QRPworks SideKar Decoder Edition User Manual Download Page 16

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SideKar

Decoder Edition

User Manual

rev 1.0

Page 16 of 88

QRP Labs QCX Family of Rigs Installation

The QCX rigs the SideKar

Decoder Edition

interfaces to include:

•

QCX Classic, revisions 1-5

•

QCX+

•

QCX Mini

Interfacing the SideKar

Decoder Edition

with a QCX rig is

done using the double ended right-angle 3.5mm cable
supplied (or equivalent). Plug one end in the QCX CAT port
and the other end in the SideKar

Decoder Edition

’s “5V

Serial Port

” port, located on the right side of the SideKar

Decoder Edition

. Do NOT plug it into the RS232 Rig port

on the top of the SideKar

Decoder Edition

. The QCX CAT

port is 5 volts, not RS232 levels.

The QCX firmware required is version 1.06 and higher.

Summary of Contents for SideKar Decoder Edition

Page 1: ...SideKar Decoder Edition User Manual rev 1 0 Page 1 of 88 QRPworks SideKar Decoder Edition User Manual...

Page 2: ...tting 31 Creating and Sending Text Messages 35 Creating and Sending Rig Macros 38 Editing Stored Text Messages Rig Macros 43 Summary of Message Editing Operation 44 Stored Text Message Macro Summary 4...

Page 3: ...and Time 71 Battery Replacement 72 System Reset 74 Help 74 Compatibility with Other Products 75 Updating the Firmware 78 Technology 78 Support 78 Acknowledgements 78 Troubleshooting Tips 79 Appendix...

Page 4: ...with a straight key mode using a paddle typing on a keyboard or sending user defined messages from the keyboard It allows you to change the keying mode speed paddle dits dah orientation easily from a...

Page 5: ...ally populated in the log For Elecraft and QCX rigs it will display the scrolling rig decoded CW both PSK31 PSK63 and RTTY Elecraft text on an 80 character screen with the ability to freeze the incomi...

Page 6: ...oder Edition can be mounted on the KX2 and KX3 just by changing a few simple brackets Elecraft KX3 Installation The SideKar Decoder Edition is designed to mount on the right side of the KX3 above the...

Page 7: ...ecoder Edition User Manual rev 1 0 Page 7 of 88 3 Loosen but do not remove the thumbscrew for the KX3 right foot Fold the KX3 foot under the KX3 so it is not extended Install supplied shoulder screw a...

Page 8: ...the KX3 mounting bracket under the thumbscrew as shown Tighten the thumbscrew so the bracket is snug The bracket edge should be even with the side of the SideKar Decoder Edition Note the bracket is no...

Page 9: ...1 0 Page 9 of 88 6 Position the SideKar Decoder Edition so the installed shoulder screw on the KX3 is in the round portion of the keyed slot and flat against the KX3 This hole is not used Do Not inser...

Page 10: ...ntil the notch at the bottom of the SideKar Decoder Edition bracket is under the KX3 s thumbscrew head If the SideKar Decoder Edition hits the BNC connector the bracket is installed backwards Remove i...

Page 11: ...Edition User Manual rev 1 0 Page 11 of 88 4 Lightly tighten the KX3 thumbscrew and then swing the KX3 foot out to further tighten the foot The SideKar Decoder Edition should now be snug against the s...

Page 12: ...ition Install 2 supplied thumbscrews into the holes in the back of the KX2 as shown 2 If not already installed install 2 supplied thumbscrews in the bottom outside 2 holes in the SideKar Decoder Editi...

Page 13: ...0 Page 13 of 88 Short side against the KX2 Long Side against the SideKar Extreme 3 Slide the 2 brackets on the SideKar Decoder Edition under the thumbscrews on the back of the KX2 Tighten the thumbscr...

Page 14: ...SideKar Decoder Edition User Manual rev 1 0 Page 14 of 88 SideKar Extreme shown installed but the SideKar Decoder Edition is installed the same way...

Page 15: ...SideKar Decoder Edition and the leg Desktop Installation To use the SideKar Decoder Edition on a surface without mounting it on a rig a swivel leg is recommended Called a Kickstand it s available at...

Page 16: ...ion with a QCX rig is done using the double ended right angle 3 5mm cable supplied or equivalent Plug one end in the QCX CAT port and the other end in the SideKar Decoder Edition s 5V Serial Port port...

Page 17: ...adapter cable that was supplied with the K3s into the K3s RS232 port Use a DB9 M to 3 5 mm cable available from QRPworks from the DE9 adapter to the SideKar Decoder Edition KX Rig port Do not connect...

