[Elecraft] [OT] Bluetooth and RF

[Thomas Horsten]

Hi guys,

I know it's a bit off-topic but there are so many knowledgeable people here
that I thought I'll try asking. I've built a multifunction CW keyer with a
straight key, paddle, and keyboard input, that uses an AVR microcontroller.
Currently I'm using PS/2 for the keyboard input as it's easy to implement
in the AVR (and a cheap $2 adapter allows the use of USB keyboards).

But for taking on the road with my KX3 (which is stuck in customs since
Monday but should hopefully be with me soon), I'd like to use an
ultra-compact Bluetooth keyboard, of the type used with smartphones. I am
considering doing this by adding a Bluegiga WT12 Bluetooth module (which
has an UART interface that can talk to the AVR).

Before I begin on this I'd like to know how well Bluetooth can be expected
to work in a RF-filled environment (at up to 10W but with the antenna very
close, as in portable operations). It'd be a shame to get everything built
only to find out that the Bluetooth connection dies every time I transmit.
Has anyone got experience with this and/or other comments/ideas?

73, Thomas M0TRN