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New ham and the KX3

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Sean Wall

New ham and the KX3

Hi folks,

I recently got my Technician license and I'm working on my General and Extra. I'm looking to get my first rig and I'm interested in the KX3. I was considering pairing it with a Buddipole antenna, as my development doesn't allow permanent antennas. While I use the KX3 at home, will I get decent range with the 10 watt output? In other words, would I need the 100 watt amp to make the kx3 a decent base station? I am also planning on bringing the KX3 with me when my wife and I drive up north from Florida (where we live). Since I'm new to amateur radio, I don't yet have a feel for how much power 10 watts is w.r.t. RF frequencies. I plan on operating mostly 6 and 10 m initially until I upgrade my license. Thanks for any help you can provide!

-Sean

Sent from my iPad
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Richard Gillingham

Re: New ham and the KX3

Sean, I think with a limited antenna, (Buddipole) extra power will not make a huge difference. “You can’t work ‘em if you can’t hear ‘em.” is a truism. I suggest for your home station, you experiment with “low profile” antennas. Like a fine wire tossed up in a tree or draped out an upstairs window or…

Buddipole is good for portable ops. For a more permanent home installation try for better. The better the antenna the better you’ll hear. I’ve worked China, most of Europe and South America, Several Oceania stations with my KX3 and 5 watts… With a good yagi at 55’… And Europeans and South Americans on 40 and 80 on a vertical. Yeah, I know… You can’t do that. You’ll do okay with the Buddipole, but you can do better with a bit of trial and error.

Good luck and good DX

73

Gil, W1RG

From: Sean Wall
Sent: ‎Tuesday‎, ‎February‎ ‎25‎, ‎2014 ‎7‎:‎23‎ ‎PM
To: [hidden email]

Hi folks,

I recently got my Technician license and I'm working on my General and Extra. I'm looking to get my first rig and I'm interested in the KX3. I was considering pairing it with a Buddipole antenna, as my development doesn't allow permanent antennas. While I use the KX3 at home, will I get decent range with the 10 watt output? In other words, would I need the 100 watt amp to make the kx3 a decent base station? I am also planning on bringing the KX3 with me when my wife and I drive up north from Florida (where we live). Since I'm new to amateur radio, I don't yet have a feel for how much power 10 watts is w.r.t. RF frequencies. I plan on operating mostly 6 and 10 m initially until I upgrade my license. Thanks for any help you can provide!

-Sean

Sent from my iPad
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Barry K3NDM

Re: New ham and the KX3

In reply to this post by Sean Wall

Sean,
Welcome to one of the most interesting hobbies that there is. I read that you find yourself in the same predicament that many urban and near urban hams find themselves in. However, take heart. There are ways to deal with HOA rules. First, let me say that a Buddipole is not a bad antenna. A lot of hams use them quite satisfactorily. And, 10 Watts will allow you to seriously reach out and touch people, some a very long way away. How well you do will depend upon what band you go with, solar conditions, and mode.
Next, I'm going to be a little forward and recommend a possible option. If your house is two stories or more above ground and you can get into the area under the roof, the attic area, you might want to think about using a center fed dipole for 40 meters; it will be around 66' total. It doesn't even need to be in a straight line. It can be Z shaped with a little slope on each end. It can be fed through a 4:1 current balun. The coax can be fed through the ceiling in a closet or some or other inconspicuous place where you can put a remote antenna tuner. This will work 40-10 meters with surprising performance. I helped a friend do this in his house as he is facing the same HOA problem. He has worked a lot of DX using low power and PSK31. There are other antennas that work, but nothing comes to mind that is as simple as this.

Best of Luck,
Barry
K3NDM

----- Original Message -----

From: "Sean Wall" <[hidden email]>
To: [hidden email]
Sent: Tuesday, February 25, 2014 7:23:13 PM
Subject: [Elecraft] New ham and the KX3

Hi folks,

I recently got my Technician license and I'm working on my General and Extra. I'm looking to get my first rig and I'm interested in the KX3. I was considering pairing it with a Buddipole antenna, as my development doesn't allow permanent antennas. While I use the KX3 at home, will I get decent range with the 10 watt output? In other words, would I need the 100 watt amp to make the kx3 a decent base station? I am also planning on bringing the KX3 with me when my wife and I drive up north from Florida (where we live). Since I'm new to amateur radio, I don't yet have a feel for how much power 10 watts is w.r.t. RF frequencies. I plan on operating mostly 6 and 10 m initially until I upgrade my license. Thanks for any help you can provide!

