K1EL K45B User manual

K45B CW Modem
with WinKeyer3 Controller
User Manual
www.k1el.com
Revision B.0
March 8, 2023

K1EL K45 CW Keyboard and Reader Manual K45B
K-45 User’s Manual - Rev B.0 3/8/2023 Page 2
Introduction
The K45 is the latest member of the K1EL CW Keyboard product line which started with the K20 in 1997. It
incorporates a CW reader and has both USB keyboard and USB host interfaces. Two separate CW output
ports are provided that can key almost any transmitter. Due to part availability issues, the K45’s logic board
was recently redesigned and is now at revision B. With the exception of a different USB interface IC
(CH340) the revision B board is functionally equivalent to the revision A board.
The K45 is housed in an all-metal chassis with a four line by twenty-character LCD display. A slanted face
on the K45 enclosure presents the display for comfortable viewing. A rotary encoder with a push switch
provides user input. The unit is powered by connection to a USB power source, this can be a USB charger,
USB battery, or the USB port on a PC or laptop. The K45 draws low current, about 150 mA, so a standard
phone charger will work fine.
List of K45 features
•WinKeyer mode allows the K45 to connect to a PC host logging or contest application
•4 Line by 20-character LCD display with adjustable backlight and contrast.
•Multi-function status bar display
•Separate receive and transmit display windows with scrolling and optional word wrap
•Real time transmit progress window can be displayed instantly by hot key
•USB Type A connector for use with a standard wired or wireless USB keyboard
•Mini-USB connector for connection to a host PC or power source
•1/8-inch audio jack for CW reader input with adjustable gain, spacing, threshold, and noise filter
•1/8-inch stereo key output jack provides two separate optically isolated outputs
•Keying outputs can be configured as two separate keying outputs or a single output with PTT
•Two optically isolated Solid State relay outputs can key up to +/- 350 volts at 120 mA
•1/8-inch iambic or single lever paddle input that also supports straight key input
•Rotary encoder input with integral push switch
•On board sidetone speaker with adjustable volume and pitch
•ESD input protection and RFI suppression on all connectors
•Transmit keying speed range of 5 to 99 WPM.
•DSP based CW Reader speed operates from 7 to 60 WPM
•Two complete user setups each with message and configuration storage
•Twelve messages of 120 characters each for each user
•Iambic A, B, and Ultimatic paddle modes supported
•Adjustable letterspace and wordspace
•Adjustable keying weight, compensation, and dit/dah ratio
•Adjustable PTT lead-in, tail, and paddle hang times
•Firmware can be upgraded over USB
LCD Display
A high quality 20 by 4 LCD character display is used. The characters are large, well lit, and very easy to
read. By employing an easy to use scrolling and windowing design, the display is used efficiently, and
provides the user with many viewing options.
Status Line
The top line of the display is used for status feedback to the user.
Figure 1 – K45 Display Status Line

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Description of the elements contained in the status line as shown in Fig 1:
1) Decoded Rx Morse input speed in WPM
2) Receive Window selection indicator, active when receive window is viewed
3) Real time signal amplitude bar graph with overload indication. Used for CWR tuning
4) User number indicator (1 or 2)
5) Transmit hold (pause) status indicator (flashing H)
6) B=K45 Transmit Busy, P=Paddle Transmit active
7) Message wait indicator (flashing W)
8) Transmit Window selection indicator, active when transmit window is viewed.
9) Transmit speed in WPM
Flash Status indicators
Several important status indicators briefly overwrite the normal status to indicate status or mode changes.
The indicator will automatically clear, and normal status will return after a few seconds.
Some of these indicators are:
1) Parameter change by hot key
2) ESC has been pressed and the K45 is waiting for a command entry
3) BEG or END of a scrolled window
The three text lines below the status line are used mainly for receive and transmit character display but are
also used for many other functions.
CW Reader Module (CWR)
A very good CW reader function is built into the K45. Morse audio from a receiver is fed into the CWR which
then detects, decodes, and displays it on the LCD display. There are four CWR settings available to the user
to adjust gain, noise filtering, character spacing, and signal level thresholding. These settings can be
adjusted in the configuration menu or by special “hot” keys. The CWR is described further in the K45 Quick
Start section starting on page 33.
K45 Window Modes
There are two main display windows; a transmit window and a receive window. The transmit window shows
letters as they are entered on the keyboard to be transmitted. The receive window show letters as they are
received by and decoded by the CWR. The transmit display holds 16 lines (320 letters) and the receive
window holds 64 lines (1024 letters).
In both windows, once entry reaches the end of a line, the display is automatically scrolled up and the cursor
is moved to the left of a new line. An optional word wrap mode can be enabled to break the line at word
boundaries (this setting is in Configuration Menu #5) If word wrap has been enabled then an entire word will
be carried over to the new line. Enabling word wrap applies to both Rx and Tx windows.
It is easy to toggle between receive and transmit windows using the TAB key and it's easy to identify which
window is active. There are two arrows displayed on the status line. When the Rx window is displayed, a left
arrow will point to Rx WPM on the left side of the status line. When the transmit window is active a right
arrow will point to Tx WPM on the right side. Another clue is that only the transmit window has a visible
underline cursor marking the text insertion point. In general, the user monitors on the receive window and
switches over to the Tx window to enter text to send.
ASR (Automatic Send/Receive)
When ASR mode is active, the display is toggled to the transmit window automatically while typing and then
will return to the receive window after the text is sent. If the user selects the Tx window with the TAB key, the
display will lock on Tx until TAB is entered again.
Fast Tx View
It is common for the user to type ahead of the current transmit position or queue up a long message. Since
the Transmit window does not show transmit progress, Fast Tx View is provided to display a real time view
of what the K45 is transmitting. The user presses the Windows key (this key is usually located between the
CTL and ALT keys) and Tx view is activated. When the key is released, the display goes back to the
previous window. Fast Tx View is only available while viewing either the Rx or Tx windows and is ignored for
utility menus such as Configuration, Key mapping, Serial number setup, or during CW practice. To provide
maximum screen density, word wrap is disabled in fast view. Fast View only shows the last three transmitted
lines, back scrolling is not supported.

