| AA7JC |
Rating:      |
2003-01-12 | |
| Great Keyer! |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I completed the CMOS 4 kit in one day (a Saturday project).
The quality of the circuit boards and case were top notch.
Building this kit was lots of fun!
An interesting note about this kit: The wire supplied was apparently selected from a collection of random colors. All were 22 gauge stranded but two had thicker insulation and only one was pre-tinned. The assembly manual simply said to use what ever color you wanted (with the exception of black) and left a place to record your selection on each step.
The grand finale event was to place two circuit boards into the chassis and then attach all the (nine or ten) wires from the main board to various chassis components (Recall that all the wire colors were selected at random). This was unquestionably the most exciting part of the build.
When I inserted three AAA batteries (just before putting in the final screws) the keyer automatically woke up and said "OK". A happy moment!
I feel that this keyer is perfect for me. It is easy to customized the feel of it's operation and once that is done, it fits my sending style like a glove. It looks good and is battery operated. It is definitely fun to use... a step up from all the keyers I have used in the past.
Ken Lotts aa7jc
http://www.lotts.net/ken/ham |
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| N4ZZK |
Rating:     |
2002-12-28 | |
| One of the best, but a few improvement ideas..... |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
Instructions are good and it worked first time. Its probably one of the best stand-alone keyers available but with a few additional features, it would be the winner hands down.
1) LCD readout for speed, info. (The elecraft K2 has this nice feature as I expect other rigs do also)
2) a few additional key jacks for several paddles, in both 1/8 and 1/4 inch sizes. I like to keep a few keys plugged in (and don't like splitters and cable clutter)
3) volume and tone controls on the front panel
Of course adding these feature would increase the size and cost but I'd be glad to pay another $50 to get it.
73, Al
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| W4ZYT |
Rating:      |
2002-12-11 | |
| An Extraordinary Keyer! |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
This is an exceptional design and an extraordinary value.
Unlike many, I bought my keyer already assembled, and had to miss out on the fun of putting a quality kit together. Nonetheless, the keyer has many superb features which deserve emphasis along with the positive comments about the actual building of the kit. I've been a ham 43 years, almost all of that as a CW operator, and have used and owned many keyers. This one is simply the best, and is sheer pleasure to use. It provides a wide range of CW speeds for all CW skill levels, and adjustments of timing, weight, speed, keyer emulation, and paddle orientation are very simple and straightforward. Programming the memories is a snap, and the four memories can be subdivided to provide up to 12 messages. Messages may be linked, looped, beaconed, or modified in real time with hand inserted text. All varieties of serial number options are available, and corrections, if required, are made quickly and simply. There are a number of other sophisticated features which I have not yet had occasion or need to use, but in short, this keyer can provide just about any need a CW operator might want.
The keyer is attractively housed in a sturdy cabinet about the size and weight of a small camera. It will pack nicely into the portable gear kit I take on trips and expeditions. It operates from 3 AAA batteries or from a regulated 12 volt source.
This keyer will exceed the expectations of and will very nicely meet the demands of any CW operator - from newby to seasoned brasspounder. It's the keyer I've been waiting for my entire ham career.
Vy 73, Don Lynch W4ZYT
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| K7LAY |
Rating:      |
2002-12-10 | |
| Neatest kit I have built in sometime!! |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| Very easy to build and one of the best self test systems-the "ok" sent in cw means that the system is completely up and running. One of the best cw machines I have ever owned. Kudos to the designer and company!! |
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| NN2KC |
Rating:     |
2002-11-03 | |
| Excellent but needs recessed on/off switch |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
The kit and instructions are excellent. Performance likewise.
My only criticism is the lack of a recessed on/off switch. With internal batteries fitted, it is very easy to jostle the buttons and start beaconing or do a reset when the keyer is packed away. You need to remove the batteries or put a guard near the buttons. It would have been a simple matter to put a small slider on the bottom of the board accessible thru a small hole. I have been unable to find a recessed switch to mount on the case. I may have to fit a second power jack in the battery lead and use a shorting plug.
With PC programs like CWType able to handle paddle inpute via the joystick port and with mucho memory, there should have been a little more attention to the needs of the traveling (non-PC-lugging) ham. It's nice to keep your gear in soft fleece bags and store them in a case or duffel.
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| K9OZ |
Rating:      |
2002-11-01 | |
| Best keyer, period |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
It has spoiled me. Its performance far outshines every other keyer I've ever used. If you're using a built-in keyer, you'll be amazed at the the peformance of this thing. It makes sending perfect code effortless (well almost.)
