[RTTY] Soundcard and Serial ports

[Rick Ruhl]

For those of you who don't know me. I've written code under CP/M, DOS,
Windows, Mac OS (1.x to 7.x), Unix/Xenix/Linux and 6502 and 80x86 assembler.


 

I also was part of the team that wrote the multiuser/Multitaking DOS called
PC-MOS.

 

I learned a lot about soundcard and serial ports over time.

 

First:

 

The Soundcard was never designed to be a TU. The soundcard was designed to
give GAMES better quality sound, so we wouldn't have to use the computer
speaker.

 

Second:

 

The serial port was designed to go from DTE (Data Terminal Equipment) to a
DCE (Data Communications Equipment), not to be used as a keying circuit.

 

 

To get a true good RTTY TU, you need external hardware, like Joe was talking
about, but because hams found a way to make these work in a non-standard
mode, then it's almost impossible for hardware people to do good, quality
work and make a profit.  (It's the same with software people, some of us try
to make a living with software).