K4 on Digital Modes
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Hello everyone,
As it gets closer to being able to actually have a K4, I was hoping someone would know how the radio will interact with a computer. I’m only personally familiar with using my kx3 + kxpa100 with a single audio interface and usb control cable on the computer. I read the documentation that said that flexradio style “slices” would not be visible to the end user, but I’m not sure what the alternative is?. With the K4D, for instance, what interfaces are presented on the computer and how many of them are there? Will all over them be accessed over ethernet or can you also use USB? What software will you need to run on your computer? Can you run multiple copies of a wsjt-x and monitor different bands/frequencies simultaneously? Will you be able to transmit on each of those bands seamlessly? With the K4D each having a receiver and a sub-receiver can you monitor 4 bands or just 2? Thank you, Gus Holcomb km6yxb ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[hidden email] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to [hidden email] |
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On Sat, Jun 27, 2020 at 8:14 AM Gus Holcomb <[hidden email]> wrote:
> With the K4D, for instance, what interfaces are presented on the computer > and how many of them are there? To review, on a K3S or K3+KIO3B with USB connector, you get one virtual serial port and one USB Sound Card (USB AUDIO CODEC). Windows cannot separately set the record level of the left/right audio channels of the K3S sound card. With the K4 USB connector you get *two* virtual serial ports on the USB (similar to IC-7610) and a new USB Sound Card that Windows recognizes as "LINE" instead of "MIC", so you can set the left/right recording levels separately, if needed for critical SO2V RTTY Contesting. The second serial port is ideal for computer-generated CW, FSK or PTT keying (via RTS/DTR pins) for programs like N3FJP (and HRD?) that cannot do both CW keying and rig control on the same serial port, or programs like MMTTY that need a dedicated serial port for FSK keying. Port sharing software not needed. An FSK keying circuit on the K3 ACC connector is no longer needed (but is still supported). There's also a separate and independent female DE-9 RS232 connector ideal for connecting non-Elecraft amplifier "CAT" cables or SteppIR controllers. This port operates independently of the USB serial ports so no special Y-Cables needed, and it can use a different baud rate; the device is allowed to poll the K4 at the same time that a logging program is polling the radio on a different port (not possible on K3 or K3S). Will all over them be accessed over ethernet or can you also use USB? Ethernet can be used too, but it is optional. > What software will you need to run on your computer? Same as you would for K3, with enhancements developed over time to take advantage of K4's extra capability, such as FSK keying over serial port. Can you run multiple copies of a wsjt-x and monitor different > bands/frequencies simultaneously? Monitoring two bands will be possible with a K4D model if a Sub Receiver is enabled. However, we'll have to tell the second instance of WSJT-X to read "VFO B" instead of "VFO A" to display the SubRx frequency, and transmitting one both would require constantly switching between "SPLIT ON" and "SPLIT OFF". Of course, while one VFO is transmitting the other won't be able to receive since all receivers are muted during transmit. > Will you be able to transmit on each of those bands seamlessly? Not sure what you mean by seamlessly. It's treated as one radio with two VFOs, and you can transmit on VFO A if SPLIT is OFF, or transmit on VFO B if SPLIT is ON. > With the K4D each having a receiver and a sub-receiver can you monitor 4 > bands or just 2? > Two bands. There are only two audio output channels, not four. 73, Bob, N6TV ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[hidden email] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to [hidden email] |
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This brings up a question about FSK. If I read this correctly, we will be
able to generate FSK by toggling RTS/DTR). Personally, I find the jitter in Windows to be unacceptable using this method. Windows is no where real time having any sort of guarantee. That's why I use an external FSK keyer on my K3s. What I was wondering is if the K4 will be able to accept an ASCII string and do the FSK keying (ala a TinyFSK module)? 