I'll second that. Propoer spacing is completely independent from the key
used, it's a matter of OP skills! I had at least 2 guys calling me last
weekend in CQ WW using a hand-key that I simply had to send elsewhere as
their CW was not understandable at all, completely weired spacing!
A
Hi Tom,
Also one thing I noticed with the decode. 9 out of 10 times the station
returned my call, the first letter was decoded incorrectly, and no, I did
send a V.
73's Tom
certainly due to clipping the first letter on their side, i.e. not fast
enough relays in PA stages, etc. It's a
I still have my original straight key that I bought in 1958 when I
was practising for my Novice. I didn't have the luxury of a code
machine to send my practise sessions (cassettes had not been
invented) so either I listened on my little 3-tube receiver or I
spent hours sending to myself. I
Congrats Jim!
Also thanks for our 10 m QSO last weekend! ;-) Did you use your KX3 or
something bigger?
Wayne did a great job with the new firmware, SSB output is up to almost
3 watts now but only with COMP off. As soon as you turn COMP on output
power drops down to 1 watt again until you
Hi Tom,
sounds like a problem with either your antenna (or coax or connectors)
or maybe RF in the shack? A friend of mine had a similar problem (only
on 160 m) and it turned out the KAT500 picked up RF through one of the
cables connected that drove the KAT500 internal frequency counter nuts.
Sounds like the frequency counter detects new frequencies and switches
over to the settings stored for that new frequency (that's why you hear
the relays clicking). Or it is going into self-protecting mode ...
73, Olli
Contest, DX radio projects: http://www.dh8bqa.de
Am 29.11.2014 16:54,
Hi Randy,
doesn't the KX3 store VOX status per mode anyway? Never tried myself
with DATA but know for sure it does for CW, i.e. CW has VOX on while SSB
has not and keeps it like this when switching between modes. That would
make a command obsolete. ;-)
73, Olli - DH8BQA
Contest, DX radio
On Mon,12/1/2014 12:23 AM, Oliver Dröse wrote:
Also thanks for our 10 m QSO last weekend! ;-) Did you use your KX3 or
something bigger?
Thank you too. K3s driving 35 year old Ten Tec Titan amps (a pair of
each for SO2R) to legal limit (1.5 kW). 3-el SteppIR up 120 ft on 20-10,
wire dipoles
P3 has been sold.Thanks to all who responded.George wb5xx
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Ed et al.,
My opinions usually rub someone wrong, so take them as they are - one man’s
opinions about what he has observed in his short time as an amateur operator.
K1EL makes a kit that will let you set it up in “bug” mode. I assume his
Winkeyer does the same.
I have been reluctant to jump
Hello Don,
Thanks, I discovered something interesting and making me laugh.
I switched the DMM from the 20k to 200k range and got the right resistance
10k. The KX1 now delivers 4 W at 20m and 3 W at 40m according to my LP100A.
My next step is the construction of the KXB3080 module.
Thanks for
I agree totally, skip the manual key, it's 2014, and you own a really
hot radio, skip the 1890 technology, and get a paddle... Best is a
Vibroplex...
--
Thanks and 73's,
For equipment, and software setups and reviews see:
www.nk7z.net
for MixW support see;
Found in this thread:
I can't use a straight key any more for more than 20 minutes without a
lot of pain.
Yes, get a straight key, there is a great reason for one
Start out with a Paddle... I wish I had...
--
Thanks and 73's,
For equipment, and software setups and reviews see:
There are alternatives to Iambic keying.
One way is to use a single lever paddle which makes it impossible to
send those alternating dit/dah sequences that I cannot work with
correctly due to some 'finger habits' that I learned when using a bug.
Another way is to get a K1EL keyer (or
Tom,
Congratulations on your discovery of CW, and on your desire to learn it
and use it. I've been using CW for about 48 years now for about 90% my
operating. Tons of fun!
But PLEASE DO develop the habit of using the characters DE to preface
the sending of your callsign, whether calling CQ or in
Just my opinion guys... Most radios have an electronic keyer built
in . My K3 does I use it. So it's straight key [ UGH] or electronic
key. If you want to send the letter A. It's DIT DAH. With a keyer it's
tap one side then the other. The keyer sends DIT with the proper spacing
then
On 2014-12-01 8:46 AM, Don Wilhelm wrote:
If you are just starting out, you may want to learn to send with
dual lever paddles in Iambic (A or B your choice) and learn the
squeeze sequences as well. That should help you when you get up to
speeds above 30 wpm.
