Re: [Elecraft] K3 and CW Skimmer
On Mon, Feb 20, 2012 at 5:13 PM, Tom wrote: > .Since I am starting from scratch what is the best solution to allow me to > get a K3 to work with CW Skimmer? Tom, I don't know what the "best" way might be, but I can tell you how I did it. I got LP-Pan, plus an EMU 0202 external USB sound interface. The 0202 is now obsolete, but there are other good sound cards you can use. CW-Skimmer does not require a high sampling rate, so if your internal sound card has stereo inputs, it will probably work, but you will need a high sampling rate for other Panafall-display SDR programs. The LP-Pan website has lots of documentation for various setups, and I learned a lot from setting up LP-Pan to run with PSDR-IF and later with NaP3. I use NaP3 all the time and hardly ever use CW-Skimmer. Be that as it may: to get any of these programs running with your K3, you'll need LP-Bridge or equivalent. It's a piece of software that re-maps your serial ports so that several programs can talk to each other and to the K3. There are others as well: one that is specifically set up to run with CW-Skimmer is DDutil. After you have figured out all the above, you can get CW-Skimmer going pretty easily. The challenge is to get it to tune both VFO A and VFO B by mouse clicks, and to show both on the display. This requires fiddling with the USB bridge program and the CAT setup within CWS. If/when you get to that point, email me and I'll send you my settings. If this sounds like a lot of complicated gibberish, then you can understand why people like to get the nice plug--n-play P3. But I found that, for me, in the end it was all worth it; in the pileups, my peanut whistle needs all the help it can get. You may also get excellent advice from W4ZV, who is a user of CWS+K3 and has posted some good tips on here. 73 & GL, Tony KTØNY -- http://www.isb.edu/faculty/facultydir.aspx?ddlFaculty=352 __ 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] K3 and CW Skimmer
I am getting ready to order a K3 and want to be able to use CW Skimmer. I believe I need to order the KXV3. Here is where I get "lost". It appears as though LP-Pan might be the easiest way but requires the LP-Pan and a high quality sound card. There doesn't appear to be an easy way using the P3? Since I am starting from scratch what is the best solution to allow me to get a K3 to work with CW Skimmer? 73, Tom KQ5S __ 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
Re: [Elecraft] K3 and CW-Skimmer
I have CW Skimmer set up to use with my K2. It wasn't working very good; the signals were weak and when I tuned the K2 the signals on CW Skimmer were moving in the wrong direction. After some analysis I decided that I was seeing the image side of the display. I was able to rectify this problem by using negative numbers for the "CW Pitch, Hz" and the "Audio IF, Hz" entries. In addition, I was able to see more of the spectrum by using the "Softrock-IF" hardware type instead of the "3-kHz Radio" hardware type. I suspect that the above would also apply to the K3's use of CW Skimmer. 72, Jim - W4BQP K2 #2268 __ 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
Re: [Elecraft] K3 and CW-Skimmer
Dick wrote: > > Considering adding CW-K to the mix. Any issues in implementation? I have > the K3 connected to the PC via the KUSB and that is working OK. Looks > like I need only to provide a stereo cable for the audio channel to the > PC. Am I missing anything? > K3 > KXV3A > IF OUT > LP-PAN > audio cables > decent soundcard (probably not what's in your PC's motherboard) > 3 GHz P4 > CW Skimmer software. See soundcard details here: http://www.telepostinc.com/soundcards.html CW Skimmer is fairly straightforward by itself...you don't need (IMHO) want PowerSDR, HRD etc. to make it work. However Skimmer is limited to 24 kHz BW (Softrock on IF mode) centered on the K3's VFOA (which drives IF OUT), but this also means you won't need more than a 96 kHz soundcard. I have yet to feel 24 kHz is a limitation for S&P in contests or split pileups since it is always tracking VFO A. For split pileups with the KRX3 I tune VFO B to the DX station and TX on VFO A so Skimmer is tracking my TX frequency and will show "599" stations anywhere within +/- 12 kHz of my TX frequency. Then you can click on Skimmer's "599" and send VFO A (your TX frequency) to the last station worked. 73, Bill -- View this message in context: http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/K3-and-CW-Skimmer-tp6294522p6294585.html Sent from the Elecraft mailing list archive at Nabble.com. __ 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] K3 and CW-Skimmer
