++++++++++++++++++++ From: k6se at juno.com To: Trev at secornwall.com, elecraft at mailman.qth.net Date: Tue, 28 May 2002 10:13:18 -0700 Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Audio Monitor Trev, G3ZYY wrote: "Just one query, the first page of the documentation appears to indicate that it is possible to monitor my own audio by using the carrier balance mode. I can't seem to find it referred to thereafter and, despite trying various combinations, I can't achieve it by trial and error." ========== It's documented in the KSB2 manual on page 19 under "Course Carrier Balance Adjustment" and on page 21 under "Mic Gain". Select SSBA in the menu, then EDIT. Then rotate the VFO knob until you see SSBA BAL, then exit the menu.. Now you'll be able to monitor your mike audio (no signal is transmitted on the air in this mode). To exit the SSBA BAL mode, change menu item SSBA to 1, 2, or 3. 73, de Earl, K6SE +++++++++++++++++++++ To: rondec at easystreet.com, elecraft at mailman.qth.net Date: Tue, 28 May 2002 12:55:33 -0700 Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Audio Monitor From: k6se at juno.com K6SE wrote: "Select SSBA in the menu, then EDIT. Then rotate the VFO knob until you see SSBA BAL, then exit the menu.. Now you'll be able to monitor your mike audio (no signal is transmitted on the air in this mode). Ron, AC7AC wrote:: "Did you actually do this, Earl? It doesn't work on my K2. No audio in the headphones at any time. BTW, the first step of the "Coarse Carrier Balance Adjustment" says to "Disconnect the microphone" which, of course, I did NOT do when trying this" ========== Yes, I just tried it again and it works as advertised. Before changing menu item SSBA to BAL, you must make sure that you are in USB or LSB mode and you have OPT1 selected for the filter. When you exit the menu (SSBA BAL), just speak into your mike and listen to yourself in the headphones. Do NOT press PTT (this assumes that your microphone is wired for VOX use, i.e., has the mike element output going to the AF pin of the mike connector). The monitor volume varies with the front panel AF GAIN control. The Course Carrier Balance Adjustment procedure says to disconnect the microphone merely to eliminate any noise picked up by the mike during the carrier balance procedure. 73, de Earl, K6SE +++++++++++++++++++ Date: Tue, 28 May 2002 22:03:53 +0100 To: elecraft at mailman.qth.net From: Trevor Day Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Audio Monitor In message <20020528.125534.-2093037.1.k6se at juno.com>, k6se at juno.com writes > >Before changing menu item SSBA to BAL, you must make sure that you are in >USB or LSB mode and you have OPT1 selected for the filter. When you exit >the menu (SSBA BAL), just speak into your mike and listen to yourself in >the headphones. Do NOT press PTT (this assumes that your microphone is >wired for VOX use, i.e., has the mike element output going to the AF pin >of the mike connector). The monitor volume varies with the front panel AF >GAIN control. > >The Course Carrier Balance Adjustment procedure says to disconnect the >microphone merely to eliminate any noise picked up by the mike during the >carrier balance procedure. I have just tried it again and this time, it works!! Its possible that I did not have the OPT1 filter selected earlier though can't be sure. Tnx Earl, Trev G3ZYY -- Trevor Day ++++++++++++++++++++ Reply-To: "Ron D'Eau Claire" From: "Ron D'Eau Claire" To: Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Audio Monitor Date: Tue, 28 May 2002 14:11:03 -0700 > > I did it and it worked. Selected BAL and heard the feedback - plugged in > the headset and heard me. > > 73 Hank K8DD > Thank you and Earl K6SE. He had the answer. My mic disconnects the mic element unless the PTT is pressed and pressing the PTT disables the monitor function. Bypassing the switch to keep the element "live" fixed that very nicely. Ron AC7AC K2 # 1289 ++++++++++++++++++++++ Reply-To: "Ron D'Eau Claire" From: "Ron D'Eau Claire" To: Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Audio Monitor Date: Tue, 28 May 2002 17:05:11 -0700 Wow! Not only can one listen to your own audio on the K2, provided the mic element is "hot" without pushing the PTT button, but you can change the OPT 1 BFO settings on the fly! Now THAT should be explained better in the manual. You