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Calibrate TX Gain error

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Gregg W6IZT

Calibrate TX Gain error

Good Morning:

I just ran the TX gain calibration and it fails on 29 MHz at both the 5 and
50 watt power levels indicating an SWR of 2.1:1. I checked the SWR manually
and indeed it is indicated at approximately 2:1 at 29 MHz. I manually
checked all bands and 24.9 MHz is indicating an SWR of 1.6:1. On all of the
other bands the SWR is 1:1 with the tuner in bypass. I am using a load good
up to 3 GHz. I have swept the load and the cable that I am using and the RL
is better than -40 dB throughout the HF and VHF spectrum.

It seems to me that all this points to the lowpass filter in the K3 for
12/10 meters. I can do a physical check for a bad cap or cold solder joint
and it looks like I can sweep the filter by opening W3 and sweeping into a
load connected to the antenna connector. Before I do this I wanted to
confirm if anyone else has seen this problem and if so, what was the root
cause?

Thanks in advance for your assistance.

73

Gregg

W6IZT

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Guy, K2AV

Re: Calibrate TX Gain error

Gregg, at one time I had this problem with bandpass tuning on 40
meters. I would get in touch with K3 support for guidance on touching
up bandpass filter tuning. I don't believe I've ever seen tuning
instructions that published for a K3. They told me what to turn and
in what order to flatten it out, though some might want to send the
radio in to have that aligned. There was nothing missing, burned,
shorted or open on my unit. It has remained tuned since then. 73,
Guy.

On Sat, Mar 27, 2010 at 9:34 AM, Gregg W6IZT <[hidden email]> wrote:

> Good Morning:
>
>
>
> I just ran the TX gain calibration and it fails on 29 MHz at both the 5 and
> 50 watt power levels indicating an SWR of 2.1:1. I checked the SWR manually
> and indeed it is indicated at approximately 2:1 at 29 MHz. I manually
> checked all bands and 24.9 MHz is indicating an SWR of 1.6:1. On all of the
> other bands the SWR is 1:1 with the tuner in bypass. I am using a load good
> up to 3 GHz. I have swept the load and the cable that I am using and the RL
> is better than -40 dB throughout the HF and VHF spectrum.
>
>
>
> It seems to me that all this points to the lowpass filter in the K3 for
> 12/10 meters. I can do a physical check for a bad cap or cold solder joint
> and it looks like I can sweep the filter by opening W3 and sweeping into a
> load connected to the antenna connector. Before I do this I wanted to
> confirm if anyone else has seen this problem and if so, what was the root
> cause?
>
>
>
> Thanks in advance for your assistance.
>
>
>
> 73
>
> Gregg
>
> W6IZT
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> 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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Chris W7CTH

(OT) american made

Are the elecraft boards American made?
I had a ham friend tell me they were not. But he does not know anything about elecraft. Plus he is telling me I would be better off to buy a $1400 kenwood that had everything. I think the quality and support of elecraft is far best of any radio out there.

I am sticking with the K3/100 when I order it.
Chris W7CTH

________________________________

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M0XDF

Re: (OT) american made (not OT)

First, I don't believe this is off topic.

Second, I believe Wayne has stated before the boards are made 'just down the road' from Elcraft's Aptos HQ.

Third - imho the K3 is a far better rig - but then I'm biased.

73 de M0XDF, K3 #174
--
It is unwise to be too sure of one's own wisdom. It is healthy to be
reminded that the strongest might weaken and the wisest might err.
-Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869-1948)

On 27 Mar 2010, at 15:53, Chris Hembree wrote:

> Are the elecraft boards American made?
> I had a ham friend tell me they were not. But he does not know anything about elecraft. Plus he is telling me I would be better off to buy a $1400 kenwood that had everything. I think the quality and support of elecraft is far best of any radio out there.
>
> I am sticking with the K3/100 when I order it.
> Chris W7CTH

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Gregg W6IZT

Re: Calibrate TX Gain error

In reply to this post by Guy, K2AV

Thanks Guy. Cc'd support

73
Gregg

-----Original Message-----
From: [hidden email] [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Guy Olinger
K2AV
Sent: Saturday, March 27, 2010 10:29 AM
To: Gregg W6IZT
Cc: [hidden email]
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Calibrate TX Gain error

Gregg, at one time I had this problem with bandpass tuning on 40
meters. I would get in touch with K3 support for guidance on touching
up bandpass filter tuning. I don't believe I've ever seen tuning
instructions that published for a K3. They told me what to turn and
in what order to flatten it out, though some might want to send the
radio in to have that aligned. There was nothing missing, burned,
shorted or open on my unit. It has remained tuned since then. 73,
Guy.

