WRIST ROCKET TIPS

[bmichaud at VNET.IBM.COM]

Let me suggest using an egg insulator as the projectile, it's small enough
to fit into the launch pocket, and large and bright enough to see in amongst
trees, leaves, etc. Secondly, when you reel it back, tie a larger-than-the-
monofilament (light) line to the other end of the insulator.
Bert, W1IHN/4 BMICHAUD at VNET.IBM.COM


>From tree at cmicro.com (Larry Tyree)  Tue Jun 14 17:58:11 1994
From: tree at cmicro.com (Larry Tyree) (Larry Tyree)
Date: Tue, 14 Jun 94 09:58:11 PDT
Subject: Yaesu interfacing
Message-ID: <9406141658.AA21854 at cmicro.com>


There have been some messages flying around about interfacing problems with
the Yaesu radios.  I have personally been frustrated trying to interface
with the FT-990 that Yaesu loaned me, but have made enough progress that
I feel I can contribute something.

My first problem is assuming the Kenwood interface levels and Yaesu 
interface levels were the same.  Kenwood appears to use the inverse of
"normal" RS-232 levels.  This means you can directly connect your
radio to your serial port, if you take care to divide voltages and use
clamp or zener diodes.  Having AA6TT loan me a real Yaesu interface box
allowed me to finally start talking to the radio.  

I was told by Yaesu that I would have to space the characters I sent it
by 50 milliseconds.  This seemed to be a real limiation as a typical 
command would take about a quarter of a second to send...  however, it
turns out to be untrue.  I am able to spit out characters at 4800 baud
with little or no delay and it works just fine.

If you are reading the frequency, you will want to use the commands that
allow you to read just the frequency, and not everything else.  I can
provide this information to anyone who needs it.

The last problem or two that I am having with the 990 have to do with the
B VFO (this might be my problem) and the RIT commands don't allow you to
move the RIT.  The command works okay for turning it on or off and clearing,
but when you try to adjust the RIT, nothing happens.  Chip thinks there is
a work around and I will pass it along if I get this information.

On a slightly different subject, the Icom and Ten-Tec rigs don't have
VFO or RIT step commands.  These commands allow the radio or RIT to be
tuned from the keyboard and it is too bad these radios don't support
these commands.  I encourage you to ask for these features the next time
you bump into an Icom or Ten-Tec representative.  Both the Yaesu and
Kenwood support these commands.

It would appear the problem that some people are having with CT polling 
the 890 for frequency information is a software timing issue between
the software and the radio.

Tree N6TR
tree at cmicro.com

>From Tony Brock-Fisher <fisher at hp-and.an.hp.com>  Tue Jun 14 18:30:54 1994
From: Tony Brock-Fisher <fisher at hp-and.an.hp.com> (Tony Brock-Fisher)
Date: Tue, 14 Jun 1994 13:30:54 -0400
Subject: FR5DX
Message-ID: <9406141730.AA04940 at hp-and.an.hp.com>

>How about someone like FR5DX? I submit he is guilty of thousands of
>counts of petty larceny and mail fraud. We send greenstamps for QSLs, he
>sends nothing back. Should he be disqualfied?

If he sends nothing back, who cares if he qualifies?

-Tony, K1KP