Re: [Elecraft] K-Pod: A failure to Communicate

[Wes Stewart]

BINGO, I believe we have a winner.

AUTOINF is NOR, however, I use LP-Bridge for port sharing the K3S USB with 
various logging programs and SpectraVue software running my SDR-IQ that I use as 
a band scope.  So there is pretty regular bus activity.  When I disable 
LP-Bridge it *appears* to resolve the issue.  I hedge, since this is an 
intermittent problem.


There is no other stuff going on, I use a KPA500 and KAT500 cabled normally with 
AUX cables.  No PTT, foot switches, etc.  Strictly VOX operation. It's not an RF 
problem; verified by putting the K3S in test mode.  All of the function buttons 
seem to be affected.  I have one set so tapping turns VOX on or off.  It fails too.


I'm glad Bob concurs that a simple command should not terminate prematurely when 
another command is initiated. Chaining should work.


So I see two birth defects here that need fixing.

Wes  N7WS

On 3/1/2017 1:34 PM, Bob Wilson, N6TV wrote:
On Wed, Mar 1, 2017 at 5:29 AM, Wes Stewart > wrote:


Just for completeness, since the K-Pod utility was on the same computer, I
decided to reload the firmware.  I restarted the K3 utility and for
giggles placed a space in front of the M1 command string.  It functioned
normally. If I put a space after the command before the semi-colon,
nothing was executed.  I re-saved all of the macros and loaded them back
into the radio. Things actually appeared to be better. I thought that
maybe I fixed it.  But sadly that's not the case.  Like all intermittents,
it's...well...intermittent.


When you see this happen, is there any software talking to the radio, like HRD 
or the K3 Utility?  If you shut down the computer completely, so nothing is 
sending commands to the serial port, does the delay still occur?


Is CONFIG:AUTOINF set to NOR or to 1 (for a SteppIR, perhaps)?  Maybe all 
those AI command outputs interfere with simultaneous commands sent from the K-POD?


Note that if anything closes the PTT line after you press a memory button, the 
memory will halt immediately. Is that a possibility?  Amp. keys radio?


Does this intermittent behavior happen on both Phone and CW?  Of course this 
won't apply to Phone unless you have the KDVR3 voice memory installed.


I also discovered that there is another idiosyncrasy (IMO).  Perhaps it is
intended, but when I tap M1 on the K3 for example, multiple times, the
message (my call) is chained and sent as many times as I tapped the
button. Doing this from the computer via the command tester works the same
way.  However, tapping the function key on the K-Pod a second time
immediately ends the message.  So I can't chain messages.  Furthermore
this seems to exacerbate the intermittent condition


I'm seeing this also, and it doesn't make sense to me either.  If tapping a 
K-POD button simply sends "SWT21;" to the radio (tap M1), why should it work 
any different when software sends SWT21; to the radio?  Seems like message 
chaining should work the same as tapping M1.


Perhaps it is a K-POD button de-bounce bug of some sort; with the K-POD 
occasionally seeing a double-tap of the button when only single tap is intended?


73,
Bob, N6TV



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Re: [Elecraft] K-Pod: A failure to Communicate

[Bob Wilson, N6TV]

On Wed, Mar 1, 2017 at 5:29 AM, Wes Stewart  wrote:

> Just for completeness, since the K-Pod utility was on the same computer, I
> decided to reload the firmware.  I restarted the K3 utility and for giggles
> placed a space in front of the M1 command string.  It functioned normally.
> If I put a space after the command before the semi-colon, nothing was
> executed.  I re-saved all of the macros and loaded them back into the
> radio. Things actually appeared to be better. I thought that maybe I fixed
> it.  But sadly that's not the case.  Like all intermittents,
> it's...well...intermittent.
>

When you see this happen, is there any software talking to the radio, like
HRD or the K3 Utility?  If you shut down the computer completely, so
nothing is sending commands to the serial port, does the delay still occur?

Is CONFIG:AUTOINF set to NOR or to 1 (for a SteppIR, perhaps)?  Maybe all
those AI command outputs interfere with simultaneous commands sent from the
K-POD?

Note that if anything closes the PTT line after you press a memory button,
the memory will halt immediately.  Is that a possibility?  Amp. keys radio?

Does this intermittent behavior happen on both Phone and CW?  Of course
this won't apply to Phone unless you have the KDVR3 voice memory installed.

I also discovered that there is another idiosyncrasy (IMO).  Perhaps it is
> intended, but when I tap M1 on the K3 for example, multiple times, the
> message (my call) is chained and sent as many times as I tapped the
> button.  Doing this from the computer via the command tester works the same
> way.  However, tapping the function key on the K-Pod a second time
> immediately ends the message.  So I can't chain messages.  Furthermore this
> seems to exacerbate the intermittent condition
>

I'm seeing this also, and it doesn't make sense to me either.  If tapping a
K-POD button simply sends "SWT21;" to the radio (tap M1), why should it
work any different when software sends SWT21; to the radio?  Seems like
message chaining should work the same as tapping M1.

