[Elecraft] K-Pod: A failure to Communicate

[Wes Stewart]

BINGO, I believe we have a winner.

AUTOINF is NOR, however, I use LP-Bridge for port sharing the K3S USB with 
various logging programs and SpectraVue software running my SDR-IQ that I use as 
a band scope.  So there is pretty regular bus activity.  When I disable 
LP-Bridge it *appears* to resolve the issue.  I hedge, since this is an 
intermittent problem.

There is no other stuff going on, I use a KPA500 and KAT500 cabled normally with 
AUX cables.  No PTT, foot switches, etc.  Strictly VOX operation. It's not an RF 
problem; verified by putting the K3S in test mode.  All of the function buttons 
seem to be affected.  I have one set so tapping turns VOX on or off.  It fails too.

I'm glad Bob concurs that a simple command should not terminate prematurely when 
another command is initiated. Chaining should work.

So I see two birth defects here that need fixing.

Wes  N7WS

On 3/1/2017 1:34 PM, Bob Wilson, N6TV wrote:
> On Wed, Mar 1, 2017 at 5:29 AM, Wes Stewart <wes_n7ws at triconet.org 
> <mailto:wes_n7ws at triconet.org>> wrote:
>
>     Just for completeness, since the K-Pod utility was on the same computer, I
>     decided to reload the firmware.  I restarted the K3 utility and for
>     giggles placed a space in front of the M1 command string.  It functioned
>     normally. If I put a space after the command before the semi-colon,
>     nothing was executed.  I re-saved all of the macros and loaded them back
>     into the radio. Things actually appeared to be better. I thought that
>     maybe I fixed it.  But sadly that's not the case.  Like all intermittents,
>     it's...well...intermittent.
>
>
> When you see this happen, is there any software talking to the radio, like HRD 
> or the K3 Utility?  If you shut down the computer completely, so nothing is 
> sending commands to the serial port, does the delay still occur?
>
> Is CONFIG:AUTOINF set to NOR or to 1 (for a SteppIR, perhaps)?  Maybe all 
> those AI command outputs interfere with simultaneous commands sent from the K-POD?
>
> Note that if anything closes the PTT line after you press a memory button, the 
> memory will halt immediately. Is that a possibility?  Amp. keys radio?
>
> Does this intermittent behavior happen on both Phone and CW?  Of course this 
> won't apply to Phone unless you have the KDVR3 voice memory installed.
>
>     I also discovered that there is another idiosyncrasy (IMO).  Perhaps it is
>     intended, but when I tap M1 on the K3 for example, multiple times, the
>     message (my call) is chained and sent as many times as I tapped the
>     button. Doing this from the computer via the command tester works the same
>     way.  However, tapping the function key on the K-Pod a second time
>     immediately ends the message.  So I can't chain messages.  Furthermore
>     this seems to exacerbate the intermittent condition
>
>
> I'm seeing this also, and it doesn't make sense to me either.  If tapping a 
> K-POD button simply sends "SWT21;" to the radio (tap M1), why should it work 
> any different when software sends SWT21; to the radio?  Seems like message 
> chaining should work the same as tapping M1.
>
> Perhaps it is a K-POD button de-bounce bug of some sort; with the K-POD 
> occasionally seeing a double-tap of the button when only single tap is intended?
>
> 73,
> Bob, N6TV