[WriteLog] Rig interface advice

[Gary Senesac AL9A]

Wow!  Thanks to all who responded so quickly with so much info and great 
ideas.  I think I've sorted out my intended changeover plan for the moment - 
of course subject to change at the drop of a hat!  I'll summarize some of 
the points received and how/why I hope to get from here to there.

Computer -  a Dell Insprion 1750 with a large screen - you can never have 
too much desktop space!

Operating System - Vista (reluctantly).  Several replies suggested sticking 
with XP, including Joe W4TV.  I finally decided on Vista because several 
others indicated their stuff runs ok on it and XP is already several years 
old.  It won't be that much longer before Microsoft announces it is dropping 
support for XP and more and more software will be Vista oriented.

Docking station - Since it's a laptop I want the ability to quickly pull it 
off the desk and go portable with it whenever I want without having to 
disconnect all the cabling and then reconnect upon return.  I have a docking 
station for my ancient Compaq and it is very convenient.  Dell only has a 
cheesy looking Kensington product among their accessories for the Insprion 
line that has fairly low product review ratings.  I'm probably going to go 
with a Targus ACP50US ($129 MSRP, I have to check eBay and other vendors 
prices) as it has, in addition to a serial port and four additional USB 
ports, a VGA connection for my 19" LCD external monitor.  Dell's specs 
indicate the video card I ordered will support multiple monitors, as do the 
Targus specs. With a little rearranging of the shack desktop I hope to get 
dual video using the laptop's screen and the external monitor.

Radio interface - After considering multiple options, and looking at my 
holiday and contest calendars, I've decided to use a gradual approach.. 
Rather than try to rush things and get myself all tied in a knot with more 
problems than I can handle, I will probably start slowly and leave the old 
Compaq attached to the radio while I explore the new Dell and Vista and get 
my files transferred over to the new machine.  I intend to purchase a two 
port Byterunner USB adaptor, their USB-2Com - M model, with the FTDI chipset 
($59).  This model comes enclosed in a metal box which may be help prevent 
RFI issues.  This will give me three serial ports - one on the docking 
station and two in the Byterunner.  Should the docking station serial port 
be a no go I will still have the second Byterunner port to try.  Hopefully 
this approach will minimize the changeover to the Dell without a lot of 
trauma.  If all goes well and this setup is running for several upcoming 
contests I will probably purchase a MicroKeyer II.  Then at my own pace I 
can study the manual and reconfigure the station to run with the MicroKeyer 
II.

Sorry for the length and detail, but I wanted to give all who took the time 
and trouble to reply to my query some feedback.  I really appreciate all 
your comments and hopefully someday I'll feel comfortable helping out 
another confused soul!

73,
Gary AL9A