[Elecraft] K3 with erratic QSK and CW Delay

[Don Wilhelm]

Dick,

I also would suggest removing all cables except the paddles and 
connecting a dummy load as a test.

One more thing to try on the delay situation is to set the delay 
somewhere in the 2 to 4 range rather than zero.  My reason for that is 
to potentially identify a problem where the bits get "mixed up" and the 
delay value tries to go 'negative'.  With an 8 bit number, the next 
'lower' value than zero is 255, which is really a very high number.  If 
you find something like that happening, the problem may RF in the Shack, 
and the cure will be found with good common mode chokes on your feedlines.

73,
Don W3FPR

On 2/20/2014 12:10 PM, RLVZ at aol.com wrote:
>   
> My K3 has always had erratic QSK.  I asked Elecraft to  check this out when
> the K3 was returned to Elecraft on another repair  issue and the Tech said
> the QSK "checked out fine".  I don't  doubt the Tech's word as he was even
> nice enough to phone me while he was  working on the radio.  So crazy as it
> seems,  the K3's QSK works while  in California... but it does not work when
> it gets home  to Florida!  Here's the issues:
>   
> QSK: The QSK will often work when the radio is cold and  first turned on.
> But after the first or second transmission, the  QSK quits working, and acts
> like it's in semi-break-in.  Seldom will  the QSK ever work again until the
> radio is powered off.  Therefore, I've  given up on QSK and operate
> semi-breakin.
>   
> SEMI-BREAKIN:  Until recently, semi-breakin worked  fine and would quickly
> return to receive as it should with the DELAY set at  0.  But today it's
> acting up as there's a substantial delay after the last  CW character is sent
> before it returns to receive.  I'd estimate a half  second delay before it
> returns to receive.  This issue is the same  whether the VOX is on or off and
> the same with the QSK on or  off.  I did double check the Delay setting and
> it is set to ).   (zero)  I'm sure you will agree that trying to  "run"
> stations in a contest with a half second delay before returning  to receive is a
> horrible experience.
>   
> Question:  Are there any settings besides  "DELAY" that can effect how long
> it takes the K3 to return to receive after  transmitting the last CW
> character?  Perhaps a Menu setting needs  changing?
>   
> Thanks & 73,
>   
>