+++++++++++++++++++++ Date: Mon, 04 Feb 2002 09:03:25 -0500 From: "David A. Belsley" To: =?ISO-8859-1?Q?Tom_Hammond_N=D8SS?= , JohnK1JD at aol.com, elecraft at mailman.qth.net Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Re: K2 Instability on Transmit I also have had a strange 'drifting' behavior similar to that to which John = refers, although I am pretty sure I've only had it happen in split mode.=20 Usually when I hit A=3DB it goes away. But for a bit, when I transmit I = can=20 watch the display slowly move upwards (in the second spot to the right of=20 the decimal), and the op I'm working indicates there has been a drift.=20 Once, during a round-table on cw, my signal just took off up band, and I=20 didn't realize it until I heard the guys I was operating talking about the=20 disappearance of my signal up band. That was, however, with the 1.06=20 firmware, and I haven't had anything quite that drastic with the new=20 firmware. So, whether this is the same as your problem, John, which seems to be rit=20 related, or an altogether different problem, I don't know. But they sure=20 sound related. It's almost like some offset is being recalculated in=20 dynamically iterative manner. It doesn't happen often and I don't ever=20 recall its happening to the receive frequency, just the transmit. best wishes, dave belsley, w1euy --On Monday, February 4, 2002 7:44 AM -0600 Tom Hammond N=D8SS=20 wrote: > John: > >> K3 #139 performed **almost** perfectly during the FOC Marathon this >> weekend. > > You have a "K3"... damn! I thought ALL Of the FT's would get it, not just > a 'chosen few'...!!! > >> The rig was interfaced to TR Log via the KIO2 and the combination >> was amazing. The power of TR Log (freeware version) surprised me. > > Had I known you were gonna use TRLog, I'd have sent you a Full-Blown > (e.g. current) release to try out! > >> Now for the problem... Twice during the contest (which I operated about >> 12 hours) the frequency display on the K2 would begin to dither, in >> random fashion, while transmitting CW. The dithering was fortunately >> confined to the right of the frequency readout decimal point as I >> recall. Also, the sound of the sidetone became choppy when this happened >> and several stations commented on the drifting. In one case, simply >> disengaging RIT corrected the problem; in the other, powering on/off >> twice was necessary. The K2 ran cool the whole time so I don't think >> heat is an issue. With contest style operation, T/R change-over cycles >> are short/rapid/frequent which might be challenging to internal timing. > > Hmmm... I operated 20+ hours in the CW SS and never experienced any > problems... any chance it might have been RF-inflicted? > >> I also notice that occasionally, when RIT is engaged, the transmit >> frequency does not always display when transmitting on this K2 (the >> display stays on the RIT freq). This has happened often since the rig >> was put into service July of 99, but I don't know if the transmit freq >> actually "jumps" or if it's just the display. No one has ever made note >> of it on the air. > > This is NORMAL (e.g. firmware-related)... I think all of us who run RIT > with ANY logging program find the same thing occuring. > >> Although this problem resulted in only seconds of inconvenience over >> hours of otherwise flawless contest operation, I am concerned that it >> might get worse and hopeful there is a known cause and solution.Your >> advice would be appreciated. Has anyone else reported such a problem? > > Tom +++++++++++++++++ From: "Cady, Fred" To: "'elecraft at mailman.qth.net'" Subject: RE: [Elecraft] Re: K2 Instability on Transmit Date: Mon, 4 Feb 2002 07:57:25 -0700 We had the same problem during the CQWW test at 6YxA. Pretty sure it = was while operating split, which I did a lot due the the RIT not being very convenient. Power off/on seemed to cure it and away we would go again. Fred KE7X Fred Cady Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Montana State University Bozeman, MT 59717 fcady at ece.montana.edu http://www.coe.montana.edu/ee/cady/cadyhmpg.htm (406) 994-5976 +++++++++++++++++++++ Reply-To: From: "Ron D' Eau Claire" To: Subject: RE: [Elecraft] Re: K2 Instability on Transmit Date: Mon, 4 Feb 2002 08:19:07 -0800 > We had the same problem during the CQWW test at 6YxA. Pretty sure it was > while operating split, which I did a lot due the the RIT not being very > convenient. Power off/on seemed to cure it and away we would go again. > > Fred KE7X Egad! So this OLD bug is still with us? The last time I e-mailed Wayne about it was last May (2001), but I am also still running the 1.06 firmware and so I haven't reported the subsequent incidences. I'll be putting in new firmware in a few days in the hopes that it would cure the problem. Guess not... I run SPLIT 100% of the time, and the problem appears about once every 10 hours of operation or so. Suddenly the TX frequency starts incrementing up the band as I key. I've gotten used to doing to things: 1) Noting my