Elecraft

Update Status

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riese-k3djc

Update Status

It would be nice if you were able to add the portion of the update you
felt you wanted
I havent updated since I added the P3,,, makes me an Ol Fart
but I would like the enhancements for the noise blanker and some other
parts of the K3
but
I dont want to have relearn the menu etc with some of the complete
software updates
I really like my K3 and dont want to do a complete upgrade
but I may have to

Bob K3DJC

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Don Wilhelm-4

Re: Update Status

Bob,

You will not have to relearn the menu even with complete firmware
upgrades. Things do not change THAT much. Sometimes a new function is
added, but you don't have to use it unless it interests you. Added
functions rarely change the operation unless you encounter that new
function in some way.

Even if you want to keep your operation the same, upgrades also do
contain bug fixes, so you should be taking advantage of those. If you
do not upgrade, who knows when you might encounter one of those bugs
that had been fixed long ago.

OTOH, if you are satisfied with the operation of your K3 and P3, you
don't have to do the upgrades. It will continue to operate as it is.
One big BUT - if you do encounter problems, one of the first steps to
possible resolution is to first do the upgrades to see if that corrects
your problem. If you contact support, that is likely to be their first
suggestion, especially if they recall a bug fix relating to your problem.

Elecraft gear just keeps getting better and better, and the really nice
part is that the firmware upgrades do not cost anything except a little
of your time. If you follow the instructions for upgrading, it is
normally painless.

73,
Don W3FPR

On 2/28/2014 7:10 PM, [hidden email] wrote:

>
> It would be nice if you were able to add the portion of the update you
> felt you wanted
> I havent updated since I added the P3,,, makes me an Ol Fart
> but I would like the enhancements for the noise blanker and some other
> parts of the K3
> but
> I dont want to have relearn the menu etc with some of the complete
> software updates
> I really like my K3 and dont want to do a complete upgrade
> but I may have to
>
>

riese-k3djc

Re: Update Status

In reply to this post by riese-k3djc

On Fri, 28 Feb 2014 19:38:22 -0500 Don Wilhelm <[hidden email]>
writes:
> Bob,
>
> You will not have to relearn the menu even with complete firmware
> upgrades. Things do not change THAT much. Sometimes a new function
> is
> added, but you don't have to use it unless it interests you. Added
> functions rarely change the operation unless you encounter that new
>
> function in some way.

and that is my ummm fear,,,, having had the megacount button radios
inadvertently hitting one could take a long time sorting back out
the best part of elecraft gear is outstanding dynamic range and
just enough buttons
if it ever warms up looking forward to backpacking/biking with the KX3
built em both love them both

HAR

Bob K3DJC

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Don Wilhelm-4

Re: Update Status

Bob,

But in that event, a quick post to the Elecraft reflector will likely
set you straight in a short time - often even in minutes.

73,
Don W3FPR

On 2/28/2014 8:11 PM, [hidden email] wrote:

> On Fri, 28 Feb 2014 19:38:22 -0500 Don Wilhelm <[hidden email]>
> writes:
>> Bob,
>>
>> You will not have to relearn the menu even with complete firmware
>> upgrades. Things do not change THAT much. Sometimes a new function
>> is
>> added, but you don't have to use it unless it interests you. Added
>> functions rarely change the operation unless you encounter that new
>>
>> function in some way.
>
> and that is my ummm fear,,,, having had the megacount button radios
> inadvertently hitting one could take a long time sorting back out
> the best part of elecraft gear is outstanding dynamic range and
> just enough buttons
> if it ever warms up looking forward to backpacking/biking with the KX3
> built em both love them both
>
> HAR
>
> Bob K3DJC
>

vk2rq

Re: Update Status

And of course you took a backup when you upgraded (right?), so you can very easily revert to a known good configuration in case of fat finger syndrome :-)

73,
Matt VK2RQ

> On 1 Mar 2014, at 12:35 pm, Don Wilhelm <[hidden email]> wrote:
>
> Bob,
>
> But in that event, a quick post to the Elecraft reflector will likely set you straight in a short time - often even in minutes.
>
> 73,
> Don W3FPR
>
>> On 2/28/2014 8:11 PM, [hidden email] wrote:
>> On Fri, 28 Feb 2014 19:38:22 -0500 Don Wilhelm <[hidden email]>
>> writes:
>>> Bob,
>>>
>>> You will not have to relearn the menu even with complete firmware
>>> upgrades. Things do not change THAT much. Sometimes a new function
>>> is
>>> added, but you don't have to use it unless it interests you. Added
>>> functions rarely change the operation unless you encounter that new
>>>
>>> function in some way.
>>
>> and that is my ummm fear,,,, having had the megacount button radios
>> inadvertently hitting one could take a long time sorting back out
>> the best part of elecraft gear is outstanding dynamic range and
>> just enough buttons
>> if it ever warms up looking forward to backpacking/biking with the KX3
>> built em both love them both
>>
>> HAR
>>
>> Bob K3DJC
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> 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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Don Wilhelm-4

