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My K3's hissy and noisy audio

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PD2R

My K3's hissy and noisy audio

Hello everybody,

During last CQ WPX contest I got the chance to put my K3 to work at our
contest station PI4DX. We participated in the Multi One klass which allows
us to use 2 radio's, one running station and one multiplier station.
We used my K3 on the running station and a Icom IC-7700 on the multiplier
station. This was actually the first time I could compare the K3 to a high
end transceiver such as the IC-7700. I was surprised to find out that the
7700 sounded much better. The receiver was less noisy an easier to listen
to. Several other operators also stated the K3's audio was hissy and sharp
and not nice and smooth.
We could hear it using the built-in speaker as well as on a Heil Pro Set
Plus.
The RX EQ is flat and I used the 2.7 filter on a 2.7 KHz bandwidth.
Narrowing the bandwidth makes it worse but that is to be expected. No NB or
NR was used. AFX on or off makes no difference. In addition to the 2.7 KHz
filter my K3 also has the 2.1, 1.8 KHz and the 400 Hz filters. It doesn't
have the 2nd receiver, the KXV3, KBPF3, or the KTCXO3. It does have the
KDVR3, KAT3 and the KPA3. (will order a KXV3 module shortly)

After reading all these glowing reports on the K3's smooth receiver I can
only draw one conclusion; there must be something wrong with my K3.

What could it be?

73, Maarten van Rossum
PD2R
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Maarten, PD2R
Member of the PI4DX contest group
www.pi4dx.com

Elecraft K3 nr:1849

Jim-168

Re: My K3's hissy and noisy audio

Maarten, I found just the opposite having compared my K3 with two separate
7700's with the K3 winning out each time.

Also my wife being a non Ham picked the K3 audio over both of the 7700's
each time.

73 de KE4WY Jim

-----Original Message-----
From: [hidden email]
[mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Maarten van Rossum
Sent: Sunday, April 05, 2009 4:58 AM
To: Elecraft Group
Subject: [Elecraft] My K3's hissy and noisy audio

Hello everybody,

During last CQ WPX contest I got the chance to put my K3 to work at our
contest station PI4DX. We participated in the Multi One klass which allows
us to use 2 radio's, one running station and one multiplier station.
We used my K3 on the running station and a Icom IC-7700 on the multiplier
station. This was actually the first time I could compare the K3 to a high
end transceiver such as the IC-7700. I was surprised to find out that the
7700 sounded much better. The receiver was less noisy an easier to listen
to. Several other operators also stated the K3's audio was hissy and sharp
and not nice and smooth.
We could hear it using the built-in speaker as well as on a Heil Pro Set
Plus.
The RX EQ is flat and I used the 2.7 filter on a 2.7 KHz bandwidth.
Narrowing the bandwidth makes it worse but that is to be expected. No NB or
NR was used. AFX on or off makes no difference. In addition to the 2.7 KHz
filter my K3 also has the 2.1, 1.8 KHz and the 400 Hz filters. It doesn't
have the 2nd receiver, the KXV3, KBPF3, or the KTCXO3. It does have the
KDVR3, KAT3 and the KPA3. (will order a KXV3 module shortly)

After reading all these glowing reports on the K3's smooth receiver I can
only draw one conclusion; there must be something wrong with my K3.

What could it be?

73, Maarten van Rossum
PD2R
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Enno, PF5X

Re: My K3's hissy and noisy audio

In reply to this post by PD2R

Hi Maarten,

I tend to agree with your observations. If you live in a noisy environment like I do, the K3 RX can be quite "restless" and listening fatigue comes in easy. I played with the AGC setting a while ago and came up with the following settings in the CONFIG menu: AGC SLP 008, AGC THR 006. This gives the RX a more analogue behaviour and it increases the distance between the background noise level and desired signal. I am still using F/W 2.76, so the new options in F/W 3.0x might be able to further improve the situation.