Page 18: ...5 Volt Serial Port port on the right side turn the SideKar Decoder Edition on FIRST before plugging in the cable Once the SideKar Decoder Edition powers on it s OK to plug the cable in Note Do not co...

Page 19: ...SideKar Decoder Edition User Manual rev 1 0 Page 19 of 88 To Yaesu rig using the custom cable from QRPworks...

Page 20: ...rig macros and for loading new software into the SideKar Decoder Edition A standard USB Micro to USB A cable can be used same as what might have come with your Android smartphone This port must not b...

Page 21: ...a free CAT Port Kit is included QCX and QCX Mini s already have the CAT port installed Nothing further is needed NOTE The QCX must always be connected to the Rig 5 Volt Serial Port port on the SideKar...

Page 22: ...gets connected where the PC would be connected If a PX3 is used and no KXPA100 connect the SideKar Decoder Edition RIG RS 232 port to the PX3 s ACC1 PC port If a KXPA100 amp is used please see the sp...

Page 23: ...ion can be used with a wired or wireless USB keyboard Please note that the wireless keyboard must be a 2 4 GHz wireless keyboard and NOT a Bluetooth keyboard Plug the wireless receiver dongle received...

Page 24: ...SideKar Decoder Edition User Manual rev 1 0 Page 24 of 88 USB Keyboard Port...

Page 25: ...re giving up If you don t wish to connect to a rig hold the PB2 button to abort the process Note turn the rig on first before turning the SideKar Decoder Edition on except the Yaesu rigs When the Side...

Page 26: ...e configured individually at startup When you see the following screen hold both buttons until the screen changes as follows The screen will then show Then tap either button to scroll through the list...

Page 27: ...hen L 6 Log Find Finds a QSO logged Same as Alt L then F 7 Manage Refs Enter edit i e SOTA references Same as Alt P then M 8 Quick QSY Commands the rig to go a freq and mode specified Same as Alt Q 9...

Page 28: ...press Alt S and enter a specific speed Each press of the left arrow decreases the speed 2 wpm and a press of the right arrow increases the speed 2 wpm The left right arrows can be used while the Alt...

Page 29: ...l be available In this mode the CW keyer functions from the keyboard are NOT available Use the rig s controls instead 2 No Connection from the SideKar Decoder Edition to the rig via the ACC port Plug...

Page 30: ...ion and connect a mono or stereo cable with 3 5mm connectors right angle is best from the KEYOUT port to your rig s key input Set the rig to straight key for the paddle keying mode In this manner the...

Page 31: ...nctions speed dit dah orientation mode will now be controlled by the SideKar Decoder Edition 3 Type on the keyboard The SideKar Decoder Edition will send the character you typed to the rig As you type...

Page 32: ...Enter key is pressed or the number of buffered characters set by the user is reached via ALT O In this mode you may Backspace to correct text When characters are buffered not sent to the rig yet the...

Page 33: ...line of the SideKar Decoder Edition display and be sent to the rig when 1 The number of buffered characters typed reaches the number set using ALT O or 2 Or the Enter key is pressed If you see someth...

Page 34: ...The SideKar Decoder Edition uses the same features in the rig and the result as you might have guessed is the same All characters are sent lower case regardless of whether you type upper or lower case...

Page 35: ...a Message You can create and edit messages and rig macros from your PC by using the QRPworks Message Management Utility program available free on the QRPworks com website click on Support It allows y...

Page 36: ...fter the last character has been sent To have the rig go back to receive immediately after the last character has been sent add a vertical bar at the end of the message without the quotes It s especia...

Page 37: ...n is the message name and is not sent to the rig Everything to the right of the colon will be sent to the rig as text and transmitted It s recommended to keep the names short as the space for the char...

Page 38: ...ng F1 twice will result in the following message CQ CQ CQ CQ CQ DE KF0UR KF0UR KF0UR CQ CQ CQ CQ CQ DE KF0UR KF0UR KF0UR Creating and Sending Rig Macros For Elecraft or the Icom IC 705 you can use a m...

Page 39: ...ility and two of the macros can be assigned to the PF1 or PF2 buttons on the KX3 The SideKar Decoder Edition expands that by allowing you to create and store 20 macros 80 characters each in the SideKa...

Page 40: ...ar Decoder Edition keyboard as follows In the normal mode Status LED is off press F12 or ALT Z The LED will now be flashing slowly indicating you are in the Edit mode The screen will prompt you to pre...

Page 41: ...first Elecraft command with a period FA00014012000 Note The semi colon at the end of the Elecraft command is part of the command All Elecraft macros commands end with a semi colon When finished press...

Page 42: ...is the same as naming Text Messages It s advised to keep the names short as the space for the characters used are shared with the 80 characters used for commands The longer the name the less room you...

