[Elecraft] Keyer weighting

[Matt VK2RQ]

Hi Fred,

I think this was the thread I previously saw on keying compensation for the KX3, including scope traces:
http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/KX3-External-Key-Timing-Measurements-td7565401.html

73, Matt VK2RQ

On 24/08/2013, at 7:26 AM, Fred Jensen <k6dgw at foothill.net> wrote:

> Hmmm ... just when I thought I understood everything. :-)
> 
> A number of years ago I built a keyer, can't remember if it was the K1EL chip or not and I don't have it anymore.  USB hadn't been invented.  It suffered from what I decided was a design defect in that it offered 2 dah-dit ratios.  3:1 was all I ever used, I think the other choice was 4:1 and it really sounded bad.  I used it with a TS-830S.
> 
> I also noticed that while the side-tone from the keyer sounded OK, listening off the air seemed to have a "clipped" sound with dits and dahs both shorter than I though was right.  That was a need for Key Compensation?  I assumed the the -830 keying circuit just wasn't keying up instantly.
> 
> I now have a USB Winkey.  I use it only with N1MM, don't even have a paddle plugged in, I use the K3 keyer with the paddle.  CW WGHT=1.10 and CW QRQ is OFF.  1.10 sounded good to me, probably just personal preference.  I thought that a WGHT>1.00 caused both the dits and dahs to lengthen slightly reducing the inter-element space so a character still occupied the same time period.  I think that's what your reference link is telling me too [it's the same as the User Manual for my USB WinKey] and I think that's what the K3 is doing.
> 
> Listening to my K3 off the air, I can't discern any shortening of the elements that I did with the -830. Why would I need Key Compensation in my K3?  I tried to measure it with the scope ... sort of inconclusive results mainly because I don't know how to work it but if the K3 keying is clipping anything off the beginning of the elements, I sure can't hear it.  Am I missing something?
> 
> <smalldigression>An OT commercial op, when I asked, "Exactly what is 'swing'?", said it was lengthening the dashes on the bug so the dash-dot ratio was greater than 3:1, and that the resulting actual ratio was varied, depending on what he was sending.  I've always assumed he was right.</smalldigression>
> 
> 73,
> 
> Fred K6DGW
> - Northern California Contest Club
> - CU in the 2013 Cal QSO Party 5-6 Oct 2013
> - www.cqp.org
> 
> On 8/23/2013 6:51 AM, Hank Garretson wrote:
>> It is very important to distinguish between Key Weighting and Key
>> Compensation.
>> 
>> See pages 15 and 16 here: http://k1el.tripod.com/files/WKUSB_QuickStart.pdf
>> 
>> The K3 has Key Weighting. What it (additionally) really needs is Key
>> Compensation.
> 
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