[Elecraft] KX3 voice compression very impressive

[Walter Underwood]

Last weekend I took my KX3 on a backpacking trip in Henry Coe State Park and activated Willson Peak (W6/NC-182) for Summits on the Air (SOTA). It was lovely to operate in such an RF quiet spot.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/walter_underwood/17417496311/in/album-72157652448882921/

In eight 5W SSB contacts on 20m, every report was 5x. Two reports were 52 and one was 51. The rest were 55 except for a 56 from a mountaintopper on the other side of the valley. I know there was QSB, because it took three tries for one op to get me in her log. My antenna was a 26’ wire thrown over a tree and a 16’ wire on the ground.

I used the DVR technique to set it up at home — A/B testing settings between the two buffers and choosing the best each time. I adjusted my TX EQ according to K9YC’s advice, which closely matched other reputable advice.

I’m really impressed that a 5W voice signal was completely readable even with 51 and 52 reports. Nice work, Elecraft.

I was also very happy at how light the KX3 is. Look at some of the other photos in that albums and you’ll see why. Henry Coe is famously steep.

wunder
K6WRU
CM87wj
http://observer.wunderwood.org/ (my blog)