Elecraft K3 Owner's Manual - Manual (Page 28)

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Voice Modes (SSB, AM, FM)
Mode Selection
Tap either end of M O D E to select LSB / USB ,
AM , or FM mode. Holding the left end of this
control, A L T , selects an alternate mode. LSB and
USB are alternates of each other. The alternate for
AM is AM- S (synchronous AM, pg. 29). In FM
mode, A L T enables a repeater offset (pg. 29).
Microphone Selection
The K3 provides both front- and rear-panel mic
jacks. Some operators use rear-panel jacks to
minimize clutter around the front panel. Use
MAIN:MIC SEL to select the front panel (
FP ) or
rear-panel ( RP ) jack, low or high mic gain range,
and bias voltage for electret microphones.
The front-panel mic jack is compatible with the
Elecraft MH2, MD2, Proset-K2, and some other 8-
pin mics (see pg. 13 for pinout and bias settings).
The rear-panel jack is 3.5 mm (1/8”). The rear-
panel PTT IN jack can also be used if required.
Voice Monitoring
Voice monitoring allows you to hear the way you’ll
sound on the air with your selected mic gain,
compression, and TX EQ settings. For voice
monitoring without any processing or delays, set
CONFIG:TX MON to
FAS T .
To set up voice monitoring:
• Hold T E S T to put the K3 in TX TEST mode,
so you won’t be transmitting (pg. 13).
• Set M IC high enough to hear your voice.
• Press your mic’s PTT switch or tap X M IT .
• While speaking into the mic, adjust M O N for
the desired level. (DVR playback level can be
set differently; see CONFIG:TX DVR).
• Exit transmit (release PTT, or tap X M IT again).
• You can either leave the K3 in TX TEST mode
or go back to normal transmit (hold T E S T ) as
you follow the instructions in the next section.
Mic Gain and Compression Settings
See pg. 75 for a general discussion about voice-
mode ALC. To set up mic gain and compression:
• Set the monitor level as described earlier.
• Optionally select TX TEST mode (pg. 13) or
set power to zero. This will not affect your
CMP / ALC bar graph readings.
• Set C M P to 0 .
• Hold M E T E R to select CMP / ALC metering.
• While speaking into the microphone in a
normal voice, adjust M IC for a peak ALC
meter indication of about 5-7 bars (see below).
•
• Adjust C M P for the desired speech
compression level while speaking. The CMP
scale shows approximate compression level.
• Hold M E T E R to select SWR / PWR metering.
• If you were in TX TEST mode, return to
normal operation by holding T E S T .
• If you had P WR set to 0, set it for the
desired level. Key the rig again and verify that
you have about the right power output level.
You can LOCK the MIC, CMP, and PWR
settings if required; see CONFIG:PWR SET.
Power Level for Voice Modes
Voice power may be slightly different from the CW
power you see in when you use
T U N E . Increasing
mic gain cannot correct for this. Instead, use the
CONFIG:TXG VCE menu entry (voice transmit
gain). A value of -1.5 to 1.5 dB should make voice
power about the same as when using
T U N E .
If you’re using an external peak-reading
wattmeter, adjust power such that speech peaks
remain at or below your desired power level. The
K3’s RF bar graph may not capture all speech
peaks, but your actual output will be close to that
set with
P WR .