[RTTY] Soundcard and Serial ports

[Dave AA6YQ]

>>>AA6YQ comments below

-----Original Message-----
From: rtty-bounces at contesting.com [mailto:rtty-bounces at contesting.com]On
Behalf Of Rick Ruhl
Sent: Sunday, January 25, 2009 3:48 PM
To: rtty at contesting.com
Subject: [RTTY] Soundcard and Serial ports

>snip<

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.

>>>That was certainly true of the original soundcards, and is true of some
current soundcards. But with the integration of PCs into high-end audio
systems, high-quality soundcards are available. Hams have put these to good
use in both digital mode operation and software-defined radios.

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.

>>>True, but is there something about the serial port design that makes it
inappropriate for use 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).

>>>Either a product provides enough differential value to attract buyers
over free alternatives, or it doesn't. Free software definitely raises the
bar for commercial alternatives -- a good thing, IMHO.

     73,

         Dave, AA6YQ