[RTTY] Point-and-click vs typing

[iain macdonnell - N6ML]

One thing to look out for with Happy Hacking Keyboards is that some of
the models don't have arrow keys. That made it unusable for me (when I
tried it 10+ years ago). Other than that, it was very nice. The "Lite
2" model does have arrow keys, so that might be a good candidate,
although it's much cheaper than the "professional" model I had years
ago, so I wonder about the general quality.

73,

    ~iain / N6ML



On Thu, Oct 2, 2014 at 7:56 AM, Tim Shoppa <tshoppa at gmail.com> wrote:
> Doing a little googling turned up the "Happy Hacker Keyboard" as a very
> nice reduced size keyboard. Not cheap, but I've had the Happy Hacker
> keyboard recommended to me many times before, I'm gonna order one and
> report back here with how it works out!
>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy_Hacking_Keyboard#mediaviewer/File:Happy_Hacking_Keyboard_Professional_2.jpg
>
> https://elitekeyboards.com/products.php?sub=pfu_keyboards,hhkbpro2&pid=pdkb400wn
>
> Tim N3QE
>
> On Thu, Oct 2, 2014 at 10:41 AM, Tim Shoppa <tshoppa at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Thank you Ed; I was very interested in how you do SO2R (I've actually
>> worked you 3 bands within minutes of each other so maybe SO3R) and having
>> multiple keyboards seems to me to be the right solution. Your small
>> radio-width keyboards, I am intrigued with; can you name a brand/model?
>>
>> Tim N3QE
>>
>> On Wed, Oct 1, 2014 at 9:57 PM, Ed Muns <ed at w0yk.com> wrote:
>>
>>> This is an excellent topic, but the questions as stated below imply a much
>>> too restrictive answer.
>>>
>>> As our friend Hank W6SX would say, "It depends".  Each of these
>>> techniques,
>>> along with others, is "best" in each distinctly specific QSO situation.
>>> In
>>> general, what I've found most effective for me, after thousands of hours
>>> in
>>> RTTY contests, is to use the keyboard as much as possible and the
>>> trackball
>>> (or, mouse if that's your preference) only where necessary.  Furthermore,
>>> only a very few keys are actually used on the keyboard.  They are used as
>>> single presses for a specific function.  It is very rare that I touch
>>> type,
>>> unless I got to keyboard mode to actually converse with someone.  For
>>> example, I may go to keyboard mode and tell someone they are 220Hz low in
>>> frequency.
>>>
>>> I try to do everything I can from the keyboard.  I use ESM (Enter Sends
>>> Message) or what some call the stateful Enter key.  The Enter key sends
>>> different messages depending on the state of the QSO.  Very unnerving for
>>> some; very natural for others.
>>>
>>> Enter: sends the CQ message if no call sign in the Entry window.  Sends
>>> the
>>> QSL message if there is a call sign in the Entry window and the cursor is
>>> in
>>> the exchange field.
>>>
>>> Apostrophe: Grabs the last highlighted call sign (or a new mult) if there
>>> is
>>> no call sign in the Entry window, then sends the Exchange message.  Sends
>>> the Exchange message if there is a call sign in the Entry window.
>>>
>>> Semi-colon: Sends 'TU <current call sign> .. NOW' and logs the QSO.  This
>>> key is always followed by the Apostrophe key because it assumes a call has
>>> been popped from the call sigh stack into the Entry window.
>>>
>>> Open Square Bracket: Sends my call.
>>>
>>> Close Square Bracket: Sends my S&P Exchange message.
>>>
>>> Left Trackball button: clicking on a call sign or exchange element copies
>>> it
>>> into the Entry window.
>>>
>>> Right Trackball button: clicking on a call sign copies it onto the bottom
>>> of
>>> the call sign stack.
>>>
>>> Therefore, in the simplest case where there is only one caller to my CQ
>>> and
>>> their call sign is highlighted by WriteLog, I simply press Apostrophe.  If
>>> their exchange has info I need to put in the Exchange field of my Entry
>>> window, I click on it using the trackball.  HOWEVER, sometimes it is
>>> easier
>>> to type the info.  "It depends" on what the info is.  For example in CQ WW
>>> RTTY I often typed the two-letter QTH abbreviation rather than using the
>>> trackball.  That can be done with two presses of the index finger, i.e.,
>>> touch typing not required.  After finishing the received exchange, I press
>>> Enter to QSL the contact.  If the exchange is prefilled, then all I am
>>> doing
>>> for each QSO is simply pressing Apostrophe and then Enter.  If no one
>>> calls
>>> in, then I press Enter again to send the CQ message.
>>>
