[Elecraft] K3 choppy CW

[Vic K2VCO]

W0MU Mike Fatchett wrote:
> The key is a decent computer.  There are many people using very old
> computers with minimal ram and cpu speed and they wonder why they have
> issues.
> 
> Some people do not have days and hours to figure out why something won't
> work especially leading up to a contest, for them a WinKeyer might be a
> great solution.  To each their own.

It's an interesting problem. I have an old Windows 2000 800 MHz laptop which sends perfect 
CW on my K3 from N1MM at 30 wpm. I did have to set the weight parameter in N1MM to 55.

Interestingly, I once had a problem of horrible CW with variable-length elements, etc. I 
discovered that it was because my wireless network was *not* connected -- and therefore 
was continuously scanning. Probably the driver was disabling interrupts for long periods. 
I simply turned the wireless back on and solved the problem.

This is just one possible issue. Anti-malware programs can also interfere with CW 
generation. Since I don't do email on my shack computer and only minimally access the web, 
I've removed the anti-virus software and kept only a firewall. If you use packet while 
contesting (I don't), the load on the computer will be increased. And as someone 
mentioned, SO2R is another factor.

Personally, I am suffering from gadget overload in my shack, and the more gadgets there 
are, the wider you open the door to Murphy. So I don't use Winkey or similar devices.

What I suggest is that you a) use a reasonably powerful computer, b) remove unnecessary 
software running in the background (MSCONFIG will show you much of it), and turn off 
unneeded Windows services, and c) look for problems like a wireless adapter scanning.

If you still have a problem, then maybe Winkey is the solution for you.
-- 
73,
Vic, K2VCO
Fresno CA
http://www.qsl.net/k2vco