QRP Labs QCX 5W CW, Assembly Instructions Manual

Page: 70 / 138

QCX assembly Rev 1.08
70
4.3 Operator controls
This diagram shows the operating controls of the radio. All of the controls except the Gain
potentiometer have multiple functions, depending on the operating mode, menu editing, etc. The
tuning rotary encoder in the centre has a button on its shaft that is activated by pressing it, and this
button also has multiple functions.
In this document,
the three buttons are mostly referred to as “Left”, “Centre” and “Right”. The
original names of the left and right
buttons, “Select” and “Exit” respectively, refer to the common
actions during configuration menu editing. Select edits a menu item or steps down into a sub-
menu; Exit saves an edited menu item or backs up to the parent menu.
It is well worth remembering while you are familiarising yourself with the operation of the radio,
that if you get into any unexpected function or menu
– you can nearly always press the right (exit)
button to cancel and get back to the main operation mode.
Each of the buttons (left, centre, right) may be pressed once, pressed twice (a double-click) or
pressed for a long-hold. This facilitates three different functions for each button. In practice, the
centre button is stiffer and it is difficult to achieve a double-click; therefore the centre button
double-click has no function.
4.4 Tune rate
The rotary encoder tunes the active VFO. The rate of tuning is indicated by the underline cursor. In
the example below, the underline cursor is under the comma between the 1kHz and 100Hz digits.
This means the tuning rate is 500Hz.
The available VFO tuning rates are 1kHz, 500Hz, 100Hz or 10Hz.
A press of the centre button (in the rotary encoder shaft) causes the tuning rate to change, in the
cycle 1kHz -> 500Hz -> 100Hz -> 10Hz -> 1kHz etc.
The default tune rate up at start-up is a configuration item in the VFO menu (see later).