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P3 - to be or not to be - that is the question

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k0wa@swbell.net

P3 - to be or not to be - that is the question

Shakespeare...go figure.

Well, I am one fortunate guy today as I landed a new job after being laid off at
the end of July. And, I am getting better pay and benefits. Wow.

So, in celebration of my new fortune...I was thinking about getting a P3. Now,
I have really not paid attention to the P3, but I am now since I saw one in
operation at the Kansas State Convention in Salina,

The questions I have are the following.

What are the holes on the back side that are not explained in the manual?
Future features?
So, I get the idea that all updates to the K3 from the PC go through the P3 as
well?
What is the durability of the display?

Lee - K0WA

In our day and age it seems that Common Sense is in short supply. If you don't
have any Common Sense - get some Common Sense and use it. If you can't find any
Common Sense, ask for help from somebody who has some Common Sense. Is Common
Sense divine?

Common Sense is the image of the Creator expressing revealed truth in my mind.
- John W. (Kansas)
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w0mu

Re: P3 - to be or not to be - that is the question

The holes are for future expansion and not much has been said about
those. I love the P3. It is great for finding holes in DX Pileups,
knowing if a band is open etc. I think you can update the K3 with the
P3 connected.

On 8/26/2011 10:56 AM, Lee Buller wrote:

> Shakespeare...go figure.
>
> Well, I am one fortunate guy today as I landed a new job after being laid off at
> the end of July. And, I am getting better pay and benefits. Wow.
>
> So, in celebration of my new fortune...I was thinking about getting a P3. Now,
> I have really not paid attention to the P3, but I am now since I saw one in
> operation at the Kansas State Convention in Salina,
>
> The questions I have are the following.
>
> What are the holes on the back side that are not explained in the manual?
> Future features?
> So, I get the idea that all updates to the K3 from the PC go through the P3 as
> well?
> What is the durability of the display?
>
> Lee - K0WA
>
>
> In our day and age it seems that Common Sense is in short supply. If you don't
> have any Common Sense - get some Common Sense and use it. If you can't find any
> Common Sense, ask for help from somebody who has some Common Sense. Is Common
> Sense divine?
>
> Common Sense is the image of the Creator expressing revealed truth in my mind.
> - John W. (Kansas)
> ______________________________________________________________
> 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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KE8G

Re: P3 - to be or not to be - that is the question

Congrats on the new job!

Yes, you can update the K3 firmware with the P3 connected, but the P3 needs to be powered OFF.

I added the P3 about a year ago and it really makes chasing DX a lot easier. It's a great addition and the latest P3 firmware (v 1.09) makes it even better yet.

73 de Jim - KE8G

---- Mike Fatchett W0MU <[hidden email]> wrote:

> The holes are for future expansion and not much has been said about
> those. I love the P3. It is great for finding holes in DX Pileups,
> knowing if a band is open etc. I think you can update the K3 with the
> P3 connected.
>
> On 8/26/2011 10:56 AM, Lee Buller wrote:
> > Shakespeare...go figure.
> >
> > Well, I am one fortunate guy today as I landed a new job after being laid off at
> > the end of July. And, I am getting better pay and benefits. Wow.
> >
> > So, in celebration of my new fortune...I was thinking about getting a P3. Now,
> > I have really not paid attention to the P3, but I am now since I saw one in
> > operation at the Kansas State Convention in Salina,
> >
> > The questions I have are the following.
> >
> > What are the holes on the back side that are not explained in the manual?
> > Future features?
> > So, I get the idea that all updates to the K3 from the PC go through the P3 as
> > well?
> > What is the durability of the display?
> >
> > Lee - K0WA
> >
> >
> > In our day and age it seems that Common Sense is in short supply. If you don't
> > have any Common Sense - get some Common Sense and use it. If you can't find any
> > Common Sense, ask for help from somebody who has some Common Sense. Is Common
> > Sense divine?
> >
> > Common Sense is the image of the Creator expressing revealed truth in my mind.
> > - John W. (Kansas)
> > ______________________________________________________________
> > 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
> 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 Brown-10

Re: P3 - to be or not to be - that is the question

In reply to this post by k0wa@swbell.net

On 8/26/2011 9:56 AM, Lee Buller wrote:
> What are the holes on the back side that are not explained in the manual?
> Future features?

Yes.

> So, I get the idea that all updates to the K3 from the PC go through the P3 as
> well?

Essentially, yes. The RS232 connection daisy-chains from the computer
to the P3 to the K3. One cable is supplied. There are separate
interface/update programs, one for the P3, one for the K3.

Congrats on your great good fortune in finding the new job so quickly.
You will love the P3. Very useful.

73, Jim Brown K9YC
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Bruce Beford-2

Re: P3 - to be or not to be - that is the question

In reply to this post by k0wa@swbell.net

The P3 does -not- need to be powered off to perform K3 firmware updates. I
believe early versions of firmware required this, but this has not been the
case for a long time. The P3 can remain on and in line. Use the P3 Utility
to update the P3, and the K3 utility (set to the same port) to update the
K3. Just remember to only run one of the utilities at a time. Simple.
-Bruce, N1RX

> Congrats on the new job!
> Yes, you can update the K3 firmware with the P3 connected, but the P3
> needs to be powered OFF.

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AC7AC

Re: P3 - to be or not to be - that is the question

In reply to this post by w0mu

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AC7AC

Re: P3 - to be or not to be - that is the question

In reply to this post by KE8G

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KE8G

Re: P3 - to be or not to be - that is the question

Thanks for the correction on powering off the P3, learned something new!

73 de Jim - KE8G

----- Original Message -----
From: "Ron D'Eau Claire" <[hidden email]>
To: <[hidden email]>; "'Mike Fatchett W0MU'" <[hidden email]>;
<[hidden email]>
Sent: Friday, August 26, 2011 3:21 PM
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] P3 - to be or not to be - that is the question

> No, the P3 can be left on now. Early firmware required a power-down, but
> if
> you update it you'll find that it works FB with the P3 on. During the
> update
> the display is replaced by text explaining what is going on and
> admonishing
> the operator to be patient, Hi!
>
> Ron AC7AC
>
> -----Original Message-----
>
> Yes, you can update the K3 firmware with the P3 connected, but the P3
> needs
> to be powered OFF.
>
> 73 de Jim - KE8G
>
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
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>
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Alan Bloom

Re: P3 - to be or not to be - that is the question

In reply to this post by AC7AC

The display manufacturer's data sheet specifies a minimum 10,000 hours
for the backlight. That looks like a suspiciously rounded number, so I
suspect the typical lifetime is much greater than that.

I generally have mine on all day long while I'm doing firmware
development. I've been doing that for over two years now so (as a wild
guess) I probably have 6-8k hours on the display so far with no sign of
degradation.

Alan N1AL

On Fri, 2011-08-26 at 12:19 -0700, Ron D'Eau Claire wrote:

> Yes. It works FB to update the K3 through the P3.
>
> It uses an LED lit display, so the life ought to be on the same order as the
> LEDs since it's the backlight that usually spells the end to such a display.
>
> If you do manage to run a hammer or other object through the display ruin
> it, it is easily replaced. It is not soldered onto a pc board; it's a simple
> plug-in affair. Complete instructions to replace it are in the manual (at
> the back since it's not likely something a user will ever need to do).
>
> 73,
>
> Ron AC7AC
>
> -----Original Message-----
> . I think you can update the K3 with the
> P3 connected.
>
>
> ______________________________________________________________
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>
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>