On Jan 9, 2020, at 4:26 PM, JOHN HILL <john.e.hill@...> wrote:

The mic input is muted during TX.  BTW, you should always select the CAT PTT Method because it eliminates the need for a separate DTR or RTS input.  RX audio will trip VOX if you have the volume up to high if you attempt to the VOX method.

John W2HUV

On January 9, 2020 at 2:44 PM Tom Schaefer NY4I <thomasmschaefer@...> wrote:

Set  MIC+LIN to ON.    (Page 55 of the manual).

If set to ON, and MIC SEL is set for FP or RP, the present mic OR line input can be used for transmit audio.

Note: Setting MIC SEL to LINE overrides the MIC+LIN menu entry (its parameter becomes "N-A"). When MIC+LIN is in effect, rotating the MIC control shows MIC gain. Set MIC SEL to LINE to adjust LINE IN gain. 

https://ftp.elecraft.com/K3S/Manuals%20Downloads/K3S%20Owner's%20man%20A1.pdf

You just have to be careful to not talk if you have a mic connected as I believe the MIC is hot while transmitting. I have not tested if the mic stays hot in awhile though as I run with MIC+LIN OFF and set it to LINE in (with a PF button programmed to switch).

The data mode you want is DATA A and NOT PSK (that is for the internal PSK decoder).

The biggest change for people not used to the K3 is that for digital mode like this you DO want ALC deflection. You want to set it for the 5th bar is barely lighting up. That is different than other radios where you do not want ANY ALC deflection.

See page 34 and 30 for more info.

Tom NY4I

On Jan 8, 2020, at 9:29 PM, Michael WA7SKG < wa7skg@...> wrote:

I was helping a friend set up his K3S for FT8 this afternoon. Haven't played with one of those before, quite a challenge. Our main problem was getting audio into the transmitter. What finally worked was to go into the radio menu and set MIC SEL to LINE IN. Immediately made contacts in Florida, Russia, and Japan. PSKReporter showed reception all over the US, Switzerland, Russia, Japan, the Carribbean, West Africa, etc. Who says there is no propagation?

My first surprise was in the WSJT configuration, I set the mode to Pkt/Data and it did not work. I had to set it to None. Then set the radio to USB, not Data, and change the MIC SEL to LINE IN. It seems a nuisance to have to go into the menu and change the MIC SEL each time you want to move from voice to FT8.  Most radios I set up, I chose the Pkt/Data and when I select a band in the band map, it automatically sets the radio to DATA and audio flows properly. That does not seem to be the case for the Elecraft.

Did I miss something in the configuration? Surely one does not have to go into the menu and make changes every time he wants to go from SSB to FT8?

Any insights appreciated.

73,
Michael WA7SKG