[CQ-Contest] Lost leading 'dit' - summary

[Bill Coleman]

On Mar 6, 2004, at 10:47 PM, VR2BrettGraham wrote:
> I agree with you about the interest from having had the same direct
> communications.  The community wouldn't have anything to do with 
> another
> suggested change to firmware which would be of benefit for the 
> contesting
> segment - very negative & even not understanding what it was that was
> going on - the response from the company was like chalk & cheese, even
> going so far as to explain the limitations & talk about how to deal 
> with them.
> End result, suggestion was implemented.

Where was this suggestion made? Can you provide references to all these 
negative reactions?

I've searched the Elecraft Mailing list, but I can't find any reference 
to Brett's comments on CW PTT.

In fact, I have seen others mention CW PTT operation, but no one 
reacted negatively to this suggestion.

Part of the problem is there aren't any more input lines into the 
microcontroller. The PTT line shares the same input line as the CW dot 
line. That makes it impossible to separate. PTT would have to come in 
from some other source.

> Sadly, CW PTT - something that looks to be something that more would
> benefit from than the other (way to clear RIT in transmit) - met with 
> an even
> more hostile reaction from the community & appears to be something 
> that the
> company has no interest in looking at, or has been put off for another 
> day.

Brett, you make this sound as if it were some kind of simple firmware 
change. It's not. It would require a major hardware change to do this.

And I can't find the huge negative reaction you are talking about. I'd 
like to see references. The Elecraft mailing list is available from 
their site, please note the "hostile reaction" you received.

> I'm getting used to the small box - though I continue to be a lid at 
> times &
> fail to engage SPLIT mode & transmit in the wrong place.  My gut 
> feeling -
> based on comments from the company whenever a K3 or K2+ thread
> starts on the Elecraft list, plus their heritage, I suspect this one 
> would not
> be taken on board.

As an instigator of one or more of these K3 threads, the problem is 
keeping the fundamental design of the K2 in a larger box. It can't be 
much larger, otherwise the construction techniques used would fail to 
be strong enough. You'd have to have a chassis, which would be much 
more expensive. It might be made about 1" wider, that's about it.

>> 2.  Offer optional 8-pole filters in addition to the current 
>> programmable
>> filter.
>
> Another firmware issue.

An alternate filter isn't a FIRMWARE issue, it is a HARDWARE issue. 
where in the world would you put the extra filters? In the K2/100, 
there's no room!

I find the KDSP2 does a lot to answer the filter question.

> An assembled product is a significant deviation from anything Elecraft 
> has
> done, so I wouldn't hold my breath on that one.

Yep. Not likely to happen. The prefabricated toroids is about as close 
as you are going to get.

There is a small cottage industry of guys who just like to build and 
will construct a K2 for a fee. Further, a lot of K2 owners get the urge 
to build another one, so there's a brisk market in used K2s.

> A few firmware changes to the K2 whilst we're waiting for what has been
> repeatedly denied would be helpful.  Other ideas might surface that 
> might be
> taken on board for this next product as a result of engaging the 
> contesting
> community.

Here's one -- One-button Rx antenna toggle. This just recently made it 
into the latest firmware.

> RIT clear, CW PTT & filter selection -

RIT clear is possible through the RS-232 interface. The latest firmware 
allows this command even during transmit.

CW PTT is a hardware problem.

Filter selection is a hardware problem.

> I'm kicking myself for not having brought
> all three up at same time as there may have been a chance...  the K2 
> looks
> to have reached a plateau & I wouldn't be surprised that the firmware 
> release
> cycle will only get longer as a result.

Surprise, there's a lot of stuff available in the latest firmware.

Bill Coleman, AA4LR, PP-ASEL        Mail: aa4lr at arrl.net
Quote: "Not within a thousand years will man ever fly!"
             -- Wilbur Wright, 1901