cwx causes flaky iambic keying

Roy Stiegler

Sending a macro with CWX leaves the keying via a paddle flaky.  I saw one other report of this.  Only way to recover is restart SSDR.  Does it every time CWX is used.  6500 with ver 1.4.3.132.  Even though paddle is flaky after CWX use, sending via live and the keyboard still works OK.

Is this fixed with the new recent release of SSDR?

Roy W5TCX

Steve N4LQ

One way to find out! 

Roy Stiegler

So I updated, and it still does the same thing.  I could have told you that without bothering to change the software.  Another person mentioned same problem about 9 months ago.  Nothing done to correct this.  CWX useless with some kind of fix, unless you just want to send macros or use your keyboard to send CW.

Steve N4LQ

I have a 6500. I just used CWX to call CQ via my CQ macro..Many attempts on 30 meters. When I got an answer I grabbed the paddle and everything worked perfectly running at 30 WPM. Never a hiccup. What do you mean by "flaky"? 
Is you paddle plugged into the radio or an external keyer or perhaps you are using some kind of software for keying? Just trying to help narrow it down. 73

Rick Hadley - W0FG

I jump between the keyboard and paddle  on my 6500 all the time and have never noticed a problem.  My biggest issue is forgetting to activate the "LIVE" option in CWX when I try to respond with something other than a pre-programmed function key.

Roy Stiegler

It acts like the paddle has dirty contacts.

When I start the radio from off, paddle works as it should.  And continues to do so until I use CWX.
Like, use a macro to call CQ a couple or times, or whatever.  Then, whether I turn CWX off or leave it on ( ie bright or grayed out) the paddle acts sluggish, like it is hesitant to make contact.
Particularly on a dash first.  But it eventually does send the dash or dot, just with a delay.

Looking over the reports on this list, I found one other person who reported the same thing..

Maybe I have something not set up correctly, so I am open to comments.

I again note, however, that the keyer is working as advertised until I send a macro.  In fact, after using a macro, if I shift to 'live' and use the keyboard to send CW, it performs OK.  Just the 
iambic keyer (and the breakin stuff which I never use) refuses to cooperate after sending on CWX.

Only way to recover is shut off radio and restart.  Then it repeats itself.

Steve N4LQ

You say "The keyer works as advertised"....What keyer? Is your paddle plugged directly in to the Flex 6500? Are you running the keyer through some other software? I just can't help but think you're doing something different than the rest of us....Maybe?

Roy Stiegler

I am using the iambic keyer in the Flex 6500.  Keyer plugged in the key jack.

I had a 5000a in use (actually still have it) doing about the same thing.  No problem there.
Macros ran and CW keyer worked.

Here is a particular sequence that will cause the effect on the 6500.

1. Turn radio on
2. Use keyer to transmit CW.  Works OK.
3. Hit F12 (say or whatever) to call CQ or run another macro.
4. Macro ends.
5. Turn transmit on and try to send CW.  Jumpy and impossible to send CW accurately.

Thats where I am.

Steve N4LQ

Please explain number 5.
"Turn transmit on"....
What's that mean? Was transmit off somehow? 
Need to know so we can duplicate.

Roy Stiegler

Just a toggle switch connected to the PTT port.  #18 on their diagram for the back of the box.  I don't use VOX or breakin, so when I transmit, I throw the toggle switch to turn the transmitter on, then start keying or talking.

Since I am still fooling around with it, I discovered a few more things.  

After sending a macro, and I have 'imabic' on, if I just hit one character like a dash, the keyer hangs up 'on'.  Hit another character and it turns off.  Once you start sending a character like
say 'BT', it will send the whole character with correct spacing, but the next character will delay
and not occur with the right spacing.

Turning 'iambic' off, and then just touching the dot or dash on the paddle  (like in straight key op),
it senses the contact closure immediately, so the paddle has good solid contact to the box.

Only in iambic mode does there seem to be a problem.  QSK op jumps around all over the place
but I never use it so I can't say there is a problem or not.

Steve N4LQ

Roy
At last....Now we know what's going on and yes I can duplicate that bug.
As a matter of fact, I have a foot switch hooked to the PTT. If I turn BREAKIN off and toggle the foot switch off and on I can make the keyer **** up. 
Going from CWX to PTT really drives it crazy.
So now you need to explain this to Flex. 
The problem was that you weren't telling the whole story. Hardly anyone operates cw with a foot switch or a toggle switch therefore we didn't understand what you were doing.

Rick Hadley - W0FG

No offense intended at all, but why are you not using break-in?  With delay set to 2000 you get 2 full seconds of locked in transmit mode before dropping back to receive mode.  In what instance is that insufficient?  As a matter of good operating practice I'd think you'd want to be able to hear a bit of what else may be happening on the frequency.

Steve N4LQ

Never the less, it's still a bug. 

Steve N4LQ

Roy
I created a fresh report for your keyer problem. Hopefully Flex will address it. 
Steve N4LQ

Roy Stiegler

OK, thanks a million.

I really like this box, very nice and lots of features.

Probably get this thing running shortly.  But I was mystified by this action.  I am just doing the same thing I did with my 5000a and it works like a charm.  Yes, I realize, different software and different radio.

73 Roy ole W5TCX

Roy Stiegler

Just my preference.  I want all the relays closed, in particular in the amp, before I send any RF down the pike.  Way I have always done it, and I don't like all the racket in between the letters when I am sending.

When you get to be 83 years old, you get set in your ways!

Steve N4LQ

Hopefully you can use an external keyer while you await a fix.

Tim - W4TME

I have entered this problem report into our bug tracker for additional investigation. Thank you for the defect report.

Roy Stiegler

What did Yogi Berra say, you can learn a lot by listening?  Perhaps we should change that to we can learn a lot by punching on the buttons.

Further investigation shows.......after the iambic keyer faults, if you simply shift to breakin for one character transmission, then back out of breakin.......the iambic keyer recovers...But send another macro, and you are back to the fault condition.

Also, the PTT port over rides the breakin.  So a work around is simply to leave the breakin feature engaged, and reduce the delay down to zero (or some small value), then just run like you are not using breakin.  Just be careful not to hit the key while you are in this condition if you don't want RF to burn a relay or something or other from hot switching.

So for now, I just use it that way.

How some ever,  if they are going to put such a feature on their equipment, it should WORK !

I guess I was spoiled by the 5000a where all the snakes had been beaten out of the gear.

73 Roy

Steve N4LQ

When I was a novice I used a cheap knife switch.