[Elecraft] K3 feature request - I want Ducking!

[Erik N Basilier]

Interesting idea Keith!

I must admit that I too have often been turning down gain controls while transmitting, not only on the K3, but even more on other rigs. At other times I have been using semi-QSK with a *LONG* timeout, even though the rig including amp can handle full QSK. The reason is that my aging brain finds it harder every year to focus on a task. Sending CW (my favorite mode) requires my 100% attention, and *any* distraction can make me mess up: other stations received within the passband, band noise, fan noise, relay clicks, and even hard edges on the side tone. I am so happy that the K3 doesn't have the relay clicks of my old 1000D, but under some circumstances its QSK/side tone have given me "hard edges" although that is normally not the case. The K3's selectivity is a great blessing, and although I can copy a single signal among several in a wide passband, I tend to reduce bandwidth during a QSO so that I can transmit without hearing other stations. I recently got a nice headset that blocks external sounds for the purpose of blocking out the vacuum relay clicks and fan noise from my amplifier. 

Your automatic ducking of the AF gain during transmission would be a welcome option that I would probably end up using sometimes if it were implemented. I guess the ducking as used during full QSK could use a delay equal to the semi-QSK delay setting. For use with semi-QSK perhaps one would want to use a shorter time constant for switching to receive and a separate longer time before receive gets full gain.

Another idea: Since much of the distracting noise between characters can be eliminated by using a really narrow bandwidth, how about a new twist on Dual Passband: transmit full QSK with the very narrow receive bandwidth and open up the bandwidth to 500 Hz or so after a delay set by the semi-QSK delay?

73,
Erik K7TV

----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Darwin, Keith 
  To: elecraft at mailman.qth.net 
  Sent: Tuesday, January 20, 2009 5:47 AM
  Subject: [Elecraft] K3 feature request - I want Ducking!


  Hey troops,

  I had an idea last night while in CW QSO with my K3.  I've noticed that I always turn the AF gain down when I send CW.  I have the side tone volume set to just the right level for the Spot function to work, but when I send CW I want to greatly reduce the distraction from the receiver.  I still want to hear it, but not be distracted by it.

  That got me thinking about ducking.  Boy, would it be cool if the K3 would duck the receiver under the CW side tone.  I'd want it to be engaged only when sending (not for spot) and I'd like the AF gain reduction to be adjustable through a menu setting.

  I guess another way to implement this might be to have the side tone affect the AGC so when I send, my RX responds as if it were a real signal and the AGC kicks in to quiet the receiver.  In this case, I'd want to set the amount of gain reduction and whether to use Fast or Slow recovery.

  - Keith N1AS -
  - K3 711 -
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