K2 Firmware request

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K2 Firmware request

Tom Althoff
I'm sure this has been asked before but I sure would like to have VFO-B have its own 'mode' register so I could store 28.025 as CW and 28.500 as USB.

Is that possible or is there no room at the inn?

Also, does the RS-232 command set allow querying which VFO is active?   I use B for SSB during contests and A for CW.

Tom K2TA
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Re: K2 Firmware request

Tom Althoff
I should have said "..so I could store 28.025 as CW on VFO-A and 28.500 as
USB on VFO-B"

----- Original Message -----
From: "Tom Althoff" <[hidden email]>
To: "Elecraft" <[hidden email]>
Sent: Saturday, December 09, 2006 7:37 AM
Subject: [Elecraft] K2 Firmware request


I'm sure this has been asked before but I sure would like to have VFO-B have
its own 'mode' register so I could store 28.025 as CW and 28.500 as USB.

Is that possible or is there no room at the inn?

Also, does the RS-232 command set allow querying which VFO is active?   I
use B for SSB during contests and A for CW.

Tom K2TA
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Re: K2 Firmware request

Mike Harris-9
G'day,

| I'm sure this has been asked before but I sure would like to have VFO-B
have
| its own 'mode' register so I could store 28.025 as CW and 28.500 as USB.
|
| Is that possible or is there no room at the inn?

This has been asked for for years.  Sadly it will fall on totally deaf
ears at Elecraft.  Not even a hint if it's possible or not.

Regards,

Mike VP8NO

ps. US 10M contest stations blasting in at 9++ here.

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Re: K2 Firmware request

Ian Stirling, G4ICV, AB2GR
On Saturday 09 December 2006 09:55, Mike Harris wrote:

> This has been asked for for years.  Sadly it will fall on totally deaf
> ears at Elecraft.  Not even a hint if it's possible or not.

  This is the problem with proprietary firmware.
Does Elecraft think that someone could make a rival
product if the source code were released?
Any determined capable person could write the firmware
for the K2, or a rival product.

  The original Lego Mindstorms programmable brick was
proprietary closed source firmware. At first, their
lawyers descended on the hackers who were writing
a more capable operating system for it with cease and
desist orders.  But Lego came to realise that they
would sell more hardware if they encouraged independent
development.
  Lego have firmly embraced this concept with the new
Mindstorms brick (NXT) - they have released the firmware
source code. According to their technical FAQ, hackers
have already implemented Lua, Java and C for the NXT.

 I would like the tuning knob to behave like my IC-735,
a variable rate depending on the knob rotation rate.
I don't like the three tuning rates that require one
or two button presses.

  So, how about it Elecraft?
Release the source code - show us the complete design
without the proprietary black box in the middle.
  You might increase your sales of the K2.

Ian, G4ICV, AB2GR, K2 #4962
--
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Re: K2 Firmware request

Vic K2VCO
Ian Stirling wrote:

>   This is the problem with proprietary firmware.
> Does Elecraft think that someone could make a rival
> product if the source code were released?
> Any determined capable person could write the firmware
> for the K2, or a rival product.

You would have to be *very* determined and *very* capable.  The firmware
for the K2 is complicated, and lots of things are highly interdependent
in any real-time application.

No I haven't seen the source code, but I'm a programmer and do know what
functions it performs. I think I can safely make the above statement.

The main problem is this:  How would Elecraft support the K2 if the
firmware could be changed?  Could anyone guarantee that his change to,
for example, the frequency control, didn't impact the t/r switching?
Note that slowing down the code in one place might make it impossible to
perform another function in time.
--
73,
Vic, K2VCO
Fresno CA
http://www.qsl.net/k2vco
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Re: K2 Firmware request

Leigh L. Klotz Jr WA5ZNU
Administrator
I keep trying to think of a reason I need to know the auxbus protocol
but I haven't yet.  Most of the things I would want would require K2
firmware changes as well, and I agree that is not going to happen.

