[TenTec] digital modes

[Jim Brown]

On Fri,11/6/2015 10:14 AM, pca pca wrote:
> I thought that I might try some of the digital modes.

Which modes are you interested in? There are many -- RTTY, PSK31, PSK63, 
Olivia, or the WSJT modes designed for weak signal work and meteor scatter?


> What seems to be the Software of choice for using this cable with the Orion2.

The software you need has NOTHING to do with the Orion 2, and EVERYTHING 
to do with the modes you want to operate. FLDIGI and WinWarbler are two 
popular free programs that do the most popular modes except the WSJT 
modes. For JT65 and JT9, you want WSJT-X.

You will want three connections between your computer and your radio.

1) RS-232 / USB for radio control and logging

2) TX audio from the computer to the radio to send the digitally encoded 
signal to the radio's audio input

3) RX audio from the radio to the computer so that the computer can 
decode the digital signal

I recommend using a good quality USB audio interface for #2 and #3. See 
http://k9yc.com/USB_Interfaces.pdf  for specific recommendations and 
advice about setup.

If your computer has a serial port, use a standard serial cable. If it 
does not, buy a USB to Serial adapter. Make sure that it uses the FTDI 
chipset -- other brands are well known to be problematic. And make sure 
that what you're buying is not a counterfeit -- the cheap stuff on eBay 
and amazon is very likely to be counterfeit.

73, Jim K9YC