Upcoming K3 features

[Eric Swartz - WA6HHQ]

Wow! I go off-line for the weekend and everyone goes crazy. Must have
been a slow news weekend, or just poor propagation on HF.. :-)

I see there is a lot of misunderstanding out there on what is already
here, or is coming soon, so I'd like to clarify a few items.


1. TX/RX EQ = OFF in digital modes will be implemented in within the
next couple of releases.

2. RX active while manually tuning through memories will also be
implemented shortly, within the next couple of releases.

3. AM Sync is actively being completed. We have an internal version in
the test lab and we should have a beta version out soon. It turns out
this was not a simple task.

4. The TCXO-1 actually turns out to meet 0.5 ppm over the commercial
temp range. We were over conservative in our initial public specs on
this item - It already met this without additional calibration.

We are also testing a future version of K3Utility that lets you enter
temp correction values for a further increase in accuracy, but I'm not
sure how quickly this will be released.


As a general comment, we have a very specific prioritized list of items
that we are working on for the K3. some we've talked about, some we
haven't. And some are internal items to improve manufacturing yield,
etc. We certainly do pay attention to the list comments and requests,
but we do not jump back and forth each week trying to meet new requests
at the expense of others. Some times it conveniently works out that we
are already about to implement something requested on the email list, or
that it is trivial to add quickly. That's why you might see it pop up
shortly after a list discussion. Also, while it may seem like we have
not responded to your specific request, it does not mean we have ignored
it. We get so many varied requests that there is no way to satisfy all
of them, but we do write them down and we periodically meet and
re-prioritize those items that are doable.

Wayne and I both feel strongly that a lot of our success is due to our
company's responsiveness to your product ideas and requests. We see our
major products, like the K3, as a continually evolving and improving in
response to customer feedback. We're constantly amazed at the breadth of
applications that you are using the K3 for. From Rag Chewing, DXing,
QRP, Contesting, SO2R, Moon-bounce and Data modes to ESSB, each user
community has a wide range of uses and requests. We can't do everything,
but we do make careful attempts to add the most useful requested
features over time. We'll never meet everything requested - there just
isn't that much development time or microprocessor memory available. But
we'll strive to make the K3 as good as it can be.

Its impossible for us to guess the many ways our products, like the K3,
will get used up front, so we make our best effort to get a good core
set of features into the product at initial release, and then we iterate
and improve in response to your feedback over the life of the product.
We hope that approach keeps our products fresh and fun to use over their
life, and that it keeps us ahead of our competition :-)

73,  Eric   WA6HHQ



.
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[Dick Dickinson]

RX active while manually tuning through memories will also be
implemented shortly

^5!


Best regards,
Dick - KA5KKT


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[John-483]

At 05:56 PM 21/09/09, you wrote:
>We're constantly amazed at the breadth of
>applications that you are using the K3 for. From Rag Chewing, DXing,
>QRP, Contesting, SO2R, Moon-bounce and Data modes to ESSB, each user
>community has a wide range of uses and requests. We can't do everything,
>but we do make careful attempts to add the most useful requested
>features over time. We'll never meet everything requested - there just
>isn't that much development time or microprocessor memory available. But
>we'll strive to make the K3 as good as it can be.


I can envision the day that you will be able to boot your K3 with
different FW, related to the mode of operation (as listed above) you
desire. FW would be stored on your computer and loaded via utility.
So, if you wanted to do a CW contest, load the CW version, Data
Modes, load data mode FW,  Hi-Fi AM, and so on. It would only take a
few minutes and give you a rig suited to any mode of operation. Sure
could save a bunch of memory. You could even keep a FW similar to
todays, just not refined in all modes.

John
k7up



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[Julian, G4ILO]

Eric Swartz - WA6HHQ, Elecraft wrote

1. TX/RX EQ = OFF in digital modes will be implemented in within the
next couple of releases.

That is extremely good news.

2. RX active while manually tuning through memories will also be
implemented shortly, within the next couple of releases.

