[Elecraft] K2 w/KSB CW reverse BFO

[Wallace, Andy]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: k6se@juno.com [mailto:k6se@juno.com]

> On CW, it's definitely an issue also.  All should be aware that even
> clean CW signals have bandwidth -- wider when the speed is faster.

This site may answer your question. I am not up on FFT math, so I 
am not sure:

http://fermi.la.asu.edu/w9cf/articles/click/

This may boil down to the following quote from this site:

http://lists.contesting.com/_cq-contest/2000-May/038610.html

Which is...

= = = =

"Does anyone recall the factor you multiply keying speed by
to get the approximate bandwidth of keyed CW?"

        K2XA reminded me that this was previously a question in the
ARRL License Manual.  I checked my 1976 copy and found the following:

"With proper shaping, the necessary keying bandwidth is equal to 4
times the speed in words per minute for International Morse Code;
e.g. at 25 words per minute, the bandwidth is approximately 100 cycles."

        Thanks to all for the responses and I guess my memory is not 
completely gone yet!

                                                73,  Bill  W4ZV
= = = =

Earl continues:

> Also, most of today's modern transceivers (not Elecraft) have 
> key clicks on CW extending as far as +/-2 kHz or more from the carrier 
> frequency. 

My youngest transceiver (not counting the K1) is a pre-WARC vintage solid
state model. The K1 has really got me spoiled with its auto internal ATU.
I was thinking about perhaps upgrading my 100W transceiver (which has 
been idle since the K1 was built) to something more modern, maybe even with
an auto ATU as an accessory. I'd still keep the K1 for QRP fun. 

In looking at many ARRL reviews of transceivers in the <$1000
class at their website, I was astounded that they would give generally
favorable
reviews to rigs which had horrible CW waveforms or performance. Some had
keying
waveforms which clip off the ENTIRE leading dit in full-break-in mode.
Others
had power spikes of 2x the output power on leading dits (which could damage
linear amps). Some just had rotten T-R delays. SHAME ON THE ARRL LAB. For
whatever reason, we (hams) have come to ACCEPT mediocre CW performance as
standard fare. Is it really that SSB is such a standard mode that we can't
spend
less than $1000 to get a transceiver that does it ACCEPTABLY, never mind
"well"?

However, if you look at the ARRL reviews of the K1 and K2 via the Elecraft
website (some are ARRL members-only accessible), it should not be a surprise
that the K1 and K2 exhibit textbook CW keying. And all the users on this
List
know how well they perform on the air, too. So now, after doing my research,
the 100W rig I will be buying "someday" will be the K2/100. Yes, by the time
I am done, it will be in the >$1000 class, but at least I know my leading
dits
will be heard around the world...

-Andy
KA1GTT 
(ARRL life member)