I know it’s been quite a while since I updated this blog, but I’ll try to get better about keeping it up to date.
Version 1.20 of MasterKeyer MK-1 firmware is being tested now. Several new features, including support for most contest software! I will start the beta test phase in a week or so, and hope to release it some time in November. Along with new features, this release will fix a few bugs found in V1.10 – many of them sidetone related. The manual is being expanded and will include detailed instructions on how to set up and use terminal programs such as Putty and Hyperterminal.
The list of new features:
- Support for contest and logging software. The Winkeyer command set is automatically emulated.
- Ability to merge two characters into one in messages (new /M command) – this allows you to build custom Morse characters for prosigns, non-English characters, etc. So, for example, if you like to send KN as one character, you can use /MKN in a message to do that.
- The message pause command (/P) will now wait for you to send something from the paddle OR the USB keyboard, and will automatically resume after a word space or the ENTER key.
- The /B command now supports an optional numeric value to override the global beacon delay time setting. So, if you want one message to repeat at 5 second intervals and another at 10 seconds intervals, you can do that.
- In USB keyboard mode, the ESC key will kill any messages playing and flush the keyboard buffer. The END key will still clear only the keyboard buffer.
- An additional sidetone choice: PADDLE only (P) turns off sidetone for code sent from the computer, keyboard or memory but on for code sent from the paddle.
- A more useful lamp test mode.
Bug fixes in this release:
- Sidetone is now always on in TUNE mode.
- A bug in message calls would result in flaky behavior when calling lower numbered messages.
- A bug when backspacing near the beginning of Bank 1, Message 1 is fixed.
- Loading settings could turn off sidetone in SETUP mode; this is fixed.
- Under some conditions, the QSO decrement (buttons 1 & 2) would work, but not announce – this is fixed.
- Poor paddle response while in TUNE mode is fixed.
- Fixed a possible sidetone issue while recording messages from the USB keyboard.
Stay tuned!