EXACT TX frequency as shown on the display at the start of every QSO and 2) Keeping an eye on the display because I will see it start moving when the bug strikes. Then I can quickly hit A/B and manually reset the transmit frequency and then apologize to the op on the other end. Changing the TX frequency manually seems to cure it every time... until the next time... It's sort of a big hole in the K2 MOJO bucket that opens at random. But I've tried and tried and have not been able to give the Elecraft guys a way to make it happen on demand. And if you can't make it break on cue, it's very hard to know when it's fixed. Last Spring when it last came up on the reflector here there were about a dozen of us who swapped messages about being afflicted with the problem. So it's NOT an isolated incident limited to one or two K2's. Ron AC7AC K2 # 1289 ++++++++++++++++++ Date: Mon, 04 Feb 2002 11:40:55 -0500 From: Paul Womble To: elecraft at mailman.qth.net Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Re: K2 Instability on Transmit I'm one that's seen this happen. I've got a fox run later this month, so will get an opportunity to see if the newer firmware did fix this "problem". Paul K4FB Ron D' Eau Claire wrote: > . So it's NOT an isolated incident limited > to one or two K2's ++++++++++++++++++ Date: Mon, 04 Feb 2002 08:53:31 -0800 From: Vic Rosenthal Organization: Transparent Software To: elecraft at mailman.qth.net Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Re: K2 Instability on Transmit Ron D' Eau Claire wrote: > > I run SPLIT 100% of the time, and the problem appears about once every 10 > hours of operation or so. Suddenly the TX frequency starts incrementing up > the band as I key. Well, that explains why I didn't see it. I only operate split for dxpeditions, using RIT in contests. 73, Vic, K2VCO Fresno CA +++++++++++++++++ +++++++++++++++++++ From: JohnK1JD at aol.com Date: Mon, 4 Feb 2002 18:24:58 EST To: elecraft at mailman.qth.net Subject: [Elecraft] THANKS ...Re: K2 Instability on Transmit Thanks to all who responded. No, I don't have a K3 (wishful thinking on my part) but poor typing skills were definitely the limiting factor while using TR Log :-) What a great program!! Sounds like the instability issue is an old bug. To clarify, I was not operating in Split at all during the contest. From your responses it sounded like contesting-style operation was a common factor...maybe creating race conditions with internal CPU timing not normally encountered in more casual operation. Hopefully the problem can be resolved in future firmware. 73, John, K1JD ++++++++++++++++++ Date: Tue, 5 Feb 2002 09:56:39 +0000 From: "Julian, G4ILO" Subject: RE: [Elecraft] Re: K2 Instability on Transmit To: elecraft at mailman.qth.net I've seen occasional jumps of one VFO step when I'm not even touching the radio. I guess that if one of the sensors in the optical encoder is right on the transition point, slight voltage fluctuations caused by keying could cause it to go on off on off, thereby moving the VFO. Does using the LOCK button on the front panel prevent it? -- Julian, G4ILO. (RSGB, ARRL, K2 #392) Homepage: http://www.qsl.net/g4ilo "Ron D' Eau Claire" wrote: [snip] Suddenly the TX frequency starts incrementing up the band as I key. ++++++++++++++++++= Date: Tue, 05 Feb 2002 07:49:32 -0600 To: "Julian, G4ILO" , elecraft at mailman.qth.net From: Tom Hammond =?iso-8859-1?Q?N=D8SS?= Subject: RE: [Elecraft] Re: K2 Instability on Transmit IF the problem is 'mechanical' then it should... in fact, I'd say that the LOCK should pretty well 'secure' any change in output freq. from the VFO. Tom N0SS At 03:56 AM 2/5/02, you wrote: >I've seen occasional jumps of one VFO step when I'm not even touching the >radio. I guess that if one of the sensors in the optical encoder is right >on the transition point, slight voltage fluctuations caused by keying could >cause it to go on off on off, thereby moving the VFO. > >Does using the LOCK button on the front panel prevent it? > >-- >Julian, G4ILO. (RSGB, ARRL, K2 #392) +++++++++++++++++++ Reply-To: From: "Ron D' Eau Claire" To: Subject: RE: [Elecraft] Re: K2 Instability on Transmit Date: Tue, 5 Feb 2002 07:50:33 -0800 > >Does using the LOCK button on the front panel prevent it? > > > >-- > >Julian, G4ILO. (RSGB, ARRL, K2 #392) That's an interesting idea, Julian. I don't normally operate the K2 with the frequency locked, of course. One can change the transmit frequency by turning the tuning knob while transmitting in SPLIT of course, so I guess that it is possible that the encoder is hanging on the edge of a transition. I spent a while playing around in SPLIT with the K2 running full power into a dummy load (to produce the sort of current drain and voltage shifts I would see on the air) and can't make it happen. But that's been the root of the problem all along. It comes and goes and no one experiencing it has been able to make it happen 'on demand' yet. Ron AC7AC K2 # 1289 ++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++