[Elecraft] K3S SSB TX monitor - feature request

[Richard Lamont]

On 07/04/17 06:59, Bob Wilson, N6TV wrote:
> On Thu, Apr 6, 2017 at 1:53 PM, Richard Lamont <richard at lamont.me.uk
> <mailto:richard at lamont.me.uk>> wrote:
> 
>     When I'm using a voice mode with a microphone, I need the TX monitor
>     audio to appear in the headphones and NOT the speakers.
> 
>     I need this to happen automatically, every time I plug in or unplug the
>     headphones, without having to do anything else.
> 
>     Is there any way of configuring the rig to do precisely this?
> 
> It's a reasonable feature request, though I'm not aware of any other rig
> that automatically turns the mic. monitor ON when you plug in
> headphones, and automatically turns the mic. monitor OFF when you unplug
> headphones and listen on a speaker.  Of course this is something you
> only want to do on phone.  When operating CW, and maybe digital, you
> always want the monitor ON, even when using speakers.

Agreed 100%.

When you plug headphones in, there's a delay of about a second before
the speakers mute. This strongly suggests that the muting is controlled
by software, not just by cutting the speaker analogue audio directly on
the back contacts of the headphone jack. So presumably the rig's
software 'knows' when headphones are plugged in.

> I do not understand you want to listen to both headphones and speakers
> at the same time, unless you have someone else in the shack who wants to
> hear what's going on  with no risk of feedback from the speakers.

I don't wish to listen simultaneously on both headphones and speakers.
That isn't the problem.

I'm just trying to keep the TX mon audio (from the mic) in the
headphones and out of the speakers, without having to use macros or
fiddling with controls. (All my macro buttons are used up, and if I
forgot to push the button I'd be either missing sidetone or getting
feedback next time I transmit. And fiddling with controls wastes time in
a contest or pileup.)

I use 'enclosing' headphones (Sennheiser HD25, Beyer DT100) that mean I
cannot hear my own voice well enough without some sidetone, and this
makes speech more difficult.

As there appears to be no way of doing this at the moment, I guess this
is a firmware feature request.

I'm not aware of any other rig that does what I'm asking for.
Historically, however, rigs had a single audio power amplifier and
relied on 'dumb' switching of the amplified audio using the back contact
on the headphone jack to mute the speaker. I'm inferring from the one
second delay mentioned above that the K3S hardware is capable of
supporting a smarter approach, even if firmware doesn't, yet.

73,
Richard G4DYA