[Elecraft] CQ Contest - Key Clicks

[Eric Fitzgerald]

Hello All;

I'm a new guy in here.  I just got my K3 a few weeks ago and I've  
been having a blast.  My main interest in the hobby has been  
operating the soundcard digital modes

I have been enjoying this thread on the WPX contest last weekend.   
The contest has really sparked an interest in CW for me.  Hearing all  
that code really knocked the rust off what little code I needed to  
get my general license in 2004.  The code being sent was generally  
too fast for me to copy more than a character here and there but by  
Sunday 20 wpm seemed slow.

I did make a dozen or so contacts using MCW in Digital Master 780.   
First question: should I be using Digital Mode A on the K3 or should  
I be in CW mode with MCW in DM780 for CW?  I was using Digital Mode A  
and everything *seemed* OK.  I'll only send in a check log, if  
anything, because I didn't really read the code unassisted.

Second, whenever I use Digital Mode A, I generally monitor the audio  
sent in my headphones.  I hear soft clicks or pops infrequently  
during the transmission.  Usually at least once per transmission.   
Very similar to the soft pop I hear when the radio goes back into  
receive after transmitting a digital signal.  The end of my trace in  
the waterfall shows a line across the waterfall where my PSK trace  
(or other signal) terminates.  Is this click transmitting across the  
entire bandpass?  I would hate to think I am causing QRM.  The clicks  
and pops I hear during the transmission cause no visible line across  
the waterfall like the termination click.

Ron, AC7AC suggested these clicks might be artifacts in the  
monitoring system and not going out over the air.  Does anybody else  
hear this and do you have any comments/suggestions?

I would love to continue to try my hand at CW contests, if only as  
code practice.  For me they have been quite a motivator in getting me  
back into code.  However I don't want to be a nuisance either.   
Moreover I want to be a good neighbor on the waterfall.

TIA

73 de Eric KG6MZS