And the purple ink! Golly, some memories George W3HBM On 3/22/2019 1:25 PM, Mike Flowers wrote: > [This message came from an external source. If suspicious, report to > [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>] > > My Model 15 took a lot of 3-in-1 oil to keep it running back in the late > 1970s. I can still smell the warm oil. > > I worked Antigua on 20M and that QSO started RTTY DXing for me. > > -- Mike Flowers, K6MKF, NCDXC - "It's about DX!" > >> On Mar 22, 2019, at 10:01 AM, Michael Blake via Elecraft >> <[email protected]> wrote: >> >> My first was a model 14 strip printer. It was also in the early 70s. >> >> Very 73 - Mike - K9JRI >> >> >>> On Mar 22, 2019, at 12:14 PM, Wayne Burdick <[email protected]> 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:[email protected] >>> >>> 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:[email protected] >> >> 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:[email protected] > > 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:[email protected]
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