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Best approach for K1 rx alignment?

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Andy Engle

Best approach for K1 rx alignment?

Hey guys! New Elecrafter here...building myself a K1 and having a LOT of fun. Altogether, I'm assembling the K1 with 4-band filter, noise blanker, and tuner.

I've built a lot of smaller kits in the past, but this has been by far the most ambitious build yet. I'm happy to say that studying all of the builders' guides and instructions have kept me from running off the road. I do, however, have one question for the group.

Specifically, I have reached the point in construction (Ch. 7, Pg. 39) where I am to perform receiver alignment. The instructions suggest, in preference order, a signal generator, another ham transceiver, or an antenna. Since things have gone so well this far, I am motivated to use the best option and hopefully continue my success through this step.

I don't have a signal generator, per se. I do, however, have a VE3DNL marker generator assembled and functioning. Would this be appropriate to use for the intended purpose, or do I need a transmitter that is "natively" (that is, not through harmonics like the VE3DNL does) transmitting in-band? Alternatively, would the Elecraft XG2 be a better tool for the job?

I am building for 40,30,20, & 15....but the XG2 is 3-band only?

Thanks to all for help and kindness to this newbie!

--Andy
K0ADE
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ussv dharma

cw vs ssb noise level

When in ssb, I have an acceptable noise level, but change to cw and wow does it ever rise....what is going on? or as they say in brooklyn

"Wha hoppen?

If you don't change direction you WILL arrive exactly where you're headed!! Susan Meckley, Skipper W7KFI-mm AFA9SM USSV DHARMA

--- On Thu, 7/1/10, Andy Engle <[hidden email]> wrote:

> From: Andy Engle <[hidden email]>
> Subject: [Elecraft] Best approach for K1 rx alignment?
> To: [hidden email]
> Date: Thursday, July 1, 2010, 3:31 PM
> Hey guys! New Elecrafter
> here...building myself a K1 and having a LOT of fun.
> Altogether, I'm assembling the K1 with 4-band filter, noise
> blanker, and tuner.
>
> I've built a lot of smaller kits in the past, but this has
> been by far the most ambitious build yet. I'm happy to
> say that studying all of the builders' guides and
> instructions have kept me from running off the road. I
> do, however, have one question for the group.
>
> Specifically, I have reached the point in construction (Ch.
> 7, Pg. 39) where I am to perform receiver alignment.
> The instructions suggest, in preference order, a signal
> generator, another ham transceiver, or an antenna.
> Since things have gone so well this far, I am motivated to
> use the best option and hopefully continue my success
> through this step.
>
> I don't have a signal generator, per se. I do,
> however, have a VE3DNL marker generator assembled and
> functioning. Would this be appropriate to use for the
> intended purpose, or do I need a transmitter that is
> "natively" (that is, not through harmonics like the VE3DNL
> does) transmitting in-band? Alternatively, would the
> Elecraft XG2 be a better tool for the job?
>
> I am building for 40,30,20, & 15....but the XG2 is
> 3-band only?
>
> Thanks to all for help and kindness to this newbie!
>
> --Andy
> K0ADE
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
>

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Don Wilhelm-4

Re: Best approach for K1 rx alignment?

In reply to this post by Andy Engle

Andy,

What you need - especially on 15 meters is a good strong signal that is
known to be in the 15 meter band. It is possible (and easy) to get the
Pre-Mixer bandpass filter tuned up so that you are receiving 24 MHz
rather than 21 MHz. The marker generator will not differentiate between
the marker points, so I would discourage its use for the intitial tuning
of the K1 bandpass filters.

So I would suggest you operate a 15 meter transmitter into a dummy load
and couple a "hunk of wire" antenna from the K1 to the dummy load -
sufficiently close that you can hear a signal even though the bandpass
filters may be mis-tuned.

The same thing goes for 30 meters, but the problem is not as severe on
30 meters as it is on 15 (or 17 if you built the 4 band board for that
band).

Once you find the 15 meter signal, keep increasing the distance between
the other transmitter's dummy load and your antenna wire as you tune the
15 meter trimmers. Keep the signal into the K1 as low as possible so
you can find a definite peak.

You must tune 15 meters before you tune 20 meters, and 30 meters before
you tune 40 meters. Attempting to do it the "other way 'round" will
onlly lead to frustration.

The capacitive trimmers should be set initially with the slots parallel
with the long side of the 4 band board. The proper tuning point will be
no further than 20 degrees from that position (unless you have a problem
with the number of turns on the toroids).