-- Enno, PF5X
K3 #1263

Maarten van Rossum wrote

Hello everybody,

During last CQ WPX contest I got the chance to put my K3 to work at our
contest station PI4DX. We participated in the Multi One klass which allows
us to use 2 radio's, one running station and one multiplier station.
We used my K3 on the running station and a Icom IC-7700 on the multiplier
station. This was actually the first time I could compare the K3 to a high
end transceiver such as the IC-7700. I was surprised to find out that the
7700 sounded much better. The receiver was less noisy an easier to listen
to. Several other operators also stated the K3's audio was hissy and sharp
and not nice and smooth.
We could hear it using the built-in speaker as well as on a Heil Pro Set
Plus.
The RX EQ is flat and I used the 2.7 filter on a 2.7 KHz bandwidth.
Narrowing the bandwidth makes it worse but that is to be expected. No NB or
NR was used. AFX on or off makes no difference. In addition to the 2.7 KHz
filter my K3 also has the 2.1, 1.8 KHz and the 400 Hz filters. It doesn't
have the 2nd receiver, the KXV3, KBPF3, or the KTCXO3. It does have the
KDVR3, KAT3 and the KPA3. (will order a KXV3 module shortly)

After reading all these glowing reports on the K3's smooth receiver I can
only draw one conclusion; there must be something wrong with my K3.

What could it be?

73, Maarten van Rossum
PD2R
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PD2R

Re: My K3's hissy and noisy audio

Thanks everybody for your replies,

I have played with the shift and Hi/Low cut and although it does help, it's
not what is should be.
The radio was not used in a noisy environment, it is usually fairly quiet
here. I will however have a look into the AGC settings and see if that
brings any help.

I still think there is more to this but I cannot really put my finger on it.
The difference between both radio's was pretty big.

73, Maarten
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Maarten, PD2R
Member of the PI4DX contest group
www.pi4dx.com

Elecraft K3 nr:1849

P.B. Christensen

Re: My K3's hissy and noisy audio

In reply to this post by PD2R

> We used my K3 on the running station and a Icom IC-7700 on the multiplier
> station. This was actually the first time I could compare the K3 to a high
> end transceiver such as the IC-7700. I was surprised to find out that the
> 7700 sounded much better.

Maarten,

At my station, the K3, '7700, and '7800 are side-by-side. Of all three
transceivers, the K3 produces the least amount of residual hiss. In fact.
when the AF control is turned full CCW on the Icom's, a slight degree of
hiss remains. Zero hiss with the K3. If you look at the audio structure of
the K3's headphone circuit, it would be pretty difficult to improve upon
when using a single-ended power supply. When bi-polar power supplies are
used, it's possible to eliminate intra-stage coupling capacitors with
servo-controlled op-amps, thereby eliminating DC offsets. Larger voltage
swings are possible with bi-polar supplies and overall distortions are
generally lower with these circuits. You tend to find these techniques used
in Hi-Fi audio and broadcast equipment, but not in communications-grade
audio systems.

One important point is that the stock K3 has less low-end audio response
than that of the two Icoms. But that's a personal choice. Some
well-respected ops here detest the presence of low-end audio below ~ 200 Hz.
Others (myself included), like to hear the entire passband while
operating -- right down to 50 Hz or so. It's not right, it's not wrong -
it's just a personal preference one way or the other. My personal choice
is to open up the audio response, then limit low-end and high-end response
through the K3's DSP filtering. I get the best of both worlds that way...

In order to attain a richer low-end response on the K3, you may wish to
review my mods on the N1EU website. After modification, the K3 is capable
of sounding just as rich and smooth as the two Icoms. My guess is that when
you use the adjective "sharp," you're likely hearing a lack of low-end
balance as both transceivers are capable of extremely sharp low-pass
response.

If you do invoke the mods, I would suggest first looking at the revision of
your Main DSP Board as some of components I've changed may have now gone
into production at Elecraft. It may also turn out that Elecraft eventually
scales the audio R values rather than C values to accomplish the same end
result. I changed C values since fewer components are changed that way.

