[Elecraft] KX3 Computer Interface for digital modes

[Jim Brown]

On 8/30/2012 9:01 AM, Igor Sokolov wrote:
> First, in my experience 8msec delay is THE ONLY point if we speak 
> about TX delay. Any setting above 8  msec makes CW choppy. 

That is certainly true with QSK and QRO.  I like to run QRO as much as 
the next guy, BUT many EU contesters work too fast for conditions much 
of the time. Our path is over the polar region, so Arctic flutter is 
quite common here to much of EU. When that's happening, I often have to 
listen to a call for as along as a minute to figure out who it is!  I'm 
far more likely to let the other station continue CQing and call someone 
else. (I can't usually run EU from my QTH in CA -- east coast stations 
are much louder).

> This subject was discussed here some time ago. It has been checked 
> here on 4 different K3s and they are all the same.

You are right -- it's the nature of the design.
>
> Second, I do not insist on anything. I have just expressed my wish to 
> have configurable TX delay in highly configurable K3. Having said 
> that, I am afraid your statistics is not applicable to the majority of 
> SO2R stations that I know and practically all the MS stations that I 
> know. Even most of the SO1R stations here prefer using PTT in the 
> contests.

Please go back and look at the SUBJECT line in this thread. It is about 
DIGITAL MODES. :)  We're talking RTTY, PSK, FSK, JT65, Olivia, etc.  The 
only one of those that is a contesting mode is RTTY. I use VOX for all 
of them, with no issues, because I don't have any gear with slow relays.

> Actually I am really curious what percentage of contest stations use 
> break in  regularly in the contests. That might be a good question for 
> a poll in "cq contest" reflector.

I'm an OT, primarily a CW op since 1955, and until about five years ago 
I worked almost entirely full QSK. But I got tired of replacing the 
vacuum relays in my Titans every few years, so since five years I do all 
my contesting "semi-breakin" using the Titans at full legal power, and 
my casual operating with my KPA500 full QSK.

73, Jim K9YC