On Sat, Mar 27, 2010 at 9:34 AM, Gregg W6IZT <[hidden email]> wrote:
> Good Morning:
>
>
>
> I just ran the TX gain calibration and it fails on 29 MHz at both the 5
and
> 50 watt power levels indicating an SWR of 2.1:1. I checked the SWR
manually
> and indeed it is indicated at approximately 2:1 at 29 MHz. I manually
> checked all bands and 24.9 MHz is indicating an SWR of 1.6:1. On all of
the
> other bands the SWR is 1:1 with the tuner in bypass. I am using a load
good
> up to 3 GHz. I have swept the load and the cable that I am using and the
RL

> is better than -40 dB throughout the HF and VHF spectrum.
>
>
>
> It seems to me that all this points to the lowpass filter in the K3 for
> 12/10 meters. I can do a physical check for a bad cap or cold solder joint
> and it looks like I can sweep the filter by opening W3 and sweeping into a
> load connected to the antenna connector. Before I do this I wanted to
> confirm if anyone else has seen this problem and if so, what was the root
> cause?
>
>
>
> Thanks in advance for your assistance.
>
>
>
> 73
>
> Gregg
>
> W6IZT
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> 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
>

Mark Bayern

Re: (OT) american made (not OT)

In reply to this post by M0XDF

Lets see if his questions about the design and operation of that $1400
Kenwood are answered by the designer. I see that Wayne has just
answered a question about the K3 and tuning strong AM signals. He even
answered it on a Saturday morning!

Mark AD5SS

On Sat, Mar 27, 2010 at 11:00 AM, David Ferrington, M0XDF
<[hidden email]> wrote:

> First, I don't believe this is off topic.
>
> Second, I believe Wayne has stated before the boards are made 'just down the road' from Elcraft's Aptos HQ.
>
> Third - imho the K3 is a far better rig - but then I'm biased.
>
> 73 de M0XDF, K3 #174
> --
> It is unwise to be too sure of one's own wisdom. It is healthy to be
> reminded that the strongest might weaken and the wisest might err.
> -Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869-1948)
>
> On 27 Mar 2010, at 15:53, Chris Hembree wrote:
>
>> Are the elecraft boards American made?
>> I had a ham friend tell me they were not. But he does not know anything about elecraft. Plus he is telling me I would be better off to buy a $1400 kenwood that had everything. I think the quality and support of elecraft is far best of any radio out there.
>>
>> I am sticking with the K3/100 when I order it.
>> Chris W7CTH

M0XDF

Re: (OT) american made (not OT)

Saturday afternoon here !

Elecraft's service is second to none, I've only found one other vendor to be as good and that is Dog Park Software, creators of MacLoggerDX (logging for Mac OSX and other software).

:-)

73 de M0XDF, K3 #174

On 27 Mar 2010, at 16:18, Mark Bayern wrote:

> Lets see if his questions about the design and operation of that $1400
> Kenwood are answered by the designer. I see that Wayne has just
> answered a question about the K3 and tuning strong AM signals. He even
> answered it on a Saturday morning!

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Fred Atchley

Re: (OT) American made

In reply to this post by Chris W7CTH

Chris wrote: I am sticking with the K3/100 when I order it.

Good choice Chris. Elecraft and Elecraft Support are like the Marine Corps
saying: "The difficult we do immediately. the impossible takes a little
longer".

73, Fred, AE6IC, K3 2241

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Bill W4ZV

Re: Calibrate TX Gain error

In reply to this post by Gregg W6IZT

Gregg W6IZT wrote

It seems to me that all this points to the lowpass filter in the K3 for
12/10 meters. I can do a physical check for a bad cap or cold solder joint

I would visually inspect the 10/12m BPF very carefully, especially looking for a bad solder joint on any toroids (i.e. enamel not allowing solder connection). I had a similar problem (60m band) and was able to scrape the enamel and resolder the toroid from the top side without removing it from the K3.

73 & GL!

Bill

Joe Planisky

Re: (OT) american made

In reply to this post by Chris W7CTH

Hi Chris,

From

http://n2.nabble.com/Are-K3-boards-built-overseas-tp4609367p4609378.html

(a post by Lyle Johnson, an Elecraft employee)

>Component parts come from all over the world.
>
>Parts are placed on the PCBs, soldered, and tested all in California.

73
--
Joe KB8AP

On Mar 27, 2010, at 8:53 AM, Chris Hembree wrote:

> Are the elecraft boards American made?
> ...

> Chris W7CTH
>

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Kevin Rock

Re: (OT) American made

In reply to this post by Chris W7CTH

That motto was attributed to the SeaBees (Construction Battalion). They could kluge anything while under fire. If they were not getting shot at they got bored :)
Kevin. KD5ONS (whose father navigated to more than one of their strips across the vast Pacific)

-----Original Message-----

>From: Fred Atchley <[hidden email]>
>Sent: Mar 27, 2010 9:48 AM
>To: [hidden email]
>Subject: Re: [Elecraft] (OT) American made
>
>Chris wrote: I am sticking with the K3/100 when I order it.
>
>Good choice Chris. Elecraft and Elecraft Support are like the Marine Corps
>saying: "The difficult we do immediately. the impossible takes a little
>longer".
>
>73, Fred, AE6IC, K3 2241
>
>
>
>______________________________________________________________
>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

k6dgw

Re: (OT) American made

Kevin Rock wrote:
> That motto was attributed to the SeaBees (Construction Battalion). They could kluge anything while under fire. If they were not getting shot at they got bored :)
> Kevin. KD5ONS (whose father navigated to more than one of their strips across the vast Pacific)

I've heard the motto, "The difficult we do immediately, the impossible
will take us a day or two longer," attributed to the SeeBees, Marines,
Army Rangers, Navy EOD, two Special Ops units, and my former unit, USAF
1st Combat Comm Gp. I know it applied to us, don't know about the
others ;-)

Fred K6DGW

KEVIN: I need more time for radio, granddaughter's softball is
consuming it all right now. Will be in Elk Grove CA tomorrow during ECN.
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