Page 43: ...to the right of the last character o If at maximum characters the cursor will move to the last character Arrow Left moves the cursor one character to the left Arrow Right moves the cursor one charact...

Page 44: ...Mode Flashing Slowly Edit Message Mode Press F1 thru F10 or Alt F1 thru Alt F10 Enter new or Edit existing message Flashing Slowly Edit Message Mode Press F12 or Enter Message saved then back to norm...

Page 45: ...e Down functions here respectively This is to accommodate small keyboards without Page Up Down keys Message Summary Operarion Mode Action Result LED Normal Off Normal Press Page Down or Arrow Down Fir...

Page 46: ...haracter used to indicate the stored data is a rig macro not a text message It s OK to use a period elsewhere in a message vertical bar used at the end of an Elecraft RTTY or PSK31 message to immediat...

Page 47: ...ssing Alt C Enter up to 10 characters with the keyboard or paddle Backspace to make changes In any of the 20 SideKar Decoder Edition messages use the exclamation point where you want the other station...

Page 48: ...to respond with the contest exchange stored in message F2 To define any message as a Grab Go message place a as the first character of the message Example TU 599 CO If you name you message put the af...

Page 49: ...g The new features focus on Duplicate Dupe Checking Here s why When operating QRP a contester is more likely to be in the Search Pounce S P mode looking for QSOs as opposed to the Run mode on one freq...

Page 50: ...all entries in the log are checked for Dupes 3 If a duplicate is found DUPE will be displayed for a few seconds 4 You can still log the duplicate QSO if you like 5 Once you enter a call and hit TAB th...

Page 51: ...ations call Example Let s say F2 is used to send an exchange o First enter 599 CO without the quotes in message F2 W1ABC calls you Use ALT C to enter the other station s call W1ABC and press Enter The...

Page 52: ...hould be used at the beginning of a contest or if you need to set the number at any time The maximum QSO number is 32000 If you get close to that number in a contest you re doing very well The SideKar...

Page 53: ...s eliminated This allows you to enter the call and immediately press a function key to send a message such as KF0UR TU ur 599 CO to respond to someone quickly 2 When saving a log entry there is a scre...

Page 54: ...e displayed Press Arrow Down to find the next earlier QSO A wildcard character can be used as well Example Finding W1AB will find all log entries for W1AB Finding W1AB will find W1AB and also W1ABC On...

Page 55: ...this selection screen is to output the data with the proper ADIF field name For example SOTA Refs need to use the ADIF tag MY_SOTA_REF IOTA needs to use the ADIF tag MY_IOTA Selecting the reference ty...

Page 56: ...within a field use the left right arrows home or end or backspace Press Insert to toggle between the insert flashing cursor or overtype modes same as editing messages and macros Press Enter to save t...

Page 57: ...aracter is found the Exchange is RST_RCVD As shown in the table of examples the Exchange does not have to be a traditional 599 signal report Examples Exch data in the log ADIF RST_RCVD ADIF RST_SENT 5...

Page 58: ...WWFF Islands on the Air IOTA Lighthouses Grids And any other activity that uses any kind of reference or you simply want to designate as a separate activity By reference we mean a published identifie...

Page 59: ...ference from your note This can be used as a handy reminder when looking at a list of references and trying to recall what they are Example for Pikes Peak W0 FR 004 Pikes Where W0 FR 004 is the offici...

Page 60: ...Press R for Reference Note that the difference between pressing R reference vs A ADIF File is that A will export all QSOs while R will export only those QSOs for the active reference If a QSO was log...

Page 61: ...lection screen is to output the data with the proper ADIF field name For example SOTA Refs need to use the ADIF tag MY_SOTA_REF IOTA needs to use the ADIF tag MY_IOTA Selecting the reference type sele...

Page 62: ...quency and mode very quickly The QCX mode is always CW as it is a CW only rig To use it press Alt Q The screen will then prompt you for the frequency and the format required is also displayed Optional...

Page 63: ...s QCX QSX For displaying rig decoded text from Elecraft KX line or K3 the SideKar Decoder Edition takes advantage of the innovative rig feature whereby the rig decodes incoming data and displays the d...

Page 64: ...s that do not decode text or do not have a CAT interface to the SideKar Decoder Edition the SideKar Decoder Edition can decode CW by feeding audio from the rig typically from the headphone jack to the...

Page 65: ...ing decoded text This may be useful if you prefer to copy CW manually or when using the Elecraft PX3 panadapter and viewing the decoded text on it instead Some users prefer to see the decoded text on...

Page 66: ...rig too high or too low will reduce the chance of successful decoding Start with the volume control about mid way Scrolling Back For all received decoded text regardless of whether it comes from a rig...

