soundMAX sound card.  The K3 running about 25 watts and the LINE IN
> level set at 10 the KPA500 power out would start at about 60 to 70 watts.
> Each time I would call/work someone the power out on the KPA500 would
> increase.  After 8 or 10 calls/Qs the power would be up to 400 to 500 watts.
> If I changed the power level on the K3 down 1 watt and then back up 1 watt
> the process would start all over again.  I do not have the same problem on
> CW.  I have not used the amp in a CW contest yet, but I have worked several
> DXpeditions/DX stations sometimes calling for over an hour. The amp output
> would stay where it was set.
>