Perhaps it is a K-POD button de-bounce bug of some sort; with the K-POD
occasionally seeing a double-tap of the button when only single tap is
intended?

73,
Bob, N6TV
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Re: [Elecraft] K-Pod: A failure to Communicate

[Wes Stewart]

Bob

In order to answer your query about spaces in the command strings, I 
disconnected the K3S USB from my logging computer and went to my 
firmware/software maintenance computer.  Running the K3 Utility I saw no extra 
spaces before or after the commands.  If I executed them from the computer 
everything worked as expected.  BTW, there are commands associated with the 
"Hold" of each button, so accidentally holding instead of tapping would have 
been obvious. Furthermore, as I said before, if I tapped for M1, I would see 
"MSG 1" appear on the display every time but sometimes the message (my callsign) 
would not be sent. So the command seemed to be reaching the radio.


Just for completeness, since the K-Pod utility was on the same computer, I 
decided to reload the firmware.  I restarted the K3 utility and for giggles 
placed a space in front of the M1 command string.  It functioned normally. If I 
put a space after the command before the semi-colon, nothing was executed.  I 
re-saved all of the macros and loaded them back into the radio. Things actually 
appeared to be better. I thought that maybe I fixed it. But sadly that's not the 
case.  Like all intermittents, it's...well...intermittent.


I also discovered that there is another idiosyncrasy (IMO). Perhaps it is 
intended, but when I tap M1 on the K3 for example, multiple times, the message 
(my call) is chained and sent as many times as I tapped the button.  Doing this 
from the computer via the command tester works the same way.  However, tapping 
the function key on the K-Pod a second time immediately ends the message.  So I 
can't chain messages.  Furthermore this seems to exacerbate the intermittent 
condition.


At least I know how to turn off the beep.

Wes  N7WS


, On 2/27/2017 11:51 AM, Bob Wilson, N6TV wrote:
Have you tried programming the identical function into both the TAP and HOLD 
macros for each button?  It's very easy to hold down a K-POD button a bit too 
long, which runs a different macro.  If nothing is programmed for the HOLD 
function, you'll see "MACRO 1" or similar blink in the VFO B display.


If that's not it, what are the command strings programmed into M1-M4?  Do they 
contain any leading or trailing blanks?


73,
Bob, N6TV

On Mon, Feb 27, 2017 at 10:19 AM, Wes Stewart > wrote:


With a nod to Cool Hand Luke

I have mentioned this before in another thread but have heard no response.

I, and I know others, have experienced the annoyance of tapping a key on
the K-Pod and after noticeable latency, seeing a message appear in the VFO
B space that acknowledges the tap, yet the requested action fails to
occur.   Specifically in my case, I'm trying to send CW messages stored in
M1-M4.

This use was the main reason I asked for one of these for a Christmas
gift, so I could use my left hand and save both the buttons on the radio
and/or my rotator cuff on my sending hand.

Can we get a fix for this?

Wes  N7WS

ps. Another function button is supposed to turn VOX on and off. This fails
too often as well.



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Re: [Elecraft] K-Pod: A failure to Communicate

[Bob Wilson, N6TV]

Have you tried programming the identical function into both the TAP and
HOLD macros for each button?  It's very easy to hold down a K-POD button a
bit too long, which runs a different macro.  If nothing is programmed for
the HOLD function, you'll see "MACRO 1" or similar blink in the VFO B
display.

If that's not it, what are the command strings programmed into M1-M4?  Do
they contain any leading or trailing blanks?

73,
Bob, N6TV

On Mon, Feb 27, 2017 at 10:19 AM, Wes Stewart  wrote:

> With a nod to Cool Hand Luke
>
> I have mentioned this before in another thread but have heard no response.
>
> I, and I know others, have experienced the annoyance of tapping a key on
> the K-Pod and after noticeable latency, seeing a message appear in the VFO
> B space that acknowledges the tap, yet the requested action fails to
> occur.   Specifically in my case, I'm trying to send CW messages stored in
> M1-M4.
>
> This use was the main reason I asked for one of these for a Christmas
> gift, so I could use my left hand and save both the buttons on the radio
> and/or my rotator cuff on my sending hand.
>
> Can we get a fix for this?
>
> Wes  N7WS
>
> ps. Another function button is supposed to turn VOX on and off. This fails
> too often as well.
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[Elecraft] K-Pod: A failure to Communicate

[Wes Stewart]

With a nod to Cool Hand Luke

I have mentioned this before in another thread but have heard no response.

I, and I know others, have experienced the annoyance of tapping a key on the 
K-Pod and after noticeable latency, seeing a message appear in the VFO B space 
that acknowledges the tap, yet the requested action fails to occur.   
Specifically in my case, I'm trying to send CW messages stored in M1-M4.


This use was the main reason I asked for one of these for a Christmas gift, so I 
could use my left hand and save both the buttons on the radio and/or my rotator 
cuff on my sending hand.


Can we get a fix for this?

Wes  N7WS

ps. Another function button is supposed to turn VOX on and off. This fails too 
often as well.


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