[Elecraft] [K3] Help with K3, TenTec TITAN amp, and QSK

[Steve Ellington]

2 things:
I see that the K3 can delay RF generation before keying the amp relay but 
what about, upon key up, delaying amp delay until RF ceases?  How is this 
accomplished. Is it included?
2. The K3's keyer is excellent but it's a ratio adjustment, not weight as 
indicated. The dit length or heaviness is non adjustable. This is like most 
JA rigs and is really strange. Why would anyone want long dahs like a bug? A 
real weight control shortens both dits and dahs equally and makes overall 
keying sound more choppy or heavier. Although the K3's weight is about 
right, some of us would prefer lighter weight for  high speed and heavy 
weight for bad conditions. This goes way back to the early days of  Morse.
Steve Ellington
N4LQ at carolina.rr.com
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Vic K2VCO" <vic at rakefet.com>
To: "David Windisch" <davidjw at CINCI.RR.COM>
Cc: <elecraft at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Wednesday, April 15, 2009 12:37 PM
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] [K3] Help with K3, TenTec TITAN amp, and QSK


> David Windisch wrote:
>> Hi, all concerned:
>>
>> Please make comments about the situation here before I siubar:
>>
>> My TITAN amplifier has a QSK keying loop, which I now use with an 
>> external keyer and
>> FT-1000D.
>>
>> I've RTM ver. D2, searched the Nabble K3 reflector, and see nothing about 
>> such a setup
>> for use with the K3.
>
> You do not need the QSK loop with the K3, which has an adjustable delay of 
> 8 - 20 (I
> think) ms. between the amp key signal and the generation of RF. You can 
> attach the K3's
> key out to the Titan's key in, and connect the external keyer to the K2's 
> key in.
>
> I use a Logikey K3 and set the K parameter (I've been using K=3 or K=4) to 
> lengthen the
> elements to compensate when using the K3 in QSK mode.
>
> The K3's internal keyer does have a weight control which varies the 
> dot:space ratio. This
> is not the same as the Logikey's K parameter, because the K lengthens the 
> elements by a
> constant amount regardless of speed (the Logikey also has a weight 
> adjustment if you wish).
>
> I understand a 'ratio' control as dot:dash ratio. This should, in my 
> opinion, always be
> exactly 3:1 and I am surprised to hear that any modern keyer still has 
> such a control!
> Maybe you mean dot:space ratio, which I have always called a 'weight 
> control'.
>
> In any event, the internal keyer is not bad and can be set for either 
> iambic mode A or B.
> I like the Logikey a bit better because the timing seems less critical to 
> me.
>
> -- 
> 73,
> Vic, K2VCO
> Fresno CA
> http://www.qsl.net/k2vco
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