K3 BETA FIRMWARE RELEASE -- MCU rev 1.94

[wayne burdick]

Thanks to your input on the last firmware release (1.88), we've made a
number of important improvements.

For the first time, we're posting new firmware as "beta." Upgrading is
optional: if you want to minimize your risk, you might want to wait
until we've blessed it as a normal production firmware release. (Or
until all your friends have it and you're a little jealous.)

We'd love to have as many thrill-seekers as possible take the plunge
and load the new firmware now. We think it's greatly improved, and it
will certainly clear up many of the issues noted over the past week.
Even though we're headed to Dayton in a couple of days, we'll be
monitoring closely for any additional issues.

For release notes and instructions on how to load beta firmware, please
see:

   http://www.elecraft.com/K3/k3_software.htm

The instructions (linked from within the release notes) explain how to
create a separate folder for the beta revision. This will allow you to
easily revert to an older revision if you find it necessary. Hopefully
not!

For your convenience I've also provide the release notes below.

73,
Wayne
N6KR

* * *

MCU 1.94 / DSP 1.73, 5-12-08

   * VOX: Increased sensitivity. Typical VOX GN settings now ~30-50.

   * VOICE MONITOR: Eliminated “scratchy” artifacts with compression set
to high levels.

   * FM DEVIATION ADJUSTABLE:  Use CONFIG:FM DEV menu entry (default:
5.0 kHz).

   * Flash memory driver improved to prevent occasional receive
dropouts, “ERR PL1”, and
     “FPF LOAD PENDING” messages.

   * XMIT SWITCH IN MENU: Tapping XMIT while in menu correctly
starts/ends transmit.

   * PASSBAND SHIFT BELOW “0.00” CORRECTED: The SHIFT control no longer
allows
     continued rotation below 0.00. (This was occurring only with
sidetone pitch < 500 Hz.)

   * SQUELCH/RF GAIN CONTROL CHANGES: By default, the RF/SQL concentric
pots
     control main and subreceiver RF gain, and squelch is controlled by
two CONFIG menu
     entries (SQ MAIN and SQ SUB). But setting SQ MAIN to "=SUB POT"
assigns
     SUB RF/SQL pot to both main and sub squelch, and in this case, the
main RF/SQL
     pot controls both main and sub RF gain. Setting SQ MAIN back to a
numeric value
     restores the default assignments. Note: Squelch applies only to FM
mode at present.

---

http://www.elecraft.com

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[Bob Cunnings]

Unfortunately I see little improvement in the CW auto-spot feature,
broken in the last release. It is still much less accurate than the
original algorithm, and less consistent in it's behavior.

Try this - tune in a good steady (S6 or S7) cw signal. Set tuning to
FINE, enable CWT and then press SPOT repeatedly, observing the
frequency display. The beta version (like 1.88) settles on a
considerably different frequency almost every time - moving 5 Hz or
more commonly, and sometimes as much as 20 Hz or more. There is a
tendency to tune low. The original version, on the other hand, rarely
moves more than 1 or 2 Hz with each auto-spot invocation, bearing out
the fact that it is more accurate in general, or less likely to get
confused (by noise, varying morse code speed etc.).

Since I have two K3 units here, I set one up with 1.78/1.58 and the
other with the beta firmware, and then compared their auto-spot
behavior side by side on the same received signal using an antenna
switch. The difference is quite pronounced. Here are some series of
freqs (last three digits) resulting from 10 successive invocations of
auto-spot on the same steady S7 signal on 40 meters (at 13 wpm or so,
fortunately a long winded transmission):

v178/158 (TEXT DEC threshold = AUTO)
125, 125, 125, 129, 130, 130, 127, 128, 129, 129

beta (TEXT DEC threshold = AUTO)
115, 118, 124, 079 (!), 106, 106, 124, 107, 112, 100

beta (TEXT DEC threshold = 5)
124, 123, 109, 116, 118, 122, 117, 116, 120, 123

The newer firmware version tends to "bounce around" more with a
tendency to tune low, often requiring multiple invocations of
auto-spot to hit the right pitch, whereas the original algorithm
generally tunes right the first time. With threshold set to 5 in the
beta version auto-spot is a bit better, but all too often it takes
multiple tries to hit the right pitch, as it still tends low. If I set
the threshold much higher, it doesn't want to tune at all for signals
that the original algorithm handled easily.

