[Elecraft] Elecraft K3 with K2 as station panadapter setup?

[Sam Morgan]

I want to use both my K3 and my K2
at the same time, on the same frequency and antenna.
I wish to TX and RX on the K3.
I also wish to use my K2,
which has a softrock being use with PowerSDR/IF as a panadapter,
as just that, a panadapter on the same frequency using the same antenna.

I'm sure this is a relatively simple thing to do,
but my aging gray matter just switches to the
'you want to do wat?' mode
and I end up in an endless loop of
how to connect all this
and not hurt any of the equipment involved.

All physical connections are with serial cables to a desktop rig.
I have both HRD 5.0 and DXLabs, but prefer using HRD.
I use PowerSDR/IF for the panadapter display.

I have heard of some virtual serial ports or bridges,
but am clueless as to what, which, or how to involve it/them.

TIA

[Sam Morgan]

For got to include, the K3 is a bare bones QRP model with NO KXV3A or KAT3

Post by Sam Morgan
I want to use both my K3 and my K2
at the same time, on the same frequency and antenna.
I wish to TX and RX on the K3.
I also wish to use my K2,
which has a softrock being use with PowerSDR/IF as a panadapter,
as just that, a panadapter on the same frequency using the same antenna.
I'm sure this is a relatively simple thing to do,
but my aging gray matter just switches to the
'you want to do wat?' mode
and I end up in an endless loop of
how to connect all this
and not hurt any of the equipment involved.
All physical connections are with serial cables to a desktop rig.
I have both HRD 5.0 and DXLabs, but prefer using HRD.
I use PowerSDR/IF for the panadapter display.
I have heard of some virtual serial ports or bridges,
but am clueless as to what, which, or how to involve it/them.
TIA

[Don Wilhelm]

Sam,

To listen with both the K2 and K3 at the same time and with the same
antenna, You could use something external to the K3 - think SO2R setup,
or at least a subset of SO2R.

With the KXV3, there is the RX ANT Out connector - but that is only
connected to the antenna when the RX ANT is selected. With a 3 dB
splitter placed there, you could connect one splitter output to RX ANT
IN and the other splitter output to the K2. You would loose 3 dB in
each receiver, but that may not be a problem for the application you are
trying to use. On the K3, you can quickly recover that 3 dB by taking
it out of RX ANT with a button tap - you would lose reception on the K2,
but have full sensitivity on the K3.

I believe you would have to run 2 copies of HRD, one to control the K3
and another to control the K2 - I don't know how you get two instances
of HRD to track frequency wise, so that is for you to solve. Yes,
LP-Bridge *may* be helpful, but in any case, you will need two physical
serial ports, one for the K2 and one for the K3, LP-Bridge does not
split on the K3 side, only on the application side.

73,
Don W3FPR

Post by Sam Morgan
I want to use both my K3 and my K2
at the same time, on the same frequency and antenna.
I wish to TX and RX on the K3.
I also wish to use my K2,
which has a softrock being use with PowerSDR/IF as a panadapter,
as just that, a panadapter on the same frequency using the same antenna.
I'm sure this is a relatively simple thing to do,
but my aging gray matter just switches to the
'you want to do wat?' mode
and I end up in an endless loop of
how to connect all this
and not hurt any of the equipment involved.
All physical connections are with serial cables to a desktop rig.
I have both HRD 5.0 and DXLabs, but prefer using HRD.
I use PowerSDR/IF for the panadapter display.
I have heard of some virtual serial ports or bridges,
but am clueless as to what, which, or how to involve it/them.
TIA

[Sam Morgan]

Perhaps you have heard of the expression:
'going around your posterior to get to your elbow'?
Well the following is a real world example of the same.


Station:
1 each K3, K2, and 2.9gig 2X AMD with 4 gig ram running XP home (32bit).
(With all the below programs running, plus firefox and thunderbird, the system
is using about 1gig of ram and CPU usage is at about 26-30%.)

First the goal:
I wanted to be able to see DX spots and click on them and the rig go there,
all setup, band, mode, and frequency, and ready to go.
I also wanted to be able to click on a panadapter display
and go to the frequency/station I had clicked on.

However,because of 3 limitations at my station.
1st limitation:
the pan adapter I have, only works with my K2
(I'm using a separate rx antenna on the K2)

2nd limitation:
I want to use my K3 for both TX and RX

3rd limitation:
I much prefer DXLabs's SpotCollector to HRD's Logbook/DXCluster for spots.


So let the games begin....

Here are the working pieces:
I can get HRD to control/sync the K3 and the K2, ok.
I can get the K2 to work with Power SRD-IF, ok.
But how to get DXLabs to control the spotting aspect of point and click?
The dreaded 'port already in use' problem come into play.