While that may also be good news for many, that is already possible using the channel hopping memories. What I was actually hoping to see that would address the criticism I made of the memory operation is for *all* the attributes that are stored in a memory, such as tx frequency, repeater shift state, access tone frequency etc. to be active when that memory is selected (at least the channel hoppers) so you can just PTT and reply to anyone you hear when scanning those memories, without having to remember to recall the memory contents first. Is that going to be possible?

If so, then it seems as if all of my main annoyances with the K3 are going to be addressed very soon. :) It's just a pity that one has to brave so much flak in order to get this information. :(

[Ignacy]

Please add

1. Notch in the AGC loop
2. Possibly narrower manual notch (like in IC-7000)

Before the automatic notch was slow but now it seems to be much faster. Undocumented fix or my imagination?

Ignacy

[Geoffrey Downs-2]

Thanks for the clarification, Eric, and the interesting general comments. In
my view you're getting some difficult balances about right so far, including
allocation of resources between enhancements to existing products and
bringing out new ones. Although I would add, quietly, that
shipment dates for new products often seem optimistic :-)

As regards the K3 prioritised list, items previously said to be on it are
presumably still there so that, for example, unless we hear otherwise we'll
eventually see a f/w feature that can automatically turn on MON at a preset
level when a DVR recording is being transmitted. (Couldn't resist mentioning
it!)

73 to all

Geoff
G3UCK

----- Original Message -----
From: "Eric Swartz - WA6HHQ, Elecraft" <[hidden email]>
To: "Elecraft List" <[hidden email]>
Sent: Tuesday, September 22, 2009 12:56 AM
Subject: [Elecraft] Upcoming K3 features


> As a general comment, we have a very specific prioritized list of items
> that we are working on for the K3. some we've talked about, some we
> haven't.

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[Bill K9YEQ]

I too have noted an improvement in speed.  I would prefer the notch actually
be wider or adjustable in width, some of the tune up clowns on SSB have some
very large signals.


73,

Bill
K9YEQ

-----Original Message-----
From: [hidden email]
[mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Ignacy
Sent: Tuesday, September 22, 2009 11:08 AM
To: [hidden email]
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Upcoming K3 features


Please add

1. Notch in the AGC loop
2. Possibly narrower manual notch (like in IC-7000)

Before the automatic notch was slow but now it seems to be much faster.
Undocumented fix or my imagination?

Ignacy



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[Ian Maude]

2009/9/22 Geoffrey Downs <[hidden email]>
>
>
> As regards the K3 prioritised list, items previously said to be on it are
> presumably still there so that, for example, unless we hear otherwise we'll
> eventually see a f/w feature that can automatically turn on MON at a preset
> level when a DVR recording is being transmitted.



Oh yes please!  Totally away from the TX audio.  This IMHO is a much needed
option!

73 Ian

--
Ian J Maude, G0VGS
SysOp GB7MBC & HB9DRV-9 DX Clusters
Member RSGB, GQRP 9838, FISTS 14077 | K3 #455
http://www.amateurradiotraining.org
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[GM0ELP]

Eric Swartz - WA6HHQ, Elecraft wrote

1. TX/RX EQ = OFF in digital modes will be implemented in within the
next couple of releases.

I'm incredibly happy with my K3 in it's current state, thanks to all the Elecraft team for such a brilliant product!

In the interest of making the K3 better, is EQ by mode possible? By this I mean having a TX/RX EQ memory per mode. This would allow us all to set up our prefferences for each mode and then enjoy switching mode at random without thought (or a computer). The above mod seems to fall well short of this goal. Apologies if this has already been battered to death, but EQ is such a brilliant feature I think it warrants that last bit of effort to make it useable. If it's not technically possible, I'm still smiling :-).

Doug
GM0ELP

[Eric Swartz - WA6HHQ]

Yes - but this will come later as it is a lot more work to implement
into the current K3 code structure.

