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The case for a Panadapter - opinions, please?

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Jim Low man

The case for a Panadapter - opinions, please?

I'm basically a S&P operator, especially in contests. I've found that
calling CQ is something of a waste of valuable time.

When I see options like the Panadapter, or bandscopes from other
manufacturers, I get the metaphor of fishing in a stocked pond.

So, for those of you who have this option, could you describe how it has
assisted you?
In another message, someone mentioned that weak stations outside of the
passband could be missed, which is a good point.

BTW, I'm not opposed to giving the good folks at Elecraft more of my $$$
if this is a good idea.

Thanks in advance and 73 de Jim - AD6CW
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Jim Bennett

Re: The case for a Panadapter - opinions, please?

Jim,

I had my K3 for about two years before I got the P3. Now, I would not be without it. When chasing DX I can see where the other stations are and either jump on the frequency of the last guy worked, or find a "hole" in the pileup where I can plunk down my signal. I also do the QRP "fox hunts" - same deal there - finding a spot to call the fox makes the P3 invaluable. I sometimes work contests, in my attempt to get 5BWAS. The P3 lets me see where activity is.

I recently got a KX3. Not having the P3 panadapter was like walking around blind. Sure, that's the way everyone operated in the past, but then again, why not use the technology available? So, I got some software and hooked my KX3 up to a free program called NaP3 and I now have a 27" pan view of the band.

If you get a P3 - you will NOT want to be without it!!! :-)

Jim / W6JHB

On Friday, Feb 28, 2014, at Friday, 10:08 AM, Jim Lowman wrote:

> I'm basically a S&P operator, especially in contests. I've found that calling CQ is something of a waste of valuable time.
>
> When I see options like the Panadapter, or bandscopes from other manufacturers, I get the metaphor of fishing in a stocked pond.
>
> So, for those of you who have this option, could you describe how it has assisted you?
> In another message, someone mentioned that weak stations outside of the passband could be missed, which is a good point.
>
> BTW, I'm not opposed to giving the good folks at Elecraft more of my $$$ if this is a good idea.
>
> Thanks in advance and 73 de Jim - AD6CW
> ______________________________________________________________
> 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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Jim Brown-10

Re: The case for a Panadapter - opinions, please?

In reply to this post by Jim Low man

On 2/28/2014 10:08 AM, Jim Lowman wrote:
> So, for those of you who have this option, could you describe how it
> has assisted you?

Monitoring and finding stations on "dead" bands (like 6M), finding holes
in a DX pileup where you might have better success, identifying RFI
noise sources. Finding clear spots in a contest to call CQ.

> In another message, someone mentioned that weak stations outside of
> the passband could be missed, which is a good point.

That is NOT a problem with the P3 -- it gets its feed from the first IF
and can be adjusted to look at any bandwidth from 2 kHz to 200 kHz. When
you turn on averaging in the Fixed Tune mode set it for the highest
number of averages, it's very easy to see weak signals in the waterfall.

73, Jim K9YC

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Phil Wheeler-2

Re: The case for a Panadapter - opinions, please?

In reply to this post by Jim Low man

The P3 is my first panadapter. Aside from other uses it often tells me the band isn't dead after all :-)

73, Phil w7ox -- Sent from my iPhone 5S

> On Feb 28, 2014, at 10:08, Jim Lowman <[hidden email]> wrote:
>
> I'm basically a S&P operator, especially in contests. I've found that calling CQ is something of a waste of valuable time.
>
> When I see options like the Panadapter, or bandscopes from other manufacturers, I get the metaphor of fishing in a stocked pond.
>
> So, for those of you who have this option, could you describe how it has assisted you?
> In another message, someone mentioned that weak stations outside of the passband could be missed, which is a good point.
>
> BTW, I'm not opposed to giving the good folks at Elecraft more of my $$$ if this is a good idea.
>
> Thanks in advance and 73 de Jim - AD6CW
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
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Frank Precissi

Re: The case for a Panadapter - opinions, please?