-Sean

Sent from my iPad
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W6NF

Re: New ham and the KX3

In reply to this post by Sean Wall

I have used the BuddiPole, about 5 feet off the ground in an elevated
vertical configuration, and a K3 on 20 meters and it worked very well.
This was with three 17-foot radials. I have never used the BuddiPole in
a dipole configuration but I understand it also works very well.

As someone else noted, the difference between the K3's 100 watts and the
KX3's 10 watts is, very often, not significant.

Good luck on your upgrades!

Jack, W6NF/VE4SNA

On 2/25/2014 4:23 PM, Sean Wall wrote:

> Hi folks,
>
> I recently got my Technician license and I'm working on my General and Extra. I'm looking to get my first rig and I'm interested in the KX3. I was considering pairing it with a Buddipole antenna, as my development doesn't allow permanent antennas. While I use the KX3 at home, will I get decent range with the 10 watt output? In other words, would I need the 100 watt amp to make the kx3 a decent base station? I am also planning on bringing the KX3 with me when my wife and I drive up north from Florida (where we live). Since I'm new to amateur radio, I don't yet have a feel for how much power 10 watts is w.r.t. RF frequencies. I plan on operating mostly 6 and 10 m initially until I upgrade my license. Thanks for any help you can provide!
>
> -Sean
>
>
> Sent from my iPad
> ______________________________________________________________
> 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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Bill Frantz

Re: New ham and the KX3

In reply to this post by Sean Wall

I just recently got the 100W amp for my K3, so most of my
operation has been at 12 watts and below. In looking through my
log, the vast majority of my 10M contacts are QRP, or 5 watts. I
use a home-brew vertical with a window screen ground plain on
the roof of my single story house for an antenna.

When I played in the ARRL 10M contest QRP, I logged 22 states
along with Mexico, NIcaragua, and Columbia in what wasn't a
really serious contest effort.

So yes, you can have a lot of fun with 10 watts on 10 meters.

Cheers - Bill, AE6JV

On 2/25/14 at 4:23 PM, [hidden email] (Sean Wall) wrote:

>I was considering pairing it with a Buddipole antenna, as my
>development doesn't allow permanent antennas. While I use the
>KX3 at home, will I get decent range with the 10 watt output?

--------------------------------------------------------------
Bill Frantz | There are now so many exceptions to the
408-356-8506 | Fourth Amendment that it operates only by
www.pwpconsult.com | accident. - William Hugh Murray

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k6dgw

Re: New ham and the KX3

In reply to this post by Sean Wall

Welcome to probably the very best hobby in the world! ... or at least it
has been for me, I'm working on my 61st year with a license. I think
you picked a good one Sean!

To make contacts, antennas are everything. If you're running 5 watts
and go to 50W, that's at best 2 S-units, and probably less for your QSO
buddy. Go to 500W, that may be another 1.5 S-units. Go to 1KW, and
it's about a half S-unit. Antenna choices can make way more than that
difference.

I had a Buddipole for quite awhile, I used it in the field. I
ultimately sold it for an Alexloop. The BP was heavy [my primary reason
for selling it], but worked, sort of. The Alexloop is much lighter and
works OK. It was a good trade, but I don't recommend it for your situation.

That said, I'll suggest you might want to try some very cheap wires that
you can hide. Longer wires almost always outperform any shortened and
low antenna. You might want to join the NA SOTA group on Yahoo, these
are folks who climb mountains with radios, and antennas are a big
discussion item. They're all QRP [some VERY QRP with Rockmites], and
there's a lot of info there, feel free to introduce yourself and ask
questions. I think you'll find us really accepting of a new ham.

Feel free to ask here too, and welcome to our hobby!