Once you do the receive alignment, you will be instructed to do the
transmit alignment later. You should only have to 'tweak' the
adjustments slightly during this transmmit alignment if you did a good
job of alignment in receive mode. It is easier to discern the peak
during transmit adjustment than in receive.

73,
Don W3FPR
Andy Engle wrote:

> Hey guys! New Elecrafter here...building myself a K1 and having a LOT of fun. Altogether, I'm assembling the K1 with 4-band filter, noise blanker, and tuner.
>
> I've built a lot of smaller kits in the past, but this has been by far the most ambitious build yet. I'm happy to say that studying all of the builders' guides and instructions have kept me from running off the road. I do, however, have one question for the group.
>
> Specifically, I have reached the point in construction (Ch. 7, Pg. 39) where I am to perform receiver alignment. The instructions suggest, in preference order, a signal generator, another ham transceiver, or an antenna. Since things have gone so well this far, I am motivated to use the best option and hopefully continue my success through this step.
>
> I don't have a signal generator, per se. I do, however, have a VE3DNL marker generator assembled and functioning. Would this be appropriate to use for the intended purpose, or do I need a transmitter that is "natively" (that is, not through harmonics like the VE3DNL does) transmitting in-band? Alternatively, would the Elecraft XG2 be a better tool for the job?
>
> I am building for 40,30,20, & 15....but the XG2 is 3-band only?
>
> Thanks to all for help and kindness to this newbie!
>
> --Andy
> K0ADE
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
>
>

The Smiths

Re: cw vs ssb noise level

In reply to this post by ussv dharma

Perhaps you have your Width open too wide for CW, remember, you don't need to have it open 2KHz wide to use CW. Perhaps you have your notch filter on Auto with SSB and off with CW? Perhaps you have no NR on or NB on while in CW but do with SSB? Or perhaps you have a DIFFERENT NR setting on for CW than SSB, or even worse, the WRONG settings.. Keep CW at 1-4 and SSB at 5-8 on the NR.

Otherwise, you should be getting the same amount of gain in SSB as you do CW.

> Date: Thu, 1 Jul 2010 18:55:29 -0700
> From: [hidden email]
> To: [hidden email]
> CC: [hidden email]
> Subject: [Elecraft] cw vs ssb noise level
>
> When in ssb, I have an acceptable noise level, but change to cw and wow does it ever rise....what is going on? or as they say in brooklyn
>
> "Wha hoppen?
>
> If you don't change direction you WILL arrive exactly where you're headed!! Susan Meckley, Skipper W7KFI-mm AFA9SM USSV DHARMA
>
>
> --- On Thu, 7/1/10, Andy Engle <[hidden email]> wrote:
>
> > From: Andy Engle <[hidden email]>
> > Subject: [Elecraft] Best approach for K1 rx alignment?
> > To: [hidden email]
> > Date: Thursday, July 1, 2010, 3:31 PM
> > Hey guys! New Elecrafter
> > here...building myself a K1 and having a LOT of fun.
> > Altogether, I'm assembling the K1 with 4-band filter, noise
> > blanker, and tuner.
> >
> > I've built a lot of smaller kits in the past, but this has
> > been by far the most ambitious build yet. I'm happy to
> > say that studying all of the builders' guides and
> > instructions have kept me from running off the road. I
> > do, however, have one question for the group.
> >
> > Specifically, I have reached the point in construction (Ch.
> > 7, Pg. 39) where I am to perform receiver alignment.
> > The instructions suggest, in preference order, a signal
> > generator, another ham transceiver, or an antenna.
> > Since things have gone so well this far, I am motivated to
> > use the best option and hopefully continue my success
> > through this step.
> >
> > I don't have a signal generator, per se. I do,
> > however, have a VE3DNL marker generator assembled and
> > functioning. Would this be appropriate to use for the
> > intended purpose, or do I need a transmitter that is
> > "natively" (that is, not through harmonics like the VE3DNL
> > does) transmitting in-band? Alternatively, would the
> > Elecraft XG2 be a better tool for the job?
> >
> > I am building for 40,30,20, & 15....but the XG2 is
> > 3-band only?
> >
> > Thanks to all for help and kindness to this newbie!
> >
> > --Andy
> > K0ADE
> > ______________________________________________________________
> > Elecraft mailing list
> > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> > Post: mailto:[hidden email]
> >
> > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
> >
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html

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______________________________________________________________
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Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
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