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Display Window Adjustment Keys
PGDN - Scroll Window Down
The current display window is scrolled down so that older text can be viewed. Even though the active text
insertion position may be out of view, the display is updated in the background so that incoming text is not
missed. BEG will be flashed on the status line when trying to scroll before the start of a window buffer.
PGUP - Scroll Window Up
The current display view is scrolled up so that newer text can be viewed. END will be flashed when trying to
scroll ahead of the text entry position.
HOME - Go to the beginning of the text window
This will display the oldest text in the buffer.
END - Go to end of text window
This will return the display the active entry point for new text.
LCD Backlight and Contrast Adjustment
Both the brightness and contrast of the LCD can be adjusted easily. Refer to Configuration Menu #5 on
page 30 for details.
Keyboard Commands
K45 operation is controlled by either ESC or Control commands. ESC commands are generally used to
open configuration menus while control commands result in an immediate action.
ESC Commands
The user first presses the ESC key, releases it, and then presses the desired command. ESC will be
displayed on the status line to let the user know that the K45 is waiting for a command entry. Most of these
commands bring up submenus to control various K45 functions.
ESC C – Configuration Mode
System configuration is divided into five menus, each with eight setting options. The user navigates the
menus using the left/right and up/down arrows. Moving extreme right or left will move to the next or previous
menu, wrapping from first to last and last to first. An underline cursor indicates the selected item. The
ENTER key opens that item up for editing and a submenu will show the current setting. The setting can then
be changed with the right/left arrows or by entering a new value on the keyboard.
Each menu item leads off with a number. 1:Tx WPM for example, entering the number 1 will directly open
the TX WPM entry. When finished with an entry, press either the enter key to save a new value or ESC to
abort which leaves the entry unchanged. Values are stored in on board EEPROM. This insures that the
current state is preserved when cycling power off and back on.
When the K45 is used without a keyboard, the rotary encoder is used to access configuration by first
pressing and holding the encoder button down until the configuration menu appears.
Please note that:
1) A quick encoder press and release will bring up the message launcher menu which can be
cancelled by re-pressing and holding the encoder button.
2) If the encoder is held after the configuration menu appears, K45 will go into low power sleep.
Once the configuration menu is up, the user can scroll through the various entries by turning the encoder.
Press the encoder quickly to open an entry for editing and then turn the encoder will modify an entry. When
finished, press the encoder to save the change and return to the main menu. To leave the main menu and
return to operational mode, press and hold the encoder button until the menu clears.
Configuration does not interrupt CWR input; incoming CWR text will continue to be added to the Rx display
window in the background.
A full list and description of all the configuration menus is presented in Appendix A starting on Page 25.

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ESC D – Dump Display Window(s)
The contents of either the Rx or Tx window can be sent over serial USB to a host PC for display or
archiving. When ESC D is pressed, the following menu is shown:
Display Dump Setup
1) Dump Rx Window
2) Dump Tx Window
3) Start CWR Stream
Figure 2 – Display Dump Setup Menu
1) Dump Rx Window: The contents of the CWR Rx window is sent to the host.
2) Dump Tx Window: The contents of the transmit window is sent to the host.
3) Start CWR Stream: A continuous stream of CWR Rx data is sent to the host.
A selection is made by pressing the desired function number. In other words press 1 to Dump Rx, 2 to Dump
Tx and 3 to Start/Stop a CWR stream. To leave the menu without any action, press the ESC key. If the K45
is not connected to a host over USB serial, an error message will display and the menu will be cancelled.
For selections 1 and 2, a message will be displayed while the transfer is happening and the menu will clear
after the entire window content is transferred.
Selection 3 is used to start and stop a continuous transfer of Morse text as it is decoded by the CWR. When
3 is pressed, the stream will start and the menu item will change to “Stop CWR Stream”. After a brief pause
the menu will clear and text will be sent as received. To stop the stream, bring up the Dump Display Window
and press 3. Note it is not possible to dump either the Rx or Tx window while the CWR stream is activated.
There are several terminal programs that run on a PC and receive data over a USB serial connection. The
text is displayed and can be saved to a file. A very popular one is TeraTerm and is freeware. The K45 serial
data settings are fixed at 19200 baud, 8 bit, with no parity.
ESC-E – Export GUI Toggle Command
The K45’s display and keyboard input can be exported to a PC over the K45’s host USB port. A PC
application, K45gui.exe, supplied by K1EL communicates with the K45 for this purpose. Before connecting
the K45 to a PC’s USB port, a USB driver must be installed, refer to appendix D on page 38.
ESC-H – ESC Help Menu
This brings up a brief list of the ESC commands. Each description is intended to be just enough to jog a
user's memory. Use the up/down arrows to scroll through all of the selections in the menu.
If a command letter is entered, that command will run. For example, enter the letter C to directly activate the
Configuration menu. Otherwise press ESC to cancel the help menu. HOME and END move to the first and
last lines while the left and right arrows toggle back and forth between the Control and ESC help menus.
<<< ESC Commands >>>
C Set Configuration
D Setup Display Dump
H ESC Command Help
Figure 3 – Escape Command Help Menu

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ESC K - Key mapping Menu
The mapping of K45 keyboard keys to Morse characters can be customized. This feature is primarily used to
support international character sets.
=== Key Mapping ====
( key maps to KN
123
Figure 4 – Key Mapping Menu
As shown in figure 4, there are three data entry points:
1) The character you wish to edit.
2) The character you wish to map it to.
3) Optional 2nd letter of a prosign.
When the menu is first shown, the cursor will be at position 1. Enter the key to map here. When a key is
entered, the Morse letter it currently maps to is shown at position 2. To change the mapping, use the right
arrow key to move the cursor to position 2 and enter a new letter. Position 3 is optional, sometimes the
target Morse letter can only be represented as a combination of two existing letters, this is commonly known
as a prosign. To create a prosign, simply enter the letter pair at positions 2 and 3. Otherwise just enter a
space in position 3. To continue with a new mapping move the cursor back to position 1 and enter a new key
to map. When finished, ENTER will save the mapping(s) to EEPROM or ESC will cancel the mapping and
revert to the pre-existing mappings. Following the above example, after saving the mapping, the prosign KN
(dah-di-dah-dah-dit) will be sent when the ( key is pressed.
The K45 follows International Morse convention and defines punctuation as shown in the following prosign
table. These are predefined by default in the key mapping table. Any of these can be changed simply by
remapping them as described above.
= is mapped to BT / is mapped to DN
< is mapped to AR > is mapped to SK
; is mapped to KR @ is mapped to AC
! is mapped to CM $ is mapped to VU
( is mapped to KN ) is mapped to KK
“ is mapped to AF - is mapped to DU
‘ is mapped to WG _ is mapped to UK
: is mapped to OS + is mapped to AR
# is mapped to HH & is mapped to AS
* is mapped to MM ^ is mapped to MN
Table 1 – Punctuation to Prosigns Defaults
Several keys are fixed to Q codes, it is not possible to re map these keys:
Shift-[ is mapped to QRZ { is mapped to QRV
Shift-] is mapped to QSL } is mapped to QSY
ESC-L - Clear both display windows
The contents of the receive buffer and transmit buffer will be cleared when this command is entered.
ESC-M - Message Launcher Menu
Since the F1 to F12 message keys are not very descriptive, it's easy to forget which key a message is linked
to. Message Launcher provides immediate hints for all the message keys in one easy to access menu.
When a message is loaded, an eight-letter hint (tag), is entered for each message. Message Launcher
formats the message keys and tags together to remind you where the messages are and then allows you to
quickly launch a message of choice by entering a single numeric keystroke.

