Terminal

This page is a simple data terminal intended to demonstrate the K3's CW and Data Mode decoding capability.

The page is divided into four areas

At the top are buttons to choose the data mode, to start or stop transmission, and to clear the output screen. A list of prosign shortcuts is displayed when in CW mode.
There are a number of "message memory" buttons used to enter often-sent text such as CQ, QTH information, etc.
There is an output window that shows text decoded by the K3.
Finally there is an input area where you may type text to be transmitted by your K3.

Data mode buttons

These buttons select one of three "banks" of message memories. There is also mode-specific processing. For example, the equal sign ("=") character is translated into the BT prosign in CW.

The K3 Utility does not set or change the K3's Mode or enable or disable Text Decode. Use the K3 Front Panel MODE, DATA MD, and TEXT DEC buttons to select the desired Mode, Data Submode, and enable Text Decode. Proper operation of the Terminal Page requires that K3 Text Decode be turned on.

If no characters are sent, or sending seems to "stutter", it may be because your K3 is in an inappropriate Mode or Text Decode is not functioning. The Terminal Page depends on the K3 Text Decoder for both receive and transmit. The K3 Mode must be one that permits Text Decode (CW, DATA AFSK A, DATA FSK D, or DATA PSK D) and the Text Decode function must be enabled.

See the Elecraft K3 Owner's Manual sections on Data Modes and "Advanced Operating Procedures: Text Decode and Display" for details.

If you wish to use the Terminal Page to send CW without decoding signals sent by other stations, enable Text Decode with the TX ONLY option. The Terminal Program uses decoded transmitted characters to pace data transfer to the K3.

You may find it convenient to create Command Tester macros to enter the commands to enter your favorite modes.

Transmit Button

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

While you are typing in the input area at the bottom, you may also use the CTRL+T keys (press and hold either CTRL key, then tap "T") to toggle transmit. Pressing CTRL+T is equivalent to clicking the Transmit button. Pressing CTRL+T again stops sending.

When all pending text has been sent, transmit is turned off after a short interval.

Clear

This button erases all the text in the output window.

Message memory buttons

These buttons transfer the associated text into the input window. Use the Edit menu to make changes to the Message Memories.

Note: These "Message Memories" are not the K3's CW messages described in the Elecraft K3 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 K3. Text sent by your K3 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 K3, they are colored gray to indicate that they may not be changed, as they have already been sent to the K3 for transmission. Characters that have not yet been sent to the K3 may be changed.

Input Window Shortcut Keys

Ctrl+T is a "toggle" that is equivalent to clicking the "Transmit" button.
Ctrl+W (think "wipe") removes all unsent characters from the input area.
Ctrl+Shift+W toggles a diagnostic function that displays in red the KY commands as they are sent to the K3.
Ctrl+1 through Ctrl+0 are equivalent to clicking message memory. buttons 1 through 10.
ESC stops transmission as soon as possible. If the transmitter is not on, ESC removes all unsent characters from the input area. (This behavior is experimental, and may be removed in a subsequent version.)

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.

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

Known Limitations

Received Carriage Return, Line Feed, and Newline characters are displayed as spaces.
Transmitted Carriage Return, Line Feed, and Newline characters are displayed as spaces.
The ITA-5 alphabet for PSK 31 is incomplete. Upper case characters are transmitted in lower case. Characters in the output window are displayed in upper case. The left and right braces {}, vertical bar |, and tilde ~ are not transmitted.
Semicolons are not transmitted. The semicolon is used as a KY command delimiter, and there is currently no mechanism to send a semicolon as text with the KY command. If you enter a semicolon, the K3 Utility replaces it with a comma.