I'm not sure what the "improvements" to auto-spot introduced in 1.88
were supposed to do, but IMO the feature is still negatively affected
by the attempt. A side by side comparison of the two versions, on the
same signal, is very revealing in this case  -  can someone else try
this?

Too bad, since I use the feature a lot it's back to 1.78/1.58 for now.
It "just works".

Bob NW8L



On Mon, May 12, 2008 at 7:08 PM, wayne burdick <n6kr@...> wrote:

> Thanks to your input on the last firmware release (1.88), we've made a
> number of important improvements.
>
> For the first time, we're posting new firmware as "beta." Upgrading is
> optional: if you want to minimize your risk, you might want to wait until
> we've blessed it as a normal production firmware release. (Or until all your
> friends have it and you're a little jealous.)
>
> We'd love to have as many thrill-seekers as possible take the plunge and
> load the new firmware now. We think it's greatly improved, and it will
> certainly clear up many of the issues noted over the past week. Even though
> we're headed to Dayton in a couple of days, we'll be monitoring closely for
> any additional issues.
>
> For release notes and instructions on how to load beta firmware, please see:
>
>  http://www.elecraft.com/K3/k3_software.htm
>
> The instructions (linked from within the release notes) explain how to
> create a separate folder for the beta revision. This will allow you to
> easily revert to an older revision if you find it necessary. Hopefully not!
>
> For your convenience I've also provide the release notes below.
>
> 73,
> Wayne
> N6KR
>
> * * *
>
> MCU 1.94 / DSP 1.73, 5-12-08
>
>  * VOX: Increased sensitivity. Typical VOX GN settings now ~30-50.
>
>  * VOICE MONITOR: Eliminated "scratchy" artifacts with compression set to
> high levels.
>
>  * FM DEVIATION ADJUSTABLE:  Use CONFIG:FM DEV menu entry (default: 5.0
> kHz).
>
>  * Flash memory driver improved to prevent occasional receive dropouts, "ERR
> PL1", and
>    "FPF LOAD PENDING" messages.
>
>  * XMIT SWITCH IN MENU: Tapping XMIT while in menu correctly starts/ends
> transmit.
>
>  * PASSBAND SHIFT BELOW "0.00" CORRECTED: The SHIFT control no longer allows
>    continued rotation below 0.00. (This was occurring only with sidetone
> pitch < 500 Hz.)
>
>  * SQUELCH/RF GAIN CONTROL CHANGES: By default, the RF/SQL concentric pots
>    control main and subreceiver RF gain, and squelch is controlled by two
> CONFIG menu
>    entries (SQ MAIN and SQ SUB). But setting SQ MAIN to "=SUB POT" assigns
>    SUB RF/SQL pot to both main and sub squelch, and in this case, the main
> RF/SQL
>    pot controls both main and sub RF gain. Setting SQ MAIN back to a numeric
> value
>    restores the default assignments. Note: Squelch applies only to FM mode
> at present.
>
> ---
>
> http://www.elecraft.com
>
> _______________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Post to: Elecraft@...
> You must be a subscriber to post to the list.
> Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.):
> http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm
> Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
>

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[wayne burdick]

On May 12, 2008, at 7:53 PM, Bob Cunnings wrote:

> Unfortunately I see little improvement in the CW auto-spot feature,
> broken in the last release. It is still much less accurate than the
> original algorithm, and less consistent in it's behavior.

Bob,

Thanks for the convincing evidence. (A prime example of why we've
decided to do beta firmware releases.)

The original auto-spot (1.78) used the equivalent of THR = 7 (fixed).
Please try this with both 1.78 and 1.94, if you don't mind. If you find
that 1.78 is better, I'll take it up with Lyle (KK7P) and we'll see
what might have changed in the DSP code.

In any case, the main problem with this setting is that very weak
signals will not auto-spot at all. Hence my attempt to add flexibility
by letting the operator set the THR level.

An alternative would be to go back to the original algorithm, but have
the first press of SPOT use THR = 7; then, if you press it a second
time within a couple of seconds, use THR = 1 (to ensure that it works
with weaker signals).

OK with you?

