This is very interesting, but I wonder if you guys could tell us which
contest program you are using??
I use Writelog and I think maybe you are talking about keyboard shortcuts
in N1MM?? There are other RTTY contesting programs out there, so I am not
sure which one you are talking about.
No big deal, just would be nice.
Joe K0BX
On Thu, Oct 2, 2014 at 2:56 PM, Tim Shoppa <tshoppa@gmail.com> wrote:
> Doing a little googling turned up the "Happy Hacker Keyboard" as a very
> nice reduced size keyboard. Not cheap, but I've had the Happy Hacker
> keyboard recommended to me many times before, I'm gonna order one and
> report back here with how it works out!
>
>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy_Hacking_Keyboard#mediaviewer/File:Happy_Hacking_Keyboard_Professional_2.jpg
>
>
> https://elitekeyboards.com/products.php?sub=pfu_keyboards,hhkbpro2&pid=pdkb400wn
>
> Tim N3QE
>
> On Thu, Oct 2, 2014 at 10:41 AM, Tim Shoppa <tshoppa@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > Thank you Ed; I was very interested in how you do SO2R (I've actually
> > worked you 3 bands within minutes of each other so maybe SO3R) and having
> > multiple keyboards seems to me to be the right solution. Your small
> > radio-width keyboards, I am intrigued with; can you name a brand/model?
> >
> > Tim N3QE
> >
> > On Wed, Oct 1, 2014 at 9:57 PM, Ed Muns <ed@w0yk.com> wrote:
> >
> >> This is an excellent topic, but the questions as stated below imply a
> much
> >> too restrictive answer.
> >>
> >> As our friend Hank W6SX would say, "It depends". Each of these
> >> techniques,
> >> along with others, is "best" in each distinctly specific QSO situation.
> >> In
> >> general, what I've found most effective for me, after thousands of hours
> >> in
> >> RTTY contests, is to use the keyboard as much as possible and the
> >> trackball
> >> (or, mouse if that's your preference) only where necessary.
> Furthermore,
> >> only a very few keys are actually used on the keyboard. They are used
> as
> >> single presses for a specific function. It is very rare that I touch
> >> type,
> >> unless I got to keyboard mode to actually converse with someone. For
> >> example, I may go to keyboard mode and tell someone they are 220Hz low
> in
> >> frequency.
> >>
> >> I try to do everything I can from the keyboard. I use ESM (Enter Sends
> >> Message) or what some call the stateful Enter key. The Enter key sends
> >> different messages depending on the state of the QSO. Very unnerving
> for
> >> some; very natural for others.
> >>
> >> Enter: sends the CQ message if no call sign in the Entry window. Sends
> >> the
> >> QSL message if there is a call sign in the Entry window and the cursor
> is
> >> in
> >> the exchange field.
> >>
> >> Apostrophe: Grabs the last highlighted call sign (or a new mult) if
> there
> >> is
> >> no call sign in the Entry window, then sends the Exchange message.
> Sends
> >> the Exchange message if there is a call sign in the Entry window.
> >>
> >> Semi-colon: Sends 'TU <current call sign> .. NOW' and logs the QSO.
> This
> >> key is always followed by the Apostrophe key because it assumes a call
> has
> >> been popped from the call sigh stack into the Entry window.
> >>
> >> Open Square Bracket: Sends my call.
> >>
> >> Close Square Bracket: Sends my S&P Exchange message.
> >>
> >> Left Trackball button: clicking on a call sign or exchange element
> copies
> >> it
> >> into the Entry window.
> >>
> >> Right Trackball button: clicking on a call sign copies it onto the
> bottom
> >> of
> >> the call sign stack.
> >>
> >> Therefore, in the simplest case where there is only one caller to my CQ
> >> and
> >> their call sign is highlighted by WriteLog, I simply press Apostrophe.
> If
> >> their exchange has info I need to put in the Exchange field of my Entry
> >> window, I click on it using the trackball. HOWEVER, sometimes it is
> >> easier
> >> to type the info. "It depends" on what the info is. For example in CQ
> WW
> >> RTTY I often typed the two-letter QTH abbreviation rather than using the
> >> trackball. That can be done with two presses of the index finger, i.e.,
> >> touch typing not required. After finishing the received exchange, I
> press
> >> Enter to QSL the contact. If the exchange is prefilled, then all I am
> >> doing
> >> for each QSO is simply pressing Apostrophe and then Enter. If no one
> >> calls
> >> in, then I press Enter again to send the CQ message.