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1:CQX1 2:RST
3:NAME 4:QTH
5:73 6:PSE RPT
7:RIG 8:ANT
Figure 5 – Message Launcher Menu Example
Since only eight messages are shown per screen, the up/down arrows are used to view F9, F10, F11, and
F12. If a keyboard is not connected, Message Launcher can be opened with a quick press of the encoder
button. A cursor is displayed which can be moved by turning the encoder. Once the desired message is
selected, press the encoder to start it. The K45 will remember the last selected message so that the next
time the menu is brought up, the cursor will be placed there. If the Message Launcher is accessed by
mistake, simply press, and hold the encoder button to cancel the launcher.
Using figure 5 as an example, simply press 3 to start the NAME message. After the message is selected,
the message launcher will clear automatically. To cancel the menu, just press ESC.
ESC-O – Start Low Power Standby
When the K45 is not going to be used for a while, it can be placed into low power standby mode. The K45
will not be completely powered off so it can be brought back to normal by turning the encoder two clicks.
Power is reduced about 60% when in low power standby, backlight is turned off, and “Standby” is displayed.
Low power standby can also be started by pressing and holding the encoder button for about 8 seconds.
ESC-P - Practice Mode
There is an extensive set of Morse practice tools built into the K45. Random Letter Groups, Echo Sending,
and QSO simulation are included. A separate section devoted to Practice Modes starts on Page 15.
ESC-R – RTTY Setup Menu
The K45 can be configured to operate in RTTY transmit mode. The format is fixed to Baudot FSK with many
options. A separate section on RTTY configuration and operation starts on Page 17.
ESC S - Serial Number Setup Menu
The K45 provides a means to send an incrementing serial number either from the keyboard or as part of a
message. This menu provides a means to control the way a serial number is sent. Cuts are letters that will
be substituted when serial numbers are sent, this reduces transmit time. As illustrated in Fig 6, the most
common mappings are T for 0 and N for 9 since they take the longest to send. It's the user's choice as to
how far to go with this, usually only one or two numbers are set up as cuts. It’s optional and perfectly fine to
not use cuts at all. Also included in this menu is leading zero suppression control. This can be turned on and
off by hitting the space bar. One or no leading zeroes will be sent as specified by the LZ entry. The serial
number can be preset to a specific starting value in Configuration Menu #5 (see page 30)
= S/N Cuts & LZero =
0:T 1:1 2:2 3:3
4:4 5:5 6:6 7:
7
8:8 9:N LZ = OFF
Figure 6 – Serial Number Format Menu (LZ is changed by space bar press)
ESC-U - Firmware Upgrade Menu
The K45 PIC processor, the WK3 IC, and the CWR’s PSoC can all be upgraded in the field. Appendix C
starting on page 35 is devoted to the firmware upgrade procedures. Please don't experiment with these
commands, you could accidentally brick the K45 if you don't follow the update procedures correctly. (Brick
means put the K45 into an inoperative state). Before connecting the K45 to a PC’s USB port, a USB
driver must be installed, refer to appendix D on page 38.
ESC-W - Start WinKeyer Mode
The K45 has the latest WinKeyer3 IC on-board, and this can be accessed and controlled by a host

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application running on a PC. When ESC-W is entered, the K45 operating system will be temporarily
disabled, and the host USB port will be directly connected to the WK3 IC. The K45 will then operate exactly
like a WKUSB or WKmini would in host mode.
Before connecting the K45 to a PC’s USB port, a CH340 USB driver must be installed, refer to
appendix D on page 38.
In WinKeyer mode, the rotary encoder will function in a similar way to a normal WKUSB speed pot without
physical end stops like there are on a potentiometer. The host application’s speed pot min and max settings
determine what the end stops will be.
Just like WKUSB, the K45 will appear as a serial com port to a host application. Here are the steps to follow
to run K45 from a host application.
1) K45 must first be plugged into one of the PC’s USB ports.
2) Enter ESC-W on the K45 to start WinKeyer Mode.
3) Determine the USB com port using Device Manager or WKscan on the PC.
4) The USB com port address is then entered into the application’s WinKeyer setup dialog box.
5) When WinKeyer mode is started on the K45, a Port Closed status is displayed. This status will
change to Port Opened when a host application is started and it connected to the K45.
6) When the application is shut down it disconnects from the K45 and the status message changes
back again to Port Closed.
Some things to know about K45 WinKeyer mode
1) Unlike WKUSB, the K45 does not have any message pushbuttons.
2) There is no WKUSB standalone mode, please don’t modify settings with WK3tools.
3) Upon entering WinKeyer mode, the K45’s keyboard (if attached) is disabled and not used.
4) Like WKmini, the K45 provides two keying ports without PTT or one port with PTT.
5) The K45 encoder emulates a WKUSB speed pot as close as possible. It generates one WPM
change per click. If you turn the pot extremely fast, the K45 may miss a step.
6) The K45 must be in WinKeyer mode before a USB comport will show up on the PC.
7) A Host Not Found Error is displayed if WinKeyer mode is started without an active PC host.
To exit WinKeyer mode, close the host application and then press the encoder pushbutton. This will return
control of the WK3-IC to the K45 controller and the K45 operating system will restart
Control Commands
To issue these commands, the user holds the CTL key down while pressing the specified key. Even though
the commands are shown in caps, the shift key does not need to be pressed. (Note: CTL-n = ^n)
CTL-B – Send 73 String
73 73 DE MYCALL SK will be inserted into the transmit stream. MYCALL is the contents of slot F11
CTL-C – Start Fast Callsign Capture
A callsign can be captured and saved while it is being sent on the paddles or by keyboard. A detailed
description of this function can be found on page 11 (Fast Callsign Capture Feature).
CTL-D - Decrement Key Weighting
CTL-I - Increment Key Weighting
^D will decrease weighting by one percent and the ^I will increase weighting by one percent. There are hard
stops at 25% min and 75% max. Value changes are flashed on the status line, W:55 for example, and
automatically updated in the User’s configuration.
CTL-E- Send Error Dits
Eight dits will be sent to signify an operator error. This a buffered command causing a # character to be
placed in the transmit buffer. Instead of ^E, the user can enter the # directly.
CTL-H – Show Control Command Help Menu
This brings up a brief list of the Control commands. Each description is intended to be just enough to jog a
user's memory. Use the up/down arrows to view all the selections the menu. If the command letter is

