Real Radios Don't Need Computers!

[Bill W4ZV]

         Great post Ed!  It precisely summarizes my
feelings about digital modes (other than the *original*
digital mode).  Life is too short for additional computer
hassles beyond what it takes to keep my everyday
computers running.  Flex-Radio guys may say "Real
radios don't have knobs" but I say "Real radios don't
need computers!"  :-)

 >My main Ham radio interest is CW contesting and also, as of three years ago,
RTTY contesting.  Occasionally, I'll chase an interesting DXpedition and
several times I've tried to get PSK working well enough to make one QSO with
them.  But, not normally operating PSK, I've never gotten it fully working
here and the effort for one QSO has been more than I was willing to invest.

         Given what I know about your computer background,
excellent RTTY contesting results (he wins lots of these for
those of you who don't follow contests), I'm amazed at your
last sentence which summarizes my feelings exactly for non-CW
digital modes..."the effort for one QSO has been more than I
was willing to invest."

 >Had the K3 been available to me, I would have simply turned it on, set the
frequency, set bandwidth and tapped MODE into DATA mode.  Next, I would have
held DATA MD and then rotated VFO-B to select FSK (and VFO-B to select 45
bps), held TEXT DEC and rotated VFO-B to select ON, and finally selected the
tones by holding PITCH and rotating VFO-A to select a 915 Hz Mark tone with
a 170 Hz shift.  I then would have tuned in N8S, tapping CWT to enable the
FSK tuning indicator if desired, and their FSK text would have scrolled
across the VFO-B display area.  Easy!  Wonderful!  And, there's more!

         Why wouldn't you store this setup in one of the Mx
memories?  I assume it may have to do with the above
parameters not all being available to store, but that's
just a little more flash memory isn't it?  :-)

                                 73,  Bill  W4ZV




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[Ed Muns, W0YK]

W0YK wrote:

> Had the K3 been available to me, I would have simply turned
> it on, set the frequency, set bandwidth and tapped MODE into
> DATA mode.  Next, I would have held DATA MD and then rotated
> VFO-B to select FSK (and VFO-B to select 45 bps), held TEXT
> DEC and rotated VFO-B to select ON, and finally selected the
> tones by holding PITCH and rotating VFO-A to select a 915 Hz
> Mark tone with a 170 Hz shift.  I then would have tuned in
> N8S, tapping CWT to enable the FSK tuning indicator if
> desired, and their FSK text would have scrolled across the
> VFO-B display area.  Easy!  Wonderful!  And, there's more!

W4ZV queried:
>          Why wouldn't you store this setup in one of the Mx
> memories?  I assume it may have to do with the above
> parameters not all being available to store, but that's just
> a little more flash memory isn't it?  :-)

Possible, although not before a lot of other items on Wayne's firmware list
and the field tester's feedback list are completed!  Also, there's one
school of thought to keep mode-specific info out of the message memories.
That way, the same message could be used on any CW or data mode.

Another logical place to store these data parameters is in one of the
per-band frequency memories that the operator designates for RTTY.  Of
course, that means storing them multiple times for the bands of interest,
but that is easy enough by just changing the frequency info and storing
again in, say M3, if that is where you want your RTTY per-band memory.
Similar to your idea of storing different antenna setups in the per-band
memories that may differ by band.

73,
Ed - W0YK

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[wayne burdick]

>
> W4ZV queried:
>>          Why wouldn't you store this setup in one of the Mx
>> memories?  I assume it may have to do with the above
>> parameters not all being available to store, but that's just
>> a little more flash memory isn't it?  :-)


Ed, W0YK, described the entire setup procedure for getting on
CW-to-RTTY with the K3. I just wanted to clarify that all of those
settings *are* saved in non-volatile memory, just like every other
setting in the rig.

So, having set DATA MD to FSK, selected a mark pitch, and turned the
text decoder ON, Ed could turn power off, switch modes, etc., and come
back to these settings just by being in DATA mode.

73,
Wayne
N6KR


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[Bill W4ZV]

At 02:41 PM 8/30/07, you wrote:

>>W4ZV queried:
>>>          Why wouldn't you store this setup in one of the Mx
>>>memories?  I assume it may have to do with the above
>>>parameters not all being available to store, but that's just
>>>a little more flash memory isn't it?  :-)
>
>
>Ed, W0YK, described the entire setup procedure for getting on
>CW-to-RTTY with the K3. I just wanted to clarify that all of those
>settings *are* saved in non-volatile memory, just like every other
>setting in the rig.
>
>So, having set DATA MD to FSK, selected a mark pitch, and turned the
>text decoder ON, Ed could turn power off, switch modes, etc., and
>come back to these settings just by being in DATA mode.

         C_O_O_L !!!  No soundcards, no software, no
complex computer setups...just switch your K3 to your
preconfigured DATA mode and you are good to go.
Elegant simplicity at its best!

         Perhaps my question about 5-pole filters
got lost in the avalanche, but could we have BW,
shape factor and (hope...hope!) IMD/BDR results
for all filters soon?

                                 73,  Bill  W4ZV

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[wayne burdick]

Bill Tippett wrote:

>>
>> So, having set DATA MD to FSK, selected a mark pitch, and turned the
>> text decoder ON, Ed could turn power off, switch modes, etc., and
>> come back to these settings just by being in DATA mode.
>
>         C_O_O_L !!!  No soundcards, no software, no
> complex computer setups....

>
>         Perhaps my question about 5-pole filters
> got lost in the avalanche....

The instant we have final filter test results, draft manuals, etc.
ready to view, we'll announce it.

73,
Wayne
N6KR


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