[Elecraft] K3 auto spot function

Brendan Minish ei6iz.brendan at gmail.com
Thu Feb 25 17:01:04 EST 2010 

I DO understand exactly what you are asking for and WHY doing it in
split on the second VFO for TX is not exactly what you are looking for.

The best I can do is a macro that uses the Sub RX to achieve a similar
result.  
Yes it means that you can't use your Sub for other things BUT it does
allow you and others to test the Idea of spotting the RX separate from
TX to see if it is in fact a useful feature.

The macro can't turn off CW-T mode, It MUST be on for auto spot to work.
CW decoding CAN be off when in CW-T mode.  
CW-T mode MUST remain on whilst the Auto spot is attempting to zero
beat, the amount of time to zero beat varies, Turning it off in the
Macro does not give it time to complete the signal detection and tuning
routine before the macro turns off CW-T  

Here is why I, even after trying it out, I think this feature request
has no merit, My personal opinion.

For auto-spot to work on any signal it must be within the passband of
the selected filter. 
If the signal is within the passband I can hear it, therefore I can copy
it, the Pitch of the incoming signal is of no importance to me,
providing I can hear it. 
I have rit on nearly all the time (but zeroed) If I was using auto spot
for it's original purpose then this new suggested behaviour would break
an existing behaviour 

If I was relying on a CW decoder then it might be important to be able
to net the RX independently of the TX.
If it's something like CWget surely you just click on the waterfall or
let it find the signal it's self 
if it's the internal decoder then the macro will work fine since you
can't see vfo B anyway when decoding on screen 

have I missed something in my logic here ? 
 
