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Elecraft K3 transceiver
Elecraft K3 je relatívne malý transceiver, aspoň oproti konkurencii v tejto triede. Ešte prekvapujúcejšia je hmotnosť. K3 je až neuveriteľne ľahkýAfter unscrewing the cover, it is clear why – the mechanical structure is made of thin sheets, the heatsink PA je tiež veľmi malý. O to zaujímavejší poznatok je, že vo vnútri je veľa voľného miesta.
Transceiver je riešený modulovo, while the customer can choose when ordering which modules he wants the device to be equipped with. If he wants to buy something later, he will not have a problem with installation - the board is inserted into the connector on the main board and the module is turned on in the menu. The internal design is very nice. Don't look for bulky cable bundles known from other devices in the K3, except for the speaker lead and a few coaxial connectors, the connections are routed through the main board.
Firmware upgrade
The K3's features can be improved by upgrading the firmware. The final filtering and signal detection is provided by DSP, so the improvement can be interesting because it allows you to always have a modern device on your desk. The connection to the PC works smoothly, the K3 Utility software allows you to, for example, save the transceiver configuration to the PC, upgrade the device or set the configuration.
LCD display and buttons
The LCD display has good contrast, but is quite small and bloated.. K3 umožňuje dekódovať niektoré digitálne módy a telegrafiu na displeji. Táto funkcia funguje (až prekvapivo) dobre, ale čítať text na displeji nebola žiadna sláva.
The buttons are rubberized with a relatively high lift. A short press performs one function, while holding it down performs another. Operation is simple and only takes a moment of getting used to. The main tuning knob has a larger diameter, but it is plastic and has a small weight. Tuning on the FT-1000MP is significantly more pleasant.
SSB reception
First we tested SSB reception on 80, 40 and 20m bands. In the first moments the impression was very, very bad. This is caused by a lousy speaker, which in combination with a relatively empty and not very rigid chassis creates a very bad sound. Listening to an external speaker or headphones is much better. When listening to headphones, it is possible to turn on binaural listening.
A strong feature of the K3 is filtering. The transceiver benefits from an excellent design and INRAD filters at 8.215 MHz. The standard 5-pole SSB filter 2.7kHz is relatively wide, fitting narrower filters is appropriate. To the left of the main tuning knob are two rotary potentiometers, which change the bandwidth and carrier frequency shift. Their settings can also be seen on the display in the form of a filter curve. Changing the MF filters also changes the DSP settings and vice versa, when fitted with multiple filters, they are switched. However, it is always transmitted through the widest filter 2.7kHz, which cannot be changed.
This seemingly not entirely logical thing is an interesting advantage. If you turn on the narrow filter on the 1st MF on the FT-1000MP, you will improve SSB reception, but also narrow the transmitted signal. This will "free up" a few hundred Hz for other stations next to your own frequency, which will help them too. In competitions, this has the effect that after a while they will push you even more, HI. By transmitting into the widest filter, the K3 practices a "strong elbows" policy.
The narrowing (WIDTH) and shifting (SHIFT) effect is striking and, after tuning, is perhaps the most used function on the device. Pristihol som sa pri určitom masochizme, že som každý signál vylepšoval týmito funkciami. Noise reduction a Noise blanker fungujú priemerne. Manuálny aj automatický notch funguje výborne. Predzosilňovač aj Atenuátor sú málo výrazné.
The reception (and the transmitted signal) can be influenced by the equalizer. Optimal settings will take some time, but it will definitely be worth it.
The receiver's SSB characteristics were good, and except for the possibility of playing around with signal filtering, not exceptional. Subjectively, the sound is noisier and more "artificial" than from the FT-1000MP. The transmitted signal is natural, but again the FT-1000MP was better, allowing the transmitted audio to be "puffed up" and "colored" more. It's a shame that we didn't have a digital recorder at our disposal, integrating its control buttons on the front panel would have been an interesting benefit.
Automatic antenna tuner
However, the ATU in the K3 is much better than the FT-1000MP. The ATU in the K3 uses a relay system, which significantly shortens the tuning time. When you press ATU TUNE, you will hear a momentary relay rumble and after fine tuning, the PSV value will appear on the display.
Cooling
Cooling is provided by a pair of fans outside the heatsink, but the device is quiet and despite initial concerns that we would "bake it", nothing of the sort happened.
CW reception
The WPX telegraph section took place over the weekend. We had the K3 equipped with a 400Hz INRAD filter, the FT-1000MP Yaesu with a 500Hz filter. I deliberately tried to find some serious QRM. Here the K3 shone. While the FT-1000MP had noticeably more interference and the sound had a ringing character, the K3 had the desired signal clean and clear. For my "non-telegraph" ear, the tuning indicator was also a good help, which is better than the FT-1000MP. The decoder worked perfectly.
Final evaluation
The Elecraft K3 does not give the impression of a high-end transceiver, although it has the parameters and features to do so. Too bad. In my opinion, the K3 is an excellent CW transceiver and, thanks to its size, weight and consumption, a good companion for portables. On SSB, it is on par with the FT-1000MP in some areas, it is below the level of the FT-1000MP in some areas, but it seems that it does not surpass it in many respects. I admit, I expected more. The price of the K3 in a similar configuration is approximately double that of the used FT-1000MP. I was asked if I would exchange the FT-1000MP for the K3 - in my case, no.