RE: [Elecraft] Hearing CW - Fundamental Keying Waveform?
On Tue, 19 Sep 2006, Ron D'Eau Claire wrote: Y'know there was actually a time when a fellow could tune across a band, especially 80 or 40, and immediately recognize various stations by the keying characteristic of their rig and their fists on a mechanical key. Different stations had distinctively different voices. By comparison, listening on the ham bands today is rather like attending a party where everyone speaks with an identical artificial computer-produced voice G THere was a time when you could find a neighborhood bakery...and in large cities, you could find ethnic neighborhoods with their own bakeries, groceries, and churches. There was also a time when you could find solid wood furnature that was affordableor restaurants that didn't buy pre-cooked meals from a vendor. With all the improvements in today's world, we seem to have lost a lot of the personality and flavor of many things. I'm happy to be able to remember recognizing a station by the sound of the cw note and the fist of the operator I'm tempted to jot down Hal as the name of many guys I work...the same note, the same fist. Perhaps it's time to add some more items to http://www.zerobeat.net/qrp/qrpretro.html 73,Thom-k3hrn www.zerobeat.net Home of QRP Web Ring, Drakelist home page,Drake Web Ring, QRP IRC channel, Drake IRC Channel, Elecraft Owners Database www.tlchost.net/hosting/ *** Web Hosting as low as 3.49/month ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] Hearing CW - Fundamental Keying Waveform?
This discussion is very interesting to me. I hate copying stations whose keying isn't sharp enough. The dits and dahs seem to blend together. It seems to me that with all the DSP power that modern rigs have, there should be a way to sharpen up a CW signal to make it more intelligible. I'm copying this message to my friend VU3RDD, who is a DSP engineer, to see what he might think about this. 73! Dan KB6NU -- CW Geek and MI Affiliated Club Coordinator Read my ham radio blog at www.kb6nu.com LET'S GET MORE KIDS INTO HAM RADIO! On Sep 20, 2006, at 12:31 AM, Don Wilhelm wrote: Darrell, That has ben dropped from the more recent handbook (does not appear in my 2005 edition). I am going 'out on a limb' here by saying that this stems from the concept that 'some keyclicks are good' philosophy. Sidebands on a CW signal are the result of the keying shape, and there is more to it than just the rise and fall times - there is the rounding at the corners to consider too. I have heard many an operator state that 'hard keying' will get you through a pile-up better. While that may be true, it certainly is not 'neighborly'. I am glad to see that this statement does not appear in the more recent handbooks. 73, Don W3FPR -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Darrell Bellerive Sent: Tuesday, September 19, 2006 6:08 PM To: Elecraft List Subject: [Elecraft] Hearing CW - Fundamental Keying Waveform? The recent thread on filter settings and hearing reminded me of a question I would like to get an answer to. In the ARRL 2001 Handbook on page 15.7 we find: The dots and dashes of a CW signal must start and stop abruptly enough so we can clearly distinguish the carrier's presences and absences from noise, especially when fading prevails. The keying sidebands, which sound like little more than thumps when listened to on their own, help our brains be sure when the carrier tone starts and stops. It so happens that we always need to hear one or more harmonics of the fundamental keying waveform for the code to sound sufficiently crisp. What is meant by the fundamental keying waveform? How do we take the need to hear one or more harmonics of the fundamental keying waveform into account when setting up the IF and audio filters? 73, Darrell VA7TO K2 #5093 -- Darrell Bellerive Amateur Radio Stations VA7TO and VE7CLA Grand Forks, British Columbia, Canada ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
RE: [Elecraft] Hearing CW - Fundamental Keying Waveform?