73
Brendan EI6IZ 


On Thu, 2010-02-25 at 21:32 +0000, The Smiths wrote:
> What part of I DON'T want to use my sub receiver, or split operation to accomplish this task didn't you guys understand?  I want my sub receiver FREE so that I can listen to another band hunting for DX to come along. Furthermore, I can't read my sub receivers freq. because I have the CWT Text reader running ALL the time. 
> However, I do thank you for all your time that you've invested in this complicated operation.  It doesn't go un-noticed Brendan.
> 
> 
> It's just more work than a one button push would resolve. It's just ONE button guys.. ONE button.. I'm only ask that it do the SAME EXACT thing it does for RIT that it does for XMIT~! It's really not that hard.  Why do I need a formulation like the one below to accomplish something that "comes close" to what I'm trying to do, but involves hanging up my sub receiver from being of any use what so ever.... It's ONE BUTTON! 
> 
> If you don't like it, DON'T turn the feature on. why is this so hard for you guys to comprehend. You act as if I'm trying to redesign the entire operations of how the K3 function. It's FAR from that.
> 
>  
> 
> Logic is a hard thing to argue with. I can only sit back and laugh about how hard you guys are fighting this...Trust me, I'm not angry at all.. Not in the least.
> 
>  
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> > Date: Thu, 25 Feb 2010 20:30:23 +0000
> > From: ei6iz.brendan at gmail.com
> > To: elecraft at mailman.qth.net
> > Subject: Re: [Elecraft] K3 auto spot function
> > 
> > Here is a macro that does most of what you are asking for (no it doesn't
> > use rit it uses the Sub RX)
> > 
> > it makes a few assumptions
> > 
> > 1/ that you are already in CW-T mode, you would need to be in this mode
> > to use auto spot anyway
> > 2/ that it's ok to grab VFO B and make it the TX VFO
> > 
> > here's the macro
> > FT0;RT0;LN0;DV0;SWT13;SWT13;SWH13;SWT42;
> > 
> > First get to a consistent state
> > FT0; transmit VFOA
> > RT0; rx vfo A
> > LN0; unlink the 2 vfo's
> > DV0; Diversity mode off
> > 
> > SWT13;
> > SWT13; (twice, copies all parameters to VFOB)
> > SWH13; Turns split on
> > SWT42; activates Auto Spot
> > 
> > I tried coding in a couple of commands to enable CW-T then disable it
> > again when the macro was finished but this didn't work too well as CW-T
> > was being disabled before the spot routine had finished
> > 
> > Use the K3 utility to load the macro, then assign it to a shortcut
> > button and you have 1 button access to this from the radio. Only use
> > one press as further presses will move the txvfo as well. use the normal
> > spot button if you need to try again.
> > 
> > I have tried it, it works. there may be a better way to code this macro
> > 
> > I can still see no use whatsoever for this 'feature' but that is simply
> > my Personal opinion.
> > 
> > 73's
> > Brendan EI6IZ
> > 
> > 
> > The Smiths wrote:
> > > stop, STOP, STOP. Please stop trying to tell me why I don't want a 
> > > feature that I'm asking for! I KNOW how the spot works, I use it ALL 
> > > the time, I KNOW how my RIT works, I use that all the time... I know 
> > > when and how to use my Width control knob. I know when I can use my 
> > > spot button with it. 
> > > 
> > > People, it's a freaking Spot and RIT combination that I'm looking for 
> > > here. I'm not looking for any of you to tell me how I can do the same 
> > > thing, when a simple one button push of the spot button will do 
> > > EVERYTHING I'm asking for.
> > > You don't need to explain to me how I can tune in a second K3 to another 
> > > band, listen to a harmonic, then hit my sub receiver on, then use the 
> > > spot button while turning my 3rd receiver's vfo control to zero beat the 
> > > signal..
> > > 
> > > I just want the Spot button to simply work as a Zero beat control when 
> > > the RIT button is on, WITHOUT moving my Transmit freq. I'll worry about 
> > > how all the rest of the operations of my station function. It's 
> > > really just that simple. 
> > > 
> > > Some of you guys on the reflector just want to make things harder than 
> > > they need to be, I have to figure it's because you have an engineering 
> > > degree, and don't know how to think like the "simple man". 
> > > 
> > > 1. This is why my mother took 12 years to figure out how to set the
> > > clock on her VCR. Too bad I had to take it away and replace it
> > > with a DVD player. I suspect it will take her another 10 to
> > > figure the menus out on that one too.
> > > 
> > > 
> > > 
> > > 
> > > > Subject: RE: [Elecraft] K3 auto spot function
> > > > From: ei6iz.brendan at gmail.com
> > > > To: notforchat at hotmail.com
> > > > CC: Elecraft at mailman.qth.net
> > > > Date: Thu, 25 Feb 2010 01:48:44 +0000
> > > >
> > > > But auto spot can ONLY work on signals inside the passband to it cant
> > > > help in this situation in any case.
> > > > Presumably you are using a very narrow filter because you have nearby
> > > > strong signals
> > > > I don't see how it can help in this siutaton
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > On Thu, 2010-02-25 at 00:53 +0000, The Smiths wrote:
> > > > > I DISSAGREE with you completely. When you use a 100/50Hz Narrow
> > > > > Bandwidth setting you NEED to have the other station Zero Beated or
> > > > > they fall out of the bandwidth area, or become hard to find with the
> > > > > Shift control.
> > > > >
> > > > > I don't know about you, but I've set my pitch control to a freq. that
> > > > > I enjoy hearing, or is best for my hearing. If I could QUICKLY and
> > > > > without work just tap a button and Zero Beat the person to the
> > > > > selected freq. that I know suites my hearing, I don't see this as an
> > > > > unnecessary feature. The spot button is used for EXACTALLY the same
> > > > > reason, just with Transmit now.. Why not allow it to do the same
> > > > > helpful thing with receive???
> > > > >
> > > > > Again, as I've said before, Don't turn it on if you don't find use for
> > > > > it. Yes, RIT works too, but just as the other person was saying in
> > > > > his original post, HE IS TONE DETH and can't tune in the signals to
> > > > > his pitch freq... that's why he uses the SPOT feature. This would
> > > > > allow him to have the same simple control with the RIT as well.
> > > > > For those of you that will argue that we have the CWT "goal post"
> > > > > indicator, I say this, I've found many times where it either doesn't
> > > > > work well, or it indicates a Zero beat when you are pretty far off.
> > > > >
> > > > > Again, this is an OPTION that can be used to HELP people. It doesn't
> > > > > offer ANY negative operations to your radio. Why people fight things
> > > > > so hard is just wondrous to me.
> > > > >
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-- 
73
Brendan EI6IZ

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