73,

Fred K6DGW
- Northern California Contest Club
- CU in the 2014 Cal QSO Party 4-5 Oct 2014
- www.cqp.org

On 2/25/2014 4:23 PM, Sean Wall wrote:

> Hi folks,
>
> I recently got my Technician license and I'm working on my General
> and Extra. I'm looking to get my first rig and I'm interested in the
> KX3. I was considering pairing it with a Buddipole antenna, as my
> development doesn't allow permanent antennas. While I use the KX3 at
> home, will I get decent range with the 10 watt output? In other
> words, would I need the 100 watt amp to make the kx3 a decent base
> station? I am also planning on bringing the KX3 with me when my wife
> and I drive up north from Florida (where we live). Since I'm new to
> amateur radio, I don't yet have a feel for how much power 10 watts is
> w.r.t. RF frequencies. I plan on operating mostly 6 and 10 m
> initially until I upgrade my license. Thanks for any help you can
> provide!
>
> -Sean

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Lynn W. Taylor, WB6UUT

Re: New ham and the KX3

In reply to this post by Sean Wall

Welcome Sean,

There are two rules to antennas:

1) Put up the biggest one you can

2) If it stays up, it was too small

Seriously, though.....

A really good chunk of fine wire (like Wireman #534 -- 26 gauge
copper-over-steel with a thin "insulation" jacket to make it harder to
see) will give you something that will work, and if you buy a bunch, you
can experiment.

Nobody will see it.

The antenna tuner option is a really good idea if you decide to go that way.

73 -- Lynn

On 2/25/2014 4:23 PM, Sean Wall wrote:
> Hi folks,
>
> I recently got my Technician license and I'm working on my General and Extra. I'm looking to get my first rig and I'm interested in the KX3. I was considering pairing it with a Buddipole antenna, as my development doesn't allow permanent antennas. While I use the KX3 at home, will I get decent range with the 10 watt output? In other words, would I need the 100 watt amp to make the kx3 a decent base station? I am also planning on bringing the KX3 with me when my wife and I drive up north from Florida (where we live). Since I'm new to amateur radio, I don't yet have a feel for how much power 10 watts is w.r.t. RF frequencies. I plan on operating mostly 6 and 10 m initially until I upgrade my license. Thanks for any help you can provide!
>
> -Sean
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Dominic Baines-2

Re: New ham and the KX3

In reply to this post by Sean Wall

Sean,

Great location especially if you can be operating close the water (sea)
when resonant vertical antennas (I use vertical dipoles on a telescoping
10m fishing pole) should allow you to work the world qrp. I also have a
buddipole and it works fine in vertical configuration especially close
to the water on 10-20m and you can tune it so that you do not need a
tuner at all. The combination is also very portable.

You do NOT need a large amplifier. Yes it can help but you are going to
learn a lot more and have fun experimenting with antennas and using an
amplifier tends to bring other problems with it... interference, if your
development is twitchy about amateur radio you will bring lots of
attention your way if you start to create any interference.

At qrp power levels CW (morse code) will allow contacts over much
further distances than SSB (phone) so spend time and learn/improve your
CW skills apart from anything else most of the DX peditions will be
using CW first before any other modes.

72

Dom
M1KTA

I'll be in C5 (Gambia) 27th Feb to 10th March. Holiday with wife so I
might not be on the air the whole time but if last time was anything to
go by RBN/DX cluster will pick me up after about 5 seconds and should be
an easy qso from Florida.

On 26/02/2014 00:23, Sean Wall wrote:
> Hi folks,
>
> I recently got my Technician license and I'm working on my General and Extra. I'm looking to get my first rig and I'm interested in the KX3. I was considering pairing it with a Buddipole antenna, as my development doesn't allow permanent antennas. While I use the KX3 at home, will I get decent range with the 10 watt output? In other words, would I need the 100 watt amp to make the kx3 a decent base station? I am also planning on bringing the KX3 with me when my wife and I drive up north from Florida (where we live). Since I'm new to amateur radio, I don't yet have a feel for how much power 10 watts is w.r.t. RF frequencies. I plan on operating mostly 6 and 10 m initially until I upgrade my license. Thanks for any help you can provide!
>
> -Sean
>

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Ethan Miller K8GU

Re: New ham and the KX3

In reply to this post by Sean Wall

Sean,

Welcome to ham radio!

