K9AY/K3 Diversity Receive at VE1RGB

[Gary Bartlett VE1RGB]

            For those of you who may be considering the erection of a K9AY
loop, particularly K3 owners with the KRX3, I have written up a report of my
early experience with this listening antenna at my little contest station.
That story can be found at
http://www3.ns.sympatico.ca/jhsmith/myweb4/index.htm.  Scroll down the
right-hand side of the page.

 

            Let me quick to reiterate what it says up front in that report:
this is a very non-rigorous, unscientific, non-engineering kind of narrative
based on a very short period of evaluation.  It is entirely anecdotal.  My
installation is far from optimum and I would even be reluctant to let Gary
Breed look at it for fear he might ask me to take it down (just kidding).
It is anything but certain that my experience will translate to yours.
Having said that, I would be very quick to recommend that anyone with a
local noise problem give this antenna a shot.  It's easy to build even for
us old guys and it clearly has the potential for doing rather remarkable
things.  [While you're on that page, look on the left hand margin and read
the more professional engineering reports about other antenna topics written
by a real engineer, VE1ZAC].

 

            Now, why is the K3 in the subject line?

 

            I have three single-element multi-band transmitting antennas and
now the K9AY in addition to a short (300-foot) Beverage as listening
antennas.  My first try at diversity receive using K3 #095 with a recently
installed second receiver instantly suggested that a two-receiver radio will
turn out to much more than just a tool for easily working split  (although
it is almost worth the cost of the KRX3 for that pleasure alone).  I was
immediately struck by how much control I had suddenly gained over my entire
antenna farm since evaluating and selecting the right combination of
antennas from my suite for any given situation while in the diversity
receive configuration becomes dead simple after pushing a couple of buttons.
And everyone knows that the variables in the equation mean that it is
difficult to predict what the right combination should be.  In one instance
last night on 40M, I listened to a CW QSO between a K4 and a LZ.  The K4 was
being received almost entirely on the Beverage and showed up in my right
ear.  The signal from the LZ, on the other hand, was being received almost
entirely on the K9AY loop and was being routed to the left ear.  Hearing the
signals bounce back and forth between NA and EU was fascinating.  While it
is true that in this instance, any one of my transmitting antennas by itself
would likely have been adequate, that example does seem to suggest that it
is only a matter of time before this versatility pays off for real.   I
believe I have increased my potential for achieving another DXCC entity or
maybe being able to work a rare DX station in an international contest by
being able to quickly optimize the use of my antennas, each with its own
unique but generally unpredictable characteristics.  

 

            For those sitting on the fence, I hope that this information
encourages you to take another step.

 

            73,

           

 

            Gary, VE1RGB

            [hidden email]

            [phone]

 

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[Julius Fazekas n2wn]

Guess we'll have to keep a much closer watch on you in ARRL 160 Gary ;o)

Nice selection of antennas, you're ahead of the pack already!

The second Rx has come in handy in a pileup. It'll be interesting to see how goofy things can get using it after some sleep deprivation.

CU in the fray,
Julius

Gary Bartlett VE1RGB wrote

            For those of you who may be considering the erection of a K9AY
loop, particularly K3 owners with the KRX3, I have written up a report of my
early experience with this listening antenna at my little contest station.
That story can be found at
http://www3.ns.sympatico.ca/jhsmith/myweb4/index.htm.  Scroll down the
right-hand side of the page.

 

            Let me quick to reiterate what it says up front in that report:
this is a very non-rigorous, unscientific, non-engineering kind of narrative
based on a very short period of evaluation.  It is entirely anecdotal.  My
installation is far from optimum and I would even be reluctant to let Gary
Breed look at it for fear he might ask me to take it down (just kidding).
It is anything but certain that my experience will translate to yours.
Having said that, I would be very quick to recommend that anyone with a
local noise problem give this antenna a shot.  It's easy to build even for
us old guys and it clearly has the potential for doing rather remarkable
things.  [While you're on that page, look on the left hand margin and read
the more professional engineering reports about other antenna topics written
by a real engineer, VE1ZAC].

 

            Now, why is the K3 in the subject line?

 

            I have three single-element multi-band transmitting antennas and
now the K9AY in addition to a short (300-foot) Beverage as listening
antennas.  My first try at diversity receive using K3 #095 with a recently
installed second receiver instantly suggested that a two-receiver radio will
turn out to much more than just a tool for easily working split  (although
it is almost worth the cost of the KRX3 for that pleasure alone).  I was
immediately struck by how much control I had suddenly gained over my entire
antenna farm since evaluating and selecting the right combination of
antennas from my suite for any given situation while in the diversity
receive configuration becomes dead simple after pushing a couple of buttons.
And everyone knows that the variables in the equation mean that it is
difficult to predict what the right combination should be.  In one instance
last night on 40M, I listened to a CW QSO between a K4 and a LZ.  The K4 was
being received almost entirely on the Beverage and showed up in my right
ear.  The signal from the LZ, on the other hand, was being received almost
entirely on the K9AY loop and was being routed to the left ear.  Hearing the
signals bounce back and forth between NA and EU was fascinating.  While it
is true that in this instance, any one of my transmitting antennas by itself
would likely have been adequate, that example does seem to suggest that it
is only a matter of time before this versatility pays off for real.   I
believe I have increased my potential for achieving another DXCC entity or
maybe being able to work a rare DX station in an international contest by
being able to quickly optimize the use of my antennas, each with its own
unique but generally unpredictable characteristics.  

 

            For those sitting on the fence, I hope that this information
encourages you to take another step.

 

            73,

           

 

            Gary, VE1RGB

            [e-mail]

            [phone]

 

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[alorona]

Does MIC+LIN work as described in the manual, or not yet?

Thanks,

Al  W6LX
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[MontyS]

Al -

MIC+LIN works as described - I use it for all digital mode work, leaving the
radio in SSB mode.

Be sure to set LINE IN level before engaging MIC+LIN.

Monty K2DLJ

> Does MIC+LIN work as described in the manual, or not yet?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Al  W6LX
 

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