[RTTY] Best RTTY program/hardware

[Bill, W6WRT]

ORIGINAL MESSAGE:

On Sat, 24 Jan 2009 19:28:45 -0800 (PST), rick darwicki
<n6pe at yahoo.com> wrote:

> 
> Is there hardware out there that does a better job than
> software on weak signals?
> 
> Please respond to me directly so we don't start a cat
> fight hi hi

REPLY:

With all due respect, I am replying on the reflector because this kind
of question is exactly why the reflector was begun in the first place.
This is the perfect venue for this kind of discussion. 

Over the years I have run a number of side-by-side tests of software
and hardware to try to find out which is best at digging out weak
signals buried in the QRM and QRN. The comparisons showed that RiTTY
by K6STI (software) and a HAL ST-8000 (hardware modem) are nearly
identical in performance and I would place both equally at the top of
the list. Almost as good are MMTTY and MMVARI with MMVARI perhaps
having a slight edge. Next down the line was a KAM modem. Somewhere in
the middle were modems by Tono, AEA and the HAL DXP-38. 

The worst I ever tested, by far, was an AEA DSP-232. Absolute junk. 

My friend, Chen W7AY has a software program he wrote called CocoaModem
which I hear is very, very good but which runs only on a Mac. Haven't
tried that one yet. 

No cat fights intended. I just call 'em like I see 'em.   :-)

73, Bill W6WRT