*IF* one must start out with
I used the K3-utility in parallel to my contest-program. Its terminal
is really helpful to read the decoded rtty and cw
while it already disappeared out of the display of the K3. My K3 often
decodes rtty better than my contest-program.
For possible post-contest comparing I want to store the
Attention CW Bug users. Just a short reminder if you're experiencing
scratchy dot problems due to contact bounce on your bug, I've
resurrected Ted McElroy's mechanical Dot Stabilizer which, when
installed and properly adjusted, helps eliminate around 90 percent of
this problem. Doesn't wear
On 11/30/2014 8:42 PM, Jim Brown wrote:
On Sun,11/30/2014 8:25 PM, Leroy Marion wrote:
Does not a paddle and keyer give you perfect timing?
Not quite. Refer to Page 40 of the October 1949 issue of QST for the
definitive work on spacing in International Morse code.
It's been nearly 60
A little late to the party here, but I'll throw in my 2 cents worth. I'm sort
of old school in favoring becoming proficient with a straight key first
before moving to a bug or a keyer. It makes sense: to use a sports analogy,
one needs to master the fundamentals before trying to move to fancier
Back from the holiday. I'll be looking at the compression issue again this week.
73,
Wayne
N6KR
On Dec 1, 2014, at 12:23 AM, Oliver Dröse dro...@necg.de wrote:
Congrats Jim!
Also thanks for our 10 m QSO last weekend! ;-) Did you use your KX3 or
something bigger?
Wayne did a great job
Tom,
I'm in the middle of learning CW. For better or worse, I started with a
straight key (Bencher). I've gotten smooth enough to be computer
readable. I'm currently trying to learn paddle sending. I find its very
different and at least do far, my error rate is too great to get it on the
air. One
Wayne,
With what Olli is doing and saying, what is going to happen to duty
cycle and heat dissipation needs?
Change of subject. The CQ WWCW contest was this weekend. When I got
on Friday night, 40 was filled to overflowing. My kx3 was hearing better
than, I infer, a lot of the DX
Well not being really old or really new to CW, I take a path of thought
that has not been touched on, but trampled all around. I started on a
J-38 and I like it and us to this day, but I really prefer my keyer and
single lever paddle.
I started with the J-38 because that is all I had and
After about 10 minutes of running 10M CW during the contest yesterday my
KPA3 shut down with the ERR 12 message and it reverted to bypass mode
just like the manual says it's supposed to. The KPA3 circuit breaker had
not tripped. I opened the box and could see nothing amiss. I removed both
My story...
Learned CW when I was 9 years old, taught by ham uncle (also a ship radio
operator). I used to listen to ham radio operators CW and got my speed up a
little bit before I ever got my Novice license so passing that code test was
easy-as-pie.
As a novice, started with J-38 (I didn't
Beware!
I was fine tuning filter offsets with the utility program. A noise
generator was attached to the antenna terminals.
The test mode was selected to prevent damage to the generator.
I adjusted the offset and told the firmware program to apply it.
It rebooted the K3. Test mode was not
FWIW, I agree 100% with Dale (below) and with some of the other comments
in this thread, based on 57 years of 99.9% CW. Specifically:
Although I used a straight key for my novice year (in 1957) and a
Vibroplex bug from then until about 10 years ago, I doubt that any of that
learning helped my
With all the keyers out there, built in and otherwise, there should be no
bad CW heard, but as anyone who listens can attest, there is, lots of it.
One thing I suggest is copying W1AW code practice, and bulletins once your
speed can handle the 18 wpm used for Bulletins. That is perfect code,
On Mon,12/1/2014 5:52 AM, d...@lightstream.net wrote:
But PLEASE DO develop the habit of using the characters DE to preface
the sending of your callsign, whether calling CQ or in exchange with
another station.
NO, NO, NO! (CAPS added for emphasis). When a contester (or DXpedition)
is running
I had a 'hint' published in QST a while back. It showed a very simple way to
use a dual paddle
key as a single paddle. Just tape or glue a small spacer between both paddles
that allows
each side to make contact freely but does NOT allow both to make contact at the
SAME time.
Just plug in
Hi everyone. I'm the OP here and I thank everyone who replied. I've had an
order of magnitude more mail than I received on the list. I can't answer all of
them due to a broken elbow but I thank everyone who replied. Lots to digest,
hopefully will be on the air soon.