My closest call has been wanting to make the power knob work with a
non-Elecraft external amplifier.  But after discussions with a number of
Elecrafters, I came to the conclusion that the KPA100 integration is
greater than it appears, mostly because of the ALC loop and its apparent
knowledge of the KPA100 gain and response characteristics.

Leigh/WA5ZNU
On Sat, 9 Dec 2006 10:59 am, Vic K2VCO wrote:

> Ian Stirling wrote:
>
>>   This is the problem with proprietary firmware.
>> Does Elecraft think that someone could make a rival
>> product if the source code were released?
>> Any determined capable person could write the firmware
>> for the K2, or a rival product.
>
> You would have to be *very* determined and *very* capable.  The
> firmware for the K2 is complicated, and lots of things are highly
> interdependent in any real-time application.
>
> No I haven't seen the source code, but I'm a programmer and do know
> what functions it performs. I think I can safely make the above
> statement.
>
> The main problem is this:  How would Elecraft support the K2 if the
> firmware could be changed?  Could anyone guarantee that his change to,
> for example, the frequency control, didn't impact the t/r switching?
> Note that slowing down the code in one place might make it impossible
> to perform another function in time.
> --
> 73,
> Vic, K2VCO
> Fresno CA
> http://www.qsl.net/k2vco
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Re: K2 Firmware request

w6jd
In reply to this post by Tom Althoff
I can only agree 100% with Vic! As one who spent most of his professional career trying to force the most code into the least amount of memory and make every nano-second count (I became king of the self-modifying instruction) I can say without hesitation that you DO NOT want the source code. And, if God forbid you get it, and modify it, please don't release it to the world. Good grief, mutant K2s!

73,
Doug
W6JD

-------------- Original message --------------
From: Vic K2VCO <[hidden email]>

> Ian Stirling wrote:
>
> > This is the problem with proprietary firmware.
> > Does Elecraft think that someone could make a rival
> > product if the source code were released?
> > Any determined capable person could write the firmware
> > for the K2, or a rival product.
>
> You would have to be *very* determined and *very* capable. The firmware
> for the K2 is complicated, and lots of things are highly interdependent
> in any real-time application.
>
> No I haven't seen the source code, but I'm a programmer and do know what
> functions it performs. I think I can safely make the above statement.
>
> The main problem is this: How would Elecraft support the K2 if the
> firmware could be changed? Could anyone guarantee that his change to,
> for example, the frequency control, didn't impact the t/r switching?
> Note that slowing down the code in one place might make it impossible to
> perform another function in time.
> --
> 73,
> Vic, K2VCO
> Fresno CA
> http://www.qsl.net/k2vco 
> _______________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Post to: [hidden email]
> You must be a subscriber to post to the list.
> Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.):
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>
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm 
> Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com 
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Re: K2 Firmware request

Ian Stirling, G4ICV, AB2GR
In reply to this post by Vic K2VCO
On Saturday 09 December 2006 13:59, Vic wrote:

> The main problem is this:  How would Elecraft support the K2 if the
> firmware could be changed?  Could anyone guarantee that his change to,
> for example, the frequency control, didn't impact the t/r switching?
> Note that slowing down the code in one place might make it impossible to
> perform another function in time.

  It's not a problem.  Elecraft could refuse to give support
except for K2s with original firmware.
  Experimenting is a big part of Amateur Radio.
I wouldn't be afraid to change the firmware and programme a
new chip, keeping the original in case of problems.
 A condition of using the source could be that derivations,
binary and source can't be published but may be submitted
to Elecraft to see if they're worthy to be included in the next
offical issue.   Lots of people working on software can improve
it beyond the ability of the original author, or any one of the
contributors - Linus Torvalds keeps control over the gnu/linux
kernel but he encourages others to contribute.

Ian, G4ICV, AB2GR, K2 #4962
--
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