Paul, W9AC

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Evert Bakker (PA2KW)

Re: My K3's hissy and noisy audio

In reply to this post by PD2R

Maarten Wrote:

" Several other operators also stated the K3's audio was hissy and sharp
and not nice and smooth. We could hear it using the built-in speaker as well
as on a Heil Pro Set Plus."

I think there is nothing wrong with your K3.

About a week ago I reported the "bad" audio quality of the K3 but especially
*in combination* with the (latest version of) Heil Proset headset. I guess
that the wider freq-response of this headset is showing high "spurious"
signals which are definitely direct related to the base band audio (100-3000
Hz) of the signal you are listening to. It's very tiring to listen to.

I'm right now at the point of testing with an audio analyzing software tool
and will report.

The question now is, what can we do about it?

73's, Evert PA2KW

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Steve Ellington

Re: My K3's hissy and noisy audio

Those that have complained about hissy and noisy audio all have one thing in
common....All 3 are in the Netherlands.
Could there be some common thread among residences in this region that
enables one to detect these K3 abnormalities?
Steve Ellington
[hidden email]
----- Original Message -----
From: "Evert Bakker (PA2KW)" <[hidden email]>
To: "'Maarten van Rossum'" <[hidden email]>; "'Elecraft Group'"
<[hidden email]>
Cc: "'Gary Surrency'" <[hidden email]>
Sent: Sunday, April 05, 2009 1:39 PM
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] My K3's hissy and noisy audio

>
> Maarten Wrote:
>
> " Several other operators also stated the K3's audio was hissy and sharp
> and not nice and smooth. We could hear it using the built-in speaker as
> well
> as on a Heil Pro Set Plus."
>
> I think there is nothing wrong with your K3.
>
> About a week ago I reported the "bad" audio quality of the K3 but
> especially
> *in combination* with the (latest version of) Heil Proset headset. I guess
> that the wider freq-response of this headset is showing high "spurious"
> signals which are definitely direct related to the base band audio
> (100-3000
> Hz) of the signal you are listening to. It's very tiring to listen to.
>
> I'm right now at the point of testing with an audio analyzing software
> tool
> and will report.
>
>
> The question now is, what can we do about it?
>
>
> 73's, Evert PA2KW
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
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>
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>

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Evert Bakker (PA2KW)

Re: My K3's hissy and noisy audio

Are we (dutch) all using the same version of Heil headset?
I never noticed this high hiss with my old Telex headphones (with a smaller
freq-response I guess)

73's, Evert PA2KW

-----Original Message-----
From: Steve Ellington [mailto:[hidden email]]
Sent: Sunday, April 05, 2009 19:48
To: [hidden email]; 'Maarten van Rossum'; 'Elecraft Group'
Cc: 'Gary Surrency'
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] My K3's hissy and noisy audio

Those that have complained about hissy and noisy audio all have one thing in

common....All 3 are in the Netherlands.
Could there be some common thread among residences in this region that
enables one to detect these K3 abnormalities?
Steve Ellington
[hidden email]
----- Original Message -----
From: "Evert Bakker (PA2KW)" <[hidden email]>
To: "'Maarten van Rossum'" <[hidden email]>; "'Elecraft Group'"
<[hidden email]>
Cc: "'Gary Surrency'" <[hidden email]>
Sent: Sunday, April 05, 2009 1:39 PM
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] My K3's hissy and noisy audio

n7ws

Re: My K3's hissy and noisy audio

In reply to this post by Steve Ellington

--- On Sun, 4/5/09, Steve Ellington <[hidden email]> wrote:

> From: Steve Ellington <[hidden email]>
> Subject: Re: [Elecraft] My K3's hissy and noisy audio
> To: [hidden email], "'Maarten van Rossum'" <[hidden email]>, "'Elecraft Group'" <[hidden email]>
> Cc: "'Gary Surrency'" <[hidden email]>
> Date: Sunday, April 5, 2009, 11:47 AM
> Those that have complained about hissy and noisy audio all
> have one thing in
> common....All 3 are in the Netherlands.
> Could there be some common thread among residences in this
> region that
> enables one to detect these K3 abnormalities?
> Steve Ellington

Sorry to pop this balloon but I'm in Arizona, USA and I concur.

