+++++++++++++++++++ Date: Fri, 19 Oct 2001 22:00:04 -0700 From: Eric Swartz WA6HHQ - Elecraft Subject: [Elecraft] New-> 4-Band Module for the Elecraft K1 Transceiver Elecraft's compact CW transceiver, the K1, just became a four-bander. In addition to the 2-band version, the rig is now available with a single band-switched module that covers 40, 30, 20, and either 17 or 15 meters. The 4-band module can also be ordered as an option (KFL1-4), so existing K1s can be easily upgraded. No hardware or firmware changes are necessary to use the 4-band module. It's the same size as the 2-band unit, and the transceiver will recognize whether a 2- or 4-band module is installed. The K1's low current drain (about 55 mA on receive) is unchanged thanks to the use of latching relays for all band switching functions. The 4-band module works with all K1 options, including the KAT1 automatic antenna tuner, KNB1 noise blanker, and KBT1 battery pack. With the internal ATU and battery installed, the 4-band K1 offers an unprecedented combination of features for field operation or travel, in a package measuring only 2.2"H x 5.5"W x 5.7"D. The 4-band module covers several of the most popular HF bands. 40 and 20 meters provide activity day and night, and are important for contests, Field Day, and QRP events. 30 meters has a small but active CW segment, and as a WARC band provides a "haven" from contests. The 4th band can be either 15 or 17 meters. 15 meters is a traditional low-noise, daylight DX band, and is very active during Field Day. 17 meters is another contest-free zone, and stays open a bit longer than 15 meters. These are the only bands available for the 4-band unit. However, it only takes a couple of minutes to swap in a 2-band module, accommodating those who want 80 meter coverage or specific 2-band combinations. The 4-band K1 (K1-4) is priced at $349. The 4-band option for existing K1s (KFL1-4) is $129. Both are available now. The prices for the original 2-band K1 and additional 2-band option modules remain unchanged at $279 and $59, respectively. Detailed information on the K1-4 and the KFL1-4, along with an updated on-line order form, will be on our web site sometime between now and the end of Saturday. (We're all at the Pacificon hamfest now and are updating everything remotely.) For additional details, see our web page ( http://www.elecraft.com ), or call 831-662-8345. 73, Wayne, N6KR Eric, WA6HHQ +++++++++++++++++++ Date: Sat, 20 Oct 2001 17:08:33 -0500 From: Tom Hammond =?iso-8859-1?Q?N=D8SS?= Subject: Re: [Elecraft] New-> 4-Band Module for the Elecraft K1 Transceiver Mike: >I wonder if the kit allows the option for the 30m band of starting >coverage at 10.0 MHz (vice 10.1 MHz) for those of us using the 170 kHz >VFO option. Yup! Shore does! I tune from 9.095 thru 10.170! Tom N0SS +++++++++++++++++++ Date: Sun, 21 Oct 2001 00:16:52 From: "Bruce Prior" Subject: [Elecraft] KFL1-4 Excitement To say that I'm excited about the KFL1-4 is an understatement. I was thrilled to be part of the field test group. Now that the K1 can be a four-band rig, or even a six-bander with just one board swap, puts it into a different league. I think a number of current K1 owners who haven't built the KAT1 internal automatic antenna tuner will now go for that option. With four bands to play with, the ATU will really come into its own. The 4-band K1 is now front and center in my shack. Part of the reason, by the way, is because of the wide-range tilt stand (KTS1). Its tall configuration makes it much more convenient to use in a camping situation, but on a desk at home or a motel, the short configuration of the KTS1 is really snazzy. Notice that even though the K1 is a very small radio, its front controls are well spaced, so that it's easy to operate even with gloved hands. I assumed that the 4-band KFL1-4 would be a much higher density board, and therefore it would be more difficult to build than the KFL1. Not true. Wayne Burdick has managed to keep the parts count down, so the resulting board still has components spaced out enough so that the K1-4 is still a fine beginner's project. One strategy that Wayne used (which I'm sure he could explain better than I) was to segregate the four bands into two groups. The lower pair -- 40 and 30 meters in the standard configuation -- share a premix band-pass filter transformer and an RF band-pass filter transformer as well as a low-pass filter. The higher pair -- 20 and 17 meters or 20 and 15 meters in the standard kit -- share another set of tranformers and a band-pass filter. Additionally, the trimmer capacitors in the premix and RF filter circuits are also, in a sense, shared. The 40-m circuits "borrow" capacitance from the 30-m circuits and the 20-m circuits "borrow" capacitance from the 17-m or 15-m circuits. The wonderfully explicit instructions in Wayne's "cookbook" guide the builder through the process of adjusting those 16 trimmers in the proper order. The end result is a 4-band module that is quite easy to build. It's all made possible by eight amazingly small latching relays which obey Wayne's logic to sort this all out when you switch through the four bands. It's because of this component sharing, as well as administrative practicality, that the KFL1-4 comes in a standard band configuration. The kit arrives with crystals for five bands. 40-m, 30-m and 20-m are standard. You get to chose either 17-m or 15-m for the highest band. That's the situation as I write this. As I understand it, Elecraft has found that its K1 customers have tended to favor 40-m, 20-m and 15-m when they've ordered band components for the 2-band K1. 