In reply to this post by Jim Low man

I have an LP-Pan (and soon to have a K3 for field day/portable use) and I
really wonder how I ever managed without it.

I'll put it this way, its like checking traffic conditions by driving down
each intersection vs looking down from above via airplane. For contests
(especially digital ones) its a huge asset to get a big picture of where
all the traffic is. For casual operating its nice to see at a glance what
the bands are doing.

In short, get one. :)

Frank
KG6EYC

On Fri, Feb 28, 2014 at 10:08 AM, Jim Lowman <[hidden email]> wrote:

> I'm basically a S&P operator, especially in contests. I've found that
> calling CQ is something of a waste of valuable time.
>
> When I see options like the Panadapter, or bandscopes from other
> manufacturers, I get the metaphor of fishing in a stocked pond.
>
> So, for those of you who have this option, could you describe how it has
> assisted you?
> In another message, someone mentioned that weak stations outside of the
> passband could be missed, which is a good point.
>
> BTW, I'm not opposed to giving the good folks at Elecraft more of my $$$
> if this is a good idea.
>
> Thanks in advance and 73 de Jim - AD6CW
> ______________________________________________________________
> 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
>

--
CW: NAQCC #6554 | SKCC #10435 | FISTS #16155 | SOC #1038 | FPQRP #3186
Digital: FHC #4224 | 30MDG #6370 | DMC #5698
Gear: K3 #7164 | KX3 #1787
http://vadept.com
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Frank Precissi

Re: The case for a Panadapter - opinions, please?

On Fri, Feb 28, 2014 at 10:20 AM, Frank Precissi <[hidden email]> wrote:

> I have an LP-Pan (and soon to have a K3 for field day/portable use) and I
> really wonder how I ever managed without it.

BAH! P3 P3!

--
CW: NAQCC #6554 | SKCC #10435 | FISTS #16155 | SOC #1038 | FPQRP #3186
Digital: FHC #4224 | 30MDG #6370 | DMC #5698
Gear: K3 #7164 | KX3 #1787
http://vadept.com
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Ian Kahn, KM4IK

Re: The case for a Panadapter - opinions, please?

In reply to this post by Jim Low man

Jim,

I use the P3 for monitoring the pileup in popular DXpeditions and for seeing
where openings might be on a band for contesting. I also find it a useful
tool for finding, and avoiding, those among us who feel they need to run a
signal that's 4 or 5 KHz wide (I mostly operate SSB and PSK/RTTY).

However, I've found mine useful for another task, as well. It's a great
teaching tool when Elmering someone or introducing them to the hobby.
Sometimes things just make more sense when you can see them. If I can tune
a signal in, then show the new novice or interested non-ham what the signal
looks like, sometimes it helps things make more sense. It's amazing to
explain a concept, then show it on my K3/P3, and see the light bulb go off
in their head.

Hope this helps.

73,

-- Ian
Ian Kahn, KM4IK
Roswell, GA EM74ua
[hidden email]
K3 #281, P3 #688, KPA500 #1468
HRD v5.x/6.0 Test Team

-----Original Message-----
From: [hidden email]
[mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Jim Lowman
Sent: Friday, February 28, 2014 1:09 PM
To: [hidden email]
Subject: [Elecraft] The case for a Panadapter - opinions, please?

I'm basically a S&P operator, especially in contests. I've found that
calling CQ is something of a waste of valuable time.

When I see options like the Panadapter, or bandscopes from other
manufacturers, I get the metaphor of fishing in a stocked pond.

So, for those of you who have this option, could you describe how it has
assisted you?
In another message, someone mentioned that weak stations outside of the
passband could be missed, which is a good point.

BTW, I'm not opposed to giving the good folks at Elecraft more of my $$$ if
this is a good idea.

Thanks in advance and 73 de Jim - AD6CW
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George Dubovsky

Re: The case for a Panadapter - opinions, please?