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Steve Ellington

Re: My K3's hissy and noisy audio

The exception proves the rule.

Steve Ellington
[hidden email]
----- Original Message -----
From: "Wes Stewart" <[hidden email]>
To: <[hidden email]>; "'Maarten van Rossum'" <[hidden email]>;
"'Elecraft Group'" <[hidden email]>; "Steve Ellington"
<[hidden email]>
Sent: Sunday, April 05, 2009 2:16 PM
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] My K3's hissy and noisy audio

>
>
>
>
> --- On Sun, 4/5/09, Steve Ellington <[hidden email]> wrote:
>
>> From: Steve Ellington <[hidden email]>
>> Subject: Re: [Elecraft] My K3's hissy and noisy audio
>> To: [hidden email], "'Maarten van Rossum'" <[hidden email]>,
>> "'Elecraft Group'" <[hidden email]>
>> Cc: "'Gary Surrency'" <[hidden email]>
>> Date: Sunday, April 5, 2009, 11:47 AM
>> Those that have complained about hissy and noisy audio all
>> have one thing in
>> common....All 3 are in the Netherlands.
>> Could there be some common thread among residences in this
>> region that
>> enables one to detect these K3 abnormalities?
>> Steve Ellington
>
> Sorry to pop this balloon but I'm in Arizona, USA and I concur.
>
>
>

n7ws

Re: My K3's hissy and noisy audio

--- On Sun, 4/5/09, Steve Ellington <[hidden email]> wrote:

> The exception proves the rule.

And what's that supposed to mean?

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Jack Brindle

Re: My K3's hissy and noisy audio

In reply to this post by Evert Bakker (PA2KW)

I felt the same thing when I first started using my K3. As I started
learning how to adjust the IF filter controls I found that as the
bandwidth became more optimum I was also able to cut out the super
highs and lows. The K3 can give you a really wide audio frequency
spectrum if you want to hear it. But I have found that for SSB a low
cut of 350 to 450 Hz coupled with a high cut of around 1.75 KHz
provides a very good audio range that does not fatigue my ears. For
contesting I narrow it down even more and still have very copiable
reception.

For CW I vary the width to give similar results, but much more narrow
bandwidth. Hearing high or very low pitched sounds can tire your ears
quickly. My K3 does a great job of eliminating those while still
allowing me to hear what I need. While I am used to closing down the
bandwidth to limit what I hear, the other two hams in my family are
not. Both KB4TGE and KG6YMN have had no problems at all with the
narrow bandwidths. Both are definitely not in the contester category
(yet)...

As others have noted on the list, it seems to be best to adjust the
high and low cuts for SSB, while adjusting the IF bandwidth for CW.
The latter varies the IF frequency, while the high/low cut does not.

And, for the record, my K3 has the stock 2.7 KHz 5-pole filter along
with a 500 Hz 5-pole filter. I use a Heil Proset headset with HC-4 mic
element. I don't yet feel the need for other filters, although I am
sure that will change as the gift-giving season (Christmas, birthday,
etc) approaches and the above-mentioned hams start asking what I might
like... ;-)

The environment of Silicon Valley is very RF-intensive. As one would
expect of a high-technology area, there are a lot of hams, and
contesters, in close proximity. I have found that the best setup for
my K3 in a contest is to run with attenuation ON, preamp OFF, and as
narrow bandwidth as possible. With this combination, I am actually
getting back to not having headaches at the end of a long contest. The
K3 has definitely improved my contest enjoyment.

I think the message here is to experiment with the radio to get what
you want and need from it. It shouldn't be giving you headaches or
extraneous noise unless you really want it to. Once you learn the
magic combination for your operation you should have very enjoyable
operation.

