It is very easy to have the computer keyboard control the DVK built
into the Kenwood radios.
The control from the LPT port is documented in the CT manual. An
optoisolator interface was very well described in NCJ a couple years
ago. It can be set up actually to also run many other control
features of the Kenwood radios directly with the "F-keys".
I've built several which have been used on several DXpeditions and in
contest stations. If I can build them, anyone can. They easily fit
into a 1"x2"x3" Radio Shack box. I've even built one into my
TS-850XG.
True, the audio is "parallel" to the microphone, but also I've found a
very nice "fix" for this imbalance problem on one of the web pages
with Kenwood mods. All it takes is a tiny little pot and a capacitor
on the little DVK card. Sorry, but I don't have the URL for that
right at hand.
Oh, what's a "TS-850XG?" The 'XG = " 'Xpedition Grade." (Thank K8CC
for the name!) I've written this up and as soon as I get my pictures
back, I will submit it to NCJ. I've put a switching power supply
inside the TS-850 that will take power from anywhere in the
world.....also there is more than enough power to have the '850 power
any other 12VDC accessory you might take along. With the SPS I use,
the radio stays very cool, even with max RTTY output. I found one SPS
birdie on 12M. The laptop computer controls the frequency, DVK (or CW
keying or even FSK) and some other things....and it is all in ONE BOX.
Minimal cabling, not zero, but close. All this with minimal, I mean,
minimal modification to the 850.
73! Glenn W0GJ
W0GJ@ARRL.NET
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