[RTTY] Motherboard Recommendation

[w4ox]

All,
 
Thanks for the input.  My intent was not to start a controversy.  I simply am trying to get back up and running as quickly as possible so as to be able to play radio.
 
This was not to imply that I am playing ostrich and am afraid of diving into the deep end of the pool.  Rather, my plan is actually for 2 computers.  One is for the here and now with XP, the quick and dirty so to speak, to be able to get back print RTTY immediately.  I am also planning a second computer with all the bells and whistles and Win 7, for which I can tackle the learning curve in the background.
 
So, thanks again.
 
73, Doug W4OX

--- On Thu, 7/1/10, pcooper <pcooper at guernsey.net> wrote:


From: pcooper <pcooper at guernsey.net>
Subject: Re: [RTTY] Motherboard Recommendation
To: RTTY at contesting.com
Date: Thursday, July 1, 2010, 8:47 AM


Hi all,

Well, looks as though my route has stirred up some replies! Good!

Yes, Bill W6WRT is correct in his statement, that route does work, and doesn't cost much to implement.
And Glenn VA3DX is also correct in many ways. Sadly, WF1B is now too outdated to continue using, but it can and does do the job of working DX. I used to use it with MMTTY as the decoder, which worked really well.

However, if you want to cut down on all that cabling, then the MKII is a great way to go. Not only that, it offers many advantages too, such as being able to send CW and FSK directly from the built-in memories. It also has a built-in soundcard that is designed for radio work, and appears (to me) to be far superior to any Soundblaster or on-board cards I have used in the past.

Part of my rationale for going the MKII path was to cut down on the number of cables going between the PC and radio, as not only is it neater, but significantly reduces the chance of stray RF being picked up from the rig.

My other thought was that sooner or later, COM ports will become a thing of the past (spare slots to insert cards are also becoming rare now), and I wanted to "future-proof" my setup.

I guess it is all down to personal choice, and Doug W4OX did ask for thoughts about what to do, so that was my input!

73 all, and I hope to catch you in the DL-DX this weekend

Phil GU0SUP
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