80-m and 30-m and 17-m are lower on the list. Because of the component sharing scheme, any two adjacent amateur bands between 40-m and 15-m can be paired on the KFL1-4, as well as 20-m and 15-m. However, the frequency ratio between the CW portions of the 80-m and 40-m bands is too high to allow those two bands to share resonant circuits. It is, however, electronically possible to install 80-m on the KFL1-4 board, but in that case you'll end up with a radio which covers three rather than four bands. So here is a list of electronically-possible band combinations for the KFL1-4 using the crystals which are currently available from Elecraft. Note that only the first two combinations are possible with the standard KFL1-4 kit which is being offered currently: 40-m, 30-m, 20-m, 17-m 40-m, 30-m, 20-m, 15-m 30-m, 20-m, 17-m, 15-m 80-m, 40-m, 30-m 80-m, 30-m, 20-m 80-m, 20-m, 17-m 80-m, 20-m, 15-m 80-m, 17-m, 15-m For the field test I built the 40-m, 30-m, 20-m, 15-m combination. I'm planning to convert my current 80-m, 40-m KFL1 board to 80-m, 17-m. I'll use the 4-band K1 most of the time at home, and the 2-band one more in the field, where I'll be wanting to routinely check into CW traffic nets to keep in touch with family. Since I've installed the KAT1, I'll also take the extra board along. For backpacking I'm planning to use one antenna for all six bands, to cut down on backpack weight and to keep daily antenna-launching simple. We'll see how that works out. I've found a 12-oz. (355 mL) Rubbermaid "servin' saver" container which holds the extra band module nicely. My K1 routinely travels in a similar 10-cups (2.4 L) Rubbermaid container. 72, Bruce Prior N7RR in Blaine, WA +++++++++++++++++++ Date: Sun, 21 Oct 2001 09:25:25 -0700 From: Wayne Burdick Subject: [Elecraft] 4-band K1: Q & A Thanks for all of your interest and comments about the new 4-band module for the K1. The answer to some frequently-asked questions appear below. 73, Wayne, N6KR * * * Q: Do I need to specify bands when ordering the K1-4 or KFL1-4? A: No. 40, 30, and 20 meters are standard, and the fourth band is determined by the builder at time of assembly. Pre-mix crystals for *both* 17 and 15 meters are supplied. (However, if you order a K1-2 or KFL1-2, you still do specify the bands as before.) Q: Does the kit provide for both 10.0 and 10.1 MHz band edges on 30 meters? A: Yes. We supply two pre-mix crystals for 30 meters. At time of assembly, you select the one that corresponds to your VFO tuning range. Q: Is 80-meter coverage possible with the 4-band module? A: While it may be possible, it would make the 4-band module a 3-band module, because there's no band close enough to 80 meters to share a low-pass filter. Also, the -3 dB bandwidth on 80 meters would be very small due to the very large capacitors required for the band-pass filters. The other two bands would have to be non-harmonically related and close together, e.g. 40/30, 30/20, etc. We don't plan to offer parts for 80 meters or other combinations, but as always, we encourage builders to experiment and share their results. Q: What can I do with my 2-band modules if both bands are now covered by the 4-band module? A: You could re-build the 2-band module to cover 80 meters and either 15 or 17 meters. Other possibilities include 160, 12, or 10 meters, although we don't offer parts for these bands and have not yet tested them, so you'll be on your own (we intend to test these and write an application note eventually). Then there's the proposed 5.2 MHz band, and other future bands. These bands will of course be "receive-only" until approved for general ham use. But who knows? If a large contingent of QRPers was poised and ready to operate on 5.2 and (for example) 12.0 MHz, perhaps another test license could be granted....this is purely speculation, but the possibilities are interesting. +++++++++++++++++++ Date: Sun, 21 Oct 2001 12:26:09 -0700 From: Wayne Burdick Subject: Re: [Elecraft] KFL1-4 T1/2 toriod winding question? Hi Glenn, Folding the lead down does not change the turns count. It is only shown that way in preparation for stripping and tinning the leads to the proper length. 73, Wayne N6KR Glenn Maclean wrote: > > I picked up the KFL1-4 filter board fit form the Elecraft booth at > Pacificon. My question is about T1/T2 winding? On page 12 of the > instructions It shows the green lead 2 folded down and behind. Does this > count as the eight turn? The figure 6 (a) shows eight turns prior to running > the lead down and behind. Then figure 6 (b) shows eight turns with the lead > folded behind. I counted this as the eight turn since it passes through the > core. +++++++++++++++++++++ Date: Sun, 21 Oct 2001 19:59:55 -0700 From: "N7SG K7FD" Subject: [Elecraft] PHOTOs: K1 4 Bander Module For those who have been inquiring about the new Elecraft mystery product, Glenn WA7SPY finished his K1 4 band module today and asked that I post pictures of his completed board... Please visit: http://home.teleport.com/~cqdx/4bander.htm 73 John K7FD ++++++++++++++++++ Date: Sun, 21 Oct 2001 20:01:27 -0700 From: "Glenn Maclean" Subject: [Elecraft] K1 4 band filter board I went to Pacificon and picked up the new 4 band filter board for the K1. I was able to put it together and it is fully functional today and works great! If you would like to see a photo of the top and bottom of the board, it can be viewed at the following address: http://www.members.home.net/glennmaclean/K1fl4.jpg http://www.members.home.net/glennmaclean/K1fl4b.jpg Glenn WA7SPY +++++++++++++++++++ Date: Sun, 21 Oct 2001 22:08:38 -0500 From: Tom Hammond =?iso-8859-1?Q?N=D8SS?