K4 QSK

[Rick Tavan-2]

I've had a chance to try the latest improvements to QSK on the field test
K4. It's great, close to the theoretical optimum of sounding like a code
practice oscillator running in the background!  Remarkably, it sounds the
same in TEST mode as when transmitting 100W barefoot, 1200W (ICOM 1000
vacuum relay),  or 1500W (KPA1500 PIN diode), internal keyer or external
WinKey emulator. No, it's not perfect. I don't hear much received signal
between dits at 50 WPM, but I do hear something noticeable when there's a
signal there. And at a more realistic 38 WPM, sending actual code, I can
tell *immediately* when there's something on frequency. Wayne tells me that
he has a few more tricks up his sleeve that can make it better yet, but
it's already among the best QSK setups I've ever experienced. Way to go,
Elecraft!

/Rick N6XI

--

Rick Tavan
Truckee and Saratoga, CA
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[Rick Tavan-2]

Several readers challenged me appropriately on the glowing report below
because I had not done my K4 QSK testing under crowded band conditions as
in a contest. Right - I hadn't encountered any but I was so happy with what
I heard on quiet bands that I couldn't refrain from commenting.

Today I got on the 19Z CWT to give it a try. Unfortunately, I had some
pretty bad local RFI. It sounded like arcing from an intermittent, loose
electrical connection, possibly induced by recent high winds here, and made
weak signals hard to copy. The K4 NB helped some but it wasn't the test I
had intended ... unless you're looking for a report that the noise was
quite audible while transmitting - it was.  I almost gave up in disgust
after 22 minutes but put the 'phones back on for the last 11 minutes of the
event and was delighted to find the noise completely gone! So I did get in
11 minutes of a reasonable, single-band evaluation (20M). And it was good!
QSK remained solid. There were a few low level artifacts I hadn't heard
before, probably due to an amplified speaker at this location that I wasn't
using but had not powered off. At 20Z the CWT ended, the band went quiet,
and I did a little more transmitting to confirm that QSK on the empty band
sounded no different than during the CWT. This was *not a comprehensive or
conclusive test*, but it's very encouraging - the QSK did not degrade under
these busier band conditions. I'll try to clean up my audio distribution
setup and report any differences.

73,

/Rick N6XI

On Fri, Jan 22, 2021 at 11:43 AM Rick Tavan <[hidden email]> wrote:

> I've had a chance to try the latest improvements to QSK on the field test
> K4. It's great, close to the theoretical optimum of sounding like a code
> practice oscillator running in the background!  Remarkably, it sounds the
> same in TEST mode as when transmitting 100W barefoot, 1200W (ICOM 1000
> vacuum relay),  or 1500W (KPA1500 PIN diode), internal keyer or external
> WinKey emulator. No, it's not perfect. I don't hear much received signal
> between dits at 50 WPM, but I do hear something noticeable when there's a
> signal there. And at a more realistic 38 WPM, sending actual code, I can
> tell *immediately* when there's something on frequency. Wayne tells me
> that he has a few more tricks up his sleeve that can make it better yet,
> but it's already among the best QSK setups I've ever experienced. Way to
> go, Elecraft!
>
> /Rick N6XI
>
> --
>
> Rick Tavan
> Truckee and Saratoga, CA
>

--
--

Rick Tavan
Truckee and Saratoga, CA
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