Disabling the ANT2 selection

[Doug Ellmore Sr.]

Is there a way I can disable the ANT2 selection on the K3 so it does not go
to ANT2 when I push the ANT button?

I am using a remote ant switch and don't want to make a mistake of pushing
the ANT button and then transmit.

I was receiving some strong signals this morning even when the ANT2 was
selected with no antenna connected.

I guess I could put a dummy load there in case I do a dumb thing...

--
Doug Ellmore, Sr.
- Head Coach, Southern HS Cross Country / www.southernathletics.org
- Amateur Radio Operator: NA1DX / P40DE, President Explorers Radio Club -
NA3DX
- [hidden email] / 301-807-2193
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[N5GE]

If you only have the switch connected to Antenna One, and no other
antennae, why would you ever push the antenna button?  

The front panel of the K3 displays the selected antenna just below
the first digit of the main VFO, indicating which antenna output is
selected, making it easy to determine which antenna output has been
selected.

Having said that, the dummy load solution will work and provide a
method of having the dummy load available for testing.

73,
Tom
Amateur Radio Operator N5GE
Licensed since 1976
ARRL Lifetime Member
QCWA Lifetime Member

On Wed, 11 Sep 2013 11:03:14 -0400, "Doug Ellmore Sr."
<[hidden email]> wrote:

>Is there a way I can disable the ANT2 selection on the K3 so it does not go
>to ANT2 when I push the ANT button?
>
>I am using a remote ant switch and don't want to make a mistake of pushing
>the ANT button and then transmit.
>
>I was receiving some strong signals this morning even when the ANT2 was
>selected with no antenna connected.
>
>I guess I could put a dummy load there in case I do a dumb thing...

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[Jorge Diez - CX6VM-2]

Hi Tom

Why? For some reasons, one of this: mistake

So waiting to know for an answer, I´m also want to disable all that I don´t
need. Some guest ops at the station, and me also, so will be good to
preserve the expensive toys :-)

73,
Jorge
CX6VM/CW5W

-----Mensaje original-----
De: [hidden email]
[mailto:[hidden email]] En nombre de Tom H Childers
Enviado el: miércoles, 11 de septiembre de 2013 12:34 p.m.
Para: [hidden email]
Asunto: Re: [Elecraft] Disabling the ANT2 selection

If you only have the switch connected to Antenna One, and no other antennae,
why would you ever push the antenna button?  

The front panel of the K3 displays the selected antenna just below the first
digit of the main VFO, indicating which antenna output is selected, making
it easy to determine which antenna output has been selected.

Having said that, the dummy load solution will work and provide a method of
having the dummy load available for testing.

73,
Tom
Amateur Radio Operator N5GE
Licensed since 1976
ARRL Lifetime Member
QCWA Lifetime Member

On Wed, 11 Sep 2013 11:03:14 -0400, "Doug Ellmore Sr."
<[hidden email]> wrote:

>Is there a way I can disable the ANT2 selection on the K3 so it does
>not go to ANT2 when I push the ANT button?
>
>I am using a remote ant switch and don't want to make a mistake of
>pushing the ANT button and then transmit.
>
>I was receiving some strong signals this morning even when the ANT2 was
>selected with no antenna connected.
>
>I guess I could put a dummy load there in case I do a dumb thing...

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[wayne burdick]

If you do switch to ANT2 by mistake and transmit, the K3 will not be damaged. It is very well protected against open loads and shorts at the antenna jacks. Chances are you'll realized quickly that you're on the wrong antenna since RX noise will drop.

If you're really worried about this, you could connect *both* antenna jacks to the same feedline using a short 'Y' arrangement. A purist would be concerned about the slight change in impedance, but if the 'Y' uses very short cables, you probably won't notice any difference in performance.

Mapping ANT2 out completely would require a firmware change, and though I can put it on the wish-list, I can't guarantee that it will be implemented (quite a few things on this list!).

73,
Wayne
N6KR


On Sep 11, 2013, at 4:45 PM, Jorge Diez - CX6VM <[hidden email]> wrote:

> Hi Tom
>
> Why? For some reasons, one of this: mistake
>
> So waiting to know for an answer, I´m also want to disable all that I don´t
> need. Some guest ops at the station, and me also, so will be good to
> preserve the expensive toys :-)
>
> 73,
> Jorge
> CX6VM/CW5W
>
> -----Mensaje original-----
> De: [hidden email]
> [mailto:[hidden email]] En nombre de Tom H Childers
> Enviado el: miércoles, 11 de septiembre de 2013 12:34 p.m.
> Para: [hidden email]
> Asunto: Re: [Elecraft] Disabling the ANT2 selection
>
> If you only have the switch connected to Antenna One, and no other antennae,
> why would you ever push the antenna button?  
>
> The front panel of the K3 displays the selected antenna just below the first
> digit of the main VFO, indicating which antenna output is selected, making
> it easy to determine which antenna output has been selected.
>
> Having said that, the dummy load solution will work and provide a method of
> having the dummy load available for testing.
>
> 73,
> Tom
> Amateur Radio Operator N5GE
> Licensed since 1976
> ARRL Lifetime Member
> QCWA Lifetime Member
>
> On Wed, 11 Sep 2013 11:03:14 -0400, "Doug Ellmore Sr."
> <[hidden email]> wrote:
>
>> Is there a way I can disable the ANT2 selection on the K3 so it does
>> not go to ANT2 when I push the ANT button?
>>
>> I am using a remote ant switch and don't want to make a mistake of
>> pushing the ANT button and then transmit.
>>
>> I was receiving some strong signals this morning even when the ANT2 was
>> selected with no antenna connected.
>>
>> I guess I could put a dummy load there in case I do a dumb thing...
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
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>
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>
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
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>
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[Doug Ellmore Sr.]

I've been experimenting with different configuration of antennas and radios
(K3 and KX3) in my shack.  I have the subreceiver in the K3, so I have also
been playing with diversity reception on and off, along with sharing
antennas between the K3 and KX3 using an MFJ-1703 switch.

My own memory is pretty good. But the radio does not know that I moved an
antenna from the back of the K3 ANT2 to a remote switch.  K3 memories
remember prior ANT use of a band/mode, which could have been on ANT2.

It was just a thought.  Thanks.

73,

--
Doug Ellmore, Sr.
- Head Coach, Southern HS Cross Country / www.southernathletics.org
- Amateur Radio Operator: NA1DX / P40DE, President Explorers Radio Club -
NA3DX
- [hidden email] / 301-807-2193
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[wayne burdick]

"Doug Ellmore Sr." <[hidden email]> wrote:

> My own memory is pretty good. But the radio does not know that I moved an
> antenna from the back of the K3 ANT2 to a remote switch.

I highly recommend the KESP3 option for situations like this.

Wayne


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[k6dgw]

I can attest that you won't hurt your K3 if you're on the wrong antenna
connector, I've done it.  The Antenna selection is remembered by band
[at least].  Somehow, I managed to get 30m on ANT2 which had nothing
connected.  No noise, infinite SWR [which the KAT3 managed to tune ...
not really good but it never gave up. :-)  After some discussion with
tech support, they "elevated" it to Wayne, he called me, first question
was, "Which antenna is selected?"  Several lessons here:

1.  It's a fairly busy display, but look at all of it.

2.  Keep a station journal, write your menu settings down and when you
change them.

3.  When something stops working, read your journal and see what you did
last.  Odds are very good that is it.

4.  Unless there's been smoke, the likelihood that the problem is huge
is extremely low.

5.  I seriously doubt one of the principals of Yaesu would call me if I
had a problem with my FT-847.

73,

Fred K6DGW
- Northern California Contest Club
- CU in the 2013 Cal QSO Party 5-6 Oct 2013
- www.cqp.org

"The problem with 'lessons learned' is that they rarely are"
    Leo Endres, Engineer and Philosopher [and colleague]

On 9/11/2013 5:17 PM, Wayne Burdick wrote:
> If you do switch to ANT2 by mistake and transmit, the K3 will not be
> damaged. It is very well protected against open loads and shorts at
> the antenna jacks. Chances are you'll realized quickly that you're on
> the wrong antenna since RX noise will drop.

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[Frank Precissi]

On Wed, Sep 11, 2013 at 5:17 PM, Wayne Burdick <[hidden email]> wrote:

> If you do switch to ANT2 by mistake and transmit, the K3 will not be
> damaged. It is very well protected against open loads and shorts at the
> antenna jacks.


On behalf of all of us who have mind farts, young and old, we thank you for
this protection.  Nothing like building a new K3 to have it tune right into
an open load due to me mixing up ANT2 and ANT1.

Frank
KG6EYC
--
CW: NAQCC #6554 | SKCC #10435 | FISTS #16155 | SOC #1038 | FP #3186
Digital: FHC #4224 | 30MDG #6370 | DMC #5698
Gear: K3 #7164 | KX3 #1787
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[Jim Campbell]

Jorge,

I have connected a dummy load to the second antenna port. Thus when I
need a dummy load it is readily available and if I accidentally switch
to the second antenna port no harm is done.

73, Jim - W4BQP
Licensed since 1953

On 9/11/2013 7:45 PM, Jorge Diez - CX6VM wrote:

> Hi Tom
>
> Why? For some reasons, one of this: mistake
>
> So waiting to know for an answer, I´m also want to disable all that I don´t
> need. Some guest ops at the station, and me also, so will be good to
> preserve the expensive toys :-)
>
> 73,
> Jorge
> CX6VM/CW5W
>
>

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