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K3 Timekeeping

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Arlen Fletcher

K3 Timekeeping

My K3's clock loses about 15 seconds per day. It's not a big deal because it's easy to update from the K3 utility, but 15 seconds seems like quite a bit. Maybe my expectations are too high?

73

Arlen, AA7F
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wayne burdick

Re: K3 Timekeeping

Administrator

This is an unusual amount of error; it's typically more like +/- 1 or 2 seconds/day. This may have come up in customer support, so I'd check there first. I would suspect either the crystal or one of its associated capacitors.

73,
Wayne

On Nov 25, 2014, at 8:28 PM, Arlen Fletcher <[hidden email]> wrote:

> My K3's clock loses about 15 seconds per day. It's not a big deal because it's easy to update from the K3 utility, but 15 seconds seems like quite a bit. Maybe my expectations are too high?
>
> 73
>
> Arlen, AA7F
> ______________________________________________________________
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Arlen Fletcher

Re: K3 Timekeeping

In reply to this post by Arlen Fletcher

Thanks Wayne, Bill and Willis for your replies.

I suppose the battery could be bad - but this has been a consistent problem since I assembled the Unit back in March. Could’ve been a bad battery out of the box I suppose.

Willis - thanks for the perspective! Times have indeed changed (pun intended). I haven’t been accused of being young in quite some time! ;-)

Wayne - I’ll check w/ customer support and see what they have to say.

73 all, and have a great Thanksgiving!

Arlen, AA7F

> On Nov 25, 2014, at 8:28 PM, Arlen Fletcher <[hidden email]> wrote:
>
> My K3's clock loses about 15 seconds per day. It's not a big deal because it's easy to update from the K3 utility, but 15 seconds seems like quite a bit. Maybe my expectations are too high?
>
> 73
>
> Arlen, AA7F

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Eric Swartz - WA6HHQ

Re: K3 Timekeeping

Administrator

In general, we have seen a variance of this amount on the clock since we first
started shipping K3s. Its in the normal range.

Regards,

Eric
elecraft.com

On 11/26/2014 1:53 PM, Arlen Fletcher wrote:

> Thanks Wayne, Bill and Willis for your replies.
>
> I suppose the battery could be bad - but this has been a consistent problem since I assembled the Unit back in March. Could’ve been a bad battery out of the box I suppose.
>
> Willis - thanks for the perspective! Times have indeed changed (pun intended). I haven’t been accused of being young in quite some time! ;-)
>
> Wayne - I’ll check w/ customer support and see what they have to say.
>
> 73 all, and have a great Thanksgiving!
>
> Arlen, AA7F
>
>
>> On Nov 25, 2014, at 8:28 PM, Arlen Fletcher <[hidden email]> wrote:
>>
>> My K3's clock loses about 15 seconds per day. It's not a big deal because it's easy to update from the K3 utility, but 15 seconds seems like quite a bit. Maybe my expectations are too high?
>>
>> 73
>>
>> Arlen, AA7F
> ______________________________________________________________
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Arlen Fletcher

Re: K3 Timekeeping

OK - Thanks Eric. Is there nothing the end-user can do to improve things - such as leaving power applied to the K3, etc?

Arlen

> On Nov 26, 2014, at 2:26 PM, Eric Swartz - WA6HHQ, Elecraft <[hidden email]> wrote:
>
> In general, we have seen a variance of this amount on the clock since we first started shipping K3s. Its in the normal range.
>
> Regards,
>
> Eric
> elecraft.com
>
> On 11/26/2014 1:53 PM, Arlen Fletcher wrote:
>> Thanks Wayne, Bill and Willis for your replies.
>>
>> I suppose the battery could be bad - but this has been a consistent problem since I assembled the Unit back in March. Could’ve been a bad battery out of the box I suppose.
>>
>> Willis - thanks for the perspective! Times have indeed changed (pun intended). I haven’t been accused of being young in quite some time! ;-)
>>
>> Wayne - I’ll check w/ customer support and see what they have to say.
>>
>> 73 all, and have a great Thanksgiving!
>>
>> Arlen, AA7F
>>
>>
>>> On Nov 25, 2014, at 8:28 PM, Arlen Fletcher <[hidden email]> <mailto:[hidden email]> wrote:
>>>
>>> My K3's clock loses about 15 seconds per day. It's not a big deal because it's easy to update from the K3 utility, but 15 seconds seems like quite a bit. Maybe my expectations are too high?
>>>
>>> 73
>>>
>>> Arlen, AA7F
>> ______________________________________________________________
>> Elecraft mailing list
>> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft <http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft>
>> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm <http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm>
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>>
>> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net <http://www.qsl.net/>
>> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html <http://www.qsl.net/donate.html>
>> Message delivered to [hidden email] <mailto:[hidden email]>
>

Phil Wheeler-2

Re: K3 Timekeeping

I bought a big La Crosse wall clock that updates
from WWV each night. Very easy to read and always
accurate. I never look at the clock in the K2, KX3
and K3.

