Elecraft

K3S birdies?

Classic

List

Threaded

4 messages Options

Don Sayler

K3S birdies?

Hi All.

I've been monitoring this list for a while, and have gained some useful insights from the posts. And now I have a question...

I built my K3S #11310 last July, and I added the 100 watt amp and sub-receiver last December.

A few weeks ago, I started hearing some unusual tones around 14380 KHz and 7259 KHz. The tones are much louder on 14380 than on 7259. At 14380, I hear a lower-pitched tone on 14279.80, and a higher pitched tone 14279.85. I hear both of these with no antenna connected. On 40m, the tone is quiet enough that the background noise overcomes the tone. But on 20m, the tones are quite loud. I also hear the tones on the sub-receiver.

Prior to a few weeks ago, I'm certain these tones were not present. I saw the thread from 2012 about moving cables around in a K3, but if there was a build problem, wouldn't these sounds have appeared immediately? My routers are far away from my shack, and there is no new equipment in the shack.

Any thoughts?

Thanks.

Don Sayler W7OXR
Kirkland WA

______________________________________________________________
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]

Vic Rosenthal

Re: K3S birdies?

Make sure the internal cables with the little TNC connectors are all
seated properly. A poor shield connection can contribute to birdies.
Oxidation or vibration could create this condition over time.

73,
Victor, 4X6GP
Rehovot, Israel
Formerly K2VCO
http://www.qsl.net/k2vco/

On 11 Apr 2018 05:47, Don Sayler wrote:

> Hi All.
>
> I've been monitoring this list for a while, and have gained some
> useful insights from the posts. And now I have a question...
>
> I built my K3S #11310 last July, and I added the 100 watt amp and
> sub-receiver last December.
>
> A few weeks ago, I started hearing some unusual tones around 14380
> KHz and 7259 KHz. The tones are much louder on 14380 than on 7259. At
> 14380, I hear a lower-pitched tone on 14279.80, and a higher pitched
> tone 14279.85. I hear both of these with no antenna connected. On
> 40m, the tone is quiet enough that the background noise overcomes the
> tone. But on 20m, the tones are quite loud. I also hear the tones on
> the sub-receiver.
>
> Prior to a few weeks ago, I'm certain these tones were not present. I
> saw the thread from 2012 about moving cables around in a K3, but if
> there was a build problem, wouldn't these sounds have appeared
> immediately? My routers are far away from my shack, and there is no
> new equipment in the shack.
>
> Any thoughts?
>
> Thanks.
>
> Don Sayler W7OXR Kirkland WA
>

Don Sayler

Re: K3S birdies?

Thanks Victor.

I'll check that out.

-----Original Message-----
From: [hidden email]
[mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Victor Rosenthal
4X6GP
Sent: Tuesday, April 10, 2018 11:33 PM
To: [hidden email]
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] K3S birdies?

Make sure the internal cables with the little TNC connectors are all seated
properly. A poor shield connection can contribute to birdies.
Oxidation or vibration could create this condition over time.

73,
Victor, 4X6GP
Rehovot, Israel
Formerly K2VCO
http://www.qsl.net/k2vco/

On 11 Apr 2018 05:47, Don Sayler wrote:

> Hi All.
>
> I've been monitoring this list for a while, and have gained some
> useful insights from the posts. And now I have a question...
>
> I built my K3S #11310 last July, and I added the 100 watt amp and
> sub-receiver last December.
>
> A few weeks ago, I started hearing some unusual tones around 14380 KHz
> and 7259 KHz. The tones are much louder on 14380 than on 7259. At
> 14380, I hear a lower-pitched tone on 14279.80, and a higher pitched
> tone 14279.85. I hear both of these with no antenna connected. On 40m,
> the tone is quiet enough that the background noise overcomes the tone.
> But on 20m, the tones are quite loud. I also hear the tones on the
> sub-receiver.
>
> Prior to a few weeks ago, I'm certain these tones were not present. I
> saw the thread from 2012 about moving cables around in a K3, but if
> there was a build problem, wouldn't these sounds have appeared
> immediately? My routers are far away from my shack, and there is no
> new equipment in the shack.
>
> Any thoughts?
>
> Thanks.
>
> Don Sayler W7OXR Kirkland WA
>

______________________________________________________________
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]

k6dgw

Re: K3S birdies?

We had a sudden case of "birdies" in a K3 on 160 at W7RN. Strangely,
they began abruptly as you tuned up the band [around 1838 IIRC], and
extended for *exactly* 15 KHz where they then disappeared. Problem
turned out to be a shield dislodged from the syn.

73,

Fred ["Skip"] K6DGW
Sparks NV DM09dn
Washoe County

On 4/11/2018 7:20 PM, Don Sayler wrote:

> Thanks Victor.
>
> I'll check that out.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: [hidden email]
> [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Victor Rosenthal
> 4X6GP
> Sent: Tuesday, April 10, 2018 11:33 PM
> To: [hidden email]
> Subject: Re: [Elecraft] K3S birdies?
>
> Make sure the internal cables with the little TNC connectors are all seated
> properly. A poor shield connection can contribute to birdies.
> Oxidation or vibration could create this condition over time.
>
> 73,
> Victor, 4X6GP
> Rehovot, Israel
> Formerly K2VCO
> http://www.qsl.net/k2vco/
>
> On 11 Apr 2018 05:47, Don Sayler wrote:
>> Hi All.
>>
>> I've been monitoring this list for a while, and have gained some
>> useful insights from the posts. And now I have a question...
>>
>> I built my K3S #11310 last July, and I added the 100 watt amp and
>> sub-receiver last December.
>>
>> A few weeks ago, I started hearing some unusual tones around 14380 KHz
>> and 7259 KHz. The tones are much louder on 14380 than on 7259. At
>> 14380, I hear a lower-pitched tone on 14279.80, and a higher pitched
>> tone 14279.85. I hear both of these with no antenna connected. On 40m,
>> the tone is quiet enough that the background noise overcomes the tone.
>> But on 20m, the tones are quite loud. I also hear the tones on the
>> sub-receiver.
>>
>> Prior to a few weeks ago, I'm certain these tones were not present. I
>> saw the thread from 2012 about moving cables around in a K3, but if
>> there was a build problem, wouldn't these sounds have appeared
>> immediately? My routers are far away from my shack, and there is no
>> new equipment in the shack.
>>
>> Any thoughts?
>>
>> Thanks.
>>
>> Don Sayler W7OXR Kirkland WA
>>
> ______________________________________________________________
> 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]
>