At 09:13 AM 9/20/2006, Martin Gillen wrote... Which FCC or ARRL guideline mentions chirp, or otherwise attempts to regulate the keying waveform? 97.307(a) No amateur station transmission shall occupy more bandwidth than necessary for the information rate and emission type being transmitted, in accordance with good amateur practice. (b) Emissions resulting from modulation must be confined to the band or segment available to the control operator. Emissions outside the necessary bandwidth must not cause splatter or keyclick interference to operations on adjacent frequencies. (c) All spurious emissions from a station transmitter must be reduced to the greatest extent practicable. If any spurious emission, including chassis or power line radiation, causes harmful interference to the reception of another radio station, the licensee of the interfering amateur station is required to take steps to eliminate the interference, in accordance with good engineering practice. And it continues on with regard to specific standards and measurements of spurious emissions. ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
RE: [Elecraft] Hearing CW - Fundamental Keying Waveform?
As long as we are discussing hearing cw I'd like to ask a question that has been bothering me for many years. I am very sensitive to chirp, and that is not what I am referring to. When I listen to a good cw signal in the range of about 20-35 wpm I heard the dots and dashes as at slightly different frequencies. This may simply be some sort of psychological quirk unique to me. I am not even sure slightly different frequencies or tones is correct way to describe it. Realizing that I am not listening to a sinusoidal tone but sequences of short and long symbols and that long strings of dots will have wider sidebands than long strings of dashes, I wonder if this is relevant in any way. Most likely it is some sort of personal quirk. But I wonder if anyone on this reflector by any chance notices anything similar or has an explanation? Bob W2WG -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Martin Gillen Sent: Wednesday, September 20, 2006 9:13 AM To: elecraft Subject: RE: [Elecraft] Hearing CW - Fundamental Keying Waveform? Hmm, Any detectable chirp seems to drive some of today's ARRL Official Observers into near apoplexy but I enjoy hearing it! That's interesting. Which FCC or ARRL guideline mentions chirp, or otherwise attempts to regulate the keying waveform? I had a look through our Canadian guidelines: RIC 2 - Standards for the Operation of Radio Stations in the Amateur Radio Service I can't find anything about chirp, although there is a clause about frequency stability, and I suppose that chirp could be defined as frequency stability over a period of time equivalent to a code element. But I rather think that it means drift and not chirp. So - as long as I keep to 6kHz bandwitdh and 1kHz on 30m, then it looks like I'm allowed to have chirp on my signal. Now where do I need to solder a small cap on the KX1 to introduce some nice distinctive chirp on my signal?... 73 Martin. VA3SIE. ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] Hearing CW - Fundamental Keying Waveform?
Dan KB6NU wrote: This discussion is very interesting to me. I hate copying stations whose keying isn't sharp enough. The dits and dahs seem to blend together. It seems to me that with all the DSP power that modern rigs have, there should be a way to sharpen up a CW signal to make it more intelligible. Modern rigs all have rise/fall times between about 2 ms. (which produces a quite clicky and too-broad signal) and about 8 ms. I think the current K2 is maybe 5 or 6 ms. At keying speeds below about 50 wpm, there should be absolutely no problem with the elements seeming to blend together. Also keep in mind that regardless of the actual rise/fall times of the signal, high selectivity ( about 500 Hz.) starts to noticeably soften what you hear. There are schemes that regenerate a CW signal (basically, use the received signal to key a local oscillator or it's possible to simply clip a signal if the s/n ratio is reasonable in order to sharpen it up. But this doesn't seem to be especially helpful at the usual speeds. I'm not sure what characteristic you're describing that makes CW hard to copy, but I don't think it's the shape of the keyed envelope. -- 73 Vic, K2VCO Fresno, CA http://www.qsl.net/k2vco ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] Hearing CW - Fundamental Keying Waveform?
