Question: What do the Icom IC-705, Fldigi, and the ElectronicsUSA Whiterook MK-48 Morse Code Keyer Have in Common? (Answer: Me!)
Techie wearables are all the rage these days… and I sure as heck don’t want to be left out! So, when I learned about the ElectronicsUSA.com’s Whiterook MK-48 Mini Combo Key, I jumped at the chance to get one. It is a straight key and iambic paddle combination device, and it weighs only 2 ounces. And best of all, I can wear it on my thigh! Remember, I do not get paid in money, gifts, or “attagirls” for any goods I talk about on this website. It is all my stuff and I am just telling you about it. Ok, with that out of the way, I LOVE this new little toy! In fact, it has greatly helped renew my interest in learning cw (along with the nearly 40 pound pack I have been lugging into the woods due to my qro radio gear weight.) And I decided that instead of learning the code properly, I wanted to cheat.
So, my cheating strategy was to use the morse code decoder in Fldigi to enhance my cw comprehension. Yup, I can send code ok, but just cannot hear it very well yet..so now the computer can listen for me. I’m not ashamed (well maybe a little…) Fldigi, of course, is the classic ham radio digital mode software. I’ll show you how I got these things hooked up.
1. You need to install at least the IC-705 firmware version 1.20. Why?? Because it has an FT8 preset button! (And that FT8 preset button also makes getting on FT8 with the 705 almost brainless by the way!)
2. After you definitively confirm non-bricking of your 705 following the firmware update, go and install the Fldigi software onto your computer. Go to this link and then pick this file to download: fldigi-4.1.20_setup.exe
3. Download and install the ICOM IC-705 .xml file here. You need it for fldigi.
4. Configure Fldigi to work with the IC-705. You need to upload the IC-705 .xml file into the “rig description file” location. See pic above.
5. Go ahead and plug your IC-705 usb cable into your computer at this point. Make sure your drivers are up-to-date.
6. The FT8 preset on the IC-705 works fine for fldigi cw decoding. Just make sure the mode on the transceiver is set to cw.
7. Check in the computer’s device manager which com port the IC-705 is using. As you can see, mine is com7.
8. I set the baud rate randomly to 38400. It seems to be working. I changed the “write delay” and “Init delay” to zero. These choices were somewhat random, but they did work in my situation. There is also a way to allow rig control, which is what I did.
9. Select a frequency. Even with all of this radio interference that you can see on the waterfall below, fldigi could still pick cw out of the noise and decode it.
Here is Fldigi decoding the ARRL code practice at 35 words a minute. In short, it works. The longer version is that I have no idea if it is set up to work the other non-cw digital modes. For now, I am delighted it is decoding Morse.
So, my goal is to get on the air with cw. I want to have the ability to choose between my Yaesu FT-891 and a lighter cw radio for portable ops backpacking trips. And I plan on using every tool, tactic, and crutch that I can (including Fldigi decoding) to drive me closer to getting proficient in the code. (And boy, I think I look pretty cute in my new paddle…I just need an official reason to wear it now!)
See y’all down the log!
KM1NDY