[ct-user] 386 clock runs slow with CT

[Steve Lund]

Alan Harp, K4PB, wrote:
> 
> I have been using an old IBM PS2 laptop for CT.  This 386 machine worked
> many contests with CT for me over the years.  I loaded the new version 9.90
> with the ability to send CW with a paddle on the serial port.  I used this
> program to run the Florida QSO party.  The real time clock on the computer
> ran slow and all the QSO times are off.  The clock lost over an hour before
> I noticed this.  Later testing showed that the real time clock looses time
> when CT DOS is launched even if there is no activity such as logging or
> sending CW.
> 
> So when I ran CT DOS on this pentium lap top with Windows 98 I was cautious
> about the time.  There was no problem with the clock.  The problem that I
> observed running CT DOS on the 386 laptop did not occur with the
> pentium/windows 98 machine.
>
I had exactly the same experience during FD this past weekend.

The 386 running CT DOS lost approximately 45 minutes per day. I let the
PC run without CT today and it lost about 30 seconds per day. I then
launched CT DOS and the clock immediately slowed down. I haven't used
this computer for a while so I don't know when CT quit working with 386
PCs.

The other FD PC was a 486 running Win95 using CT DOS in a DOS box. It
worked flawlessly and lost a few seconds per day, which is what this PC
normally does. 

73,
Steve K6UM