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entered, it will be run directly. Otherwise press ESC to cancel the menu. HOME and END move to the first
and last lines while left and right arrows toggle back and forth between the Control and ESC help menus.
<<< CTL Commands >>>
^C Catch Callsign
^D Decrease Weight
^E Send 8 error dits
Figure 7 – Control Command Help Menu
CTL-L Clear currently displayed text window, either Rx or Tx
Only the window in view is cleared. If the transmit window is in view and actively sending text, transmission
will stop immediately. Use ^L to clear both windows at once.
CTL-M - Match Tx speed to CWR Rx speed
A user usually wants to respond to someone they are copying via the CWR at the same WPM speed. When
^M is entered, the transmit speed is immediately changed to the current CWR Rx speed.
CTL-N - Play Serial Number
Use this command to insert the serial number into the text stream. If there is text in the buffer ahead of the
command, that text will be sent before the serial number. The serial number is automatically incremented
after sending it. For information about inserting a serial number into a message see \N in the buffered
command section on page 12. The right and left arrows directly adjust the serial number up or down.
CTL-Q – Send CQ String
CQ CQ DE MYCALL MYCALL will be inserted into the transmit stream. MYCALL is the contents of slot F11
CTL-R – Send RST Shortcut
The RST string 5NN will be inserted into the transmit stream when ^R is pressed
CTL-T - Tune
^T places the K45 in tune mode which forces a constant key down condition. Sidetone (if enabled) is turned
on and the configured output is turned on as well. The user has the option of selecting 50% duty cycle by
way of an entry in Configuration Menu #2. Tune remains on until the user presses space, ^T, the paddle is
pressed, or the 10 second tune watchdog timer expires. If in Key1 & PTT mode, both the KEY and PTT
outputs are turned on. Only one output is turned on in Key1 or Key2 modes. The CWR is muted while Tune
is activated. BW will be displayed on the status line to indicate tune is in effect.
CTL-U - Change User
As mentioned previously, multiple user setups are supported. The current firmware supports two users. The
user is toggled between 1 and 2 every time ^U is pressed. When the user is changed a brief message is
flashed on the status line while the current configuration is changed. Each user has customized settings and
message list.
CTL-X – Insert Exchange Message
The message WRKCALL DE MYCALL will be inserted into the transmitted stream. Like ^B, ^Q and ^R; ^X
is treated like a buffered command and will be sent after any text already in the transmit queue is sent.
MYCALL resides in slot F11 and WRKCALL resides in slot F12. WRKCALL can be entered using FAST
Callsign Capture as described on page 11. The ENTER key can be used as an alternative to ^X.
CTL-Y – Toggle Backlight On/Off
The display’s backlight will be toggled on and off every time ^Y is pressed.
CTL-Z – Reset CWR Settings to Defaults
A fast way to reset the CWR settings to baseline
INS - Pause Transmit (Insert Key)
This key is pressed when the user wants to temporarily stop transmitting. Whether the K45 is sending a
message or using the type-ahead buffer, transmit is immediately stopped and held until the user presses
INS (insert) again. A flashing Hwill be displayed on the status line while transmit is held. If the user enters
DEL or text on the paddle, pause will be cancelled and any text that had been held will be cancelled.

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DEL - Cancel Transmit Buffer (Delete Key)
When the Delete key is pressed, transmit is immediately stopped and the remaining buffered data is deleted.
For example, if the user accidentally starts a message but wants to cancel it, the Delete key should be
pressed. The user can also cancel an active buffer by quickly pressing and releasing the paddle.
Other Key Commands
Right & Left Arrow Keys – Increment or Decrement the Serial Number
Since the serial number is automatically incremented when it is sent, the user needs a way to control
incrementing and decrementing in a contest situation. Often a serial number is not confirmed and needs to
be repeated so the user would need to decrement the serial number before resending it. In a similar case,
the user may enter a serial number by paddle or keyboard bypassing the automatic serial number generator.
For these reasons, an easy, manual way to modify the serial number is necessary.
Up and Down Arrow Keys - Change Transmit Speed Shortcut
The UP key increases the speed by one WPM and the DOWN key decreases speed by one WPM. Value
changes are automatically updated in the User’s configuration settings and status line.
CTL-Left & CTL-Right - CWR Audio Gain Adjustment
While copying a station, it is essential to be able to adjust the CWR gain to bring up a weak station or
attenuate a strong station. Hold the Control key down and press the left and right arrows to cycle through ten
gain levels. As the gain is being modified, new values will be flashed on the status line as CG:n where n is a
value between 0 and 9. Changes are automatically stored in configuration memory for the current user.
Generally, the best gain setting provides a wide swing in detected amplitude without over-driving. A plus
sign (+) in the signal amplitude bar graph indicates overdrive and should be avoided. For best results, adjust
the gain so that the loudest signal barely lights the right most LCD bar. The default gain setting is 4.
ALT-Left & ALT-Right - CWR Noise Filter Adjustment
Hold the ALT key down and press the Left and Right arrows to cycle through ten filter levels. As the filter is
being modified, new values will be flashed on the status line as CF:n where n is a value between 0 and 9.
Changes are automatically stored in nonvolatile configuration memory for the current user. The noise filter
dictates how the CWR will respond to short impulses of a specified width. Larger filter values decrease the
response time of the filter and can reduce the maximum received WPM speed. The default noise filter
setting is 4.
CTL-Up & CTL-Down - CWR Threshold Adjustment
The level of background noise can vary from day to day and even hour to hour. The CWR's noise threshold
can be easily adjusted to compensate. If the band is very noisy, the threshold should be raised to prevent
false letter detection. (This reduces the random display of E's, T's, and I's). When the band is very quiet you
can lower the threshold to allow better weak signal detection. This isn't without limitations. Raising the
threshold too high can cause signals near the noise floor to be ignored. However, a higher threshold will
allow strong signals to be decoded well in noisy conditions. New values will be flashed on the status line as
CT:n where n is a value between 0 and 9. Changes are automatically stored in nonvolatile configuration
memory for the current user.
ALT-Up & ALT-Down - CWR Spacing Adjustment
This helps compensate for CW operators that use incorrect spacing between letters which can cause CWR
decoding errors. There are ten settings which are adjusted by holding the ALT key down while pressing the
up and down arrows. Zero indicates normal spacing. Selecting a value less than zero will tighten spacing.
This helps with: U R R S T I S. Spacing adjustment greater than zero will spread letters out. This helps with:
URRSTIS5NN. As the value is changed, it is flashed on the status line as CS+n or CS:-n where n is the
adjustment setting. This feature has its limits, you will encounter operators who choose to use very large,
very small, or inconsistent letter spacing which the K45 will not be able to correct.

