Posted by
w7aqk on
Jan 12, 2010; 2:50pm
URL: http://elecraft.85.s1.nabble.com/K3-RF-Gain-Squelch-tp4289745p4292017.html
Don and All,
Your last post raises a question in my mind--it probably has been discussed
before, and if so, I missed it. I must admit that the number of posts on
this reflector is often overwhelming, and I'm sure I get too quick with the
delete key.
Here's the question--I bought the 6 khz filter, but not the 13 khz filter.
I don't do AM, and probably won't do much, if any FM, but I suppose the
possibility is there for a very small amount of FM on 10 meters perhaps.
Anyway, I bought the 6 khz filter, primarily to accomodate any SW listening
I might do. So, would I have been better off to buy the 13 khz filter
instead of the 6 khz filter? That sounds like what you did. I assume I
could just use the 13 khz filter for AM listening, and use the DSP to narrow
things appropriately. I wouldn't have a 6 khz roofing filter, but would I
really be at much of a disadvantage for the type of use I describe above?
For some reason, I thought the 6 khz filter was mandatory for AM, but maybe
I misread that (or misinterpreted what I think I read!).
By the way, your discussion of how to set the RF gain makes a great deal of
sense to me. It is, in fact, what I have been doing intuitively. My RF
gain is almost always set at something like 12 o'clock or so--maybe a tad
bit higher. My "excursion range" with the RF gain rarely goes beyond the 2
o'clock position, even on very weak signals. Beyond that all I seem to be
doing is increasing the noise level with little or no improvement in the
desired signal. I rarely use the preamp, and find that it more often than
not degrades what I am trying to hear.
Dave W7AQK
----- Original Message -----
From: "Don Wilhelm" <
[hidden email]>
To: <
[hidden email]>
Cc: "Elecraft Discussion List" <
[hidden email]>
Sent: Monday, January 11, 2010 10:10 PM
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] K3: RF Gain, Squelch
> Al,
>
> To look at it another way - look at the S-meter to observe the band
> noise level, and then back off the RF gain until the S-meter is steady
> at that same S-meter reading. Of course, this should be done at a spot
> in the band where no signals are present.
>
> That is a quick way to determine the optimum setting for the RF Gain
> consistent with the greatest receiver dynamic range and one does not
> have to listen to the constant band noise clutter.
>
> The other option is to just run with "all knobs full right" and put up
> with listening to the band noise when there are gaps in the signal level.
>
> Be aware that the AGC Threshold will also have a great effect on the
> amount of band noise heard in the audio. If the Threshold is set too
> low, the receiver will go into AGC action on only the band noise. I use
> an AGC Threshold setting of 008 just for that reason (I know the default
> is 005, but I think that is too low).
>
> 73,
> Don W3FPR
>
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