Where can I get APF and DIV stickers for my K3?

The updated Elecraft K3, the K3S, has some nice improvements that would be nice to have, but which I also can live fine without. But even an old K3 can be updated to some of these improvements. They are detailed on the Elecraft K3S FAQ.

I studied the front panel for differences and put red rings around them. The three to the upper left have to do with the new display bezel with silver instead of black screws, the S in K3S, a built-in marker for the VFO A knob, and a soft-touch VFO A knob.

In addition to the marking with OFS (offset) to the left of the RIT/XIT control, there are two markings that also reflect what my present K3 with the latest firmware does:

• APF instead of DUAL PB (Audio Peaking Filter - Dual Passband) - upper right
• New marker for DIV - Diversity reception - to the left of VFO A

It sure would be nice to get stickers with APF and DIV to put on mine!

The ultimate WSPR spot

A spot reported by K1JT must be the ultimate goal for the WSPR mode. K1JT, Joseph Taylor, is the Nobel laureate who first developed this mode and other related two-way modes like JT65 and JT9.

My 0.1 W 21 MHz WSPR transmitter regularly makes it over the Atlantic, but never before to K1JT. The SWR was something like 7:1, but apparently that works fine, both for the transmitter and for radiation.

The antenna is a 13 m doublet oriented with the broadside facing East-West (the EU spots in the figure are from my Ultimate 3 on 21 MHz with another antenna and at another location). I feed the doublet with 450 ohm ladder line to a 4:1 Elecraft balun which is connected to the Ultimate 2 transmitter.

Ultimate software is up to date

As I have mentioned several times on this blog, I have thoroughly enjoyed WSPR modes ever since Hans, G0UPL came out with the first Ultimate QRSS/WSPR kit.

That means that I have three different versions of the kit. Since Hans has kept on updating the software and even published the compiled versions, it is also possible to upgrade even the old ones.

I have done that and the displays here show the Ultimate 3, the Ultimate 2, and the Ultimate 1 with the latest software.

It is possible to upgrade the chips in-circuit, but I found that it is simpler to remove the chip temporarily from the socket and move it to a simple veroboard with crystal oscillator components. It is connected to my Ebay version of the USBtinyISP.