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K45 Programmable Messages
There are 12 programmable message slots per user, each slot can hold up to 120 characters. For very long
messages, multiple messages can be chained together. Messages are assigned to the function keys F1
through F12. Pressing one of these keys will play the message. Messages can be stacked, in other words,
if you press F2 three times in a row, the message in F2 will be played three times. You can even stack
different messages on top of each other, for example: F2 F2 F3 F1. The K45 allows up to 8 stacked
messages, if more than that are added, the last one entered is retained.
Editing messages
Hold the shift key down while pressing a Function key (F1-F12) and that message and tag will be read in for
editing. The user edits the message in the familiar way using the Up/Down/Left/Right, Home, End,
backspace, and delete keys. In addition, Shift-Left and Shift-Right move the cursor by word, Shift-Home
moves to the beginning of a line, and Shift-End move to the end of a line. To quickly clear either an entire
message or tag, use ^L (CTL-L).
EDIT F1: CQX3
CQ CQ CQ DE WA1XYZ
WA1XYZ WA1XYZ K_
Figure 8 – Message Editor Example
There are six 20 letter lines allocated for each message for a total of 120 characters. Since only three lines
are displayed at a time, use the up/down arrow keys to view them all. Word wrap is not enabled in the
message editor, this provides the most efficient use of limited display real estate.
Message Tag
The top line of the message edit window shows the current message tag. A tag is an eight-character
identifier that is shown in the Message Launch Menu (ESC-M). For F1 to F10, the initial tag is TAGn where
n is the message number. The initial tags for F11 and F12 are MYCALL and WRKCALL. Any of these tags
can be changed if desired. The most common use of F11 and F12 are with the automatic exchange
generator but they can be used just like any other slot. (see ^X (CTL X) command on pg. 9)
When the cursor is moved up to the top line, the cursor will snap to the tag for editing. Use ^L (CTL-L) to
delete the current tag or move the cursor to the end of the tag and backspace left to delete letter by letter.
Use the down arrow to leave the tag and get back to the message. When message editing is completed, use
ENTER to save the new message or ESC to cancel the edits and revert to the original message and tag.
Fast Callsign Capture Feature
The K45 can store a callsign as it is entered on the paddles or keyboard. Press either ^C (or the star key in
NumPad mode) and CLL will be displayed on the status line. Enter the callsign on the paddles and after a
pause of one wordspace, it will be stored in message slot F12. When using a keyboard, enter a space after
the callsign to store it. Note that the callsign is saved as it is being transmitted. So when calling someone,
first press ^C, enter the callsign, and then continue on. Their callsign will be held in F12. If the user’s callsign
is loaded into message slot F11, a full exchange will be sent when either ^X or ENTER is pressed. For
example, if F11 is loaded with K1EL and WA1ABC had been captured into F12, ^X will send the string
WA1ABC DE K1EL. Because F11 and F12 are normal message slots, they can be sent individually by
pressing F11 or F12. The default tag is MYCALL for F11 and WRKCALL for F12 but these can be modified
in the message editor. To cancel callsign capture, either press ^C again or ESC.
Buffered message commands
A simple set of commands can be used to compose complex CW messages. A command is a letter
preceded by the \ (backward slash). Commands are inserted into a message to perform various functions.
For example, a speed change is implemented like this:
\S05SLOW TEXT \S30FAST TEXT\R will send SLOW TEXT at 5 WPM and FAST TEXT at 30 WPM

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Or a key down as used for testing:
TEST \K10 DE K1EL will send TEST followed by a 10 second key down followed by DE K1EL
When editing a message, a list of buffered commands can be displayed by entering \?. Scroll through the list
using the up and down arrows. When a command is found, enter the command letter and it will be added to
the message. This is a fast way to find a buffered command hint and its formatting. To cancel the help
menu, press ESC and the command delimiter \is removed. Some commands, like \Wnn require a two digit
parameter. Don’t forget to enter the parameters or the command to be ignored.
< Buffered Commands >
\D Decrement S/N
\Hn Set HSCW Speed
\I Increment S/N
Figure 9 – Buffered Command List Menu, use Up/Down to view them all
List of Buffered Commands
Jump to message (Buffered)
\Jn where n is a number 1-9 or letter A,B,C. F1-F9 would be \1 to \9, F10 is \A, F11 is \B, and F12 is \C.
Here are two simple examples:
Load Slot F1 with: CQ CQ \J3
Load Slot F2 with: QRZ QRZ \J3
Load Slot F3 with: DE K1EL K
Message F1 will be sent as: CQ CQ DE K1EL K
Message F2 will be sent as: QRZ QRZ DE K1EL K
Jump can be used to make a message loop:
Load Slot F10 with: CQ CQ CQ DE K1EL K1EL K1EL \JA
After sending CQ CQ CQ DE K1EL K1EL K1EL we loop back to the beginning and send it again. This will
repeat forever until either paddle or DEL key is pressed. When composing a message like this, be sure to
put a space or delay at the end, otherwise the first letter will be sent after the last with no word space.
Call a message (Buffered)
\ Cn where n is a number 1-9 or letter A,B,C. F1-F9 would be \1 to \9, F10 is \A, F11 is \B, and F12 is \C.
The call command will jump to the specified message, send that message, and after the message completes
the stream will return to where it was called from. It is more flexible than a jump to message. An example of
this command is:
Load slot F1 with: \C \C DE \B \B BTU OM KN
Load Slot F11 with: K1EL
Load slot F12 with: WA1ABC
Message F1 will play as: WA1ABC WA1ABC DE K1EL K1EL BTU OM KN
This illustrates a powerful feature; you can build up a message that contains other messages. Messages
can be reused by substituting different callsigns in F11 and F12. By using F11 and F12 this way, the built in
exchange feature (^X or ENTER) can be used as well (see “CTL-X - Insert Exchange Message” on page 9).
Decrement Serial Number (Buffered)
\D - The five-digit serial number is decremented. If equal to 00000 it is not decremented.