= Subject: Re: [Elecraft] KFL1-4 T1/2 toriod winding question? Glenn: >I picked up the KFL1-4 filter board fit form the Elecraft booth at >Pacificon. My question is about T1/T2 winding? On page 12 of the >instructions It shows the green lead 2 folded down and behind. Does this >count as the eight turn? The figure 6 (a) shows eight turns prior to running >the lead down and behind. Then figure 6 (b) shows eight turns with the lead >folded behind. I counted this as the eight turn since it passes through the >core. I know the pictures are for general use. A little clarification here >would be helpful. I have the board complete and will be testing and aligning >it today. You count a turn each time the wire goes THRU the core... the fact the one lead is bent down doesn't matter... it still goes THRU the core. Tom N0SS ++++++++++++++++++++++ Date: Sun, 21 Oct 2001 16:40:51 -0700 From: lhlousek Subject: Re: [Elecraft] 4-band K1: Q & A Hi Steve, I'm getting a few more tenths of a Watt out on 40 and 20 with my KFL1-4 compared to my two band module. Current draw on RX and TX is the same. The KFL1-4 has latching relays and the processor sleeps there is no current draw change over the two band module. The IF filter resides on the RF board and is unchanged. What has changed is the design of the RF bandpass filters and low pass filters. I suspect that these changes have no significant effect on the performance of the rig but only Wayne could answer that for sure. Lou W7DZN +++++++++++++++++++++ Date: Fri, 02 Nov 2001 13:49:36 -0600 From: Mike Subject: [Elecraft] Another KFL1-4 Report Hello all, I just finished the KFL1-4 for my old K1 SN 175. I chose the 15m option. Everything went as advertised. It was definitely a full two-evening project, taking me about 10 hours total. I found some hysteresis effects, similar to what Phil/W7OX reported, on a couple of the trimmer capacitors, but nothing that couldn't be dealt with in the same manner as Phil described. I found that the trimmer cap adjustments were very critical for 40m receiver peaking, and for 20m transmitter peaking. A strong signal source was needed to produce a signal that could be detected in the receiver, prior to adjustment of the 40m trim caps. No power output was produced on 20m until just the right combination of cap adjustments were made, even though the same caps had earlier been peaked for receiver alignment. The other bands peaked easily. I found that the 40m transmitter alignment drops off on the edges more significantly than the old two-band board design, especially when using a 170 kHz VFO option. Having peaked the 40m transmitter at 7075 kHz where 7 watts out was achieved, max output at 7005 kHz was about 5 watts, and at 7150 kHz was about 1 watt. The manual states that 15m trimmer cap CB optimal setting is slightly different for transmit and receive alignments. I just tuned CB for max transmitter power and had plenty of receiver sensitivity left. I'm really happy with this option. Anyone buying a new K1 would be silly to NOT choose the four-band option. The instructions in the manual were flawless. (I just wish that Elecraft manuals included a figure with the PCB traces shown.) Mike / KK5F ++++++++++++++++++= Date: Sun, 11 Nov 2001 20:35:20 -0800 From: Phil Wheeler Subject: Re: [Elecraft] 4 band woes IF you have previously used the KAT1, make sure you have the jumper installed in the 8-pin KAT1 socket .. and that R36 (or whatever) is reconnected. Phil David Adams wrote: > > Okay...I finally got around to installing my 4-band > module and it is given me some serious grief. The rig > works full bore with the 2 band module. > With the 4 band in, the receive peaks with noise and a > signal from my 706. On transmit, I get sidetone and > nothing else (P.01 displayed for all bands). I > checked the board and found one unsoldered relay pin > (which I fixed) and touched up all questionable > joints. Still no power. Clearly a problem with the > band module, but I'm stumped if I can find it. Any > thoughts? > > Dave +++++++++++++++++++++ Date: Sun, 11 Nov 2001 22:13:48 -0800 (PST) From: David Adams Subject: Re: [Elecraft] 4 band woes Problem solved...seems the answer is tune, tune, and tune again...actually, I (by chance) hooked a larger piece of coax between the rig and the dummy load. When keying up the 706 I tuned to the point of saturation (ringing) and they powered up just fine (well...30m is a bit low, but nbd). Unfortunately, I can't install my kat1 as I need the firmware upgrade...go figure. Dave - --- David Adams wrote: > Good thought, but no...I haven't installed a KAT1. > I > do have a jumper between pins 2 and 10 of the > socket. > > Dave +++++++++++++++++++ Date: Mon, 26 Nov 2001 23:01:13 -0800 From: Phil Wheeler Subject: Re: [Elecraft] At the end of my KFL1-4 rope K4IA at aol.com wrote: > > Well, I can't get the KFL1-4 to work on 20 and 15 meters. I have checked and > rechecked the toroids. .... > My last post resulted in my getting an email infected with that BADTRANS > virus Hmmm .. BADTRANS has attacked your toroids: Aptly named :-; I found that the trimmer adjustments on 15/20 were very touchy. At one time I thought these bands were not working and found that it was just that I had not happened on good trimmer settings. Maybe ... 73, Phil +++++++++++++++++++ Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2001 07:37:35 -0500 From: Dave Gingrich K9DC Subject: Re: [Elecraft] At the end of my KFL1-4 rope At 00:35 11/27/2001 -0500, K4IA at aol.com wrote: >Well, I can't get the KFL1-4 to work on 20 and 15 meters. I have checked and >rechecked the toroids. I have checked all the parts. My solder joints look >good. 20 meter receive is working but not transmit and nothing either way on >15. Output is very low on those bands and I can't hear the 15 meter crystal. > Sometimes 15 meter will put out a signal but the power jumps around -- >always low and I suspect it is oscillating harmonics. I assume you have communicated with support at elecraft.com? Gary's thoughts are always useful. I had a similar problem that turned out to be a bad trimmer. I could get output on 15, but not 20 unless I retweaked the 15m trimmer on 20. (to go to 20 the additional trimmer is switched in parallel to the 15m cap). Trimmer CC did not have the capacitance required to bring things up when switched in with trimmer CA. A new trimmer fixed it. You might also try the 17m crystal (since you have the parts) and see if the results are different. The required C swing is not so great for 17, and it might provide some clues. Mine worked set up for 17/20, but not 15/20 until I replaced the trimmer. ===================================================== Dave Gingrich, K9DC - Indianapolis, Indiana USA K2 #2211, K1 #931, QRP-L #2376, ARS #1109, CCIE #6748 ++++++++++++++++++++ Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2001 09:13:10 -0600 From: Tom Hammond =?iso-8859-1?Q?N=D8SS?