[Elecraft] K3 S-meter question

[Arlen Fletcher]

I’ve just completed building my K3/10 (S/N 8115)!!! The PA3 and sub-receiver are sitting here but not built/installed yet. Everything seems to work fine - completed the TX gain calibration successfully, and the filter setup too, of course. However, I’m puzzled by the how the S-meter is behaving. It seems to be inversely proportional to the RF gain. With the RF gain all the way CCW, all segments of the S-meter are lit. With the RF gain at 12 o’clock, half of the segments are lit. Changing bands has no apparent effect on the S-meter reading, and it’s rare that any but the strongest stations has any effect on the meter. And, with the RF gain fully CW, a few segments are lit (depending upon the noise level in the band). This seems backwards to me, but this is my first HF rig, so maybe it’s supposed to behave this way? Maybe I have some config setting messed up?

Thanks in advance for any light you can shed on this!

Thanks!

73

Arlen Fletcher, AA7F