[Elecraft] K3 Chirp

[Lou Mecseri]

I love chirps, it reminds of the real good old days when I was young.

We used to be able to recognize station by their distinct chirp.

I heard one station in the recent FQP with one, the chirp give me a very 
warm feeling.

I guess, it does not take much to make an old ham warm and happy.

73, Lou KE1F

On 4/29/2021 00:21, Dana Roode K6NR wrote:
> It was reported today by several folks who heard my CW signal that I have a
> bad chirp - I was operating on 20 meters during CWT.  I listened to the
> signal myself (my station is 80 miles away and I can listen on a local
> transceiver).  Someone also sent me a recording.
>
> I've been using the same K3, KPA1500, and Astron power supply for many
> years.  I shut off the amp and could still hear the chirp.
>
> One thought is that it has something to do with my power supply, although I
> saw a previous posting that made that seem unlikely (below).  Wayne
> mentioned something about KSYSN3 calibration, I had not heard of that
> before, I will look into it.
>
> If anyone has experienced a problem with chirp on a K3, let me know (it is
> a K3 not a K3S).
>
>    Dana
>
>
>
> In reply to this post
> <http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/K3-past-chirp-report-tp7625892p7625898.html>
> by Doug Smith [W7KF]
> Under normal circumstances, it is impossible for a K3 or K3S for exhibit
> "chirp." The synthesizer settles well before the rig switches from TX to RX
> or vice-versa.
>
> The KSYN3A (newer synth, used in the K3S) settles in well under 1 ms thanks
> to its entirely digital architecture (UHF DSPLL, divided down).
>
> The KSYN3 (older synth, used on the K3) uses a more traditional PLL with
> its VCO running at the target output frequency. It normally settles in
> under 5 ms. It can take a bit longer depending on the actual PLL voltage
> and VCO frequency. This is accounted for in firmware.
>
> If your KSYN3 were not properly calibrated, you might see a longer settling
> time on one or two bands, most likely 6 meters. If you suspect this, refer
> to the CONFIG:VCO MD menu entry. The K3 includes an automatic VCO
> calibration routine that requires no test equipment and takes only a couple
> of minutes to run.
>
> Wayne
> N6KR
>
>
>
> On Jan 19, 2017, at 12:57 PM, "Ron D'Eau Claire" <[hidden email]
> <http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/user/SendEmail.jtp?type=node&node=7625904&i=0>>
> wrote:
>
>> In a synthesized VFO rig like the K3S, any tendency to "chirp" is almost
> always related to the synthesizer momentarily losing frequency (or phase)
> lock.
>> While that could conceivably be linked to change in the power bus
> voltage, it's highly unlikely since the bus is isolated from the actual
> synthesizer by voltage regulators and filters.
>> OTOH, the OO's report was strictly advisory. I have experienced spurious
> OO reports over my >50 years of pounding brass, and one that turned out to
> be accurate when I blew the filter caps in the transmitter and did not
> notice, nor did the stations I was working report the hum on my signal.
> When I got a "chirp" report one time (on a homebrew rig) and was unable to
> hear it myself, I sent a friendly letter to the OO. He replied that he was
> "almost sure" he could detect a "slight chirp" so he sent the card.
>> So my advice is that if you can't repeat what the OO observed, don't
> worry about it.
>> 73, Ron AC7AC
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