[Elecraft] [K3S] Test Procedure

[Don Wilhelm]

Mark,

I think you are correct, no "standard" test procedure is possible 
because it would not account for all installed options, filter 
assignments, and other configurable aspects of the K3/K3S.

I would however suggest that one could use a procedure similar to what I 
use for a K2.
It is best if you have a dummy load and can observe the TX waveforms on 
an oscilloscope connected across that dummy load with a 10X probe.
How well you can do the tests will depend on the equipment you have 
available.
Testing into an antenna can produce ambiguous results - use a dummy load 
even if you have to borrow one.  An external wattmeter with trusted 
calibration is also useful.

Proposed procedure ---
1) Go through all the calibration items listed in the manual.
2) Check the status of each option installed and do a functional check 
to assure that each of those options is working.
3) Check the computer connection capability - does it connect with K3 
Uility?
4) Check the filter assignments using K3 Utility.
5) Check the CW output waveform on the 'scope.
6) Check the SSB output waveform.  Does it change with Mic Gain and 
Compression.
7) Check data mode operation if you had been set up for that capability.
8) Check FM capability if your K3 is equipped with the 13kHz filter.
9) Check AM capability if your K3 has the 6kHz or 13kHz filter.
10) if you have the KAT3, check that it tunes properly into a dummy load 
on all bands.
10a) if you have 2 50 ohm dummy loads, connect them in parallel and 
assure that the KAT3 will tune into the resultant 25 ohm dummy load.
11) Check receive function on all bands.  A signal generator like the 
XG3 is a big help with this evaluation.  Check at low signal levels.
12) Check the KRX3 receive in the same manner as the main reciever.

Note, you can best observe the RX characteristics using an audio 
spectrum analyzer (Spectrogram or Spectrum Lab or others) running on 
your computer - feed the headphone output (or rear panel phones or 
speaker) to the soundcard input.  The main RX is the left channel and 
the KRX3 is the right channel.
If you do not have an audio spectrum analyzer, you can download a good 
copy of Spectrogram from my website www.w3fpr.com - look near the bottom 
of the opening page for links to a copy internal to my website (it has 
been scrubbed by several anti-virus programs and has come up clean - 
contrary to several copies of Spectrogram found 'in the wild' on the 
internet).

73,
Don W3FPR

On 7/24/2016 7:38 PM, Mark E. Musick wrote:
> You probably won't.
> The K3 or K3S is put in a test fixture and run for 24 hours before being
> shipped after assembly, repair and/or upgrades.
> I just talked to Elecraft in the last week about one of my K3s I had in for
> upgrades and was told it would ship a day after being put in a test fixture
> and going through a 24 hour burn in.
> I take that to mean there is some sort of computer/microprocessor automation
> that runs various tests on the K3 over a 24 hour period.
> So there is probably no complete overall K3 test we as users can perform
> other than what is in the K3 utility and/or specific tests for a specific
> problem as directed to users by Elecraft support.
> There may be someone (support, Wayne or Eric) who knows more than I that can
> confirm or deny my assumption.
> Even if we as users had such a procedure, how many users would have the test
> equipment necessary to perform such tests? Plus running the risk that the
> user(s) could mess up the works.
>