I had a Teletype Model 26 attached to a BC-610E. Cat slept on top for warmth.
73 ! K0PP On Fri, Mar 22, 2019, 10:15 AM Wayne Burdick <n...@elecraft.com> wrote: > 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 > ______________________________________________________________ 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
