[1000mp] FT1000MP Key Clicks

[Tom Rohlfing]

Billy,

Let me try to fill you in on what I tried with the W8JI key click mod on my
MP.

I started out with pots, and then replaced with fixed resistors.  I didn't
find a "best" setting for either pot, and found it a little hard to decide
what values to use.  I ended up with 270K and 15K for the two resistors,
although they didn't seem to be very critical.  I had in mind that there
would be some kind of "null" or "best" setting for each pot.  On the
contrary, it just gradually smoothed out (rounded off) the rising edge of
the transmitted pulse, so I just turned the pots to where the click
reduction got to a point of diminishing returns.  The mod also helped the
trailing edge, but not nearly as much as the leading edge.  And neither pot
did much to adjust the trailing edge--it was just the way it was, with
little affect from the pots.  I was listening on a TS-520S, tuned to the
other side of zero beat, using a 500 Hz. CW filter, so it was mostly clicks,
and only what little signal got past the filter.

At the risk of repeating myself, here are some other facts in the mystery of
the "first-clicky-dit" scenario.  Menu 7-4 didn't affect the first-dit
problem, across the whole range of the menu control.  And it didn't matter
if I was in QSK, MOX, or VOX.  And the transmitted power level didn't
matter.  And the code speed didn't seem to matter, within the range I played
with (about 20-40 wpm).  In all cases, the first dit was clicky (much faster
rise time, with a sharp corner), but dits 2-N were nice.  The same could be
said of dashes, or other combinations of dots and dashes.  The first
dot/dash was clicky, and the following dots/dashes were nice.

Maybe I'll take a closer look one of these days.  Again, I think it's an
improvement, and a good mod.  I have an almost-every-morning CW QSO on 80
meters with a bunch of guys, and we generally go at about 35 wpm.  None of
them has said my signal sounds better or worse, so that's probably a good
sign.  They never said it was clicky before, and they haven't said it sounds
soft after the mod.  But on the other hand, I haven't told them, either.  I
wanted to see if there were any unsolicited comments, and so far, none.

73,
Tom / W7GT

----- Original Message -----
From: "Billy Cox" <aa4nu@ix.netcom.com>
To: <1000mp@mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Thursday, December 26, 2002 10:16 PM
Subject: Re: [1000mp] FT1000MP Key Clicks


> >A few days ago I incorporated the W8JI key-click mod into my MP.
>
> Tom,
>
> What/how did you arrive at the final values there?
>
> That's part of the mystery of JI's mod ... as he mentions
> that you have to "find" the best settings ... did you use
> fixed value components or variable ones, and then
> replaced those with fixed units ...
>
> Your situation is exactly why I continue to delay doing
> anything to the local MPs here ... the risk of making a
> possible problem, into a worst a real reality ...
>
> You might want to try the INRAD mods, just to see if
> the 'new problem' exists with their circuit/values ...
>
> 73 Billy AA4NU
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