-Jack Brindle, W6FB
=======================================================================

On Apr 5, 2009, at 10:39 AM, Evert Bakker (PA2KW) wrote:

>
> Maarten Wrote:
>
> " Several other operators also stated the K3's audio was hissy and
> sharp
> and not nice and smooth. We could hear it using the built-in speaker
> as well
> as on a Heil Pro Set Plus."
>
> I think there is nothing wrong with your K3.
>
> About a week ago I reported the "bad" audio quality of the K3 but
> especially
> *in combination* with the (latest version of) Heil Proset headset. I
> guess
> that the wider freq-response of this headset is showing high
> "spurious"
> signals which are definitely direct related to the base band audio
> (100-3000
> Hz) of the signal you are listening to. It's very tiring to listen to.
>
> I'm right now at the point of testing with an audio analyzing
> software tool
> and will report.
>
>
> The question now is, what can we do about it?
>
>
> 73's, Evert PA2KW
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> 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
>
> ______________________________________________________________
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> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
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Steve Ellington

Re: My K3's hissy and noisy audio

In reply to this post by n7ws

Meaning: "The exception proves the Rule".
If there is an exception to the rule, then there must be then be a rule.
Since 3 Dutch hear hissing K3s, we have a rule however you being an
exception proves that there must be a rule. Another explanation could be
that perhaps you have some Dutch in the family tree. Stewart may not be a
proper Dutch name however Martha Stewart does market the Martha Stewart
Dutch Oven. One reviewer of this oven mentioned "the steam vent hissing like
a cornered cat". So maybe this is the link we've been looking for thus
absolutely proving the rule that the Dutch hear hissing sounds in their K3s.
Steve Ellington

Steve Ellington
[hidden email]
----- Original Message -----
From: "Wes Stewart" <[hidden email]>
To: <[hidden email]>; "'Maarten van Rossum'" <[hidden email]>;
"'Elecraft Group'" <[hidden email]>; "Steve Ellington"
<[hidden email]>
Sent: Sunday, April 05, 2009 2:56 PM
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] My K3's hissy and noisy audio

>
>
>
>
> --- On Sun, 4/5/09, Steve Ellington <[hidden email]> wrote:
>
>
>> The exception proves the rule.
>
> And what's that supposed to mean?
>
>
>

Carl Clawson

Re: My K3's hissy and noisy audio

In reply to this post by n7ws

It's commonly misunderstood saying. It uses an almost-obsolete meaning of
the verb "prove" which means "test". (As in "proving grounds.")

The exception tests the rule.

73, Carl WS7L

>
> --- On Sun, 4/5/09, Steve Ellington <[hidden email]> wrote:
>
>
> > The exception proves the rule.
>
> And what's that supposed to mean?
>
>

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ab2tc

Re: My K3's hissy and noisy audio

In reply to this post by n7ws

Wes Stewart wrote

Hi all,

In my view the only "problem" with the K3 being "hissy" is the AGC threshold. On 20m and below even with AGC threshold set to the maximum (008), just the atmospheric noise is at or above the threshold and this is indeed tiring to listen to. I solve the problem by turning down the RF gain; I notice many others instead turn the AGC slope way up (actually low number), which has a similar effect for strong signals. Very high on my wish list is for at least another 5dB increase in the AGC threshold. The present range 002-008 is just not enough.

>Sorry to pop this balloon but I'm in Arizona, USA and I concur.