73,
Wayne
N6KR

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[n4lq]

I have to agree that the CWT worked better under the old firmware but I
think I'll put up with it until it's fixed rather than go back to an older
version.
I'm using the beta firmware now and notice less bouncing around of the CWT
indicator but it still locks in on the wrong frequency unless you punch it
multiple times.

Steve Ellington
N4LQ@...
----- Original Message -----
From: "Bob Cunnings" <bob.cunnings@...>
To: "wayne burdick" <n6kr@...>
Cc: "Elecraft Reflector" <elecraft@...>
Sent: Monday, May 12, 2008 10:53 PM
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] K3 BETA FIRMWARE RELEASE -- MCU rev 1.94

> Unfortunately I see little improvement in the CW auto-spot feature,
> broken in the last release. It is still much less accurate than the
> original algorithm, and less consistent in it's behavior.
>
> Try this - tune in a good steady (S6 or S7) cw signal. Set tuning to
> FINE, enable CWT and then press SPOT repeatedly, observing the
> frequency display. The beta version (like 1.88) settles on a
> considerably different frequency almost every time - moving 5 Hz or
> more commonly, and sometimes as much as 20 Hz or more. There is a
> tendency to tune low. The original version, on the other hand, rarely
> moves more than 1 or 2 Hz with each auto-spot invocation, bearing out
> the fact that it is more accurate in general, or less likely to get
> confused (by noise, varying morse code speed etc.).
>
> Since I have two K3 units here, I set one up with 1.78/1.58 and the
> other with the beta firmware, and then compared their auto-spot
> behavior side by side on the same received signal using an antenna
> switch. The difference is quite pronounced. Here are some series of
> freqs (last three digits) resulting from 10 successive invocations of
> auto-spot on the same steady S7 signal on 40 meters (at 13 wpm or so,
> fortunately a long winded transmission):
>
> v178/158 (TEXT DEC threshold = AUTO)
> 125, 125, 125, 129, 130, 130, 127, 128, 129, 129
>
> beta (TEXT DEC threshold = AUTO)
> 115, 118, 124, 079 (!), 106, 106, 124, 107, 112, 100
>
> beta (TEXT DEC threshold = 5)
> 124, 123, 109, 116, 118, 122, 117, 116, 120, 123
>
> The newer firmware version tends to "bounce around" more with a
> tendency to tune low, often requiring multiple invocations of
> auto-spot to hit the right pitch, whereas the original algorithm
> generally tunes right the first time. With threshold set to 5 in the
> beta version auto-spot is a bit better, but all too often it takes
> multiple tries to hit the right pitch, as it still tends low. If I set
> the threshold much higher, it doesn't want to tune at all for signals
> that the original algorithm handled easily.
>
> I'm not sure what the "improvements" to auto-spot introduced in 1.88
> were supposed to do, but IMO the feature is still negatively affected
> by the attempt. A side by side comparison of the two versions, on the
> same signal, is very revealing in this case  -  can someone else try
> this?
>
> Too bad, since I use the feature a lot it's back to 1.78/1.58 for now.
> It "just works".
>
> Bob NW8L
>
>
>
> On Mon, May 12, 2008 at 7:08 PM, wayne burdick <n6kr@...> wrote:
>> Thanks to your input on the last firmware release (1.88), we've made a
>> number of important improvements.
>>
>> For the first time, we're posting new firmware as "beta." Upgrading is
>> optional: if you want to minimize your risk, you might want to wait until
>> we've blessed it as a normal production firmware release. (Or until all
>> your
>> friends have it and you're a little jealous.)
>>
>> We'd love to have as many thrill-seekers as possible take the plunge and
>> load the new firmware now. We think it's greatly improved, and it will
>> certainly clear up many of the issues noted over the past week. Even
>> though
>> we're headed to Dayton in a couple of days, we'll be monitoring closely
>> for
>> any additional issues.
>>
>> For release notes and instructions on how to load beta firmware, please
>> see:
>>
>>  http://www.elecraft.com/K3/k3_software.htm
>>
>> The instructions (linked from within the release notes) explain how to
>> create a separate folder for the beta revision. This will allow you to
>> easily revert to an older revision if you find it necessary. Hopefully
>> not!
>>
>> For your convenience I've also provide the release notes below.
>>
>> 73,
>> Wayne
>> N6KR
>>
>> * * *
>>
>> MCU 1.94 / DSP 1.73, 5-12-08
>>
>>  * VOX: Increased sensitivity. Typical VOX GN settings now ~30-50.
>>
>>  * VOICE MONITOR: Eliminated "scratchy" artifacts with compression set to
>> high levels.
>>
>>  * FM DEVIATION ADJUSTABLE:  Use CONFIG:FM DEV menu entry (default: 5.0
>> kHz).
>>
>>  * Flash memory driver improved to prevent occasional receive dropouts,
>> "ERR
>> PL1", and
>>    "FPF LOAD PENDING" messages.
>>
>>  * XMIT SWITCH IN MENU: Tapping XMIT while in menu correctly starts/ends
>> transmit.
>>
>>  * PASSBAND SHIFT BELOW "0.00" CORRECTED: The SHIFT control no longer
>> allows
>>    continued rotation below 0.00. (This was occurring only with sidetone
>> pitch < 500 Hz.)
>>
>>  * SQUELCH/RF GAIN CONTROL CHANGES: By default, the RF/SQL concentric
>> pots
>>    control main and subreceiver RF gain, and squelch is controlled by two
>> CONFIG menu
>>    entries (SQ MAIN and SQ SUB). But setting SQ MAIN to "=SUB POT"
>> assigns
>>    SUB RF/SQL pot to both main and sub squelch, and in this case, the
>> main
>> RF/SQL
>>    pot controls both main and sub RF gain. Setting SQ MAIN back to a
>> numeric
>> value
>>    restores the default assignments. Note: Squelch applies only to FM
>> mode
>> at present.
>>
>> ---
>>
>> http://www.elecraft.com
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Elecraft mailing list
>> Post to: Elecraft@...
>> You must be a subscriber to post to the list.
>> Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.):
>> http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
>> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm
>> Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
>>
> _______________________________________________
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> Post to: Elecraft@...
> You must be a subscriber to post to the list.
> Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.):
> http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
>
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm
> Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



