QRPworks K-Board User manual
K-Board User Manual rev 1.6 Page 1 of 37
QRPworks
K-Board™
User Manual
K-Board User Manual rev 1.6 Page 2 of 37
Table of Contents
Overview 4
Setup 5
Keyboard Choices 8
Starting Up 9
Transmitting Text 10
K-Board Prompts 11
Stored Text Messages and Rig Macros 11
Creating or Editing a Text Message or Rig Macro: 12
Naming Text Messages 13
Previewing Text Messages and Rig Macros 15
Sending a Stored Text Message 15
Storing and Sending Rig Macros 16
Creating a Rig Macro: 17
Summary of Message/Macro Editing Operation: 19
Naming Rig Macros 19
Sending a Rig Macro 20
Call Sign Entered 21
Grab & Go™ 22
Contest Serial Numbers 23
Reserved Message Characters 24
Quick QSY™ 25
Voltage Check 26
Help 26
System Reset 27
Compatibility with Other Products 27
Updating the Firmware 28
K-Board User Manual rev 1.6 Page 4 of 37
Overview
Thank you for your purchase of the QRPworks K-Board™.
It’s the Smart Keyboard Interface for the Elecraft KX3 and
K3/K3S, and is used to enhance your operating experience.
In a nutshell,
It is a message generator, allowing you to send up to 20
messages you have defined, with just a keystroke.
It uses any USB keyboard, wireless or wired.
It sends characters in real time using the keyboard for
CW, RTTY, or PSK modes.
It will allow you to send up to 20 macros to the rig to
control just about every aspect of it.
It will store 10 message/macro groups, created using
the free Message Management Utility. That’s 200
message/macros.
The K-Board offers the Quick QSY™ feature, allowing
you to change frequency and mode very easily.
Data entry for creating and editing messages, capturing “their
call” can be done using the keyboard and the rig’s display.
The Message Management Utility program (PC or Mac) allows
you to create and manage multiple sets of messages and
macros and allows quick downloading to the K-Board.
The K-Board provides many features for the portable operator,
whether out on the trail, in a park, on vacation, or at home.
73,
Shel Radin, KF0UR Steve Silverman, KB3SII
K-Board User Manual rev 1.6 Page 5 of 37
Setup
Connections:
KX3: connect the supplied 3.5 mm (1/8”) stereo cable
from the K-Board Rig port to the KX3 ACC1 connector.
The right angle connectors on both ends are important
to reduce the strain on the printed circuit boards. Do
not connect the radio cable if the PC cable is in
use.
KX2: connect the supplied 3.5 mm (1/8”) stereo cable
from the K-Board Rig port to the KX2 ACC connector.
The right angle connectors on both ends are important
to reduce the strain on the printed circuit boards. Do
not connect the radio cable if the PC cable is in
use.
K3:use a DB9-M to 3.5 mm cable (available from
QRPworks) from the K3 RS232 port to the K-Board Rig
port. Do not connect the radio cable if the PC cable
is in use.
K3s: plug the RJ45 to DE9 adapter cable that was
supplied with the K3s into the K3s RS232 port. Use a
DB9-M to 3.5 mm cable (available from QRPworks)
from the DE9 adapter to the K-Board Rig port. Do not
connect the radio cable if the PC cable is in use.
Connect DC 8 V~15 V power using a 2.1 mm DC
connector or use a 9 volt battery in the optional K-Board
battery holder. For the DC connector, connect the DC
positive voltage to the center pin.
Connect a USB keyboard to the K-Board. This is used
for transmitting and controlling the rig. A wired or
wireless keyboard may be used. The wireless keyboard
must be a 2.4 GHz wireless keyboard and NOT a
Bluetooth keyboard. Repeat: NOT Bluetooth.
K-Board User Manual rev 1.6 Page 6 of 37
The second K-Board 3.5 mm jack, labeled “PC” is used
for transferring message/macro sets from the PC or
Mac to the K-Board using the free QRPworks Message
Management Utility. It is also used to load new
software into the K-Board. The Elecraft KXUSB or
KXSER cables should be used between this serial port
and a PC. This port must not be connected to a PC
if the Radio serial port is connected to the radio.
KX3/KX2 Settings:
To be able to enter text using your paddle on your KX3,
the KX3 firmware must be at MCU version 2.19 or later.
Menu: RS232: set to 38400.