> >>
> >> If I get more than one call sign after a CQ, or if someone tail ends my
> >> current QSO, I right-click their call sign into the call sign stack.
> >> Then,
> >> when I am ready to QSL the current QSO, I press Semi-colon (instead of
> >> Enter), followed by Apostrophe. If there are more call signs in the
> >> stack,
> >> I repeat this sequence, and when the last one is out, I hit Enter to QSL
> >> that QSO.
> >>
> >> So, this means I am only using three keys on the keyboard to run
> stations,
> >> including the handling of multiple call signs available between CQs. I
> >> use
> >> separate PCs/keyboards/trackballs for each radio, so I have one hand on
> >> each
> >> keyboard running these three keys. When I S&P or work a QSO on the
> >> sub-RX,
> >> I use the Open/Close Square Bracket keys. There are a few other keys,
> >> like
> >> pushing/popping call signs onto or off of the call sign stack, long CQ,
> >> His
> >> Call, special QSL message for my contest club members, etc. And, of
> >> course
> >> all the function keys are available, but they only get used when a QSO
> >> gets
> >> screwed up or I need to respond to fill requests, or initiate a fill
> >> request.
> >>
> >> The various loggers differ a bit in their features so that affects what
> >> can
> >> be done. N1MM Logger, for example, can run almost all functions with
> the
> >> mouse/trackball. This is touted as a plus because you don't have to
> move
> >> between the trackball and keyboard. But, for me, it is so much easier
> to
> >> press one of the 2-3 keys I use 99% of the time and only move to the
> >> trackball for grabbing calls or exchange elements when necessary.
> >>
> >> I have trained my non-dominant hand to run the trackball or mouse. My
> >> home
> >> office PC uses the trackball on my non-dominant hand so that I am
> >> reinforcing that training daily. When a contest comes up, both hands
> are
> >> equally adept at mousing.
> >>
> >> For RTTY only, I use "right-sized" keyboards that are the same width as
> my
> >> K3 radios. They are full-size keys and spacing, but without the number
> >> pad
> >> and cursor key block that are not needed in RTTY contesting. The left
> >> trankball sits next to the left side of the left keyboard; opposite for
> >> the
> >> right side.
> >>
> >> There is no simpler motion than pressing a single key, so that is how I
> >> choose to make as many UI motions as possible. The trackball cursor and
> >> buttons are used only when a call sign can't be grabbed with the
> >> Apostrophe
> >> key or to grab an Exchange element.
> >>
> >> If I sense that there might be an additional call sign(s) in the
> pile-up,
> >> then I usually left-click the call sign into the Entry window so that
> I'm
> >> ready to right-click any others onto the stack. I may wait to actually
> >> right-click those stacked call signs until after I've hit Apostophe to
> >> initiate the current Exchange message. There is plenty of time to do
> that
> >> and when running SO2R, there may not be time to get all the call signs
> >> stacked beforehand.
> >>
> >> In summary, both the keyboard and the trackball/mouse are "best" for
> >> different actions that the RTTY contester needs to take in the course
> of a
> >> given QSO. Trying to choose between them for all QSO actions is a
> >> sub-optimal solution.
> >>
> >> Ed W0YK
> >>
> >> --------------------------------------------------------------
> >>
> >>
> >> Tim N3QE wrote:
> >>
> >> I have been following the "where to do CRLF" threads for a while now. I
> >> did
> >> some RTTY 30+ years ago so I can certainly appreciate that too many CRLF
> >> can waste paper :-)
> >>
> >> I can kinda appreciate that scrolling text makes it difficult for some
> to
> >> point and click on a call. Still I have to wonder:
> >>
> >> Roughly what fraction of RTTY contesters prefer to never take their
> hands
> >> off the keyboard and to type the callsign of the caller (or maybe use
> the
> >> "grab" function via keybaord)?
> >>
> >> What fraction really prefers point-and-click to grab calls?
> >>
> >> I personally despise ever having to use the mouse when running on CW, in
> >> part because if I am going to take a hand off the keyboard, I would
> rather
> >> have it go to the paddle rather than the mouse.
> >>
> >> If I am typing in a call, then I get full advantage of SuperCheckPartial
> >> to
> >> help me narrow in and fix busted calls before the QSO, no matter what
> the
> >> mode. I suppose there is still some value in SCP if you click on a
> busted
> >> call (instead of building it up letter-by-letter) but that's not how
> I've
> >> learned to use it.
> >>
> >>
> >
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