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[K3] DUAL PB and Diversity

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alorona

[K3] DUAL PB and Diversity

As has been the case for the past several years the only K3 control I touched during the CW SS was the tuning knob because there was never any reason to futz with anything else. Whatever settings I had simply worked for every condition during the weekend, and besides, I always seemed to be focused on signals and never on the rig itself, thanks to this ability of the K3 to vanish while you're using it. This year I operated with DUAL PB for the entire contest. With the context bandwidth set to 500 Hz it sounded tight and open at the same time... really interesting... and I found it to be free of ringing. The K3 is so highly configurable and DUAL PB is just one more way to make it sound consistently fresh.

Tonight I started thinking about the next contest -- the best contest of the year, may I say-- which is the 160 meter contest in less than two weeks, and so I set up the N6RK receiving loop and diversity reception. In so doing, I reminded myself of the major reason why I got the K3 all those years ago. As I type this I'm listening to 80 in diversity and it's almost spooky hearing signals swim around in the soundstage of my headphones. What would have been a deep fade turns into the gentle movement of the signal from left (main receiver on the horizontal) to right (sub on the loop) and back again. Amazing. If you haven't tried diversity, it's worth the effort.
There's KI6BZT in Oakland, slightly biased toward the left headphone, occasionally leaking right of center, talking to K6UIP in Encinitas slammed to the right. And sure enough, Neil says he's on a vertical antenna. And further down the band, at 3508, an HK0 calling CQ, who I don't think I could have had a chance of hearing without diversity.

I'm sure I'll hear you on the 160, thanks to DUAL PB and diversity, but you probably won't hear me (but that's not the K3's fault; unfortunately, I'm on a very small city lot). I'll make my 50 contacts, and I hope you're one of them.

Al W6LX

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Gary Smith-2

Re: [K3] DUAL PB and Diversity

Al,

Nice read. I agree wholeheartedly with
you. I had never used the APF/DUAL PB
until Wayne, I believe it was, mentioned
it some time back. I'd tried it in the
beginning but wasn't skilled using the
radio then and it was left by the wayside.

I had used Diversity often and with great
success, it always was a plus for me and
any insertion loss was certainly either
made up for by adding the preamp or at the
least by the increased quality of the
signal received. In my case I have the
200Hz filters in the main & Sub Rx board
and often run the width down as tightly as
possible and if I must, adjust the RF gain
to compensate for band conditions and I
don't find any ringing. If the RF
adjustment is causing a loss with band
conditions, I open up the width a little
and still use the RF, but not as
aggressively.

With that, I miss nothing in there and
have as tight a width as possible with
excellent tone from my received signals.
Add to that the magnificence of the SubRx
and It's genius. I would never be without
the Sub Receiver, it's to me, absolutely
essential for me to copy as best is
possible.

Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate
it.

73,

Gary
KA1J

> As has been the case for the past several years the only K3 control I
> touched during the CW SS was the tuning knob because there was never
> any reason to futz with anything else. Whatever settings I had simply
> worked for every condition during the weekend, and besides, I always
> seemed to be focused on signals and never on the rig itself, thanks to
> this ability of the K3 to vanish while you're using it. This year I
> operated with DUAL PB for the entire contest. With the context
> bandwidth set to 500 Hz it sounded tight and open at the same time...
> really interesting... and I found it to be free of ringing. The K3 is
> so highly configurable and DUAL PB is just one more way to make it
> sound consistently fresh.
>
> Tonight I started thinking about the next contest -- the best contest
> of the year, may I say-- which is the 160 meter contest in less than
> two weeks, and so I set up the N6RK receiving loop and diversity
> reception. In so doing, I reminded myself of the major reason why I
> got the K3 all those years ago. As I type this I'm listening to 80 in
> diversity and it's almost spooky hearing signals swim around in the
> soundstage of my headphones. What would have been a deep fade turns
> into the gentle movement of the signal from left (main receiver on the
> horizontal) to right (sub on the loop) and back again. Amazing. If you
> haven't tried diversity, it's worth the effort. There's KI6BZT in
> Oakland, slightly biased toward the left headphone, occasionally
> leaking right of center, talking to K6UIP in Encinitas slammed to the
> right. And sure enough, Neil says he's on a vertical antenna. And
> further down the band, at 3508, an HK0 calling CQ, who I don't think I
> could have had a chance of hearing without diversity.
>
> I'm sure I'll hear you on the 160, thanks to DUAL PB and diversity,
> but you probably won't hear me (but that's not the K3's fault;
> unfortunately, I'm on a very small city lot). I'll make my 50
> contacts, and I hope you're one of them.
>
> Al W6LX
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> 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
> Message delivered to [hidden email]

