[Elecraft] Some K4 updates from the engineering department

Sun Apr 19 15:53:39 EDT 2020

Thank you very much.  More updates like this will make your bankers (those
that pre-ordered) feel a lot better.  Please keep it up and Stay Safe!

Richard
*W7ZR* ex:5C5Z, CN2ZR, K2JSP, W6SBZ, W7KXR, K9ZIJ, W9KNF, W0KDF, W0MQU,
J68ZR, KC6ZR, PJ4/W7ZR, KH2,W7ZR, KH6/W7ZR, V31ZR, VK4AAZ, XE2DV

*Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer*

On Sun, Apr 19, 2020 at 12:47 PM Wayne Burdick <n6kr at elecraft.com> wrote:

> Greetings from locked-down California.... I hope everyone, near and far,
> is staying safe!
>
> I thought I'd take a break from playing with the K4 and tweaking firmware
> to give everyone a status report from the engineering side. (Eric has been
> keeping everyone informed about how Elecraft has been affected by the
> pandemic more generally.)
>
> These musings are in no particular order. I hope they help satisfy those
> who recently posted with questions, info-cravings, etc.
>
> * * *
>
> Reference Oscillator
>
> The K4 includes a stable internal TXCO, standard, as well as the ability
> to lock to an external 10 MHz reference. We just completed a round of
> testing on this feature.
>
> The internal TCXO is accurate to within +/- .28 ppm with no calibration
> and no external reference connected. There's a menu entry for dialing this
> in as tight as +/- .02 PPM (+/- 1 Hz at 50 MHz). Connecting an external
> reference will hold it even closer, and of course keep it there over an
> even wider temperature range.
>
> Panadapter Controls
>
> Thanks to the efforts of our [working-at-home] software team, the
> panadapter controls just keep getting better. When you tap DISPLAY, you're
> presented with 14 easy to use display functions. But we took things a step
> further by allowing you to specify whether to adjust the current parameter
> on LCD, EXT, or both (when an external monitor is attached), and on main,
> sub, or both (when in dual-display mode). You can independently specify
> single or dual-pan for LCD and external monitor. For example, you could
> have dual-Pan on a large HDMI monitor, while setting the LCD to monitor
> just main or sub RX.
>
> Stereo Audio
>
> Receive audio provides independent left and right channels for both
> headphones and external speakers. When used in single-receive mode, this
> allows you to use simulated stereo or "pitch mapping"-- both very effective
> at relieving listening fatigue. I've been using this a lot in DXing and QRP
> work. Full stereo also comes into play in diversity mode, when listening to
> pileups, or just monitoring two separate bands. Even with a basic K4, the
> two receivers can be set to any two bands, and you can operate cross-band
> split. The K4D adds a second set of band-pass filters and a second A-to-D
> converter to greatly improve out-of-band rejection when monitoring
> different bands.
>
> Receive Antenna Controls
>
> We recently made some improvements in this area. In addition to main RX
> ant and sub RX ant selection switches, there are now separate icons showing
> which antennas are in use: one for main RX, one for sub RX, and one for TX
> antenna. Main and sub receivers default to the TX antenna, but you can
> select any of the antenna jacks for assignment to each receiver
> independently. This updates the icons accordingly. You can also assign
> names to antenna ports using a pop-up alphanumeric keyboard. On my K4, I
> have names for the three antennas connected to my KAT4 ATU, as well as "SIG
> GEN" for the RX ANT IN 1 jack and "LOOP" for RX ANT IN 2.
>
> RF Gain Controls
>
> The ATTN switch brings up a selection tool that allows you to turn the
> attenuator on/off and select attenuation from 0 to 21 dB in 3-dB steps. (As
> with all receive and transmit controls, these settings are stored per-band
> and per-receiver.) You can also dial in per-receiver RF GAIN (0 to -60 dB,
> with digital readout) and preamp setting (off/pre1/pre2). All gain settings
> are now taken into account when calculating S-meter and panadapter
> reference levels.
>
> Miscellaneous Controls
>
> Compared the the K3S, the K4 has numerous additional controls, resulting
> in a lot less use of the menu. Each receiver has a collection of per-mode
> settings (tap MAIN RX or SUB RX, respectively), as does the transmitter
> (tap the TX button). There are dedicated switches for TUNE LP
> (user-specified low-power TUNE setting), REM ANT (for future control of
> remote antenna switches, rotators, etc.), VFO B>A (in addition to the usual
> A>B), AUTO spot (in addition to SPOT), PF1-PF4 (plus another 14 user
> functions, Fn 1-14, via a touch function), and a separate audio BALance
> knob function, the behavior of which could be adapted to various operator
> needs in the future.
>
> Touch Controls
>
> We're sure you'll find, as we have, that the K4's touch screen interface
> is fast and convenient to use. To capitalize on this, we've been adding new
> touch features. To highlight a few: Tapping the RIT/XIT offset window turns
> RIT on/off (per receiver). Tapping the antenna icons brings up their
> selection widgets, with planned custom behavior for quick A/B testing. The
> Status Area of the LCD normally shows time and date, but you can tap it to
> select from various alternatives, including system parameters (like supply
> voltage/current) or per-receiver absolute signal levels in dBm. Tapping the
> per-RX filter graphics switches between per-mode FL1/2/3 settings.
>
> * * *
>
> I have to admit that it's frustrating to be sequestered at home, making
> only the occasional quick trip to the office or to visit coworkers. Work,
> like life, has become more challenging for all of us. But the good news for
> everyone waiting for a K4 is that a handful of testers are using them every
> day, so that when you do get your hands on one, it'll be rock-solid.
>
> Believe me, we're just as anxious for that day to arrive as you are. Maybe
> more :)
>
> 73,
> Wayne
> N6KR
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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