K3 - S Meter query

[Stewart Baker]

I have my K3 S meter set on Absolute Mode as I like S9 to be 50uV
whether the Pre Amp is switched in or not.

I would have though that with no signal into the K3 the S meter
should read S0 with or without the Pre Amp.
Mine reads S2 with the Pre Amp switched OFF.
It also reads S4 if the Pre Amp = OFF, and the Atten  = ON.

Surely my K3 can't be that noisy as to give a S4 meter reading
with no input, on all bands  ?

Please someone help me resolve this on a very wet British Bank
Holiday !!

73
Stewart G3RXQ


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[Julian, G4ILO]

Stewart G3RXQ wrote

I have my K3 S meter set on Absolute Mode as I like S9 to be 50uV
whether the Pre Amp is switched in or not.

I would have though that with no signal into the K3 the S meter
should read S0 with or without the Pre Amp.
Mine reads S2 with the Pre Amp switched OFF.
It also reads S4 if the Pre Amp = OFF, and the Atten  = ON.

Surely my K3 can't be that noisy as to give a S4 meter reading
with no input, on all bands  ?

Please someone help me resolve this on a very wet British Bank
Holiday !!

It's fine and sunny here, Stewart (unusually for Cumbria) but it's spoilt by a rather blustery cold northerly wind, which is why I'm here in front of the computer.

I set up my K3 S meter using the XG1 module, following the procedure in the manual. Though the absolute mode seems to do a good job of keeping the S meter reading the same at the S9 level, regardless of whether the ATT or PREamp are switched in, when no signal is present it's a different story.

On 10m I'm getting S1 occasionally flickering to S2 with no ATT or PREamp, no indication (S0) occasionally flickering to S1 with just the PREamp, and a steady S3 with only ATT selected.

Well, it's a ham radio S meter not a precision instrument. :) If you do the adjustment you could probably reduce the reading with no signal, but the 2 S point increase with ATT enabled appears to be a constant!

[Stewart Baker]

Thanks Julian,
Pleased to hear that someone in the UK is getting somewhat better
weather than here..

OK, you are seeing a similar S meter action. Maybe someone (Lyle)
can shed some more light on it ?

73
Stewart G3RXQ
On Mon, 26 May 2008 08:31:37 -0700 (PDT), G4ILO wrote:
>
>
> Stewart G3RXQ wrote:
>
>> I have my K3 S meter set on Absolute Mode as I like S9 to be
50uV

>> whether the Pre Amp is switched in or not.
>>
>> I would have though that with no signal into the K3 the S meter
>> should read S0 with or without the Pre Amp.
>> Mine reads S2 with the Pre Amp switched OFF.
>> It also reads S4 if the Pre Amp = OFF, and the Atten  = ON.
>>
>> Surely my K3 can't be that noisy as to give a S4 meter reading
>> with no input, on all bands  ?
>>
>> Please someone help me resolve this on a very wet British Bank
>> Holiday !!
>>
>>
> It's fine and sunny here, Stewart (unusually for Cumbria) but

it's spoilt by
> a rather blustery cold northerly wind, which is why I'm here in
front of the
> computer.
>
> I set up my K3 S meter using the XG1 module, following the
procedure in the
> manual. Though the absolute mode seems to do a good job of
keeping the S
> meter reading the same at the S9 level, regardless of whether
the ATT or
> PREamp are switched in, when no signal is present it's a
different story.
>
> On 10m I'm getting S1 occasionally flickering to S2 with no ATT
or PREamp,
> no indication (S0) occasionally flickering to S1 with just the
PREamp, and a
> steady S3 with only ATT selected.
>
> Well, it's a ham radio S meter not a precision instrument. :) If
you do the
> adjustment you could probably reduce the reading with no signal,
but the 2 S
> point increase with ATT enabled appears to be a constant!
>
>
> -----
> Julian, G4ILO  K3 s/n: 222 K2 s/n: 392
> G4ILO's Shack: www.g4ilo.com
> Zerobeat Ham Forums: www.zerobeat.net/smf


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