[Elecraft] [K3] Fan Replacement

[Dr John H Farmer]

Hello Group,

I just want to share my experience in case it's of interest to others. 

I have excellent hearing and I have K3 #5102 and while it's a rig with outstanding capabilities, the fan noise has always bothered me. My K3 has the Utec fans and even on low speed, there's something about the quality of the fan noise that's bothersome, quite apart from the volume, which I find distracting even through over-ear headphones. 

Early on, I wondered if I had faulty fans from a bad batch. I replaced them with a new pair from Elecraft, but they were as noisy as the originals. 

Well, today the problem is fixed. Inspired by Harry's posts on the topic, I swapped over the Utecs for a pair of Noctua NF-A6x25s. It took 20 minutes.  The difference took me by surprise.  They are very, very quiet even in a silent room and I can't hear them through the headphones at all. The quality of the sound is softer somehow - just like moving air and without mechanical overtones! I worked CW for an hour tonight to get the rig warm and these fans have transformed the experience.  I'm very pleased. Thanks Harry. 

73,
John
VK7JB