Re: Update Status

What backup? :-) The Elecraft firmware upgrades go so smoothly that I
have never needed them.
Of course, a save of the configuration data before an update is prudent
just in case anything goes awry and an EEINIT is required, but that has
not been my experience. All updates including a lot of beta (and alpha)
firmware loads have been without incident.

I think the number of such failures has been highly overrated. You do
not hear of the many successes on the reflector, but the number of
difficulties encountered are posted here.
Count the number of difficulties reported in light of having more than
8000 K3s in the field and I believe you will find the difficulties to be
a very small percentage.

Difficulties encountered in a firmware update are typically due to
something the user has done that is out of the ordinary - such as a
disconnect on the port during the update or an unexpected power off
during an update. I had one problem when the computer quit during a
download, but after getting the computer straight and repeating the
procedure, all was well in short order.

The cure for such difficulties is normally found in the "Force Firmware
Download" procedure in the manual or in the K3 Utility Help file.

73,
Don W3FPR

On 2/28/2014 10:02 PM, Matt VK2RQ wrote:

> And of course you took a backup when you upgraded (right?), so you can very easily revert to a known good configuration in case of fat finger syndrome :-)
>
> 73,
> Matt VK2RQ
>
>> On 1 Mar 2014, at 12:35 pm, Don Wilhelm <[hidden email]> wrote:
>>
>> Bob,
>>
>> But in that event, a quick post to the Elecraft reflector will likely set you straight in a short time - often even in minutes.
>>
>> 73,
>> Don W3FPR
>>
>>> On 2/28/2014 8:11 PM, [hidden email] wrote:
>>> On Fri, 28 Feb 2014 19:38:22 -0500 Don Wilhelm <[hidden email]>
>>> writes:
>>>> Bob,
>>>>
>>>> You will not have to relearn the menu even with complete firmware
>>>> upgrades. Things do not change THAT much. Sometimes a new function
>>>> is
>>>> added, but you don't have to use it unless it interests you. Added
>>>> functions rarely change the operation unless you encounter that new
>>>>
>>>> function in some way.
>>> and that is my ummm fear,,,, having had the megacount button radios
>>> inadvertently hitting one could take a long time sorting back out
>>> the best part of elecraft gear is outstanding dynamic range and
>>> just enough buttons
>>> if it ever warms up looking forward to backpacking/biking with the KX3
>>> built em both love them both
>>>
>>> HAR
>>>
>>> Bob K3DJC
>> ______________________________________________________________
>> 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
>

vk2rq

Re: Update Status

I've never needed to revert to a backup either (touch wood), but it is still good practice to back up your config when upgrading. After all, you already have the utility open when upgrading, so how hard it is to hit "Save Config"? This ensures you have a reasonably up-to-date config saved, and if at some stage your fat fingers mess things up on the radio, and you can't get it back to how you had it set up before, then if you have a recent backup it is child's play to simply restore the settings. I agree it is far more likely that the settings are messed up by user error rather than by a faulty upgrade process, but regardless how the settings become messed up, it is far better to have a recent backup than to regret having no backup :-)

