[WT-support] Using COM port keying instead of Winkey (was CW keying from ...

[Georgek5kg at aol.com]

Bob, tnx for all the info on keying the K3 from WT.  I will definitely  
give it a try.  
 
George  Wagner, K5KG
Sarasota, FL 
941-400-1960 cell  

 
In a message dated 5/28/2012 8:36:05 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,  
n6tv at arrl.net writes:

On Mon, May 28, 2012 at 5:17 PM, <_Georgek5kg at aol.com_ 
(mailto:Georgek5kg at aol.com) > wrote:
 
 

 
I have not used COM or LPT port on/off keying, but I'm  willing to give it 
a try once I figure out how to implement it.  I am  looking in the 
documentation and I see the keying circuit, but how  would I connect in a paddle?





You connect the paddle to the radio, and use the internal keyer of the  
radio.  


>From your _QRZ.COM_ (http://qrz.com/)   page, it looks like you are using 
an Elecraft K3, so no external keying  circuit is required!  Unlike any other 
radio on the market (of which I am  aware), the K3 supports a built-in 
legacy contest software ON/OFF keying  "circuit" via the same serial connector 
that you are already using to control  the radio.


Just go into the SETUP dialog of Win-Test.  Next to the COM port  settings 
for the radio port, click on the [Configure...] button, then  set:





DTR (pin 4) to CW
RTS (pin 7) to PTT


 


and click [OK].  Uncheck any WinKey port completely, and click [OK]  again.


Finally, in the K3 menu set CONFIG: PTT-KEY to RTS-DTR.  Win-Test  will now 
send very well-timed ON/OFF CW and PTT via the K3 COM port  pins.


To keep the keyer paddle speed in synch with the Win-Test CW speed, you  
can use the "K3 LUA Scripts" that I wrote.  Just go to 
_http://bit.ly/wtscripts_ (http://bit.ly/wtscripts) , download  K3scripts.zip and follow the 
instructions in the file named  Readme_K3scripts.txt.  Whenever you change speeds 
with Win-Test, the K3  internal keyer (for your paddles), can be set to the 
same speed, or maybe 1 or  2 WPM slower, whichever you prefer.




 
With COM or LPT port keying can you use the ++ --  speed up/slow down 
commands which are a problem with the Microham CW  Keyer. 





Yes, that still works fine, though if you want to get spotted more  quickly 
by the Reverse Beacon Network, you should remove all these CW speed  
changes from your messages.  CW Skimmer decodes CW most easily when  everything is 
sent at the exact same speed.


73,
Bob, N6TV


 

 
 
In a message dated 5/28/2012 7:22:19 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, 
_n6tv at arrl.net_ (mailto:n6tv at arrl.net)  writes:

Chances are all you had to do was type SETUP [Enter] [Enter] in  Win-Test, 
which re-initalizes all serial port connections, as this is much  less 
disruptive than exiting and restarting the program.


However, I have seen similar Winkey reliability issues in the past, so  I 
no longer use it.  I much prefer to use COM port or LPT port on/off  keying 
with Win-Test, plus the internal keyer of the radio.  Win-Test  sends very 
fine CW this way; external Winkey hardware is really not  required.  Yes you 
lose paddle interrupt of computer messages, but you  get used to just hitting 
the Escape key when you need to do  that.










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