RS232 INTERFACE

Thu Apr 13 14:35:49 EDT 1995

I have been trying to determine what contest and/or general logging
program I will use and have decided to go ahead and search for an
interface as well.  The ICOM one that would go with my IC 737 is around
$115.  Surely, I can beat that....even if I have to break out the
soldering iron.  I have also heard of an interface sold by W1GEE that
I am checking on now.  Would any of you folks have alternate ideas or
which one would you recommend?

Thanks in advance,

73  KC5DVT   Wayne     email...ehayes at vnet.ibm.com
Austin, Texas

>From wicall at ccpac.ims.disa.mil (Lee Wical)  Thu Apr 13 09:58:53 1995
From: wicall at ccpac.ims.disa.mil (Lee Wical) (Lee Wical)
Date: Thu, 13 Apr 95 08:58:53 HST
Subject: DX/Contesting Complaints Department
Message-ID: <9503137977.AA797788733 at ccpac.ims.disa.mil>

     On 4/9/95 Tyree, N6TR, wisely wrote about complaining to ARRL or CQ or 
     Contest Committees...re: too much CQ'ing verses Search and Pounce 
     (S&P) during DX contests...

     This may be the ultimate suggestion in contesting solutions...for all 
     to judge for themselves:

     JUST TURN IT OFF--If you are irritated by excessive contest CQ'ing it 
     is easy to get away from same. Don't write your complaints to ARRL nor 
     CQ nor those committees and spoil everyone else's fun or misery as 
     N6TR expounded.

     EGO IS THE KEY---The best way to deal with it is to be (one) yourself!
     If you have high self-esteem, you can deal with just about anything, 
     including CQ'ing. As Tom, K1KI, perceptively wrote,..."just watch your 
     CT "rate window"...as QSOs/Multipliers ratio score window will give 
     you that proof....losing is nothing!

     CONTEST INSIGHT---But, if you work on yourself, you'll be more capable 
     of seeing others as flawed (operators) human beings.

     RETAIN THIS DX/CONTEST FACT---WINNING MAY NOT BE EVERYTHING....BUT 
     LOSING IS NOTHING!

     FINALLY---There is no contest or DX operation where you can have your 
     anger cut out! If you have problems...the first place you may 
     look...is in a mirror!

     REMEMBER: EXCESSIVE CQ'ING IS ONLY FOR THOSE WHO CANNOT ACCOMPLISH A 
     S&P (HIGHER CONTEST SCORE) STRATEGY.

     Warm Alohas and have fun, Lee KH6Bloomin' Zipper Flipper!

>From Chad Kurszewski" <kurscj at OAMPC12.csg.mot.com  Thu Apr 13 20:03:05 1995
From: Chad Kurszewski" <kurscj at OAMPC12.csg.mot.com (Chad Kurszewski)
Date: Thu, 13 Apr 1995 14:03:05 -0500
Subject: RS232 INTERFACE
References: <199504131847.NAA21432 at motgate.mot.com>
Message-ID: <9504131403.ZM8047 at WE9V>

On Apr 13,  1:35pm, ehayes at VNET.IBM.COM wrote:
> Subject: RS232 INTERFACE

> The ICOM one that would go with my IC 737 is around $115.
> Would any of you folks have alternate ideas or
> which one would you recommend?

Yeah.   Buy a Maxim MAX233 I.C.  It does it all (it's what Icom uses).
Add a dinky power supply, connectors and a box.  Connect the TTL side
together (RxD and TxD)...Icom only has one signal line.

Total cost < $10    Works great.

QST (or was it CQ) had published an article for a Kenwood interface that
leeched power off of the PC.  It's also a decent design, using just
2N3904 and 2N3906 transistors and signal diodes.  With some minor
modifications, it can be used for Icom.

I made these modifications and made it switch selectable for Kenwood/Icom
and have a connector for each radio type.  We made five or six of these
for KS9K and they have all performed flawlessly for the last several
years.

Happy soldering.....it really saves money.

-- 
Chad Kurszewski                         e-mail:  Chad_Kurszewski at csg.mot.com
Member:  Sultans of Shwing              Note new address since Mar 17, 1995
Loud is Cool....yeah, heh, heh, heh, LOUD IS COOL!!!

>From David Robbins KY1H <robbins at guid2.dnet.ge.com>  Thu Apr 13 20:14:55 1995
From: David Robbins KY1H <robbins at guid2.dnet.ge.com> (David Robbins KY1H)
Date: Thu, 13 Apr 95 15:14:55 EDT
Subject: www solar info
Message-ID: <199504131909.PAA03109 at thomas.ge.com>

to go direct to the source check out the following

National Geophysical Data Center.. from the sun to ice flows
	http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/ngdc.html
NGDC solar terrestrial physics index
	http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/stp/stp.html 
Space Environment Lab (SEL) ... the ones that do wwv solar numbers
	http://www.sel.noaa.gov/
SEL's current data.  last 72 hrs of plots, etc.
        http://www.sel.bldrdoc.gov/today.html
SEL's detailed forecast...(MUCH more detailed than low/quite->low/active!)
        http://www.sel.noaa.gov/forecast.html

Some of these also give current solar images in various wavelengths, and
links to other areas with archives of data.  

73, Dave KY1H  Robbins at guid2.dnet.ge.com