= Subject: Re: [Elecraft] At the end of my KFL1-4 rope Craig: Phil makes a good point... try cranking the trimmer caps thru 5-6 360-degree rotations, to ensure that they are making good mechanical (and electrical) connection. Tom Hammond N0SS ++++++++++++++++ ate: Tue, 27 Nov 2001 10:44:09 -0600 From: Mike Subject: Re: [Elecraft] At the end of my KFL1-4 rope K4IA at aol.com wrote: > Well, I can't get the KFL1-4 to work on 20 and 15 meters. > 20 meter receive is working but not transmit and nothing either > way on 15. I will echo Phil's report on the critical nature of trimmer cap alignment. On several bands I had to use a fairly strong external signal source to use for the initial receiver alignment. Just like you, I thought for a while that I could only get 20m receive, but no transmit. Then I found just the right combination of trimmer settings, and got a full 6.5 watts out. It took a fair of trial and error on the trim caps! > I can't hear the 15 meter crystal. Now that seems to be very unusual! It should be very easy to hear the filter board hetrodyne crystal oscillations in a general coverage receiver with a short antenna wire near the K1 filter board PCB. FYI, my K1-4 crystals oscillate at the following frequencies: Filter board (heard only when aassociated band is selected) X1 (15m) = 28995.9 X2 (20m) = 21997.7 X3 (30m) = 17997.5 X4 (40m) = 15003.6 RF Board X5 (Prod Det) = 4913.1 X6 (Xmit Mix) = 4913.7 (for 600 Hz offset, heard only when transmitting) Front Panel Board X1 (MPU) = 3999.5 Good luck! 73, Mike / KK5F ++++++++++++++ Date: Thu, 29 Nov 2001 21:57:07 EST From: K4IA at aol.com Subject: [Elecraft] At the end of my KFL1-4 rope NO MORE Many thanks to all of you who helped with your suggestions about my low and erratic output on 15 meters. I feel it only fair to report back what was at fault. I got many suggestions about the toroids -- and of course, they are the easiest thing to mess up. I took them all out and reinstalled them until my fingertips were sore. Be particularly careful of T1 and T2. When you fold lead 2 down through the core, that DOES count as a turn. I didn't pick up on that and so I had one turn too many. But that wasn't the only problem. I still had very low and erratic output on 15 meters. 20 wasn't so hot either. I was messing around and pushed down on the 15 meter crystal. Wow - the signal came right up but went away when I released the pressure. I checked the solder joints and they looked perfect but I went ahead and reheated them anyway. Then everything worked fine. Since the tuning for 20 and 15 are linked, I think 20 meters was off because I was didn't have a good enough signal to tune 15 properly. Moral of the story -- even though a joint "looks" good, it may not be. Thanks again all. 73 Radio K4IA Craig Buck Fredericksburg, Virginia USA QRP ARCI #2550 FISTS #6702 CC 788 Diamond #64 K1 #470 ++++++++++++++++++ Date: Sat, 15 Dec 2001 11:23:27 -0600 From: Mike Subject: Re: [Elecraft] KFL1-4 Qs Rod Cerkoney wrote: > How do you compare the performance of the K1 with KFL1-2 vs. > K1 with KFL1-4? Hi Rod, I had a 20/40m board and a 15/30m board for my K1, so when I got a KFL1-4 I naturally chose to build it for 40/30/20/15m. I believe, subjectively, that the four-band board performs as well or better than the two-band version on all band on receive. I also found that the power output on 15m was better than my two-band board. The 40m filter board bandpass seems much narrower than the old two-band design. I found a mid-point frequency on my 170 kHz VFO K1 where, after alignment, I could still get reasonable maximum power out on the low and high ends of the band. Alignment at 7065 kHz for 6.7 watts output resulted in 5.0 watts at 7000 kHz and 3.1 watts out at 7149 kHz. In the 15 kHz of coverage *above* 7149 kHz the maximum power dropped rapidly to well under 1 watt. I was unable to find an effective "stagger-tune" to equalize the power any better. I suppose one could increase the value of C10 or CK to lessen this effect, but it's not worth the effort, IMO. If one tunes the VFO much away from some initial tune-up frequency on 40m (and a lesser extent on other bands), the power out will drop significantly until one resets the transmitter ALC at the new frequency by simultaneous WPM+/WPM- depression to initiate retuning (and the associated ALC adjustment). I'd never noticed this with the old filter boards, but it makes sense that with the narrower bandpass of the new board that the ALC has to operate over a greater range to restore demanded output as frequency departs from that at which the filter board was aligned. I suspect that those with the 80 kHz VFOs will notice these effects much less. The band-end power balancing act described above was much less pronounced on the other bands, but I found the alignment frequencies below to be optimal for my 170 kHz VFO span: Power supply output voltage = 13.8 vdc (K1 LCD reads 13.5) VFO Span = 170 kHz Alignment Frequency Max Power at Max Power at Max Power at (F-align) F-align Low Band End High Band End 7065 6.7 5.0 (7000) 3.1 (7149) 10110 7.0 7.0 (10100) 6.7 (10150) 14010 6.4 6.4 (14000) 6.5 (14085) 21070 6.0 5.9 (21000) 5.8 (21160) I have noticed no problems using the KAT1 with the KFL1-4. I very much like the KFL1-4. I find myself seldom turning on the big rig since I now have my favorite bands all on the K1. This option has more than doubled the utility of the K1, IMO. One simply can not go wrong with it! 73, Mike / KK5F K1/KNB1/KAT1/KFL1-4/KBT1 S/N 175 +++++++++++++++++++++++++ Date: Sat, 15 Dec 2001 13:09:57 -0500 From: W2AGN Subject: Re: [Elecraft] KFL1-4 Qs On Saturday 15 December 2001 12:23, Mike wrote: > Rod Cerkoney wrote: > > How do you compare the performance of the K1 with KFL1-2 vs. > > K1 with KFL1-4? > - -- I just finished tuning up my KFL1-4 board, in between 10M Qs with the K2. Tuned up VERY easily. I found that it seems much better on 20 than my old 40/20 board. I used to have problems getting more than about 3.5 watts on 20M, with the 4 band board, I can get 6.5 on 20, 5.5 on 15, 5.5 on 10 Mhz, and 7.5 on 7.0. Tunes very nicely with the ATU, also. All in all, I think the 4 band board is a definite improvement, not just for the additional 2 bands. -------------------------- John L Sielke W2AGN w2agn at pobox.com http://www.qsl.net/w2agn +++++++++++++++++++++ Reply-To: "Bob DeVarney WE1U" From: "Bob DeVarney WE1U" To: "Brian B. Riley" , "Ralph Stetson" Cc: Date: Sat, 5 Jan 2002 15:53:30 -0500 Subject: [Elecraft] KFL1-4 impressions Well, just finished up the 4 band filter module, and thought I'd pass along a few thoughts. First, when installing all the trimmer caps, make sure the flat side does line up as shown in figure 1 on page 4 of the KFL1-4 manual... I missed two... the tuning slots are now "hot", meaning if you use a metal tuning tool like a jeweler's screwdriver, they will detune when you remove the tool... I use a ceramic tool, so no problem. I did not feel like correcting this problem, so I didn't. Second, the visual instructions (figure 6 on page 12 of the KFL1-4 manual ) fooled me for T1 and T2... I reversed leads 1 and 4 when inserting in the board... in my opinion, the darker lead should have been the green wire, NOT the red wire. Still, I caught this when doing the resistance checks, so no harm done, and I was able to solder wick the leads and holes out... just tellin' you up front so's you don't make the same dumb mistake I made. Lastly, it is IMPERATIVE that you follow the band sequence when performing the receiver alignment on page 17. "I been in radio all these years, I don't need to follow no stinkin' instructions...." I tuned them out of sequence, and when I got done, had low output on 20, and VERY unstable... looking on a spectrum analyzer showed no output actually on 20, but it WAS everywhere else. When I retuned in proper sequence , (30,40,17/15,20) I now have proper output on all bands.... including nearly 9 watts on 40! Not bad for a 5 watt rig. Also the sensitivity is just fine when checked on the IFR-1600 service monitor. 73 de Bigdog, WE1U K1 S/N 364 loaded K2 S/n 1300 loaded ++++++++++++++++++ From: "Rod N0RC" To: "Elecraft-list" , "David Bixler" Cc: "Gary Surrency" Date: Sun, 13 Jan 2002 11:53:01 -0700 Subject: [Elecraft] Upgrading to KFL1-4? buider tip... Folks, RECOMMENDATIONS If you're adding the KFL1-4 band module to an existing K1; ensure that R11 on the K1's RF board is the original 82 ohm part, before aligning the KFL1-4 BACKGROUND: To optimize performance of KFL1-2 R11 may be lowered to as little as 33 ohms**. I lowered RF-R11 to 51 ohms on my K1 to maximize the KFL1-2 performance on 40 & 20m. Lowering RF-11 increases the gain of the Buffer Amp (U9) for the Transmitter Mixer stage (U8). With the KFK1-4 installed the this extra gain can overdrive the XMTR driver stage (Q6). The buffer amp is routed though the Bandpass Filter on KFL1-4, then to the TX Driver. The BPF on the KFL1-4 is a different design than the KFL1-2, and in my case at least, allowed more signal to pass into the TX driver, over-driving it. ** Detailed in an email to the Elecraft Reflector by Gary Surrency, dated Monday, July 16, 2001. CONCLUSION/OBSERVATIONS When it came time to align my KFL1-4, adjustment was difficult. Most notable were erratic power readings and sharp tuning peaks especially on 30 meters. After a little midnight-oil head-scratching, I realized my RF-R11 change of long ago. So I changed RF-R11 back to the original 82 ohms. Problem solved, the KFL1-4 tuned right up, smooth and easy. I've since lowered RF-R11 to 68 ohms to maximize Pout on all four bands (40, 30. 20 & 15m), the change increased Pout on 20 & 15 by a few tenths of a watt. I ended up with 5+ watts on each band from 12.8 Vdc supply and 6+ watts on all bands with a 13.8 Vdc supply. The addition of the KFL1-4 to my K1 has made a nice little field rig even better. Can't wait to try 15m in the next TTF or ARS event. On to the KBT1.... ;-) 73, Rod N0RC Ft Collins, CO ++++++++++++++++++++ From: "Leo Starrenburg PA5LS" To: "Elecraft Reflector" Subject: Re: [Elecraft] KFL1-4 - Low Power on 15M Date: Mon, 14 Jan 2002 19:11:14 +0100 Hi Mike, I had the same problem / phenomena, here's my evaluation (Nov. 2001) on the matter : ****** LS thanks to all who responded to my question on the output on 15 m. I rearranged the coils on L2 of the 15/20m low-pass filter wich brought the power up from 2.6 to 3.0 Watt. I also checked 20m wich was fine. The troubleshooting section of the manual states that "as a last resort" R11 on the RF board can be changed from 82R to 68R, so i piggybacked a 470R on it. This resulted in an output of 4.0 Watt. All the bands were checked again and the result was 5 Watt on 40, 30 and 20m, and 4 Watt on 15m. This seems to be a run-of-the-mill range, if not absolute than surely in rate. I will use the K1 mostly on batteries with abt 2 Watts, so please tell me if the R11 change will do more harm than good ....... Now for the part that really puzzles me: after installing the KAT1 and calibrating this again as per manual, the power on 15 has gone down again to 3 Watt ! The other bands are fine, the powermeasurement of the KAT1 is ok, so what happend ? 73' Leo. ***** Try aligning the filters with 1 W, it's easier. Follow the sequence, otherwise you will mis-align the higher bands again. Hope this helps somewhat ! 