Elecraft K3 Owner's Manual - Manual (Page 26)

26
Transmitter Setup
Transmit Crystal Filter Considerations
For each operating mode, you must specify which
I.F. crystal filter to use for transmit using the
CONFIG:FLTX menu entry. See pg. 47 for
recommended per-mode transmit filter bandwidths.
Transmit signals are generated on the RF board,
so the set of filters installed on the RF board must
meet the transmit bandwidth requirements of all
modes you plan to use. (Filters installed on the sub
receiver board are used only in receive mode.)
Transmit Status LEDs and Icons
Before putting the K3 on the air, you should be
familiar with the LEDs and LCD icons that pertain
to transmit operation (identified on pgs. 11 and 12).
The most important of these are reviewed here.
The TX LED turns on during transmit. The ∆F
(Delta-F) LED turns on if the transmit and receive
frequencies differ (SPLIT / RIT / XIT).
The TX LCD icon and associated arrows show
which VFO is being used for transmit. If you plan
to use
S P L I T mode, See pg. 36.
Multifunction Transmit Controls
There are two multifunction transmit controls. Their
primary functions (mode-dependent) are:
S P E E D CW keyer speed in WPM
M IC Mic gain
C M P Speech compression level in dB
P WR RF output power in watts (6 m and
transverter power settings are
independent of other bands; also see
Per-Band Power Control, pg. 27)
The secondary (hold) functions of these controls
are:
D E L A Y VOX or CW semi-break-in delay
M O N Voice/Data monitor or CW sidetone
level.
VOX, PTT, and QSK
In voice and data modes, use V O X to select VOX
(pg. 13) or PTT (push-to-talk). PTT can still be
used even with VOX selected. Set VOX gain and
anti-vox level using MAIN:VOX GN and
ANTIVOX.
In CW mode, use V O X to select either VOX or PTT
transmit. VOX enables “user-activated” (hit-the-
key) transmit, while PTT requires the use of PTT
IN (pg. 17) or
X M IT before CW can be sent.
When the VOX icon is on in CW mode, you can
use Q S K to select full ( QSK icon on) or semi
break-in. For more on break-in keying, see pg. 30.
Transmit Metering
Normally, the transmit bar graph shows SWR and
RF (power output). The displayed SWR range is
1:1 to 3:1. The RF control range is 0 to 12 W in
1-W units, or 0 to 110 W in 10-W units. The power
scale changes from watts x1 to watts x10 at 13
watts.
In voice modes, you can use M E T E R to switch to
compression ( CMP ) and automatic level control
( ALC ) metering. See pg. 28 for information on
adjusting the M IC and C M P controls.
If you have a KXV3 installed, you can use
milliwatt-level power output. This is intended for
use with transverters, but it can also allow the K3 to
act as a very stable, very low-noise signal generator.
To route RX and TX through the XVTR jacks on all
bands, set CONFIG:KXV3 to
TES T .
When milliwatt-level output is in effect, rotating
P WR will show milliwatts on VFO A, and dBm
(dB relative to 1 milliwatt) on VFO B. The RF bar
graph displays power output in tenths of a mW.
Off-Air Transmit Testing
The K3 allows you to listen to your CW keying, test
your mic and compression settings, or monitor
DATA tones, without transmitting an on-air signal.
To do this, hold
T E S T (right end of the M O D E
control). While you're in TEST mode, the TX icon
will flash slowly as a reminder that you're off air.
Hold T E S T again to return to normal operation.