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PSK31 with a KX2

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Bob Liesen

PSK31 with a KX2

All,
Pulling my hair out here. I have been trying to get my KX2 to work on
PSK31. After many attempts I got it working perfectly with DigiPan, but
I'm not sure how. Then something happened that I have found is a problem
for me with this radio. I must have turned a knob, hit a key or some such
thing as it stopped decoding. I find the knobs and buttons are too close
to one another for these old eyes and fingers.
I am using DATA A mode, I have the BW at 4kHz and center freq of 1.5 AGC
is off, RF gain is 0dB. NB and NR is off. I suspected I might have
screwed up the USB/LSB setting somehow, but HamScope has a "reverse"
function which does not help.
Is there anyone who could walk me through the settings that might be
screwing this up?
Tnx es 73
Bob WB0POQ
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Bill Frantz

Re: PSK31 with a KX2

On 3/9/21 at 8:11 PM, [hidden email] (Bob Liesen) wrote:

>I am using DATA A mode, I have the BW at 4kHz and center freq of 1.5 AGC
>is off, RF gain is 0dB. NB and NR is off. I suspected I might have
>screwed up the USB/LSB setting somehow, but HamScope has a "reverse"
>function which does not help.

One of the joys of PSK31 is that the signals are symmetric, that
is both USB and LSB will be able to decode the signal.

I'm not sure I can help further since I haven't tried to work
PSK31 on a KX2 and I don't think I have any of the software you
are using. (It probably won't run on my Mac.)

Can you decode signals using the internal PSK31 on the KX2? If
that works, then you have decodable audio being sent to your computer.

73 Bill AE6JV

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Bill Frantz | Ham radio contesting is a | Periwinkle
(408)348-7900 | contact sport. | 150 Rivermead
Rd #235
www.pwpconsult.com | --Ken Widelitz K6LA/VY2TT | Peterborough,
NH 03458

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Alan Bloom

Re: PSK31 with a KX2

In reply to this post by Bob Liesen

I just tried out DigiPan with my KX2 for the first time earlier today.
At first I thought it wasn't working because I couldn't decode any
signals on PSK31. Then I happened to stumble on a W1AW bulletin on
RTTY. Then they switched over to PSK31 and it decoded perfectly.

I guess the answer is that a lot of the signals on the air that sound
like PSK31 are actually something else.

By the way, PSK31 is symmetrical in frequency so it doesn't matter
whether you select LSB or USB. That's why the Reverse function in
DigiPan is disabled for PSK31.

When W1AW first switched from RTTY to PSK31, the KX2 was still in FSK
mode with the narrow filter. It decoded the PSK31 just fine. Then I
switched to LSB and it continued to decode perfectly.

Alan N1AL

On 3/9/2021 6:11 PM, Bob Liesen wrote:

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Ian, NV4C

Re: PSK31 with a KX2

In reply to this post by Bob Liesen

Bob,

Have you tried tweaking the gain on the KX2, to see if you can decode
with the gain increased? Just spitballing, but that may help.

73 de,

Ian, NV4C

On 3/9/21 8:11 PM, Bob Liesen wrote:

> All,
> Pulling my hair out here. I have been trying to get my KX2 to work on
> PSK31. After many attempts I got it working perfectly with DigiPan, but
> I'm not sure how. Then something happened that I have found is a problem
> for me with this radio. I must have turned a knob, hit a key or some such
> thing as it stopped decoding. I find the knobs and buttons are too close
> to one another for these old eyes and fingers.
> I am using DATA A mode, I have the BW at 4kHz and center freq of 1.5 AGC
> is off, RF gain is 0dB. NB and NR is off. I suspected I might have
> screwed up the USB/LSB setting somehow, but HamScope has a "reverse"
> function which does not help.
> Is there anyone who could walk me through the settings that might be
> screwing this up?
> Tnx es 73
> Bob WB0POQ
> ______________________________________________________________
> 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
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Bill K9YEQ

Re: PSK31 with a KX2

In reply to this post by Bob Liesen

Bob, when you get it working, then do an immediate backup in case you enter the wrong information after that. You can at least get back to where you were. When I am told I have a great signal on SSB, I do an immediate backup to preserve my settings.

Bill
K9YEQ

-----Original Message-----
From: [hidden email] <[hidden email]> On Behalf Of Bob Liesen
Sent: Tuesday, March 9, 2021 7:11 PM
To: [hidden email]
Subject: [Elecraft] PSK31 with a KX2

All,
Pulling my hair out here. I have been trying to get my KX2 to work on PSK31. After many attempts I got it working perfectly with DigiPan, but
I'm not sure how. Then something happened that I have found is a problem
for me with this radio. I must have turned a knob, hit a key or some such thing as it stopped decoding. I find the knobs and buttons are too close to one another for these old eyes and fingers.
I am using DATA A mode, I have the BW at 4kHz and center freq of 1.5 AGC is off, RF gain is 0dB. NB and NR is off. I suspected I might have screwed up the USB/LSB setting somehow, but HamScope has a "reverse"
function which does not help.
Is there anyone who could walk me through the settings that might be screwing this up?
Tnx es 73
Bob WB0POQ
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Bob Liesen

Re: PSK31 with a KX2

Gang,
Well, I solved the no decode problem with my KX2. I was not decoding
much PSK31 because there is not much around to decode. Since I was active
on digital modes, things have evolved (imagine that!). Once I boned up on
the fact that most of the warbling one hears is FT8, and set up a program
for same, I'm decoding lots of signals. I am truly a dinosaur.....😕
Thanks to all and stay well!

Bob WB0POQ

On Wed, Mar 10, 2021 at 5:20 PM Bill Johnson <[hidden email]> wrote:

> Bob, when you get it working, then do an immediate backup in case you
> enter the wrong information after that. You can at least get back to where
> you were. When I am told I have a great signal on SSB, I do an immediate
> backup to preserve my settings.
>
> Bill
> K9YEQ
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: [hidden email] <[hidden email]>
> On Behalf Of Bob Liesen
> Sent: Tuesday, March 9, 2021 7:11 PM
> To: [hidden email]
> Subject: [Elecraft] PSK31 with a KX2
>
> All,
> Pulling my hair out here. I have been trying to get my KX2 to work on
> PSK31. After many attempts I got it working perfectly with DigiPan, but
> I'm not sure how. Then something happened that I have found is a problem
> for me with this radio. I must have turned a knob, hit a key or some such
> thing as it stopped decoding. I find the knobs and buttons are too close
> to one another for these old eyes and fingers.
> I am using DATA A mode, I have the BW at 4kHz and center freq of 1.5
> AGC is off, RF gain is 0dB. NB and NR is off. I suspected I might have
> screwed up the USB/LSB setting somehow, but HamScope has a "reverse"
> function which does not help.
> Is there anyone who could walk me through the settings that might be
> screwing this up?
> Tnx es 73
> Bob WB0POQ
> ______________________________________________________________
> 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]
>

K8TE

Re: PSK31 with a KX2

In reply to this post by Bill Frantz

Times change. ClubLog publishes a weekly summary of uploaded DX contacts at:
https://clublog.org/dxreport.html. For this past week, PSK was 0.11% of all
those contacts. This is a representative sample (not scientific) of
activity by those who use ClubLog.

FT8/4 made up about 61%, SSB & CW just short of 38%. This gives us a pretty
good idea of where to find the activity. The summary includes other modes
along with other information. You may not like it, but it is a close
approximation of reality.

RTTY fans (0.69% in this summary) can't believe there are so few operating
RTTY, except during contest weekends. If one picks a mode with such small
numbers, one can't expect to find much activity.

I use multiple radios, one of which is dedicated to FTn. This allows me to
make CW/SSB contacts while the other radio is making FTn contacts. FTn has
filled in a lot of band-slots and even States on 12m toward 9BWAS for me,
with little skill and minimal effort. If one pays attention to FTn details,
one can make even more contacts there. I get tired of clicking. I don't
like to move my hands off the home keys.

73, Bill, K8TE

--
Sent from: http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/
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