Bill K9YEQ

Re: [K3] DUAL PB and Diversity

Gary, well stated. The diversity of the K3(S) is amazing. It has eliminated use of all other rigs in my shack except for the occasional KX3/X2 updates when not in portable. Love the mode. I use a vertical and horizontal loop as the two antennas. I use the loop for transmitting.

73,
Bill
K9YEQ

-----Original Message-----
From: [hidden email] [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Gary Smith
Sent: Wednesday, November 22, 2017 6:40 AM
To: [hidden email]
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] [K3] DUAL PB and Diversity

Al,

Nice read. I agree wholeheartedly with
you. I had never used the APF/DUAL PB
until Wayne, I believe it was, mentioned it some time back. I'd tried it in the beginning but wasn't skilled using the radio then and it was left by the wayside.

I had used Diversity often and with great success, it always was a plus for me and any insertion loss was certainly either made up for by adding the preamp or at the least by the increased quality of the signal received. In my case I have the 200Hz filters in the main & Sub Rx board and often run the width down as tightly as possible and if I must, adjust the RF gain to compensate for band conditions and I don't find any ringing. If the RF adjustment is causing a loss with band conditions, I open up the width a little and still use the RF, but not as aggressively.

With that, I miss nothing in there and
have as tight a width as possible with
excellent tone from my received signals.
Add to that the magnificence of the SubRx and It's genius. I would never be without the Sub Receiver, it's to me, absolutely essential for me to copy as best is possible.

Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate it.

73,

Gary
KA1J

> As has been the case for the past several years the only K3 control I
> touched during the CW SS was the tuning knob because there was never
> any reason to futz with anything else. Whatever settings I had simply
> worked for every condition during the weekend, and besides, I always
> seemed to be focused on signals and never on the rig itself, thanks to
> this ability of the K3 to vanish while you're using it. This year I
> operated with DUAL PB for the entire contest. With the context
> bandwidth set to 500 Hz it sounded tight and open at the same time...
> really interesting... and I found it to be free of ringing. The K3 is
> so highly configurable and DUAL PB is just one more way to make it
> sound consistently fresh.
>
> Tonight I started thinking about the next contest -- the best contest
> of the year, may I say-- which is the 160 meter contest in less than
> two weeks, and so I set up the N6RK receiving loop and diversity
> reception. In so doing, I reminded myself of the major reason why I
> got the K3 all those years ago. As I type this I'm listening to 80 in
> diversity and it's almost spooky hearing signals swim around in the
> soundstage of my headphones. What would have been a deep fade turns
> into the gentle movement of the signal from left (main receiver on the
> horizontal) to right (sub on the loop) and back again. Amazing. If you
> haven't tried diversity, it's worth the effort. There's KI6BZT in
> Oakland, slightly biased toward the left headphone, occasionally
> leaking right of center, talking to K6UIP in Encinitas slammed to the
> right. And sure enough, Neil says he's on a vertical antenna. And
> further down the band, at 3508, an HK0 calling CQ, who I don't think I
> could have had a chance of hearing without diversity.
>
> I'm sure I'll hear you on the 160, thanks to DUAL PB and diversity,
> but you probably won't hear me (but that's not the K3's fault;
> unfortunately, I'm on a very small city lot). I'll make my 50
> contacts, and I hope you're one of them.
>
> Al W6LX
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> 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 Message delivered to
> [hidden email]

Leroy

Re: [K3] DUAL PB and Diversity

You are so very correct. If you are not using the diversity capability of
the K3s, you are really missing out.