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[Bob Cunnings]

Ok, here are 10 frequencies (last 3 digits) obtained by repeatedly
invoking auto-spot with a steady S8 cw signal, around 15 wpm:

unit A - 1.78/1.58 (THR = 7)
845, 845, 845, 844, 845, 845, 845, 845, 844, 844

unit B - beta 1.94/1.73 (THR = 7)
830, 823, 829, 840, 840, 846, 831, 837, 838, 832

more variation observed with the beta version, and still often
settling on the low side.

Hope this helps,

Bob NW8L

On Mon, May 12, 2008 at 9:13 PM, wayne burdick <n6kr@...> wrote:

>
> On May 12, 2008, at 7:53 PM, Bob Cunnings wrote:
>
>> Unfortunately I see little improvement in the CW auto-spot feature,
>> broken in the last release. It is still much less accurate than the
>> original algorithm, and less consistent in it's behavior.
>
> Bob,
>
> Thanks for the convincing evidence. (A prime example of why we've decided to
> do beta firmware releases.)
>
> The original auto-spot (1.78) used the equivalent of THR = 7 (fixed). Please
> try this with both 1.78 and 1.94, if you don't mind. If you find that 1.78
> is better, I'll take it up with Lyle (KK7P) and we'll see what might have
> changed in the DSP code.
>
> In any case, the main problem with this setting is that very weak signals
> will not auto-spot at all. Hence my attempt to add flexibility by letting
> the operator set the THR level.
>
> An alternative would be to go back to the original algorithm, but have the
> first press of SPOT use THR = 7; then, if you press it a second time within
> a couple of seconds, use THR = 1 (to ensure that it works with weaker
> signals).
>
> OK with you?
>
> 73,
> Wayne
> N6KR
>
>

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[John King-10]

The Easter egg in v1.94 Beta is more sidetone volume!

Or did I miss this in the release notes?

73,
  john WA1ABI

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[Paul Christensen-2]

I'm not sure if this has been mentioned before, but after a F/W upgrade, I
found that I need power down the K3, then re-press the power button.
Otherwise, some anomalies exist, including elevated headphone hiss and
slight clicks in the monitor when sending CW.    I've now noticed this on at
least the last two F/W upgrades.  Re-booting the power immediately after the
flash has cleared the issue every time.

Paul, W9AC

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[Joe Subich, W4TV-3]

Bob,

Try setting the threshold to 2 or 3 (CWT Hold).  With a fixed
threshold, it seems very close to the previous performance on
all but the strongest signals (and even the old FW was a bit
touchy with S9+20 signals).