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Steve Ellington

Re: My K3's hissy and noisy audio

Perhaps the band noise is more obvious in the K3 because the low frequency
audio is restricted causing the noise to be distributed over a more narrow
range. This lack of bass tends to induce for ear fatigue.
Steve Ellington
[hidden email]
----- Original Message -----
From: "ab2tc" <[hidden email]>
To: <[hidden email]>
Sent: Sunday, April 05, 2009 4:42 PM
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] My K3's hissy and noisy audio

>
>
>
>
> Hi all,
>
> In my view the only "problem" with the K3 being "hissy" is the AGC
> threshold. On 20m and below even with AGC threshold set to the maximum
> (008), just the atmospheric noise is at or above the threshold and this is
> indeed tiring to listen to. I solve the problem by turning down the RF
> gain; I notice many others instead turn the AGC slope way up (actually low
> number), which has a similar effect for strong signals. Very high on my
> wish list is for at least another 5dB increase in the AGC threshold. The
> present range 002-008 is just not enough.
>
>
>>Sorry to pop this balloon but I'm in Arizona, USA and I concur.
>
>
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> 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
>
>
>
>
> -----
> AB2TC - Knut
> --
> View this message in context:
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Evert Bakker (PA2KW)

Re: My K3's hissy and noisy audio

In reply to this post by Jack Brindle

Hello Jack,

Thanks for all info. I played around a while with the IF_BW controls.
The problem is that the level and sound of the high hiss, isn't depending on
the IF BW. I just tried 50 Hz BW on CW and listening to a stronger signal. I
still hear the same hiss with the same strength and "sound". I also tried
RX-EQ settings. It seems that there is no way, with the exception of the
volume, that I can influence the hiss.

I did blame the "bad audio of the K3". That conclusion is to fast and it
might well be something else (bad headset or even a bad operator). We'll
have to wait and see if someone can help me (us) out.

73's, Evert PA2KW

-----Original Message-----
From: Jack Brindle [mailto:[hidden email]]
Sent: Sunday, April 05, 2009 21:55
To: [hidden email]
Cc: 'Maarten van Rossum'; 'Elecraft Group'; 'Gary Surrency'
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] My K3's hissy and noisy audio

I felt the same thing when I first started using my K3. As I started
learning how to adjust the IF filter controls I found that as the
bandwidth became more optimum I was also able to cut out the super
highs and lows. The K3 can give you a really wide audio frequency
spectrum if you want to hear it. But I have found that for SSB a low
cut of 350 to 450 Hz coupled with a high cut of around 1.75 KHz
provides a very good audio range that does not fatigue my ears. For
contesting I narrow it down even more and still have very copiable
reception.

For CW I vary the width to give similar results, but much more narrow
bandwidth. Hearing high or very low pitched sounds can tire your ears
quickly. My K3 does a great job of eliminating those while still
allowing me to hear what I need. While I am used to closing down the
bandwidth to limit what I hear, the other two hams in my family are
not. Both KB4TGE and KG6YMN have had no problems at all with the
narrow bandwidths. Both are definitely not in the contester category
(yet)...

As others have noted on the list, it seems to be best to adjust the
high and low cuts for SSB, while adjusting the IF bandwidth for CW.
The latter varies the IF frequency, while the high/low cut does not.

And, for the record, my K3 has the stock 2.7 KHz 5-pole filter along
with a 500 Hz 5-pole filter. I use a Heil Proset headset with HC-4 mic
element. I don't yet feel the need for other filters, although I am
sure that will change as the gift-giving season (Christmas, birthday,
etc) approaches and the above-mentioned hams start asking what I might
like... ;-)

The environment of Silicon Valley is very RF-intensive. As one would
expect of a high-technology area, there are a lot of hams, and
contesters, in close proximity. I have found that the best setup for
my K3 in a contest is to run with attenuation ON, preamp OFF, and as
narrow bandwidth as possible. With this combination, I am actually
getting back to not having headaches at the end of a long contest. The
K3 has definitely improved my contest enjoyment.

I think the message here is to experiment with the radio to get what
you want and need from it. It shouldn't be giving you headaches or
extraneous noise unless you really want it to. Once you learn the
magic combination for your operation you should have very enjoyable
operation.

