[CQ-Contest] Short 1 Hand and a foot left over.

[Ward Silver]

> >  I own two MFJ voice keyers and every contest I complain to myself 
> > about how much of a pain it is to have to hit the start buttons on the 
> My MFJ is interfaced to my LPT1 port with reed relays.  I use NA and just
> hit function keys 1-4 to activate the messages.  The repeat function in NA
> works nicely with the CQ on F1...
> 
> 	   73, N4BP

I could never remember where the INS key was when the PCs all had the
different keyboards (when I was using CT & NA), so I got a lever-type
microswitch and wired it across the INS key contacts.  Then I mounted it
on a little piece of perf-board and stuck it to the keyboard with
double-sided tape.  THEN, I glued a BIG RED POKER CHIP to the lever.  I
never missed the key, ever again. 

If you're going to use an external switch, and especially if you use an
amp, be SURE to wind those wires around a ferrite core a couple of times
to keep the RF out of your gear.  Logic gate inputs aren't really very
good at rejecting RF pickup and may also radiate a lot of junk back out
the cable, to boot.

73, Ward N0AX



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