73,

   ... Joe, W4TV
 

> -----Original Message-----
> From: elecraft-bounces@...
> [mailto:elecraft-bounces@...] On Behalf Of Bob Cunnings
> Sent: Monday, May 12, 2008 10:53 PM
> To: wayne burdick
> Cc: Elecraft Reflector
> Subject: Re: [Elecraft] K3 BETA FIRMWARE RELEASE -- MCU rev 1.94
>
>
> Unfortunately I see little improvement in the CW auto-spot feature,
> broken in the last release. It is still much less accurate than the
> original algorithm, and less consistent in it's behavior.
>
> Try this - tune in a good steady (S6 or S7) cw signal. Set tuning to
> FINE, enable CWT and then press SPOT repeatedly, observing the
> frequency display. The beta version (like 1.88) settles on a
> considerably different frequency almost every time - moving 5 Hz or
> more commonly, and sometimes as much as 20 Hz or more. There is a
> tendency to tune low. The original version, on the other hand, rarely
> moves more than 1 or 2 Hz with each auto-spot invocation, bearing out
> the fact that it is more accurate in general, or less likely to get
> confused (by noise, varying morse code speed etc.).
>
> Since I have two K3 units here, I set one up with 1.78/1.58 and the
> other with the beta firmware, and then compared their auto-spot
> behavior side by side on the same received signal using an antenna
> switch. The difference is quite pronounced. Here are some series of
> freqs (last three digits) resulting from 10 successive invocations of
> auto-spot on the same steady S7 signal on 40 meters (at 13 wpm or so,
> fortunately a long winded transmission):
>
> v178/158 (TEXT DEC threshold = AUTO)
> 125, 125, 125, 129, 130, 130, 127, 128, 129, 129
>
> beta (TEXT DEC threshold = AUTO)
> 115, 118, 124, 079 (!), 106, 106, 124, 107, 112, 100
>
> beta (TEXT DEC threshold = 5)
> 124, 123, 109, 116, 118, 122, 117, 116, 120, 123
>
> The newer firmware version tends to "bounce around" more with a
> tendency to tune low, often requiring multiple invocations of
> auto-spot to hit the right pitch, whereas the original algorithm
> generally tunes right the first time. With threshold set to 5 in the
> beta version auto-spot is a bit better, but all too often it takes
> multiple tries to hit the right pitch, as it still tends low. If I set
> the threshold much higher, it doesn't want to tune at all for signals
> that the original algorithm handled easily.
>
> I'm not sure what the "improvements" to auto-spot introduced in 1.88
> were supposed to do, but IMO the feature is still negatively affected
> by the attempt. A side by side comparison of the two versions, on the
> same signal, is very revealing in this case  -  can someone else try
> this?
>
> Too bad, since I use the feature a lot it's back to 1.78/1.58 for now.
> It "just works".
>
> Bob NW8L
>
>
>
> On Mon, May 12, 2008 at 7:08 PM, wayne burdick
> <n6kr@...> wrote:
> > Thanks to your input on the last firmware release (1.88),
> we've made a
> > number of important improvements.
> >
> > For the first time, we're posting new firmware as "beta."
> Upgrading is
> > optional: if you want to minimize your risk, you might want
> to wait until
> > we've blessed it as a normal production firmware release.
> (Or until all your
> > friends have it and you're a little jealous.)
> >
> > We'd love to have as many thrill-seekers as possible take
> the plunge and
> > load the new firmware now. We think it's greatly improved,
> and it will
> > certainly clear up many of the issues noted over the past
> week. Even though
> > we're headed to Dayton in a couple of days, we'll be
> monitoring closely for
> > any additional issues.
> >
> > For release notes and instructions on how to load beta
> firmware, please see:
> >
> >  http://www.elecraft.com/K3/k3_software.htm
> >
> > The instructions (linked from within the release notes)
> explain how to
> > create a separate folder for the beta revision. This will
> allow you to
> > easily revert to an older revision if you find it
> necessary. Hopefully not!
> >
> > For your convenience I've also provide the release notes below.
> >
> > 73,
> > Wayne
> > N6KR
> >
> > * * *
> >
> > MCU 1.94 / DSP 1.73, 5-12-08
> >
> >  * VOX: Increased sensitivity. Typical VOX GN settings now ~30-50.
> >
> >  * VOICE MONITOR: Eliminated "scratchy" artifacts with
> compression set to
> > high levels.
> >
> >  * FM DEVIATION ADJUSTABLE:  Use CONFIG:FM DEV menu entry
> (default: 5.0
> > kHz).
> >
> >  * Flash memory driver improved to prevent occasional
> receive dropouts, "ERR
> > PL1", and
> >    "FPF LOAD PENDING" messages.
> >
> >  * XMIT SWITCH IN MENU: Tapping XMIT while in menu
> correctly starts/ends
> > transmit.
> >
> >  * PASSBAND SHIFT BELOW "0.00" CORRECTED: The SHIFT control
> no longer allows
> >    continued rotation below 0.00. (This was occurring only
> with sidetone
> > pitch < 500 Hz.)
> >
> >  * SQUELCH/RF GAIN CONTROL CHANGES: By default, the RF/SQL
> concentric pots
> >    control main and subreceiver RF gain, and squelch is
> controlled by two
> > CONFIG menu
> >    entries (SQ MAIN and SQ SUB). But setting SQ MAIN to
> "=SUB POT" assigns
> >    SUB RF/SQL pot to both main and sub squelch, and in this
> case, the main
> > RF/SQL
> >    pot controls both main and sub RF gain. Setting SQ MAIN
> back to a numeric
> > value
> >    restores the default assignments. Note: Squelch applies
> only to FM mode
> > at present.
> >
> > ---
> >
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[Bob Cunnings]