73' Leo. +++++++++++++++++++++ From: "Rod N0RC" To: "Alva Anderson W5VCJ" , "elecraft-reflector" Subject: Re: [Elecraft] KFL1-4 Date: Mon, 14 Jan 2002 19:37:01 -0700 Andy, I got tripped up on that too. Then, I realized that any time a wire passes _through_ a toroid center, it counts as one turn. So, in the picture on the left there are eight turns as you noted. In the picture on the right there are still eight turns: 1-7 wrap tightly around the inner surface of the toroid. Turn eight, instead, passes through the center from the top of the figure to the bottom. Another way to look at it: Consider the Left hand picture with eight turns. Now take lead #2 unwind and/or fold it down, so that it is on the backside of the toroid, as pictured, positioned between lead #4 and lead #3, as in the right hand figure. Hope that helps. GL 73, Rod N0RC Ft Collins, CO ----- Original Message ----- From: "Alva Anderson W5VCJ" To: "elecraft-reflector" Date: Mon, 14 Jan 2002 16:27:26 -0600 Subject: [Elecraft] KFL1-4 I am building the 4 band module to replace the current two band one in K1 #636. On page 12, Rev A, dtd 17Oct2001, the T1/T2 windings instructions are a bit ambiguous. Step 5 says to wind 8 turns of green, and that is how the picture is labelled. That is, there are 8 turns without the lead down through the middle to go behind the toroid. However, at Step 7 it instructs you to fold lead 2 down behind (actually thru) the core -- which would make it 9 turns, not 8, right? The picture has a total of 8 green turns (with lead 2 still "up", not behind), but drawings do not often illustrate the exact number of turns. Anyone know FOR SURE? Do I really wind 7, then put lead 2 thru for the 8th? Or, do I wind 8 turns, then put lead thru for a possible 9th? Thanks All, 73 de Andy W5VCJ +++++++++++++++++++ From: "Alva Anderson W5VCJ" To: "elecraft-reflector" Date: Tue, 15 Jan 2002 12:15:42 -0600 Subject: [Elecraft] KFL1-4 update..and a trick Just to close the chapter on the trouble I was having with the KFL1-4 windings of T1/T2, thanks to everyone on the list who replied. Since I wanted to triple check the windings, I discovered something that might help all who want to check transformer windings, esp. if they had similar "second thoughts" about whether what they did was correct or not. If you have, or can get your hands on, a red #25 filter for a 35mm (or larger) camera, and view the windings through the filter, the green windings will really stand out. This is often a problem if you have had a mental lapse -- believe me, it gets worse with age -- and need to double check those transformer winding, hopefully before you install the transformer on the board! Again, thanks to all who responded. Andy W5VCJ ++++++++++++++++++ To: elecraft at mailman.qth.net Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2002 16:05:39 -0700 From: Gary L Surrency Subject: [Elecraft] KFL1-4 Blue Trimmers The narrow side of the blue trimmers should be aligned with the flat of the PCB silk-screen. This information is part of the KFL1-4 manual errata, rev. A-1 dated Dec 13, 2001. I'll check to see if this is posted on our website under the manuals and docs section. Gary Surrency AB7MY Elecraft technical support ++++++++++++++++++++ Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2002 19:39:47 -0500 (EST) From: kc4kgu at ENTERZONE.NET To: elecraft at mailman.qth.net Subject: Re: [Elecraft] KFL1-4 Blue Trimmers On Tue, 19 Feb 2002, Gary L Surrency wrote: > The narrow side of the blue trimmers should be aligned with the flat of > the PCB silk-screen. This information is part of the KFL1-4 manual > errata, rev. A-1 dated Dec 13, 2001. I'll check to see if this is posted > on our website under the manuals and docs section. > > > Gary Surrency AB7MY > Elecraft technical support Perhaps it would be a good idea to place a large warning label on the manual that says in bold red letters "Read the Errata before you start!!!" 73 de John (KC4KGU ++++++++++++++++++++ Date: Wed, 06 Mar 2002 11:07:58 -0500 From: "Charles L. Gardner, Jr." To: "Wallace, Andy" elecraft at mailman.qth.net Subject: Re: [Elecraft] K1-4, Receiver Alignment, adjust AF gain, hear "NO" background noise Andy, you are my man. Your two sentence was the right answer. I checked my Radio Shack head set, and it is definitely a mono type. I rushed up to my closest RS and purchased a 3/8" Mono to Stereo adapter, and "WALLA" I know hear a nice, loud rushing sound through the head set. Thank you again for your assistance. I look to finishing my K1-4 #1074 in the near future and working a sched with you. 73 Charlie Gardner WA4HKN Lexington, KY K1-4 #1074 =========================== "Wallace, Andy" wrote: > > Quick one, maybe helpful or not -- make sure it is a stereo set of > headphones. Mono ones will short out the jack and you won't hear > anything. > > -Andy > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Charles L. Gardner, Jr. [mailto:res05gc2 at verizon.net] > > Sent: Tuesday, March 05, 2002 8:12 PM > > To: elecraft at mailman.qth.net; res05gc2 at verizon.net > > Subject: [Elecraft] K1-4, Receiver Alignment, adjust AF gain, > > hear "NO" > > background noise > > > > > > I have "put together" my K1-4 transceiver through chapter 7. > > "Alignment > > and test, Part I, up to "receiver alignment. During this proceedure at > > step 4 where I plug in my headphones and adjust the "AF Gain" control > > until you hear background noise. I hear nothing and go to trouble > > shooting (appendix E). I find that "problem 60 (low or no audio output > > from the receiver" seems like the correct place to start. At > > this point > > I am completely lost as to how to proceed. > > > > What I am doing is: attempting each step in "troubleshooting" that I > > feel like I can understand. I have been trying to purchase a > > "RF Probe" > > and a Signal Generator. I can't afford a Sig Gen, plus I can not find > > any of the components locally for putting together the RF Probe and > > Crystal Oscillator at Radio Shacks. I find not other sources locally. > > The Radio Shack managers/workers