[Elecraft] the mode A/B thing.

[Ferguson, Kevin]

I've noticed a slight difference in the K2 Mode-A emulation, vs. a Genuine
Curtis 
8044 chip (no suffix, probably pre mode B)

Earlier discriptions of A/B operation assume a squeeze terminates during
either a dot 
or dash, but omit cases when a squeeze is released during silence between
them, which
 is 1/3 of the time. (at 50% weighting)

On the K2, mode A if you wait 'till that element completes, but release
before the next element starts,
then you still get the next dot or dash . On the 8044, as long as you
release before a dot or dash 
element starts, then it is not sent. You can wait to release untill you have
actually heard the letter
sent in full, and that is how I (to my later regret) learned to do it.

This difference reduces the "window" of time during which you can correctly
release the squeeze. By 25% if
the last element is a dash, but by 50% if it is a dot. Enough difference to
drive me buggy. Enough
in fact that I have given up on my K2s "A-and-a-half" mode (at least for
now) and just use a straight key.
or my old MFJ econo-keyer (where the 8044 chip lives)

I took this up with Wayne a few months back...he was going to check it out,
but guess he was busy with
KIO2, K14B(?), K2AF, whatever else has come out since then, and hopefully
the K2PA100. 
 If this is causing grief to others, maybe we should lobby to get it fixed
in the next firmware revision.

And after the devil came up with mode-B he went to work on the Hell....I
mean Cell...Phone.