Leroy AB7CE

-----Original Message-----
From: Bill Johnson
Sent: Wednesday, November 22, 2017 3:57 PM
To: [hidden email] ; [hidden email]
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] [K3] DUAL PB and Diversity

Gary, well stated. The diversity of the K3(S) is amazing. It has
eliminated use of all other rigs in my shack except for the occasional
KX3/X2 updates when not in portable. Love the mode. I use a vertical and
horizontal loop as the two antennas. I use the loop for transmitting.

73,
Bill
K9YEQ

-----Original Message-----
From: [hidden email]
[mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Gary Smith
Sent: Wednesday, November 22, 2017 6:40 AM
To: [hidden email]
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] [K3] DUAL PB and Diversity

Al,

Nice read. I agree wholeheartedly with
you. I had never used the APF/DUAL PB
until Wayne, I believe it was, mentioned it some time back. I'd tried it in
the beginning but wasn't skilled using the radio then and it was left by the
wayside.

I had used Diversity often and with great success, it always was a plus for
me and any insertion loss was certainly either made up for by adding the
preamp or at the least by the increased quality of the signal received. In
my case I have the 200Hz filters in the main & Sub Rx board and often run
the width down as tightly as possible and if I must, adjust the RF gain to
compensate for band conditions and I don't find any ringing. If the RF
adjustment is causing a loss with band conditions, I open up the width a
little and still use the RF, but not as aggressively.

With that, I miss nothing in there and
have as tight a width as possible with
excellent tone from my received signals.
Add to that the magnificence of the SubRx and It's genius. I would never be
without the Sub Receiver, it's to me, absolutely essential for me to copy as
best is possible.

Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate it.

73,

Gary
KA1J

> As has been the case for the past several years the only K3 control I
> touched during the CW SS was the tuning knob because there was never
> any reason to futz with anything else. Whatever settings I had simply
> worked for every condition during the weekend, and besides, I always
> seemed to be focused on signals and never on the rig itself, thanks to
> this ability of the K3 to vanish while you're using it. This year I
> operated with DUAL PB for the entire contest. With the context
> bandwidth set to 500 Hz it sounded tight and open at the same time...
> really interesting... and I found it to be free of ringing. The K3 is
> so highly configurable and DUAL PB is just one more way to make it
> sound consistently fresh.
>
> Tonight I started thinking about the next contest -- the best contest
> of the year, may I say-- which is the 160 meter contest in less than
> two weeks, and so I set up the N6RK receiving loop and diversity
> reception. In so doing, I reminded myself of the major reason why I
> got the K3 all those years ago. As I type this I'm listening to 80 in
> diversity and it's almost spooky hearing signals swim around in the
> soundstage of my headphones. What would have been a deep fade turns
> into the gentle movement of the signal from left (main receiver on the
> horizontal) to right (sub on the loop) and back again. Amazing. If you
> haven't tried diversity, it's worth the effort. There's KI6BZT in
> Oakland, slightly biased toward the left headphone, occasionally
> leaking right of center, talking to K6UIP in Encinitas slammed to the
> right. And sure enough, Neil says he's on a vertical antenna. And
> further down the band, at 3508, an HK0 calling CQ, who I don't think I
> could have had a chance of hearing without diversity.
>
> I'm sure I'll hear you on the 160, thanks to DUAL PB and diversity,
> but you probably won't hear me (but that's not the K3's fault;
> unfortunately, I'm on a very small city lot). I'll make my 50
> contacts, and I hope you're one of them.
>
> Al W6LX
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> 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 Message delivered to
> [hidden email]

______________________________________________________________
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 Message
delivered to [hidden email]
______________________________________________________________
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
Message delivered to [hidden email]

______________________________________________________________
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
Message delivered to [hidden email]