tell me that their company > > is trying to > > totally get out of the amateur radio or individual builder of > > electronic > > devices, thus I can't find individual components. Actually, the Radio > > Shacks did not even carry coax and wiring that I need. > > > > I will keep working on debugging as I can figure out how to do so. Any > > suggestions will be very much appreciated. I have not attempted to > > install any optional modules at this point. > > > > Thanks in advance, > > > > 73 Charlie Gardner WA4HKN > > Lexington, KY > > K1-4 #1074 ++++++++++++++++ From: "Thomas" To: Date: Sun, 2 Jun 2002 09:38:35 -0700 Subject: [Elecraft] K1-4 receive sensitvity problem - found! Eureka! For the benefit of future K1-4 builders, I will publicly humiliate myself and tell you what was causing the very poor receive sensitivity. The hint I had about CB, CD, CF, and CH, not showing any peak was valid. Using N0SS' "Cheap and dirty signal tracing in the K1," and later an HP3325B function generator, the signal was found to be dying at T4. When I originally installed T4, I recalled having problems getting the leads to line up with the PCB holes. I managed to get it installed, but that difficulty stuck in the back of mind. Yesterday, I decided to pull T4 after finding nothing wrong with K5, or the associated filter capacitors. Once T4 was out of the circuit the problem was obvious; it wasn't T4, but instead T2! I had somehow switched T4 and T2. Getting them out cleanly was a task; and I even ended up rewinding T4. But when they were correctly installed the alignment behaved as it should. CB, CD, CF, and CH all produced a distinct peaking of the signal. Their associated peak may not be as sharp as that had by the other trimmers, but indeed they do have peaks. The receiver aligned perfectly and signals are now loud and clear on all 4 bands. Hopefully, others will learn from my error. Onward to the transmitter section! Regards, Thomas - AC7A (Tucson) +++++++++++++++++ Date: Sun, 02 Jun 2002 09:41:47 -0700 From: lhlousek Subject: Re: [Elecraft] KFL1-4 Trimmer Cap Replacement To: elecraft at mailman.qth.net I replaced all the trimmers on my KFL-4 with no difficulty. It was well worth the effort because my K1 would lose more than half its power on some bands with a ambient temp decrease of only 10 F (75 to 65 F) with the old caps. The new caps totally eliminated the temp sensitivity of the power output over the range 40F to 100F. I left all the solder on, heated one leg at a time, and used a dental pick to pull up one side of the trimmer at a time being very careful to insure that the solder was melted on both sides of the PCB before pulling. I then used a solder sucker to remove the solder. >From past experience, I feel that if you use solder wick to remove the solder first, you lessen the heat conductivity to the top of the PCB and create a greater risk of damaging the PCB. It also works well to heat the joint from the same side you are pulling if you can get the iron in there. Obviously this method works only when you can remove one lead at a time either because of the type of component or because you have clipped all the leads. Lou W7DZN +++++++++++++++++++ From: "Bob - AG5Q" To: "Robert J Greenwalt Jr" , Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Resistor pack installed backwards Date: Tue, 11 Feb 2003 21:41:02 -0600 Hi Bob, You're ok. They are symmetrical. :-) 73/Bob - AG5Q ----- Original Message ----- From: "Robert J Greenwalt Jr" To: >I was working on my new K1-4 last night (too late, apparently) and > installed two resistor packs on the RF board backwards (pin one at the wrong > end). These were RP2 110k 8-pin 83C104 and RP6 27K 6 pin 63C273. > > Do I have to remove and reverse these? Checking with a multimeter looks > like they are symmetrical +++++++++++++++++ From: "Morrow, Michael A." To: "'William Carter'" , elecraft at mailman.qth.net Subject: RE: [Elecraft] K1 Filter Board Test Points ? Date: Sat, 22 Mar 2003 20:19:44 -0500 Bill wrote of the KFL1-4: > Problems with P1,P2,P3 test points. > > P1 pin 1, P1 pin 2 reads 0 (nothing) > P1 pin 3, P1 pin 4 reads 0 > P2 pin 2, P2 pin 4 reads 1.212 m > P3 pin 1, P3 pin 3 reads 0 > P3 pin 8, P3 pin 6 reads 0 As Tom noted, it's very hard to tell whether the "0 (nothing)" you report is meant to tell us whether you mean that a SHORTED (zero ohm) condition is being shown by your ohm-meter, or an OPEN (infinite or very high ohm) condition is being shown. If "0" indicated above actually means you have a OPEN condition between the test points, then ALL the values you report above are OK except for: > P1 pin 1, P1 pin 2 reads 0 (nothing) Here, there should be almost zero ohms (SHORT) shown by your meter. If not, then you need to check if there's near zero ohms shown between the PCB solder pads for the green winding (terminals 1 and 2) on T1. If there is instead a high resistance at these two points on the PCB, then you've likely not adequately removed the insulation from and tinned T1's green leads. You should probably make the same checks between the solder pads for the red windings, then the green windings, on ALL toroids on the PCB. There should be a short shown in EVERY case. On the other hand, if you really really really meant that a short in being shown with > P1 pin 3, P1 pin 4 reads 0 > P3 pin 1, P3 pin 3 reads 0 > P3 pin 8, P3 pin 6 reads 0 then you've got some unwanted solder bridges in three different circuits, and the value you reported with > P1 pin 1, P1 pin 2 reads 0 (nothing) is OK. These are less likely, which is why I think you're actually indicating high or open resistance rather than the "0" ohms you report. 