just completed my first-every RTTY QSO and it was on 30m with ZL30MDG, Christ Church, New Zealand. wow! the Elecraft K3/100 has a built-in RTTY/PSK31/CW decoder and Elecraft provides a free utility program that has a very simple 'terminal' to let you transmit RTTY/PSK31/CW using a computer keyboard and no audio card. i've been mucking about with this for the last couple of days (with the help of the Elecraft reflector and Iain MacDonnell - N6ML - who provided the key advice about setting the proper data mode on the K3) but haven't been successful. one problem is that i'm using the HPS-1a power supply, which is basically a low-duty-cycle supply with some major capacitors on the output... this works great as a SSB supply (the thing is tiny!) but using it in a data mode, it can easily cause the K3 to crash as the voltage drops below 9 volts with the 100% duty cycle transmission... so i've been reducing the output power and trying again and again and just about 15 minutes ago, with the power set at about 34watts, i was able to snag a 599 with ZL30MDG. i'm sure i was operating like a LID and i'll have to get better software, etc., but what a thrill! and a nice bit of DX to boot!
now i can sleep like a (rather clever) baby!
nite all
73
de Robin (W6RDG)
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Hi Robin
ReplyDeleteVery happy to work you on 30 meters - you had a great sig and ...NO, you were not operating as a bit of a 'LID'! All was good ... we all had to learn at some stage ... so no worries at all. You were in the middle of a large EU pile-up, so sorry about the short QSO!!
GL es all the best on digital modes .. keep up the good work
73 de Rob
ZL3RG (ZL30MDG)