[Elecraft] KEY OUT (K3)

[Don Wilhelm]

Iain,

As far as I can recall, the amp keying during TX TEST is intentional - 
it allows one to activate all the controls as though switching to 
transmit, but no RF is transmitted - it is quite intuitive to me, it is 
a TEST of all the transmit control elements (internal to the K3 and 
external as well), but without producing any RF.

The situation of KEYOUT being activated by a key or paddle action when 
in CW PTT is IMHO not the proper action - PTT is PTT - and by that I 
mean that one must press PTT before anything happens.  In CW PTT, many 
have wanted sidetone to be produced when the key is activated, and all 
have wanted no RF to be transmitted - those things happen, but also the 
KEYOUT signal becomes active with keying too, and I do not believe that 
should happen - we have TX TEST to do testing that requires the KEYOUT 
to be active.

73,
Don W3FPR.


Iain MacDonnell - K6IAM wrote:
>
>
> WILLIS COOKE wrote:
>> I may be missing something, but when I close the key in the PTT mode 
>> I get a sidetone with no output.  I get output only if I close the 
>> PTT or use VOX.  I have not yet connected my amplifier, so I am not 
>> sure what the Key Out does.  If I am setting parameters in my K3 I 
>> want the amplifier to be either in off or Standby.  (On my amp 
>> Standby just removes the relay voltage in the keying circuit.)  I 
>> never have seen an amplifier without some kind of off and standby 
>> switches.  I don't understand the problem.
>
> So now you have two things to toggle to get into "test mode" - the K3
> and the amp separately... and the amp may not be within arm's reach
> of the operating position.
>
> I must say that I was quite surprised (and a little embarrassed) when I
> took my K3 to a contest station recently (where I'll be operating SS
> this weekend), and discovered (infront of the station owner) that his
> the amp was getting keyed even though the K3 was in "TX TEST" mode.
>
> Whilst I (now) understand why it's happening (receiver is being turned 
> off), I still think it's wrong...
>
>     ~Iain
>
>
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