Considering adding CW-K to the mix. Any issues in implementation? I have the K3 connected to the PC via the KUSB and that is working OK. Looks like I need only to provide a stereo cable for the audio channel to the PC. Am I missing anything? TIA, Dick __ 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
Re: [Elecraft] K3 and CW-Skimmer
That would be wonderful! 73 Arie PA3A Op 23-2-2011 21:21, Wayne Adams schreef: > LP-PAN Larry has this on a to-do list for some time now. He thinks he can > get LP Bridge to remedy the problem. > > Wayne WA9VEE > __ 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] K3 and CW-Skimmer
LP-PAN Larry has this on a to-do list for some time now. He thinks he can get LP Bridge to remedy the problem. Wayne WA9VEE __ 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
Re: [Elecraft] K3 and CW-Skimmer
On Wed, Feb 23, 2011 at 11:19 AM, Arie Kleingeld PA3A wrote: > BTW, it happens also when switching from 400 to 2100 (both zero offset). > > From the earlier explanation I remember that the side of the filter BW is > placed on the side of a signal. (I donot know how to say it a better way). > The filter is not placed symmatrically. > So when changing the filter, and also when I change the shift, the CWskimmer > display moves.. You're probably correct about the 2.1k filter not being centered in CW mode, which causes the offset. I never use such a wide filter with Skimmer so I never noticed what you described. 73, Bill __ 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
Re: [Elecraft] K3 and CW-Skimmer
Arie Kleingeld PA3A-2 wrote: > > Bill, > > Thanks for the confirmation. > > I'm not an expert in how this software works to get the the signals > displayed on the right freq. > It seems to me that CWskimmer uses the displayed receive frequency as > data to work with. It would probably work better if it would use (by > computing using data from the K3) the VFO (1st oscillator) freq. This is > probably done by the PSDR-IF software authors. (just guessing here) > I believe PSDR reads the offsets for each different filter and automatically corrects, although I have not used PSDR in nearly 3 years so I could be wrong. Skimmer only uses a single offset entered in the Setting Menu. The information about different filter offsets is available in the K3's output but Alex does not use it. I also wish he would lift the 24 kHz limitation for the Software on IF mode used with the K3 but so far he hasn't. I use Skimmer directly with the K3/LP-PAN (no PSDR) since I much prefer its waterfall. PSDR is nice but overly complex for what I need. 73, Bill -- View this message in context: http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/K3-and-CW-Skimmer-tp6055781p6057110.html Sent from the Elecraft mailing list archive at Nabble.com. __ 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
Re: [Elecraft] K3 and CW-Skimmer
Bill, BTW, it happens also when switching from 400 to 2100 (both zero offset). From the earlier explanation I remember that the side of the filter BW is placed on the side of a signal. (I donot know how to say it a better way). The filter is not placed symmatrically. So when changing the filter, and also when I change the shift, the CWskimmer display moves.. 73 Arie PA3A Op 23-2-2011 14:43, Bill W4ZV schreef: > > Arie Kleingeld PA3A-2 wrote: >> When using different roofing filters in the K3, the IF-offset changes a >> bit in the K3, if you switch to another roofing filter, if I understand >> it correctly.. It has been explained in this reflector that this happens >> for a reason. It has to do with the way the roofing filter is placed >> over the signal you are listening to. There are experts that can explain >> what happens exactly. (So some more info is needed please.) >> >> I was not aware of this problem untill I used CW skimmer and the N1MM >> logger bandmap and saw that I had to keep the 400 roofer in place >> otherwise the spots would be placed on the wrong freq in the bandmap. So >> that's what happened here. >> >> I wonder if others have seen this behaviour and what they did about it. >> > Your understanding is correct. Each time the K3 changes roofing filters, a > different offset is required for CW Skimmer to zero beat unless (the filters > have identical offsets). This is one good reason to select all 8-pole > filters since they have identical offsets of zero. Yes, before someone says > it, I know the 8-pole offsets are not actually zero but it doesn't matter > since the offsets are a small percentage of total bandwidth (even the "250" > which is actually 370. > > In contests I use both a 500 Hz Inrad 8-pole and a 200 Hz Elecraft 5-pole. > For the CQ 160 which is EXTREMELY crowded, I used the 200 Hz 99% of the time > (both for running and for S&P with Blind Skimmer) so I set Skimmer's offset > for the 200 Hz filter offset. In the ARRL DX, which is not so crowded, I > used the 500 Hz when running (when I don't need a waterfall) but then > adjusted WIDTH so the 200 Hz was activated when using Blind Skimmer to S&P > on the waterfall decoder dots. Since Skimmer's decoder dots are so accurate > in placing the K3 passband on signals of interest, the simplest thing to do > is to always use your narrowest filter setting for Skimmer. You could > quickly change this by making Filter Preset I for "normal" use and Preset II > for "Skimmer" use. > > Another thing I do is record the two different offsets for Skimmer (for the > 500 Hz and 200 Hz filters) and paste it above the appropriate place on my > monitor. Then I can quickly adjust Skimmer's Setting Menu if I ever need to > change the filter used with Skimmer. > > 73, Bill > __ 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
Re: [Elecraft] K3 and CW-Skimmer
Bill, Thanks for the confirmation. I'm not an expert in how this software works to get the the signals displayed on the right freq. It seems to me that CWskimmer uses the displayed receive frequency as data to work with. It would probably work better if it would use (by computing using data from the K3) the VFO (1st oscillator) freq. This is probably done by the PSDR-IF software authors. (just guessing here) (As a registered user of CWskimmer I would applaude for a fix on this issue :-) ) 73 Arie PA3A Op 23-2-2011 14:43, Bill W4ZV schreef: > > Arie Kleingeld PA3A-2 wrote: >> When using different roofing filters in the K3, the IF-offset changes a >> bit in the K3, if you switch to another roofing filter, if I understand >> it correctly.. It has been explained in this reflector that this happens >> for a reason. It has to do with the way the roofing filter is placed >> over the signal you are listening to. There are experts that can explain >> what happens exactly. (So some more info is needed please.) >> >> I was not aware of this problem untill I used CW skimmer and the N1MM >> logger bandmap and saw that I had to keep the 400 roofer in place >> otherwise the spots would be placed on the wrong freq in the bandmap. So >> that's what happened here. >> >> I wonder if others have seen this behaviour and what they did about it. >> > Your understanding is correct. Each time the K3 changes roofing filters, a > different offset is required for CW Skimmer to zero beat unless (the filters > have identical offsets). This is one good reason to select all 8-pole > filters since they have identical offsets of zero. Yes, before someone says > it, I know the 8-pole offsets are not actually zero but it doesn't matter > since the offsets are a small percentage of total bandwidth (even the "250" > which is actually 370. > > In contests I use both a 500 Hz Inrad 8-pole and a 200 Hz Elecraft 5-pole. > For the CQ 160 which is EXTREMELY crowded, I used the 200 Hz 99% of the time > (both for running and for S&P with Blind Skimmer) so I set Skimmer's offset > for the 200 Hz filter offset. In the ARRL DX, which is not so crowded, I > used the 500 Hz when running (when I don't need a waterfall) but then > adjusted WIDTH so the 200 Hz was activated when using Blind Skimmer to S&P > on the waterfall decoder dots. Since Skimmer's decoder dots are so accurate > in placing the K3 passband on signals of interest, the simplest thing to do > is to always use your narrowest filter setting for Skimmer. You could > quickly change this by making Filter Preset I for "normal" use and Preset II > for "Skimmer" use. > > Another thing I do is record the two different offsets for Skimmer (for the > 500 Hz and 200 Hz filters) and paste it above the appropriate place on my > monitor. Then I can quickly adjust Skimmer's Setting Menu if I ever need to > change the filter used with Skimmer. > > 73, Bill > __ 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
Re: [Elecraft] K3 and CW-Skimmer
Arie Kleingeld PA3A-2 wrote: > > When using different roofing filters in the K3, the IF-offset changes a > bit in the K3, if you switch to another roofing filter, if I understand > it correctly.. It has been explained in this reflector that this happens > for a reason. It has to do with the way the roofing filter is placed > over the signal you are listening to. There are experts that can explain > what happens exactly. (So some more info is needed please.) > > I was not aware of this problem untill I used CW skimmer and the N1MM > logger bandmap and saw that I had to keep the 400 roofer in place > otherwise the spots would be placed on the wrong freq in the bandmap. So > that's what happened here. > > I wonder if others have seen this behaviour and what they did about it. > Your understanding is correct. Each time the K3 changes roofing filters, a different offset is required for CW Skimmer to zero beat