Forget the old DOS programs and upgrade to WinTest with WinKey. Just
like DOS version of CT, but in a Windows app. Sure it costs a little
$$ but well worth it.
Paul K4UJ
On 12/1/06, CW Sanders <no5w@consolidated.net> wrote:
> If it is desired to stay with these DOS-based programs running under XP
> while continuing to produce great CW then it seems like a good solution
> would be for the developers of those programs to add the capability to
> communicate with a serial keyer like the WinKey from K1EL. This completely
> off-loads the CW timing to the WinKey and would not be a difficult thing to
> add.
>
> The problem here of course is that it is a solution that requires the
> developers to implement rather than the user. But it would seem to me to be
> a cleaner, and longer-lived, solution.
>
> 73/Chuck/NO5W
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: cq-contest-bounces@contesting.com
> [mailto:cq-contest-bounces@contesting.com] On Behalf Of Leigh S. Jones
> Sent: Friday, December 01, 2006 5:14 PM
> To: CQ Contest
> Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] Adding MS-DOS to a WindowsXP Computer
>
> Virtualizing software allows you to run an MSDOS program all right. So does
>
> an XP command window. And you're pretty well assured that you can make the
> basic logging functions work during a phone contest even running in a DOS
> command window even under Windows95 with an old 80386 machine. Put 4
> blazingly fast processors on the bus at the same time and you'll probably
> get fairly good code out of the machine under modern multi-processor version
>
> of WindowsXP -- if one processor can't service the timer interrupt quickly
> another one will.
>
> What some of you guys are missing here you'll continue to miss until you try
>
> to run a CW contest using CT, NA, or similar under MSDOS with Virtualizing
> or under an XP command window. CW operators like to use CT and NA to send
> the code. Well, if you could work out the problem of accessing serial and
> parallel ports so you could key a transceiver and read back the operating
> frequency, etc., then it might just work with a new Intel quad-core
> processor, perhaps even a dual core. Anything else -- pentium 4, etc.,
> and the CW rhythm gets chopped up so badly you wouldn't want your callsign
> associated with it. Now, a program that is actually built to run under
> Windows could be just fine, deriving rhythm from the Windows Hi-Res timer
> interrupts, but old MSDOS programs running under Windows DOS Prompts or even
>
> under virtualizing software will share microprocessor resources with the
> rest of the system using a time-sharing algorithm, so they can't react to
> timer interrupts fast enough to provide for smooth code generation. A 3
> GHz pentium box produces code that is almost passable at 10 wpm and fairly
> readable at 20 wpm. But every so often you get these uncontrolled key-up or
>
> key-down pauses that can make a dit into a dah or break one letter into two.
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: <kb8nnu@yahoo.com>
> To: "Mark Bailey" <kd4d@comcast.net>; "CQ Contest"
> <cq-contest@contesting.com>
> Sent: Friday, December 01, 2006 11:57 AM
> Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] Adding MS-DOS to a WindowsXP Computer
>
>
> > If I may add a quicker solution to the dos problem here...
> >
> > MS now offers their helpful Virtual PC (2004 SP1 and 2007 beta) software
> > for free . This software allows the user to to run virtual computing
> > environments under an XP environments. For example, you can run a MS DOS,
>
> > Linux, Win 95/98, under a seperate window in Windows XP. It also allows
> > you to create virtual HDD and ports. Its a great utility for XP users who
>
> > want to run DOS - based software under XP. It doesn't require any extra
> > work to your hard drive and the virtual HDD may be copied to another
> > computer via a simple file transfer. Something worth checking out...I
> > like it!
> >
> > Here's the link to the software site:
> > http://www.microsoft.com/windows/virtualpc/default.mspx
> >
> > Good Luck!
> >
> > Dave
> > KB8NNU
> >
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message ----
> > From: Mark Bailey <kd4d@comcast.net>
> > To: ct-user@contesting.com; TR Log Reflector <trlog@contesting.com>; CQ
> > Contest <cq-contest@contesting.com>; freedos-user@lists.sourceforge.net
> > Sent: Friday, December 1, 2006 12:42:10 PM
> > Subject: [CQ-Contest] Adding MS-DOS to a WindowsXP Computer
> >
> >
> > Good day, everyone:
> >
> > I have updated my procedure and bootable CD for installing
> > FreeDOS (or MSDOS) on almost any WindowsXP computer. You can
> > install FreeDOS (or MSDOS) beside WindowsXP without damaging
> > the WindowsXP installation - using completely free open-source
> > tools.
> >
> > I use this capability to run Amateur Radio contest logging
> > programs which are DOS-based.
> >
> > I did the updated procedure and cd because the free tools to
> > shrink the WindowsXP installation have new versions with
> > more error checking. There are several changes to the procedure
> > to hopefully make it easier to read and follow.
> >
> > There is a FREE CD which contains everything you need to install
> > FreeDOS available for download at
> >
> > http://johnson.tmfc.net/dos/
> > Add DOS to preinstalled Windows (see left side)
> >
> > The PDF file of the updated procedure is also available there or
> > directly from
> >
> > http://johnson.tmfc.net/dos/file/fdinst095.pdf
> >
> > (Thanks to Johnson Lam for providing the server space for this).
> > The CDROM image is about 30 MiBytes. The procedure is less
> > than 1 MiByte.
> >
> > I would appreciate feedback from anyone who uses the procedure
> > so that I can improve it. All of my computers boot both WindowsXP
> > and DOS! I can do this in under ten minutes - it will take
> > you a bit longer the first time.
> >
> > Mark Bailey, KD4D
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > CQ-Contest mailing list
> > CQ-Contest@contesting.com
> > http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/cq-contest
> >
> >
> >
> >
> ____________________________________________________________________________
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> >
>
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