Well, I have, and found that the lower the threshold, the less stable.
Using the beta version, with THR = 2 excursions of 20 Hz between
auto-spot invocations are not uncommon - yet on the same signal (S5 or
so) the 1.78 version performs very well. The side by side comparison
with two rigs using the same signal is telling. I'll play with it a
bit more this evening.

Bob NW8L

On Tue, May 13, 2008 at 8:56 AM, Joe Subich, W4TV
<lists@...> wrote:

>
> Bob,
>
> Try setting the threshold to 2 or 3 (CWT Hold).  With a fixed
> threshold, it seems very close to the previous performance on
> all but the strongest signals (and even the old FW was a bit
> touchy with S9+20 signals).
>
> 73,
>
>   ... Joe, W4TV
>
>
>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: elecraft-bounces@...
>> [mailto:elecraft-bounces@...] On Behalf Of Bob Cunnings
>> Sent: Monday, May 12, 2008 10:53 PM
>> To: wayne burdick
>> Cc: Elecraft Reflector
>> Subject: Re: [Elecraft] K3 BETA FIRMWARE RELEASE -- MCU rev 1.94
>>
>>
>> Unfortunately I see little improvement in the CW auto-spot feature,
>> broken in the last release. It is still much less accurate than the
>> original algorithm, and less consistent in it's behavior.
>>
>> Try this - tune in a good steady (S6 or S7) cw signal. Set tuning to
>> FINE, enable CWT and then press SPOT repeatedly, observing the
>> frequency display. The beta version (like 1.88) settles on a
>> considerably different frequency almost every time - moving 5 Hz or
>> more commonly, and sometimes as much as 20 Hz or more. There is a
>> tendency to tune low. The original version, on the other hand, rarely
>> moves more than 1 or 2 Hz with each auto-spot invocation, bearing out
>> the fact that it is more accurate in general, or less likely to get
>> confused (by noise, varying morse code speed etc.).
>>
>> Since I have two K3 units here, I set one up with 1.78/1.58 and the
>> other with the beta firmware, and then compared their auto-spot
>> behavior side by side on the same received signal using an antenna
>> switch. The difference is quite pronounced. Here are some series of
>> freqs (last three digits) resulting from 10 successive invocations of
>> auto-spot on the same steady S7 signal on 40 meters (at 13 wpm or so,
>> fortunately a long winded transmission):
>>
>> v178/158 (TEXT DEC threshold = AUTO)
>> 125, 125, 125, 129, 130, 130, 127, 128, 129, 129
>>
>> beta (TEXT DEC threshold = AUTO)
>> 115, 118, 124, 079 (!), 106, 106, 124, 107, 112, 100
>>
>> beta (TEXT DEC threshold = 5)
>> 124, 123, 109, 116, 118, 122, 117, 116, 120, 123
>>
>> The newer firmware version tends to "bounce around" more with a
>> tendency to tune low, often requiring multiple invocations of
>> auto-spot to hit the right pitch, whereas the original algorithm
>> generally tunes right the first time. With threshold set to 5 in the
>> beta version auto-spot is a bit better, but all too often it takes
>> multiple tries to hit the right pitch, as it still tends low. If I set
>> the threshold much higher, it doesn't want to tune at all for signals
>> that the original algorithm handled easily.
>>
>> I'm not sure what the "improvements" to auto-spot introduced in 1.88
>> were supposed to do, but IMO the feature is still negatively affected