73's Tom
On Dec 1, 2014
I'm sold on single-lever paddles. I have a handbuilt one from G3YUH, and
I have a Kent single-lever that is outstanding. Very smooth to operate
and nicely finished. It's my favorite key now. I never could get
interested in iambic keying which is more of an affectation than
anything useful. The
Begali paddles are more like jewelry than something so plain-jane and
ubiquitous as a code key. I send my CW via keyboard now, but I still want to
have a number of Begali’s many models on my desk, even though I will probably
hardly ever use them. They are simply fantastic!
73
On 12/01/2014 09:36 AM, Terry wrote:
... I started on a J-38
I do think a straight key is good when you're starting out because it
forces you to concentrate on correct timing. One trick to get your
timing correct is to set up your code-practice software to send a known
text at a slow
Well we all have our CW learning stories. So here is mine and can be taken as
a tip-suggestion-opinion.
At 13 in 1956 I signed up for a Novice class at the local radio club, Nutley
Amateur Radio Society (Nutley, NJ). When it came time to learn the basics of
sending the instructor, W2TJD
The term “can easily handle from 200mW to 100 watts” suggests that even more
than 100 watts is permissible.
Does that indicate that even 200 watts from a Palomar TX5300A could be handled
by the KAT100 ?
OZ5RB, Hans
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Elecraft mailing
Hi all,
Only read about sending CW via straight key or paddles.
To my opinion the work starts with a good reading ability.
Some tips from personal experience:
- don't start with low speed CW. It makes you think in dits and dahs instead
of sound.
- so stay away from the 10WPM wall - start at
Hans,
The KAT100 probably can handle more than 100 watts.
BUT it needs the K2 to tell it to tune, report the power and SWR,
control the correct relays when changing bands or antennas, etc.
In other words, it must connect to the control lines in the K2 AUX IO
connector and communicate with the
Jim is speaks the truth.
While the premise of beginning a transmission with DE ... or the called
station's call ... may be correct, in practice it assures one first place
in the lid line.
5NN is the only cut number that's acceptable to me, too.
In the contesting arena time is all-important!
On Dec 1, 2014, at 12:36 PM, Terry tmyers1...@sbcglobal.net wrote:
The moral of the story is you tend to like what you first learn.
That has not been my experience, it probably depends more on what you have to
start with.
I started out with a Japanese J-38 clone and then later was
A friend is using my K3 while his is in the shop When he transmit's on the K-3
running a specific power out he notices that the power especially on RTTY will
start at a lower output that what was dialed in and gradually raise its output
to the maximum dialed in. This seems to be worse on 15 m.
This is more common than one might think, but only for left-handers it
seems. I'm left-handed and my Elmer, W6RMK, was too. He taught me to
send with my right hand so I could write legibly in my log. In those
days, you logged every transmission, whether or not it resulted in a QSO.
A
If you find yourself confronted with a paddle that's counter to your
handed ness, simply turn it around 180 degrees and reach over the top to
send.
73 - Ken - K0PP
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Home:
To each his own, whatever you enjoy. But for a different perspective, I
certainly enjoy being able to have a longer QSO and “chat” and do more than
just the quickie 599/QTH/73 type of contact. Running 20 wpm lets me do that a
lot more readily than running at 10 wpm. 35 wpm is even better
On Dec 1, 2014, at 9:06 AM, Joe Subich, W4TV li...@subich.com wrote:
*IF* one must start out with paddles/keyer, learn on Iambic A. Iambic
B was a logic error in the AccuKeyer and simply covers up sloppy (slow)
paddle operation.
There are really three Iambic modes - based on where the
On Mon,12/1/2014 12:48 PM, Ken G Kopp wrote:
If you find yourself confronted with a paddle that's counter to your
handed ness, simply turn it around 180 degrees and reach over the top to
send.
The handedness of a paddle is nothing more than wiring. Also, many
(most?) keyers (including K3 and
Hi Hugh,
If he's using AFSK from a PC there's a few things he'll want to verify.
The K3 should be set to digital mode AFSK A?
The audio output from his PC should be attached to the K3 line input.
The output level of the PC and MIC setting of the K3 should be adjusted so
that 4 bars of the K3 ALC
You’re not alone. My first experience with paddles was long after having used
a ‘bug’.. Hence… … wobble wrist… I have never gotten even remotely adept at
‘squeeze keying’… Still screw stuff up with iambic etc. paddles/keyers.
