[Elecraft] K3 "CW via CAT Command"?

[Doug Faunt N6TQS +1-510-655-8604]

MixW 2.18.  It's got a clicky box for "CW by CAT" and a search of the
MixW mailing list finds a couple of references to people who got it to
work.  The Kenwood's and the Elecraft's share the KY command, which is
what I assume is being used.


   Date: Sat, 15 Mar 2008 10:54:31 -0700 (PDT)
   From: G4ILO <julian.g4ilo at gmail.com>

   Doug Faunt N6TQS +1-510-655-8604 wrote:
   > 
   > Hi, I'm using MixW with my K3, configuring it as "K2" under Kenwood
   > for CAT, and decided to try the "CW via CAT Command", since that seems
   > to be similar (I think).  But it doesn't send CW- it puts the rig in TX,
   > and
   > something is happening, I can hear some sort of artifacts coming from
   > the speaker, a click for each CW element (adjustable by the volume
   > control).  But there's no RF shown (and no I don't have the radio in
   > "test").
   > 
   > I know I'm out here on the bleeding edge, but wonder if anyone has any
   > ideas about the problem.
   > 
   > 73, doug
   > 
   What version of MixW are you using, Doug? I never used the latest version,
   and probably won't now since I have switched to Linux, but as far as I know
   MixW sends CW by keying one of the RS-232 control lines (according to which
   one you set up on the CAT configuration menu.) It can do TX/RX switching
   using CAT commands but it does not send CW using CAT to the best of my
   knowledge.

Your knowledge is incomplete, apparently.

   If you download the KCommunicate from my website then this will send CW
   using CAT. It also reads and writes MixW compatible log files. I made a
   couple of hundred contacts with it in the CQ WW contest last year so you
   should find it is pretty stable. That version dates from before I had a K3
   so you should select K2 in the configuration.

   Since I am now using Linux I will not be releasing another Windows version
   any time soon but I have rather lost interest in the program anyway since
   the main point of it was to be able to use the K3's built in CW, PSK and
   RTTY decoders and there is currently no way to get the decoded text on to
   the computer screen. The text stream enabled with the TT1 command conflicts
   with the use of CAT control commands.

Perhaps in future this problem will be addressed in the K3, especially
since having the second RX will compound the problem.

Of course, with CW Skimmer, a whole new dimension has been added to
automated CW copy.

73, doug