-Jack Brindle, W6FB
=======================================================================

On Apr 5, 2009, at 10:39 AM, Evert Bakker (PA2KW) wrote:

Merv Schweigert

Re: My K3's hissy and noisy audio

In reply to this post by Steve Ellington

I will also confirm the audio leaves a lot to be desired.
More than just a couple exceptions, perhaps some of
us did not drink the Kool Aide.

> The exception proves the rule.
>
> Steve Ellington
> [hidden email]
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Wes Stewart" <[hidden email]>
> To: <[hidden email]>; "'Maarten van Rossum'" <[hidden email]>;
> "'Elecraft Group'" <[hidden email]>; "Steve Ellington"
> <[hidden email]>
> Sent: Sunday, April 05, 2009 2:16 PM
> Subject: Re: [Elecraft] My K3's hissy and noisy audio
>
>
>
>>
>>
>> --- On Sun, 4/5/09, Steve Ellington <[hidden email]> wrote:
>>
>>
>>> From: Steve Ellington <[hidden email]>
>>> Subject: Re: [Elecraft] My K3's hissy and noisy audio
>>> To: [hidden email], "'Maarten van Rossum'" <[hidden email]>,
>>> "'Elecraft Group'" <[hidden email]>
>>> Cc: "'Gary Surrency'" <[hidden email]>
>>> Date: Sunday, April 5, 2009, 11:47 AM
>>> Those that have complained about hissy and noisy audio all
>>> have one thing in
>>> common....All 3 are in the Netherlands.
>>> Could there be some common thread among residences in this
>>> region that
>>> enables one to detect these K3 abnormalities?
>>> Steve Ellington
>>>
>> Sorry to pop this balloon but I'm in Arizona, USA and I concur.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
> ______________________________________________________________
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>

PD2R

Re: My K3's hissy and noisy audio

Thank you all for the great replies, most were very helpful.

I'll keep you posted once I have experimented some more.

73, Maarten

2009/4/6 Merv Schweigert <[hidden email]>

> I will also confirm the audio leaves a lot to be desired.
> More than just a couple exceptions, perhaps some of
> us did not drink the Kool Aide.
>
> > The exception proves the rule.
> >
> > Steve Ellington
> > [hidden email]
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Wes Stewart" <[hidden email]>
> > To: <[hidden email]>; "'Maarten van Rossum'" <[hidden email]>;
> > "'Elecraft Group'" <[hidden email]>; "Steve Ellington"
> > <[hidden email]>
> > Sent: Sunday, April 05, 2009 2:16 PM
> > Subject: Re: [Elecraft] My K3's hissy and noisy audio
> >
> >
> >
> >>
> >>
> >> --- On Sun, 4/5/09, Steve Ellington <[hidden email]> wrote:
> >>
> >>
> >>> From: Steve Ellington <[hidden email]>
> >>> Subject: Re: [Elecraft] My K3's hissy and noisy audio
> >>> To: [hidden email], "'Maarten van Rossum'" <[hidden email]>,
> >>> "'Elecraft Group'" <[hidden email]>
> >>> Cc: "'Gary Surrency'" <[hidden email]>
> >>> Date: Sunday, April 5, 2009, 11:47 AM
> >>> Those that have complained about hissy and noisy audio all
> >>> have one thing in
> >>> common....All 3 are in the Netherlands.
> >>> Could there be some common thread among residences in this
> >>> region that
> >>> enables one to detect these K3 abnormalities?
> >>> Steve Ellington
> >>>
> >> Sorry to pop this balloon but I'm in Arizona, USA and I concur.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >
> > ______________________________________________________________
> > 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
> >
> >
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
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>

Maarten, PD2R
Member of the PI4DX contest group
www.pi4dx.com

Elecraft K3 nr:1849

Eric Scace K3NA

Re: My K3's hissy and noisy audio

I have very sensitive in-ear monitors. The K3 (and the Orion, and
possibly other radios) has significant hiss. I inserted an attenuator
and knocked the hiss down below my ability to detect it. There is
plenty of audio range remaining.

You may find 10 to 20 dB will help.
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