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Re: [TenTec] QSK or not?

To: Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment <tentec@contesting.com>
Subject: Re: [TenTec] QSK or not?
From: Brian Carling <bcarling@cfl.rr.com>
Reply-to: Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment <tentec@contesting.com>
Date: Thu, 20 Mar 2014 12:29:12 -0400
List-post: <tentec@contesting.com">mailto:tentec@contesting.com>
Thank you Rick. I enjoy QSK whatever the background noise is not too high. I 
frequently have a noise level of about S7 on 80 m and 40m here in Florida. That 
does not make for a great situation unless I turn the RF gain down 
considerably. Otherwise it is quite distracting to send CW with the white noise 
chuffing away in the background.

Best regards - Bry Carling



> On Mar 20, 2014, at 12:16 PM, "Rick - DJ0IP / NJ0IP" <Rick@DJ0IP.de> wrote:
> 
> Yes, you are correct, but when you add the terribly expensive external
> circuits, the amp no longer attempts to follow CW keying with its internal
> relay.  The Ameritron amps can only run clean QSK with a $500 add-on, which
> my experience has been, are not real reliable.  My experience is based on
> personal use for a few years, and knowledge of experience of several other
> members of my contesting club.
> 
> If you want to run QSK at more than about 10 wpm, it would be better to
> purchase an amplifier with a high speed T/R relay.  There are plenty of them
> on the market.  
> 
> I personally switched to a QSK Technologies amplifier.  In fact I bought two
> of them.  Never had any problems with them.
> 
> Today I only have an older Ameritron (clone), the SB-1000, and I just don't
> run "full" QSK.  For contests I set the timing such that I can hear between
> words.  IMO, there is no tangible loss of functionality compared to full
> QSK.  
> For normal non-contest QSOs I run about 1 second hang delay, which helps me
> keep what little bit of sanity I still have left.
> 
> 73 - Rick, DJ0IP
> (Nr. Frankfurt am Main)
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: TenTec [mailto:tentec-bounces@contesting.com] On Behalf Of Brian
> Carling
> Sent: Thursday, March 20, 2014 5:03 PM
> To: Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment
> Subject: Re: [TenTec] QSK or not?
> 
> Yes, but I think a lot of radio amateurs using good QSK Rigs like the Tentec
> have managed to convert their amplifiers for QSK operation by adding a
> circuitboard like the QSK 1500 or the QSK5.
> 
> I realize that is more than just a simple homebrewer undertaking.
> 
> Best regards - Bry Carling
> 
> 
> 
>>> On Mar 20, 2014, at 11:51 AM, "Rick - DJ0IP / NJ0IP" <Rick@DJ0IP.de>
>> wrote:
>> 
>> It's not quite that simple, at least not always.
>> 
>> "IF" your amplifier has a very fast T/R relay, such as a vacuum relay, 
>> then you are correct; a few simple switching transistors and a tiny 
>> relay will do the trick.  But that only works when the main T/R relay 
>> is fast enough to follow CW keying.
>> 
>> If instead you have an amplifier whose T/R relay needs 20 mS to 
>> switch, AND you connect the hand-shaking just as the Ten-Tec keying 
>> loop normally works, the CW is not going to be very smooth.  Timing 
>> will get screwed up.  The open-frame relays are just too slow to do 
>> that.  The only way to make them work is to have hang delay such that they
> don't need to follow the keying.
>> The Ten-Tec hand-shaking does not do this.
>> 
>> And then if you have to work with hang delay, you don't need the 
>> complexity of the hand-shaking.  You just need sufficient pre-dit 
>> delay and adjustable hang delay - but you sacrifice true QSK.
>> TRUE QSK?  
>> You never had it in the first place because you did not buy a QSK
> amplifier!
>> 
>> No matter what you feed a mule or how you treat it, it will never be a 
>> race horse!
>> 
>> (On the other hand, not everybody needs or wants a race horse and 
>> mules are wonderful animals!)
>> 
>> 73 - Rick, DJ0IP
>> (Nr. Frankfurt am Main)
>> 
>> -------------------------
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: TenTec [mailto:tentec-bounces@contesting.com] On Behalf Of 
>> bcarling@cfl.rr.com
>> Subject: Re: [TenTec] QSK or not?
>> 
>> I have to wonder why some guys will spend $500 for an external 
>> accessory to do QSK with their linear amplifier.  The system in my TT 
>> 422 is so simple. A couple of simple boards and a relay.
>> 
>> 
>> 
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