remote cw and local sidetone

Lasse Moell

I have been using CWX keyboard for my lap-top remote and it works, kind of. There are issues as the transmitter drops when editing the buffer,  but the client seems  happy sending whats left in buffer into cyberspace. Now add international characters into the game, I really keep longing for a "proper" keyer solution. Usiing the Winkey remote may be one option, but this means I am forced to use a host computer at the radio end AFAIK, and the implementation of Winkeyer in Flex does not support all prosigns. Is there a way of just having the radio running and not beeing forced to have a computer just for the Winkeyer? What I wil try is the IW7DMH remote CW solution, which just adds an Arduino at the radio end. Would all this be "old skool" with V2 round the corner?

Right now I am testing the CWtype s/w which hooks up to the Flex winkey, but seems a bit more robust than the CWX k/b. But at a price of no side tone, and of course no paddel. The IW7DMH-stuff should be up and running later this week though

Using my Maestro do solve most issues, but it's not always an option to drag the Maestro along, just have the laptop and a keyer!

Lasse SM5GLC

Tim - W4TME

There have been several fixes to the CWX feature that should address the issues you stated above.

What prosigns are not supported?

Lasse Moell

With prosign I meant internatinal characters (i.e. Å Ä Ö), sorry for confusion. But what has been addressed that would allow me to use a separate keyer at remote side and have side tone? Is there a way sending CW without using CWX-keyboard, and having sidetone at the client PC?

As I wrote, CWX using keyboard CW is OK most of the time, but seems to have some issues when trying to edit the buffer while the transmitter is catching up, more often than not, I end up with transmitter off line, not finnishing the remaining buffer, but SSDR client keeps sending, with sidetone, but mixed with the audio from the receiver.

Tim - W4TME

For the issue related to international prosigns, it has been entered as feature request #5075

Remote sidetone is a different issue.  Currently, sidetone needs to be "client side" generated in order to minimize latency.  With Maestro, this is done with the hardware Winkeyer that is integrated into the hardware.  This does not exist with CWX running remotely on a PC because there is no device generating sidetone directly.  If you send the signal from the radio where CW is generated, back to the PC and then through the Windows sound device (sound card), the sidetone would not be in sync with what you are typing; it could be several hundred milliseconds behind.  Hopefully, we'll be able to look into this in a future release and improve the situation.

norbert

CWX works quite nice, but there is no sidetone and you cannot connect a iambic key. So I have done some tests with the CAT api and have created a little FlexRadioIambic Keyer software. It is beta and only a 95% solution, but maybe  it helps to do qso's in CW. It is something like a bridge with three ports:

- You can connect an Arduino nano with excellent K1NG Software. This has a  sidetone buzzer, a virtual comport  and connected iambic keyer. It is running in command line interface mode and will echo
keyed letters via comport. The nano will cost less then 5 € and need nearly no addional parts.

- Also via a virtual nullmodem cable you may connect latest fldigi Version, winwarbler or every application that can send in CW ascii letters via comport. It is fine to use also macros with it.

- It is possible to write text or commands for the interface in a textbox.

- All inputs create buzzer sideton. Maybe you can connect this also with PC microphone Input.

- All letters received from key or terminal Input will be send over TCP CAT port 5002 or similar to the
 flexradio via Kenwood KY xyz; command - also the speed with KS - command.

- Maybe the winkeyer and Flexradio are running at long transmittions not exactly with same speed. It is possible to set up a correction factor from for example 10% for it.

Details and download you will find at:
http://www.dg7eao.de/ham-radio/flexradio/flexradio-iambic-keyer/ 

Norbert - DG7EAO

K1UO Larry

A pair of RemoteRig 1258MKII is another solution.  Then again it would be another box to carry with you..  but , besdies providing cw keying sidetone and or phone connections, you can use one of the com ports to interface with your logging software you will be using remotely.  Of course by now, 1 year later, you have probably found a satisfactory solution

Lasse Moell

Sorry to report my solution is not to operate remote. Numerous reasons, but mainly busy with other stuff. I had the IW7DMH remote relay/rotor/CW gadget almost done when I was side tracked. Now I see this has been depricated and the usage of RemoteQTH is the way to go, plus the remote CW solution similar to RemoteRig, https://iw7dmh.jimdo.com/utilities-for-remote-operations/sw-keyer-for-remote-operations/ Great to see so may ways of doing this, and I do hope I can get enogh time to try the all out. One thing that I need to verify is if Norberts FlexRadioIambicn keyer support international prosigns? Transferring characters rather than key states has its  pros and cons

Kari Gustafsson SM0HRP

This is also a nice solution by Matt NQ6N. Again needs may differ.

Link https://groups.io/g/RemoteKeyerInterface.