Thanks Dan for copying me. I just subscribed to the list. The issue is discussed at length by Doug Smith, who is also the Editor of ARRL's QEX. http://www.doug-smith.net/cwbandwidth1.htm In the digital communication world, we have a baseband modulation scheme called Pulse Amplitude modulation (PAM), which is one of the simplest form of modulation. CW can be thought of as one form of PAM. To avoid Inter Symbol Interference (ISI), the pulse shape used in the PAM scheme should have certain properties. Key Clicks are nothing but abrupt changes in the waveform, which interferes with the neighbouring pulse shapes, which is ISI. The Sinc Pulse is one such waveform, but is difficult to synthesize in real world. Another such pulseshape which satisfies this is the Raised Cosine waveform. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raised-cosine_filter Another variant is the square root of raised cosine shape, where transmitter and reciever both use a square root of the above filter response in (frequency domain) and when you convolve them together in time domain you get the raise cosine response. I think I have complicated it too much. :-( The above links explain it in a much better way. This is the basic principle behind it, but there are many refinements. Ramakrishnan, VU3RDD On 9/20/06, Dan KB6NU [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: This discussion is very interesting to me. I hate copying stations whose keying isn't sharp enough. The dits and dahs seem to blend together. It seems to me that with all the DSP power that modern rigs have, there should be a way to sharpen up a CW signal to make it more intelligible. I'm copying this message to my friend VU3RDD, who is a DSP engineer, to see what he might think about this. 73! Dan KB6NU -- CW Geek and MI Affiliated Club Coordinator Read my ham radio blog at www.kb6nu.com LET'S GET MORE KIDS INTO HAM RADIO! On Sep 20, 2006, at 12:31 AM, Don Wilhelm wrote: Darrell, That has ben dropped from the more recent handbook (does not appear in my 2005 edition). I am going 'out on a limb' here by saying that this stems from the concept that 'some keyclicks are good' philosophy. Sidebands on a CW signal are the result of the keying shape, and there is more to it than just the rise and fall times - there is the rounding at the corners to consider too. I have heard many an operator state that 'hard keying' will get you through a pile-up better. While that may be true, it certainly is not 'neighborly'. I am glad to see that this statement does not appear in the more recent handbooks. 73, Don W3FPR -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Darrell Bellerive Sent: Tuesday, September 19, 2006 6:08 PM To: Elecraft List Subject: [Elecraft] Hearing CW - Fundamental Keying Waveform? The recent thread on filter settings and hearing reminded me of a question I would like to get an answer to. In the ARRL 2001 Handbook on page 15.7 we find: The dots and dashes of a CW signal must start and stop abruptly enough so we can clearly distinguish the carrier's presences and absences from noise, especially when fading prevails. The keying sidebands, which sound like little more than thumps when listened to on their own, help our brains be sure when the carrier tone starts and stops. It so happens that we always need to hear one or more harmonics of the fundamental keying waveform for the code to sound sufficiently crisp. What is meant by the fundamental keying waveform? How do we take the need to hear one or more harmonics of the fundamental keying waveform into account when setting up the IF and audio filters? 73, Darrell VA7TO K2 #5093 -- Darrell Bellerive Amateur Radio Stations VA7TO and VE7CLA Grand Forks, British Columbia, Canada -- Ramakrishnan - VU3RDD ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
RE: [Elecraft] Hearing CW - Fundamental Keying Waveform?