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Increment Serial Number (Buffered)
\I - The five-digit serial number is incremented. If equal to 99999 it is not incremented.
Reset Speed (Buffered)
\R – This will cancel a \S, \H, or \Q command and return to the current default WPM speed.
Set an HSCW Speed (Buffered)
\H<n> n=1 to 6 where n is a number representing the lpm rate divided by 1000.
For example, \H2 selects 2000 lpm and \H4 selects 4000 lpm. Commonly used rates are 1000, 2000, 4000
and 6000 lpm in the USA and 1000, 3000, 4000 lpm in Europe.
HSCW is mostly used for working stations via Meteor Scatter propagation. Short bursts of characters are
sent repetitively at high speeds for a predetermined period. The receiving station listens and records the
sporadically received bursts and plays them back at a slow speed to decipher the Morse message.
NOTE!!: Remember to put a reset speed command /R at the end of a message to restore normal CW
operation when the message is completed.
HSCW Operation Hints: You must enable PTT for this function to work properly. Common practice is to key
the transmitter with PTT and feed keyed audio tones into the microphone input. You can use the K45
sidetone output directly as a tone source as this is a keyed 2000 Hz tone in HSCW mode. Alternatively, you
can use the K45 key output to key an external tone generator. (note need to look at the outputs, PTT is
dropping between chars)
See http://www.nitehawk.com/rasmit/ for more information about HSCW
/H1 K1EL BCON \R (K1EL BCON sent at 1000 lpm followed by WPM reset)
Although it’s possible to send HSCW directly from the keyboard by entering the /Hn command before a
string, the most efficient use of HSCW is to format a specific HSCW message.
Key down for nn seconds (Buffered)
\K<nn> - The transmitter will be held in key down state until either the timer expires or DEL is entered. Two
digits must be entered, as in 06 for 6 seconds. Maximum key down time is 99 seconds
Example: ON \K05 OFF a 5 second key down will be inserted between ON and OFF.
Merge Two Letters into a Prosign (Buffered)
\M <C1><C2> - You can build "on the fly" prosigns with this command. Just enter \M followed by two letters
or numbers and they will be merged: \MAR is sent as AR. If this command is entered on the keyboard,
nothing will be sent until both letters have been entered.
Send Serial Number (Buffered)
\N - The current five-digit serial number is sent in Morse. If LZ is on (Serial number menu ESC S) all leading
zeroes are suppressed so 00407 would be sent as 407. The serial number menu is also be used to map a
number to a cut substitution. If T is mapped to zero, 4T7 would be sent.
Change Output Port (Buffered)
\O<n> – (1 or 2) Select the output port to transmit on. This command will only work when PTT is not
enabled. In other words, select either Key1 or Key 2 in Configuration Menu #2:OutPort.
Pause Output (Buffered)
<string> \P<string>
K45 message transmission will be paused to allow the user to insert something and then continue. The
response can be by keyboard or paddle. If by keyboard, the user must press ENTER to signal the end of the
string. If by paddle the K45 will continue automatically after paddle entry stops for one wordspace time. The
DEL key can be pressed to cancel the pause. Here is an example usage of this command :
UR RST IS \P= NAME HR IS STEVE
After playing UR RST IS, the K45 will pause to allow an RST report to be sent manually and then continue
with the rest of the message. If using the keyboard, be sure to press ENTER to continue or DEL to cancel
because the K45 will hang until that happens. Be sure not to put a space after the ^P command as this can

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cause the second half of the message to be skipped in some cases.
Set a QRSS Speed (Buffered)
\Q<n> - Where n is a single digit number 1-4 representing the QRSS rate.
1=QRSS3: 3 second dits 2=QRSS6: 6second dits
3=QRSS30: 30 second dits 4=QRSS60: 60 second dits
For example, \Q1 selects QRSS3 or 3 second dits and \Q4 selects 60 second dits.
NOTE!!: Remember to put a Reset speed \R command at the end of a message that contains a QRSS
command to restore normal CW operation when the message is completed.
/S20/Q1 KEL /RK1EL BCON (Sends KEL at .4 wpm followed by K1EL BCON at 20 WPM)
Although it’s possible to send QRSS directly from the keyboard by entering the /Qn command before a
string, the most efficient use of QRSS is to format a specific QRSS message.
Change Transmit Speed in WPM (Buffered)
\S<nn> - Change Speed to nn WPM (nn = 05 to 99) two digits must be entered as in 08 for 8 WPM
Here is a message with multiple speed changes:
\S25 CQ CQ DE \S15K1EL K1EL will send CQ CQ DE at 25 WPM and K1EL K1EL at 15 WPM
Insert a delay (Buffered)
\W<nn> - Wait for nn Seconds (nn = 01 to 99) two digits must be entered as in 05 for 5 seconds
Here is a simple looping message beacon using key down and wait::
VVV \K05 DE K1EL \W60 \J1
Three V's, a 5 second key down, DE K1EL, with a wait of 60 seconds will repeat until cancelled with DEL or
paddle press. Note the placement of spaces around the key down to separate it from the adjacent text.
Delays longer than 99 seconds can be specified by using the WM<nn> variation which will pause for nn
minutes. The maximum wait time allowed is 20 minutes.
Easy Beacon with exact timing (Buffered)
\Z<nn><str> - str will be sent at the beacon rate designated by nn in seconds. The time between beacons is
set by the value nn and is independent of the time it takes to send str. A \J command is not needed at the
end of the message. Two digits must be entered, as in 06 for 6 seconds. DEL or paddle press cancels.
A disadvantage of formatting a repeating beacon with /W and /J commands is that the time it takes to send
the string is added to the wait time. It takes a lot of trial and error to get an exact beacon interval.
Easy beacon doesn’t include the string time, it will repeat at whatever time you enter in the command. The
exception is that if the If the string time is longer than the beacon time, there will be no pause.
Beacon delays longer than 99 seconds can be set by using the ZM<nn> variation of this command:
ZM<nn> Sets the beacon time to nn minutes. The maximum time allowed is 20 minutes.
Message Key Display
Message function keys are displayed on the LCD display in buffered command format. In other words,
pressing F1 will insert \1 into the transmit buffer. The expanded message can be viewed in the Fast Tx View
window by pressing the Windows key.
More Message Examples:
Send a string with an incrementing value, assuming serial number has been preset to 100):
Load F5 with: COUNT IS \N, \W05\J5
A QRSS beacon message:
Load F3 with: \Q2\K05 EL FN43 \J3
Beacon using two key outputs, 5 second pause between each radio transmit:
Load F1 with \O1 Radio 1 \W05 \02 Radio 2 \W05 \J1