Adding circuitry in the K3 to update its clock in
a similar fashion might be doable, but not by me
-- yet :-)

73, Phil W7OX

On 11/26/14 2:36 PM, Arlen Fletcher wrote:

> OK - Thanks Eric. Is there nothing the end-user can do to improve things - such as leaving power applied to the K3, etc?
>
> Arlen
>
>
>> On Nov 26, 2014, at 2:26 PM, Eric Swartz - WA6HHQ, Elecraft <[hidden email]> wrote:
>>
>> In general, we have seen a variance of this amount on the clock since we first started shipping K3s. Its in the normal range.
>>
>> Regards,
>>
>> Eric
>> elecraft.com
>>
>> On 11/26/2014 1:53 PM, Arlen Fletcher wrote:
>>> Thanks Wayne, Bill and Willis for your replies.
>>>
>>> I suppose the battery could be bad - but this has been a consistent problem since I assembled the Unit back in March. Could’ve been a bad battery out of the box I suppose.
>>>
>>> Willis - thanks for the perspective! Times have indeed changed (pun intended). I haven’t been accused of being young in quite some time! ;-)
>>>
>>> Wayne - I’ll check w/ customer support and see what they have to say.
>>>
>>> 73 all, and have a great Thanksgiving!
>>>
>>> Arlen, AA7F
>>>
>>>
>>>> On Nov 25, 2014, at 8:28 PM, Arlen Fletcher <[hidden email]> <mailto:[hidden email]> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> My K3's clock loses about 15 seconds per day. It's not a big deal because it's easy to update from the K3 utility, but 15 seconds seems like quite a bit. Maybe my expectations are too high?
>>>>
>>>> 73
>>>>
>>>> Arlen, AA7F

Eric Swartz - WA6HHQ

Re: K3 Timekeeping

Administrator

In reply to this post by Arlen Fletcher

Not that I can think of. The battery keeps it running when power is removed and
its not particularly voltage sensitive.

Swapping the crystal for the clock might change it a bit, but of course that
could also go in the wrong direction.

73,
Eric
elecraft.com

On 11/26/2014 2:36 PM, Arlen Fletcher wrote:

Rose

K3 Timekeeping

In reply to this post by Phil Wheeler-2

Every room here has a 60 kHZ-synched WWVB clock. Have never looked at ...
or set ... the clocks in my K3 or KX3. Or the K2 if it has one. We have
an actual clock radio in the bedroom. (;-)

Trivia: The 60 kHZ xmtr NE of Fort Collins is a "retired" 100 kHZ LORAN C
xmtr from ND.

The last time I was there the 20 kHZ xmtr was an UGLY blue thing that had
been hand-painted with a brush.

73

Ken Kopp - K0PP
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Arlen Fletcher

Re: K3 Timekeeping

In reply to this post by Phil Wheeler-2

Phil - apparently I’m not finding the right model of LaCrosse clocks! Those that I’ve looked at that update via WWV cannot be set to GMT!! I even asked their support folks about it.

73, Arlen AA7F

> On Nov 26, 2014, at 2:59 PM, Phil Wheeler <[hidden email]> wrote:
>
> I bought a big La Crosse wall clock that updates from WWV each night. Very easy to read and always accurate. I never look at the clock in the K2, KX3 and K3.
>
> Adding circuitry in the K3 to update its clock in a similar fashion might be doable, but not by me -- yet :-)
>
> 73, Phil W7OX
>
> On 11/26/14 2:36 PM, Arlen Fletcher wrote:
>> OK - Thanks Eric. Is there nothing the end-user can do to improve things - such as leaving power applied to the K3, etc?
>>
>> Arlen
>>
>>
>>> On Nov 26, 2014, at 2:26 PM, Eric Swartz - WA6HHQ, Elecraft <[hidden email]> wrote:
>>>
>>> In general, we have seen a variance of this amount on the clock since we first started shipping K3s. Its in the normal range.
>>>
>>> Regards,
>>>
>>> Eric
>>> elecraft.com
>>>
>>> On 11/26/2014 1:53 PM, Arlen Fletcher wrote:
>>>> Thanks Wayne, Bill and Willis for your replies.
>>>>
>>>> I suppose the battery could be bad - but this has been a consistent problem since I assembled the Unit back in March. Could’ve been a bad battery out of the box I suppose.
>>>>
>>>> Willis - thanks for the perspective! Times have indeed changed (pun intended). I haven’t been accused of being young in quite some time! ;-)
>>>>
>>>> Wayne - I’ll check w/ customer support and see what they have to say.
>>>>
>>>> 73 all, and have a great Thanksgiving!
>>>>
>>>> Arlen, AA7F
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> On Nov 25, 2014, at 8:28 PM, Arlen Fletcher <[hidden email]> <mailto:[hidden email]> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>> My K3's clock loses about 15 seconds per day. It's not a big deal because it's easy to update from the K3 utility, but 15 seconds seems like quite a bit. Maybe my expectations are too high?
>>>>>
>>>>> 73
>>>>>
>>>>> Arlen, AA7F
>
> ______________________________________________________________
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>
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Mike Harris-9

Re: K3 Timekeeping

In reply to this post by Rose

We don't do time changes here any more, always daylight saving time.
Last time I reset the clock in the car was four years ago. It's
currently 10 seconds slow.