The kit is well documented and goes together in a few hours. Documentation is straightforward. And operation -- the best. Plus you can program it to do nearly anything, change speeds in the middle of a memory, add that extra gap between two pesky letters in your call, the list goes on. I still haven't figured out everything it does. But for the basic job of sending code, it's great.
Can I be any more positive? If you want a keyer, this is it.
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| W0FM |
Rating:      |
2002-10-15 | |
| Just like the Ad says... |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
The Logikit CMOS 4 banner ad here on eHam states "Get The Perfect Keyer" and that's exactly what I did. I bought the kit. Even without going past page one of the user's guide, the Logikit CMOS 4 keyer far outshines any keyer I've used, and is, not unexpectedly, superior to the built-in keyer in my FT-1000MP. (I'd like to hear suggestions from CW ops who have set up the Logikit keyer's QSK timing for use with the FT-1000MP.)
My first thought out of the box was to drill out the hole for the 3.5mm stereo key-IN jack on the back panel and replace it with the more standardized 1/4" phone jack...UNTIL I saw that there was no room for the larger jack inside that area of the cabinet. I abandoned that idea and now use a 1/4" to 3.5mm audio adapter. Not my preference, but no problem.
The keyer is small and extremely rugged. The cabinet is built like a tank and the whole package has a quality feel to it. Since the keyer will operate for many months on 3 AAA batteries (the new version draws NO current unless in use), I can easly see me tossing it into the tote bag with my IC-706 for traveling.
The board is high quality and the components laid out nicely. Assembly was straight-forward with no surprises. The construction manual was accurate and easy to understand. And, the very concise user's manual is actually fun to read. The authors make the user's manual sound like ol' Elmer himself just sitting there saying "OK, now let's try this..."
I took my time with construction (we kit builders savor every moment with a kit like this) and the keyer was still assembled and operating in a single afternoon. Every feature you could want and more is packed into this compact little keyer. It is versatility PLUS! It is "The Perfect Keyer".
Terry, WØFM
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| WW6D |
Rating:      |
2002-07-18 | |
| Great keyer! |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
Simply put, a great keyer! I purchased mine at the Visalia DX Convention back in April 2002. Instructions were clear and the kit went together quite easily.
Tutorial is excellent in that it gradually paces you through the various functions and capabilities. While quite flexible and capable, the keyer is remarkably easy to use.
I don't know how Logikit does this, but I seem to be able to send faster (accurately, that is) with this keyer compared with my previous experiences with AEA keyers (MorseMachine 3 being the latest) -- and the AEA's are an improvement over the various built-in keyers on many of the latest transceivers. At speeds approaching 35+ wpm, the CMOS 4 seems more "forgiving" of my sending, and my accuracy is much better. Kudos to Logikit for their design.
Small package, battery operation, easy keying and memory functions -- this is a keeper! |
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| W9CW |
Rating:      |
2002-07-16 | |
| The Best Keyer on the Market! |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| Having used a number of keyers over the years, I decided to pick one of the LogiKit CMOS-4 keyer kits up at 2002 Dayton. In just two nights of easy work with the old Weller soldering station, it was up and running. No missing parts, and very adequate instructions. NOTE: I did install the blocking diode field change (in the 5V regulator circuit) which was not included in the documentation when I bought the keyer. This info is available on the Idiom Press website. If you are a serious CW op, this keyer, and a good paddle, makes all the difference in the world. Great keyer, and backed by a super company, and owner . . . look no further! |
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| W3UA |
Rating:      |
2002-06-13 | |
| Great toy! |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I needed a keyer. With my "point and click" operation style, I need just 3 or 4 memories (my call, RST and QSL TNX GL), nothing fancy, just simplicity. I liked the small size of this thing (the only preference over their previous model), but I was really hesitant to build it myself. Yes, 20 years ago I knew what end of a soldering iron should go where (hi-hi), I even built several transceivers myself, but it was in a galaxy far, far away...
Anyway, at HamCom I couln't resist the temptation, and brought home a small white box. In less than two hours, without a single problem or delay, I heard --- -.- from the finished unit. This little thing is now a permanent part of my station. I recommend everyone who needs a keyer and/or wants two hours of nostalgic smell of solder and flux -- get one. You will never regret.
Thanks Idiom for the wonderful design and two hours of pure joy. |
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