Page 70
FT-950 O
PERATING
M
ANUAL
The powerful CW operating capabilities of the
FT-950
permit operation using an electronic keyer paddle, a “straight key”,
or a computer-based keying device.
S
ETUP
FOR
S
TRAIGHT
K
EY
(
AND
S
TRAIGHT
K
EY
EMULATION
)
O
PERATION
Before starting, connect your key line(s) to the front and/or rear panel
KEY
jack(s). Be sure the [
KEYER
] button on the left
side of the front panel is turned off for now.
CW M
ODE
O
PERATION
1. Press the [
CW
] mode button to engage CW operation.
The “
” and “
” icons will appear in the dis-
play. The “
” icon will also appear in the display;
and the CW monitor is activated.
A
DVICE
:
If you press the [
CW
] button repeatedly, you will en-
gage the “CW Reverse” mode (see page 75), whereby
the “opposite” sideband injection is used, compared
to the “normal” sideband. The “
” and “
” icons
will appear in the display if you select CW Reverse.
2. Rotate the Main Tuning Dial knob to select the desired
operating frequency.
3. Press the [
BK-IN
] button to engage automatic activa-
tion of the transmitter when you close the CW key.
The “
” icon will appear in the display.
A
DVICE
:
When you close your CW key, the transmitter will
automatically be activated, and the CW carrier will
be transmitted. When you release the key, trans-
mission will cease, and after a brief delay, receive
will be restored. The delay time is user-program-
mable per the discussion on page 76.
As shipped from the factory, the
FT-950
TX/RX
system for CW is configured for “Semi-break-in”
operation. However, using Menu item “
043 A1A
043 A1A
043 A1A
043 A1A
043 A1A
BK-IN
BK-IN
BK-IN
BK-IN
BK-IN
”, you may change this setup for full break-
in (QSK) operation, whereby the switching is quick
enough to hear incoming signals in the spaces be-
tween the dots and dashes of your transmission. This
may prove very useful during contest and traffic
handling operations.
4. Operation using your CW key may now proceed.
A
DVICE
:
You may adjust the CW sidetone audio level with the
[
MONI
] knob. Rotate the [
MONI
] knob for a comfort-
able listening level of the CW sidetone. To disable the
CW monitor, press the [
MONI
] button (the “
”
icon will disappear).
If you set the [
BK-IN
] button to Off, you may practice
sending CW with the sidetone only, without having the
signal go out over the air.
If you reduce power via the Menu item “
111 TGEN
111 TGEN
111 TGEN
111 TGEN
111 TGEN
TX PWR
TX PWR
TX PWR
TX PWR
TX PWR
”, the ALC meter reading will increase; this is
normal and does not indicate any problem whatsoever
(because increased ALC voltage is being used to lower
the power).
[MONI] Knob
[MONI] Button
[BK-IN] Button
T
ERMINOLOGY
:
Semi-break-in
This is a pseudo-”VOX” mode used on CW, whereby the closure of the CW key will engage the transmitter, and
release of the key will allow the receiver to recover after a short delay. No signals will be heard during the spaces
between dots and dashes (unless the sending speed is extremely slow).
Full break-in
Full break-in (also known as “Full QSK”) involves very fast switching between transmit and receive, incoming
signals may be heard between the dots and dashes as you send them. This allows you to hear a station that suddenly
starts transmitting on your frequency, while you are in the midst of a transmission.
[MODE] Button