Bob: As you correctly note, a CW signal is not a pure sinusoid. The Fourier spectrum of an individual dot or dash is a distribution of frequencies with a peak at the dead carrier frequency. There is an inverse relationship between the width of a pulse in the time domain and the width of its Fourier spectrum. This is no surprise. A dash is a closer approximation of a dead carrier than a dot, and consequently has more of its energy concentrated closer to the peak of the spectrum. At higher speeds, the dots and dashes would have broader spectra than at lower speeds. (That is why EME operators achieve extreme noise reduction by using audio filters on the order of 10 Hz and transmitting at 2-3 WPM.) Thus, I expect that the higher the code speed, the more likely that the distinction in the specta of dots and dashes would be discernable to human sensibilities. In cognitive processing of sensory data, the brain functions a differencing engine. Each brain has a capability of distinguishing audible spectra, but some are more sensitive to particular nuances of difference than others. Apparently, your hearing is more sensitive than normal to the nuances of difference between dots and dashes. As you have guessed, you are not hearing slightly different frequencies. You are experiencing the dot and dash spectra as two distinctly different Gestalts. In other words, you are hearing two slightly different frequency distributions as two distinct whole events. Your experience seems somewhat akin to the small group of women (it never happens in men) who have four sets of rods and cones in their retinas. These women do not actually see a color invisible to the rest of us. What they do see is the subtle distinction in shades of color that the rest of us are incapable of noticing. 73, Steve AA4AK At 10:11 AM 9/20/2006, Robert Carroll wrote: As long as we are discussing hearing cw I'd like to ask a question that has been bothering me for many years. I am very sensitive to chirp, and that is not what I am referring to. When I listen to a good cw signal in the range of about 20-35 wpm I heard the dots and dashes as at slightly different frequencies. This may simply be some sort of psychological quirk unique to me. I am not even sure slightly different frequencies or tones is correct way to describe it. Realizing that I am not listening to a sinusoidal tone but sequences of short and long symbols and that long strings of dots will have wider sidebands than long strings of dashes, I wonder if this is relevant in any way. Most likely it is some sort of personal quirk. But I wonder if anyone on this reflector by any chance notices anything similar or has an explanation? Bob W2WG ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] Chirps and Clicks - US FCC Rules
Yes, 47CFR97.307 (Mike quoted below) is the regulation that is usually referenced by an ARRL Official Observer (OO) reporting chirp. Of course, the regulations do NOT provide specific parameters nor have I heard of the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ever issuing a citation for clicks or chirp as long as the emissions remained within the Amateur band. It all comes down to a matter of personal opinion about what constitutes good Amateur or engineering practice. I got an OO card some years back that said he could definitely hear ...just detectable chirp on my signal. In the QSO he cited I was chatting with another station about the vintage rig I was testing and how they *all* chirped a bit. It was inherent in the design. Had that OO been 'reading the mail' he'd have realized he need not waste his time advising me he could hear what we were talking about G. I'm not denigrating the OO service. The technically-competent OO's provide a real service to the Amateur community to alert Hams when their rigs are mis-behaving in some manner that is observable on the air. On the other hand, I've known a number of new hams to be really upset when they got an OO card, thinking they had been cited for some infraction of the rules, especially when the OO quotes an FCC regulation like the one below as if the operator had violated it when, in fact, it was all a matter of opinion. And, as the level of technical knowledge required to get an Amateur license continues to drop coupled with more and more Hams focusing on specific modes and on-air activities, we'll probably see a greater and greater range of opinion in the future. One of the very important concessions us Hams have managed to maintain over the years is a minimum of rules that restrict us. In the USA at least, the FCC is very lenient, allowing and encouraging Hams to tinker and experiment and just have fun with a variety of equipment and technologies. What we get is a freedom no other radio service enjoys, but it requires us Hams to be very tolerant of each other and what we think is good practice considering what we are doing at the time. There's no rule that says that every rig has to sound as good as an Elecraft rig. Besides, as I observed earlier, I can read a very weak slightly chirpy signal much more easily than one that doesn't chirp, therefore a little chirp is essential to meet the standards of good Amateur or Engineering practice in that case, Hi! Ron AC7AC -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Mike S Sent: Wednesday, September 20, 2006 7:04 AM To: Martin Gillen Cc: elecraft Subject: RE: [Elecraft] Hearing CW - Fundamental Keying Waveform? At 09:13 AM 9/20/2006, Martin Gillen wrote... Which FCC or ARRL guideline mentions chirp, or otherwise attempts to regulate the keying waveform? 97.307(a) No amateur station transmission shall occupy more bandwidth than necessary for the information rate and emission type being transmitted, in accordance with good amateur practice. (b) Emissions resulting from modulation must be confined to the band or segment available to the control operator. Emissions outside the necessary bandwidth must not cause splatter or keyclick interference to operations on adjacent frequencies. (c) All spurious emissions from a station transmitter must be reduced to the greatest extent practicable. If any spurious emission, including chassis or power line radiation, causes harmful interference to the reception of another radio station, the licensee of the interfering amateur station is required to take steps to eliminate the interference, in accordance with good engineering practice. And it continues on with regard to specific standards and measurements of spurious emissions. ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
RE: [Elecraft] Hearing CW - Fundamental Keying Waveform?
