[Elecraft] Dedicated FTx Rig

[Brian Hunt]

> On Aug 10, 2019, at 13:40, David Gilbert <xdavid at cis-broadband.com> wrote:
> 
> 
> I'm certain this is not an original idea, but I wonder if somebody will ever come out with a dedicated all-in-one notebook-sized portable rig for the FT-type digital modes.  I'm pretty new to FT8/4 but I find it interesting that when I'm operating it all I ever do with my K3 is turn it on and make band changes since everything else is done on my computer.  I wouldn't even need to do that much on the K3 if WSJT-X had a button to make band changes.
> 
> Possibly such a unit might look like:
> 
> 1.  12 volt operation (10 watts output) for portable use
> 
> 2.  large enough screen to be practical
> 
> 3.  running modified (mouseless) version of WSJT-X  to allow up/down arrow keys for:
> 
>     a.  band selection
>     b.  frequency change in 2 KHz increments
>     c.  mode selection
>     d.  contact selection from activity window
>     e.  TX1-TX6 sequence override
>     f.   transmit enable/disable
> 
> 4.  a button to momentarily press for log, press/hold to autolog
> 
> 5.  USB port to run modified WSJT-X from flash drive for easy upgrade and log transfer
> 
> 6.  internal antenna tuner (could be manual)
> 
> 7.  etc.
> 
> Rigs dedicated to specific modes have never been very popular, but I suspect that FTx might change that and I suspect an integrated low power SDR version could end up being fairly inexpensive.  A side advantage is that audio levels would be preset in hardware and we'd see less overdrive situations.  ;)
> 
> Anybody know if there is already something like this out there?  I can find small inexpensive transceivers designed for FT8, but they still require a separate computer.
> 
> Just some ramblings on a rainy day ...
> 
> 73,
> Dave   AB7E
> 
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