[SCCC] Fw: Topband: Fw: [Elecraft] Random thoughts from a K3 Field Tester

[Michael Tope]

Some interesting comments on the Elecraft K3 which according 
to Eric WA6HHQ at Elecraft, are just starting to ship (saw him at 
Hamcom two weekends ago). Looks like a great little radio.

Mike, W4EF...............................

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bill Tippett" <btippett at alum.mit.edu>
To: <topband at contesting.com>
Sent: Tuesday, September 18, 2007 6:46 AM
Subject: Topband: Fw: [Elecraft] Random thoughts from a K3 Field Tester


> 
> 
>         The following was written on the Elecraft list by Bob
> Locher W9KNI.  It has some very good news in the last few
> paragraphs about blanking the Chinese Dragon, assuming
> the 40m Dragon is like that on 160m.
> 
>                         73,  Bill  W4ZV
> 
> http://mailman.qth.net/pipermail/elecraft/2007-September/073707.html
> 
>  I received my K3 several months ago; one of the very last in the group.
> I still am not sure why I was selected for field testing - I am an
> operator, not the sort of person who loves to "break" software and do
> the detective work to see where a bug is.
> 
>  It is interesting to see the Field Test work. Various bugs are found
> and dispatched, and operator options smoothed and streamlined. What
> really amazes me and says so much for the K3 design team is that thus
> far there have been only four hardware changes in the radio that Field
> Testers have had to make, all of them trivial.
> 
> Anyhow, that said, I can happily  report that the K3 has exceeded my
> expectations - and they were high. The receiver is incredibly quiet. The
> crystal filters are the best I have ever had - and over the years I have
> had some top line expensive radios, though none of the recent series
> such as the 7800. The K3 is an absolute joy  to tune a band with.
> 
> When I built my K2 I was so delighted with its performance that it
> became my station transceiver for the last 7 or 8 years. One of the
> things I really loved about the K2 was the superb performance while
> retaining a very simple interface. There were a number of "set and
> forget" menu entries in the firmware that allowed the operator to tailor
> the radio to his or her desires. Well, at first blush the K3 has more
> controls, and there really is a bit more to learn, but they are
> intuitive once one understands the philosophy of the radio - much the
> same as the K2, and in return offer a lot of additional power and
> flexibility.
> 
> I regularly used the RIT and XIT in the K2 - well, let me tell you, the
> RIT and XIT of the K3 is a clear generation ahead. It was a useful
> capability in the K2  - is a powerful tool in the K3.
> 
> The A/B VFO capabilities exceed that of the K2. An example - you are
> chasing a DX station who is operating in a lot of QRM, so you sharpen up
> the filters making copy a lot easier. But, the split pileup the DX
> operator is working  is spread out all over the place, and looking for
> the station he is working is really tough with the narrow filter. With
> the K3, if you want, it is easy to set VFO "A" to a 200 hertz bandwidth
> (or whatever) and have VFO "B" set at say 800 hertz bandwidth so that
> you can easily look for the station the DX is working.
> 
> One of the things I loved about the K2 was the AGC - in the passband you
> could easily tell who was strong and who was weak, while having perfect
> copy on both of them. But a lot of operators prefer a flatter. more
> processed signal so that all signals, weak and strong, sound alike. No
> problem - the menu lets you set the AGC gain so you can have it your way.
> 
> The hardware noise blanker has not yet been distributed to most field
> testers except for two who have both reported great results with
> electric fence or power line problems. However, we all have the DSP
> noise blanker function available. I have had some personal experience
> with this. CW DX'er on 40 meters are sadly aware of the over the horizon
> radar popularly called :"The Dragon", apparently radiating from China.
> It comes on about one out of three mornings, and when it comes on it
> simply kills the band. Well, I tried the K3 DSP noise blanker, which
> allows the operator to set the level of intensity. I started cranking it
> in and lo and behold, the Dragon virtually disappeared. I could still
> tell it was there but it was no longer a factor in copying weak
> stations, and with no noticeable artifacts. I switched it out and the
> Dragon was right back there obliterating the band.
> 
> Trouble is, other people on the band lacking the K3 Noise Blanker still
> get chased off the band. After it came on all the DX disappeared, except
> for two Japanese stations ragchewing, obviously with strong enough
> signals for each other to not have a problem. They were S4 here and
> perfect copy with the K3 DSP noise blanker. I switched it off and they
> got blasted away. Back on and they were easy copy. I am anticipating
> great things this winter from the noise blanker when North American
> stations are typically suffering from the Dragon while long path
> European and Middle East stations are not hearing it at all.
> 
>  The K3 definitely will require a bit of study to use the huge number of
> operator options in it - it is indeed  a feature rich radio. But it can
> be used in a simplistic manner if desired, or the operator can exercise
> all the bells and whistles. Wayne has promised to write Quick Start
> guides for each mode to get the operator up and running quickly, and has
> also promised an extensive tutorial  to accompany the manual.  I think
> these items will be a great help to all new owners, no matter what their
> level of experience.
> 
>  My comments here only scratch the surface of what is a marvelous
> operating tool. I know I am thoroughly delighted with mine.
> 
>  73
> 
>  Bob Locher W9KNI
> 
> 
> 
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