Page 67: ...imately 1 line per second until you get to the end of the scrolling 8 lines Release the Hold button to stop scrolling Hold it again to resume scrolling To use the keyboard instead to Scroll Alt F to e...

Page 68: ...Scroll up down 1 line per press On Freeze Scroll Page up down Scroll up down 1 page per press On Freeze Scroll Tap button or Alt F or ESC Back to real time receiving Off Transmitting For Elecraft QCX...

Page 69: ...non interfaced rig no CAT connection or CAT does not support transmitting characters use a stereo cable with 3 5mm connectors from the SideKar Decoder Edition Key Out port on the right side to your ri...

Page 70: ...igher levels are more suitable when not running on a battery To adjust the brightness press Alt B Each press of Alt B will go to the next level of brightness from off to bright The brightness selected...

Page 71: ...ically used by the logging function to record the date and time of each QSO With the SideKar Decoder Edition on in the normal receiving mode press Alt D o Enter the Date in yyyymmdd format o Enter the...

Page 72: ...BOARD ALWAYS SUPPORT THE BATTERY HOLDER BY HOLDING IT DOWN ON BOTH SIDES OF THE BATTERY HOLDER AND PRYING THE BATTERY UP BY TWISTING A SMALL SCREWDRIVER BETWEEN THE BATTERY AND THE BATTERY HOLDER Twi...

Page 73: ...t the screwdriver between the battery and the holder to pop the battery out Do NOT lift or pull the battery up It might pull the battery holder off of the PC board Hold the battery holder down while t...

Page 74: ...not connected Help For help in remembering SideKar Decoder Edition commands press F11 or ALT H A summary of the features and commands will be shown Press Page Up or Page Down to scroll through the lis...

Page 75: ...KX End Panels SideKar Decoder Edition is compatible with SideKX end panels There is no need to remove them KXPA100 The KXPA100 works a little differently than the PX3 with regards to other devices in...

Page 76: ...o KXPA100 adapter cable setup used as described in the aforementioned KX3 amplifier set up section The KX2ACBL adapter is needed because the KX2 has only one ACC port Start with the KX2 connected to t...

Page 77: ...ition User Manual rev 1 0 Page 77 of 88 You will no longer be controlling the amplifier using the PA mode On Off from the KX2 menu Note Pressing the ATU button on the KX2 will still tune the KXPA100 a...

Page 78: ...de is a PIC microcontroller It is a computer on a chip complete with CPU memory and EEPROM Firmware running on the microcontroller controls the presentation and all functions of the SideKar Decoder Ed...

Page 79: ...SideKar Decoder Edition 2 I m using a USB wireless keyboard but it does not work Make sure it is a 2 4 GHz wireless keyboard and not a Bluetooth keyboard 3 Elecraft The SideKar Decoder Edition is con...

Page 80: ...O B Text Decode ON hold Data Text button o For CW Mode CW tap Mode 1 button Data MD not applicable Text Decode ON hold Data Text button 4 Elecraft When I send using a keyboard or a paddle the rig is s...

Page 81: ...the 3 5mm connector QCX and QCX Mini have the CAT port installed already Nothing further is needed NOTE The QCX and QSX must always be connected to the FT Q port on the SideKar Decoder Edition NOT th...

Page 82: ...SideKar Decoder Edition User Manual rev 1 0 Page 82 of 88...

Page 83: ...Alt E Toggle between Echoing seeing sent characters or not Alt F Freeze display Alt H Display Help Alt I Increment the contest serial number Alt K Toggle between US and UK Keyboards Alt L Go to Log f...

Page 84: ...Same as F12 edit message or macro F12 then F1 to F10 Edit text messages macros 1 10 F12 then Alt F1 to AltF10 Edit text messages macros 11 20 F1 to F10 Send text messages macros 1 10 Alt F1 to Alt F10...

Page 85: ...aracter Up Arrow Go up one row Down Arrow Go down one row Left Arrow Go left one character Right Arrow Go right one character Insert Toggle mode insert or replace Summary of Logging Commands TAB or up...

Page 86: ...SideKar Decoder Edition User Manual rev 1 0 Page 86 of 88 Firmware Revision History Version Changes 2 0 0 Initial production release...

Page 87: ...backlight brightness 70 displaying decoded Text 63 F firmware revision haistory 86 firmware updates 78 firmware version 25 freezing the display 66 G grab go 48 H Help 74 I installation 6 Desktop 15 El...

Page 88: ...utton 46 P pushbuttons 26 Q quick qsy 62 R reserved characters 46 rig macros creating and sending 38 editing 43 naming 42 sending 43 S scrolling back 66 SideKar serial number 70 starting up 25 summary...

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