[Elecraft] K3 Key-down on power-up

[Andrew Faber]

I would vote not to make Test mode persistent.  While I find it very useful, 
it can be a trap for an inexperienced K3 user, to whom it might look like 
the radio simply isn't working.  There is no indication that the radio is in 
Test mode, other than the failure to transmit.
  73, andy, ae6y
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bob Cunnings" <bob.cunnings at gmail.com>
To: "Elecraft Reflector" <elecraft at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Friday, June 27, 2008 9:00 AM
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] K3 Key-down on power-up


> I've always wondered why TEST mode wasn't persistent - if I put the K3
> into TEST to prevent inadvertent keying, it comes back up on next
> powerup in normal mode.
>
> Bob NW8L
>
> On Fri, Jun 27, 2008 at 9:57 AM, Dave Hachadorian <K6LL at arrl.net> wrote:
>> I've got my K3 set up for cw on Field Day with a laptop usb port driving 
>> a
>> usb to serial converter. Rig control and cw keying are done over the 
>> serial
>> cable, using the K3's built-in ability to send cw from pin 4(?) of the
>> rs-232 cable.
>>
>> Everything works fine, but I got quite a scare when I turned on the K3 
>> and
>> it came up keyed-down 120 watts into no antenna.  It seems that if the
>> laptop is not running the logging program, rs-232 pin 4 can very well be 
>> in
>> a key-down state. I don't see any way to prevent this event from 
>> happening
>> again, except to unplug the rs-232 cable, turn the rig on, make sure vox 
>> is
>> off, turn off the K3, plug in the rs-232 cable, and then turn the K3 back 
>> on
>> again.
>>
>> Once it happens to you, you get gunshy about turning the rig on with 
>> rs-232
>> connected. Maybe there could be some sort of inhibit to prevent this from
>> happening? Or maybe someone can suggest an easier way to prevent this 
>> from
>> happening. On my old TS-850, there was an actual switch to disable vox, 
>> and
>> I always disabled vox before turning on the rig.
>>
>> My permanent setup back home uses LPT keying, so I can leave the computer
>> key jack unplugged.
>>
>> Thanks.
>>
>> Dave Hachadorian, K6LL
>> Big Bear Lake, CA
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