Nevertheless, I prefer paddles/keyer to a straight key at
I would also like to add pay attention to the bandplan
Many are NOT contesting and it spoils there enjoyment when contesters encroach
on them while they are operating.
Examples: CW or RTTy being run on top of the JT65 Guys or SSB Voice on top of
the SSTV guys.
From: Ken G Kopp
Am I missing something?
No, with the mention of Iambic, I assumed squeeze technique. If one
uses a single lever paddle or slaps dual lever paddles, Iambic A/B
or Super CMOS are all the same G.
73,
... Joe, W4TV
On 2014-12-01 4:00 PM, Ken wrote:
On Dec 1, 2014, at 9:06 AM, Joe
Sorry - I wasn't clear. Of course it makes no sense to send DE prior to
calling anyone if the only thing you're sending is your own call.
I was referring mostly to folks who are calling CQ, especially those with
a bad fist, and under poor conditions. I've heard stations with an unusual
callsign
Hi:
The title should get your attention. I don't want to get into cross
posting so hopefully someone has the same setup as me:
K3 - MK2R+ - MMTTY
For some strange reason I am having an occasional problem where MMTTY
will not unkey the K3 (Hangs). I have to go in and
manually click the TX
For some strange reason I am having an occasional problem where
MMTTY will not unkey the K3 (Hangs). I have to go in and manually
click the TX and then TX OFF in MMTTY.
Make sure that MMTTY (or any other software - including contest
software that wraps around MMTTY) is not using CAT commands
Hugh,
Does he have enough audio drive to illuminate 4 bars solid with the 5th
bar flashing on the ALC meter?
If he does not supply sufficient audio to the K3 it will power hunt
with the results you stated.
The power should be adjusted using the power knob and not by adjusting
the audio
He should also re-do the automated 5- and 50-watt power calibration on all
bands using K3 Utility and a dummy load.
73,
Wayne
N6KR
On Dec 1, 2014, at 1:43 PM, Don Wilhelm w3...@embarqmail.com wrote:
Hugh,
Does he have enough audio drive to illuminate 4 bars solid with the 5th bar
*/I had a issue with my K3 and KPA500 after a couple of years where I would get
error messages over power input /swr and one other fault intermittently the
KPA500 would power hunt slowly building to the final power of 500 w output then
fall back to 200 w or so.
I did the calibration over and
Well I might have the problem licked. On the advice from Joe Bill,
blanked out the command lines in MMTTY. Only ran a few quick tests
and no hanging etc problems. Now to
go and work some RTTY on air to see if in fact the problem is gone.
Tnx Agn Joe and Bill.
73 De Mike
VE3YF
My Morse fist is better than my typing. I accidentally left out of the
paragraph below, in my first post, the fact that I now use a dual paddle
Bencher, though I never use the iambic function. Alan¹s response, and
others¹, raise two questions: Putting aside the self-evident virtue of
the maxim
After having an interesting conversation with someone familiar with
remoting the K3, I took the plunge. Actually, I had concluded that the
KX3 with all its accessories would satisfy my needs adequately and
considering I have a few other good quality rigs, I heeded my wife's
constant demand
If you find yourself confronted with a paddle that's counter to your
handed ness, simply turn it around 180 degrees and reach over the top to
send.
Absolutely. I've done this for years if I find myself in the midst of doing
something else with the sending hand. You may have to slow down
Curiously, you may find that you can send with the wrong hand by reversing
the dot/dash, or as suggested, by backing up to the keyer and reaching
behind yourself.
In the olden days when we logged with a pencil, the CW hot-shots would do
just that. They'd log with their right hand and send
Doug,
I too am planning a remote. I'll be looking for lower noise at a remote
farm site - ten miles out - than at my city location which is near a
shopping center with a city restriction of a max of 35 feet for the
tower. Just finished up my K3/100 kit and love the radio. Using it with
a 33
Ah ah! So THAT (Farnsworth) is the source of the horrible CW I hear (fast
characters with excess spacing!)
Sorry but I will disagree with that approach. It teaches plain bad CW.
(Okay, when I went to school they didn’t have to teach the alphabet with silly
bellies and stuff either.
Yes, I’ve looked up and understand the theory of Iambic keying but 1) it’s been
weird to try and 2) I haven’t noticed any advantage for me. Now maybe there is
an advantage at higher speeds? But when I’ve run above 30 wpm, I use a
keyboard ;-)
73,
Ken WA8JXM
On Dec 1, 2014, at 4:41 PM,
Well, I use iambic keying (mode B, because I learned to use a paddle on an ICOM
radio, which would only do mode B. Anyway, this was before I even knew there
was such a thing as mode A and mode B).