Hi Bob, As long as we are discussing hearing cw I'd like to ask a question that has been bothering me for many years. I am very sensitive to chirp, and that is not what I am referring to. When I listen to a good cw signal in the range of about 20-35 wpm I heard the dots and dashes as at slightly different frequencies. This may simply be some sort of psychological quirk unique to me. I am not even sure slightly different frequencies or tones is correct way to describe it. Realizing that I am not listening to a sinusoidal tone but sequences of short and long symbols and that long strings of dots will have wider sidebands than long strings of dashes, I wonder if this is relevant in any way. Most likely it is some sort of personal quirk. But I wonder if anyone on this reflector by any chance notices anything similar or has an explanation? Let's say the dots are 40 msec long - that's 12.5 dots per second. The fundamental frequency is 12.5 Hz of course, with all the odd harmonics (37.5, 62.5 ...) So if you tune to hear this as 600 Hz, your actually hearing 600Hz+12.5Hz, 600Hz-12.5Hz, and 600Hz+37.5Hz, 600Hz-37.5Hz and so on depending on keying waveshape and receiver filter setting. So, dashes must then be 120 msec long, but with only 40 msec space between. That comes out to 6.25Hz. So what you hear is 600Hz+6.25Hz, 600Hz-6.25Hz, and the odd harmonics 600Hz+18.75, 600Hz-18.75, and so on, and certain even harmonics, since this isn't really a square wave. How much power is in each harmonic depends on the waveshape But - let's say your hearing or filter settings don't have a perfect flat response around 600 Hz. To exagerate, lets just cut off everything below 600 Hz. You might then hear dashes as 606.25 Hz, and dots as 612.5 Hz. That's a difference of 1% or so, and about 17 percent of the difference between two notes on a piano. The effect would get bigger as you move the center frequency down. You would be able to hear the change. 73, Michael, AB9GV ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] CQ WW DX Teams
Hello All, If anyone is interested in playing on an Elecraft Builder team for CQ WW DX (CW at least, not sure if I will play on SSB or not), I'd handle the filing required. Teams can consist of up to 5 members from anywhere on the planet, and do not affect your ability to apply your score to your club total. 73, Julius Fazekas n2wn Elecraft K2 #3311 and soon #4455 ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] Wire Antennas and feedline for the KX1
I enjoy putting together and playing with simple wire antennas for field operations. I have also been fortunate to enjoy moderate success with my efforts. However I am looking to refine my approach in an effort to make my systems more efficient. My approach in the past has been to follow designs and dimensions for established dipole’s and doublets, then check my effort by using an MFJ-259 to verify that they fall within acceptable limits for my tuner and desired frequency range. I am not looking to build an antenna that will give me 1:1.0 SWR but rather try to change the feed-line impedance to produce a better load transfer. Currently I am using a 135’ doublet with 50’ of 450 ohm ladder line, but I am looking at trying an 88’ Doublet and different types of balanced transmission lines to vary the input impedance, by using 300 ohm, 450 ohm ladder line or even trying some home built 650 ohm ladder line. I have read several articles and books on antenna building but have missed anything that addresses this aspect of antenna construction. That is not to say that it hasn’t been discussed only that I have not seen it. The following links and articles have been very helpful: L.B. Cebrik’s W4RNL’s technical articles “10 Frequency Asked Questions about the All-Band Doublet” http://www.cebik.com/wire/abd.html “My Top Five Backyard Multi-band Wire HF Antennas” http://www.cebik.com/fdim/fdim9.pdf “Some (Old) Notes on Home-Brew Parallel Transmission Lines” http://www.cebik.com/trans/par.html “The Minimalist Backpack Antenna System” by Bonnie Crystal KQ6XA http://www.qsl.net/kq6xa/antenna/ I have downloaded and tried the trial version of EZ NEC only to be totally confuses with my effort. I would appreciate some feedback on my thought process, am I running down a rabbit trail that has already been explored as a wasted effort? Is there someone on the reflector that understands owns and understands EZ NEC that could provide me feedback on what the modeling results would be with a 135’ doublet or 88’ doublet with 300 ohm, or 450 ohm or 650 ohm ladder line on 80M, 40M, 30M and 20M at a height of 45’ to 65’. Of course if I am all wet then please be kind enough to respond off the reflector and spare me the embarrassment of appearing to be a complete moron. 73 K2CG Chuck G. ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] Wire Antennas and feedline for the KX1