In reply to this post by Jim Low man

Hi Jim,

You'll be buried by responses to your question, but let me say that I am as
old-school cw-centric as they come. I contest unassisted, and I used to
question the value of the visual aspect of panadapters too. Until I got a
P3. I can't operate without it! On s&p, it helps to separate the weaker
sigs from the loud cq machines - that you've already worked - and to
recognize that there is a guy that just quit transmitting on a freq, so you
wait a few seconds for him to reappear to see if it's a needed one.

When I got a second K3, I HAD to have a second P3.

Yeah, it's still fishing, but the barrel is big and deep, and sometimes you
need a fish-finder.

73,

geo - n4ua

On Fri, Feb 28, 2014 at 1:08 PM, Jim Lowman <[hidden email]> wrote:

Phil Hystad-3

Re: The case for a Panadapter - opinions, please?

In reply to this post by Jim Brown-10

I agree with Jim on the use of waterfall for weak signals. When I first got the P3 my main focus was on the top part of the display, the spectrum of signals and I ignored the water fall. One day I discovered a signal in the waterfall that did not even show up on the top spectrum portion. It was a new DXCC entity for me and he picked me up on my first call to him. Now, it is the waterfall where I do my hunting most of the time looking for either QRP or just plain ordinary weak signals.

By the way, I only call CQ if there is nothing else I can find on the band -- I have gone for days without calling CQ.

73, phil, K7PEH

On Feb 28, 2014, at 10:19 AM, Jim Brown <[hidden email]> wrote:

> On 2/28/2014 10:08 AM, Jim Lowman wrote:
>> So, for those of you who have this option, could you describe how it has assisted you?
>
> Monitoring and finding stations on "dead" bands (like 6M), finding holes in a DX pileup where you might have better success, identifying RFI noise sources. Finding clear spots in a contest to call CQ.
>
>> In another message, someone mentioned that weak stations outside of the passband could be missed, which is a good point.
>
> That is NOT a problem with the P3 -- it gets its feed from the first IF and can be adjusted to look at any bandwidth from 2 kHz to 200 kHz. When you turn on averaging in the Fixed Tune mode set it for the highest number of averages, it's very easy to see weak signals in the waterfall.
>
> 73, Jim K9YC
>
>
>
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
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James A. Carmody

Re: The case for a Panadapter - opinions, please?

In reply to this post by George Dubovsky

Out of curiosity, is the P3 any better than the Panafall display with PSDR? I love that feature with my Flex 3000.
Jim NN5O (V31AJ tomorrow).

From: George Dubovsky <[hidden email]>

>To: Jim Lowman <[hidden email]>
>Cc: Elecraft Reflector <[hidden email]>
>Sent: Friday, February 28, 2014 12:26 PM
>Subject: Re: [Elecraft] The case for a Panadapter - opinions, please?
>
>
>Hi Jim,
>
>You'll be buried by responses to your question, but let me say that I am as
>old-school cw-centric as they come. I contest unassisted, and I used to
>question the value of the visual aspect of panadapters too. Until I got a
>P3. I can't operate without it! On s&p, it helps to separate the weaker
>sigs from the loud cq machines - that you've already worked - and to
>recognize that there is a guy that just quit transmitting on a freq, so you
>wait a few seconds for him to reappear to see if it's a needed one.
>
>When I got a second K3, I HAD to have a second P3.
>
>Yeah, it's still fishing, but the barrel is big and deep, and sometimes you
>need a fish-finder.
>
>
>73,
>
>geo - n4ua
>
>
>On Fri, Feb 28, 2014 at 1:08 PM, Jim Lowman <[hidden email]> wrote:
>
>> I'm basically a S&P operator, especially in contests. I've found that
>> calling CQ is something of a waste of valuable time.
>>
>> When I see options like the Panadapter, or bandscopes from other
>> manufacturers, I get the metaphor of fishing in a stocked pond.
>>
>> So, for those of you who have this option, could you describe how it has
>> assisted you?
>> In another message, someone mentioned that weak stations outside of the
>> passband could be missed, which is a good point.
>>
>> BTW, I'm not opposed to giving the good folks at Elecraft more of my $$$
>> if this is a good idea.
>>
>> Thanks in advance and 73 de Jim - AD6CW
>> ______________________________________________________________
>> 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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>Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
>This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
>Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
>
>
>

Nr4c

Re: The case for a Panadapter - opinions, please?

