Terminal

This tab is intended to demonstrate your KX3's CW and Data Mode decoding capability.

The page is divided into four areas:

Terminal page screen shot

Data mode buttons

These buttons select one of three "banks" of message memories. There is also mode-specific processing. For example, an equal symbol "=" is translated to the BT prosign in CW.

The KX3 Utility does not change the KX3's Mode, Data sub-mode, or Text Decode settings. Use the KX3 Front Panel MODE, DATA MD, and TEXT DEC buttons to select the desired Mode (CW or Data sub-mode FSK-D or PSK-D), and enable Text Decode. Receive-only Text Decode is available in AFSK-A, but the KY command used for transmit requires CW, FSK-D or PSK-D. If no characters are sent, or sending seems to "stutter", it may be because your KX3 is in an inappropriate Mode or Data sub-mode, or Text Decode is not functioning. See the KX3 Owner's Manual sections on Data Modes and "Advanced Operating Procedures: Text Decode and Display" for details.

Transmit

This button is a toggle. Click it once to begin sending characters in the input area. Click it again to stop sending.

The button's caption changes to "Stop" while transmitting.

You may also toggle transmit with the Ctrl+T keys (press and hold either Ctrl key, then tap "T") to toggle transmit. Pressing Ctrl+T once to begin sending characters. Press Ctrl+T again to stop sending.

When all pending text has been sent, transmit (RTTY diddle) is turned off after a short period, influenced by "idle timeout milliseconds" in the Options dialog and [TXOFF] in a message memory.

Edit Memories

Opens a dialog to make changes to the Message Memory buttons.

There are three separate sets of 16 "memories" for CW, RTTY, and PSK31.

Message memories may contain specific bracketed uppercase strings that are interpreted when the message memory is "played back" or copied into the input area. These strings are:

[CRLF]
is replaced by a RTTY carriage return / line feed or a PSK31 new line character.
[NL]
is replaced by a RTTY carriage return / line feed or a PSK31 new line character.
[TXON]
turns the tranmitter on when this message memory is "played".
[TXOFF]
temporarily disables the idle time delay after all characters are sent.

For example, my first message memory contains [CRLF]DE K6KR [TXON][TXOFF]. Memory 2 contains K6KR [TXON][TXOFF].
When I press CTRL+1, [NL]DE K6KR is copied to the input area, then transmitter is turned on (because of [TXON]), and my call sign is sent.
I can press CTRL+1 to send my call once, or CTRL+1 followed by CTRL+2 if I want to send my call sign several times.
As soon as all the input text has been sent, "diddle" is turned off, without waiting for the Idle Time delay period, because of [TXOFF].

These "Message Memories" are different from the KX3's built-in CW Memories described in the KX3 Owner's Manual. The KX3 CW Memories may be used for CW or Data mode messages that are sent by pressing the KX3's front panel memory buttons, without need for a current connection to the KX3 Utility program.

Clear

Erases the text in the output window and unsent text in the input window.

Options

Opens a dialog to set terminal page options:

Terminal options dialog screen shot
Idle timeout milliseconds

Influences the time that the KX3 transmitter (RTTY diddle) remains active after all input characters have been transmitted. The default value 0 ends transmission when input characters have all been sent. The maximum value for this parameter is 99999 milliseconds, almost 100 seconds.
If this value is more than a couple of seconds and the transmitter buffer is emptied, the KX3 Utility Program sends a non-printing sequence (space, backspace) every few seconds to keep sending "diddle" while you think about what you'd like to type next. Press CTRL+T or ESC to turn off the transmitter immediately.

Font

Opens a font selection dialog to choose the font for the input and output windows.

Message memory buttons

These buttons transfer the associated text into the input window. Click the "Edit Memories" button to make changes to the Message Memories.

Note: These "Message Memories" are not the KX3's CW messages described in the KX3 Owner's Manual.

Keyboard keys Ctrl+1 through Ctrl+0 perform the same functions as clicking Message Memory buttons 1 through 10, but you don't have to reach for the mouse.

Output window

This read-only area is used to display text decoded by the KX3. Text sent by your KX3 is shown in green as it is transmitted. Text you receive is shown in black.

Input window

At the bottom is a multi-line input area where you may enter text for transmission. Click the Transmit button (or press the Ctrl+T keys on the keyboard) to begin sending data. As characters are sent to the KX3, they are colored gray to indicate that they may not be changed, as they have already been sent to the KX3 for transmission. Characters that have not yet been sent to the KX3 may be changed.

Input Window Shortcut Keys

The bar that separates the input from the output area may be moved vertically by dragging it with the mouse.

Prosign substitution

A number of punctuation symbols are used to represent CW prosigns. For example, to send the prosign BT (-...-), type the "=" sign into the input area. A reminder list of available prosigns is shown near the top of the Terminal page when in CW mode.

SymbolProsignMorse
_AA (.-.-)
+AR (.-.-.)
%AS (.-...)
=BT (-...-)
(KN (-.--.)
*SK (...-.-)
!VE (...-.)

See the Elecraft K3 and KX3 Programmer's Reference KY command description.

Known Limitations