[Elecraft] Feature Request: improved internal keyer and CW PTT behavior

[Bob Wilson]

donovanf wrote
> Hi Richard, The K3 and external K1EL Winkeyer is a great combination, it
> corrects most of the deficiencies of the internal K3 keyer and PTT VOX
> delay. Hopefully the next next upgrade of the K3 internal keyer will at
> least make it better, if not perfect! The biggest faults are: - VOX delay
> added to the tail of the PTT signal when in VOX mode - inability to use
> the internal keyer in CW PTT mode, it always reverts to QSK 

Hi Frank,
I haven't followed this entire thread, but I believe there is no need for
any firmware changes, or a WinKey, to solve this problem.
The problem of unwanted PTT delay when using the internal keyer with VOX,
and computer-generated CW/PTT, was already addressed by the improvements to
the *RX;* command in K3 firmware 5.46 and later.  Sending an *RX;* command
at the end of all computer-generated CW messages will /immediately/ open the
PTT line no matter how long you set the VOX delay, so there will be no delay
in receiving when the computer-generated message terminates.   You will
still get the programmed CW VOX delay when hand-sending, and the PTT will be
held closed for the duration of all computer-generated messages, /if/ you
follow all of the steps outlined below.
This is easy to do in Win-Test, which is the contest software I think you
are using.  Other contest loggers have similar features.
This works best connecting paddles directly to the internal keyer of the K3
and avoiding the WinKey entirely.
First set *CONFIG:RTS-DTR PTT-KEY*
Disconnect the WinKey and disable its serial port.
Tell Win-Test to key CW on the K3 serial port DTR pin, and PTT on the RTS
pin (under *Options | Interface configuration*).  Win-Test sends great CW
using either real serial ports or FTDI USB-to-Serial adapters.  Or you may
use legacy LPT port CW/PTT keying circuits if you prefer (set CONFIG:PTT-KEY
OFF-OFF when using LPT keying).
Download *K3scripts.zip* from my Win-Test LUA script web site, 
https://bit.ly/wtscripts <https://bit.ly/wtscripts>  .  This contains many
useful K3 scripts, including *PTTOff.wts*, which does the following:
At the end of /every/ CW message programmed in Win-Test, call this script,
like this:
etc.
In Win-Test, the "~" character is a macro separator, like a blank, but it
sends no "space" characters.  The macro won't run until the final bit of CW
is output.
Now you may put the K3 in semi-breakin mode, with VOX ON, and set the CW VOX
delay to whatever works well with your paddling speed (0.21 works pretty
well at contest speeds).  This CW VOX delay will be /overridden/ at the end
of all computer-generated CW messages (except for Alt-K keyboard CW, but I
think that's an acceptable exception).
As a final step, make the *Escape* key halt any CW in progress /and/
*immediately* open the PTT line too.To do this, assign the following script
(name it *PlayHalt2.wts*), to the *Escape* key, using the Win-Test Scripts
Manager.
Please let me know if this solves all the problems you care about regarding
unwanted PTT hang delay, Win-Test, and the K3.
73,
Bob, N6TV



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