In reply to this post by Jim Low man

With either the waterfall or peak hold displays, you get to see where other stations were (and hopefully will come back,) so you don't pass them while tuning blind.

I really like my P3.

...bill nr4c

Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4G LTE DROID

Jim Lowman <[hidden email]> wrote:

>I'm basically a S&P operator, especially in contests. I've found that
>calling CQ is something of a waste of valuable time.
>
>When I see options like the Panadapter, or bandscopes from other
>manufacturers, I get the metaphor of fishing in a stocked pond.
>
>So, for those of you who have this option, could you describe how it has
>assisted you?
>In another message, someone mentioned that weak stations outside of the
>passband could be missed, which is a good point.
>
>BTW, I'm not opposed to giving the good folks at Elecraft more of my $$$
>if this is a good idea.
>
>Thanks in advance and 73 de Jim - AD6CW
>______________________________________________________________
>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
>

Buck - k4ia

Re: The case for a Panadapter - opinions, please?

In reply to this post by Jim Low man

I am using the LPpan with my K3. I feel lost without it. It is amazing
to be able to see the whole band then click on the signal for automatic
QSY. You can walk up and down the band easily picking off the S&Ps.
You can also see in a second if the band is open and not waste time
tuning around looking for the action. When working split you can see
where everyone is calling and spot the hole where you can slip in and be
heard.

Get one and you will be amazed.

Buck
k4ia

On 2/28/2014 1:08 PM, Jim Lowman wrote:

> I'm basically a S&P operator, especially in contests. I've found that
> calling CQ is something of a waste of valuable time.
>
> When I see options like the Panadapter, or bandscopes from other
> manufacturers, I get the metaphor of fishing in a stocked pond.
>
> So, for those of you who have this option, could you describe how it
> has assisted you?
> In another message, someone mentioned that weak stations outside of
> the passband could be missed, which is a good point.
>
> BTW, I'm not opposed to giving the good folks at Elecraft more of my
> $$$ if this is a good idea.
>
> Thanks in advance and 73 de Jim - AD6CW
> ______________________________________________________________
> 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: The case for a Panadapter - opinions, please?

In reply to this post by Jim Low man

I find the panadapter (or P3 in the case of our Elecraft rig) is
invaluable when monitoring a band that is, apparently, not open. That
happens often on both 10 and 6 meters and being able to *see* a wide
swath of the band permits detection of activity that might not be on a
calling frequency like 50.125 or 50.110MHz.

My XYL uses the P3 in RTTY contests to find signals strong enough to be
worked with our *very* limited antennas without placing her in an
"assisted" category. Yes, she still tunes the bands but the P3 is a
great tool to help work stations that might otherwise be missed.

Jack, W6NF/VE4SNA

On 2/28/2014 10:08 AM, Jim Lowman wrote:

> I'm basically a S&P operator, especially in contests. I've found that
> calling CQ is something of a waste of valuable time.
>
> When I see options like the Panadapter, or bandscopes from other
> manufacturers, I get the metaphor of fishing in a stocked pond.
>
> So, for those of you who have this option, could you describe how it
> has assisted you?
> In another message, someone mentioned that weak stations outside of
> the passband could be missed, which is a good point.
>
> BTW, I'm not opposed to giving the good folks at Elecraft more of my
> $$$ if this is a good idea.
>
> Thanks in advance and 73 de Jim - AD6CW
> ______________________________________________________________
> 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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k6dgw

Re: The case for a Panadapter - opinions, please?

In reply to this post by Jim Low man

On 2/28/2014 10:08 AM, Jim Lowman wrote:

> When I see options like the Panadapter, or bandscopes from other
> manufacturers, I get the metaphor of fishing in a stocked pond.

Many years ago [more than I want to admit], I had a WW2 surplus
panadapter. Little round scope, one trace, and signals looked like a
"hump" [similar to the IC-756 series bandscope]. It was a
semi-interesting hi-tech thing ... for the day. I bought my P3 as a
toy, just something to fool around with.
>
> So, for those of you who have this option, could you describe how it has
> assisted you?

