[Elecraft] K3: sidetone goes to ZERO... CW filter 'lost' - an interesting problem

[Brian Pepperdine]

On the weekend I once again thought about trying out PSK31... its been ages (last time was pretty close to when it 'came out' and the Steven Ford - I think- article was in QST). I did have fun with it... and was very interested in how well it worked for such low power (that was out of my K2 I think...)

Anyhow, being mostly a cw operator and having to earn my job with computer technology, PSK has not always been top of my interests (personally) since it involves messing with computers. And here is why, probably....maybe....

I know the K3 is great for digital modes (line in, line out) so once again I fired my HRD (Ham Radiio Deluxe) program up.... which I never use to control the K3 (I looked at it .... but I like knobs ) and the DM780 program...

I don't ever seem to hear many PSK signals anyhow...maybe I search at the wrong times or places (I know from way back when I did a simple RTTY interface that it seemed the RTTY guys were mostly a suppertime thing it seemed.. but I digress again.)

Anyhow, I heard one PSK signal and that was it. 
So I thought... having read a little bit more on the HRD etc. it seemed the application would do the PTT via the COMM port for CW mode.

So in a bit I suddenly and surprisingly had the thing sending a CQ and quickly got a call back from Norfolk, VA. Of course I was not prepared for this and quickly hit the iambic paddle saying tnx, just trying out some CW software and not really prepared for a QSO with  it.

Now to the NUT of this mail. I DON'T know if it was something the programs did or not (apologies Simon... I just don't know and did not go back agaiin to see) but after this episode I found out that my Filter 2 (500 hz) was not working. And the Filter Passband control (when in CW) did nothing at all.

So I updated the K3 software (why not?) and checked the Filter Configuration via the K3 Utility and the filter was there, with the offset as recorded when built.

Hmmm.

Anyhow, long story short... after poking about a bit I found that the SPOT function did not generate a tone against the received CW note. And then I found the Sidetone pitch was now ZERO.

So I wound it up to 650 hz and then there was SPOT back again  (run, Spot, run) and there was Filter Passband adjustment and there WAS a 500 hz filter that kicked in when XFIL was pressed and when  I rotated the DSP down to that area.

So. I don't know what the lesson is, or really how it happened. I think I will leave it alone for now. since I can do CW nicely with my paddle... 

but you know, I DID find the misplaced mono cable I was looking for to run PSK from the laptop out and into the K3...  :)     So, you never know....

tnx
Brien 
VE3VAW
Toronto