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Transverter setup on KX3

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Ken Alexander-2

Transverter setup on KX3

Hi All,

I stumbled my way through the rest of the XV432 transverter alignment
and everything appears to be fine. Just trying to do the transverter
band setup from page 21 in the KX3 manual.

"XVn RF sets the operating frequency". I assume this means the
transverter's operating frequency? Is it just a number for display like
432 or something? What's a legitimate number to enter when I'm setting
up an XV432? No information in the manual. I tried going to look at
the transverter setup for my KX3-2M option but it doesn't display any more??

"XVn PWR sets maximum power output in watts". The XV432's maximum
output is 20 watts. How come the setting only goes as high as 8 watts
and then rolls over back to 0.5 watts?

"XVn OFS can compensate for frequency offset". We read my local
oscillator's output to be 4 Hz high and left it at that. Is this where
I compensate for that, if it's even needed? If so, the manual doesn't
say how to do it. It only says you don't need to do it for the
KX3-2M/4M module. That doesn't help me.

"XVn ADR". It doesn't sound like I really need to do this if I have
just the one XV transverter. The Key Line at ACC2 keys the transverter
just fine as-is. My next transverter will most likely be for 1296,
which unfortunately means it won't be an Elecraft. In that case I guess
I can still set it up as a band in my KX3 but I'll have to manually
disconnect my XV432 and then connect up the 1296 transverter. Well, or
use a good antenna switch or relay.

Thanks in advance for any assistance!

73,

Ken Alexander
VE3HLS

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Elecraft mailing list

Re: Transverter setup on KX3

Ken,

Please read my inline comments below.

> I stumbled my way through the rest of the XV432 transverter alignment and everything appears to be fine. Just trying to do the transverter band setup from page 21 in the KX3 manual.
>
> "XVn RF sets the operating frequency". I assume this means the transverter's operating frequency? Is it just a number for display like 432 or something?

Yes 432 is correct.

You also have another setting for XVn IF which in my case is 14, your's will probably be 28.

> What's a legitimate number to enter when I'm setting up an XV432? No information in the manual. I tried going to look at the transverter setup for my KX3-2M option but it doesn't display any more??
>
> "XVn PWR sets maximum power output in watts". The XV432's maximum output is 20 watts. How come the setting only goes as high as 8 watts and then rolls over back to 0.5 watts?

It isn't the transverter power output, but the input power to the transverter. I don't have an XV432 so don't know what it uses. I use a 2m transverter by ME and it can be set for powers up to 3 watts, that was what I chose for that setting, as it allows the setting of output power from the KX3 fairly accurately.
>
> "XVn OFS can compensate for frequency offset". We read my local oscillator's output to be 4 Hz high and left it at that. Is this where I compensate for that, if it's even needed? If so, the manual doesn't say how to do it. It only says you don't need to do it for the KX3-2M/4M module. That doesn't help me.

This is a handy feature if your transverter LO is out a bit, you can put the compensation figure in there, and either measure the transverter output frequency on transmit, or use an accurate signal into the receive side and adjust it to get the right dial reading when using CW and tuned in accurately. 4 Hz isn't going to be a problem you could leave it at 0. The KX3 will probably be out more than that.
>
> "XVn ADR". It doesn't sound like I really need to do this if I have just the one XV transverter. The Key Line at ACC2 keys the transverter just fine as-is.

Fine.

In my case I have my 144 MHz transverter on XV2 and XV2 ADR is trn2

My internal 70 MHz transverter and XV1 ADR is Int. trn0

> My next transverter will most likely be for 1296, which unfortunately means it won't be an Elecraft. In that case I guess I can still set it up as a band in my KX3 but I'll have to manually disconnect my XV432 and then connect up the 1296 transverter. Well, or use a good antenna switch or relay.

Yes you will want to investigate a way to do the switching of IF and Keyline. There are ways to do this automatically if you build a decoder to read the KX3 band from the serial port. G4FRE makes a board with a PIC to do just that, though you need to supply your own relays for the IF switching.
>
> Thanks in advance for any assistance!
>
> 73,
>
> Ken Alexander
> VE3HLS

73

David GM4JJJ

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Ken Alexander-2

Re: Transverter setup on KX3

Thank you David for the explanations! The setup took only minutes after
I knew what the settings meant.

Thanks again and 73,

Ken Alexander
VE3HLS

On 2016-06-26 4:42 AM, David Anderson wrote:

> Ken,
>
> Please read my inline comments below.
>
>> I stumbled my way through the rest of the XV432 transverter alignment and everything appears to be fine. Just trying to do the transverter band setup from page 21 in the KX3 manual.
>>
>> "XVn RF sets the operating frequency". I assume this means the transverter's operating frequency? Is it just a number for display like 432 or something?
> Yes 432 is correct.
>
> You also have another setting for XVn IF which in my case is 14, your's will probably be 28.
>
>
>> What's a legitimate number to enter when I'm setting up an XV432? No information in the manual. I tried going to look at the transverter setup for my KX3-2M option but it doesn't display any more??
>>
>> "XVn PWR sets maximum power output in watts". The XV432's maximum output is 20 watts. How come the setting only goes as high as 8 watts and then rolls over back to 0.5 watts?
> It isn't the transverter power output, but the input power to the transverter. I don't have an XV432 so don't know what it uses. I use a 2m transverter by ME and it can be set for powers up to 3 watts, that was what I chose for that setting, as it allows the setting of output power from the KX3 fairly accurately.
>> "XVn OFS can compensate for frequency offset". We read my local oscillator's output to be 4 Hz high and left it at that. Is this where I compensate for that, if it's even needed? If so, the manual doesn't say how to do it. It only says you don't need to do it for the KX3-2M/4M module. That doesn't help me.
> This is a handy feature if your transverter LO is out a bit, you can put the compensation figure in there, and either measure the transverter output frequency on transmit, or use an accurate signal into the receive side and adjust it to get the right dial reading when using CW and tuned in accurately. 4 Hz isn't going to be a problem you could leave it at 0. The KX3 will probably be out more than that.
>> "XVn ADR". It doesn't sound like I really need to do this if I have just the one XV transverter. The Key Line at ACC2 keys the transverter just fine as-is.
> Fine.
>
> In my case I have my 144 MHz transverter on XV2 and XV2 ADR is trn2
>
> My internal 70 MHz transverter and XV1 ADR is Int. trn0
>
>
>
>> My next transverter will most likely be for 1296, which unfortunately means it won't be an Elecraft. In that case I guess I can still set it up as a band in my KX3 but I'll have to manually disconnect my XV432 and then connect up the 1296 transverter. Well, or use a good antenna switch or relay.
>
> Yes you will want to investigate a way to do the switching of IF and Keyline. There are ways to do this automatically if you build a decoder to read the KX3 band from the serial port. G4FRE makes a board with a PIC to do just that, though you need to supply your own relays for the IF switching.
>> Thanks in advance for any assistance!
>>
>> 73,
>>
>> Ken Alexander
>> VE3HLS
> 73
>
> David GM4JJJ
>
>
>

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Don Wilhelm

Re: Transverter setup on KX3

In reply to this post by Ken Alexander-2

Ken,

Just as verification to what David told you --

Pick the TRN (XV) number that you wish to use for the XV432 - that is
the "n" in the XVn menu settings.

XVn RF is the output band for your transverter. The KX3 should show the
output frequency.

XVn PWR is the power *input* to your XV432. Set the XV432 jumpers and
input attenuator to work with this power level.

XVn OFS will compensate for the frequency of the transverter local
oscillator. You can adjust that later when you can receive 432MHz
beacons of a known frequency. If you have an accurate frequency
counter, you can adjust the LO frequency in the XV432 to something close
to 404MHz, then later use the XVn OFS menu to put the frequency display
"right on".

XVn ADR is not too important for the KX3 and the XV transverters, but if
you are decoding the band data from the AUXBUS, then it will be relevant
to the band decoder.
The KX3 does not provide full integration with the XV series
transverters like the K2, K3 and K3S because there is no KX3 output to
tell the transverter when to turn power on and when to set the transmit
and receive state (other than the KEYOUT signal from ACC2). A
specialized band decoder which reads the AUXBUS signal and can tell the
XV432 that the band is selected would allow this automatic selection,
but that is not present in the native KX3.

Yes, you will have to provide a means of switching the KX3 output coax
to the XV432 when that band is selected. That band information is
available on the AUXBUS if the ACC2 GPIO is set to TRN CTRL in the menu,
but it has to be decoded.

73,
Don W3FPR

On 6/25/2016 11:12 PM, Ken Alexander wrote:

> Hi All,
>
> I stumbled my way through the rest of the XV432 transverter alignment
> and everything appears to be fine. Just trying to do the transverter
> band setup from page 21 in the KX3 manual.
>
> "XVn RF sets the operating frequency". I assume this means the
> transverter's operating frequency? Is it just a number for display
> like 432 or something? What's a legitimate number to enter when I'm
> setting up an XV432? No information in the manual. I tried going to
> look at the transverter setup for my KX3-2M option but it doesn't
> display any more??
>
> "XVn PWR sets maximum power output in watts". The XV432's maximum
> output is 20 watts. How come the setting only goes as high as 8 watts
> and then rolls over back to 0.5 watts?
>
> "XVn OFS can compensate for frequency offset". We read my local
> oscillator's output to be 4 Hz high and left it at that. Is this
> where I compensate for that, if it's even needed? If so, the manual
> doesn't say how to do it. It only says you don't need to do it for
> the KX3-2M/4M module. That doesn't help me.
>
> "XVn ADR". It doesn't sound like I really need to do this if I have
> just the one XV transverter. The Key Line at ACC2 keys the
> transverter just fine as-is. My next transverter will most likely be
> for 1296, which unfortunately means it won't be an Elecraft. In that
> case I guess I can still set it up as a band in my KX3 but I'll have
> to manually disconnect my XV432 and then connect up the 1296
> transverter. Well, or use a good antenna switch or relay.
>