73, Eric
====

GM0ELP wrote:

>
> Eric Swartz - WA6HHQ, Elecraft wrote:
>  
>> 1. TX/RX EQ = OFF in digital modes will be implemented in within the
>> next couple of releases.
>>
>>
>>    
>
> I'm incredibly happy with my K3 in it's current state, thanks to all the
> Elecraft team for such a brilliant product!
>
> In the interest of making the K3 better, is EQ by mode possible? By this I
> mean having a TX/RX EQ memory per mode. This would allow us all to set up
> our prefferences for each mode and then enjoy switching mode at random
> without thought (or a computer). The above mod seems to fall well short of
> this goal. Apologies if this has already been battered to death, but EQ is
> such a brilliant feature I think it warrants that last bit of effort to make
> it useable. If it's not technically possible, I'm still smiling :-).
>
> Doug
> GM0ELP
>  

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[Richard Jones - KJ5QY]

Eric what everyone at Elecraft has done has been incredible to say the least.

I would love to see these added features or upgrades to the K3.

1.  I would like to see a squelch that works on SSB Voice and not be so sensitive in other modes.  In other words sometimes I really have to "play" with it to get it just right (in other modes).  On SSB it does not work well at all,  IMHO.

2.  Many of the people I know would like the "AM Sync" as soon as possible.

3.  One of the best "Short Wave" radios for this day and time!

4.  Kenwood makes/made a remote head that you could purchase as an accessory for the Kenwood TS-2000.  This way you could put the K3 wherever and have a small remote head on you dash.  The Kenwood connected via a CAT-5 (RJ-45 ?) phone jack.  This would be so nice to have.  A medium/large radio with a small remote head as an option.

5.  For us who have purchased the K3 assembled it would be great if there was a manual that would show you how to take it "back" apart with pictures, labels, and all for servicing.

Thanks Again For A Great Radio,

Rick --  Serial Number 2834

Eric Swartz - WA6HHQ, Elecraft wrote

Wow! I go off-line for the weekend and everyone goes crazy. Must have
been a slow news weekend, or just poor propagation on HF.. :-)

I see there is a lot of misunderstanding out there on what is already
here, or is coming soon, so I'd like to clarify a few items.


1. TX/RX EQ = OFF in digital modes will be implemented in within the
next couple of releases.

2. RX active while manually tuning through memories will also be
implemented shortly, within the next couple of releases.

3. AM Sync is actively being completed. We have an internal version in
the test lab and we should have a beta version out soon. It turns out
this was not a simple task.

4. The TCXO-1 actually turns out to meet 0.5 ppm over the commercial
temp range. We were over conservative in our initial public specs on
this item - It already met this without additional calibration.

We are also testing a future version of K3Utility that lets you enter
temp correction values for a further increase in accuracy, but I'm not
sure how quickly this will be released.


As a general comment, we have a very specific prioritized list of items
that we are working on for the K3. some we've talked about, some we
haven't. And some are internal items to improve manufacturing yield,
etc. We certainly do pay attention to the list comments and requests,
but we do not jump back and forth each week trying to meet new requests
at the expense of others. Some times it conveniently works out that we
are already about to implement something requested on the email list, or
that it is trivial to add quickly. That's why you might see it pop up
shortly after a list discussion. Also, while it may seem like we have
not responded to your specific request, it does not mean we have ignored
it. We get so many varied requests that there is no way to satisfy all
of them, but we do write them down and we periodically meet and
re-prioritize those items that are doable.

Wayne and I both feel strongly that a lot of our success is due to our
company's responsiveness to your product ideas and requests. We see our
major products, like the K3, as a continually evolving and improving in
response to customer feedback. We're constantly amazed at the breadth of
applications that you are using the K3 for. From Rag Chewing, DXing,
QRP, Contesting, SO2R, Moon-bounce and Data modes to ESSB, each user
community has a wide range of uses and requests. We can't do everything,
but we do make careful attempts to add the most useful requested
features over time. We'll never meet everything requested - there just
isn't that much development time or microprocessor memory available. But
we'll strive to make the K3 as good as it can be.

Its impossible for us to guess the many ways our products, like the K3,
will get used up front, so we make our best effort to get a good core
set of features into the product at initial release, and then we iterate
and improve in response to your feedback over the life of the product.
We hope that approach keeps our products fresh and fun to use over their
life, and that it keeps us ahead of our competition :-)

73,  Eric   WA6HHQ



.
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[David Gilbert]

The official K3 Assembly Manual is available as a pdf download from
Elecraft's web site.  Why wouldn't that work?

