![]() |
||
General Information Radio Port Mgr . Edit TNC/modem Port . Edit Sound Card Port - Tuning Aid - Volume Settings . Edit Parameters New Port Setup Network TCP/IP Settings Radioport Sharing Auto Start Clients Other Settings Views Program Status Port Activity Status Shared Radio Ports AX.25 Status (Stations) Connected Programs Heard Stations List Monitor Other Features TCP/IP Over Radio . Driver Install . PE Pro Settings . Windows Settings Registration HTTP Interface Live Update Launch IE Browser Go to AGWsoft web site Send Error Report Tips, Tricks, & Trouble Tips and Tricks Problems? Sound Card Use . Sound Card Interface . HF Operations . 9600 Operations . Receive Problems . Transmit Problems
Help Date: 21 June 2004
|
Sound Card HF Packet Operations (300 Baud)HF
vs VHF/UHF Packet HF vs VHF/UHF PacketHF packet operations are different from VHF/HF operations in several ways:* signals more easily affected by
interference and propagation conditions You can set the baud rate for HF (High Frequency) operations from the Radio Port Properties screen. Use the drop down list to select an "On Air Baud Rate" of 300 for the radio port/radio you plan to use for HF operations. You will have two choices for 300 baud:
The best choice is probably the 300 KAM tones. The 300 PK232 tones are an option for hams who are accustomed to working with this tone pair.
if you pick the KAM tones, the key point to remember is that your transmitted signal will be 1600-1800 Hz from the dialed frequency. If you operate Lower Side Band (LSB), as is common, your packet tones will be lower than the dialed frequency by that much; if you operate Upper Side Band (USB), they will be higher by that much. The same is true if you pick the PK232 tones; your transmitted signal will be 2110-2310 Hz from the dialed frequency. PTT Option: Many HF radios have a VOX (voice activated transmission) feature. If your radio does, you can use it instead of a PTT cable, although VOX can be troublesome. Depending on your microphone setup, VOX can also transmit room noise on your packet signal (not good). In addition, any sounds from Windows or your programs can trigger a transmission (so you might want to switch them to off). If you do use VOX, then in the Packet Engine Pro port setup, choose an unused or non-existent RS-232 port for PTT control. You won't "waste" a port or invite a port conflict with another device. To aid tuning,
Packet Engine Pro includes a
Sound
Card Tuning Aid. You can access it from the
Radio Port Manager screen. Highlight the radio
port/frequency to analyze and then from the Edit
menu, select Tuning Aid; or click on the
Tuning Aid icon
Note: If you have configured the sound card for single port use, you will see only one oscilloscope. You will see two scopes only if you configure the card for dual port use. For HF tuning, use the Waterfall Spectrum oscilloscope display. Signals are represented by the blues (weakest), greens, yellows, and reds (strongest) on the black background (black = no signal). Tune your transceiver so that the colorful portion of the screen scrolls down between the two vertical lines. To get good copy, the tone must be precisely centered between the two lines. Here's some samples:
^ Radio Needs Tuning -- signal is outside the two white marker lines.
^ Radio tuned correctly
^ No signal present, just the band noise. Dial Frequency - the suggested frequencies in the list below are the channel centers between the 2 transmitted tones. They are not the dial frequencies. To get the dial frequency, take the frequency you want your packet tones to center on and then add (for LSB) 2210 Hz (if you selected the PK232 tones) or 1700 Hz (if you selected the KAM tones). Example for 30 meters using LSB with KAM tones: Channel Center = 10.140.000 Note that some HF radios with "DATA" or "FSK" modes
automatically offset the indicated dial frequency to account for the difference
between the suppressed carrier freq and an assumed
mark or space frequency. In other words, the frequency shown
on the radio's display will not be the true dial frequency.
If your radio does this and it uses an
offset that matches either the KAM or PK232 tone center, then if would be
advantageous to choose that tone pair -- either the KAM or PK232 -- when you
select the baud rate in Packet Engine Pro. Your
radio's User Manual
will have the data mode offset. If the offset does
not match the KAM or PK232 tones, then you must calculate
a dial adjustment that factors in the radio's offset and
the tone pair used by Packet Engine Pro, i.e. (Actual Tone Center minus
Radio Offset) = Dial Adjustment needed to put tones on correct frequency.
Example: Suggested HF Packet Frequencies - LSB Band
BAND CHANNEL CENTER 20 Meters is the most active HF packet band. Look for APRS beacons at these
center channel frequencies: Signal Volume - The signal volume (as seen by the colors in the Waterfall Spectrum) can best be adjusted by using the Sine Wave oscilloscope display. The sine wave heights should only fill 1/4 to 1/3 of the screen. To adjust the volume, press the Set Volume button on the Sound Card Tuning Aid screen. This brings up the Sound Card Volume Settings screen. Select the appropriate RX Input Line from the drop down list -- either LINE IN or MIC -- and then move the slider under the RX header. Use the left slider to adjust the volume of the first sound card port (left channel). Use the right slider to adjust the second sound card port (right channel), if you are using it. Copyright 2004 SV2AGW George Rossopoulos . All rights reserved. |
|