KX3 ATU problem
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I have a problem with the ATU board for my KX3. With the board
installed in the radio, I get high SWRs (20M settles into 25:1 or so) into a dummy load. When I removed the board and disable it in the menu, I get good SWRs on the dummy load. These high SWRs occure when the ATU is disabled in the menu as well as when it is active. Does anyone have any ideas of what might be wrong. (I'd love to get the radio working for Field Day.) 73 Bill AE6JV ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bill Frantz | The first thing you need when | Periwinkle (408)356-8506 | using a perimeter defense is a | 16345 Englewood Ave www.pwpconsult.com | perimeter. | Los Gatos, CA 95032 ______________________________________________________________ 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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Probably a dumb question, but did you unplug the jumper from the BNC connector to the main board and plug it into the tuner board?
Grant NQ5T K3 #2091, KX3 #8342 > On Jun 18, 2018, at 8:04 PM, Bill Frantz <[hidden email]> wrote: > > AE6JV ______________________________________________________________ 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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Thanks for reminding me to look at dumb things.
Yes, the BNC was pugged into the tuner board. Note that the radio has been working well for a while. I ran FT8 in New Hampshire using it in April/May. The most recent venture into the inside was to pull the batteries to recover from a hung firmware load. That load worked after getting other programs and the PX3 out of the way. 73 Bill AE6JV On 6/18/18 at 5:29 PM, [hidden email] (Grant Youngman) wrote: >Probably a dumb question, but did you unplug the jumper from >the BNC connector to the main board and plug it into the tuner board? > >Grant NQ5T >K3 #2091, KX3 #8342 > >>On Jun 18, 2018, at 8:04 PM, Bill Frantz <[hidden email]> wrote: >> >>AE6JV > > Bill Frantz | Truth and love must prevail | Periwinkle (408)356-8506 | over lies and hate. | 16345 Englewood Ave www.pwpconsult.com | - Vaclav Havel | Los Gatos, CA 95032 ______________________________________________________________ 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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Hi Bill,
I too suffered from issues as you are now with my KX3. Into a dummy load I was getting high SWR numbers. I have been so busy at work that I haven't had the time to find the fault, but what does seem to work for me is not to tighten the case bolts too tightly. Looser is better, but not so loose that the rear legs are flopping about. When I relieve the tightness on these bolts, SWR values always settle around 1.0-1.2 depending on the antenna. Too tight and SWR jumps up to between 3-15. This sounds to me like a bad ground somewhere. Just haven't had the time to investigate. Another time that I had the types of SWR you are observing (25+, even 45+ for me), a few years ago, I had to send the KX3 back to Elecraft and they repaired something. I am not at home now so I can't recall specifically what they repaired. The prevailing theory of the issue was perhaps a static discharge from the antenna during the winter months when I connected the KX3 one day. This was my first experience with static discharge in the antenna system, assuming that was the problem that fried one of the components in the KX3. Again, can't recall which component (actually a surface mount chip on one of the larger components), but it needed to be replaced. regards, Brian VE3IBW On Mon, Jun 18, 2018 at 8:42 PM Bill Frantz <[hidden email]> wrote: > Thanks for reminding me to look at dumb things. > > Yes, the BNC was pugged into the tuner board. Note that the > radio has been working well for a while. I ran FT8 in New > Hampshire using it in April/May. The most recent venture into > the inside was to pull the batteries to recover from a hung > firmware load. That load worked after getting other programs and > the PX3 out of the way. > > 73 Bill AE6JV > > On 6/18/18 at 5:29 PM, [hidden email] (Grant Youngman) wrote: > > >Probably a dumb question, but did you unplug the jumper from > >the BNC connector to the main board and plug it into the tuner board? > > > >Grant NQ5T > >K3 #2091, KX3 #8342 > > > >>On Jun 18, 2018, at 8:04 PM, Bill Frantz <[hidden email]> wrote: > >> > >>AE6JV > > > > > ----------------------------------------------------------------------- > Bill Frantz | Truth and love must prevail | Periwinkle > (408)356-8506 | over lies and hate. | 16345 > Englewood Ave > www.pwpconsult.com | - Vaclav Havel | Los Gatos, > CA 95032 > > ______________________________________________________________ > 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]
Regards,
Brian VE3IBW |
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Thanks Brian. I worked with Gary at Elecraft support who was a
big help in shooting the problem. Your message was also an important clue, and maybe knowing about my problem will help you with yours. I ended up taking out the 2M board and the ATU board and the KX3 worked. I added in the ATU board and it still worked. When I put the 2M board in, the problem became intermittent. (GRRRRR!) I finally got it so I could poke at one corner of the 2M board and make the problem appear and disappear. It appears that my problem was being caused by having the antenna coax for the 2M SMA connector touch a toroid on the ATU board. The 2M board installation instructions warn about allowing that to happen. Just moving it caused the problem to appear and disappear. I'm hoping I have cured the problem, but time will tell. 73 Bill AE6JV On 6/19/18 at 9:30 AM, [hidden email] (Brian Waterworth) wrote: >Hi Bill, > >I too suffered from issues as you are now with my KX3. Into a dummy load I >was getting high SWR numbers. I have been so busy at work that I haven't >had the time to find the fault, but what does seem to work for me is not to >tighten the case bolts too tightly. Looser is better, but not so loose >that the rear legs are flopping about. When I relieve the tightness on >these bolts, SWR values always settle around 1.0-1.2 depending on the >antenna. Too tight and SWR jumps up to between 3-15. This sounds to me >like a bad ground somewhere. Just haven't had the time to investigate. > >Another time that I had the types of SWR you are observing (25+, even 45+ >for me), a few years ago, I had to send the KX3 back to Elecraft and they >repaired something. I am not at home now so I can't recall specifically >what they repaired. The prevailing theory of the issue was perhaps a >static discharge from the antenna during the winter months when I connected >the KX3 one day. This was my first experience with static discharge in the >antenna system, assuming that was the problem that fried one of the >components in the KX3. Again, can't recall which component (actually a >surface mount chip on one of the larger components), but it needed to be >replaced. > >regards, >Brian >VE3IBW > >On Mon, Jun 18, 2018 at 8:42 PM Bill Frantz <[hidden email]> wrote: > >>Thanks for reminding me to look at dumb things. >> >>Yes, the BNC was pugged into the tuner board. Note that the >>radio has been working well for a while. I ran FT8 in New >>Hampshire using it in April/May. The most recent venture into >>the inside was to pull the batteries to recover from a hung >>firmware load. That load worked after getting other programs and >>the PX3 out of the way. >> >>73 Bill AE6JV >> >>On 6/18/18 at 5:29 PM, [hidden email] (Grant Youngman) wrote: >> >>>Probably a dumb question, but did you unplug the jumper from >>>the BNC connector to the main board and plug it into the tuner board? >>> >>>Grant NQ5T >>>K3 #2091, KX3 #8342 >>> >>>>On Jun 18, 2018, at 8:04 PM, Bill Frantz <[hidden email]> wrote: >>>> >>>>AE6JV ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Bill Frantz | gets() remains as a monument | Periwinkle (408)356-8506 | to C's continuing support of | 16345 Englewood Ave www.pwpconsult.com | buffer overruns. | Los Gatos, CA 95032 ______________________________________________________________ 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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