73,
Dave   AB7E


Richard Jones wrote:
>
> 5.  For us who have purchased the K3 assembled it would be great if there
> was a manual that would show you how to take it "back" apart with pictures,
> labels, and all for servicing.
>
>  
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[Richard Jones - KJ5QY]

Hey Dave,

I guess the "Assembly Manual" would be a place to look/start.  Is what I am talking about is a "Manual" that does not have all the "other stuff" in it.  For example if you need to get to a certain "Board" it would be nice if there was a "Manual" that showed you how to do it.  Please do not take this in the wrong way!  I am sure the "Assembly Manual" has more information than I could probably comprehend,  just to get to a certain part of the radio.  For many of us,  we purchased the "Assembled" K3 because for whatever reason we did not or could not "Assemble" the radio.  This is why I am making this request.  Again,  please do not take this in a negative way,  that was not my intention in posting.

Thanks,

Rick

David Gilbert wrote

The official K3 Assembly Manual is available as a pdf download from
Elecraft's web site.  Why wouldn't that work?

73,
Dave   AB7E


Richard Jones wrote:
>
> 5.  For us who have purchased the K3 assembled it would be great if there
> was a manual that would show you how to take it "back" apart with pictures,
> labels, and all for servicing.
>
>  
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[Mark Bayern-3]

Rick,

So far when I've had to get into the K3 for options & mods, the
instructions that came with the option or mod explained very carefully
and clearly how to get into the specific area of the K3.

Mark




On Sun, Sep 27, 2009 at 10:03 PM, Richard Jones <[hidden email]> wrote:

>
> Hey Dave,
>
> I guess the "Assembly Manual" would be a place to look/start.  Is what I am
> talking about is a "Manual" that does not have all the "other stuff" in it.
> For example if you need to get to a certain "Board" it would be nice if
> there was a "Manual" that showed you how to do it.  Please do not take this
> in the wrong way!  I am sure the "Assembly Manual" has more information than
> I could probably comprehend,  just to get to a certain part of the radio.
> For many of us,  we purchased the "Assembled" K3 because for whatever reason
> we did not or could not "Assemble" the radio.  This is why I am making this
> request.  Again,  please do not take this in a negative way,  that was not
> my intention in posting.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Rick
>

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[David Gilbert]

I understand.  I just thought that maybe you didn't notice the assembly
manual was there.

For the most part, though, following the assembly manual backwards
probably is the safest bet.  It gives step-by-step instructions,
complete with cautionary advice you'd be wise to follow anyway.  It's
pretty much organized by sections and it wouldn't take much scanning
through it to figure out which were relevant to whatever you wanted to do.

73,
Dave   AB7E




Richard Jones wrote:

> Hey Dave,
>
> I guess the "Assembly Manual" would be a place to look/start.  Is what I am
> talking about is a "Manual" that does not have all the "other stuff" in it.
> For example if you need to get to a certain "Board" it would be nice if
> there was a "Manual" that showed you how to do it.  Please do not take this
> in the wrong way!  I am sure the "Assembly Manual" has more information than
> I could probably comprehend,  just to get to a certain part of the radio.
> For many of us,  we purchased the "Assembled" K3 because for whatever reason
> we did not or could not "Assemble" the radio.  This is why I am making this
> request.  Again,  please do not take this in a negative way,  that was not
> my intention in posting.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Rick
>
>
>
> David Gilbert wrote:
>  
>> The official K3 Assembly Manual is available as a pdf download from
>> Elecraft's web site.  Why wouldn't that work?
>>
>> 73,
>> Dave   AB7E
>>
>>
>> Richard Jones wrote:
>>    
>>> 5.  For us who have purchased the K3 assembled it would be great if there
>>> was a manual that would show you how to take it "back" apart with
>>> pictures,
>>> labels, and all for servicing.
>>>
>>>  
>>>      
>> ______________________________________________________________
>> Elecraft mailing list
>> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
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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
>>
>>
>>    
>
>  

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[4Z5TO]

Just keep doing what you're doing. Great product keeps getting better.