Regards,

Mike VP8NO

On 26/11/2014 20:25, Rose wrote:

> Every room here has a 60 kHZ-synched WWVB clock. Have never looked at ...
> or set ... the clocks in my K3 or KX3. Or the K2 if it has one. We have
> an actual clock radio in the bedroom. (;-)
>
> Trivia: The 60 kHZ xmtr NE of Fort Collins is a "retired" 100 kHZ LORAN C
> xmtr from ND.
>
> The last time I was there the 20 kHZ xmtr was an UGLY blue thing that had
> been hand-painted with a brush.
>
> 73
>
> Ken Kopp - K0PP

Phil Wheeler-2

Re: K3 Timekeeping

In reply to this post by Arlen Fletcher

Arien,

This is the one I have. It does set to GMT.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000VYIZC/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

73, Phil W7OX

On 11/26/14 3:35 PM, Arlen Fletcher wrote:

> Phil - apparently I’m not finding the right model of LaCrosse clocks! Those that I’ve looked at that update via WWV cannot be set to GMT!! I even asked their support folks about it.
>
> 73, Arlen AA7F
>
>
>> On Nov 26, 2014, at 2:59 PM, Phil Wheeler <[hidden email]> wrote:
>>
>> I bought a big La Crosse wall clock that updates from WWV each night. Very easy to read and always accurate. I never look at the clock in the K2, KX3 and K3.
>>
>> Adding circuitry in the K3 to update its clock in a similar fashion might be doable, but not by me -- yet :-)
>>
>> 73, Phil W7OX
>>
>> On 11/26/14 2:36 PM, Arlen Fletcher wrote:
>>> OK - Thanks Eric. Is there nothing the end-user can do to improve things - such as leaving power applied to the K3, etc?
>>>
>>> Arlen
>>>
>>>
>>>> On Nov 26, 2014, at 2:26 PM, Eric Swartz - WA6HHQ, Elecraft <[hidden email]> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> In general, we have seen a variance of this amount on the clock since we first started shipping K3s. Its in the normal range.
>>>>
>>>> Regards,
>>>>
>>>> Eric
>>>> elecraft.com
>>>>
>>>> On 11/26/2014 1:53 PM, Arlen Fletcher wrote:
>>>>> Thanks Wayne, Bill and Willis for your replies.
>>>>>
>>>>> I suppose the battery could be bad - but this has been a consistent problem since I assembled the Unit back in March. Could’ve been a bad battery out of the box I suppose.
>>>>>
>>>>> Willis - thanks for the perspective! Times have indeed changed (pun intended). I haven’t been accused of being young in quite some time! ;-)
>>>>>
>>>>> Wayne - I’ll check w/ customer support and see what they have to say.
>>>>>
>>>>> 73 all, and have a great Thanksgiving!
>>>>>
>>>>> Arlen, AA7F
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>> On Nov 25, 2014, at 8:28 PM, Arlen Fletcher <[hidden email]> <mailto:[hidden email]> wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>> My K3's clock loses about 15 seconds per day. It's not a big deal because it's easy to update from the K3 utility, but 15 seconds seems like quite a bit. Maybe my expectations are too high?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> 73
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Arlen, AA7F
>> ______________________________________________________________
>> 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]
>

David Orman

Re: K3 Timekeeping

In reply to this post by wayne burdick

I'm feeling lucky (quite rare). My KX3 (just checked) was ~20s off my NTP
synced computers, and I set it about 3 months ago. I suppose it will drift
more over time, but it sounds like there is variance that exists between
units. How much do these clocks change over time in terms of
cycles/accuracy? I'm not familiar with crystal based clocks and their
operation by any means, hence the question, as reading some responses it
sounds like it will change.

On Tue, Nov 25, 2014 at 11:36 PM, Wayne Burdick <[hidden email]> wrote:

> This is an unusual amount of error; it's typically more like +/- 1 or 2
> seconds/day. This may have come up in customer support, so I'd check there
> first. I would suspect either the crystal or one of its associated
> capacitors.
>
> 73,
> Wayne
>
>
>
> On Nov 25, 2014, at 8:28 PM, Arlen Fletcher <[hidden email]> wrote:
>
> > My K3's clock loses about 15 seconds per day. It's not a big deal
> because it's easy to update from the K3 utility, but 15 seconds seems like
> quite a bit. Maybe my expectations are too high?
> >
> > 73
> >
> > Arlen, AA7F
> > ______________________________________________________________
> > 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]
>
> ______________________________________________________________
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>