unless (the filters have identical offsets). This is one good reason to select all 8-pole filters since they have identical offsets of zero. Yes, before someone says it, I know the 8-pole offsets are not actually zero but it doesn't matter since the offsets are a small percentage of total bandwidth (even the "250" which is actually 370. In contests I use both a 500 Hz Inrad 8-pole and a 200 Hz Elecraft 5-pole. For the CQ 160 which is EXTREMELY crowded, I used the 200 Hz 99% of the time (both for running and for S&P with Blind Skimmer) so I set Skimmer's offset for the 200 Hz filter offset. In the ARRL DX, which is not so crowded, I used the 500 Hz when running (when I don't need a waterfall) but then adjusted WIDTH so the 200 Hz was activated when using Blind Skimmer to S&P on the waterfall decoder dots. Since Skimmer's decoder dots are so accurate in placing the K3 passband on signals of interest, the simplest thing to do is to always use your narrowest filter setting for Skimmer. You could quickly change this by making Filter Preset I for "normal" use and Preset II for "Skimmer" use. Another thing I do is record the two different offsets for Skimmer (for the 500 Hz and 200 Hz filters) and paste it above the appropriate place on my monitor. Then I can quickly adjust Skimmer's Setting Menu if I ever need to change the filter used with Skimmer. 73, Bill -- View this message in context: http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/K3-and-CW-Skimmer-tp6055781p6056340.html Sent from the Elecraft mailing list archive at Nabble.com. __ 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
Re: [Elecraft] K3 and CW-Skimmer
Martin, I use a softrock instead of a LP-PAN but it works on about the same principles I think. It is used on a K3 with PDSR-IF as software. CW-skimmer is just used sometimes, just for the fun of it. In PDSR-IF all kinds of data are read from the K3 to keep everything in place on screen after you have set the IF-offset. No matter what bandwidth or mode you use, PDSR-IF follows the K3. Nice software. The CWSkimmer works different, I think it only uses the offset you set in the CWskimmer options. For CW operation BWs, the roofers that are used in my K3 are 2.1k , 400 and 200. If I set the CWskimmer on the right freq with the 400Hz roofingfilter, I see the signals shift in the display if I change BW enough so that another roofing filter kicks in. When using different roofing filters in the K3, the IF-offset changes a bit in the K3, if you switch to another roofing filter, if I understand it correctly.. It has been explained in this reflector that this happens for a reason. It has to do with the way the roofing filter is placed over the signal you are listening to. There are experts that can explain what happens exactly. (So some more info is needed please.) I was not aware of this problem untill I used CW skimmer and the N1MM logger bandmap and saw that I had to keep the 400 roofer in place otherwise the spots would be placed on the wrong freq in the bandmap. So that's what happened here. I wonder if others have seen this behaviour and what they did about it. 73 Arie PA3A Op 23-2-2011 11:01, DM4iM schreef: > Elecrafters, > i know this is not the right place - and off topic- , but i hope for a > quick solution to the problem without the need to subscribe to yet > another forum. > > Problem: > I set up CW-Skimmer / LPPan / K3 . > When i click on a signal i see on the waterfall, the K3 jumps to that > frequency. In some cases i then hear and see the signal exactly where i > expected it, in other cases the signal shows up in a different place on > the waterfall. I tried to compensate for that offset per the manual , > but i just don't understand the mechanism behind it. The manual says > 24000 ( might be 2400 as well - i don't have cw-skimmer on _this_ pc ) > is a good starting point, but that seems to be _far_ off. > > Any one? > > __ 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] K3 and CW-Skimmer
Elecrafters, i know this is not the right place - and off topic- , but i hope for a quick solution to the problem without the need to subscribe to yet another forum. Problem: I set up CW-Skimmer / LPPan / K3 . When i click on a signal i see on the waterfall, the K3 jumps to that frequency. In some cases i then hear and see the signal exactly where i expected it, in other cases the signal shows up in a different place on the waterfall. I tried to compensate for that offset per the manual , but i just don't understand the mechanism behind it. The manual says 24000 ( might be 2400 as well - i don't have cw-skimmer on _this_ pc ) is a good starting point, but that seems to be _far_ off. Any one? -- 73, Martin DM4iM __ 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
