If you're a new owner of a K3, K3S, KX3 or KX2 -- or if, like most of us, you never quite made it all the way through the owner's manual -- you might not have tried our FSK-D mode. This is one of our favorite features. It gives you an amazingly simple way to dabble in amateur radio's original yet still actively used data mode: RTTY. As embodied in our FSK-D mode, RTTY has two major advantages over FT8, JT9, and similar computer-mediated modes...but first some background.
* * * RTTY (radio teletype) has a long, colorful history. The basic encoding and transmission methods were invented in the 1800s, and were later used by wireline news services as well as for wartime comms. It has been in use by hams since around the end of WWII, who took advantage of surplus military teleprinters. For more on this, see: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radioteletype#Early_amateur_radioteletype_history As a teenager in the 1970s I had a Teletype Corp Model 15. This page shows some examples of what this beast looked like: http://www.baudot.net/teletype/M15.htm In my shack, the Model 15 and all of its associated paraphernalia took up most of a workbench. It made a huge racket and consumed reams of paper, not to mention oil. Sadly, I never did get everything working properly and never made an QSO with it. Yet my fascination with RTTY continued. When we designed the K3, my interest was rekindled, and we endowed it with the ability to decode and encode 45-baud RTTY signals. The DSP handled demodulation, while the MCU assembled character bit streams. (We later added 75-baud RTTY as well as PSK31 and PSK63 modes.) Lyle Johnson (KK7P) and I had quite a bit of fun when we first got decode working. Speaking strictly for both of us, tuning around between 14.080 and 14.100 during an RTTY contest was like being a teenager all over again. We quickly added the ability to transmit in this mode using the CW keyer paddle and message memories. The upshot is that I finally had my first RTTY QSO, doing it the hard way -- writing a good chunk of the firmware that made it possible. Here's the importing thing: our K-Line/KX-Line implementation of RTTY makes it incredibly simple to use. It's nearly foolproof. The setup details vary a bit among the rigs, but basically you select DATA mode, then FSK-D sub-mode, and turn text decode on. Then just tune around in the RTTY band segments until you see signals start to decode. If you're a CW op, you can immediately transmit in RTTY mode by simply sending CW. If not, you can connect a netbook or laptop to your rig (via a USB port), then use the Terminal window in K3/KX3/KX2 Utility along with the keyboard. The Utility for each rig includes instructions for using the Terminal window. * * * Earlier I claimed that RTTY operation using our FSK-D mode has some advantages over FT8, etc. Here they are: 1. You don't necessarily need a computer. Decoded and encoded text scrolls across the radio's display. At your home station, this is great for simply tuning around casually; no need to turn on the computer or set up software applications. It's an even bigger advantage for field operation. With the KX3 or KX2, you can use RTTY (or PSK31/63) from essentially anywhere, even operating hand-held. During Field Day and RTTY contests, I make a point of taking a hike and making a few RTTY Q's pedestrian mobile (/PM). When a band is open, you can work the world in these modes. (For some of us, it doesn't get much better than this :) 2. Our FSK-D and PSK-D modes are *conversational*, with no restrictions on what you can send, no software delays or time synchronization, no predetermined frequencies, and a natural style of interaction as with CW or SSB. The receiver is automatically configured for a narrow passband, so you simply tune in a signal until you start seeing decoded text -- often a CQ -- then respond with the keyer paddle, or with the keyboard on your netbook/laptop, if applicable. As you can see, we've come a long way from the Model 15, paper, oil, noise, and complex terminal hardware. In addition to using the display on the rig itself, our panadapters can be used. Text can be displayed on our P3-SVGA display, as well as on the PX3. A keyboard can be connected to either the P3 or PX3. Next time you're listening on 20 meters, the most popular band for RTTY, take a quick spin above 14.080. If you hear some of those magical tones, turn on FSK-D mode and give this mode a try. Many DXpeditions have an RTTY station operating during some periods, so you'll often hear RTTY ops making DX contacts. In general, RTTY DX stations are quickly "spotted" when they pop up, so mini-pileups can form at any time. There are also a number of RTTY contests, in addition to stations operating in RTTY mode during Field Day, etc. For a calendar of events, see: https://www.rttycontesting.com/records/ If the contest exchange is simple (non-serialized), you can probably operate entirely using the message memories. On the KX2, CW and data-mode contacts can also be logged using the rig's built-in logging function, then uploaded to a computer when you get home. 73, Wayne N6KR ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