You'll absolutely be able to make QSOs with 10 watts and a Buddipole
on 10 meters (and sometimes 6 meters when the band is open). However,
I think you've been given good counsel to try something else if you're
at all handy or technically-inclined.

The absolute best way to get help when you're space-constrained is to
invite a couple of nearby hams over to look at your options. There's
a high probability that they will see things about your property that
you don't.

A few generalities that you may not have fully appreciated yet:

1. 6m and 10m are fun bands, but they aren't open a whole lot of the
time, all things considered. We're on the declining side of a
relatively weak solar maximum right now. So, 10m has been open during
the day a lot. Moving toward (northern) summer, we'll start seeing
some sporadic-E. I don't expect to have daily F2 (read: "good DX
propagation") on 10m again after this winter.

2. In light of the above and not telling us when/how you want to
operate, it would be sensible to consider antennas for 40-6 or 30-6,
just to have some flexibility. If you have the luxury to let ham
radio dictate your life schedule, disregard that.

3. A contrarian thought and goal: Once you can put up dipoles at
least 1/2 wavelength high and in the clear, it starts to get more
expensive to add to your antenna system than it does to add power.
So, assuming you can hear the station(s) you want to work, you'll
often get more from adding an amplifier than you do making a better
antenna. I've operated QRP and I've operated QRO. While QRP is
rewarding, I find that I like QRO better. :)

Good luck and have fun...

73,

--Ethan, K8GU/3.

On Tue, Feb 25, 2014 at 7:23 PM, Sean Wall <[hidden email]> wrote:

--
http://www.k8gu.com/
Repair. Re-use. Re-purpose. Recycle.
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ny4g

FW: New ham and the KX3

In reply to this post by Sean Wall

Sean
Paired with a good antenna, 10 watts is plenty of power. It all depends on what modes you choose. You can work in the phone portion of 10m and CW in the novice portion of the band. CW has an advantage over phone and PSK and RTTY will reach even further for the same power - JT65 even more.
People are known to work DXCC with 5 watts but it takes a skill set that you may not have yet = by working digital modes and CW. Local contacts are easy on 5 watts on 40m and 20m CW. A 100 watt amp will make the KX3 an excellent base station but you will get by with 10 until then. Wire antennas can be very stealthy if you know how to disguise them. An EFHW Par 40-20-10 will allow you to work those parts of the band your privileges allow on 40 and 10. A buddipole can be tricky to set up but it will work as well.
Here is my own example - worked 126 countries and confirmed 100 on 5 watts:http://ny4g.blogspot.com/2014/02/100-confirmations-on-qrp-dxcc-out-of-126.html
It will do you well to learn CW as you upgrade to General and Extra. Get a local Elmer to help you learn the ropes. I am a rather new ham myself - licensed as a Tech in 2009
73 and Good LuckAriel NY4G

> From: [hidden email]
> Date: Tue, 25 Feb 2014 19:23:13 -0500
> To: [hidden email]
> Subject: [Elecraft] New ham and the KX3
>
> Hi folks,
>
> I recently got my Technician license and I'm working on my General and Extra. I'm looking to get my first rig and I'm interested in the KX3. I was considering pairing it with a Buddipole antenna, as my development doesn't allow permanent antennas. While I use the KX3 at home, will I get decent range with the 10 watt output? In other words, would I need the 100 watt amp to make the kx3 a decent base station? I am also planning on bringing the KX3 with me when my wife and I drive up north from Florida (where we live). Since I'm new to amateur radio, I don't yet have a feel for how much power 10 watts is w.r.t. RF frequencies. I plan on operating mostly 6 and 10 m initially until I upgrade my license. Thanks for any help you can provide!
>
> -Sean
>
>
> Sent from my iPad
> ______________________________________________________________
> 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

W6NF

Re: New ham and the KX3

In reply to this post by Ethan Miller K8GU

Ethan is right, 6 and 10-meters are fun!

