So, I'm not familiar with Elecraft products or the K3. Maybe I should be?
How do you configure with multiple xvtrs?
I own 2 FT736's but get frustrated now that they don't interface with a
computer well (if at all).
What accessories besides the transverter interface are desirable in a K3?
73,
Ed K3DNE
> On 01/16/2023 4:30 PM Terry Price <terry@directivesystems.com
> mailto:terry@directivesystems.com > wrote:
>
>
> You are right, the K3 doesn't "look" like a $5000 radio, it just works
> like
> one. The thing I love about the K3 is within the first 30 minutes on
> touching one when they first came out, they were VERY intuitive. I've
> owned
> 3 TS2000's and I still don't understand them!! I guess beauty is in the
> eyes
> of the beholder.
>
> Terry
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Kevin Hobbs [mailto:ve3kh@icloud.com mailto:ve3kh@icloud.com ]
> Sent: Monday, January 16, 2023 3:29 PM
> To: 'Terry Price' <terry@directivesystems.com
> mailto:terry@directivesystems.com >; 'Ed Kucharski'
> <k3dne@comcast.net mailto:k3dne@comcast.net >;
> vhfcontesting@contesting.com mailto:vhfcontesting@contesting.com
> Subject: RE: [VHFcontesting] IF Radios & XTRs
>
> I bought a K3 and couldn't bare to look at it ... I thought it looked /
> felt
> like a cheap toy ... but maybe I shouid've judged it on usability and
> integratability (maybe not a real word lol).
>
> Flex listened in the beginning and they made the 500A V/U ... best radio I
> ever owned, when it worked properly, which wasn't very often ... between
> Windows & FireWire and Updates, Flex bugs, database crashes / corruption,
> unfulfilled promises of functionality I gave up and sold it. Many years
> later I got sucked back in and bought a 6600M ... I struggle with it all
> time, rearranging my XVTRs and interconnections trying to work around Flex
> bugs that seem to have never been tested ... I keep hoping that sooner or
> later it'll actually work as advertised, but it never seems to happen. I
> 've
> honestly felt like their XVTR & IO Beta Tester for years wasting countless
> hours. The business model totally focuses on commercial sales and keeping
> the HFers happy (which I totally understand but don't have to like) ...
> they
> just don't commit the resources to care about the VHF minority and they
> never should've added XVTR ports if they didn't intend to properly support
> them. It's kind of sad because the radio remembers everything when jumping
> back and forth between HF Bands, but somehow no one gave a crap about the
> fact that they let you make up as many XVTR entries as you like (which is
> awesome) but since the radio sees them all as 28MHz I doesn't remember
> your
> settings for each XVTR Band making it incredibly frustrating trying to run
> the bands in a VHF contest and then trying to get back to where you were
> to
> coordinate etc ... but apparently its no big deal because VHF contest QSO
> rates are so low compared to HF that we should have plenty of time to
> re-setup after every band change to make up for the software shortcomings.
>
> It seems that no matter what one chooses for VHF one be prepared for
> workarounds !!!
>
> KH
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: VHFcontesting
> <vhfcontesting-bounces+ve3kh=icloud.com@contesting.com
> mailto:vhfcontesting-bounces+ve3kh=icloud.com@contesting.com >
> On Behalf Of Terry Price
> Sent: January 16, 2023 11:58 AM
> To: 'Ed Kucharski' <k3dne@comcast.net mailto:k3dne@comcast.net >;
> vhfcontesting@contesting.com mailto:vhfcontesting@contesting.com
> Subject: Re: [VHFcontesting] IF Radios & XTRs
>
> Ed et all,
>
> I think the entire reason the K3 works so well and fits so many niches is
> Elecraft listened. Both Wayne and Eric answered questions and suggestions
> directly from their reflector. The closest any of the Japanese companies
> ever came was the good old Yaesu Ft736R and maybe some of the ICOMs. But
> just look at the IC-9700, ICOMs latest VHF rig, if doesn't even offer per
> band PTT output for individual amps and no band data unless you want to
> roll
> your own using an Arduino watching the CI-V. Yes I realize they are making
> radios for worldwide consumption but I would this everyone would like
> this.
> I'm anxiously awaiting the new IC-905 to see how bad they butchered it. I
> have a IC-705 and it has a single PTT output, no band data for steering
> the
> PTT and no CI-V jack. And, don't even get me started about 222 and 902 !!
>
> Unfortunately, we as VHF weak signal folks are such a minority that no one
> will listen. They, like the ARRL, only cares about "shack on the belt"
> types
> and HF. Flex is an American company (I think) and being a true SDR, one
> would think it could walk on water and leave tracks but only if the
> software
> engineers make it. One of our operators at K8GP/W8ZN has a Flex 6XXX and
> after watching the amount of work it takes him to set it up and get it to
> work, I'll keep my K3's until they put me in a pine box!
>
> Terry
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: VHFcontesting
> [mailto:vhfcontesting-bounces+terry=directivesystems.com@contesting.com
> mailto:vhfcontesting-bounces+terry=directivesystems.com@contesting.com ] On
> Behalf Of Ed Kucharski
> Sent: Monday, January 16, 2023 11:33 AM
> To: vhfcontesting@contesting.com mailto:vhfcontesting@contesting.com
> Subject: Re: [VHFcontesting] IF Radios & XTRs
>
> I have nothing to really add to this thread other than to vent my
> frustration. Kevin alluded to it with his criticism of the Flex and xvtrs.
