[TenTec] Omni VI built-in keyer

[John Clifford]

Hello Ken,

I'm not sure what you mean by 'lack of dit and dah memories' for the VI's
internal keyer.  The VI's keyer is not a memory keyer.  Re the 'Keyer Speed'
pot, it doesn't show on the schematics but it is most likely wired into the
Logic Board and the resistance sampled to provide the keying speed.

Nevertheless, rather than build a Logikey K-3 keyer inside the rig, why not
use it externally and plug it into the KEY port on the back?  I do this with
an MFJ 492 keyer I have in the shack... I have the memories programmed (that
was a bear due to MFJ's quality control, or lack of it, causing their
instructions to be wrong because the keyer has bugs in the firmware) the way
I want them, and I can flip a switch to use the keyer with either my VI or
my K2.

I look at it this way: will modifying your VI to replace the internal
factory keyer with an internal Logikey keyer increase the value of the rig,
unchange it, or decrease the value?  I think adding a keyer to a rig that
doesn't have one from the factory is, at best, a break-even proposition
financially (you won't get any more for your rig, but you won't get any
less).  I also think that eliminating stock functionality and substituting
aftermarket functionality (especially if this could have been done without
modifying the rig) will decrease the resale value of any rig.  If I were
looking to buy a used VI, I would want one as stock as possible... unless
the mods did something to greatly improve the operation of the rig... and
since keyers are subjectively personal that is one mod I wouldn't want to be
inside the box.  I believe that such a mod would decrease the value of your
VI.  Plus, if you sell the rig and buy another, you still have the same
keyer with the same memories programmed the way you like them.

So, yes, it should be possible to install a K-3 keyer board inside the rig,
but it will require hacks to use the original Keyer Speed pot and the jacks
on the back of the rig, and of course the VI menu options to configure the
keyer will be inoperative.  Far better to just build the keyer into a
separate box and plug it in the back.

 - jgc

John Clifford KD7KGX

Heathkit HW-9 WARC/HFT-9/HM-9
Elecraft K2 #1678 /KSB2/KIO2/KBT2/KAT2/KNB2/KAF2/KPA100
Ten-Tec Omni VI/Opt1, Centaur, 238B
Alinco DR-605TQ, DJ-V5
Icom T90A

IRLP #3978

email: kd7kgx at arrl.net