It's what I look at now. It has features I don't use much, or at all,
and a list of how I use it will be redundant to those you'll get from a
countable infinity of responses you'll get. One use which I think is
unique to me was being able to discover that WWV on 2.5 and 20 MHz uses
low level modulation and linear amplification while on 5, 10, and 15
MHz, they plate modulate a Class C final stage. :-))

> In another message, someone mentioned that weak stations outside of the
> passband could be missed, which is a good point.

Actually, it's no point at all. The P3 uses the 8 MHz first IF directly
from the mixer and before the roofing filters. The only filter in the
path is the input bandpass filter which is way wider than anything the
P3 can display. If you set the K3 to 14.100 MHz and the P3 SPAN to 200,
you are looking at the range 14.000-14.200.

Right after I got mine, I realized that I couldn't see weaker signals
against the waterfall background due to a very poor choice of Mom and
Dad ... I have no color vision. A couple of weeks later, Alan added the
option of a monochrome waterfall solving my problem. Even if you have
normal color vision you might try the monochrome out, several visitors
have commented that it works better for them too.

Note, I just mentioned it once on the list looking for ideas to make it
work better. Alan [Elecraft] just did it but then you probably know
that's how they work. :-)

73,

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

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Jim Bennett

Re: The case for a Panadapter - opinions, please?

In reply to this post by Jim Bennett

Well...... Yes and no. I tried Win4K3 and PowerSDR-IF and couldn't get either to work worth a hoot. I settled on NaP3 and am quite happy with it.

If you want to do nothing more than have the Panadapter view and/or waterfall, then yes, you can simply download and install NaP3, hook a cable from your KX3 to your sound card, run the Elecraft Serial-->USB cable from the KX3 to the computer, and you will have it. However, I also wanted a logging program running on my Win/XP system (running on a Mac with VMware Fusion) that knows what frequency & band the KX3 is on. Both require a Com port. My Mac has ZERO com ports. I'm using the Elecraft Serial-->USB cable between the KX3 and the Mac's USB port. In order for me to have an additional Com port I also installed the free program LPB2 (LP Bridge 2). It connects to the KX3 using the original Com port that the Elecraft cable produces and then allows you to have up to five more "virtual" com ports.

It's pretty easy to get going and if you have questions I might be able to help. There is also a Yahoo LP-PAN group you can join. The owner/moderator has been quite helpful - Larry/N8LP.

The quality / speed of the display depends on the quality of your sound card. Apple did not go to a lot of expense with the built-in sound card and I'm thus limited to seeing a maximum of 48 kHz of the band at one time. But the more I use the software, the better I feel about having this size slice to view. The RX I/Q cable from Elecraft for the KX3 is 2.5 mm stereo on one end and 3.5 mm stereo on the other end. That is what my system needs, as my iMac has a 3.5 mm stereo jack on the back for the Line In connection.

Drop me a note if you have questions.

73, Jim / W6JHB

On Friday, Feb 28, 2014, at Friday, 10:41 AM, Charlie T, K3ICH wrote:

