[WriteLog] K3 .. oops

Mon Jan 13 01:56:26 EST 2020

Have extra k3yy board,
Tom, if I understand what you're saying,
It could be used to on/off rig with correct hookup to ACC port
?

https://w3yy.com/fsk.htm

73 Robert W5AJ

On Sun, Jan 12, 2020, 11:37 PM Tom Georgens <tomgeorgens15 at gmail.com> wrote:

> One thing you could try.
>
> Do you have an old serial to CW interface?  Usually it is just an NPN
> transistor and base resistor.
>
> The following might work if you have an extra serial port.  Credit to N6TV
> for the idea.
>
> If you set up Writelog to “PC Generates” for CW and send a dit, it will
> pulse the output of the CW interface.  Instead of connecting the output to
> the  “Key In” of the K3, connect it to the “Power On” of the K3 ACC port.
> This should turn the radio on if you send a dit or dah.  You can use the
> serial PS0 to turn it off.
>
> Then you can change to the CW generation back to Winkey, or whatever you
> use to send actual CW
>
> You may be able to do this over the same serial port as the radio, but you
> will need a breakout box of some sort like I described in my prior email.
>
> I echo the comments about WL remote.  Being able to sit at the station or
> operate it remotely without having to move any cables or add any hardware
> is very impressive.
>
> The RemoteRig worked well, and  supported many radio types, but it was not
> as simple and the cabling violated my “no custom cables” rule.
>
> 73, Tom W2SC 8P5A
> Sent from my iPad
>
> > On Jan 12, 2020, at 8:47 PM, Alan Maenchen <ad6e at arrl.net> wrote:
> >
> > 
> > Thanks Tom!
> >
> > That doesn't sound too bad although it involves stuff that I don't have
> or can't do.  I switch the AC to a power strip using a cheap internet
> socket that connects via the house WiFi. That turns on the 12V shack supply
> plus the PC which auto-boots on power. G-1000 rotor, band decoder, and
> KAT500 tuner all turn on with that one switch. The little KPA500 amp is on
> AC power all the time and not switched. The KPA500 remote software works
> fine so that can turn it on/off and all other functions. It seem obvious
> now that remote operation wasn't on their minds when they designed the K3.
> The hooks just happened to be there for all remote functions EXCEPT turning
> it on/off.
> >
> > I wired a jumper on the ACC jack so it's always on when there's 12V.
> That works fine. I tested turning it all on/off several times and it seems
> to work fine this way. The last state may or may not be saved but I don't
> really care. If I change bands and kill it, then it comes back on the new
> band so status is being saved (it seems) every few seconds. Or I've been
> lucky. Not concerned about that. I could program one of the PF buttons to
> do a PS0 (?) command before shutting down but don't think even that's
> necessary. I'm a firm believer in KISS.
> >
> > There is now one danger: If you push the POWER button, the K3 stays on
> but the CPU gets lost and the screen goes blank. The radio is now dead.
> Cycling the 12V supply clears it up. Don't do that!
> >
> > Note to Wayne:  I REALLY like the implementation where I can sit down at
> the remote and operate it without moving any cables or re-configuring
> anything. It just works!  Thank you!
> >
> > 73, Alan  AD6E
> >
> >
> >
> >> On Sun, Jan 12, 2020 at 7:19 PM <tomgeorgens15 at gmail.com> wrote:
> >> Hi Alan
> >>
> >> I grounded the pin on the K3 ACC for a while.  I don't think that is
> >> dangerous, but I believe that doing so prevents saving the settings when
> >> powering down.
> >>
> >> My solution sounds more complicated than it is.  I have a box that
> takes the
> >> serial port from the PC and passes it to the radio.  It extracts the DTR
> >> signal in the serial port to drive an NPN resistor that  switches the
> power
> >> on pin in the ACC port.  I have this times two since I have two
> radios.  I
> >> similarly use RTS to control the power to my homebrew amps.  This would
> >> preclude using DTR/RTS for CW/PTT, but I use a winkey for CW and A/B
> >> switching.
> >>
> >> The DTR pin can be controlled directly from Writelog using its OLE
> >> automation.  I use an AutoHotKey (AHK) script to load, configure, and
> layout
> >> all software automatically with one keystroke.  Part of the script is
> will
> >> toggle DTR on and off.  The script is very long, but it only it takes
> only a
> >> handful of AHK commands to do the K3 power on function.  I am more than
> >> willing to share the code.  You can power down using Writelog Macros to
> send
> >> the serial command to the radio
> >>
> >> Another solution could be  some type of 555 solution that sends a pulse
> some
> >> time after power is turned on.
> >>
> >> N6TV has a variety of boxes that may well perform this function.
> >>
> >> I don't know how you control power to the radio.  IF you use something
> that
> >> has independent switching per outlet (like a DLI web switch), You could
> turn
> >> on an outlet to close a relay and then turn the outlet off.
> >>
> >> I chose my approach since I needed something that would work my amps as
> >> well.
> >>
> >> GL
> >>
> >> Tom
> >>
> >>
> >> -----Original Message-----
> >> From: WriteLog <writelog-bounces at contesting.com> On Behalf Of Alan
> Maenchen
> >> Sent: Sunday, January 12, 2020 2:06 PM
> >> To: WriteLog Reflector <writelog at contesting.com>
> >> Subject: [WriteLog] K3 .. oops
> >>
> >> Having successfully switched my remote station from RemoteRig to
> Writelog
> >> remote setup, I've just now discovered one of those "oops" moments.
> >>
> >> The KPA500 amp has a menu item that turns it on when AC power is
> applied...
> >> at least enough that the RS232 link works. I can remotely turn it
> on/off.
> >> Not so with the K3 !
> >>
> >> This was not an issue with the RemoteRig stuff since that box took care
> of
> >> powering the K3 on/off. So, I never really thought about it until now
> that
> >> I'm leaving the remote site.
> >>
> >> I saw some old discussions about this on the Elecraft reflector. The
> only
> >> method is to physically ground a pin on the ACC jack. But just
> grounding it
> >> all the time and then switching the 12V supply on/off is NOT
> recommended.
> >> However, it looks like that's my only solution at the moment. I suspect
> it
> >> isn't a big deal to do that although there is some risk.
> >>
> >> So, curious what Writelog users with a remote K3 do in this situation.
> >>
> >> Thanks & 73, Alan  AD6E
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> >>
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