Not to step on the toes of the W5XD Multi Keyer, but would
it be too much to ask to add a paddle input to the LPT port?
For those of you who may not have heard of this, there are other
programs out there where you can connect your paddles directly
to your LPT port. WL would act as your keyer. You simply
connect your DIT to pin 12, DAH to pin 13 and paddle common
to pin 25. The benefits from this are several:
1) Don't need an external keyer. Handy if your rig doesn't
have an "ELEC-KEY" jack in addition to your KEY jack. This
applies to FT-1000 and FT-1000MP users, as well as many other
radios, I'm sure.
2) Would be automatically switched to Left/Right radios.
3) Sending from paddle interrupts the message being sent from
an F-key. Your paddle CW collides with the computer-generated
CW if you use an external keyer, or your rig's ELEC-KEY.
4) Paddle speed always matches your computer speed. A option
could be added to always send on the paddles with a different
speed, say, slower.
5) Cost: FREE! (As they say in the business, software is
always "free". To those of you not in the business, that
actually means, "to add that feature is free". I'm in no
way advocating piracy.)
6) Is great for those of us who still like to occasionally
send manually, instead of "keyboard CW".
7) Doesn't interfere with other LPT pin assignments. (With
the exception of the A/B pin. Pin 14 is typically used
to pull-up the two paddle input pins. One could use an
external pull-up and still have A/B function. From what
I've seen in this forum, there are VERY few users of the
A/B function.)
Is there enough interest out there from everyone to convince
Wayne to add this great feature?? Whattaya say?
Chad WE9V
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