Bry, I ran QSK for about 40 years and wouldn't have it any other way.
But old age eventually creeps up on us.
About 10 years ago it began to annoy me.
As you say, "noise" is the key word here.
Didn't used to bother me but it does now.
I find it nerve-wracking and try to reduce it as much as possible.
Living in the country helps a lot.
Running a pre-selector helps a little.
But as you say, turning the RF Gain down is a big help.
I also always run attenuation on the low bands. Sometimes even additional
external attenuation. Of course for working real weak ones, you have to
turn it off, but I don't do that often.
And on the high bands, if the band is really open, I do not turn the preamp
on.
Old age is a bummer but the alternative is worse! (hi)
73 - Rick, DJ0IP
(Nr. Frankfurt am Main)
-----Original Message-----
From: TenTec [mailto:tentec-bounces@contesting.com] On Behalf Of Brian
Carling
Sent: Thursday, March 20, 2014 5:29 PM
To: Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment
Subject: Re: [TenTec] QSK or not?
Thank you Rick. I enjoy QSK whatever the background noise is not too high. I
frequently have a noise level of about S7 on 80 m and 40m here in Florida.
That does not make for a great situation unless I turn the RF gain down
considerably. Otherwise it is quite distracting to send CW with the white
noise chuffing away in the background.
Best regards - Bry Carling
> On Mar 20, 2014, at 12:16 PM, "Rick - DJ0IP / NJ0IP" <Rick@DJ0IP.de>
wrote:
>
> Yes, you are correct, but when you add the terribly expensive external
> circuits, the amp no longer attempts to follow CW keying with its
> internal relay. The Ameritron amps can only run clean QSK with a $500
> add-on, which my experience has been, are not real reliable. My
> experience is based on personal use for a few years, and knowledge of
> experience of several other members of my contesting club.
>
> If you want to run QSK at more than about 10 wpm, it would be better
> to purchase an amplifier with a high speed T/R relay. There are
> plenty of them on the market.
>
> I personally switched to a QSK Technologies amplifier. In fact I
> bought two of them. Never had any problems with them.
>
> Today I only have an older Ameritron (clone), the SB-1000, and I just
> don't run "full" QSK. For contests I set the timing such that I can
> hear between words. IMO, there is no tangible loss of functionality
> compared to full QSK.
> For normal non-contest QSOs I run about 1 second hang delay, which
> helps me keep what little bit of sanity I still have left.
>
> 73 - Rick, DJ0IP
> (Nr. Frankfurt am Main)
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: TenTec [mailto:tentec-bounces@contesting.com] On Behalf Of Brian
> Carling
> Sent: Thursday, March 20, 2014 5:03 PM
> To: Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment
> Subject: Re: [TenTec] QSK or not?
>
> Yes, but I think a lot of radio amateurs using good QSK Rigs like the
> Tentec have managed to convert their amplifiers for QSK operation by
> adding a circuitboard like the QSK 1500 or the QSK5.
>
> I realize that is more than just a simple homebrewer undertaking.
>
> Best regards - Bry Carling
>
>
>
>>> On Mar 20, 2014, at 11:51 AM, "Rick - DJ0IP / NJ0IP" <Rick@DJ0IP.de>
>> wrote:
>>
>> It's not quite that simple, at least not always.
>>
>> "IF" your amplifier has a very fast T/R relay, such as a vacuum
>> relay, then you are correct; a few simple switching transistors and a
>> tiny relay will do the trick. But that only works when the main T/R
>> relay is fast enough to follow CW keying.
>>
>> If instead you have an amplifier whose T/R relay needs 20 mS to
>> switch, AND you connect the hand-shaking just as the Ten-Tec keying
>> loop normally works, the CW is not going to be very smooth. Timing
>> will get screwed up. The open-frame relays are just too slow to do
>> that. The only way to make them work is to have hang delay such that
>> they
> don't need to follow the keying.
>> The Ten-Tec hand-shaking does not do this.
>>
>> And then if you have to work with hang delay, you don't need the
>> complexity of the hand-shaking. You just need sufficient pre-dit
>> delay and adjustable hang delay - but you sacrifice true QSK.
>> TRUE QSK?
>> You never had it in the first place because you did not buy a QSK
> amplifier!
>>
>> No matter what you feed a mule or how you treat it, it will never be
>> a race horse!
>>
>> (On the other hand, not everybody needs or wants a race horse and
>> mules are wonderful animals!)
>>
>> 73 - Rick, DJ0IP
>> (Nr. Frankfurt am Main)
>>
>> -------------------------
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: TenTec [mailto:tentec-bounces@contesting.com] On Behalf Of
>> bcarling@cfl.rr.com
>> Subject: Re: [TenTec] QSK or not?
>>
>> I have to wonder why some guys will spend $500 for an external
>> accessory to do QSK with their linear amplifier. The system in my TT
>> 422 is so simple. A couple of simple boards and a relay.
>>
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> TenTec mailing list
>> TenTec@contesting.com
>> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/tentec
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