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K3 Kit #4076 Arrived Safely

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Don Cunningham

K3 Kit #4076 Arrived Safely

My new K3, #4076, arrived this morning and is inventoried. I was pleasantly
surprised, it has the new firmware just announced already installed!!!!!!!
Everything looks to be of exceptionally high quality, and I am overjoyed at
the prospect of a kit build after all these years. My last large endeavor
was a Heathkit SB303/401 pair with accessories in 1972, so that's a long dry
spell, hi. Wish me luck and hope to have it on the air in a few days!!!!!!!
73,
Don, WB5HAK

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Bob Naumann W5OV

Re: K3 Kit #4076 Arrived Safely

Don,

If you start on it tonight, you'll be on the air with it tomorrow afternoon.

I did about 3 hours on a Friday night with mine and I got up early on
Saturday and had it completed in time for a late lunch.

Being a long-time Heathkit guy myself, I think you may find your self
wondering "when do I get to solder something".

73,

Bob W5OV

> My new K3, #4076, arrived this morning and is inventoried. I was
> pleasantly
> surprised, it has the new firmware just announced already installed!!!!!!!
> Everything looks to be of exceptionally high quality, and I am overjoyed
> at
> the prospect of a kit build after all these years. My last large endeavor
> was a Heathkit SB303/401 pair with accessories in 1972, so that's a long
> dry
> spell, hi. Wish me luck and hope to have it on the air in a few
> days!!!!!!!
> 73,
> Don, WB5HAK
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> 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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N5GE

Re: K3 Kit #4076 Arrived Safely

On Fri, 19 Mar 2010 15:10:30 -0400, [hidden email] wrote:

[snip]

You get to do that if you order any of the small test kits. They are
great.

>
>Being a long-time Heathkit guy myself, I think you may find your self
>wondering "when do I get to solder something".
>
[snip]

73,

Tom, N5GE

K3 #806 with SUB RX, PR6,
KRC2 and K144XV
K3 #1055 with PR6 and XV432
W1, 2 W2's and other small kits

http://www.n5ge.com
http://www.swotrc.net

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Amateur Radio Operator N5GE

Brett Howard

Re: K3 Kit #4076 Arrived Safely

In reply to this post by Bob Naumann W5OV

You get to solder something when you install the K144XV... You shimmy a
single pin connector into a tight spot and then go zip tack ok thats
in.... Guess I get to pack up and put the soldering iron away
again.... :)

I wasn't about to bring the soldering iron out of its storage bin for
one solder joint so I took this opportunity to finish a project I've
been wanting to do... I made a headphone switch. Bought a rotary
switch, a few stereo female headphone jacks and a project box from radio
shack. Now I can switch my paddles between my K1,K3,and K1EL keyer with
the turn of a knob. I can also switch it to 3 yet unused ports... The
only knob they had was a double pole 6 throw switch. So I had to take
advantage of all the throws when I built the box.

Funny thing was once I was done with that project I came up with another
idea. I figured I should have a way to switch more fun things with my
K3. I want to be able to switch my LP-Pan, LP-100A and my P3 (once its
shipping) all with the power switch on the K3. So anyway I made up
another project box with a single RCA input from the K3 that then
switches a relay to turn on 4 more RCA ports on the top. I even put a
1.25uH inductor to 1000uF of cap on the input side and then put 1.5uH to
a .1uF cap LC filter to each of the 4 ports. Cause any project worth
doing is worth over doing! ;) I figured that if there was any switching
noise or anything in any of the devices I turned on and off with the
radio that the additional RF filtering on the power would keep my LP-Pan
and P3 displays as noise free as possible.

I think I may end up slapping together a quick opto-coupler into a cable
as I bought a DB-15HD connector and a DB9 so I could make an FSK cable.
I've never done RTTY that way and I think it could be a fun one.

After that is all done I'll probably have melted a sufficient amount of
solder to have justified bringing the iron out of its bin. ;)

~Brett

On Fri, 2010-03-19 at 15:10 -0400, [hidden email] wrote:

> Don,
>
> If you start on it tonight, you'll be on the air with it tomorrow afternoon.
>
> I did about 3 hours on a Friday night with mine and I got up early on
> Saturday and had it completed in time for a late lunch.
>
> Being a long-time Heathkit guy myself, I think you may find your self
> wondering "when do I get to solder something".
>
> 73,
>
> Bob W5OV
>
>
>
> > My new K3, #4076, arrived this morning and is inventoried. I was
> > pleasantly
> > surprised, it has the new firmware just announced already installed!!!!!!!
> > Everything looks to be of exceptionally high quality, and I am overjoyed
> > at
> > the prospect of a kit build after all these years. My last large endeavor
> > was a Heathkit SB303/401 pair with accessories in 1972, so that's a long
> > dry
> > spell, hi. Wish me luck and hope to have it on the air in a few
> > days!!!!!!!
> > 73,
> > Don, WB5HAK
> >
> > ______________________________________________________________
> > 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

Brett Howard

Re: K3 Kit #4076 Arrived Safely

I just got a comment and so I thought I'd add... Yes I did put in a fuse
on the outputs of the K3 switched power box...

