[Elecraft] K3 TX delay

[briana]

rick,
I can't tell you what's wrong but I cqn give you the symptoms.  This was 
several years ago.

The story goes as follows.  One day I sat down at the K3 for a CW 
session.   Unlike past sessions, at 25wpm and above the was erratic 
timing of the characters.  I thought it was my keyer.  Plugged keyer 
into other rig and no keying was OK.  So I tried using the K3 internal 
keyer, same QSD.    This was independent of semi or full break in.    No 
amp was in line at this time.

A post to the Elecraft reflector suggested looking the the value of 
TXDLY.   I though that crazy since it had been set by me forever at 
8ms.   Sure enough it was at 20 ms (how I don't know).  Returning the 
value to 8ms solved it.

Amplifiers only enter the picture if you don't want them to hot switch.  
That means delaying the RF until the amp relay switches.  On older amps 
that could be 15ms or more.   Thus one wants the TXDLY to be 15 ms or more.
There are a lot of amps out there like this still.   The suggestion to 
convert them to QSK means an expenditure of about $400,  requires 
gutting parts of the amp and is probably amp specific.

Now we have a problem, you might achieve the TXDLY in the K3 but you 
can't send good CW.

This is not the case for other rigs.   For example, Kenwoods work just 
fine at 20 ms and my old MP worked fine at some value in that ball park.

You have to ask Elecraft for an explanation.

This is a years' old problem that still continues.

73 de Brian/K3KO

On 2/15/2012 10:06 AM, Rick Stealey wrote:
>
>    
>> Alternatively buy any Kenwood, Yaesu et al which has this figured out.
>> This has been a long standing problem with the K3.
>>      
> Brian,
> Could you please explain what you think is deficient in the K3?
> You close the key, the KEY OUT line activates, the K3 waits 8 ms (minimum, adjustable up to 20 ms)
> and then the cw character begins.  The 8-20 ms is to give the amplifier time to close its relays so it isn't
> damaged.  On key up the rf ends before the KEY OUT line drops so the amplifier can't switch
> while it is outputting, unlike ICOM rigs.
> What is it the K3 should do differently?
>
> Rick  K2XT
>
>   		 	   		
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