[WT-support] Elecraft K3/K3S slow bandmap

[Bob Wilson, N6TV]

The smooth bandmap scrolling that you see with Win-Test and an Icom
transceiver is simply not possible with the K3 and other radios.

Win-Test supports Icom rigs in "CI-V Transceive" mode, with polling OFF,
and CI-V Transceive ON in the radio's menu.  In CI-V Transceive mode,
instead of constantly polling the radio "QRG?", Win-Test simply waits for
messages to arrive from the radio, and they arrive very quickly, as soon as
the knob is turned even the slightest bit.  This allows Win-Test to
instantly update the bandmap, so the scrolling can be super smooth and very
fast.

The equivalent setting in a K3 is "CONFIG:AUTOINF AUTO 1", but it was
implemented quite differently.  If you spin the K3 tuning knob, it doesn't
output *any* messages until the spinning stops, so smooth bandmap scrolling
is simply not possible.  Do not use CONFIG:AUTOINF AUTO 1.

The best Win-Test can do is to poll the radio as fast as it can, and that
is exactly what it does when the polling rate is set to AUTO at the bottom
Interface Configuration dialog.  If you're using OmniRig for port sharing,
the fastest it can poll is about once every 100 ms, but the default is 500
ms.  Neither one of these leads to bandmap scrolling that matches the
performance of an Icom in CI-V Transceive mode.

73,
Bob, N6TV

On Tue, May 8, 2018 at 4:15 AM, Stefan von Baltz, DL1IAO <
dl1iao at contesting.com> wrote:

> Here is a question for Elecraft users:
>
> Compared to ICOM rigs, no matter if older or newer models (tested with
> IC7400/756Pro3/7600/7851), the bandmap follows quite a bit slower and more
> unevenly. WT is connected to my K3S via USB and 38400 baud. The behaviour
> is exactly the same with another PC and K3 which has the original RS232
> interface. It is also the same at the SK3W M/M station with their K3s. With
> the ICOMs the bandmap follows almost instantly when turning the main VFO. I
> have tried various baud rates but do not see any difference. WT plus radio
> control work flawlessly otherwise.
>
> This is not much of an operational issue as most operating is point &
> click nowadays. But I still wonder if there is a fix.
>
>
> 73,
>
> Stefan DL1IAO, SA3CWW/SM9A
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