>> by the attempt. A side by side comparison of the two versions, on the
>> same signal, is very revealing in this case  -  can someone else try
>> this?
>>
>> Too bad, since I use the feature a lot it's back to 1.78/1.58 for now.
>> It "just works".
>>
>> Bob NW8L
>>
>>
>>
>> On Mon, May 12, 2008 at 7:08 PM, wayne burdick
>> <n6kr@...> wrote:
>> > Thanks to your input on the last firmware release (1.88),
>> we've made a
>> > number of important improvements.
>> >
>> > For the first time, we're posting new firmware as "beta."
>> Upgrading is
>> > optional: if you want to minimize your risk, you might want
>> to wait until
>> > we've blessed it as a normal production firmware release.
>> (Or until all your
>> > friends have it and you're a little jealous.)
>> >
>> > We'd love to have as many thrill-seekers as possible take
>> the plunge and
>> > load the new firmware now. We think it's greatly improved,
>> and it will
>> > certainly clear up many of the issues noted over the past
>> week. Even though
>> > we're headed to Dayton in a couple of days, we'll be
>> monitoring closely for
>> > any additional issues.
>> >
>> > For release notes and instructions on how to load beta
>> firmware, please see:
>> >
>> >  http://www.elecraft.com/K3/k3_software.htm
>> >
>> > The instructions (linked from within the release notes)
>> explain how to
>> > create a separate folder for the beta revision. This will
>> allow you to
>> > easily revert to an older revision if you find it
>> necessary. Hopefully not!
>> >
>> > For your convenience I've also provide the release notes below.
>> >
>> > 73,
>> > Wayne
>> > N6KR
>> >
>> > * * *
>> >
>> > MCU 1.94 / DSP 1.73, 5-12-08
>> >
>> >  * VOX: Increased sensitivity. Typical VOX GN settings now ~30-50.
>> >
>> >  * VOICE MONITOR: Eliminated "scratchy" artifacts with
>> compression set to
>> > high levels.
>> >
>> >  * FM DEVIATION ADJUSTABLE:  Use CONFIG:FM DEV menu entry
>> (default: 5.0
>> > kHz).
>> >
>> >  * Flash memory driver improved to prevent occasional
>> receive dropouts, "ERR
>> > PL1", and
>> >    "FPF LOAD PENDING" messages.
>> >
>> >  * XMIT SWITCH IN MENU: Tapping XMIT while in menu
>> correctly starts/ends
>> > transmit.
>> >
>> >  * PASSBAND SHIFT BELOW "0.00" CORRECTED: The SHIFT control
>> no longer allows
>> >    continued rotation below 0.00. (This was occurring only
>> with sidetone
>> > pitch < 500 Hz.)
>> >
>> >  * SQUELCH/RF GAIN CONTROL CHANGES: By default, the RF/SQL
>> concentric pots
>> >    control main and subreceiver RF gain, and squelch is
>> controlled by two
>> > CONFIG menu
>> >    entries (SQ MAIN and SQ SUB). But setting SQ MAIN to
>> "=SUB POT" assigns
>> >    SUB RF/SQL pot to both main and sub squelch, and in this
>> case, the main
>> > RF/SQL
>> >    pot controls both main and sub RF gain. Setting SQ MAIN
>> back to a numeric
>> > value
>> >    restores the default assignments. Note: Squelch applies
>> only to FM mode
>> > at present.
>> >
>> > ---
>> >
>> > http://www.elecraft.com
>> >
>> > _______________________________________________
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>> >
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>> Checked by AVG.
>> Version: 8.0.100 / Virus Database: 269.23.16/1428 - Release
>> Date: 5/12/2008 7:44 AM
>>
>
>

