[Elecraft] N1MM CW issue

[Guy Olinger K2AV]

Hi, Al

I have a long list of things that will clip dits, and only one of them
involved the K3, and that went away nicely with the new synthesizers.

El Numero Uno contest QSK problem, with nothing in second place, is QSK
dealing with amplifiers that will not do T/R turn-around (including the
relay points *settling*) in less time than the space between dits  :>)  The
manufacturers do not want to deal with it because it's either expensive and
tricky with relays, or it's pin diodes that get whacked at full QRO from
transmitting into an open, static on the antenna, lightning induced pulses,
etc. Some hams do fine with the pin diodes and others have nothing but
trouble with them, depends on a lot of things.

Some transceiver manufacturers simply clip the keyed input if the delay is
too long, a defensive solution resulting in short dits but *not* burning
amp relays or carbon-arcing amplifier bandswitches.

Myself, I have given up on contest QSK, and let my microHam u2R handle
providing PTT to the amp and delay to the u2R generated code. Since the u2R
(not the K3) converts both ascii data via a serial cable from the PC and my
paddle input to keyed line, and it uses the WinKey chip to do most of that,
it is also in a position to slightly delay the onset of morse output just a
little behind a PTT output. That delay can be set to match the most
atrocious T/R relay, including an old unmodified AL1200, with never a
clipped dit.

That is separate from the ancient problem of a computer not quite having
enough processing power to handle the operating system AND generate
pristine on/off morse code key output. Again some do OK generating code
this way and others have awful problems with it. The reasons why or why not
are often not clear at all.

These issues have gigabytes of postings on the subject in the various
ham archives, rehashed ad nauseum as the subject comes up over and over
again over the last two decades. It certainly is anything but an
recently emergent problem.

With my settings, the Alpha drops at the end of each letter, which is good
enough to hear if someone already started sending under me and I can stop
paddling or hit escape. I gave up on contest QSK not because of the K3, but
because of the general issues that touch everything, and I am tired of
replacing relays in amplifiers and finding out I have clicks when the
contacts go bad.

When there is a transistor full QRO amp using battleship grade pin diodes,
where the entire amp is as reliable as the KPA500 or my tube Alpha, **and
that does not exceed the rest of my station in purchase price**, I'll
switch. But I *continue* to hear stories about pin diodes and transistor
amps blowing finals, even if some insist that theirs have always been fine
(God bless them, I envy their good luck).

Last night in the ARRL 160 contest there was a K0 station that could not
send "IA" for his section. Before dit-dropping occurred to me, he was
sending "EA" for section and I was asking for a fill.

73, Guy K2AV

On Fri, Dec 4, 2015 at 12:44 PM, Al Lorona <alorona at sbcglobal.net
<javascript:_e(%7B%7D,'cvml','alorona at sbcglobal.net');>> wrote:

> Right after the CW SS I composed a message for the list, then trashed it
> after sleeping on it which I always do before posting. Now that the issue
> has come up on its own I wish to make an observation.
>
> During the contest I heard many stations with shortened dits. They sounded
> pretty bad and I reckon they weren't listening to themselves else they'd
> have done something about it.
>
> Presuming that some of these signals were coming out of K3's [because some
> of these were well-known contesters] I actually got nervous and checked my
> own signal which, like Tom's, is generated by N1MM+ keying the K3 through
> DTR, but was relieved to find that my dits were okay.
>
> So there's something going on out there, and I don't know what it is, but
> what I do know is that keying through the USB-to-Serial is proven to work
> well as Tom has verified. He should know; he is a very QRQ CW op.
>
> Al W6LX
>
>

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