| SM5HUA |
Rating:      |
2007-04-27 | |
| Excellent! |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
Been using the LogiKey K-5 now for some weeks and is as pleased with the old K-2 I had for +10 years. So easy to use and adjust to your personal preferences. Defently THE best keyer I ever have had...
73's de Peter / SM5HUA |
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| AC0DS |
Rating:      |
2007-04-23 | |
| As good as it gets |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
I've owned the K-5 for 4 months now but just getting around to writing a review. Wanted to complete reading the manual/tutorial first but was having too much fun with the keyer to read. Finally finished the reading, so here's the review!
Its Great! Probably one of the most well thought-out pieces of ham gear available. If you're at all a CW fan you need one today.
Probably won't remember everything I like about it, but here are some of them. The ergonomics are wonderful. I have it located on the left side of my keyboard with the paddle on the right side. Fast and easy for my left hand to change speed with the large smooth knob and to hit the buttons on top for sending stored messages, contest exchanges and calling up one of the many functions accessable with various combinations of the buttons. Right hand is dedicated to the paddle. Both hands on the keyboard when needed. Works great.
One of the neatest features is the programmable range on the speed knob. You can set it so that it covers your "Sweet Spot" in terms of speed. I have mine set to cover from 10 to 30 wpm, but it is easily changed to any range you want.
The programming flexibility is awesome. Embedded functions, embedded character strings, contest number generation, speed changes during an exchange, extra high speed bursts, loops, beacons, etc. etc. etc. Everything I could have thought of and then lots more. You can store 3 banks of 6 messages each so that you can have one bank for your normal operating and two others for your favorite contest exchanges and other things. Good built-in monitor if needed. Can be set to hand key operation and tune mode among others. It will emulate all of the popular keyer actions. Dozens of other functions and possibilities that I won't bore you with here.
I ordered it on-line from Idiom Press. The order and shipping experience was smooth, fast and pleasant. The manual is great. A device with all of this complexity could be confusing to learn to use, but Idiom has found a very good solution. The first part of the 24 page manual is basically a list of all the functions with the programmed default values so that you can quickly learn how to use the features and capabilities you want first. Then, later, I read the tutorial. This section is several pages of "lessons" that walk you through how you might use some of the features. I learned a lot of useful things there that I had never even thought about before. The manual gets very high marks.
I've used it in a few contests, and it was a joy. Haven't used the serial number generation feature yet, but will be doing so soon in the WPX CW contest next month. And the November Sweepstakes - Watch OUT!!
I'm guessing that many hams use a contest program via their keyboard to do most of this, but I really enjoy having the physical box and pushing the buttons ;>)
Very nice high quality construction, and looks good too. Excellent feel on the buttons and knob. All powered from 3 AAA cells (or external 12V). I put in a set of lithiums when I first got the keyer and they are still going strong - should last a year or more.
OK, enough slobbering over this thing. If you enjoy CW you will love this keyer - and never need to buy another one.
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| K0XB |
Rating:      |
2006-09-17 | |
| Excellent Product |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| This is an excellent keyer. Using it, my CW sounds as good as it has ever been, and it was easy to set up. The user manual includes a tutorial section, which was well-written and helpful. It rates a "5" from me. |
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| AC5AA |
Rating:      |
2006-07-23 | |
| The best gets better! |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
| I have the original K1, and the K3, and this year at Dayton I added the K5 to the flock. Yes, I *need* this many keyers! As mentioned previously, the K5 brings us the K3 with a couple of adds and a take-away. The take-away is that the K5 had two keying ports on it - one for positive keying, and one for negative, grid block keying. On the K5, in order to switch, you must open the case and move a jumper (just like the K1). Improved ESD protection has already been noted. The positive additions are the ability to once again power the keyer off batteries (which last a long time - my K1 battery lasts about 2 years of regular daily use). Also, the K5 has an internal volume control for the speaker - something else that was missing on the K3. Insignificantly, all three models are in different sized cases. Like the previous Logikeys, this is the most "forgiving" keyer on the planet. Many keyers I've used have nasty habits of sending stuff I didn't think I input from the paddles, but the Logikey doesn't do that, and for that I'm very thankful. The fit/finish on mine is perfect. Still the best - I'm going to have to buy another as a spare some day! |
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| WC1X |
Rating:     |
2006-04-24 | |
| Overall very good |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| Works great, this is the second Logikey keyer I have owned. Unfortuneately the top buttons were binding against the holes in the top of the cabinet. I elongated these holes with a file and now the buttons move freely. Aside from this manufacturing and QC inspection oversight it's a great keyer that I'll be using for a long time to come. |
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| NA9F |
Rating:      |
2006-03-10 | |
| Best Keyer I have used |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
Great keyer!
I was on the air one day talking with a ham I had never talked with before and I noticed his keying was very smooth. I thought to myself he had to be using a keyboard or computer program
supported. I asked him what he was using. He say Logikey K-5.
I had ran across that product name in magazines and did read ads but did not think it would be any different than any of the other keyers I had owned or have. I thought about it more then ordered one and boy was I wrong in my thinking that this keyer would be like all the others. This keyer is different.
