I have done it both ways. The transistor interface and an outboard
keyer, the Winkey USB.
I prefer the Winkeyer because it makes it easy to hook up the paddle and
computer. I don't know of a contesting program that doesn't support it.
It also avoids the Windows multi-tasking issues which can occasionally
screw up the sent code. It's also a kick but standalone keyer. Better
than the one in the K2.
On 7/8/2016 12:48 PM, Jim Brown wrote:
On Fri,7/8/2016 10:17 AM, Robert G Strickland wrote:
So, as Guy states and Don infers, using an interface device is
probably preferable to a direct computer-radio setup. YMMV and OMD.
When I used a K2 for contesting, I made up a simple adapter that split
out the DTR line from the computer to an NPN transistor that keyed the
radio. Details begin on page 51 of this set of Power Point slides. The
NPN inverter is shown on page 53. Following slides suggest how to get
varying degrees of fancy.
http://k9yc.com/HamInterfacing.pdf
As has been noted, the K2 does NOT have a standard RS232 interface,
and a standard DB9 cable wired for RS232 CANNOT be used directly. The
K2 uses pins 2, 3, and 5 for serial interface. Other pins are used for
other functions. When you build a K2 accessory that has a DB9
connector, clear instructions are provided for building a suitable
cable to interface to a standard RS232 port.
One thing that was WRONG about K2 accessory kits was that Elecraft
provided parallel wire cable for the interface. That cable SHOULD use
twisted pairs, one pair for each signaling circuit between the K2 and
the computer. Ordinary CAT5 cable is an excellent choice. This is
shown on pages 53-55.
I successfully used this setup to control and key the radio both with
WriteLog and N1MM.
73, Jim K9YC
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