Ham Radio Help Desk

Figuring out the details of the APRS “new paradigm” WIDEn-n technique has been a bit of a learning curve for me. I stumbled onto this web site which contains a good summary of the various modes.

http://www.nwaprs.info/

This site helped me shorten my APRS learning curve.

Hello all,

So…

I am finally getting around to using APRS. It seems to me APRS applications, such as UI-View, are older and lack recent releases. I realize UI-View’s author is no longer with us. Does anyone here have some thoughts on good software for use with the APRS system?

73
John

I was chatting with a club member this weekend. He told me about a digital slow scan tv modulation mode designed for use in the HF bands on a typical SSB bandwidth.

I know about analog slow scan television and have heard about many binary transfer methods for HF. This was the first time I heard something coined “Digital Slow Scan TV.” The program is called Easypal and can be found easily via a web search.

There appears to be a dedicated team behind this program which suggests a healthy development effort.

Indeed, after downloading the program and installing it on a Windows XP system, I was using it in no time. My friend was on the local repeater at the time and guided me through appropriate default options to use.
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Last night I had a nice QSO with a fellow using the Olivia digital mode.

What surprised me was the way he called CQ.

Olivia seems kind of new, but established procedures seem to exist at least on this site…

http://hflink.com/olivia/

…suggesting the typical calling Olivia modes are 500/16 and 1000/32.

It took me a while to figure out this fellow was calling using Olivia 250/8 and on a frequency not posted in the above link.

Question:

Is there a “formal” set of good Olivia habits or are we pretty much free to use links like above as guidance for good practice?

John

I started up the HF station and prepared to make a few digital contacts using PSK31, Olivia, etc.

When I attempted to answer someone’s PSK31 CQ I noticed my RF power was averaging about 30 watts, but peaking at 70 or so.

I doubled checked various knobs on the US Interface Navigator, software, etc. Everything looked fine.

I transmitted again. The peak power was still there.

I knew this was not right and I was frustrated. I then recalled the power meter correlated very well with the sharp clicks coming from my kid’s air hockey table in the next room, but how could that noise be getting in and if it was, why was it having any affect from so far away.

Aha… the “MIC GAIN” on my Icom 746 was still up meaning the microphone on my Hail headset was still live and mixing with the audio from the Navigator.

Plus, the staccato noise from an air hockey puck smacking against the handle is a lot louder than it might seem because it is so short.

I turned the mic gain down and all is well.

I have not found an automatic way of muting the microphone input during sound card transmit with my IC-746. Have any of you found a way to do this?

73
kx4o

I made my very first Olivia QSO tonight. It was a bit daunting, but I took the time to study a little about the standard, already had MixW rigged up with the Olivia DLL, listened around a bit on 20 meters then 40, figured out where to call CQ and just did it.

It was not even two minutes before a ham came back to my Olivia 16/500 call on one of the 40 meter calling frequencies.
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Many times I have built home-brew radio to computer sound card audio interfaces with success. The goals were to have some fun with the many digital modes out there including PSK31, MFSK, Olivia and RTTY with an emphasis on PSK31.

Also available for use are handy CW decoders like CWGet and CWSkimmer.

To complete the computer to radio marriage I purchased and built a WinKey and Winkey USB kit from K1EL.

By this time, the number of cables between the computer and the radio was getting a little out of hand. I sought a new approach that connected to the computer with just one cable.
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Perhaps you have heard about PSK31 and the many other digital modes available to today’s ham radio operators.

You have gone the next step and know you need to, somehow, connect your computer soundcard with your radio’s speaker and microphone.

Many devices exist to help you do just that including US Interface, BuxComm, SignaLink, etc. I have my eyes set on the US Interface Navigator product to be my sound interface plus mop up a WinKey CW Keyer and rig control (CAT) in one box entirely powered by the USB port. Nice.

However, I am enjoying the digital modes today with absolutely no interface. How?
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