Hams4hams 18m pole

My Hams4hams 18m pole has arrived. It looks a bit rough round the edges:
1) The mast sections are not cut straight, so the bottom section will always touch the ground on one edge and not spread the load evenly on the base.
2) The gloss finish on the bottom section (only one I can see so far), has several deep gouges that has been crudely covered up with marker pen.
3) The stitching that attaches the nylon draw rope to the bag has compromised the integrity of the bag material to such an extent that slight pressure on it when pushing the mast into the bag will cause the bag to rip.
4) The rubber end stopper is too big for the bottom of the mast meaning that the internal mast sections will fall out every time it is picked up.

I've still to make up the clamps but hopefully it will do the job for a 80m monopole.

MM3T IOTA 2010 Island of Bute EU-123 (Antennas)

With a 10m fishing pole and 10m of wire up it, I can get the following bands:

A 20m Jpole (attach coax at approp point near the shorted end of lamba/4 ribbon feeder)
A 40m lamda/4 monopole and 15m by default (attach coax at the open end of ribbon feeder and add some 10m radials to the braid)

1 fishing rod = 3 bands, croc clips on the coax (just clip to the appropriate points and go).

I'm calling it the skELPer :-). Keeps things simple for IOTA, we don't want to spend a lot of time setting up as hard work detracts from the fun. It could also be used as an end fed zepp with the short removed from the ribbon feeder and a tuner attached instead.

DSP re-work for Elecraft K3

I'm really dissapointed in Elecraft's handling of a recent purchase. I was off work on January 1st and thought I'd purchase a new DSP board for my K3. I purchased the card with the knowledge that there would be a 4 week lead time. 2 weeks after my purchase some erudite questioning on the reflector revealed that the board I had purchased was going to be re-worked and not new as I had been led to believe. I emailed Elecraft 8 weeks after purchase to find out what was happening and they said the delay wasn't their fault as they were waiting for returned boards. I reminded Elecraft that I hadn't bought a re-worked board so any excuses about waiting for returns wasn't valid. I asked for a new board if they couldn't honour the initial deal. I got a very polite e-mail back of the "no-can-do" variety and I am still waiting for my DSP board 12 weeks later. Very, very poor sales and marketing from a company with very good products.

WriteLog

I have downloaded WriteLog and am currently playing in the RDXC contest. I've racked up 300 QSOs in the last 2.5hrs or so with some pile ups and some blank spells. My usual contest software is WinTest so I guess I'm starting the learning curve a fresh, straight in at the deep end.

First of all I couldn't adjust the CW speed and had to resort to Google mid contest as the help file was blank on this subject. I found a post on a contest website explaining it : go into 'setup->ports' (obvious eh?) and adjust a matrix of speeds to your preference, then use page up and dwn keys to shift between these values (what was wrong with Alt V?).

Then I logged a Q without an exchange and couldn't find for the life of me how to get back in the Q and edit it. Again the manual was no help and google again saved the day with someone else asking the same question : using the mouse click on the offending QSO then click again on the offending field and an edit QSO box opens at that field for you (WinTest you just up arrow into the log and tab across and edit it...simple).

I was using the software to assert PTT and CW through a serial port to a MicroHam DK and then on to the rig. This worked fine with WinTest but out the 300Qs maybe 4Qs came out garbled causing me to reach for the key. I closed all other program down and the CW decoder to ease the pressure on the CPU but it still did it occassionaly.

I noticed that if you press enter before you complete the call field you get less time to complete than with WinTest. I found that even although I had completed the call before it was sent, the last letter was missed leading to unnecessary repeats from the other station.

The CW decoder is a great idea and works well. I preffer not to use the RTTYRite one and instead use the standard decoder (that said I didn't look at it at all during the 300Qs). The standard decoder is docked but RTTYRite opens in a separate window which you can't dock. The same goes for the bandmaps, they float on the desktop meaning you have to shrink down WriteLog to see them. WinTest doesn't have a CW decoder but at least the bandmaps are docked.

So far I can't see a way to send a spot on the bandmap straight to the B VFO :-(.

I only have V3 of WinTest so didn't have ESM capability, so it was nice to find that WriteLog does....finally something positive!

Anyway it all sounds negative, but mostly I just have to get used to a new way of doing things. At this early stage I think V3 WinTest is superior, but it has it's quirks too.

Elecraft K3 Macros

The K3 now has the facility to use macros (previously downloaded to the K3 using the K3 Utility program). You can assign these macros to the K3's M1-4 keys. Both tap and hold functions of these keys can hold a macro, thus giving 8 posibilities. You can also use the the PF keys, but I use these for quick menu access. The macros can be cancelled/assigned very quickly to allow use of the DVR or CW memories.

