[Elecraft] KX3 and Rocky 3.7

[Kenneth A Christiansen]

Thanks Don for your help.

I still need someone to give me a model number for a USB Sound Card that will work as I only want to do this once. I have been on the internet but none of the sound cards tell me if the mic input is stereo. The Creative X-Fi was too generic for me to tell which model to buy so if I had the rest of the model information that still might be the answer.

73 and thanks for any information.

Ken W0CZ   w0cz at i29.net

Sent from my iPad

On Jun 24, 2013, at 9:24 PM, Don Wilhelm <w3fpr at embarqmail.com> wrote:

> Ken,
> 
> Since the KX3 I/Q bandwidth is limited to something like 48kHz, you do not need an exotic soundcard which will give you a 192 kHz span, most external soundcards will do the job just fine.
> 
> The Creative X-Fi soundcard is available at a modest price, and will do a 192 kHz span should you need it, but there may be other less costly options that I am not aware of.  The X-Fi can be modified with a couple of added capacitors to reduce the noise level - Google for the mod information.
> 
> The biggest consideration for use with the KX3 RX I/Q output is the noise level rather than the bandwidth of the soundcard.
> 
> 73,
> Don W3FPR
> 
> On 6/24/2013 10:11 PM, Kenneth A Christiansen wrote:
>> Hi Don
>> 
>> You answered and confirmed my suspicion. I suspect since I have a new Elecraft cable and the sound card only has the MIKE input that it is MONO. Do you know of a USB sound card that you will work? I would rather by something good that I know will work than spend money on something cheap that may not. I have got my use out of this sound card on digital ham programs.
>> 
>> Sent from my iPad
>> 
>> On Jun 24, 2013, at 8:51 PM, Don Wilhelm <w3fpr at embarqmail.com> wrote:
>> 
>>> Ken,
>>> 
>>> Are you getting a signal to the soundcard from both the I and Q channels?  What you are seeing is normal of only one channel is fed to the soundcard.
>>> 
>>> In other words, check your cables.  Plug in the left channel only into the soundcard and see if you have a signal present, then do the same with the right channel.
>>> 
>>> It may be a cabling problem, or your sound adapter may have only mono input.  Many external soundcards have mono input when the mic input is selected, but may (or may not) when the Line In is selected - I/Q decoding requires stereo soundcard input - if the input is mono, you will see exactly the condition you report.
>>> 
>>> 73,
>>> Don W3FPR
>