Menu: CW Key1: set at tip-dot or tip-dash, and not
Hand. Plug your paddle directly into the Key jack on the
KX3 or KX2. The KX3 / KX2 will only decode
Power switch (slide left to turn on)
To KX3 / KX2 / K3 / K3S
To PC or Mac
DC in –center pin +
K-Board User Manual rev 1.6 Page 7 of 37
transmitted text if the menu item CW Key 1 is set to tip-
dot or tip-dash, and not Hand.
For RTTY or PSK, set the mode to TX Data, by tapping
the Data/Text button. Using VFO B, select:
oPSK D for PSK
oFSK D for RTTY
“TX Data” will be the mode shown on the screen
Text: DEC ON, by holding the Data/Text button.
31 bPS or 63 bPS (select with VFO A)
K-Board User Manual rev 1.6 Page 8 of 37
K3/K3S Settings:
The K-Board - K3/K3s combination does not offer
entering text with a paddle feature at this time.
Menu: RS232: set to 38400.
Menu: CW PADL: set at tip-dot or tip-dash, and not
Hand. Plug your paddle directly into the Key jack on the
K3/K3S.
For RTTY or PSK, set the mode to TX Data. Hold Data
MD, select:
oPSK D for PSK
oFSK D for RTTY.
“TX Data” will be the mode shown on the screen
Text Decode: Hold TEXT DEC. Select ON by rotating
VFO-B.
Refer to the Data Modes section in the K3 manual
Keyboard Choices
The K-Board can be used with a wired or wireless USB
keyboard.
Please note that the wireless keyboard must be a 2.4 GHz
wireless keyboard, and NOT a Bluetooth keyboard.
The K-Board can use a USA or UK keyboard. Pressing Alt-K
will toggle between the two. In the K-Board, the difference is
that the @ and “ characters are reversed between the two
types.
K-Board User Manual rev 1.6 Page 9 of 37
Starting Up
When the K-Board is powered on:
the three LEDs will indicate the firmware version, in
case you need to know.
oThe Red led will flash the number of times of the
first number in the version.
oThe Yellow led will flash the number of times of
the second number in the version.
oThe Green led flash the number of times of the
third number in the version.
example for revision 2.1.3
oThe Red LED will flash 2 times, for number 2
oThe Yellow LED will flash once, for number 1
oThe Green LED will flash 3 times, for number 3
This can also be seen by pressing Alt-Z.
Then the green LED will flash while the K-Board
automatically attempts to connect with the rig via its
serial port. 38400 baud is the required speed.
Note: turn the rig on first before turning the K-Board on.
USB Keyboard Port
K-Board User Manual rev 1.6 Page 10 of 37
When the K-Board establishes a connection to a rig, the green
LED will stay on for a few seconds.
- if in CW mode, the rig will send “R”to indicate it is connected.
- if in CW, RTTY, PSK31, or PSK63, and text decoding is on,
you will see “R”on the rig’s scrolling display.
If the K-Board does not connect to the rig, the Red LED will
flash for a few seconds and turn off. If you expect a
connection, please see the troubleshooting tips.
Transmitting Text
There are a few ways to send data to the rig:
1. Simply use the paddle connected to the rig. As you
paddle, you will key the rig.
2. Type on the keyboard. The K-Board will send the
character you typed to the rig. As you type, you will key
the rig, and the rig will show what characters have been
sent if text decoding is on.
3. Send a message. You can send one of 20 pre-defined
(by you) messages by pressing F1 through F10 for the
first bank of 10 messages, and Alt-F1 though Alt-F10 for
the second bank of 10 messages. Each message can
be up to 80 characters.
The rig will transmit the text in whatever mode it is set to. In
other words,
if the rig is set to PSK-D, if the rig is set to PSK-D, it will
send PSK31 or PSK63, depending on the VFO A
setting.
if it is set to FSK-D, it will send RTTY.
If it is set to CW, it will send CW
K-Board User Manual rev 1.6 Page 11 of 37
You just type and the K-Board and the rig will take care of the
rest.
K-Board Prompts
You have the option of seeing K-Board user prompts on the
rig’s scrolling display. The prompts are reminders to you that
the K-Board is waiting for a command.
For example, if you press Alt-R to reset the K-Board and text
decoding is on, then you will see “RESET? Y/N” on the rig’s
display.
On the keyboard, press ALT-E to toggle between seeing the
prompts or not.
Stored Text Messages and Rig Macros
The K-Board has 20 memory locations for either text messages
or rig macros for the K3 / KX3 / KX2. Any of the 20 can be
used for either.
Each of the 20 text messages or rig macros can be 80
characters each. As a text message, they can be used for
“canned” text, such as calling CQ, “my name is...”, contest
exchanges (599 CO), etc.
