[Elecraft] K3S Enable Preamp 2 Without Preamp 1

[John Stengrevics]

I have recently been using the 6m ARR GaAsFET Preamp ahead of my K3S.  I also find that it has lower noise and perhaps more gain.  The proof is that I have been able to work moonrise/moonset EME with it (no elevation on my antenna).

John
WA1EAZ

> On Apr 6, 2018, at 11:16 PM, Jim Brown <jim at audiosystemsgroup.com> wrote:
> 
> On 4/6/2018 5:58 PM, john at kk9a.com wrote:
>> I have operated from several countries using my K3S and I am never so
>> fortunate to have a noise floor low enough use preamp 2. Most of the time
>> preamp 1 is also off.
> 
> I've had the opposite experience. MDS of the original K3 was woefully poor above 15M, even with the preamp switched in. As luck would have it, I have a very nice ARR GAsFET 6M preamp on the shelf that I'd used in Chicago that I inserted at the RX antenna patch point; I found that it improved the MDS all the way down to 12M. I would have missed a LOT of QSOs without that preamp. Of course, like everyone else, sometimes my noise level is lower than at other times, and a solar system 500 ft from my main antenna raises it by 10 dB on 10 and 6 when the sun is hitting it.
> 
> When the K3S was introduced, I quickly replaced the Synth boards and the Transverter board to get that improved preamp, simplifying my RX antenna switching. I do find, though, that the GAsFET preamp has a slightly lower NF, so I continue to use it during the 6M season.
> 
> 73, Jim K9YC
> 
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