first up: installing the K144RFLK in the 2m transverter module. this phase locks the transverter's internal crystal oscillator to the transceiver's temperature-compensated main oscillator for improved stability and accuracy on VHF.
having stable frequency is important for anomalous propagation: VHF is a short-range band, except when certain environmental and operating characteristics are met. the techniques and modes involved to take advantage of sporadic-E, meteor scatter, tropospheric ducting, aurora, moonbounce, and so on benefit greatly from having a precise receiver.
The K3 is a boutique radio and was one of the best-performing units on the market; these upgrade parts are ones I selected for their final production run to optimize it for my own wants. The previous owner already fit it with a few very nice bits, like the transverter and internal autotuner. I don't need a subreceiver or other parts designed primarily for contesting because contesting doesn't interest me. the closest I can imagine myself doing is activating a summit for SOTA.
This adds an SMA jack to the transceiver's rear panel, which allows me to lock the radio's main oscillator to a 10MHz frequency reference.
This further increases frequency accuracy, ensuring that the radio stays within 2 hz of the chosen frequency. I intend to eventually obtain a ±0.5 ppm TCXO to replace the stock one already installed on the radio, to further improve this. Sadly, it won't reduce the radio's phase noise since the internal oscillator isn't phase-locked to the external reference; I'd need a KSYN3A synthesizer upgrade for that, and I missed the boat ordering one. They might have spares remaining if I asked, but I also don't have $389.
The external standard can be one of a number of things; the most common are GPS-disciplined oscillators and rubidium standards. I already have a GPSDO lying around somewhere; they're guaranteed accurate since they're locked to the time signals that GPS transmits for location.
My plan is to get a used rubidium standard and use my GPSDO to calibrate it. I like the idea of having a free-running atomic clock attached to my radio, and of not being dependent on things as unreliable and jammable as GPS for total frequency stability.
The radio already had a KXV3A, but the B revision has a built-in low-noise preamp, which removes the near necessity of an external preamp for people wanting to use 12 meters, 10 meters, and 6 meters (the "magic band").
now I can connect it to my laptop with a single USB cable instead of two fucking 1/8" cables, an external sound card, a serial cable, and an FTDI adapter
This is the big one. The bastard that took me 2 hours to install and which takes up most of the space inside the radio. The one that requires me to add a 20 amp circuit breaker and a pair of 60mm fans to the radio. The one that cost me $720 of Joe Biden's money and took two years to arrive.
The no-options Elecraft K3 has ten watts of output power. This is enough to reach across a couple states with voice, with some effort and a good antenna, or for long-distance weak-signal work with specialized modes.
But I purchased this upgrade because, having already been stranded in the deep desert once, I want something I could rely on to save my life if communication is necessary to do so, even if my antenna is the necessarily compromised portable sort that fits in or on a car. I need to be able to call for help. I need One Hundred Watts.
And that's what the KPA3A power amplifier is for. My signal can cross oceans now.
Wired the transverter back in, reattached the chassis stiffener bar, and put the panels back on. What now?
Well... nothing. I need an RS-232 to 1/8" cable to flash the transverter with new firmware, and a dummy load that can handle 50 watts to calibrate the power amplifier. I have a bunch of different procedures I need to perform before the radio is ready to operate, and I need a new power cable and to build an antenna for it.
My old radios were a pair of Drake twins, built with vacuum tubes; it's impractical to use them outside of a house and they're languishing at my dad's. I have an 80s Icom and no power cable for it, which is a capable radio but nowhere near as capable as this one, and not able to do several of the things I wanted to do. It has a 100w power amp built in but doesn't cover any VHF bands and is much harder to interface with a computer.
The Elecraft has been sitting unused for years for several of these reasons; I've been pretty much out of the hobby. But more of my friends are getting into ham radio and it's made me want to talk to them. It took several years for these parts to arrive and longer for me to work up the brain power/spoons/depression treatment I needed to sit down for 5.5 hours and just do it. I don't think I could have done this a few weeks ago.
Queers deserve the airwaves. HF's the only infrastructure-free communications medium in the world. It's weird and it fades in and out. It's fun. I want to give it a try again.
i’ll say it again for the back:
