[Elecraft] New KX3 field-test firmware, rev. 2.82

[Wayne Burdick]

We could use a few volunteers to help test the latest KX3 firmware. Please email me if you’re interested.

See release notes below.

73,
Wayne
N6KR


* * *

KX3 MCU 2.82 / DSP 1.52, 11-6-2017

* SIDETONE VOLUME CAN BE SET LOWER:  MON=1 is now about 12 dB lower in volume than it was originally. MON=50 is about the same as the original maximum.

* AUTO-OFF TIMER RANGE IS 5 TO 100 MINUTES:  Auto-power-off (MENU: AUTO OFF) allows the radio to turn itself off if no controls are touched for the specified length of time. (The original range was 3 to 20 minutes.) If auto power-off is not desired, set the menu parameter to INFINITE (default). 

* VFO A LOCK DISABLES COARSE VFO A TUNING WITH OFS/B CONTROL: This is intended to prevent accidental frequency changes due to touching the OFS/B control. As long as VFO A is locked, the offset-tuning feature will also be locked. (RIT, if used, is still *not* locked. RIT may be needed to fine-tune received signals even if the VFO itself is locked on a given transmit frequency.)  Note: Coarse tuning steps for VFO A are set up per-mode using MENU:VFO CRS. The OFS/B control can be used to coarse-tune VFO A if RIT and XIT are both turned off and the control is not assigned to VFO B (“B” LED).

* FILTER BANDWIDTH & ULTIMATE ATTENUATION FIX:  Filter bandwidth settings ending in x00 Hz are now increased internally to x50 Hz to ensure excellent ultimate attenuation (stop band). For example, a setting of 400 Hz becomes 450 Hz. This is a temporary workaround for a DSP algorithmic issue with the x00 settings that will be corrected in a future release. Available bandwidth settings are now 50 Hz, 150 Hz, 250 Hz, 350 Hz, etc. These are entirely adequate for virtually all operating purposes.