[Elecraft] [KX3] Effectiveness of CW decode functionality

[Gary Hawkins]

I tried out the CW decode functionality on the KX3 for several evenings 
and I'm struggling to get very positive results. Basically, unless the 
received CW signal is peaking close to s9 and the noise is s1 or less 
then decoding seems unreliable.  If the signal drops towards the noise 
then everything just falls apart. I've tried various settings of 
threshold, pre amp On/Off, RX bandwidth etc., but I'm struggling to get 
successful results.  Can anyone tell me what to expect in terms of 
performance, and what might be the ideal settings for best reception?

The reason I've been trying this is because I've paired my KX3 with KX3 
Companion, a Samsung Tab 3 8.0, an OGT cable, plus the data cable that 
came with the KX3.  I've been able to remotely control many features of 
the radio, send CW and use up to 20 canned message macros, as well as 
direct input from the keyboard.  KX3 Companion also has a logging 
capability and polls required information from the rig (freq, time, 
mode).  While the KX3 Companion is not 100% perfect yet, with a little 
more development it could be a very powerful add-on to the radio.  If 
you're interested in this sort of thing I would definitely give it a 
try.  Please note the KX Companion required USB Hosting on the mobile 
device - the Samsung Tab 3 7.0 does not support this.  The Tab 3 8.0 and 
10.1 do.

73's Gary K6YOA