The first 10 messages (1-10) are stored and sent using the
function keys, F1 to F10. The second 10 messages (11-20)
are stored and sent using the function keys, Alt-F1 to Alt-F10.
K-Board User Manual rev 1.6 Page 12 of 37
Creating or Editing a Text Message or Rig Macro:
There are 2 ways to store message and rig macros in the K-
Board.
1. The easiest way is to use the QRPworks Message
Management Utility program. It is available free on the
QRPworks.com website (click on Support / Utilities). It
allows you to define 10 named groups of message/macros,
with each group containing 20 messages/macros. Each
group can be used for a specific reason, such as Field Day,
SOTA activation, a contest, etc.
With version 2.1.1, you can save the groups on your PC or
Mac and download one selected group of 20 messages to
the K-Board.
With version 2.2.1 and later, you can save the groups on
your PC or Mac and download all 10 groups of messages
(that’s 200 total) all at once.
On the K-Board, pressing Alt-G will display the current
message group in use on the rig, if text decoding on the
rig is on and instruction text is set to display (Alt-E
toggles). Follow Alt-G with F1-F10 to select message
groups 1-10 respectively, or hit ESC to exit without
changing groups.
The selected message group is remembered when the
K-Board is off, and will automatically be loaded as the
current message group in use upon starting up.
2. You can create a message or macro using the keyboard.
This is useful if you are portable and away from a PC or
Mac. To use this feature:
In the normal mode (LEDs are off), press F12 or ALT-Z
(added version 2.2.3). The Yellow LED will now be
flashing slowly indicating you are in the Edit mode.
K-Board User Manual rev 1.6 Page 13 of 37
Then press a key F1 through F10 or Alt-F1 through Alt-
F10 corresponding to the message you want to create
or edit.
Enter characters from the keyboard. Any previous
message will be erased. Enter the new message
entirely.
When finished, press the F12 key again or Enter to
save the changes and return to the normal mode. The
Yellow LED will go out.
oIf in CW mode, you will hear an R and if text
decoding is on, you will see an R on the rig’s
scrolling display.
oIf in a RTTY or PSK mode, if text decoding is on,
you will see an R on the rig’s display.
If you want to cancel the editing of a message, press the ESC
key. The K-Board will return to the normal mode and the Yellow
LED will go out.
When in RTTY or PSK, the rig will remain in transmit mode for
approx. 4 seconds after the last character has been sent. To
have the rig go back to receive immediately after the last
character has been sent, add a vertical bar “|” at the end of the
message (without the quotes). It’s especially useful when
contesting or events.
Example: 5NN CO |
Naming Text Messages
The K-Board provides a way to name a message. The name
will then be shown in the message preview (Alt-P) as a handy
reminder.
K-Board User Manual rev 1.6 Page 14 of 37
To name a message, simply enter the name as the first
characters followed by a colon “:”. Everything to the left of the
colon is the message name and is not sent to the rig.
Everything to the right of the colon will be sent to the rig as text.
It’s advised to keep the names short, as the space for the
characters used are shared with the characters used for the
message. The longer the name, the less room you will have for
the message.
Example: Call CQ: CQ CQ CQ de KF0UR
K-Board User Manual rev 1.6 Page 15 of 37
Previewing Text Messages and Rig Macros
The K-Board provides a way to see the contents of message or
a rig macro before it is sent. This is handy if you forget which
message or macro is stored, where.
Hit Alt-P, then the F key for the message or macro you’d like to
see.
Example, Alt-P, then F1 will display on the rig’s scrolling
display:
the name of message F1, if named
the contents of message F1, if it is not named.
Hit ESC to exit the message preview mode at any time.
Sending a Stored Text Message
To send a stored text message, just press the F or Alt-F key of
the message to be sent. The sent message will be sent to the
rig.
If you press an F key more than once, or multiple F keys in
sequence, the messages will be sent in sequence (chained).
This is useful, for instance, if you want to send a longer CQ. If
the message stored in F1 is:
CQ CQ CQ CQ CQ DE KF0UR KF0UR KF0UR
Pressing F1 twice will result in the following message:
CQ CQ CQ CQ CQ DE KF0UR KF0UR KF0UR CQ CQ
CQ CQ CQ DE KF0UR KF0UR KF0UR
K-Board User Manual rev 1.6 Page 16 of 37
Storing and Sending Rig Macros
Using the Elecraft “K3S, K3, KX3 & KX2 Programmers
Reference” (download-able from the Manuals and Downloads
section of the Elecraft website), you can write and store one or
more commands to the rig. Note there are plenty of defined
macros available on the Internet Just search for K3 macros.
