6300 unboxed and hooked up!

KC9NRN

Powered up my new 6300, enjoying stations being pulled in better than my Yaesu FT-1000MP Mark V can do it off of the same antenna. I need to install a station RF ground, since the antennas are in the attic if I key up it changes channels on the Samsung TV or powers it off, haven't tried with the 6300 yet, going to take it easy until I have it all right.

Anyway, I took pictures of it running on one screen and SDRPlay on the other screen, here is how it looks in its temporary location.



Everything fired up, loving it!

Joe WD5Y

Glad you got it all setup! You will be pleased with all of the features that the Flex offers and more to come.

73's
Joe
WD5Y

KC9NRN

I'm unable to hear SW broadcasts, I must be doing something wrong? 

km9r.mike

My hf antenna feedpoint (80m ocf dipole ) is approximately 8 feet from my samsung tv and it's cable box and I have zero issues with rfi except for when I am on 80m and I see a little bit of rfi on my second computer monitor.

Neither my flex nor my remote tuner are grounded and I do not have to use feed line current chokes. I do, however, use a quality 4:1 current balun http://www.balundesigns.com between the antenna and the remote tuner. Finally, I am only using 100w. If I was using an amp, I am sure the rfi that I am seeing in my second monitor while on 80m would manifest elsewhere and be more severe.

I just mention this to let you know that you can have a compromised antenna, that will work on 160 to 6m, in close proximity, and should have less rfi issues than what you currently seem to have have.

Finally, congrats with your 6300 and hopefully you have the SW broadcast thing figured out by now.

KC9NRN

Agreed, however on my feed line goes through the center of the house to the attic, I have no other way currently of getting it up there but I'm working on it.

I should be able to hear shortwave broadcasts using the 6300 shouldn't I? 

Ken - NM9P

NordicPC, Can you give some more specifics to help me understand what you mean that you cannot hear shortwave broadcasts?  Are you getting no signals at all?  Are you hearing amateur broadcasts, but response is low in the SW Broadcast bands?  Are you seeing signals in the panadapter by unable to decode them? 
How do you have your antenna connected?  Which port are specifying on your receive slice?  Are the bands dead? (We have had some geomagnetic disruptions lately.  But 20 Meters was on fire last night at my place in Indiana.

The more you share, the more I can help.
Thanks,

Ken - NM9P

KC9NRN

More information is always helpful.  

The shack operator suffered a case of PEBCAK. it's working fantastically when you have things set right. 

KC9NRN

I was going to complain about how the SDRPlay sounds better and a few other ill-timed complaints until I decided to, well, read.

The tuning and sound of the 6300 in shortwave isn't even in the same ball park, the 6300 when set correctly sound leaps and bounds better, which it should considering how cheap the SDRPlay is, I don't mean cheap as in junk, I love the little thing.

I am listening to shortwave and even my local AM stations with a new ear, WOW! The SDRPlay doesn't have an AM button, only SAM and now I "hear" why, being able to toggle between the two in the 6300 shows me some of the simple things the Flex 6300 does so well.

km9r.mike

I knew you would figure it out. Good job. 

km9r.mike

BTW wrt to your improved attic antenna that will not be an rfi generator as well, I am certain that there is a better solution than what you are currently using. It will just require a certain level of customization on your part to optimize it for the restraints that you are under. A 20-15-10 ladder line fed doublet into a tuner would be a good choice for the high bands as well as a separate 80-40 ladder line fed doublet for the low bands if you have the room for the 80-40 doublet. More than likely, the 80-40 doublet could not be hung in the traditional flat top method, but I have found conforming antennas to the limitations imposed on them by their surroundings still works better than nothing. If you do not have room for the 80-40 doublet in the attic, perhaps a birdhouse feeder or flag pole vertical in your back yard would be an option for the low bands.

Here is a great start http://w5dxp.com/notuner/notuner.HTM for a ladder line doublet that does not require a turner. Instead, variable lengths of 450 ohm feed line are patched in to optimize the antenna for a specific band.

km9r.mike

Incorporate  NR, receive EQ , Attenuation and AGC-T into your AM /SAM / SWL listening. You will be even happier.

Ken - NM9P

LOL! PEBCAK....it took me a while to decipher that one. (Problem Exists Between Chair And Keyboard)! I have been afflicted by that a few times myself.

KC9NRN

Mike, thanks for the advice, I'm going to be doing a lot of research into antennas, I must admit they mystify me. I can fix just about anything I set my sights on, but antennas drive me crazy.

KC9NRN

Ken, been in IT since 1989 so I have lived with so many PEBCAK situations I should write a book.

KC9NRN

Oh found all of that and more, heck, just switching from AM to SAM was fantastic, once I started making other changes it just kept getting better and better! 

KC9NRN

Now I have find my zen to wait for the Maestro. I am horrible with waiting. 

km9r.mike

Cool beans.

VK7WH Winston

Ken, yes I also had to consult my friend, Google, to decipher PEBCAK. Pre 1989, the term used when the problem was self inflicted was "I had a fault in the he stage before the microphone", or should I say IHAFITSBFTM?

VE6KWA

In the automotive repair world we used to refer to  customers as having a  "Loose nut behind the wheel" 

VE6KWA

In the automotive repair world we used to refer to  customers as having a  "Loose nut behind the wheel"