Friday, September 26, 2008

K40 keyer and CW Reader

This was a fun kit and a fairly easy build.

HRadio85

The K40 connects to a PS2 keyboard and converts your typing into morse code.
I finished this a couple weeks ago and as I was testing it out - it worked fine reading cw solid copy as long as conditions were not too bad, then, I accidentally dragged the FT817 off the table onto the floor. It landed on the volume control knob and snapped it off. So, I was off the air for a while waiting on the replacement pot. Not as easy to replace as the dial encoder, but doable with my barbarian skills.
Anyway, someone posted that the the K7QO's Code Course mp3 files would play on the cw reader. I have this course on my Palm TX, so I plugged it in and it played flawlessly, got the feeling K1EL maybe used these files as test bed for the board. This is great addition to the already good morse practice built into.
Now to get it on the air.
I hope my next post is first CW contact - my code is ok, just dragging my feet I think.
.-.-.-
Still having fun with psk-31, even though the band conditions have been poor, I still have made a few contacts with 5wts and the G5RV thrown up in a tree, also have the buddipole set up, neither antenna in great position.
QRP is like fly fishing while most are fishing with dynamite :)

stay tuned

de N8MAC

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