These sets of commands, or “rig macros” as they are called,
can be used to command the rig to do just about anything and
are very handy.
For instance, you could set up a macro to:
Go to a frequency, mode, set the power level, turn off
RIT and XIT, say for PSK or RTTY
Put the rig into Split mode, with VFO B 1 KHz above
VFO A
While the rig allows you to store some macros, the K-Board
expands that by allowing you to create and store 20 macros, 80
characters each in the K-Board, and executing them with a
simple keystroke.
Similar to Messages, Rig Macros are stored and sent using the
function keys, F1 to F10 and Alt-F1 to Alt-F10. But rig macros
are different as they MUST start with a period (.) as the very
first character. Note these 20 locations are shared with Text
Messages.
Rig Macros always start with a period (.) as the very first
character. Messages do not. The period tells the K-Board
to send the data as commands to the rig, and not text to be
transmitted.
K-Board User Manual rev 1.6 Page 17 of 37
Creating a Rig Macro:
In the normal mode (all LEDs are off), press F12 or ALT-Z
(added version 2.2.3). The LED will now be flashing slowly
indicating you are in the Edit mode. Then press a key F1
through F10 or Alt-F1 through Alt-F10.
Enter characters from the keyboard. Any previous
macro will be erased.
Macros must start with a period (.) as the very first
character. This tells the K-Board it is a rig macro and
not a text message.
Example:
.20M:FA00014012000;
Where:
.–(the period) indicates it is a macro
20M - is the name of this macro. The colon
separates the name from the macro.
FA00014012000; –is a rig command (go to 14.012
MHz in this example)
If you leave out the period, then the text
FA00014012000 would be sent to the rig as a message
to be transmitted.
To create a rig macro without a name, just preface the
very first Elecraft command with a period:
.FA00014012000;
K-Board User Manual rev 1.6 Page 18 of 37
When finished, press the F12 key again or Enter to
save the changes and return to the normal mode. The
Yellow LED will go out.
oIf in CW mode, you will hear an R and if text
decoding is on, you will see an R on the rig’s
scrolling display.
oIf in a RTTY or PSK mode, if text decoding is on,
you will see an R on the rig’s display.
oIf you want to cancel the editing of a macro, press the
ESC key. The K-Board will return to the normal mode.
The Yellow LED will go out
K-Board User Manual rev 1.6 Page 19 of 37
Summary of Message/Macro Editing Operation:
Mode
Action
Result
LEDs
Normal
Off
Normal
Press F12
or ALT-Z
(added
version
2.2.3)
Enter Edit
Message/Macro
Mode
Yellow
flashes
Edit
Message/Macro
Mode
Press F1
thru F10,
or Alt-F1
thru Alt-
F10
Enter new
Message/Macro
Yellow
continues
to flashes
Edit
Message/Macro
Mode
Press F12
or Enter
Message/Macro
saved, then back
to normal mode
Off
Edit
Message/Macro
Mode
Press
ESC
Cancel Edit
Message/Macro.
Back to normal
mode
Off
Naming Rig Macros
The commands used in rig macros are cryptic, and when you
look at a list of commands in a rig macro, it may not be obvious
what the macro does. To help you remember, K-Board allows
you to name each macro. The name will then be shown in the
message preview. See Previewing Text Messages and Rig
Macros
To name a macro, simply enter the name after the first
character period, followed by a colon “:”. Everything to the left
K-Board User Manual rev 1.6 Page 20 of 37
of the colon is the rig macro name and is not sent to the rig.
Everything to the right of the colon will be sent to the rig as
commands.
It’s advised to keep the names short, as the space for the
characters used are shared with the characters used for
commands. The longer the name, the less room you will have
for commands.
For more information on macros and a complete list of
commands, please see the Elecraft “ K3S, K3, KX3 & KX2
programmers Reference” in the Manuals and Downloads
section of the Elecraft website.
Macro Examples: Note the colon. The name is to the left, the
commands are to the right. The period, name and the colon
are not sent to the rig.
.PSK:FA00014070000;MD6;DT3;SWH17;PC005;
.RTTY:FA00014080000;MD6;DT2;SWH17;PC005;
Sending a Rig Macro
To send a stored rig macro, just press F1 to F10 for macros 1-
10 and Alt-F1 to Alt-F10 for macros 11-20. The sequence of
commands will then be sent to the rig.
Table of contents