73, Joe, KO8V -----Original Message----- From: [hidden email] <[hidden email]> On Behalf Of Bob Wilson, N6TV Sent: Saturday, June 27, 2020 12:36 To: Elecraft Reflector <[hidden email]> Subject: Re: [Elecraft] K4 on Digital Modes On Sat, Jun 27, 2020 at 8:14 AM Gus Holcomb <[hidden email]> wrote: > With the K4D, for instance, what interfaces are presented on the > computer and how many of them are there? To review, on a K3S or K3+KIO3B with USB connector, you get one virtual serial port and one USB Sound Card (USB AUDIO CODEC). Windows cannot separately set the record level of the left/right audio channels of the K3S sound card. With the K4 USB connector you get *two* virtual serial ports on the USB (similar to IC-7610) and a new USB Sound Card that Windows recognizes as "LINE" instead of "MIC", so you can set the left/right recording levels separately, if needed for critical SO2V RTTY Contesting. The second serial port is ideal for computer-generated CW, FSK or PTT keying (via RTS/DTR pins) for programs like N3FJP (and HRD?) that cannot do both CW keying and rig control on the same serial port, or programs like MMTTY that need a dedicated serial port for FSK keying. Port sharing software not needed. An FSK keying circuit on the K3 ACC connector is no longer needed (but is still supported). There's also a separate and independent female DE-9 RS232 connector ideal for connecting non-Elecraft amplifier "CAT" cables or SteppIR controllers. This port operates independently of the USB serial ports so no special Y-Cables needed, and it can use a different baud rate; the device is allowed to poll the K4 at the same time that a logging program is polling the radio on a different port (not possible on K3 or K3S). Will all over them be accessed over ethernet or can you also use USB? Ethernet can be used too, but it is optional. > What software will you need to run on your computer? Same as you would for K3, with enhancements developed over time to take advantage of K4's extra capability, such as FSK keying over serial port. Can you run multiple copies of a wsjt-x and monitor different > bands/frequencies simultaneously? Monitoring two bands will be possible with a K4D model if a Sub Receiver is enabled. However, we'll have to tell the second instance of WSJT-X to read "VFO B" instead of "VFO A" to display the SubRx frequency, and transmitting one both would require constantly switching between "SPLIT ON" and "SPLIT OFF". Of course, while one VFO is transmitting the other won't be able to receive since all receivers are muted during transmit. > Will you be able to transmit on each of those bands seamlessly? Not sure what you mean by seamlessly. It's treated as one radio with two VFOs, and you can transmit on VFO A if SPLIT is OFF, or transmit on VFO B if SPLIT is ON. > With the K4D each having a receiver and a sub-receiver can you monitor > 4 bands or just 2? > Two bands. There are only two audio output channels, not four. 73, Bob, N6TV ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[hidden email] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to [hidden email] |
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The K3 will accept a command through the CAT interface to send
CW/RTTY/PSK. The K4 should as well. 73 Bill AE6JV On 6/28/20 at 12:49 PM, [hidden email] (Joe DeVincentis) wrote: >What I was wondering is if the K4 will be able to accept an ASCII string and >do the FSK keying (ala a TinyFSK module)? --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bill Frantz |"Web security is like medicine - trying to do good for 408-348-7900 |an evolved body of kludges" - Mark Miller www.pwpconsult.com | ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[hidden email] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to [hidden email] |
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I am aware of the KY command, but it is limited to 24 characters per command. And as far as I can tell no system supports it in a conversational mode (e.g. fldigi, mmtty, etc) in the same way an external modem is supported.
Joe, KO8V > On Jun 28, 2020, at 20:21, Bill Frantz <[hidden email]> wrote: > > The K3 will accept a command through the CAT interface to send CW/RTTY/PSK. The K4 should as well. > > 73 Bill AE6JV ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[hidden email] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to [hidden email] |
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RUMlogNG, a Mac logging program will allow a kind of
conversional mode in its contest form. You can click to send and type whatever you want. It does handle macros nicely, which is needed for contesting. I suspect it breaks down long messages into shorter commands. I use if frequently for CW and RTTY contesting, and it works well. I rarely use the conversational mode in contesting, and manually switching between transmit and receive is a pain. 73 Bill AE6JV On 6/28/20 at 10:07 PM, [hidden email] (Joe DeVincentis) wrote: >I am aware of the KY command, but it is limited to 24 >characters per command. And as far as I can tell no system >supports it in a conversational mode (e.g. fldigi, mmtty, etc) >in the same way an external modem is supported. > >Joe, KO8V > >>On Jun 28, 2020, at 20:21, Bill Frantz <[hidden email]> wrote: >> >>The K3 will accept a command through the CAT interface to send CW/RTTY/PSK. The K4 should as well. >> ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Bill Frantz | Security is like Government | Periwinkle (408)348-7900 | services. The market doesn't | 150 Rivermead Rd #235 www.pwpconsult.com | want to pay for them. | Peterborough, NH 03458 ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[hidden email] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to [hidden email] |
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