I will not spell out all the features of this keyer because you can read those for yourself at http://www.idiompress.com/keyers.html
I will however share my experience and thoughts of this keyer.
Out of all the keyers, about 15 over the 40 yrs of cw operation, the Logikey K-5 is the best. When I say the best, I am referring to it's ability to aid me in my sending.
My mode of operating on the ham bands has been cw about 99 percent of the time. I run at about 30 - 40 wpm and do make mistakes so I am always looking for a better keyer. Some of the keyers I have owned were ok, meaning they did not skip or lockup on me while I was sending. Others were not dependable. Let me honestly say this about the Logikey, It is very smooth and has not locked up or skipped one character. It is as if the keyer knows what you want to paddle in. The smoothness of this keyer is outstanding! It is so easy to load memory and check those memories. Even if you do not use text memories you will find this keyer a aid to you in sending. I find myself excited about using the paddle again.
When I received the keyer, I went ahead and took the top off it just to see what things looked like inside. I was impressed at the quality of the boards and the soldering job. It met me quality standards.
I highly recommend this keyer for any cw operator.
Ron NA9F |
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| W0VX |
Rating:      |
2006-03-02 | |
| Great Product |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
The Idiom Press K-5 is an update to the K-3 with a lower profile case, nicer speed control knob, and some internal improvements. Among the significant design improvements are increased protection from lightning and static discharges as well as the option of using internal batteries or external 12 Volts DC to power the unit.
While I had my K-5 opened up to put the batteries in I took a good look at the insides. The components and construction are top quality. Idiom uses a glass epoxy PC board, stainless steel hardware, tactile feedback switches, and a commercial grade, heavy-duty silk-screened aluminum case. Unlike some of the other accessory manufacturer’s products, the K-5 has a high end look and feel.
Operation is identical to the highly rated Logikey K-3. The commands are the same and operator transition from a K-3 to the K-5 is 100% transparent. Like the K-3, there are 3 banks of 6 memories each. The keyer can be set to 10 different timing emulation modes including Accukeyer and Curtis with and without dot/dash memory. Just about any parameter you can think of (Auto-Space, Speed Range, Sidetone Frequency, Monitor, Weight, Keying Compensation, etc.) can be adjusted with the function commands. A nice touch is the silk screened abbreviated command set on the bottom of the case.
Sending with the K-5 is very smooth. The CW just seems to flow off your fingers. I have built, bought, and used many keyers over the years since 1962 including several ARRL Handbook models, Hallicrafters TO, Accukeyer, KC Keyer, MFJ, WinKey, and internal keyers in various current rigs. In my opinion the K-5 is the finest CW machine I have ever used. This is a must have keyer if you are serious about CW.
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| K9ZTV |
Rating:      |
2006-02-15 | |
| Excellent |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| Excellent keyer which works equally well regardless of what I use it with (Drake 4-Line Twins; FT-1000D; FT-897; Collins KWM-2A, etc.). The manual recommends turning the keyer's sidetone (monitor) off and using the rigs sidetone. For several reasons I prefer using the keyer's sidetone and turning the rig's sidetone off. My only suggestion for improvement would be a louder sidetone. |
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| K3SW |
Rating:      |
2006-02-01 | |
| An Excellent Keyer |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
Many years ago, I built a Super CMOS II based on a kit from Logikey. It was an excellent keyer but got destroyed by corrosion from my basement environment. After examining lots of choices for keyers, I initially decided to buy another kit from Logikey but then cancelled this order and purchased the K-5 which is fully assembled and ready for operation. The K-5 works in the same fashon as the CMOS II but has 6 memories and quite a few other features such as keyer emulation (it has several Accukeyer and Curtis modes) and the ability to organize the memory into either one or four banks of six messages. Basically I cannot find any serious issues with the K-5, I am extremely satisified.
I did note a couple of typos in the manual however. On page 3 when describing the "Bank" command, it refers to the "1 0" command which should be the "B0" command. I puzzled over this for quite a while. Also, the K-5 has the ability to key negative voltage transmitters and to control the internal speaker volume but there is no mention of this in the manual. A quick check of the schematic reveals that a jumper can be moved on the PCB to effect this. Likewise another check of the schematic showed a pot that controls the speaker volume.
Some of the features I really liked about the K-5 were these. The memory Bank capabilty lets you either have four sets of messages (like normal operation, DX chasing and Field Day) set up for use that have brief messages or a single bank that can have longer messages. Another useful feature is the ability to have a message repeat (such as a CQ) with a pause so you can interrupt it. There is another feature that allows a message to pause until the operator completes sending a group (such as RST) and then continue the message. You can also change the tone of the speaker and it is easy to create and edit messages.
Some reviewers of other Logikey keyers have reported RFI problems. I have had no RFI problems even though I am running a full gallon on the second floor of my home with a rather long ground connection.
Logikey provided quick shipment of the K-5 and was quick to process a credit for the kit that I ordered but returned to them. Rob was very friendly on the phone when I called to cancel the order and also sent a nice followup note when the refund was processed. So I'd say Logikey provided excellent service.
My overall impression after a month of use is that this is a really fine product and a very worthwhile addition to a CW operator's shack.
Steve...K4IKM...73! |
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