Elecraft XG3 RF - Manual (Page 8)

8
Basic Operation
CAUTION
When connecting the XG3 to the output of a transceiver or transmitter, be sure to prevent
accidentally keying the transmitter even for brief periods. The XG3 has protection against
low-level signals applied to the
RF OUT connector, but transmitting into the XG3 even for
a brief period will destroy internal components. Such damage is not covered under the
Elecraft warranty (see Reverse Power on pg 14).
The XG3 may be operated as an independent, stand-alone RF signal generator using the four red switches
on the front. Tap (press briefly) the
On/Off
switch to turn the unit on. One of the
Band
LEDs and one of the
Level LEDs will light. To turn the XG3 off, hold (press for more than 1 second) the
On/Off
switch. To
conserve the battery, the XG3 will turn itself off after 10 minutes without any user input.
i Note: If you hold the
On/Off
switch down more than 10 seconds, the XG3 will go
into “boot loader” mode shown by a blinking 0 dBm LED. To restore normal operation,
disconnect external power (if used), then remove and reinstall the battery.
Select the band desired using the
Band +
and ̶ switches. The XG3 is pre-programmed with a test frequency
in each band as shown below. You can change these frequencies using a computer as described below
under Computer Controlled Operation.
BAND FREQ (MHz) BAND FREQ (MHz) BAND FREQ (MHz)
160 1.820000 30 10.120000 12 24.900000
80 3.520000 20 14.020000 10 28.020000
60 5.330500 17 18.120000 6 50.120000
40 7.020000 15 21.020000 2 144.220000
The output signal level is shown by the LEDs next to the
Level
switch. Tap the switch to cycle through the
three lower output levels. The highest signal level,
0 dBm
(1 milliwatt), is selected by holding the
Level
switch for at least 1 second. An external power supply (pg 7) is recommended if you need to operate the
XG3 at the
0 dBm
output level for an extended period of time.
Computer Controlled Operation
A personal computer will allow you to change the test frequencies and customize other parameters. The
XG3 may be operated from the computer interface or you may program your XG3 and then use it as a
stand-alone RF signal generator with the parameters you chose.
A serial cable is provided with your XG3. You will need:
 A computer with an RS232 port or a USB interface and a USB to RS232 converter such as the
KUSB universal serial bus adapter available from Elecraft.
 The XG3 Utility program for your computer. It may be downloaded free from www.elecraft.com .