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Reviews For: Generic USB to CW quarter inch jack keying interface

Category: Interfaces, Radio to computer, amp, rotor, coax switch, internet

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Review Summary For : Generic USB to CW quarter inch jack keying interface
Reviews: 5MSRP: 13
Description:
Inexpensive USB to CW keyer interface Utilizes CH340 Chipset with OPTO-Isolation between PC and Radio with chrome Quarter inch jack for amateur radios such as Icom, Kenwood, Yaesu, and others that use a quarter inch (6.5mm) CW key jack. Radio should be set to Straight Key for proper operation.
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=2E4-000F-00006
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
0054.2
W6BP Rating: 2022-06-11
Can't beat the price! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I've owned one of these devices for eight years; it continues to work flawlessly.

Please note that this device will NOT WORK with tube rigs that put high voltage across the key contacts. If you've had a device fail, measure the voltage across the key contacts before trying another.
KW4JA Rating: 2015-08-27
Junk Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I've purchased three of these on eBay the past year but they go bad. You know it's a goner when it is in constant key down state which is due to a component shorting out. I've been to the well too many times with this so CW type is unusable at this point.

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Earlier 0-star review posted by KW4JA on 2015-05-08

This is an update of my recent review of this item. The one I previously owned shorted out so I sent to China for a replacement. It arrived after two week. It came with a driver I installed. The first day I used it a couple of hours. The next day the item didn't work at all. I uninstalled and reinstalled the driver to no avail. I did restore on the computer. No nothing. I hear the side tone in my sound card but it no longer keys the transceiver. I give up on the cwtype solution for replacing keyers. For me it's back to a by-1.
W1BG Rating: 2015-01-29
Perfect! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
In a word, perfect. Literally plug-'n-play after selecting the Com port number in CWType. Used with Windows 7, the OS went out and found the correct driver automatically without using included driver disk. Operation has so far been flawless. I use it with an Icom IC-7200. I could not believe how cheap this was as well as how soon it arrived. The online ordering indicated that it was shipping from overseas, more or less implying not to expect it anytime soon, so I was pleasantly surprised to find it in my mailbox 8 days later. You gotta get this thing!!
OH5YU Rating: 2014-08-05
Works fine Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I got a similar device through Amazon from China. It works fine, the price is low, and delivery was fast. It seems not to be susceptible to RF at all. I can hear very weak birdies on 10 m from this device using a doublet with open feed line. That doesn't bother me a bit.
AD0AR Rating: 2014-05-19
Best $13 I spent! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I'm not sure if I am allowed to say that I actually found something in amateur radio that is actually affordable!
This is a USB to Serial opto-isolated CW keyer that is 100% compatible with Ham Radio Deluxe when configured correctly. Very good construction with the USB portion small in size and fitted with a chrome quarter inch jack. Uses CH340 Chipset and I found no shared grounds/ 100% isolated between the radio and PC. I found that when ohmed from any conductor on the USB side to either conductor on the quarter inch jack that the resistance is higher than the 80 Megaohm resistance limit of my test equipment.
Under Windows 7, driver found automatically. I simply navigated to the device manager to note com port number assigned by PC to device, and I pointed DM780/HRD to that port number, plugged into the CW jack on the radio set, set my radio to STRAIGHT key and Viola! Now I can use CW the way the manufacturer intended to use it- in CW mode! Get rid of that Signalink being used in MCW mode! You will like this simplicity! Next, I am going to see if I can fabricate a quarter inch to Acessory port adaptor to see if I can get this to work as a RTTY keyer too!