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: ... I have read several articles and books on antenna building but have missed anything that addresses this aspect of antenna construction. That is not to say that it hasn’t been discussed only that I have not seen it. You might benefit from a visit to the DX Engineering web site (http://www.dxengineering.com/) where your path to Nirvana is Base Station Antennas - Multi-Band Dipoles. These guys do a great job of explaining the reasons for certain designs, choices of antenna lengths, feed-line types and lengths, the use of suitable choke-type baluns, and so on. And they sell great hardware. Their prices indicate that they are proud of their products, as they should be, but I'm happy that I purchased some of the critical components of my 80-10 meter doublet from them. Good luck with your antenna system, Gus Hansen KB0YH ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] Hearing CW - Fundamental Keying Waveform?
On Wed, 20 Sep 2006 10:57:15 -0400, Stephen W. Kercel [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: In cognitive processing of sensory data, the brain functions a differencing engine. Each brain has a capability of distinguishing audible spectra, but some are more sensitive to particular nuances of difference than others. That's interesting. I've spent over 150 hours listening to CW at various speeds, but I have developed no ability to comprehend what I'm hearing. My conscious brain only reports differences, not absolutes. The result is that 'dash dash dot dash' is heard as 'something something change something'. That's exactly the same as 'dot dot dash dot' is heard. I think I now know why the church choir wasn't eager to have me participate. ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] workbench gallery website?
A couple years ago someone on the reflector hosted a site everyone could submit pics of their workbenches they built their K2s K1s what have you. I searched in the archives and couldnt find it. Anyone remember the site or if its still active? I have house now with a garage now, been looking at industrial professional types ie 1proline, kalamazoo, and others but will have to break out the circular saw because of prices and current budget. So if you happen to have pics of your workstation would love to see them to get ideas on how I want to build mine. Also any suggestions on materials, design, style, what not to do would be appreciated. Also on lighting I have a flourescent work light with magnifier that mounts to a table and looks like one of the expensive luxor lights you see in the mouser catalog and one of those flourescent light bulbs you screw into a regular incadescent socket(just one in the garage). I want to add either 2 8ft flourescent ballasts or 4 4ft ballasts to increase the light now. I plan on operating from this position also, will all these flourescents affect the noise level on HF? john WT5Y ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] looking for KX1 operating photos, emphasizing portable operation
Hi all, For our KX1 talk at Pacificon, we'd like to show some examples of how operators are using the rig, whether in the field or at home. Have you used the KX1 in a difficult location -- say, sitting in a tree? Hanging over a cliff? Riding a bike? Lying on the couch (while the rest of the family is watching 24)? If so, please send us your photos, stories, etc. Elaborately contrived and humorous photographs are encouraged. Just don't do anything that will void your warranty. We'd like to know how you're making use of the KX1's user interface, including the KXPD1 keyer paddle, top-mounted controls, audio Morse code switch feedback, and perhaps even log sheets attached to the bottom cover. We'd also like to hear about what additional features you might want in future radios targeted at portable operation. Please send all materials directly to [EMAIL PROTECTED] I have a fast link, so feel free to send media of any size, including movies, should you be so moved. We'll try to include your photos, quotes, and anecdotes in our presentation. The Power Point file will be posted on our web site sometime after the talk. Thanks! 73, Wayne N6KR --- http://www.elecraft.com ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] Hearing CW - Fundamental Keying Waveform?
