[Elecraft] Problems with a 2m module on my KX3

[Jack F6AJW]

Hello Matt and all,

In fact, I performed my first tests using only a 144 MHz SMA whip 
antenna directy on my KX3 and it was not a good idea at all (high SWR, 
too close from KX3?)! Today, I put my KX3 +2m on a dummy load and it was 
far better this way but I still have birdies especially near 144.300 and 
385 (not checked else where yet) and as my main interest is weak signal 
this is not good for me. I found that power was only 2 Watts using my 
Bird 43 and 5W / 100 to 250 MHz slug; it is a bit low. I managed to make 
a QSO with a guy about 40km away using a 3 el. Beam on my balcony (good 
location here close to the Atlantic ocean) , starting with my IC-910H 
and then switching to KX2+2m. I got good audio quality report in SSB. 
S-meter indication was low (about S9 compared to 9+&( on my IC-910H 
without amplifier. I put Preamp in service but may be I could put some 
extra gain in the RX chain. KX3 is "leaking a bit" as I could hear it on 
my IC-910H; useful in order to put both transceiver on the same 
frequency ;-)

Tomorrow I will leave my vacation house in SW of France and move to 
Paris for a few months there so I need to stop my tests on KX3 + 2m for 
the moment. May be I will use it in Paris with a more decent antenna 
that whip I used first (in fact I would need a ground plane attached to 
KX3). I am affraid I will not manage to use KX3+2m the way I did long 
time ago with my IC-202 and internal whip antenna!?

Any commentary or experience?

73's.

Jacques F6AJW/IN93EK



  Le 08/11/2014 00:50, Matt VK2RQ a écrit :
> The description below is a little vague, so hard to really comment.
>
> - birdies: do you observe these with no antenna connected to the 2m SMA socket? On which frequencies? Is it consistent?
>
> - instabilities: what exactly do you observe when you encounter one of these "instabilities"?
>
> - microphone effects: I guess you probably don't mean microphonics. Maybe you mean some sort of RF pick by the microphone? Do you observe "microphone effects" when transmitting into a dummy load?
>
> 73, Matt VK2RQ
>
>> On 8 Nov 2014, at 9:17 am, Jack F6AJW <jack.f6ajw at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> Hello Elecrafters!
>>
>> I am not too happy with a 2m module I have just installed on my KX3: lot of birdies, instabilities, microphone effects.
>>
>> Any idea? Thanks in anticipation, 73's.
>>
>> Jacques F6AJW
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