[WriteLog] Dual Transmit on RTTY on a single radio

[Don Hill AA5AU]

I've had this in mind for some time and didn't know if it would
work until Jon, K1US, told me he already tried it.

Even though the SP RVG RTTY contest was pretty much a bust
this past weekend, I was able to successfully test my dual transmit
setup in WriteLog on a single radio.

I have been using dual receive on the same radio for over a year and
now I can transmit from either of the RTTYrite windows I have 
open on the same radio using FSK.

My setup is a soundboard and FSK transmit from a COM port running
in parallel with the FSK output of a PK232.  The two FSK lines are
simply tied together with a Y connector at the FSK input of one of
my Kenwood TS870 transceivers.

Now, when a call highlights in either of the RTTYrite windows I can
click on it and transmit from that window.  This is sweet indeed!  And
what's even sweeter is now that RTTYrite has the capabilities of splitting
the window between regular and wideband decode when using a soundcard,
I can actually click a callsign from either of three windows!  I suppose if
you had a big enough monitor you could run multiple TNC/Soundboard
combinations with the capability of transmitting from any window by
simply tying all the FSK lines together, but that may be pushing the envelope
a little farther than actually needed.  The limit, of course, would be four.

Something else that I found out that Jon told me about was setting
"rig on COMMx" in both entry windows to the same port and that
works also.  In one of the entry windows, the frequency display does
not change as you move your dial but the QSO is logged on the correct
frequency anyway.  It also works when you put a call in the bandmap using
either the search and pounce memory window or %B in a buffer despite
the display not showing the correct frequency.

I have an extra COM port in my other computer and hope to make the
cable and do the same thing on the 15/40 meter radio using a sound card/COM
port and a DXP38 for both transmit and receive of my other TS870.

Others may already be doing this.  It's a neat trick that I can confirm works
and works well with the TS870.  Others will have to test at their own risk.  I
was afraid of smoking something when I tied the FSK lines together but it
didn't.  FSK is simply off/on (open/short) keying so it's understandable that
it would work.  See you in the ARI test.

73, Don AA5AU
http://www.geocities.com/aa5au/




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