I could have run DXLab to control the K3 and the K2,
but I was unable to figure out how to run VSPE or LP-Bridge,
so I could then, also, connect the K2 to the Power SDR-IF pan display.

Again, the goal was to have any one of the 3 control methods used,
at any time, to change bands, modes, and frequencys,
1) when a spot was clicked on,
2) or a trace on the display was clicked on,
3) or I simply turned the knob on the rigs, (how primitive, hi hi).

I finally found a little program called: DXLab HRD Bridge
http://www.dxlabsuite.com/download.htm#Bridges,%20Gateways,%20%20and%20Extenders
http://www.dxlabsuite.com/HRD_Bridge/

So now I'll try to explain this monstrosity to the few that might be interested.
Also so it will be documented somewhere, in case I forget it all when I go to
sleep tonight. (sigh) Don't laugh, you to will grow old one day grasshopper.

1) Start HRD 5.0 and connect to the K3 (comm 4)
2) Start another, separate, instance of HRD 5.0 and connect to the K2 (comm 8)
3) Start Power SDR-IF (with it's rig connection set for HRD)
4) Start HRD's pgm called Synchronizer, set the K3 as master and K2 as slave.
5) Start DXLab Launcher
6) Start DXLab SpotCollector (set to use VE7CC-1 as well as VE7CC)

Did it take me 3 days to figure this out, yes.
Was it fun figuring this out, not really.
Does it really work, yes.
Is it perhaps overly complicated, absolutely.

Could it have been done using HRD's 3rd party serial port, maybe?
Could it have been done just running DXLab and VSPE or LP-PAN, probably?
Was I able to find any help files that went past the standard:
create 2 virtual ports, and then connect who to what and how, HELL NO!

If anyone wishes to go further than just saying:
"well you shoulda/coulda done it this or that way".....
I'm all ears, if and only if, you give a detailed explanation.

/me steps down from soapbox and takes a deep breath and leaves the keyboard for
the fridge and a well deserved beer.

/poof

[David Cutter]

Sam

Is one of your aims to achieve diversity reception? If so, I don't think
you can with 2 separate receivers like this.

David
G3UNA

Post by Sam Morgan
I want to use both my K3 and my K2
at the same time, on the same frequency and antenna.
I wish to TX and RX on the K3.
I also wish to use my K2,
which has a softrock being use with PowerSDR/IF as a panadapter,
as just that, a panadapter on the same frequency using the same antenna.
I'm sure this is a relatively simple thing to do,
but my aging gray matter just switches to the
'you want to do wat?' mode
and I end up in an endless loop of
how to connect all this
and not hurt any of the equipment involved.
All physical connections are with serial cables to a desktop rig.
I have both HRD 5.0 and DXLabs, but prefer using HRD.
I use PowerSDR/IF for the panadapter display.
I have heard of some virtual serial ports or bridges,
but am clueless as to what, which, or how to involve it/them.
TIA
--
GB & 73
K5OAI
Sam Morgan

[Sam Morgan]

Post by David Cutter
Sam
Is one of your aims to achieve diversity reception? If so, I don't
think you can with 2 separate receivers like this.

No, I want to use the K3 for TX and RX
I only want to use the K2 for the Panadapter display
that I already have have setup on the k2
using the K2/Z-10000/Softrock/PowerSDR/IF

I don't care to listen to the RX of the K2
only use the IF out of the K2 for the panadapter

the big trick is to make all this track together
as well as use the same antenna,
with out hurting the K2 when I transmit with the K3

In other words I have my original K2 with panadapter display working.

Now I have broke the bank and bought a K3/10
and some how want the best of both worldsm
until (6-12mo from now) when
I can out fit the K3 for it's own panadapter display.

hope I am making sense, it's confusing to me as well :-(

[David F. Reed]

Sam,

Why not just adapt the Softrock to the K3's IF output?

You would get what you are looking for with less complexity...

--Dave, W5SV

Post by Sam Morgan

Post by David Cutter
Sam
Is one of your aims to achieve diversity reception? If so, I don't
think you can with 2 separate receivers like this.

No, I want to use the K3 for TX and RX
I only want to use the K2 for the Panadapter display
that I already have have setup on the k2
using the K2/Z-10000/Softrock/PowerSDR/IF
I don't care to listen to the RX of the K2
only use the IF out of the K2 for the panadapter
the big trick is to make all this track together
as well as use the same antenna,
with out hurting the K2 when I transmit with the K3
In other words I have my original K2 with panadapter display working.
Now I have broke the bank and bought a K3/10
and some how want the best of both worldsm
until (6-12mo from now) when
I can out fit the K3 for it's own panadapter display.
hope I am making sense, it's confusing to me as well :-(