73, Mike / KK5F +++++++++++++++++++ From: "Morrow, Michael A." To: "'William Carter'" , elecraft at mailman.qth.net Subject: RE: [Elecraft] K1 Filter Board Test Points ? Date: Sun, 23 Mar 2003 21:20:38 -0500 Bill wrote of his KFL1-4: > P1 pin1, P1 pin2 00.0 ...That is a GOOD EXPECTED reading. Almost a short, as you would expect through the primary of T1. All OK! > P1 pin3, P1 pin4 .0L ...That is a GOOD EXPECTED reading. Very high resistance, as expected. Evidently your meter uses ".OL" to show a high-out-of-range reading, which is what you'd expect between these terminals. All OK! > P2 pin2, P2 pin4 1.201 Yesterday you said that this read "1.212 m" (1.2 meg-ohms). I don't think you really mean that it's now showing 1.2 ohms. If you're still getting a resistance reading above the 10K called for in the manual, then you're all OK here too! > P3 pin1, P3 pin3 .0L ...That is a GOOD EXPECTED reading. Very high resistance, as expected. All OK! > P3 pin8, P3 pin6 .0L ...That is a GOOD EXPECTED reading. Very high resistance, as expected. All OK! > Sorry, I am new to even multimeters. My meter comes > up .oL and indicates a change by showing oo.o why it > says .oL on some not sure. ".oL" is just showing you that the resistance is too high to measure on your meter. Just what you'd expect for an OPEN circuit. "00.0" is what it indicates when the resistance is very low. Just what you'd expect for a SHORT circuit. > T1 leads 1,2 read 00.0 > T1 leads 3,4 read 00.0 > T2 leads 1,2 read 00.0 > T2 leads 3,4 read 00.0 GOOD EXPECTED readings...all OK! > I did a continuity check, > T1 leads 1,2 continuity yes. > T1 leads 3,4 continuity yes. > note 1,3 or 2,4 continuity no. Good EXPECTED readings...all OK! > T2 has a problem. All combinations show continuity. As Tom pointed out, the primary and secondary windings of T2 are tied together to ground, so there's NO problem with your T2 reading. It looks like **ALL** of your readings are COMPLETELY NORMAL AND EXPECTED! I don't see any problem, other than interpretation of what your ohm-meter is telling you. > A. I need to buy more toroid wire, do you know where > I can get a spool of red and green #26. I think a > good investment. It might come in handy for some other reason, but there seems to be no problems indicated from your data. If you order some, you'll probably want to order the type whose painted insulation will come off with the application of heat. > B. I should remove U1 before I de-solder. I don't think you need to de-solder anything. But if you were to desolder any KFL1-4 toroid, U1 could stay put since none of the toroid circuits connect to U1. > I tried to remove coating on toroid via solder iron, > someone told me to use bic lighter, steel wool or fine > sand paper. I use the "run the lead through a heated solder blob" method, followed by a very light scrapping off of the burnt residue with an Exacto knife. The last part is tricky, since the smallest knick of the copper conductor can set you up for lead separation at the knick. > I just can't pay to have someone build it. I will learn > this if it kills me! Well, it sounds like you've already put the filter board together all OK! Follow that manual, including doing EXACTLY what it says to do during the alignment steps, and you'll do fine. 73, Mike / KK5F ++++++++++++++++++ Date: Wed, 14 May 2003 13:14:50 -0500 From: "Morrow, Michael A." To: Cc: Subject: [Elecraft] RE: K1 band Suggestions Tim wrote: > I'm not sure I need a K1-2 or K1-4. Tim, I have an early K1, ordered when only two-band boards were available, = for which I built a 40/20 meter board and a 30/15 meter board. But as = soon as I heard that a four-band board was available a year later, I = ordered one and built it for 40/30/20/15 meters. In my opinion, the = four-band board much *more* than doubled the utility of my K1 with = separate two-band boards. I can think of absolutely NO good reason one = should choose a two-band version when the four-band version is = available, for reasons listed below: 1. It's cost effective. For $60 more than a two-band K1, you get four = bands for which you don't have to swap boards to cover. =20 2. Swapping between two two-band boards is rather inconvenient, = especially with the KAT1 installed, I can tell you from experience. If = you plan to use the internal battery option KBT1, it's even more trying = to swap boards because it's hard to grip the forward edge of the = installed filter board to pry it out. 3. Many builders report getting slightly higher maximum power output = compared to the two-band boards. I certainly did on 15 meters. 4. In my opinion, the four-band board is actually easier to align. = Trimmer capacitors are used, rather than slug-tuned coils. 5. It certainly requires much less build time to complete and align the = four-band board, compared to two two-band boards. I have found only one slight disadvantage to the four-band board that = the two-band board did not have. The tuning (alignment) is much = sharper. Because of this, I could not align the 40 meter section for = nearly flat power output across the 7.000 to 7.170 MHz range of my K1 = (I'm a fan of the 170 kHz VFO span option, at least in the USA, to cover = all the 40 meter and most of the 15 meter CW band). If I aligned it for = the full seven watts out at, say 7.060 MHz, I could only get about one = watt out at 7.148 MHz. The simple solution to that was to increase the = size of the 40/30 meter filter board interstage coupling caps CK and C10 = from 2.7 pF to 4.7 pF. I do like 17 meters, but even with the solar cycle dropping, I'd never = give up 15 meter capability in exchange for a WARC band like 17 meters. I re-built my old white elephant 40/20 meter board for 80/17 meters, so = now my K1 can cover all six "official" K1 bands. > I was thinking that 20 and 40 meters would probably be > my choice of bands with a K1-2. That would be obviously the best choice for a two-band version. = Informal polls on this list in the past show those to be the two = favorite choices by far. > I want to use the radio for portable use. I can't think of a better choice in a multi-band QRP rig. Consider = making it a four-band model. 73, Mike / KK5F +++++++++++++++++++++