[CQ-Contest] Mode 516 Suggestions

[k8cc]

At 09:13 AM 7/6/01 -0400, Bill Coleman wrote:
>I sent the following message to Ten-Tec in reply to their call for
>suggestions on the new Model 516:
>
>One thing I believe you ought to consider is eliminating the DB-9 RS-232
>interface in favor of a USB interface.

I would consider recommending a USB interface once the operating system 
support for it from Microsoft is flawless and bug free.  Since that is not 
likely to happen in my lifetime, I'll vote to stick with RS-232.  I've 
NEVER had an operating system refuse to run RS-232 ports correctly.

Unless you're going to try to get digital audio into or out of the radio, 
the RS-232 speed limitation is simply not an issue in this 
discussion.  I've written RS-232 code to support control of most all of the 
major radios and fail to see any performance issues because the amount of 
data exchanged with the radio is small.  I even have a JA version of the 
IC-781 (called the IC-780 Pro) in my shack that only seems to run properly 
at 1200 baud and contest operation is unimpaired.

I think that the charge that the modern computers are abandoning RS-232 
applies only to the consumer models sold at Best Buy, Circuit City, Radio 
Shack, etc.  Go to any computer swap (or the Dayton Fleamarket!) and its 
been my experience that there is no problem finding a motherboard with at 
least one COM port.  Last year I replaced all the motherboards in my shack 
computers - the motherboards all had two COM ports.  Heck - they even had 
FOUR ISA SLOTS!

I don't mean to dispute what Bill wrote but I'd much rather live with 
RS-232, which is designed to do exactly the sort of interfacing we're 
trying to do, than deal with Microsoft's buggy USB support.

73,

Dave/K8CC


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