Elecraft K3 Settings
I have two Elecraft K3 radios that I use for SO2R. I am creating this page to record all of the various settings in the radios so I can find them if needed.
N1EU recommended settings for best pileup performance:
AGC SLP 000 (maximum slope, instead of horizontal)
AGC THR 014 (so AGC doesn’t kick in until signals are very strong)
AGC DCY Soft
AGC PLS nor
AF Gain is adjusted so the loudest signals are tolerably loud (around 9PM) and RF Gain increased until weakest signals are readable (around 3PM).
Bob, N6TV, recommends the following K3 settings:
First set CONFIG:TECH MD ON to un-hide some AGC settings. Set TECH MD OFF when finished, to eliminate useless options from appearing in the SubRx display choices (PLL1, AFV, dBV, etc.)
AF GAIN LO — Cuts audio hiss. May not work with all headphones. OK on Heil.
AF LIM 20 — Only takes affect when AGC is OFF (rarely used)
AGC DCY Soft — Reduces AGC-induced IMD, recommended for pileups
AGC HLD 0.05 — Slow AGC hold time (50 ms). Reduces AGC-induced IMD, recommended for pileups. Works with AGC-S only.
AGC PLS NOR — Loud static pulses do not pump AGC.
AGC SLP 010 — A pretty “flat” AGC response curve. I may move this lower since pileups of loud guys can blend together, but I like this setting because it saves my ears.
AGC THR 010 — AGC kicks in at about S-8. Signals lower than THR behave as they would with AGC OFF ( +1 dB of RF = +1 dB of audio)
AGC -F 120 — Factory default fast AGC decay rate (recovery time). Higher = faster. Faster can be bad.
AGC -S 20 — Factory default slow AGC decay rate (recovery time). Higher = faster. Faster can be bad.
RF GAIN at 3 O’Clock or less on noisy bands
AF GAIN never higher than 3 O’Clock
AFX OFF
NR OFF
NB OFF
RIT OFF
XIT OFF
FL1 to FL5 BW set to match labeled filter bandwidth exactly, not wider or narrower.
Use AGC-F for CW.
Use AGC-S for SSB.
CW Pitch 500 (or to taste)
IF shift centered (on CW)
500 Hz InRad 8-pole filter on CW
2.8 kHz 8-pole filter on SSB (1.8 8-pole when bands crowded, must move IF SHIFT lower for pleasing audio)
Use XFIL button to toggle between filters and reset the IF shift, rather than NOR (hold) button
PREamp ON for 15m and up, OFF for other bands
My current settings for other items:
AF GAIN Low
AF LIM nor 030
EXT ALC Off t -4.0
LIN OUT nor 020
RS323 38400 b
TX ALC On
TX DLY nor 008
TX GATE On 10
TX MON Fast
TXG VCE 1.5 db
VFO CRS 0.1
VFO CTS 200
VFO FST 50