> Jim, was this just a mater of running the free software on a shack computer with the I/Q from the KX3 going to your sound card?
>
> If it's THAT easy, I might try it. I am totally hooked with the K3/P3?VGA already.
>
> Thanks, Charlie k3ICH
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jim Bennett" <[hidden email]>
> To: "Jim Lowman" <[hidden email]>
> Cc: <[hidden email]>
> Sent: Friday, February 28, 2014 1:19 PM
> Subject: Re: [Elecraft] The case for a Panadapter - opinions, please?
>
>
>> Jim,
>>
>> I had my K3 for about two years before I got the P3. Now, I would not be without it. When chasing DX I can see where the other stations are and either jump on the frequency of the last guy worked, or find a "hole" in the pileup where I can plunk down my signal. I also do the QRP "fox hunts" - same deal there - finding a spot to call the fox makes the P3 invaluable. I sometimes work contests, in my attempt to get 5BWAS. The P3 lets me see where activity is.
>>
>> I recently got a KX3. Not having the P3 panadapter was like walking around blind. Sure, that's the way everyone operated in the past, but then again, why not use the technology available? So, I got some software and hooked my KX3 up to a free program called NaP3 and I now have a 27" pan view of the band.
>>
>> If you get a P3 - you will NOT want to be without it!!! :-)
>>
>> Jim / W6JHB
>>
>>
>> On Friday, Feb 28, 2014, at Friday, 10:08 AM, Jim Lowman wrote:
>>
>>> I'm basically a S&P operator, especially in contests. I've found that calling CQ is something of a waste of valuable time.
>>>
>>> When I see options like the Panadapter, or bandscopes from other manufacturers, I get the metaphor of fishing in a stocked pond.
>>>
>>> So, for those of you who have this option, could you describe how it has assisted you?
>>> In another message, someone mentioned that weak stations outside of the passband could be missed, which is a good point.
>>>
>>> BTW, I'm not opposed to giving the good folks at Elecraft more of my $$$ if this is a good idea.
>>>
>>> Thanks in advance and 73 de Jim - AD6CW
>>> ______________________________________________________________
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>>
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>

Jim Low man

Re: The case for a Panadapter - I'm convinced!

In reply to this post by Jim Low man

Okay, gentlemen, before Eric gets tired of this thread...

Thank you, all, for voicing your very positive votes for a P3.
I am convinced!
As soon as I get up to retrieve my wallet, I'll order one.
Probably I'll also order the SVGA adapter, since I have a nice i7
desktop with a 24" monitor that is earmarked for the shack.

Hopefully, Lisa or someone in the Sales Department will catch the order
before the end of the business week.

Thanks again and 73 de Jim - AD6CW
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Edward R Cole

Re: The case for a Panadapter - I'm convinced!

From: Jim Lowman <[hidden email]>
To: [hidden email]
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] The case for a Panadapter - I'm convinced!
---------------

Jim,

I would suspect having both the P3 and KXV3 subRx would be the
ultimate combo, as you could tune the subRx to whatever mid-frequency
you wish to span and tune independently with VFO-A for operating.

I do not have a P3 but have two LP-Pan to run with both Rx for
special dual-polarity adaptive reception. But I can just run one
LP-Pan with my sub-Rx. I have both M-audio Delta44 and emu0202
soundcards for use with the LP-Pan, or I can use the emu0202 directly
with line-out audio for digital modes if I do not need a panadapter.

73, Ed - KL7UW
http://www.kl7uw.com
"Kits made by KL7UW"
Dubus Mag business:
[hidden email]

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Wes (N7WS)

Re: The case for a Panadapter - opinions, please?

In reply to this post by Jim Low man

I use an SDR-IQ and run the supplied SpectraVue software on the i-f output of
the K3. I use LP-Bridge to "connect" the SDR-IQ to the K3 and DXBase
(day-to-day logging) or N1MM (contest logging).

SpectraVue has an external radio mode with the K3 parameters built in and it
marries to the K3 seamlessly. I can use point-and-click tuning on the display
if I choose to. If you have a station computer anyway (who doesn't) this is a
lower cost alternative to the P3/VGA. I don't try to use it as a second
receiver, although this is doable.

All of the other benefits of a panadapter given by others allpy.

Wes N7WS

On 2/28/2014 11:08 AM, Jim Lowman wrote:

> I'm basically a S&P operator, especially in contests. I've found that calling
> CQ is something of a waste of valuable time.
>
> When I see options like the Panadapter, or bandscopes from other
> manufacturers, I get the metaphor of fishing in a stocked pond.
>
> So, for those of you who have this option, could you describe how it has
> assisted you?
> In another message, someone mentioned that weak stations outside of the
> passband could be missed, which is a good point.
>
> BTW, I'm not opposed to giving the good folks at Elecraft more of my $$$ if
> this is a good idea.
>
> Thanks in advance and 73 de Jim - AD6CW
>
>