can put the rig in SSBA BAL mode, switch over the CAL FIL and adjust the BFO frequency for the desired audio characteristic while listening to your own voice in "real time"! Ron AC7AC K2 # 1289 +++++++++++++++++++++ Date: Tue, 28 May 2002 22:11:37 -0400 (EDT) From: kc4kgu at ENTERZONE.NET To: Art Horne Cc: "Ron D'Eau Claire" , elecraft at mailman.qth.net Subject: RE: [Elecraft] Audio Monitor On Tue, 28 May 2002, Art Horne wrote: > Greetings, > I may be having a similar problem. I have the Heil MH2 mike and I can't get > VOX to work. Could it be that the mike output is disconnected unless I > press the PTT switch? I have the jumpers as shown for default in the > manual. It works fine on PTT, just no action no matter how loud I yell. > Any ideas? Thanks > > Art I have an MH2. It leaves the element connected. If you think about it, it can't very well short it. Why? Because you're providing power to the microphone over the mic connector. If you're getting low audio from the MH2 and haven't supplied power to the mic per the instructions, this is probably the case. One nifty thing that I have noticed (and make use of) is that the "dit" on my cw paddle also functions as a PTT. In SSB mode, I just leave the mic on the hanger in front of me (if I'm using the MH2) and use the "dit" as a PTT. It wouldn't work this way if the HEIL MH2 disconnected the element. 73 de John - KC4KGU K2/100 #2490 ++++++++++++++++++ To: rondec at easystreet.com, elecraft at mailman.qth.net Date: Tue, 28 May 2002 19:23:03 -0700 Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Audio Monitor From: k6se at juno.com Ron, AC7AC wrote: "You can put the rig in SSBA BAL mode, switch over the CAL FIL and adjust the BFO frequency for the desired audio characteristic while listening to your own voice in "real time"!" ========== Ib SSB transmit, only FL1 is used. In the KSB2 manual on page 20 it says to set FL1 OP1 to the BFO frequency you noted while building the KSB2 on page 10, which depends on the number that was written on the envelope that xtals X1-X7 came in. Later on, the manual says to also set FL2 to OP1. This had me wondering -- "Why should I set two filter positions for OP1?" I believe the answer is that the page 10/20 settings are optimum for transmit audio on SSB, although they may not be optimal for receive on SSB. And that's why the manual says to also set FL2 to OP1. FL2 is never used in SSB transmit, so you can adjust the BFO for that filter to anything you wish (using Spectrogram or whatever) and it won't affect your SSB signal. Therefore, I would recommend that you do not change the settings for FL1 OP1 from those derived at on page 10 of the manual (at least not very far from that!).. 73, de Earl, K6SE +++++++++++++++++++ Reply-To: "Ron D'Eau Claire" From: "Ron D'Eau Claire" To: Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Audio Monitor Date: Tue, 28 May 2002 19:56:26 -0700 -- "Why should I set two filter positions for OP1?" I believe the answer > is that the page 10/20 settings are optimum for transmit audio on SSB, > although they may not be optimal for receive on SSB. And that's why the > manual says to also set FL2 to OP1. > > FL2 is never used in SSB transmit, so you can adjust the BFO for that > filter to anything you wish (using Spectrogram or whatever) and it won't > affect your SSB signal. > > Therefore, I would recommend that you do not change the settings for FL1 > OP1 from those derived at on page 10 of the manual (at least not very far > from that!).. > > 73, de Earl, K6SE That's very true, Earl, as is this statement under "SSB Transmit BFO Optimization" on Page 22 of the SSB module manual: "...you may wish to experiment with these settings, adjusting them slightly to obtain the best voice quality. You can use another ham-band receiver, or ask a nearby station listen (sic) to your signal as your vary BF1. Use CAL FIL, moving the BFO as much as 150 Hz from the frequencies listed..." It would have been nice had they mentioned listening to your own voice as well. Most ops who I have spoken with, including myself, found the exact frequencies given not optimum for best communications. The "stated" frequencies in the manual work, but variations in voice and microphone make a significant difference. I have a very low-pitched "gravelly" voice, for example, and on-air tests with trusted ops as