Elecraft K3-REMOTE User Manual

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LECRAFT

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(including K3/0)

WNER’S MANUAL

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Revision A, April 4, 2012

Copyright © 2012, Elecraft, Inc.

All Rights Reserved

K3-Remote

Contents

Introduction ............................................................................................................................................... 3

Terms Used in the Manual ........................................................................................................................ 3

In the Box ................................................................................................................................................. 3

What You Will Need ................................................................................................................................ 4

Finding Your Network Information .................................................................................................................... 4

Setup Guide .............................................................................................................................................. 5

Configuring the RR-1256 Units to Communicate over the Internet ................................................................... 5

Configuring Your Network Router ................................................................................................................... 10

Remote Site Setup ............................................................................................................................................. 12

Local Site Setup Using a K3/0 .......................................................................................................................... 13

Local Site Setup using a K3 (K3/10 or K3/100) ............................................................................................... 14

Operation ................................................................................................................................................ 15

Sending CW ...................................................................................................................................................... 15

Controlling a Remote KPA500 from the Local Site ......................................................................................... 15

Customer Service and Support ............................................................................................................... 16

Appendix A – Cable Sets ........................................................................................................................ 17

Cables Supplied with RR-1256 Units ............................................................................................................... 17

RRMTCBL Cable Set ....................................................................................................................................... 17

RRK0CBL Cable Set ........................................................................................................................................ 18

RRK3CBL Cable Set ........................................................................................................................................ 18

Appendix B – Cable Schematics ............................................................................................................ 19

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Elecraft manuals with color images may be downloaded from

www.elecraft.com

2

.

Introduction

On behalf of our entire design team, we’d like to thank you for choosing the Elecraft K3 Remote system.

The K3/0, or a regular a K3 in ‘terminal mode’, provides a unique real time remote control experience for
operating a K3 located in the next room, or across the country. The latest K3 and K3/0 firmware supports a
compact remote control serial protocol that provides a 100% recreation of the remote K3 on the controlling K3.
All local front panel VFO knobs, other controls and button actions are immediately reflected on the remote K3,
and all display functions from the remote K3’s LCD and LEDs are immediately displayed on the controlling K3.

When paired with the RemoteRig internet control system (also sold by Elecraft) this K3 Remote system can
connect your local K3 or K3/0 to a remote K3 over the internet, including transmit and receive audio, without
the need or complexity of setting up computers on each end. The K3 Remote system provides a real radio feel
with immediate control feedback and very fast response times. The K3/0 connects to the RemoteRig unit
through its rear connectors. It uses its internal speaker and front headphone jack for receive audio, and its front
microphone connector for your mic input. The result is a faithful recreation of your remote K3 on the local K3
that is hard to distinguish from operating the actual radio.

With K3 Remote, you’ll enjoy a high degree of operating convenience, along with world-class performance ­from wherever you may chose to operate from. Have fun!

73,
Eric, WA6HHQ
Wayne, N6KR

Terms Used in the Manual

Remote The site where the K3 and antenna system used to transmit and receive is located.
Local The site from which an operator controls the remote K3 using a K3 or K3/0.

In the Box

What is included in your shipment depends upon the configuration you selected when ordering. This may
include:

1. Two RRC-1258MkII units that provide the interface to the internet; one for the remote location and one

for the local (control) location

2. RRMTCBL cable set to connect the remote RRC-1258 unit to the remote K3.

3. K3/0 Remote control Head.

4. RRK0CBL cable set to connect a local K3/0 as the controller.

5. RRK3CBL cable set to connect a local K3 as the controller.

See Appendices A and B for details about the cables included in each set. If anything is missing, contact
Elecraft as shown on page 16.

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What You Will Need

To operate a K3 remotely through your local area network (LAN) without communicating over the internet, you
need:

 Suitable cables to connect the RRC-1258 units to your router.
 A personal computer to configure the RRC-1258 units.

To operate a K3 remotely through an internet connection, in addition to the above you will need the following.
See Finding Your Network Information below if you need help determining I.P and DNS server information:

 Internet service at both the local and remote locations with a router at the remote location that can be

configured for port forwarding (see pg 10). Note that some cable or DSL modems include routers,
avoiding the need for an additional router.

 URL and login information of the router used at the remote location.
 The public (external) IP Address of your remote site. Most internet service providers (ISP) supply a

dynamic IP address. A dynamic IP address may change each time the modem is powered up or
restarted, requiring you to determine the new public address and to re-configure your control RR-1258
unit accordingly. It is recommended that you set up a static domain name with your dynamic IP using a
free service such as NO-IP (http://www.no-ip.com/services/managed_dns/free_dynamic_dns.html
Once this static domain is set up, you may use it as your Public (External) IP Address.

 The private I.P. address.

).

 The DNS address assigned to your service.

Finding Your Network Information

If needed, you can locate the following information using your computer connected to your LAN and the
internet:

 Internal (Private) I.P. (Default Gateway): _____________________________________
 DNS Servers: ____________________________________________________________
 External (Public) I.P.: ______________________________________________________

At your computer, open the Command prompt window by clicking on START and typing cmd in the search
window (on Windows Xp click on START, then RUN and enter cmd in the window that opens. Hit enter to
launch the Command prompt window.

Some text will appear in the window with a blinking cursor at the end. Type ipconfig/all then hit Enter.

A stream of data will appear on the window. One of the first groups of data will be titled something like “LAN
Adapter” or “Wireless Local Network” (if you are using a wireless connection to your router). Look under it for
“Default Gateway” and copy that information exactly as shown in the space above. That is your internal or
private I.P. address.

Locate DNS Servers and do the same.

With your computer connected to the internet, open your browser and go to: checkip.dyndns.org. Your current
(public) I.P. address will be shown on the screen. Copy it into the space provided above.

4

Setup Guide

If you want the units to communicate between your local and remote systems over the internet, you will need to
configure your network routers and program the RR-1256 units as follows. You should not
units if you have both of them connected to the same local area network (LAN) such as a home network that
functions whether or not you have internet access.

Configuring the RR-1256 Units to Communicate over the Internet

Your RR-1256 units must have the correct internet protocol (I.P.) addresses to communicate with the router that
provides a gateway from your local area network (LAN) to the internet, or wide area network (WAN). If you
don’t know your network settings turn to Finding Your Network Information on pg 4.The units are supplied
configured as follows. It these settings agree with your network settings at the local and remote locations, no
further configuration is needed. Go directly to the appropriate equipment setup on pg 12,13 or 14 to connect the
cables to your equipment.

need to program the

Local (Control) RR-1256 Remote RR-1256

Private I.P.: 192.168.1.169 192.168.1.170

Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0 255.255.255.0

Gateway: 192.168.1.1 192.168.1.1

DNS Server: 192.168.1.1 192.168.1.1

You will need a windows computer with an internet connection to program the units with the correct internet
protocol (I.P.) addresses. Note that the RR-1256 Units are not identical. One has a knob marked CW on the front
panel. Program the unit with the CW knob for use at the local (control) site. Program the unit without the knob
for use at the remote site.

1. Download and install the Microbit Setup Manager from www.remoterig.com

on your computer.

This program may need to install several virtual port drivers on your system. You may

see a series of Windows messages warning you that each driver is not recognized by
Windows. Click on the button to install

each of the drivers.

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2. Connect your computer and power to one of the RR-1256 units (see Figure 1).

Figure 1

3. Launch the Microbit Setup Manager you installed. You should see a window similar to Figure 2

reporting that your computer is communicating with the RR-1256 unit and that it has successfully
retrieved the firmware (FW) and software version (SW).

Figure 2

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