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K1EL
The AI used in QSO Practice is very basic, it responds to certain key words in an exchange and will
generate a semi-interesting QSO. It is not able to understand detailed questions. Remember its purpose is
to help build speed and skills and is not a substitute for a real online QSO.
Between QSOs, the K45 mixes things up by randomly changing sending characteristics, speed, and even
sidetone pitch.
Contest QSO Practice
Contest mode is selected in the QSO Practice Setup menu. It is essentially a simplified contest drill. The
user will run a spot and respond to calling stations. The user's response is monitored by the K45 which is
very unforgiving and expects the exact format be followed with exact spacing. Any errors will stop the drill.
When Contest is started, the K45 will set up and then print GO! on the status line. The user starts things off
by sending an initial call. Here's an example response to GO!:
User sends:
TEST K1EL
User responds:
W4RTY 5NN NH
User responds:
TU K1EL
User responds:
K3NB 5NN NH
User responds:
TU K1EL
This continues until the user makes a mistake, the session is paused, or the session is cancelled.
A QSO counter on the status line will increment on every complete exchange. If the user enters a call wrong,
doesn't use proper spacing, or misses an entry the drill will stop. STOP will be then displayed on the status
line. If the user hits ENTER, the QSO count will be reset and a new drill will start.
Remember that this is a simple drill to practice accurate and well formed replies in a contest like situation.
Many skills can be improved by using this mode of practice. If it starts to get boring, crank the speed up.
When you reach 20 WPM, you are ready for real contest conditions.
RTTY Transmit Operation
The K45 provides a very stable and accurate RTTY FSK output which is easier to manage than AFSK
interfacing since it directly drives a transceiver's FSK input. When RTTY is first enabled, transmitter FSK
output is assigned to the ring of the output jack while transmitter key output is assigned to the tip. There are
many options available for tailoring RTTY transmit for a particular radio. These will be described below.
Before going any further, please note that the K45 is not capable of receiving and decoding RTTY live off air,
it is strictly a transmit only device. An alternate means of decoding RTTY Rx must be supplied by the user.
Several transceivers, currently available, decode and display Rx RTTY but do not have an easy way to
transmit RTTY, the K45 would be a good match for these.
When the K45 is set to RTTY mode, it will transmit in Baudot only and Morse transmission is disabled. The
transmit window acts the same way it does for Morse operation with the exception that Baudot strings must
be delimited by square brackets. A starting [ keys the transceiver and the user can then send Baudot on the
keyboard. When finished, entering a ] will unkey the transceiver ending transmission. it. For example:
[RYRYRYRY CQ CQ DE K1EL K1EL K1EL PSE K]
K-45 User's Manual - Rev B.0
K45 CW Keyboard and Reader Manual
which will be answered:
the calling station answers:
a new station responds:
the new station answers:
a new station responds:
GO!
QSO COUNT:27
TEST K1EL
W4RTY
5NN NH
5NN GA
TU K1EL
K3NB
K3NB 5NN NH
Figure 14 – QSO Contest Drill Display
3/8/2023
W4RTY
5NN GA
K3NB
5NN MO
WA5DDC
W4RTY
5NN MO
K45B
Page 17
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