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Morse Practice Module
The K45 has three practice modes that are very effective in helping a user improve their Morse skills.
Practice Menu
Press ESC followed by Pto open the practice menu which is the starting point for all three practice modes.
There are six options that configure practice operation. Navigate with the up and down arrows and change
entries with the left and right arrows.
===Practice Setup===
Rcv Mode Level 1
15 WPM TxOut On
Show CW Tone On
1 4
2
3
5
6
Figure 10 – Practice Setup Menu
1) Practice mode selection – There are three modes:
Rcv Mode repeatedly sends random 5 letter groups
Echo Mode sends groups of letters which the user echoes back to the K45 by paddle or keyboard
QSO Mode which is a very basic, on air, QSO exchange simulator with a contest option
2) Set initial Practice operating speed in WPM. After starting a session, speed can be adjusted either
by the rotary control or up and down arrows.
3) Show/Hide CW – Text sent during a practice session can be displayed if desired. When first
learning Morse, it can be helpful to see letters as they are transmitted. As the user improves, it is
more helpful to hide them. Even if the output display is turned off the user can override this by
pressing the TAB key to view the transmit window.
4) Level – There are five levels of difficulty in Rcv and Echo mode starting with the easiest letters such
as E T A N and proceeding up to the full range of letters, numbers, and letters. The levels are
shown in Table 2. Keyboard reply in Echo mode will be <for AR, >for SK, =for BT, and &for AS.
When QSO practice is selected, this option changes to Contest Mode On/Off.
5) TX Out (On/Off) – Transmit output can be disabled during a practice session. This is a good idea to
prevent broadcasting if the K45 is connected to a transmitter. Alternatively, the user may want to
enable transmit for the purpose of keying an external code practice oscillator (see item 6).
6) Tone On/Off – This controls the K45’s internal sidetone speaker which should be turned off when
using an external code practice oscillator.
Rx and Echo Practice Levels
Level 1: E T A N I M
Level 2: W S G D U K O R (including level 1)
Level 3: C Q P J F B V Y H X Z L (including level 1 & 2)
Level 4: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 (including level 1 & 2 & 3)
Level 5: ? / , . AR SK BT AS (including level 1 & 2 & 3 & 4)
Table 2 – Practice Levels
The K45 will remember the last entered practice settings and will reload them when re-starting.
After everything is set up, the next step is to press ENTER and the practice session will start. While
underway, the user can change the WPM speed with the Up/Down arrow keys or by turning the encoder.
The INSERT key will pause practice and the ESC key (or PB press) will end practice. In modes where the
user is entering text by paddle, the reserved code di-dah-di-di-dit (AS) is pause . To review a session, press
INSERT to pause and then use the PGDN and PGUP keys to scroll the lines of text. Press INSERT again
and the display will automatically go back to where the session left off and practice will resume.

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Receive Practice Mode
Figure 11 – Receive Practice Display
Random five letter groups are sent continuously until the user either pauses or ends the session. The
content of the groups is governed by the level set in the Practice Setup Menu. Test progress by hiding Tx
and then copying some number of lines. When done, press INSERT, TAB, and then PGDN to go back and
review what was sent and compare to what was copied. Resume by simply pressing INSERT.
Echo Practice Mode
Figure 12 – Echo Practice Display
The K45 sends a list of letters from the selected level and the user must repeat them accurately either by
keyboard or paddle. Each trial starts with a single letter and progresses to a group of five letters by adding
one letter at a time. If the user successfully echoes all five strings, the K45 will send AR and then start with a
new group. If the user fails, the K45 will send eight dits and repeat that group until the user gets them all
correct. INSERT, TAB, PGDN and PGUP are very useful here just as they were for Rx practice.
QSO Practice
_QSO_PRACTICE__15WPM
CQ CQ DE K5RF K K5RF
DE K1EL K K1EL DE K5
RF UR RST 5NN_
Figure 13 – QSO Practice Display
A basic interactive QSO experience is presented to the user. The K45 starts off with a CQ which the user
responds to. Exchanges will continue back and forth simulating an actual on air QSO.
Callsigns, names, locations, etc. are fictitious and generated at random. The K45 is very unforgiving when it
comes to letter and word spacing. If words or letters are run together, they will be ignored, and progress will
be very slow. The user can choose to use the keyboard or paddles to respond. When using the keyboard,
be sure to put a space after the K, KN, SK, or BK at the end of an exchange. This will help the K45 will
detect the ending quickly. If this is not done, the K45 will still respond but only after a somewhat long timeout
delay. A full response to the initial CQ is expected and must include the calling station’s callsign followed
by DE and your callsign. If you don’t get this right the K45 will respond with a QRZ.
For example, in response to CQ DE W1XYZ K, I would reply W1XYZ DE K1EL K<space>
After the initial exchange, The K45 will respond to BK if you don’t care to enter a full exchange on every go
‘round. To end a QSO early respond with either 73 or QRT and that will speed things along; TIME TO QRT
or WILL SAY 73 works nicely. The session can be paused with the INSERT key or aborted by the ESC key.
To review a session, press INSERT to pause and then use the PGUP and PGDN keys to scroll around the
text. When the INSERT key is pressed a second time, the K45 will resume where the session left off.
Depending on the timing of the pause, the K45 may ignore or repeat the last exchange.

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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 which will be answered: W4RTY
User responds: W4RTY 5NN NH the calling station answers: 5NN GA
User responds: TU K1EL a new station responds: K3NB
User responds: K3NB 5NN NH the new station answers: 5NN MO
User responds: TU K1EL a new station responds: WA5DDC
This continues until the user makes a mistake, the session is paused, or the session is cancelled.
GO! QSO COUNT:27
TEST K1EL W4RTY W4RTY
5NN NH 5NN GA TU K1EL
K3NB K3NB 5NN NH 5NN MO
Figure 14 – QSO Contest Drill Display
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]