One thing to remember, Sean, 6-meters can, and does, open almost
anytime, especially when we have occurrences of solar flares. I operated
from Ecuador last year and worked many US stations running the K3, at
100 watts, and a one-wavelength loop antenna. These typical Spring-time
trans-equatorial openings were good enough that a power level of 10
watts would have allowed me to work more than 80% of the stations. A
large number of stations worked were in Florida so you are nicely
located for such openings.

You can put up decent temporary antennas for 6, like the one wavelength
loop, pretty easily since the antennas will be relatively small. My loop
was made of whatever wire was available at the hardware store at El
Paseo Shopping Center in Santa Elena and 1/2-inch PVC pipe. And, as an
additional advantage, the antenna tuner on the K3 was able to tune the
loop for use on 10-meters, too. I'm sure the KX3 tuner will do the same.

Six meters is known as "the magic band" for good reason and, since you
already have your Tech license, you can partake of the fun right away!

73,

Jack, W6Nf/VE4SNA/HC2UA/P40NF

On 2/26/2014 3:47 AM, Ethan Miller K8GU wrote:

> Sean,
>
> Welcome to ham radio!
>
> <snip>
>
> 1. 6m and 10m are fun bands, but they aren't open a whole lot of the
> time, all things considered. We're on the declining side of a
> relatively weak solar maximum right now. So, 10m has been open during
> the day a lot. Moving toward (northern) summer, we'll start seeing
> some sporadic-E. I don't expect to have daily F2 (read: "good DX
> propagation") on 10m again after this winter.
> <Snip>
>
> --Ethan, K8GU/3.
>
>
> On Tue, Feb 25, 2014 at 7:23 PM, Sean Wall <[hidden email]> wrote:
>> Hi folks,
>>
>> I recently got my Technician license and I'm working on my General and Extra. I'm looking to get my first rig and I'm interested in the KX3. I was considering pairing it with a Buddipole antenna, as my development doesn't allow permanent antennas. While I use the KX3 at home, will I get decent range with the 10 watt output? In other words, would I need the 100 watt amp to make the kx3 a decent base station? I am also planning on bringing the KX3 with me when my wife and I drive up north from Florida (where we live). Since I'm new to amateur radio, I don't yet have a feel for how much power 10 watts is w.r.t. RF frequencies. I plan on operating mostly 6 and 10 m initially until I upgrade my license. Thanks for any help you can provide!
>>
>> -Sean
>>
>>
>> Sent from my iPad
>> ______________________________________________________________
>> 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
>
>

Jim Bennett

Re: New ham and the KX3

In reply to this post by Sean Wall

Sean,

I think you'll love that KX3! I've had it's big brother K3 for almost four years; this past Christmas my XYL got me a KX3. I've added only the internal tuner (and battery pack/charger for camping trips) and have been having a blast with it. In fact, I can count on one hand the number of QSO's I've had using the K3 in the past two months!

Like you, I also live in an development that has rules in the CC&R's about "no ham radio antennas". That did not stop me from being stealthy. The most successful antenna I've put up is a simple 88-foot long doublet, fed with over 100 feet of 450 ohm "ladder line". I have about 10 feet of RG8-X coax running from the back of the rig to an outside 4:1 balun and the ladder line connects to it. I used to be a windsurfer when I lived in the SF Bay Area and had a left over 18 foot long fiberglass pole. I strapped it to one of our fireplace chimneys on an upstairs patio, with the tip about 45 feet up. The doublet is made from that #26 "silky coat" wire that another poster mentioned. My wires go out mostly horizontally, through the trees, across limbs, etc. The tuner in the KX3 is great - it matches that antenna to nearly 1:1 on 80 - 6 meters, no problems. As a matter of fact, this past Sunday evening I worked CE3/OZ1AA in Chile on 20 meter CW with this KX3 and I was only running 11 w
atts. I do have the capability to have the KX3 drive an Elecraft KPA500 amp, but seldom use it - almost all "barefoot" QSO's.

So, the bottom line is, like many other posters have said - it isn't the watts you need - it is an efficient antenna. I really, really like the doublet because (1) it is very inexpensive, and (2) it works on all the bands.

Have fun, and try your hardest to get on CW!

73, Jim / W6JHB

On Tuesday, Feb 25, 2014, at Tuesday, 4:23 PM, Sean Wall wrote: