Hi Ed, Thanks for letting us know about your experiences with the Elecraft Twin firmware.
As you know, I have been testing this for a couple of months now and have been very impressed. There are a couple of bugs on the K3 firmware side that I am sure will be resolved soon, but this is not top priority.....we are all waiting for the KX3 firmware to be completed! ;-) The details about the cables is actually well documented in the RemoteRig manual; there are schematics for all the cables in that section. Of course, someone may of course choose to buy a cable set, but you can make your own if you wish. The most important custom cable is the one that allows powering-on the remote K3 when you power-on locally, since the K3 does not allow one to turn it on by using a CAT command. Where I disagree with you is your comment about having to set COM1 to USB. I have never experienced a need to do so, and indeed have none of my serial ports set to USB mode (although of course I could switch COM1 to USB for CAT if I wanted to). I run COM2 as "logical parallel with COM0" as per the manual, as well as COM1 in mode-6 (CAT to COM2). This allows one to use CAT both on the remote PC without any wiring change when operating locally, as well as CAT over the remote RRC. Of course, then you can't use COM1 for rotor or other control, but there are other solutions for that. The K3/0 will be a killer for high-performance remote stations......the current most popular rig with a separate control head used by RemoteRig installations is the TS-480. The Elecraft solution will allow the same type of flexible (hardware based) experience for multiple remote users, by sharing one fully equipped K3 at relatively low cost per user, but providing significantly better performance than the TS-480 provides. Anyone that is interested in remote operation using a hardware radio panel interface should be very excited about this new offering from Elecraft and Microbit. 73, Mitch DJ0QN On 09.12.2011 05:09, W0SD Ed Gray wrote: > I have the Elecraft "TWIN" setup working with the Microbit control and > remote boxes. The instructions in the Micorbit RRC-1258 MII manual are > pretty good. The URL is www.remoterig.com. The one thing that is not > clear IMHO is the last line of the setup for the K3 TWIN: > COM2 Mode listed as Logical Parallel with COM0 is not in the radio > settings but are in the Serial settings and are for both the control and > remote(radio) boxes. > > It is also not mentioned that USB used as COM0 should be YES under the > Control Radio Settings and USB used as COM1 and USB used as COM2 should > be NO. > > One thing I missed without going over things a second time is that the > cable between the Control box COM2 and the K3 CAT is a cross over. The > cable between the remote box COM2 and the K3 CAT on the remote K3 is a > straight cable. > > The Microbit documentation never talks about the information from > Elecraft on getting in and out of the TERM mode. This was necessary for > me to get things working. Once it is running then it happens > automatically unless you get out of TERM and back to NORM. > You need the cables as describe in the Microbit documentation. > > It is very impressive and works "SUPER" and makes remoting over the > Internet or over LAN a breeze once you get by some lack of documentation. > > For logging/control one can use say COM1 from your computer and a serial > cable to COM1 on the Control Microbit box. These settings are discussed > under Logging or computer control, RTTY etc. in the Microbit manual but > IMHO they are not complete. If you want to use a serial cable between > your computer for logging and control and use say COM 1 out of your > computer. Set your logging control program to the same in this case COM1 > and be sure the baud rate is the same everyplace. You still leave USB to > COM0 as YES. Be sure to do what the Micorbit manual says in regards to > the mode 7 settings. > > If you want to use your USB cable to the RCC control unit for > logging/control and not have a serial cable then you have to set USB to > COM0 to NO and set USB to COM1 to YES and set your logging/control for > the virtual COM port that your computer has for COM 1 if that is what > you are using. > > REMEMBER TO APPLY YOUR SETTINGS and not just SUBMIT!!! > > If you want to control a K3 remotely using the Microbit boxes, ie not > use two K3's but just the remote one I have documented that in the > Microbit forum and how to control one rotor and do CW. I have RTTY to do > yet and control of rotors and antenna switching outside the Microbit > boxes. You can do virtually everything with TXR manager in regards to > controlling the K3. > > The "TWIN set up is very nice but you have to spend the money for a > second K3. This makes the prospect of a K3 (0)with no RF that Eric > mentioned very interesting! It would be nice to have something less > valuable and smaller to carry with you and most things are a bit easier > to do on the control radio although there are a few things on TRX > manager that are IMHO easier than the radio such as band changes. I > need to do a lot more before I form much of an opinion on way or the > other. Obviously the "TWIN" set us is the easiest! > > It is possibly I made an error someplace in this information but I have > tried to be very careful. Anyway I do have it working all OK and it is > impressive so it can be done. It is just a matter of getting the correct > settings. What you can do with remoting has got to be a very big deal > over the upcoming months as it is rapidly getting a lot easier to do. It > is very real solution to problems a lot of hams have with noise of all > kinds, RFI, lack of antennas, restrictions, on the road a lot, needing > to be at different locations and the list goes on, the hassle of taking > a radio various places; especially if there will be a K3 (O) or you can > do it without the "TWINS". > > Ed W0SD > > > > On 12/8/2011 10:22 AM, Eric Swartz - WA6HHQ, Elecraft wrote: >> We will also be putting up a K3 Remote page on the Elecraft page shortly >> with app notes, FAQ etc. >> >> Elecraft will also be offering the Remoterig boxes and matching K3 >> cables for sale on our web page shortly, along with a K3/0 control rig >> (no RF inside). Stay tuned! >> >> 73, Eric >> >> www.elecraft.com >> >> >> On 12/7/2011 11:02 PM, Mitch Wolfson DJØQN wrote: >>> Doug, >>> >>> You and anyone else having specific Elecraft Twin questions should post >>> your questions directly on the Microbit (RemoteRig) forum at: >>> <http://www.remoterig.com/forum/index.php> >>> >>> to answer question 2: The remote K3 becomes your local K3. You are >>> essentially using the local one only as a control panel for the remote >>> K3, so of course the audio and other settings will be that of the remote >>> K3. >>> >>> to answer question 3: You will find the directions on page 167 of the >>> latest RemoteRig manual at<http://www.remoterig.com/wp/?page_id=97> >>> If you have any further questions, just post a message on their forum, >>> or drop me a note and I can help you directly. >>> >>> 73, >>> Mitch DJ0QN >>> >>> On 08.12.2011 00:30, D Joyce wrote: >>>> Folks: >>>> >>>> Following Eric's announcement last Friday, I setup a K3/10 as the "local" >>>> and the K3/100 as the "remote" along with a KPA-500, made up the one new >>>> E3c keying cable for the "remote / radio" site and have been trying things >>>> out since Monday night. Still running things over my local LAN, but for >>>> the most part things work very slick. I still have some things to >>>> configure properly and a few settings I don't fully understand. Perhaps >>>> some of those who were able to work with the pre-Beta versions for a few >>>> weeks would explain a couple of things for me. >>>> >>>> 1. It's not obvious how the KPA-500 fits into this control system. In >>>> the previous (non-twin) approach, I used the KPA-500 Utility through the >>>> "free" Com1 channel of the RRC-1258 to turn the KPA-500 on / off and to >>>> monitor power and other performance parameters. Is it still the intention >>>> to use the KPA Utility with this new Program mode "14" approach or is >>>> there another way? Would appreciate some further details. >>>> >>>> 2. It's not clear how the audio and rf gain settings on the two K3s should >>>> be set. Seems that the settings on the "remote" K3 override whatever has >>>> been set on the "local" K3. So my settings at the moment are to have rf >>>> gain set at full CW for both main and sub on both K3s, to have AF gain on >>>> the "remote" K3 set at 12 o'clock for both main and sub and then use the >>>> audio controls on the "local" K3 for final admjustments. BTW I'm running >>>> the two channels of AF output from the "local" RRC to a pair of Timewave >>>> DSP-9+ units which feed separate speakers and the line outputs go to an >>>> old IBM PIII-600 running XP SP3 with two instances of MMTTY. >>>> >>>> 3. The Microbit setup Mgr v1.10 ( I couldn't get v1.12 to load - a >>>> Windows problem) sets up four virtual Com ports (see pg 75 of the new rev >>>> A17 RRC manual) Com 0, 1, 2 and FSK. I have the new ComFSK port working >>>> for FSK keying but I'm not sure how to configure for eg DX4Win to make use >>>> of Com 0, 1& 2. Further details would be helpful. >>>> >>>> Thanks for your time. >>>> >>>> 73, Doug VE3MV >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> ______________________________________________________________ >>>> Elecraft mailing list >>>> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft >>>> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm >>>> Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net >>>> >>>> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net >>>> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html >>>> >>>> >>>> -- >>>> Mitch Wolfson >>>> DJØQN / K7DX >>>> Georg-Kerschensteiner-Str. 42, 81829 Muenchen, Germany >>>> Skype: mitchwo - Home:+49 89 32152700 - Mobile:+49 172 8374436 >>>> Echolink: 3001 - IRLP: 5378 >>> ______________________________________________________________ >>> Elecraft mailing list >>> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft >>> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm >>> Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net >>> >>> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net >>> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html >> ______________________________________________________________ >> Elecraft mailing list >> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft >> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm >> Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net >> >> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net >> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html >> >> > ______________________________________________________________ > Elecraft mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html > > > -- > Mitch Wolfson > DJØQN / K7DX > Georg-Kerschensteiner-Str. 42, 81829 Muenchen, Germany > Skype: mitchwo - Home:+49 89 32152700 - Mobile:+49 172 8374436 > Echolink: 3001 - IRLP: 5378 ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