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RTTY 1 IDLE
[CQ CQ CQ DE K1EL K1EL
K1EL PSE K][W8RTY W8RTY
DE K1EL K1EL K]
Figure 15 – RTTY Operational Display
Using delimiters ensures that the transmitter is keyed and stable before starting FSK, an additional lead in
delay time is usually required. Also, to prevent character chopping when transmit is turned off a tail delay is
also usually required. PTT is asserted on the leading [and held till the trailing ]. Any text keyed outside the
brackets will be ignored. For typeahead press INSERT before entering the delimited string and when ready
to send, press INSERT again. After sending has started, the forward slash character /will clear the transmit
buffer and RTTY transmission will stop immediately. The right brace }will force a CRLF sequence: CR CR
LF LTRS. (The ENTER key will also generate a CR LF).The left brace {will initiate an RYRYRY test pattern
that runs for a line of 45 characters and the stops. All ASCII characters which map to Baudot characters are
accepted and printed. The only non-printing Baudot characters acted on are the brackets [ ], slash \, left
brace {, and right brace }. Commands relating to Morse are ignored. Those acted upon are shown below:
1) Tuning command ^T 2) Transmit Pause (INSERT)
3) Clear Tx buffer (DEL) 4) Set PTT Lead/Tail
CRLF handling
A carriage return/line feed ends a current line and starts a new one. This can be handled in one of two ways:
1) A CRLF can be inserted manually using either the ENTER or }keys.
2) Automatic CRLF, when enabled, will insert CR LF when the line length exceeds 45 characters.
RYRYRY Test
The K45 will send a long RYRYRY string automatically in response to a {character. It will automatically
send CRLF at the start of the test string.
RTTY Setup
The RTTY Setup Menu is initiated by ESC-R. Two menus are accessed using the Up and Down arrows.
Figure 16 – RTTY Setup Menu 1
RTTY On/Off
When RTTY is on, K45 will only transmit RTTY Baudot as configured in the menus presented here. Morse
function, including sidetone is disabled. Changes made to Morse related configuration will be recorded but
not utilized until RTTY is turned off which will re-enable Morse. CW paddles are ignored when RTTY is on.
FSK Assignment
FSK output can be mapped to either the K45’s Key output or the PTT output. The default, FSK=PTT, sets
the PTT output to be FSK and the KEY output to transmitter key. This is the way most transceivers with a
separate FSK work and allows a user to run CW or RTTY without changing cables. When FSK=Key, the
output is flipped, KEY output is FSK and PTT keys the transmitter. Lead-in and tail delay is applied the same
way no matter which way FSKMAP is set. The most common setup on radios today is to allocate both FSK
and key to an AUX connector. In either case a special cable is required that splits the 1/8” stereo output into
separate Key and FSK leads.

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GND KEY
FSK
GND FSK
KEY
FSK=PTT FSK=KEY
Figure 17 – RTTY Output Port Assignments
USOS (Transmit UOS) On/Off
To improve transmit integrity at the expense of extra FIGS characters, USOS mode will send two FIGs
characters whenever a figures character follows a space. This reinforces the operation of UOS at the
receiver which forces a letters transition after every space.
Reverse/Normal
This controls the sense of the FSK output. In normal mode (Not Reverse), Mark is signaled when the FSK
output is OFF, and Space is signaled when the FSK output is ON. In reverse mode FSK if on during Mark.
AUTO LF/CR On/Off
When Auto CRLF is on, the K45 counts the printable characters in a line and after 45 characters, an
automatic CR/LF sequence will be inserted after the next space. The character counter is reset after CR/LF.
This is a very valuable feature for conversational RTTY. The operator can type away and not have to worry
about running over at the end of a line.
Figure 18 – RTTY Setup Menu 2
Baud Rate
The K45 supports three operational speeds, 45.45 (60 WPM) 50 (66 WPM) and 75 Baud (100 WPM)
STOP Bit Control
There are two possible settings, 1.5 or 2.0 stop bits. This essentially sets the delay between letters sent in
Baudot mode.
Diddle Control
If Diddle is enabled, a constant stream of LTRS or blanks will fill idle transmission time as soon as a leading
bracket [is entered on the keyboard. It will stay active until a trailing bracket ]is entered. A user always
starts a stream by starting with a leading bracket. They can then type at leisure knowing that diddle will fill
the empty space. Either LTRS or blanks will be sent as specified. There are three choices, Diddle Off, Diddle
with LTRS, and Diddle with Blanks). Most ops send a Baudot blank (0x00) for the diddle, but LTRS (0x1F) is
often used instead.

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Miscellaneous Information
CTL-ALT-Enter Clear EEPROM and Restart
This causes a Master Reset of the K45, clearing EEPROM, and reloading factory settings. Be careful when
using this because it will erase all your Messages, Cuts, and Key mappings. Factory settings are:
Speed = 15 WPM
Autospace Off
Paddle Mode = Iambic B
PTT Delays = 0
CWR Gain = 5
CWR Filter = 6
CWR Threshold = 5
CWR Spacing 0
RTTY = Off, CWR = On
1st Extension = 0
KeyComp/Weighting normal
Dit/Dah Ratio = (1:3)
PaddleSample = 50(1 dit)
Keying Output = Key1
Sidetone = 800Hz
Paddle Hang = 0
Letterspace = 0
Word Space = 7 dits
Serial Number = 0001
Sleep time = Off
Paddle Watchdog = On
Progress messages are displayed as different sections of EEPROM are initialized for each user, there is
only one keyboard mapping table shared by both users, so map is only displayed for User1:
USR1: MAP KBD MSG
USR2: KBD MSG
Preserving Settings
Configuration changes are stored in EEPROM so that they are preserved when power is shut off.
CTL-ALT-DEL Restart
This causes a power on reset of the K45. The current mode is cleared, and all settings are reloaded from
EEPROM. This is equivalent to power cycling the K45.
Paddle Watchdog
The K45 has a built-in output disable that is activated if more than 128 dits or dahs are sent consecutively.
This prevents unattended keying. The output is disabled after 128 consecutive events, but the sidetone
continues to sound allowing you to detect the condition (sidetone needs to be enabled). Paddle watchdog
can be disabled in Configuration Menu #3:PDLwatch.
Running the K45 without a keyboard
The K45 can be operated without a keyboard. It will automatically select the receive window since a transmit
window is not required in paddle entry mode. A quick press of the encoder brings up the message launch
menu (see page 6).
To make configuration changes, press and hold the encoder button down until the configuration menu
appears. Turn the encoder to select a configuration setting and then press the encoder to select that item for
editing. Next, turn the encoder to make changes and then press the encoder button to save the new setting.
To exit configuration editing, press and hold the encoder button just until the menu clears. If the encoder is
held too long it will put the K45 into low power sleep mode.
Practice and WinKeyer modes are selected from the configuration menu. Practice can be set up using the
encoder and operated with the paddles. To leave Practice, press the encoder pushbutton and this will take
you back to the normal K45 operational screen. Neither paddle nor keyboard is required for WinKeyer mode.
Just select it from the menu and exit WinKeyer Mode by pressing the encoder.