PreppComm MMX-804020 Manuale utente

Morse Made Easy™

MMX MultiBand Transceiver

MMX ZERO Decoder/Encoder

QUICK START GUIDE

By Eric C Anderson, PreppComm

Version 1.2, July 2023

I. Introduction

There are two ways to use the MMX transceiver. For MMX ZERO, only the second one

is available:!

1, Sand-alone QRP Transceiver

2. Companion or assistant for decoding/encoding to your existing transceiver

In this Setup Guide, we will ﬁrst cover setting up the MMX itself for operation, followed

by Electrical Setup and then Operation for each of the two modes in separate sections.

II. MMX Computer Setup

The MMX start up in External Mode, or Companion Mode, and is discussed in detail in

Section II. This is displayed in the Frequency Button. In Figure 1 below, the Frequency

Button shows a 40M frequency, so this is clearly not a MMX ZERO screen, which

always shows External in the Frequency Button space.

1. Connect the MMX to a power source, and press the red Power button. The

Splash Screen will display for approximately 3 seconds, followed by the Main Screen

then is displayed, as shown in Figure 1 below.

FIGURE 1: MAIN SCREEN

Spend a few moments to review the screen tags above. Take particular attention to the

CCS Button (CCS = Captured Call Sign) and the Frequency Button, which at ﬁrst

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power on reads External. For the MMX ZERO, the Frequency Button always shows

External, as there is no transceiver or VFO installed.

2. Press the Menu Button, and the Main Menu screen will display, as shown in

Figure 2 below.

FIGURE 2: MAIN MENU

Note that Graphics and Firmware version numbers are now displayed in the lower

bottom corners of the Main Menu (not shown here).

3. Press the LOCAL STATION SETUP button at the top of the menu. The Call Letters

entry screen will display, as shown in Figure 3 below:

FIGURE 3: CALL LETTERS ENTRY SCREEN

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4. Enter your call letters assigned to you by the FCC. Use backspace or delete to

edit if you make a mistake. Note: you do not have to hold down the caps key - all caps

is automatic. Press the NEXT button to continue.

5. Using the NEXT buttons, proceed through a series of screens and enter the

required information

a) Name, or in ham radio lingo, your Handle, such as JOHN

b) Location, or QTH in ham lingo, such as CHICAGO, IL

c) Rig Type (PREPPCOMM MMX)

c) Antenna Type. The antenna you are using, or DUMMY LOAD.

d) License Level. Select your FCC license level

The License Level Entry screen is shown in Figure 4 below

FIGURE 4: LICENSE LEVEL ENTRY SCREEN

6. Press the FINISH button on the License Level Screen

You will be returned to the Main Screen. You have now completed initial setup of your

MMX transceiver.

7. Press the Menu button again, followed by the Typing Speed button. You will see

the Typing Test screen shown in Figure 5 on the next page. Why are we taking a typing

speed test now? Because you want to establish the upper limit of how fast the

transmitter should be allowed to transmit Morse code, right at the start. Normally, the

encoder typing speed is set by the decoder, based on the speed of the other station.

However, if you can’t send as fast as the other station, you need to let the computer

know, so it will limit the WPM (Words Per Minute) based on your ability to type. This is

important to enable well-formed Morse communications. If the transmitter is running too

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fast, it will end up pressing you to type faster, making more mistakes, not to mention not

having fun. So take the time now to do this important setup step, unique to PreppComm

Morse transceivers. Follow the directions on the screen

Figure 5: Typing Speed Test

The result? Your transmit speed will match the other station unless it is going too fast, at

which point your speed will be set to the maximum allowed.

Once you complete the test, you will see the screen shown in Figure 6 below:

FIGURE 6: TRANSMITTER MAXIMUM WPM

The value you see on this screen is the maximum WPM the transmitter will transmit. To

be clear, for MMX ZERO, this means the maximum WPM of the Morse Encoder, so the

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maximum transmit speed of the external transceiver. This is a computed value, based

on a number of factors. Go with it for now - you can always come back and edit it. Press

SAVE to complete the setup.

8. Initial setup of the MMX is now complete.

III. Learning Auto-CALL and ANS

In this section we are going to familiarize you with using the four different call and

answer functions built into the MMX. These work the same for both external and internal

transmitters.

If not in External Mode already, press the Frequency Button until it shows

External. Then, follow the following steps.

1. Press CALL. On the status line, you will see the question SET CALL WPM = ?

Asking you to specify how fast to transmit, as there is no history to base that on

at this ﬁrst transmission, and the CALL button will turn RED.!

2. Press SPACE BAR to set the default 20 WPM. You can change the default later

if you wish. If you are not hearing tone output, adjust your volume control and

check your wiring. If all else fails, exit CALL by pressing ESC and press K, and

try pressing CALL again. K toggles the tone output on/off. ESC is the instant,

emergency exit from transmit mode. ESC has a number of other functions not

covered here.!

