Setting up CW, Phone, PSK, and RTTY Operation in WinWarbler

To enable communications via CW, Phone, PSK, or RTTY, you must establish the required connections, and configure WinWarbler's settings. This section provides both general guidance for establishing required connections and configuring WinWarbler, and specific instructions for use with WinKey CW generators, external modems, microHam interfaces, the Elecraft K3, and Flex software-defined radios running PowerSDR software.

Note: WinWarbler can transmit CW, but requires one of the following configurations to display decoded CW:

• am external HF modem (e.g. KAM 98, MFJ 464, PK232, PK900, and PTC-IIe)

• an Elecraft K3, KX3, or K4 controlled by Commander

• the applications CWGet and CWGet to WinWarbler

Required Connections

To decode PSK-31, PSK-63, PSK-125, or RTTY transmissions, you'll need a connection between your transceiver's audio output and your PC soundcard's audio input; this is referred to as the Transceiver-to-Soundcard Audio connection.

To generate PSK-31, PSK-63, PSK-125, or AFSK RTTY transmissions, you'll need

• a connection between your PC soundcard's audio output and your transceiver's audio input; this is referred to as the Soundcard-to-Transceiver Audio connection.

• a means of switching your transceiver from receiving to transmitting; this is referred to as the PTT mechanism; PTT is an abbreviation for Push To Talk

To generate FSK RTTY transmissions, you'll need

• a connection between one of your PC's digital output devices and your transceiver's RTTY input; this is referred to as the FSK connection.

• a PTT mechanism

To generate CW transmissions. you'll need

• one of these 5 CW Keying mechanisms:

  1. a serial port RTS or DTR signal

  2. a parallel port data Data, Init, or Select signal

  3. a Winkeyer circuit (or an interface device containing this circuit)

  4. an external HF modem (e.g. a KAM, PK-232, etc.)

  5. a transceiver that can be directed to transmit CW via CAT command and that is being controlled by Commander

• a PTT mechanism

To generate Phone transmissions, you'll need

• a Soundcard-to-Transceiver Audio connection.

• a PTT mechanism

Note that the above connections can be susceptible to Radio Frequency Interference (RFI)

General Setup Instructions

Check the Setup Instructions for Specific Usage Scenarios section below to see if one of its scenarios is applicable to your configuration.

• CW

  1. Setup the CW Keying connection

  2. Setup the PTT mechanism

  3. Configure WinWarbler for CW operation

  4. Configure SpotCollector to activate WinWarbler when a CW Spot Database Entry is Double-clicked

• Phone

  1. Setup the Transceiver-to-Soundcard Audio connection

  2. Setup the PTT mechanism

  3. If you're using Windows 10, enable Let apps use my microphone in the Settings window's Microphone section. If this option is disabled, applications will be prevented from using any audio device.

  4. Configure WinWarbler for Phone operation

  5. set the AFSK Audio Output Level for Phone operation

  6. Configure SpotCollector to activate WinWarbler when an SSB, AM, or FM Spot Database Entry is Double-clicked

• PSK

  1. Setup the Transceiver-to-Soundcard Audio connection

  2. Setup the Soundcard-to-Transceiver Audio connection

  3. Setup the PTT mechanism

  4. If you're using Windows 10, enable Let apps use my microphone in the Settings window's Microphone section. If this option is disabled, applications will be prevented from using any audio device.

  5. Configure WinWarbler for PSK operation

  6. Set the Audio Input Level for PSK operation

  7. Set the Audio Output Level for PSK operation

  8. Set the ALC Level for PSK operation

• RTTY

  1. Setup the Transceiver-to-Soundcard Audio connection

  2. If using AFSK, setup the Soundcard-to-Transceiver Audio connection

  3. If using FSK, setup the FSK connection

  4. Setup the PTT mechanism

  5. If you're using Windows 10, enable Let apps use my microphone in the Settings window's Microphone section. If this option is disabled, applications will be prevented from using any audio device.

  6. Configure WinWarbler for RTTY Operation

  7. Set the Audio Input Level for RTTY operation

  8. If using AFSK,set the AFSK Audio Output Level for AFSK RTTY operation

  9. Set the ALC Level for RTTY AFSK operation

Setup Instructions for Specific Usage Scenarios

• Transceiver-specific Scenarios
  • Elecraft

    • Connecting and configuring an Elecraft K3 for PSK, RTTY, CW, and Phone operation

    • Connecting and configuring an Elecraft KX3 for PSK, RTTY, CW, and Phone operation

  • FlexRadio

    • Connecting and configuring Flex-6000 Series transceivers for PSK, RTTY, CW, and Phone operation

    • Setting up CW, Phone, PSK, and RTTY operation with PowerSDR software for Flex Software-defined Radios

  • Icom

    • Connecting an Icom IC-7100, IC-7200, IC-7300, IC-7410, IC-7600, IC-7610, IC-7850, IC-7851, or IC-9100 to your PC via the Universal Serial Bus (USB)

  • Kenwood

    • Connecting a Kenwood TS-590, TS-590SG, or TS-990 to your PC via the Universal Serial Bus (USB)

  • Yaesu

    • Using the Yaesu SCU-17 with your Yaesu transceiver

    • Connecting a Yaesu FT-991 to your PC via the Universal Serial Bus (USB)

    • Connecting a Yaesu FTDX-3000 to your PC via the Universal Serial Bus (USB)

• Configuring WinWarbler to use settings from a standalone instance of MMTTY

• Configuring WinWarbler to Automatically Select Settings When a New Primary Radio is Selected in Commander

• Generating CW by controlling a Winkey connected to a PC serial port

• Decoding and generating CW, RTTY, and other digital modes by a controlling an external Modem connected to a serial port; supported modems include the KAM 98, MFJ 464, PK232, PK900, and PTC-IIe.

• Decoding RTTY with a high performance Terminal Unit like a HAL ST-6000 or Dovetron by connecting it to a PK232 (de Scott N4ZOU)

• Decoding RTTY with GRITTY

• Decoding CW with CwGet

  • displaying CW characters decoded by CwGet in WinWarbler's CW Receive Pane

  • Enabling CwGet to track and set your transceiver's frequency

• Interoperation with CW Skimmer

• Setting up microHam products

  • microKEYER

    • with Commander and WinWarbler

    • with WinWarbler alone

  • DIGI KEYER

    • with Commander and WinWarbler

    • with WinWarbler alone

  • USB Interface II

    • with Commander and WinWarbler

    • http://www.microham.com/Downloads/U2_WinWarbler_Setup.pdf with WinWarbler alone

  • DXP

  • MK2R/MK2R+

  • microKEYER II

• Setting up the Navigator: see the document entitled Winwarbler RTTY Setup.pdf in this DXLab group Files area

• Simultaneously Decoding a RTTY DX Station Operating Split and Its Pileup

Managing Serial Ports and USB ports

• Configuring Windows to not automatically power down USB ports

• Changing the COM port number that Windows assigns to a USB-to-serial-port adaptor

• Updating Device Drivers for USB-to-Serial-Port Adapters

• Eliminating Phantom COM ports

• Resetting a Serial Port's RTS and DTR Signals when Windows Starts

• Installing New Hardware in a Windows 8 System

Getting Started with CW, Phone, PSK, and RTTY Operation

Getting Started with DXLab