73,
Matt VK2RQ

> On 1 Mar 2014, at 2:35 pm, Don Wilhelm <[hidden email]> wrote:
>
> What backup? :-) The Elecraft firmware upgrades go so smoothly that I have never needed them.
> Of course, a save of the configuration data before an update is prudent just in case anything goes awry and an EEINIT is required, but that has not been my experience. All updates including a lot of beta (and alpha) firmware loads have been without incident.
>
> I think the number of such failures has been highly overrated. You do not hear of the many successes on the reflector, but the number of difficulties encountered are posted here.
> Count the number of difficulties reported in light of having more than 8000 K3s in the field and I believe you will find the difficulties to be a very small percentage.
>
> Difficulties encountered in a firmware update are typically due to something the user has done that is out of the ordinary - such as a disconnect on the port during the update or an unexpected power off during an update. I had one problem when the computer quit during a download, but after getting the computer straight and repeating the procedure, all was well in short order.
>
> The cure for such difficulties is normally found in the "Force Firmware Download" procedure in the manual or in the K3 Utility Help file.
>
> 73,
> Don W3FPR
>
>> On 2/28/2014 10:02 PM, Matt VK2RQ wrote:
>> And of course you took a backup when you upgraded (right?), so you can very easily revert to a known good configuration in case of fat finger syndrome :-)
>>
>> 73,
>> Matt VK2RQ
>>
>>> On 1 Mar 2014, at 12:35 pm, Don Wilhelm <[hidden email]> wrote:
>>>
>>> Bob,
>>>
>>> But in that event, a quick post to the Elecraft reflector will likely set you straight in a short time - often even in minutes.
>>>
>>> 73,
>>> Don W3FPR
>>>
>>>> On 2/28/2014 8:11 PM, [hidden email] wrote:
>>>> On Fri, 28 Feb 2014 19:38:22 -0500 Don Wilhelm <[hidden email]>
>>>> writes:
>>>>> Bob,
>>>>>
>>>>> You will not have to relearn the menu even with complete firmware
>>>>> upgrades. Things do not change THAT much. Sometimes a new function
>>>>> is
>>>>> added, but you don't have to use it unless it interests you. Added
>>>>> functions rarely change the operation unless you encounter that new
>>>>>
>>>>> function in some way.
>>>> and that is my ummm fear,,,, having had the megacount button radios
>>>> inadvertently hitting one could take a long time sorting back out
>>>> the best part of elecraft gear is outstanding dynamic range and
>>>> just enough buttons
>>>> if it ever warms up looking forward to backpacking/biking with the KX3
>>>> built em both love them both
>>>>
>>>> HAR
>>>>
>>>> Bob K3DJC
>>> ______________________________________________________________
>>> 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
>>
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> 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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Jeff kb2m

kat/kpa500 cable

In reply to this post by Don Wilhelm-4

Is there an off the shelf cable I can use besides the 850463 Optional KAT500
to KPA500 Cable ? Thanks for any alternatives...

73 Jeff kb2m

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Nr4c

Re: kat/kpa500 cable

Yeah. Right 'off the shelf' from Elecraft.(grin)....bc

Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4G LTE DROID

Jeff Griffin <[hidden email]> wrote:

>Is there an off the shelf cable I can use besides the 850463 Optional KAT500
>to KPA500 Cable ? Thanks for any alternatives...
>
>73 Jeff kb2m
>
>
>______________________________________________________________
>Elecraft mailing list
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>
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Cady, Fred

Re: kat/kpa500 cable

Hi Jeff,
You can use a "standard" 15-pin DE15HD cable with all pins connected (NOT a SVGA cable) IF you are using the Elecraft cable that comes with the KPAK3AUX cable set. You need ONE of those cables in the K3 -> KAT500 -> KPA500 15-pin LAN (as somebody called it). The other cable can have all pins. Also, if you are worried about using a full 15-pin cable, just break out pins 1, 4, 6, 7, and 8 from the DE15HDP connector on a full 15-pin cable.

Cheers,
Fred KE7X
"The Elecraft K3: Design, Configuration and Operation 2nd ed"
"The Elecraft KX3 - Going for the summit"
www.ke7x.com or www.lulu.com
(Coming soon: "The Elecraft KPA500 and KAT500 - the K-Line Dream Station")

-----Original Message-----
From: [hidden email] [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of bill conkling
Sent: Saturday, March 01, 2014 11:48 AM
To: Jeff Griffin
Cc: [hidden email]
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] kat/kpa500 cable

Yeah. Right 'off the shelf' from Elecraft.(grin)....bc

Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4G LTE DROID

Jeff Griffin <[hidden email]> wrote:

>Is there an off the shelf cable I can use besides the 850463 Optional
>KAT500 to KPA500 Cable ? Thanks for any alternatives...
>
>73 Jeff kb2m
>
>
>______________________________________________________________
>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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Jeff kb2m

Re: kat/kpa500 cable

Thanks for all the suggestions on and off list. I bought a VGA extension
cable at Best Buy thinking it would be straight through. When I got it home
I found 4 or 5 of the 15 pins were shorted together. I returned the cable
and then went to radio shack looking for a couple of DB-15's, to make my own
cable. Nope. I'm sure I have some DB-15's at my summer home that's 62 miles
away, and if I was there I would just build the needed cable. But at this
point I just ordered the cable from Elecraft, rather then the one suggested
from another vender. Thanks again for all the constructive(and one not so
constructive :-) ) suggestions...

73 Jeff kb2m

-----Original Message-----
>Is there an off the shelf cable I can use besides the 850463 Optional
>KAT500 to KPA500 Cable ? Thanks for any alternatives...
>
>73 Jeff kb2m

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