[Elecraft] K3 and inverter generators

[Jim Brown]

On Wed,8/10/2016 12:05 PM, Bill Cobb wrote:
> I also have run my station on our Honda EU2000 with no issues.

Remember that it all depends on what your antennas are, how close they 
are to the generator, and how much OTHER noise is present.

Our FD and CQP (California QSO Party) teams set up in very quiet (mile 
of nowhere) locations with antennas very close to our Honda 2000i. 
Without a ferrite choke on the 2000i output cable, noise on 15 and 20M 
was in the range of S7-S8 on our K3s; with a filter (or without the 
generator running) noise was down around S2. That's a HUGE difference -- 
if the S-meter is calibrated to 5 dB per S-unit, that's 30 dB, the 
difference between being able to hear a 1 kW signal and a 1W signal.

Obviously, if our station is in a developed area, our noise level is 
likely to a be a LOT higher, more like S6-S8, and we're far less likely 
to hear that S7-S8 generator noise. Likewise if our noise level is lower 
and our antenna(s) are farther from the generator.

My advice -- never accept anyone's assurances that XYZ product is quiet 
without a detailed description of the antenna farm, its location with 
respect to the generator, and what the noise level is without the 
generator, because without that information, those assurances are next 
to meaningless.

73, Jim K9YC