My first birdie?

[Kurt Bilinski]

I told the wife I would build my K3 for "an hour or so each night after dinner." However, I forgot how much I love putting together a well-engineered kit... it was done by the following day...

After it was done I was messing around with the settings (with NO antenna connected) and ran across a steady tone at 14.026770 MHz (audible in USB only) and is only audible with RF gain set greater than the 11 o'clock position. Has anyone else noticed a birdie at this frequency? Are there known  birdies that are audible only at higher RF gain (though I don't really consider 11 o'clock (40%) high gain?

Just curious, and I'm asking in order to get my bearings right. That is, if >40% RF gain is pushing things, okay, that's good to know. At this early stage, and after being out of ham radio for 35 years, it'll take some relearning, both in general, and with the K3 in particular.

Thanks!

Kurt, KK6IPF
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[ab2tc]

Hi,

Nobody has responded to your post, so I'll hop in with what I know. Congratulations on your new k3.

I have that birdie, on USB it zero beats at 14,026.3, on LSB at 14,018.9 kHz. It's a fast tuning birdie, very weak and completely inaudible with a real antenna. But I am curious about your RF gain setting. When I back off the RF gain to 11 o'clock my S-meter reading rises to S9+30dB and the receiver is thoroughly deaf, birdie inaudible. Have you done your receiver gain calibration?

AB2TC - Knut

Kurt Bilinski wrote

I told the wife I would build my K3 for "an hour or so each night after dinner." However, I forgot how much I love putting together a well-engineered kit... it was done by the following day...

After it was done I was messing around with the settings (with NO antenna connected) and ran across a steady tone at 14.026770 MHz (audible in USB only) and is only audible with RF gain set greater than the 11 o'clock position. Has anyone else noticed a birdie at this frequency? Are there known  birdies that are audible only at higher RF gain (though I don't really consider 11 o'clock (40%) high gain?

Just curious, and I'm asking in order to get my bearings right. That is, if >40% RF gain is pushing things, okay, that's good to know. At this early stage, and after being out of ham radio for 35 years, it'll take some relearning, both in general, and with the K3 in particular.

Thanks!

Kurt, KK6IPF
<snip>

[ab2tc]

Oops, typo. On LSB it zero beats at 14,028.9, not 14,018.9.

Knut - AB2TC

ab2tc wrote

Hi,

Nobody has responded to your post, so I'll hop in with what I know. Congratulations on your new k3.

I have that birdie, on USB it zero beats at 14,026.3, on LSB at 14,018.9 kHz. It's a fast tuning birdie, very weak and completely inaudible with a real antenna. But I am curious about your RF gain setting. When I back off the RF gain to 11 o'clock my S-meter reading rises to S9+30dB and the receiver is thoroughly deaf, birdie inaudible. Have you done your receiver gain calibration?

AB2TC - Knut

Kurt Bilinski wrote

I told the wife I would build my K3 for "an hour or so each night after dinner." However, I forgot how much I love putting together a well-engineered kit... it was done by the following day...

After it was done I was messing around with the settings (with NO antenna connected) and ran across a steady tone at 14.026770 MHz (audible in USB only) and is only audible with RF gain set greater than the 11 o'clock position. Has anyone else noticed a birdie at this frequency? Are there known  birdies that are audible only at higher RF gain (though I don't really consider 11 o'clock (40%) high gain?

Just curious, and I'm asking in order to get my bearings right. That is, if >40% RF gain is pushing things, okay, that's good to know. At this early stage, and after being out of ham radio for 35 years, it'll take some relearning, both in general, and with the K3 in particular.

Thanks!

Kurt, KK6IPF
<snip>