[Elecraft] K3S and RTTY Contesting with N1MM+/MMTTY

Sun Feb 7 13:37:56 EST 2016

Rich,
   Except for the specific references to K3, you answer should be framed 
( and filed ) for its completeness.

AL, K0VM

On 2/6/2016 4:59 PM, Richard Ferch wrote:
> There is some confusion evident in your post on the roles of the 
> connections between the radio and the computer.
>
> There are three separate connections needed for operation in data 
> modes (possibly four in FSK).
>
> The first of these connections is for rig control from N1MM+. On a K3, 
> this is the RS232 port. On a K3S, you can use the USB connection 
> instead, provided the K3S's CONFIG:RS232 is set for USB. Either way, 
> this represents one serial port in the software. N1MM+ must be 
> configured to use this port for rig control, and this port cannot be 
> used by MMTTY when it is run from within N1MM+. This last limitation 
> (inability to share a serial port between the two programs) is why the 
> configuration that you use in MMTTY stand-alone does not work when you 
> run MMTTY from N1MM+.
>
> The second connection is for audio to and from MMTTY. On a K3, there 
> are actually two cables for audio, one in and one out, but on a K3S, 
> these can be replaced by a single USB connection to the USB codec 
> inside the radio. This happens to be shared with the same USB cable 
> that conveys rig control, but there are two separate and independent 
> devices as far as the software is concerned - one is a serial port, 
> the other is a sound card, and there is no interaction between the two 
> in the application software.
>
> This audio connection is used for receive audio, and in AFSK, for 
> transmit audio. MMTTY is configured to use the radio's USB codec as 
> its sound card; N1MM+ does not need to use the sound card at all in 
> data modes (SSB is another story, but I won't go into that here).
>
> The third connection is for TX/RX control, or PTT. There are several 
> ways of doing this on the K3/K3S, and it can be controlled either in 
> the radio, or in N1MM+, or in MMTTY - pick one.
>
> In AFSK (or in CW), the method internal to the radio is VOX. If you 
> use VOX, you do not need to, and for the sake of avoiding confusion 
> you should not, configure any other method of PTT either in N1MM+ or 
> in MMTTY. However, VOX does not work in FSK D. If the radio is in FSK 
> D, PTT must be controlled some other way (either via radio command or 
> via a hardware PTT connection).
>
> A second method is to use software radio commands from N1MM+ over the 
> radio control line to control PTT. This method can be used by MMTTY 
> when it is run stand-alone, but it is not available to MMTTY when it 
> is run from within N1MM+ because of the inability to share the port. 
> If you use this method, you do not need either a hardware connection 
> or VOX.
>
> A third method is to use serial port keying, by convention usually 
> done on RTS, although it is possible to use DTR. In most radios, this 
> has to be a separate port from the radio control port, and it has to 
> be through a keying circuit. The K3 and K3S are exceptions - you can 
> use RTS on the radio control port without any keying circuitry by 
> setting CONFIG:PTT-KEY to RTS-OFF (or RTS-DTR to allow CW keying on 
> DTR). This must be done from N1MM+, not from MMTTY, because the radio 
> control port cannot be shared between the two programs.
>
> You can also use a different serial port for PTT control, in which 
> case it would be connected through a keying circuit to either the PTT 
> IN jack or to the ACC connector on the K3/K3S. Since this is a 
> different serial port from the radio control port, you can choose to 
> use it either from N1MM+ or from MMTTY.
>
> The fourth possible connection (which may be shared with the third PTT 
> method) is for FSK keying from MMTTY, which is applied via the ACC 
> connector. This can be done from a serial port through a keying 
> circuit, but it must be a different serial port from the one used for 
> rig control. This is a hardware limitation, not just software. The FSK 
> serial port must be configured in MMTTY, and there is normally no need 
> to mention it at all in N1MM+. MMTTY can also use this same port for 
> PTT control, in which case you do not need to configure a PTT method 
> in N1MM+.
>
> It is possible to configure a serial port used by MMTTY in N1MM+ in 
> such a way that N1MM+ only uses it in CW/SSB and hands it over to 
> MMTTY in data modes, but this is only necessary if you need to 
> time-share the FSK port with other uses in other modes, or if you want 
> to use FSK with the built-in MMVARI engine in N1MM+.
>
> There is another way to do FSK, and that is via radio control commands 
> embedded in CAT1ASC macros in N1MM+, but this method is not supported 
> by the N1MM+ programming team, i.e. you are on your own if you try it.
>
> There is no TCP/IP connection to the radio. HRD may use TCP/IP for 
> intercommunication between its software modules, but the K3 or K3S has 
> no Ethernet connection and no way to use TCP/IP.
>
> Bottom line: You may use VOX in AFSK if you choose to do so, but it is 
> not necessary if you have correctly configured one of the other PTT 
> control methods.
>
> 73,
> Rich VE3KI
>
>
> KD3TB wrote:
>
>> I have a new K3S radio that uses the new USB for Sound and Radio 
>> Control.
>> For RTTY contesting I use N1MM+ with the MMTTY interface.  Since the USB
>> Codec control appears to act differently than a standard serial port, 
>> I need
>> to put the Radio in VOX to key RTTY in N1MM+.  In the past with my 
>> older K3
>> which used a standard Serial port connection, I did not have to do 
>> this.  My
>> K3 Settings are: Tx Data Mode (AFSK A), with PTT-KEY in rts-dtr . No
>> difference in Safe versus unsafe modes. It also requires the VOX on 
>> in FSK
>> mode too. When I use must MMTTY by itself, I can key with the correct 
>> Com
>> port.  I am sure this has something to do with how N1MM+ interfaces 
>> with the
>> new K3S USB Codec . I have not tried this with other RTTY programs 
>> such as
>> FLdigi, etc.  Everything works fine in CW, DVR Memory keying with the
>> correct codes, etc.
>>
>>
>>
>> With Ham Radio Deluxe, since it uses a TC/IP connection between the 
>> software
>> and radio, I do not need to have TX Data in VOX on mode.
>>
>>
>>
>> I am not sure to eliminate the requirement for VOX on, if it requires an
>> update in either K3S firmware or how N1MM+ interfaces with the K3S 
>> USB Codec
>> commands. -  Or we just stay with VOX on when contesting.
>>
>>
>>
>> Food for thought and what are others experience with the K3S and 
>> N1MM+/MMTTY
>> in RTTY contesting?
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