Bill, if you do CW contesting, then you will want to add CW Skimmer to the
software lineup as well. I use the following setup for CW contesting:
K3s IF out to LP-Pan
LP-Pan I/Q out to Asus U5 USB card
U5 USB to PC; use MME audio driver, which allows feeding the audio to
multiple programs
Software setup:
LP-Bridge connects to K3s serial port & provides multiple virtual serial
ports
NaP3 for wide-band view, connects to U5 audio & K3s via LP-Bridge
CW Skimmer, connects to U5 audio & K3s via LP-Bridge
Either WriteLog or N1MM+ for logging, connects to K3s via LP-Bridge
Set CW Skimmer to send spots to Telenet/localhost
Connect logging software spots/band map to localhost
This provides point & click capability for your logging program, and the
main advantage is that no spots appear on the bandmap unless you are
actually hearing them.
If you don't do CW tests, then there is no need for CW Skimmer. I'm sure
you're already aware of NaP3's ability to show spots on the pan display
from any spot server you connect to. This is another big advantage for
contesting over using a P3. Of course, the logging software can show spots
on its band map as well.
The PC configuration is also something you will need to consider. From my
experience, the minimum desktop-type computer needed to run all the above
software is a Intel Core-2 Duo with 4 GB ram. Intel i3 thu i7's will run at
lower CPU loads, and if you are using laptops, i3's with at least 4GB ram
are probably the minimum.
I have been eyeing the small fanless "brick" mini-PC's that are available
from several vendors as something that could be used as a shack/contesting
PC. They are made using laptop boards, and utilize the aluminum case as a
heatsink. A complete i5 can be had with 4 GB ram and a small SSD drive for
about $300, but do not include a Windows license.
Another option that I don't have any experience with, but would be cheaper
to implement, would be to use the SDR-Play SDR receiver to look at the IF
output from the K3s. I do not know if the SDR-Play can be used in
conjunction with NaP3, CW Skimmer, or contest loggers. You might check
around on some of the Kenwood TS-590 info pages or forums, as the SDR-Play
seems to be a popular method of providing a panadapter for the TS-590.
Hope this is of some help.
73,
Luther N4UW
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