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[Tom Childers, N5GE]

On Tue, 13 May 2008 10:56:27 -0400, Joe, W4TV wrote:

>
>Bob,
>
>Try setting the threshold to 2 or 3 (CWT Hold).  With a fixed
>threshold, it seems very close to the previous performance on
>all but the strongest signals (and even the old FW was a bit
>touchy with S9+20 signals).
>
>73,
>
>   ... Joe, W4TV

[snip]

That worked very well here on #806"

Tom, N5GE - SWOT 3537 - Grid EM12jq

"Those who would give up
Essential Liberty to
purchase a little Temporary
Safety deserve neither
Liberty nor Safety"

An excerpt from a letter
written in 1755 from the
Assembly to the Governor
of Pennsylvania.

Support the entire Constitution, not
just the parts you like.

http://www.n5ge.com
http://www.eQSL.cc/Member.cfm?N5GE

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[Windy Dankoff KM5Q]

I'm getting the same result as Bob. No matter how I set the threshold, 2,3, Automatic, etc, I cannot get it to perform as well as the old 1.78 version which was just amazing.

Windy KM5Q



Well, I have, and found that the lower the threshold, the less stable.
Using the beta version, with THR = 2 excursions of 20 Hz between
auto-spot invocations are not uncommon - yet on the same signal (S5 or
so) the 1.78 version performs very well. The side by side comparison
with two rigs using the same signal is telling. I'll play with it a
bit more this evening.

Bob NW8L

On Tue, May 13, 2008 at 8:56 AM, Joe Subich, W4TV
<[e-mail]> wrote:
>
> Bob,
>
> Try setting the threshold to 2 or 3 (CWT Hold).  With a fixed
> threshold, it seems very close to the previous performance on
> all but the strongest signals (and even the old FW was a bit
> touchy with S9+20 signals).
>
> 73,
>
>   ... Joe, W4TV

[ab2tc]

Something has happened to the S-meter in this release. All of a sudden I have signals that are 60dB over S9. I am sure there is no more than 6-10dB between S9+10 and S9+60. This is also evident when backing off the RF gain.  I have not made any CONFIG changes in order to use the new absolute S-meter setting. I have not recalibrated the S-meter. What is wrong here?

Knut - AB2TC


I'm getting the same result as Bob. No matter how I set the threshold, 2,3, Automatic, etc, I cannot get it to perform as well as the old 1.78 version which was just amazing.

Windy KM5Q

Bob Cunnings wrote:

Well, I have, and found that the lower the threshold, the less stable.
Using the beta version, with THR = 2 excursions of 20 Hz between
auto-spot invocations are not uncommon - yet on the same signal (S5 or
so) the 1.78 version performs very well. The side by side comparison
with two rigs using the same signal is telling. I'll play with it a
bit more this evening.

Bob NW8L

On Tue, May 13, 2008 at 8:56 AM, Joe Subich, W4TV
<[e-mail]> wrote:
>
> Bob,
>
> Try setting the threshold to 2 or 3 (CWT Hold).  With a fixed
> threshold, it seems very close to the previous performance on
> all but the strongest signals (and even the old FW was a bit
> touchy with S9+20 signals).
>
> 73,
>
>   ... Joe, W4TV

[Frank Lammel]

I loaded rev 1.94 yesterday evening. My main problem is the not working
VOX in 1.88. However it was more worse than with 1.88! Once set to VOX I
couldn't set it back to PTT. It switched the whole time to TX, no matter
what MIC gain settings I choosed. (Oh, I didn't tried the VOX gain, it
is still at 35, maybe this would help?!). Well, also the TRX seemed to
had some kind of other problems. All LEDs swichted to on and off again,
the display get's dark and some relays clicked. Then it came back. This
happened several times.

Does anybody had similar problems? Or did I make another mistake?

73!
Frank, DD7ZT



wayne burdick schrieb:

> Thanks to your input on the last firmware release (1.88), we've made a
> number of important improvements.
>
> For the first time, we're posting new firmware as "beta." Upgrading is
> optional: if you want to minimize your risk, you might want to wait
> until we've blessed it as a normal production firmware release. (Or
> until all your friends have it and you're a little jealous.)
>
> We'd love to have as many thrill-seekers as possible take the plunge and
&g