[Elecraft] Remote control with K3, K3/0, Kx3

[Wayne Burdick]

Hirokik via Elecraft <elecraft at mailman.qth.net> wrote:

> Is there a way to control a remote K3 station with KX3 just like you can do with K3 or K3/0 as a control unit?  Has anyone tried?
> Hiroki
> AH6CY/OE1

Hi Hiroki,

Here's part of a posting I did on this topic last year:

> The front panels of the KX3 and K3 are quite different, so there can't 
> be a 1-to-1 correspondence of KX3 controls remotely mapped to K3 
> controls.
> 
> That said, the KX3 does have the ability to do limited remote 
> control of another KX3, K3, or even a K2. This feature is presently 
> experimental and incomplete, but feel free to give it a try.
> 
> NOTE: The KX3 *does not* implement the ultrafast rig-control protocol 
> that is present in the K3 and K3/0. Instead, we created a moderately 
> fast version of the traditional "autoinfo" mechanism (AI). What this 
> means is that if you want the best remote-control performance, you 
> should control a remote K3 with another K3 or a K3/0, not a KX3.
> 
> Using the KX3 as a Controller:
> 
> First, you'll need to connect the two rigs together somehow. The 
> simplest method, and the one recommended for trying the remote-control 
> feature, is to use a "null-modem" cable. For example if you're using 
> two KX3s, connect their ACC1 jacks together using a 3-conductor cable 
> that has the tip and ring connections cross-wired. If the remote rig 
> is a K3 or K2, you can make a cable with a DE9 at that end and a 3.5 
> mm plug at the KX3 end, again cross-wiring the RXD and TXD signals. 
> You could also use the internet or even wiFi, with PCs or RemoteRig 
> boxes as intermediaries, and we'll have an app note on that at some 
> point.
> 
> Next, go into the menu at the KX3 intended to be used as the 
> controller and set AUTOINF to RIG CTRL. This puts the KX3 into a 
> benign, no-transmit, no-RX-audio state, and causes most control 
> changes to be sent to the remote radio. If the remote rig is a K3, its 
> sub receiver is turned OFF by the KX3, since a KX3 front panel has no 
> way to control the sub receiver yet. ("SUB" on the KX3 controls dual watch.)
> 
> IMPORTANT: Audio in/out and CW keying are handled separately--not through the
> controller. That is, you can't 
> use the local KX3's mic, phones, or key jacks; you have to either wire 
> the corresponding devices to the remote rig directly, or provide 
> dedicated media channels for these. The RemoteRig boxes do this. You 
> connect the mic, key, and headphones directly to them, not to the 
> controlling KX3 (or K3, or K3/0). At the remote end, these signals are 
> then connected to the appropriate connectors on the K3 (etc.).
> 
> In a future release we might be able to send CW or DATA from the controlling 
> KX3 by embedding the characters in command packets, as well as allow 
> the use of the MSG play buttons.
> 
> At present the KX3 can control the following functions on a remote 
> radio:
> 
> VFO A
> VFO B
> Mode
> AF gain
> Filter BW (PBT on the KX3, WIDTH on the K3)
> RIT offset
> RIT clear
> 
> We hope to greatly expand this set of functions in the future. But 
> again, if you want full control of a remote K3, you'll need another K3 or 
> a K3/0.


73,
Wayne
N6KR