[Elecraft] Does K2 benefit from simple Microham interfaces?

[Jim Brown]

On Sat, 8 Nov 2008 05:52:28 -0800 (PST), Ignacy wrote:

>Is there any advantage in using a simple microham interface like USB2 or 
>CW keyer for K3?

For five years of serious contesting, I've never used anything more 
complicated than a serial cable and breakout of DTR through an NPN to the 
key jack to send CW. I've used this with WriteLog and N1MM with a K2, K3, 
TS850, Omni V, FT1000MP, and IC746 with no problems in a SINGLE RADIO 
setup. The computers I use have REAL serial ports, not USB-derived ports. 
One has no built-in serial port, so I use ports from a Quantech PCMCIA 
card, which act like real serial ports. 

The K3 has the advantage of not needing the NPN -- you use a menu 
selection to tell the K3 to get CW from DTR and it does it internally. 

You can also plug a paddle into a K3 to send "live." The K2 manual shows 
how you can use diodes to feed both a computer and a paddle into the 
keying input. Most other radios don't allow both computer keying and 
paddle keying, so I use an outboard keyer and diodes to isolate the 
computer keying from the keyer.  

The manner in which WriteLog and N1MM send CW causes problems with SO2R 
(single operator, two radios) operation using this simple setup, and is a 
good reason for using something like WinKey, which with software that 
supports it can switch CW between two radios. Most popular contesting 
software does. 

For SSB contesting, I'm successfully using N1MM and the stereo out of my 
sound card to drive two radios, with VOX doing TX/RX switching. My "live" 
mic goes to the input of the sound card, and N1MM switches both the live 
mic and message playback to left or right radio. To listen, I have a 
headphone Y-cable that gets left ear from one radio and right ear from the 
other, and use audio gain controls on the two radios to pick where I want 
to listen. 

The nice thing about fancier SO2R boxes is that they give you more control 
of what you're listening to. Also, USB to serial converters are 
notoriously flaky (CW problems, control problems, crashing computer 
problems), so having one that is known to work is a BIG plus. Another big 
plus for the Microham stuff is the high level of support that Joe Subich 
provides. 

For details of what I'm doing and various ways of doing it "on the 
cheap,"  

http://audiosystemsgroup.com/HamInterfacing.pdf  and 

http://audiosystemsgroup.com/RFI-Ham.pdf

73,

Jim Brown K9YC