Key: M1T
Name: RXEQCLR (RX EQaliser CLeaR)
Macro: AI0;K31;MN008;SWT53;MN255;K30;

Key: M2T
Name: RXEQCWF (RX EQaliser CW Flat)
Macro: AI0;K31;MN008;SWT53;SWT11;DN;DN;DN;SWT12;DN;DN;DN;DN;DN;SWT13;DN;DN;DN;DN;DN;SWT24;DN;DN;SWT29;DN;DN;DN;DN;DN;MN255;K30;

Key: M3T
Name: TXEQCLR (TX EQaliser CLeaR)
Macro: AI0;K31;MN009;SWT53;MN255;K30;

Key: M4T
Name: TXEQMID (TX EQaliser MID & top range gain)
Macro: AI0;K31;MN009;SWT53;SWT11;DN;DN;DN;DN;SWT12;DN;DN;DN;SWT13;DN;DN;SWT33;UP;UP;SWT34;UP;UP;UP;MN255;K30;

Key: M1H
Name: SPLIT+2
Macro: SWT13;SWT13;FT1;UPB5;RT0;XT0;

Key: M2H
Name: RXEQCWS (RX EQaliser CW Sharp)
Macro: AI0;K31;MN008;SWT53;SWT12;DN;DN;DN;DN;DN;SWT13;DN;DN;DN;DN;DN;SWT24;DN;DN;DN;DN;DN;SWT29;DN;DN;DN;DN;DN;MN255;K30;

Key: M3H (QSY to RWM 14.999MHz CW)
Name: RWM1499
Macro: FA00014996000;MD3;FA00014996000;BW0040;

Key: M4H
Name: TXEQTOP (TX EQaliser TOP range gain)
Macro: AI0;K31;MN009;SWT53;SWT11;DN;DN;DN;DN;DN;SWT12;DN;DN;DN;DN;DN;SWT34;UP;UP;UP;UP;UP;MN255;K30;

Now I can get some use from the TX and RX Equalisers without having to have a PC permanently hooked up to the K3. Let me know any good macros you have developed.

Elecraft K3 filter offset measurement (8 pole, 400Hz)

Just had a look at my 8 pole 400Hz filter with it set to kick in at DSP BW 900Hz to keep any DSP effects down and the AGC set to off. Did the measurement (using my FT1000MP MkV providing the sig into dummy load with wire to K3 antenna port wrapped round it giving S9 on the K3 meter. The MP has the high freq stab option fitted).
Using the dBV meter on the Elecraft display and resetting it to 0dBV on each measurement by reselecting it on the menu.

Initial results for -6dB points: -265Hz / +198Hz (meaning offset too high by approx 30Hz within 463Hz)

Adjusted 400Hz filter offset value to -0.03

Final results for -6dB points: -235Hz / +228Hz (meaning offset too high by approx 3Hz within 463Hz)

Note that the filter bandwidth was measured dead on 463Hz on both measurements giving me some indication of measurement accuracy.

MM3T CQWW Phone 09

It's the day after CQWW phone 09 and I was so impressed by the K3's performance during the contest, I just needed to share.

I'm not a keen SSB operator, but I like to give some points away. The main thing I learnt this contest was that LO-CUT-HI rocks in SSB! I'd been putting up with horrendous QRM trying to work DX buried between big EU stations. I was using the WIDTH control with not much improvement apparent, when in desperation I decided to try and see if I could winkle the DX out with SHIFT / LO-CUT-HI. The result raised my eyebrows is was so good. I didn't realise that intelligibility could be so good at such narrow (shifted) bandwidths. It made me regret choosing the 2.1KHz instead of the 1.8KHz roofing filter.

On another subject,

This contest the following stations decided to start up on top of me when it was impossible to miss me:
DR5Z, DC4A and PA2MRT
They all suffered from "selective deafness" on a busy 40m.

Out the three, DC4A was the worst, he started up with no QRL at 59+40dB exactly on my frequency. I recon his chosen technique is to pick the least QRM freq, then leave the voice keyer on continuous loop whilst leaving to make himself a cup of tea. When he comes back the QRM he has caused has driven away any occupant (as it's pointless trying to reason with a recording). During the time he QRM'd me, he made no contacts. I had to comply and QSY or lose points being stubborn.

Anyway for the first time it annoyed me so much I nearly gave in with frustration. I went downstairs and had a break and before long was back on 40m doing hunt and pounce.

Another couple of times stations started up impossibly close to me and even though I caught them immediately with "please QSY the frequency is in use" they carried on regardless "selected deafness" style. In one case the station complied to my plea only to move 300Hz further away :-). I think tiredness really comes through in these eventualities and it's best not to be provolked by their stupidity and just to take a break (even though they have just ruined a run into the states after a spot).