KX3 - CW - What's This Sound?

[W4JBB]

I'm not sure if I'm hearing a spurious emission or not.  As an example
(and I know this may sound weird to some folks - that's just the way I
am ;) ):

<The following paragraph is *not* the problem - it's what the problem
sounds like to me.>
If I'm on a frequency and someone gets on a frequency pretty far away (I
don't know how many kHz) I can hear them - I cannot figure out what
they're sending, but I know they're there.  It's like I'm on the ragged
edge of their transmit bandwidth.

I'm beginning to hear that on my KX3 and it's me.  I'm not sure if it's
a spurious emission or what it is.  Last night I heard it and it was
almost like an echo (not long path), but I could hear tones. I thought
someone was calling me.  I'd stop and listen - nothing. I'd send ? -
nothing.

This morning, that sound is different.  It's more like someone is not on
frequency but they're sending CW and I'm at the edge of their transmit
bandwidth or just past it.  I can hear it and I know it's there, but I
cannot make it out.  This happens with a key or my bug.  After figuring
out I was hearing myself, I had initially thought it was my sending on
the bug or something I had out of adjustment, but it doesn't appear to
be that.

I tested on the vertical, inverted vee, and dummy load.  I heard it on
both antennas, but not the dummy load.  I tried it with the ATU in auto
and bypass with the same results.  I am not using CW in SSB - I am in CW
mode.

I tested with my K3 at the same power level using the vertical, inverted
vee, and dummy load.  I did not hear it on any of the three.

The firmware I'm using is 1.54.

I cannot tell you how long this has been going on.  I just recently took
the KX3 out of the Pelican box and started playing around with it in the
shack some more.  It may have been doing it a while, it may have just
started with 1.54, I have no idea.

73,
Joel - W4JBB
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[WB0OEW]

It might RF feedback. For me it was especially apparent when running the Olivia digital mode. I could hear a
faint warbling sound accompanying the correct tones, sort of like an echo but not exactly. It was also there
on other modes but less obvious. It disappeared when I used my dummy load. I finally traced it to a bad
connector on the coax run to the antenna. After fixing that the sound is perfectly clean now.

73, Elwood, WB0OEW

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[W4JBB]

I tried different coax cables.  I tried bypassing the wattmeter.  I
tried just going directly to the antenna - any of the antennas and had
the same result.  I tried different QSK delays and turned VOX off.  
Nothing seemed to alleviate the issue.

I cannot tell for certain, but I do *not* think I can hear this through
the speaker in the bottom of the radio.  Again, it's too hard to tell
for certain.  However, I did find that if I turned down the AF gain, the
noise, for the most part, was diminished.

I have my MON set to 6.  My AF gain is now at 2 and I can barely hear
what I described before.  Leaving the MON at 6 and turning up the AF
gain, the problem is louder.  Changing the MON level does not increase
or decrease the noise I heard previously.  Only by adjusting AF gain
down, can I really reduce the noise.

Can anyone think of something else to check?

73,
Joel - W4JBB

On 9/5/13 11:42 AM, Elwood C. Downey wrote:

> It might RF feedback. For me it was especially apparent when running the Olivia digital mode. I could hear a
> faint warbling sound accompanying the correct tones, sort of like an echo but not exactly. It was also there
> on other modes but less obvious. It disappeared when I used my dummy load. I finally traced it to a bad
> connector on the coax run to the antenna. After fixing that the sound is perfectly clean now.
>
> 73, Elwood, WB0OEW
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
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>

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[Pierfrancesco Caci]

Joel Black <[hidden email]> wrote:

>I'm not sure if I'm hearing a spurious emission or not.  As an example
>(and I know this may sound weird to some folks - that's just the way I
>am ;) ):
>
><The following paragraph is *not* the problem - it's what the problem
>sounds like to me.>
>If I'm on a frequency and someone gets on a frequency pretty far away
>(I
>don't know how many kHz) I can hear them - I cannot figure out what
>they're sending, but I know they're there.  It's like I'm on the ragged
>
>edge of their transmit bandwidth.
>
>I'm beginning to hear that on my KX3 and it's me.  I'm not sure if it's
>
>a spurious emission or what it is.  Last night I heard it and it was
>almost like an echo (not long path), but I could hear tones. I thought
>someone was calling me.  I'd stop and listen - nothing. I'd send ? -
>nothing.
>
>This morning, that sound is different.  It's more like someone is not
>on
>frequency but they're sending CW and I'm at the edge of their transmit
>bandwidth or just past it.  I can hear it and I know it's there, but I
>cannot make it out.  This happens with a key or my bug.  After figuring
>
>out I was hearing myself, I had initially thought it was my sending on
>the bug or something I had out of adjustment, but it doesn't appear to
>be that.
>
>I tested on the vertical, inverted vee, and dummy load.  I heard it on
>both antennas, but not the dummy load.  I tried it with the ATU in auto
>
>and bypass with the same results.  I am not using CW in SSB - I am in
>CW
>mode.
>
>I tested with my K3 at the same power level using the vertical,
>inverted
>vee, and dummy load.  I did not hear it on any of the three.
>
>The firmware I'm using is 1.54.
>
>I cannot tell you how long this has been going on.  I just recently
>took
>the KX3 out of the Pelican box and started playing around with it in
>the
>shack some more.  It may have been doing it a while, it may have just
>started with 1.54, I have no idea.
>
>73,
>Joel - W4JBB
>______________________________________________________________
>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

Are you maybe using a remote antenna tuner? I hear its CPU clock for a second on some frequencies, after each of my tx.

--
Pierfrancesco Caci

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[W4JBB]

I got some more suggestions.  One of them was to adjust the CW sidetone
pitch.  That in combination with AF gain seems to be helping.  
Apparently, this is a problem with my hearing and not the audio output.  
I guess I was around too much artillary and shot too many rounds down an
M-16 when I was in the Marines.  ;)

On the K3, 570 Hz is a comfortable CW sidetone pitch for me.  At least I
have not noticed the same audio effect on it that I notice on the KX3.  
Playing around with a combination of CW sidetone pitch and AF gain, I
have been able to almost eliminate the noise I'm hearing.

Thanks for all the help with this.

BTW, while testing on the air, I met all kinds of folks.  It's really
cool with folks trying to help out.  It seems most hams want to try and
help out with problems (real or perceived) that affect someone's equipment.

73,
Joel - W4JBB
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