[Elecraft] K3/0 Forum?

[Barry Baines]

Ed:

Part of the “confusion” may be due to how different organizations/groups utilize the remote capabilities of Elecraft products.  Which areas should be the responsibility for documenting which aspect of remote operations?  For example, do you expect Elecraft or Remote Hams to provide appropriate documentation for using the K3/O with a Remote Hams connection?

Second, the K3/O can be ‘connected’ to a K3 through various means.  I would suggest since Elecraft offers the Remote Rig hardware as part of their product line offerings, their focus should be on getting the Remote Rig hardware properly interconnected with the K3 at the radio site as well as the K3/0 at the remote site.  This includes proper remote rig configuration, which can at times be confusing due in part to network issues. 

In my opinion, Elecraft does a reasonably good job in their brief documentation in connecting via Remote Rig. I was able to get it done once I dealt with with some network issues.

There is also the question of connecting the K3/0 to a local PC which in turn connects to a PC where the K3 itself is located to provide the connection.  I don’t know how many people use this approach, but the documentation may indeed be in need of improvement.  

What is particularly lacking is understanding more complex setups beyond SSB where documentation is needed to explain how to setup digital modes and how to use computers at the remote site to do digital modes.  There is also the question logging using a computer next to the K3/0 which gets into the question of proper com port configuration.  The question of feeding audio and control lines to a PC at the remote using the available connection ports off the K3/O or the Remote Rig “box” is not intuitive, nor is how best to use the two available com ports that can be managed between the remote site and the radio site (ham shack where the K3 is located) to feed data.  

Third, we need to remember that the K3/O’s front panel and menus control the K3 that is connected to the antenna.  When you setup filters, set frequencies, set audio levels, etc. on the K3/0, you are directly interacting with the K3 at the ham shack.  Even changing the volume level on the K3/0 to make for a more pleasant listening experience with the K3/0 internal speaker is in fact also changing the audio level of the speaker out of the K3 itself.  That is why I always turn off the powered speakers at the K3 so that varying audio levels don’t result in loud speaker output at the ham shack where the radio is located.

Fourth, for those of us that use the Remote Rig Hardware, there is a Remote Rig forum available through Remote Rig.  There are some issues that more properly handled by the Remote Rig support process, such as how to finagle a connection through hotel WiFi services where a login is required. In my opinion, Remote Rig needs to come up with solutions to these issues, not Elecraft.

FWIW,

Barry Baines, WD4ASW
Westborough, MA
Folkston, GA (ham shack site)

> On Oct 11, 2015, at 4:56 PM, Ed Gray W0SD <w0sd at triotel.net> wrote:
> 
> The lack of a good manual and no diagram for the K3/0 is way......below the normal Elecraft standards.  It is especially bad if in addition to remote rig you sometimes want to use the USB cable and remote hams.  There just is no documentation as to what is going on!
> 
> Ed W0SD
> 
> On 10/11/2015 3:30 PM, David Christ wrote:
>> I don’t know about a separate forum, but I am going to start looking at a remote installation for when we move into a retirement community and will want to know where the information is to be found.
>> 
>> David K0LUM
>> 
>> 
>>> On Oct 11, 2015, at 3:16 PM, jlbates4 <jlbates4 at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> 
>>> I was wondering why the K3/0 or K3/Remote Ops doesn't have a dedicated forum.
>>> Just a thought...
>>> 
>>> The reason I ask is that I would really like a better manual for the K3/0.
>>> I have a lot of questions - simple things, like how do I control the LCD
>>> display or adjust the LED brightness?  Is there a "local" menu system that
>>> allows for K3/0 configuration?
>>> 
>>> 73 de K8OI
>>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
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