~Brett (KC7OTG)

On Sat, 2010-03-20 at 02:46 -0700, Brett Howard wrote:

> You get to solder something when you install the K144XV... You shimmy a
> single pin connector into a tight spot and then go zip tack ok thats
> in.... Guess I get to pack up and put the soldering iron away
> again.... :)
>
> I wasn't about to bring the soldering iron out of its storage bin for
> one solder joint so I took this opportunity to finish a project I've
> been wanting to do... I made a headphone switch. Bought a rotary
> switch, a few stereo female headphone jacks and a project box from radio
> shack. Now I can switch my paddles between my K1,K3,and K1EL keyer with
> the turn of a knob. I can also switch it to 3 yet unused ports... The
> only knob they had was a double pole 6 throw switch. So I had to take
> advantage of all the throws when I built the box.
>
> Funny thing was once I was done with that project I came up with another
> idea. I figured I should have a way to switch more fun things with my
> K3. I want to be able to switch my LP-Pan, LP-100A and my P3 (once its
> shipping) all with the power switch on the K3. So anyway I made up
> another project box with a single RCA input from the K3 that then
> switches a relay to turn on 4 more RCA ports on the top. I even put a
> 1.25uH inductor to 1000uF of cap on the input side and then put 1.5uH to
> a .1uF cap LC filter to each of the 4 ports. Cause any project worth
> doing is worth over doing! ;) I figured that if there was any switching
> noise or anything in any of the devices I turned on and off with the
> radio that the additional RF filtering on the power would keep my LP-Pan
> and P3 displays as noise free as possible.
>
> I think I may end up slapping together a quick opto-coupler into a cable
> as I bought a DB-15HD connector and a DB9 so I could make an FSK cable.
> I've never done RTTY that way and I think it could be a fun one.
>
> After that is all done I'll probably have melted a sufficient amount of
> solder to have justified bringing the iron out of its bin. ;)
>
> ~Brett
>
> On Fri, 2010-03-19 at 15:10 -0400, [hidden email] wrote:
> > Don,
> >
> > If you start on it tonight, you'll be on the air with it tomorrow afternoon.
> >
> > I did about 3 hours on a Friday night with mine and I got up early on
> > Saturday and had it completed in time for a late lunch.
> >
> > Being a long-time Heathkit guy myself, I think you may find your self
> > wondering "when do I get to solder something".
> >
> > 73,
> >
> > Bob W5OV
> >
> >
> >
> > > My new K3, #4076, arrived this morning and is inventoried. I was
> > > pleasantly
> > > surprised, it has the new firmware just announced already installed!!!!!!!
> > > Everything looks to be of exceptionally high quality, and I am overjoyed
> > > at
> > > the prospect of a kit build after all these years. My last large endeavor
> > > was a Heathkit SB303/401 pair with accessories in 1972, so that's a long
> > > dry
> > > spell, hi. Wish me luck and hope to have it on the air in a few
> > > days!!!!!!!
> > > 73,
> > > Don, WB5HAK
> > >
> > > ______________________________________________________________
> > > 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
>
>

lstavenhagen

Re: K3 Kit #4076 Arrived Safely

In reply to this post by Bob Naumann W5OV

I ordered my K3 yesterday and have been going through the build manual this weekend. I also for some reason thought there was something you had to solder, but sure enough it does look completely like a insert-tab-a-into-slot-b kit. Even the speaker leads appear to already be soldered and prepared.

I'm glad I won't have to manufacture connectors tho as I ruin those just about 100% of the time as is evident on the plugs on my K2 hi hi. And should be a refreshing change not to have to adjust overly sensitive caps etc......

Still I ordered the 25w dummy load just to give me something to solder hi hi (and do wattmeter calibrations on the K3 and still need to do on the tuner I just finished for my K2).

But if the kit is anything like the K2 as far as preperation, thoroughness of instructions, etc., it ought to be a breeze and it should work first time. Armed only with my 6th grade education, my K2 worked first time out and have had no problems since.....

73,
LS
W5QD (looking forward to getting on the data modes)

Don Cunningham

Re: K3 Kit #4076 Arrived Safely

Well, you DO get to solder one thing, the Anderson Power Pole ends to the
power cord, hi. It is VERY well documented and a pleasure to build.
73,
Don, WB5HAK

______________________________________________________________
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Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
Post: mailto:[hidden email]

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