In a message dated 9/20/06 6:29:25 PM Eastern Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: My conscious brain only reports differences, not absolutes. How can that be, assuming you were able to learn to read and write, speak and understand speech? The result is that 'dash dash dot dash' is heard as 'something something change something'. That's exactly the same as 'dot dot dash dot' is heard. I see a clue. If you are hearing individual dots and dashes as separate elements, you're probably listening to code charaters that are too slow for you. We don't teach babies to talk and understand speech by speaking v-e-r-y s-l-ow-ly. We don't expect them to hear cat as 'consonant k sound'..'short vowel a sound'.'consonant t sound'. Instead they hear cat as a unit, even though it has three parts. What we *do* when teaching speech is to separate the words clearly. The..catis...on.the...mat'. So there's lots of recognition/process time and the words are clearly separated. And we start with a very small vocabulary, then build on it. The same principle applies to learning Morse Code via the Koch/Farnsworth method. Consider the following thought-experiment: Suppose you had the task of listening to a series of common words spoken clearly and distinctly. And after each word, you were expected to write down the last letter of the word. Would that be difficult? Receiving Morse Code is basically the same thing except that the words are replaced by a series of short and long sounds. 73 de Jim, N2EY ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] Elecraft at ARRL S.W. Convention; new mini-module kits
If you're anywhere near San Diego this weekend, please visit us at the annual ARRL SW convention. We'll have some new mini-module kits with us, including a wattmeter with computer interface; an analog audio filter with bandpass and lowpass functions; and a six-section, 40-dB step attenuator. There's a show special, too: an XG1 receiver test oscillator free with the purchase of any transceiver kit. San Diego is my home town (well, actually, La Mesa), so I'm hoping to see some of my old gang from the El Cajon ARC and other local clubs. Convention info can be found at: http://www.sandarc-conv2006.org/ Info on our technical presentation can be found at: http://snipurl.com/arrlswtalk We'll be talking about the new mini-modules in addition to the KX1 and general QA on kit building. 73, Wayne, N6KR --- http://www.elecraft.com ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] N2CQ QRP Contest Calendar: Sept 23 - Oct 23, 2006
