Interfaces - Signalink USB

[VK2WAR]

Im going to place this here, in the absence of a specific subject heading. 

Ok, here goes.  I have now, after abusing Australia Post several times (Im still at a loss how something headed for Sydney NSW ends up in Perth albeit I wish I was back home in Perth) because I could have driven across the Nullabor several times in the 7 days it took them to get it to me (which I might add, took longer for it to get from Manchester UK to Perth W.A), a nice new shiney Signalink USB. 

My question to you all is this.  DM - 780 isnt showing any more than 5 % audio volume.   Now I re-opened the Signalink USB and set jumper JP-2 and the level jumped from 3% at full CW rotation of the RX pot, to 5 %.

Now the waterfall display is working relatively ok, but decoding seems to suck compared to the set up I had before.    Perhaps I need to mess around a bit with the Waterfall a bit more and find a setting eventually that will work.

Having said that.  Is a 4-5% Audio (display) normal

Cheers

Jase

[VK2NET]

Hi Jase, welcome to the forum and I hope you get an answer to your question. I use HRD which has a waterfall, I''m assuming you are referring to this? As for the speed of the Post, what can you say that most of us haven''t mumbled under our breath at some time or other. 

[VK2AJF]

Hi Jase,

In case you haven''t found the answer by now, you could try the HRD forum at http://forums.ham-radio.ch/ or the TigertronicsSignaLink group at yahoo groups. Let us know how you go.

Cheers,

Tony VK2AJF
who is contemplating importing a SignaLink USB.

[VK2NET]

Thanks Tony, I know Jase is a big user of HRD, I''ve seen him in action using it, so the forum is probably the place, as you suggest. 

[VK7ZL]

Why would anyone want to BUY something like that?

What has happened to home brewing?

All that is required do do the same job is two isolation transformers, an opto coupler, a pot, some Vero board, a bit of cable and some plugs.

I guess what is lacking today is the knowledge to put the bits together in the correct order.

Bob

[VK2NET]

Hi Bob, it certainly could be that the order is not widely known, but it might also be a sign of the times in that everybody is so busy and it''s easier to find it on a webpage, point and click and it arrives. In the modern fast paced world, this is the way things are done, in yesterday''s world, there always seemed to be more time and more hands on, the home brewer existed out of necessity more than choice. There is of course no right or wrong, I''m just pointing out the other side of the coin, me personally, I have a double whammy, no time and no ability 

[VK7ZL]

Ron your comments are absolutely correct. The new Ham or more correctly Black Box Operator will cause the demise of their own hobby.
In less than 10 years time there will be no technicians left and when all the repeater systems break down you can point and click all you like but it won''t fix the problem. By that time we will again be at a solar minimum and the already depressed HF conditions will be even worse.

The good news is that the new Ham will still have his mobile phone.

[VK2NET]

Interesting that you mention the mobile phone, as you know they continue to have more use than just a phone service and are getting smaller, my question is, what is the smallest commercially available HF radio - by smallest I mean in physical dimensions that still has a reasonable standard of technical excellence. Will they ever succeed in shrinking the ''classic'' HF radio down small enough to include it into the mobile phone? They did it will the camera, the juke box, the library and of course, you can still actually make phone calls. I wonder why they haven''t looked closer at radios and mobile phones, or am I showing my ignorance again and it may have been done and I just don''t know about it? 

[VK7ZL]

Getting back on topic - Here is a link to a simple sound card interface unit which can be used with any radio.

http://www.w5bbr.com/soundbd.html

[VK2WAR]

Actually, I already did that.   Worked fine.   I purchased the Signalink as it provides another sound card, freeing up the one I have for other purposes.

Cheers,

Jason
VK2WAR

[VK2WAR]

Tony,

Thanx for the link.   It made a difference changing radios, from the FT-897D to the FT-950.  However, now I have a separate issue, it is a setting somewhere, eventually I will sort it out.

So once again, thanx mate.

Cheers

Jason.
VK2WAR