The following article questions the value of iambic keying, makes for an
interesting read:
I'm one of those left-handlers who learned to send on the paddle either right
hand -- that way, no need to put down the pen :-) When I learned the straight
key though, in order to get my ham ticket, I learned left-handed, and still
can't use a straight key with my right :-(
73,
Matt VK2RQ
I would say to use the Bandplan of the country that you are licensed in
it is a simple matter of courtesy to be considerate of those who do not care to
contest
From: brian als...@nc.rr.com
To: Harry Yingst hlyin...@yahoo.com
Sent: Monday, December 1, 2014 4:45 PM
Subject: Re:
I also uses a dummy load screwed directly onto the back of the K3 When I
calibrated it
The cable may have been acting like a tuning section
From: Art Nienhouse ka9...@gmail.com
To: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net
Sent: Monday, December 1, 2014 5:14 PM
Subject: [Elecraft] Calibration of my K3
I am left handed but I send with the electronic key set for a
righthander. I learned this way for several reasons but the primary
reason 50 yr.s ago was I could sit at 90% of other stn.s and operate.
Primarly FD contest operations. All lefties are semi-ambidextrous out
of necessity.
Are the Macros within the KX3 Utility under the Terminal Tab stored in a folder
on the computer so that I can copy to another computer? I’m on a Macintosh and
I’m configuring a new machine, but can’t locate the files and do not see an
export/import feature.
Paul
N1PEB
Has anyone with a KX3 experienced this problem? When turning the kx3 on with
theband- and atu tune buttons the back ground leds come on but no screen
display. Removing the power cable and letting it sit there disconnected for a
few hours and then when power up is turned on everything starts
I have not run into this. Are you running the most recent stable firmware?
How are you supplying power to your unit? Do you have the battery module
option installed?
Thanks,
David/K5DJO
On Mon, Dec 1, 2014 at 8:52 PM, l s via Elecraft elecraft@mailman.qth.net
wrote:
Has anyone with a KX3
Sorry just saw you were running the most recent firmware. Since that's a
non-issue (again, apologies for not reading thoroughly enough) question
still remains re: power supply/battery unit. My question is - if you can
run off a different power source do you see the same behavior?
On Mon, Dec 1,
Same situation here, Phil. All a right-hander would have to do to use
my station is to move the paddle across the table and begin sending. It
baffles some right-handers when they see me send dahs with my thumb.
As to your statement about lefties being somewhat ambidextrous, I've
played the
Farnsworth uses a character speed of 15 WPM. Koch (German for Cook) pronounced
Cook, not kotch uses 25 WPM. ARRL Code Practice uses Farnsworth for Code
Practice for speeds below 15 WPM. I find the Koch method difficult to copy,
but Farnsworth not so bad and I use it for Bug sending. when I
Are you using the power cable supplied by Elecraft? If you inadvertently try to
use a 2.5mm inner diameter plug on the KX3's 2.1mm pin diameter socket, it will
seem to fit but the connection may be poor and may result in strange behaviour.
73,
Matt VK2RQ
On 2 Dec 2014, at 1:52 pm, l s via
I encountered an operator named DEAN who sent it as de an and I kept copying it
as from An. Willis 'Cookie' Cooke, TDXS DX Chairman K5EWJ Trustee N5BPS, USS
Cavalla, USS Stewart
From: d...@lightstream.net d...@lightstream.net
To: j...@audiosystemsgroup.com
Cc: elecraft@mailman.qth.net
Hi All,
I'm a lefty too, and I just acquiesced to the right handed setup on paddles
(and bugs) from the outset. As has been pointed out, it really makes it
easier if you go to another ham's station--usually a right handed person. I
really don't think it makes much difference which way you
KN1CBR asked:
in what way is a Begali (or equivalent)
superior to a much cheaper Bencher (or equivalent)?
Your subject line belies the true intent of your question, and I agree with you
fit and finish are part of the equation. We all choose where to spend our
optional money, and balance
Re: When turning the kx3 on with theband- and atu tune buttons the back ground
leds come on but no screen display. Removing the power cable...
Open the case and be sure the multi-pin connector on the cable that connects
the two halves is firmly engaged. I had a similar problem that I traced to
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