Sending CW with Rigblaster and keyboard

[VK4WDM]

Hello everybody

As you know from previous posts I have been playing around with CW receiving software. I have tried several, but the one I find easiest to use is Hamscope - not perfect of course, but a reasonable backup for the dish antennas on the side of my head and the aging computer between them.

This brings me to a new topic: sending CW via the keyboard. I have two digital interfaces: a Rigblaster Nomic, currently in use, and a Rigblaster Plus which I will be changing to soon.

I looked up the sending CW in the Rigblaster FAQ and found the following:

All RIGblasters will transmit keyboard CW using sound card transmit such as "HamScope" by KD5HIO. This software sends a pure CW audio tone to the microphone jack with your radio in SSB mode.

Surely this would be MCW? And I think that MCW is illegal on most bands?

With the nomic there are no relays so the nomic's optoisolator PTT output may be used for serial port controlled CW keying direct to your radio's straight key jack, instead of PTT keying. You may purchase our ready made CW cable for that purpose. You must use NON sound card transmit software such as CWtype by UA9OSV.

So I can't use Hamscope with the Nomic anyway.

Our PRO and Plus models do sound card CW and RTTY by directly keying your radio's straight key jack. Get our plus model if you wish to do true keyed CW

Presumably this is CW and not MCW? And presumably I could use Hamscope?

Is anyone out there using Hamscope and a Rigblaster to send CW? How easy was it to set up?

Would I be better off using CW Type? Any other suggestions?

(I promise the CW purists that I won't give up the key entirely!)

73

Wayne VK4WDM

[ZL1RS]

All RIGblasters will transmit keyboard CW using sound card transmit such as "HamScope" by KD5HIO. This software sends a pure CW audio tone to the microphone jack with your radio in SSB mode.

Surely this would be MCW? And I think that MCW is illegal on most bands?

No, that is not MCW. MCW is applying a single tone modulation according to the CW dots and dashes to a continuous RF carrier wave ... e.g. the old aircraft navigation beacons on LF that could be received with an AM radio ... tune across their carrier and periodically hear their CW ident as AM modulation.

Sound card transmitted CW with the radio in SSB mode is indistiguishable from computer generated CW keying the radio's straight key jack with the radio in CW mode... unless you leave the microphone plugged in and it picks up background shack noises and sends them along with the CW tone. Can be "interesting" for listeners if you are sending a CW beacon transmission and engaging in a "domestic discussion" at the same time!!

With the nomic there are no relays so the nomic's optoisolator PTT output may be used for serial port controlled CW keying direct to your radio's straight key jack, instead of PTT keying. You may purchase our ready made CW cable for that purpose. You must use NON sound card transmit software such as CWtype by UA9OSV.

So I can't use Hamscope with the Nomic anyway.

If the Nomic's optoisolator PTT output will key your radio's PTT line (not ALL radios will work with an optoisolator keying their PTT line ... but MOST will), then you can use Hamscope to send CW from the computer's soundcard with the radio in SSB mode. Their "ready made CW cable" will allow the Nomic to also key the radio's straight key jack with the radio in CW mode for sending CW using other "hard" CW software like CWtype.

Although I have never used it, Hamscope can be configured to "hard" key the radio in CW mode ... "General Setup" menu, "Hard Key CW using: ..."

Is anyone out there using Hamscope and a Rigblaster to send CW? How easy was it to set up?

I use Hamscope with my home made computer soundcard interface (and a Rigblaster would be no different) ... the same interface and computer set up that I use for WSJT software for operation in FSK441 and JT65a/b/c modes, as well as other software for soundcard generated RTTY, PSK and SSTV. The only change is adjustment of the software volume control to set the rx and tx audio levels as required for the different programs. MultiPSK software will do "everything", but it takes a bit of study to become familiar with the "very busy" screen!!

I mainly use Hamscope for CW beacon mode type transmissions using it's "Auto Mac" button function. The radio remains in USB mode so I can respond to a CW or SSB reply. Right click on the "Auto Mac" button to set up the CW information sent and how often. I typically use macro 1 which has been previously set to "<TX> CQ de <MYCALL> k"<RX>". Note the space inserted before CQ ... I put this in as a type of sequencing measure to ensure the radio and PTT relays around the amplifier are switched to TX mode before any RF is emitted from the radio.

Cheers, Bob ZL1RS

[VK4WDM]

Hi Bob

Thanks for the reply. I will give it a go.

73

Wayne