3. Watch as the MMX transmits the general call or CQ, using your call sign.!

4. Press CALL to end the call. The current repeat continues until complete, and

ends with a Kappended. The CALL button will turn AMBER during the ending

of the call. K means "Come Back (anyone).” Note that the general call will

repeat until you end it. Typically you will run it for 30 - 90 seconds when on the

air.!

5. Press NO CCS button and enter the call letters of a station you would like to

call. Press SPACE or FINISH to complete and return to the Main Screen.!

6. Note the CCS Button now has the new call sign you just entered loaded.

Normally, the decoder will ﬁll the CCS button from a received station ID.!

7. Press CALL again to start a directed call. Note it will automatically use 20 WPM

from recent history, your call sign, and the call sign you entered into CCS.!

8. Watch as the MMX calls the speciﬁed station. Press CALL again to end the

directed call. Note that KN is appended at the end, which means "come back,

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only the station I am calling.”!

9. Press the ANS Button twice, quickly. The ﬁrst press will result in a RED

button, the second press will result in an AMBER button. Ignore the Type-Ahead

Buffer Pop-Up for now.!

10. Watch as the MMX transmits the answer-validate sequence. This is a short

station ID used when you are responding to another station’s CQ (general call) to

attempt to establish a 2-way communication. If they answer you, then a 2-way

has been established, and communication can begin. Answer Validate is not

required if you make a call and someone answers you. In this case, you are

using a CCS you entered. Normally, the CCS would have been set by the station

calling CQ.!

11. Press ANS once. The button turns RED, and a Type-Ahead Buffer pops up.

12. Type a tilde (~) character, then press ANS again. The button turns AMBER.!

13. Watch as the MMX sends the initial station ID, followed by the INFO text

message, which is generated when you type in a tilde character. The Type-

Ahead Buffer goes away as soon as the tilde is read out. The ﬁnal station ID

back to the other station completes the transmission, with a KN.!

The key in this step is to understand the use of ANS pressed once, and using the

tilde character to send the INFO message automatically from your information

previously entered. You can create your own INFO message with microprograms

later.!

14. Think up a short message, such as "HI, BOB. HOW ARE YOU TODAY?"!

15. Press ANS and IMMEDIATELY type your message. You should be able to

type at least part of the message during the initial auto station ID, and then your

message will begin to transmit.

16. Press ANS again to indicate to the computer that your typing is complete. Your

message will ﬁrst appear in the Type-Ahead Buffer, until the initial auto station ID

has completed, and then your message will be read out one character at a time,

and reappear as transmitted text in the main text area. Finally, since you pressed

ANS the second time, it completes the transmission with another station ID.!

The use of ANS to go back and forth with another station is very easy and

simple, but it does mean an auto ID at beginning and end of each transmission.

You can change this easily with simple microprograms. You can also “press” the

CALL and ANS buttons using function keys (or press YOUR call and answer

function), also using microprograms.!

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These built-in microprograms (CALL, ANSWER, and INFO) can be customized

and controlled from function keys using RPL (Rig Programming Language) in our

microprogramming system. There are 12 user-deﬁned microprograms. Watch

our YouTube video on microprogramming to get the "starter set" to play with. The

starter set is also described in Section 18-10 of the MMX Reference Manual.!

17. You now have a basic idea of how to use the four main transmit functions:

1. General Call

2. Directed Call

3. Answer-Validate

4. Answer

This completes the basic training of the automated CALL-ANS functions.

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IV. Choose your mode of operation

There are two more sections to the Guide:

1. QRP Transceiver: Getting started using your MMX as a QRP (low power)

Transceiver. This is referred to as the "Transceiver Mode." In this use, you need

the MMX, keyboard, headphones, battery, and an antenna (or dummy load if you

are learning how to use it). Go to Section III below.!

2. External Transceiver Decoder/Encoder: This is for when you want to

connect your MMX to your base station transceiver to use as a CW decoder/

encoder. This is referred to as the "External Mode or Companion Mode." This

mode enables use of the internal computers for decoding and encoding, and uses

the receiver and transmitter inside your base or portable station transceiver. This

allows the decoder and encoder to operate on any band your base station operate

on, and at a higher power level, set by your base station. This is also the MMX

ZERO mode Go to Section VII.

Page 9

V. QRP Mode Electrical Setup

1. Set up the MMX as shown in Figure 7 below. Take care plugging in connectors.

FIGURE 7: STATION SETUP AS STAND-ALONE STATION

2. Turn on the transceiver using the RED power switch.

WARNING: NEVER OPERATE THE TRANSMITTER WITHOUT A LOAD ON THE

ANTENNA CONNECTOR. DOING SO VOIDS YOUR WARRANTY FOR ANY

DAMAGE CAUSED BY AN UNLOADED TRANSMITTER.

If you plan to use a key to transmit, this will be covered at the end of this section.

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