~ N2CQ QRP CONTEST CALENDAR September 23 - Oct 23, 2006 ~ CQWW RTTY DX Contest ... 150w Category Sep 23, z to Sep 24, 2400z Rules: http://www.cq-amateur-radio.com/awards.html ~ Scandinavian Activity Contest (SSB) ... QRP Category Sep 23, 1200z to Sep 24, 1200z Rules: http://www.sk3bg.se/contest/sacnsc.htm ~ Texas QSO Party (All) ... QRP Category Sep 23, 1400z to Sep 24, 0200z Sep 24, 1400z to Sep 24, 2000z Rules: http://www.txqp.org/ ~ AGCW VHF/UHF CW Contest ... QRP Category Sep 23, 1600z to 2100z Rules: http://www.agcw.org/agcw-con/2006/Englisch/agcw-dl0_e.htm ~ Fall QRP Homebrewer Sprint (CW/PSK31) ***QRP CONTEST*** Sep 25, z to 0400z Rules: http://www.njqrp.org/data/qrphomebrewersprint.html ~ TOEC WW Grid Contest (CW) ... QRP Category Sep 30, 1200z to Oct 1, 1200z Rules: http://www.sk3bg.se/contest/toecwwgc.htm ~ Arkansas QSO Party (CW/SSB/PSK31) ... QRP Category Sep 30, 1600z to Oct 1, 0600z and Oct 1, 1800z to Oct 2, 0200z Rules: http://zinfoserv.com/arkan/qso_party.php ~ FISTS Coast to Coast Contest ... QRP Category Sep 30, 1800z to Oct 1, 1800z Rules: http://www.tomochka.com/k7fff/fnw_c2c06.html ~ RSGB 21/28 MHz Contest (CW/SSB) ... QRP Category Oct 1, 0700z to 1900z Rules: http://www.contesting.co.uk/hfcc/rules/r2128.shtml ~ Adventure Radio Spartan Sprint (CW) *** QRP CONTEST! *** Oct 3, 0100z to 0300z (First Monday 9 PM EDT) Rules: http://www.arsqrp.com/ ~ German Telegraphy Contest (CW) ... QRP Category Oct 3, 0700z to 0959z Rules: http://www.agcw.org/agcw-con/2006/Englisch/dtc_e.htm ~ TARA PSK31 Rumble (PSK31 only) ... QRP Category Oct 7, z to 2400z Rules: http://www.n2ty.org/seasons/tara_seasons.html ~ EU SPRINT CONTEST (SSB) ... 100W category Oct 7, 1600z to 1959z Rules: http://www.eusprint.com/ ~ California QSO Party (CW/SSB) ... QRP Category Oct 7, 1600z to Oct 8, 2159z Rules: http://www.cqp.org/ ~ PRO-CW-CONTEST (7 Mhz CW) ... QRP Category Oct 7, 1600z to 1800z and Oct 8, 0600z to 0800z Rules: http://procwclub.yo9cfr.ro/Contest.html ~ 10-10 Day Sprint (All) ... QRP Category Oct 10, z to 2359z Rules: http://www.ten-ten.org/rules.html ~ NAQCC Straight Key/Bug Sprint (CW) *** QRP Contest *** EDT: Oct 10, 8:30 PM to 10:30 PM UTC: Oct 11, 0030Z to 0230Z Rules: http://www.arm-tek.net/~yoel/contests.html ~ Pennsylvania QSO Party (CW/SSB/Digital) ... QRP Category Oct 14, 1600z to Oct 15, 0500z Oct 15, 1300z to Oct 15, 2200z Rules: http://www.nittany-arc.net/paqso.html ~ EU SPRINT CONTEST (CW) ... 100W category Oct 14, 1600z to 1959z Rules: http://www.eusprint.com/ ~ FISTS Fall Sprint (CW) ... QRP Category Oct 14, 1700z to 2100z Rules: http://www.fists.org/sprints.html ~ North American Sprint (RTTY) ... QRP Category Oct 15, Z to 0400Z Rules: http://www.ncjweb.com/sprintrules.php ~ RUN FOR THE BACON (CW) *** QRP CONTEST *** EDT: Oct 15, 9 PM to 11 PM UTC: Oct 16, 0100z 0300z Rules: http://fpqrp.com ~ QRP ARCI Fall QSO Party (CW) *** QRP Contest *** Oct 21, 1200z to Oct 22, 2400z Rules: http://www.qrparci.org ~ Worked All Germany Contest (CW/SSB) ... QRP Category Oct 21, 1500z to Oct 22, 1459z Rules: http://www.darc.de/referate/dx/xedcgr.htm ~ Illinois QSO Party (CW/PH)... QRP Category Oct 22, 1700z to Oct 23, 0100z Rules: http://www.w9awe.org/ILQP2006.html ~ 070 Club 160m Great Pumpkin Sprint (PSK) ... QRP Category Oct 22, 2000 to Oct 23, 0200 (Local Time) Rules:
