K1EL Systems - CW Contest Keyers for Amateur Radio

Like its predecessors; the K40, K42, K44 and K45 The best way to describe the K46 is that it is the Swiss Army knife of CW keyers. A CW keyboard interface, CW reader, iambic paddle keyer, backlit LCD display, and optically isolated keying outputs, sinewave sidetone, and audio splitter are all presented in one compact box. In addition, the K46 will operate many different modes including RTTY transmit, QRSS, HSCW, and conventional CW up to 99 WPM. We will sell the K46 assembled, tested, and ready to go. It is powered over a USB cable connection to a PC, charger, or battery. Please review the cable recommendations link for K46 cabling info. We do not include a keyboard with the K46, almost any USB keyboard, wired or wireless, will work fine. Exception: Logitech wireless keyboards with a Unified Interface.

The on board CW reader accepts audio from a receiver, then filters, demodulates, and decodes CW characters which are then displayed on the LCD. An bar graph is used to tune in CW stations quickly and accurately. The K46 CWR is the same as the K45, featuring much improved copy and faster reader lock than the original K42 or K44 CWRs.

Functionally the K46 is the same as the K45 with the following changes:

1) 8 line display vs. 4 lines on the K45.

2) The popular K45 audio splitter is incorporated into the K46.

3) A sinewave sidetone output with audio amplifier which can drive a small speaker, powered speaker, or the audio input of a PC's sound card for remote CW applications.

4) The sloping enclosure of the K45 has been replaced with a flat package design which is much more flexible. A low cost tilt stand will be offered as an option.

K46 Features

WinKeyer mode allows the K46 to connect to a PC host logging or contest application
8 Line by 21-character LCD display with adjustable backlight and contrast
Multi-function status bar display
Separate receive and transmit display windows with scrolling and optional word wrap
Real time transmit progress window can be displayed instantly by hot key
USB Type A connector for use with a wired or wireless USB keyboard (kbd not included)
Mini-USB connector for connection to a host PC through a CH340 USB interface IC
1/8-inch audio jack for CW reader input with adjustable gain, spacing, threshold, and noise filter
1/8-inch stereo key output jack provides two separate optically isolated outputs
Keying outputs can be configured as two separate keying outputs or a single output with PTT
Optically isolated Solid State relay outputs key up to +/- 350 volts at 120 mA
1/8-inch iambic or single lever paddle input that also supports straight key input
Single rotary encoder input with integral push switch
On board sidetone speaker with adjustable volume and pitch
Sinewave sidetone output for connection to a speaker or sound card input.
ESD input protection and RFI suppression on all connectors
Transmit keying speed range of 5 to 99 WPM
DSP based CW Reader speed operates from 7 to 60 WPM
Two complete user setups each with message and configuration storage
Twelve messages of 120 characters each for each of two users
Messages can be chained, called, or repeated
Several beacon options
K1EL CW command language
Iambic A, B, Bug, Straight Key and Ultimatic paddle modes supported
Adjustable letterspace and wordspace
Adjustable keying weight, compensation, and dit/dah ratio
Adjustable PTT lead-in, tail, and paddle hang times
Autospace and Farnsworth support
200 character type ahead
RTTY, HSCW, and QRSS Transmit modes
Serial number generator
Custom Prosigns
Flexible character mapping for International keyboard layout support
Firmware can be upgraded over USB
RFI filtering on interconnect leads
Dump text display buffers to host
Built in audio splitter for direct receiver speaker interfacing
Export User Interface to host application (K46gui.exe, available January 2024)
All metal custom enclosure
Dimensions: 4" W by 3.75" D by 1.3" H

CW Reader Specifications

Automatic and fast speed locking
Decode from 10 WPM to 40+ WPM
6 Pole Bandpass AF filter
Ability to lock transmit speed to receive speed
Fixed lock frequency at 725 Hz
Adjustable inter-letter spacing
Adjustable Gain and Noise Filtering
5 element tuning display