well as tests made by recording my own voice on an auxiliary receiver suggest a setting that moves the passband upward significantly, taking the low frequency "rumble" out of my voice. Ron AC7AC K2 # 1289 +++++++++++++++++++ Date: Thu, 30 May 2002 10:22:26 +1200 From: Ron ZL1TW To: Elecraft Subject: [Elecraft] Filter and BFO settings Hi all, I was interested in the thread about filter settings of the SSB module initiated by Earl K6SE. I originally took the settings suggested as gospel, and made quite a few contacts on SSB with good reports, until I met up with an old friend who knew my voice, and suggested the BFT settings were not correct as I was too "bassy". I did a check with Spectrogram and confirmed that the BFO was set too far into the filter, and a quick tweak of the settings improved reports to the "fantastic quality" level. In fairness to Elecraft, they do have an alert on page 20 that states "You can optionally fine-tune transmit or receive filter settings later using on-air signals." Anyway, My recommendation to anyone setting up the SSB module would be to have a look at what they have ended up with, by using Spectrogram. You don't have to move the BFO setting far to make an awful signal sound good....or vice versa.... Cheers......Ron ZL1TW ++++++++++++++++++++++ Reply-To: "Ron D'Eau Claire" From: "Ron D'Eau Claire" To: "Elecraft" Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Filter and BFO settings Date: Wed, 29 May 2002 22:27:15 -0700 > In fairness to Elecraft, they do have an alert on page 20 that states "You > can optionally fine-tune transmit or receive filter settings later using > on-air signals." > Anyway, My recommendation to anyone setting up the SSB module would be to > have a look at what they have ended up with, by using Spectrogram. You > don't have to move the BFO setting far to make an awful signal sound > good....or vice versa.... > Cheers......Ron ZL1TW I agree Ron, but I would add that the FINAL test isn't a Spectrogram display, but what the operator's voice sounds like on the air. That's why I was so happy to discover that, with a mic whose element is active when the PTT is NOT depressed, one can listen to their own voice on the K2 when it is in in BAL mode. That is GREAT. I had fussed around with on-air checks and in recording my own voice on an auxiliary receiver in order to make a final check of the audio quality. After all, it's what the audio SOUNDS like that is all-important! Ron AC7AC K2 # 1289 +++++++++++++++++++++ From: bejones at hursley.ibm.com To: "Andreas Hofmann" Date: Fri, 28 Jun 2002 14:31:19 +0100 Subject: Re: [Elecraft] How to listen to my own SSB audio? Cc: elecraft at mailman.qth.net On 28 Jun 2002 at 0:00, Andreas Hofmann wrote: > It was in some thread recently, but under a different subject... could > not find it anymore. I tried setting SSBA BAL but that did not do it. > > How about a different idea (triggered by an article in July's Radcom - the UK equivalent of QST). Go to www.javaradio.com or somewhere similar and control a web RX in some location - maybe even some DX location you know you have propagation to. Set up some recording software on your PC and then TX your K2 on the frequency you've just set up the remote javaradio RX to listen on. Your PC should now be monitoring how you sound to a DX receiver! Also useful to check how well 10W is breaking through the DX noise floor. Brian G0UKB +++++++++++++++++ Reply-To: From: "Ron D'Eau Claire" To: "'Andreas Hofmann'" , Subject: RE: [Elecraft] How to listen to my own SSB audio? Date: Fri, 28 Jun 2002 08:11:02 -0700 It was in some thread recently, but under a different subject... could not find it anymore. I tried setting SSBA BAL but that did not do it. Any help is appreciated. Andreas, AC7UC Your microphone is probably not wired so the microphone element is "hot" even when the PTT button is NOT pressed. I had to jumper two contacts on the PTT switch on mine. I don't know how the Elecraft mic is set up, but if the mic will work in VOX mode without touching the PTT button, it should work. Then you put the rig in SSBA-BAL and talk. Don't push the PTT! Doing that turns the mode off. You'll need to wear headphones. There is plenty of gain and unless you have a very long mic cord, you'll get lots of feedback trying to hear on the speaker. Ron AC7AC K2 # 1289 +++++++++++++++++