> I'm particularly disappointed with Yaesu and their "flagship" radio
> (FTDX101D / MP). No configuration or low level output for transverter
> interfacing. I knew that before purchasing the radio and planned to
> continue
> to use my FT1000MP MKV as an IF but the '101 has many nice features I'd
> like
> to have when using it with transverters for 2m and up. A significant
> oversight by Yaesu IMHO.
> 73,
> Ed K3DNE
>
>
> > > On 01/16/2023 11:24 AM Kevin Hobbs via VHFcontesting
> >
> > > <vhfcontesting@contesting.com mailto:vhfcontesting@contesting.com
> > mailto:vhfcontesting@contesting.com mailto:vhfcontesting@contesting.com >
> > wrote:
>
> > >
> >
> > Thanks Terry ... that's what I figured ... I assume if the K3 does
> >
> > > that then
>
> > > K4 probably follows the same architecture. Seems like
> just another
> >
> > > VHF+ /
>
> > > XVTR oversight by Flex Radio. 73 KH
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Terry Price <terry@directivesystems.com
> > mailto:terry@directivesystems.com
> >
> > > mailto:terry@directivesystems.com
> > mailto:terry@directivesystems.com >
>
> > > Sent: January 16, 2023 10:40 AM
> > To: 'Kevin Hobbs' <ve3kh@icloud.com mailto:ve3kh@icloud.com
> > mailto:ve3kh@icloud.com mailto:ve3kh@icloud.com >
> > Cc: 'VHF Contesting Reflector' <vhfcontesting@contesting.com
> > mailto:vhfcontesting@contesting.com
> >
> > > mailto:vhfcontesting@contesting.com
> > mailto:vhfcontesting@contesting.com >
>
> > > Subject: RE: [VHFcontesting] IF Radios & XTRs
> >
> > Hi Kevin,
> >
> > Don't know about the K4 but I have four K3's and they remember
> > every
> >
> > > VHF
>
> > > band so when I QSY say to 222.100 and then to another
> band, when I
> >
> > > come back
>
> > > to 222, it is on 222.100 and the same mode. The K3
> supports 10 VHF
> >
> > > bands so
>
> > > one radio can do 50 MHz (native) through 10GHz and the
> dial shows the
> > correct frequency. Each band can have a frequency correction of
> > +/- 5
> >
> > > KHz
>
> > > (maybe 10 I can't remember) and the band data is standard
> BCD that
> > is
> >
> > > also
>
> > > mirrored for HF. There is a separate control line that
> goes low
> > when
> >
> > > low
>
> > > power transverter mode is selected so you can
> differentiate
> > between HF
> >
> > > and
>
> > > VHF and there is a PTT output, all of these signals are
> available
> > at
> >
> > > the
>
> > > HD15 acc connector on the back. So you can cover 160m
> through 10
> > GHz
> >
> > > all
>
> > > automatically with the right BCD decoder setup. If you
> get one
> > with
> >
> > > the
>
> > > internal 2m transverter, it can be set up to cover bands
> from 902
> > and
> >
> > > up as
>
> > > an I.F.
> >
> > 73,
> >
> > Terry - W8ZN
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: VHFcontesting
> >
> >
> > >
> > [mailto:vhfcontesting-bounces+terry=directivesystems.com@contesting.com
> > mailto:vhfcontesting-bounces+terry=directivesystems.com@contesting.com
> mailto:vhfcontesting-bounces+terry=directivesystems.com@contesting.com
> mailto:vhfcontesting-bounces+terry=directivesystems.com@contesting.com ] On
>
> > > Behalf Of Kevin Hobbs via VHFcontesting
> > Sent: Monday, January 16, 2023 10:30 AM
> > To: VHF Contesting <vhfcontesting@contesting.com
> > mailto:vhfcontesting@contesting.com
> >
> > > mailto:vhfcontesting@contesting.com
> > mailto:vhfcontesting@contesting.com >
>
> > > Subject: [VHFcontesting] IF Radios & XTRs
> >
> > Hi
> >
> >
> >
> > I have a Flex 6600M and a number of XVTRs connected to its XVTRA
> > RXA
> >
> > > ports
>
> > > with external switching controlled via the Flex IO USB
> >
> > * 8 CH Relays to control DPDT coax switch to select between a Kuhne
> > 144 XVTR (which is the IF for 10 24 47 GHz XVTRs) and a Q5 5-Band
> > XVTR
> >
> >
> >
> > My issue is that when I change VHF+ bands via the Flex, it resets
> > my
> >
> > > freq,
>
> > > panadapter etc to default settings and so I can switch
> back to
> > where I
> >
> > > was
>
> > > when running the bands because the Flex thinks it all
> 28MHz and
> > even
> >
> > > though
>
> > > it handles all the XVTR's it doesn't have any band memory
> /
> >
> > > persistence for
>
> > > XVTRs. This makes running the bands and going back and
> forth to
> >
> > > coordinate a
>
> > > feal nuisance.
> >
> >
> >
> > Does anyone have a workaround or know if some other HF IF rigs
> > handle
> >
> > > this
>
> > > better ie: K3 or K4 ???
> >
> >
> >
> > 73 Kevin VE3KH
> >
> > _______________________________________________
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> >
> > _______________________________________________
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> >
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