[TRLog] Logikey K-3 & TR-Log

[Kenneth E. Harker]

On Tue, Feb 19, 2002 at 11:56:15AM -0500, Paul - VE3ZT wrote:
> 
> For the past 4 or 5 years I've used the built-in keyer program supplied 
> with TR-Log, for both contesting and QSOing. I'm considering purchasing the 
> Logikey K-3 Keyer.
> 
> Is it easily interfaced with my 1000MP? I'm assuming that I will still be 
> able to use TR-Log for logging purposes, and the K-3 will do the 
> keying--from the keyboard, as well as the paddle (just as TR-Log does now).
> 
> Those of you who are doing this, is going to a K-3 worth it, or not? Other 
> pros and cons?

At the UT club station, N5XU, we have both TR Log and a K-3.  You can put the 
keying line from TR and the keying line from the K3 in parallel to your
rig by using a Y adaptor.  I've never tried to connect the paddles to 
both TR and the K-3 at the same time - I suppose you could use a three-conductor
Y adaptor for that, but I don't know if it would work out.  The paddles are
plugged into the K-3 and moved to TR for a contest.

The advantages of having both for us are:

* Not everyone in the club does TR.  Many go up there and never turn the 
  PC on - others just use the Windows PacketCluster client.

* We have the right button memory programmed to "599 TU" and the other five
  buttons to the calls of our most active members.

* We have a couple of regular club station users who swear that the Super CMOS
  Keyer III chipset is by far the best CW sending "feel" of anything driven
  by iambic paddles.

The disadvantages of the K-3:

* The K-3 has no monitor volume control.  The volume is really loud.
  I don't think would necessarily be a hard mod.

* The K-3 has no on-off switch.  It's really bizarre.  I guess most people
  use their rig's power supply.

* The K-3 does not implement a PTT line.  While this isn't a problem for
  our HF radio, we have a 2M IF rig for a 1296 MHz transmitter that needs a 
  PTT line to transmit CW at all.  We use a Super CMOS Keyer III kit 
  (same chipset as the K-3, just purchased in kit form) that I added a 
  PTT circuit (thanks to KG5U) that isn't as good as having the chip 
  do PTT itself, but it does what we need.  Having the keyer do PTT is 
  just a really good idea.

> Thanks in advance,
> Paul
> Logikey K-3
> 
> 
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-- 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kenneth E. Harker      "Vox Clamantis in Deserto"      kharker@cs.utexas.edu
University of Texas at Austin                   Amateur Radio Callsign: WM5R
Department of the Computer Sciences      VP, Central Texas DX & Contest Club
Taylor Hall TAY 2.124                         Maintainer of Linux on Laptops
Austin, TX 78712-1188 USA            http://www.cs.utexas.edu/users/kharker/
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

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