>>> If I get more than one call sign after a CQ, or if someone tail ends my
>>> current QSO, I right-click their call sign into the call sign stack.
>>> Then,
>>> when I am ready to QSL the current QSO, I press Semi-colon (instead of
>>> Enter), followed by Apostrophe.  If there are more call signs in the
>>> stack,
>>> I repeat this sequence, and when the last one is out, I hit Enter to QSL
>>> that QSO.
>>>
>>> So, this means I am only using three keys on the keyboard to run stations,
>>> including the handling of multiple call signs available between CQs.  I
>>> use
>>> separate PCs/keyboards/trackballs for each radio, so I have one hand on
>>> each
>>> keyboard running these three keys.  When I S&P or work a QSO on the
>>> sub-RX,
>>> I use the Open/Close Square Bracket keys.  There are a few other keys,
>>> like
>>> pushing/popping call signs onto or off of the call sign stack, long CQ,
>>> His
>>> Call, special QSL message for my contest club members, etc.  And, of
>>> course
>>> all the function keys are available, but they only get used when a QSO
>>> gets
>>> screwed up or I need to respond to fill requests, or initiate a fill
>>> request.
>>>
>>> The various loggers differ a bit in their features so that affects what
>>> can
>>> be done.  N1MM Logger, for example, can run almost all functions with the
>>> mouse/trackball.  This is touted as a plus because you don't have to move
>>> between the trackball and keyboard.  But, for me, it is so much easier to
>>> press one of the 2-3 keys I use 99% of the time and only move to the
>>> trackball for grabbing calls or exchange elements when necessary.
>>>
>>> I have trained my non-dominant hand to run the trackball or mouse.  My
>>> home
>>> office PC uses the trackball on my non-dominant hand so that I am
>>> reinforcing that training daily.  When a contest comes up, both hands are
>>> equally adept at mousing.
>>>
>>> For RTTY only, I use "right-sized" keyboards that are the same width as my
>>> K3 radios.  They are full-size keys and spacing, but without the number
>>> pad
>>> and cursor key block that are not needed in RTTY contesting.  The left
>>> trankball sits next to the left side of the left keyboard; opposite for
>>> the
>>> right side.
>>>
>>> There is no simpler motion than pressing a single key, so that is how I
>>> choose to make as many UI motions as possible.  The trackball cursor and
>>> buttons are used only when a call sign can't be grabbed with the
>>> Apostrophe
>>> key or to grab an Exchange element.
>>>
>>> If I sense that there might be an additional call sign(s) in the pile-up,
>>> then I usually left-click the call sign into the Entry window so that I'm
>>> ready to right-click any others onto the stack.  I may wait to actually
>>> right-click those stacked call signs until after I've hit Apostophe to
>>> initiate the current Exchange message.  There is plenty of time to do that
>>> and when running SO2R, there may not be time to get all the call signs
>>> stacked beforehand.
>>>
>>> In summary, both the keyboard and the trackball/mouse are "best" for
>>> different actions that the RTTY contester needs to take in the course of a
>>> given QSO.  Trying to choose between them for all QSO actions is a
>>> sub-optimal solution.
>>>
>>> Ed W0YK
>>>
>>> --------------------------------------------------------------
>>>
>>>
>>> Tim N3QE wrote:
>>>
>>> I have been following the "where to do CRLF" threads for a while now. I
>>> did
>>> some RTTY 30+ years ago so I can certainly appreciate that too many CRLF
>>> can waste paper :-)
>>>
>>> I can kinda appreciate that scrolling text makes it difficult for some to
>>> point and click on a call. Still I have to wonder:
>>>
>>> Roughly what fraction of RTTY contesters prefer to never take their hands
>>> off the keyboard and to type the callsign of the caller (or maybe use the
>>> "grab" function via keybaord)?
>>>
>>> What fraction really prefers point-and-click to grab calls?
>>>
>>> I personally despise ever having to use the mouse when running on CW, in
>>> part because if I am going to take a hand off the keyboard, I would rather
>>> have it go to the paddle rather than the mouse.
>>>
>>> If I am typing in a call, then I get full advantage of SuperCheckPartial
>>> to
>>> help me narrow in and fix busted calls before the QSO, no matter what the
>>> mode. I suppose there is still some value in SCP if you click on a busted
>>> call (instead of building it up letter-by-letter) but that's not how I've
>>> learned to use it.
>>>
>>>
>>
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