Uhh, yeah...old fashioned! The diode cap thing went out with the analog
VFO! For me that was the TS830...a fine analog radio and the best contest
radio of it's decade!
Ty K3MM
_____
From: Robert Chudek [mailto:k0rc@citlink.net]
Sent: Sunday, February 26, 2006 2:56 PM
To: rtty@contesting.com
Cc: w7why@verizon.net; Tyler Stewart
Subject: Re: [RTTY] Station upgrade
Hello Ty,
Call me olde fashioned (I just got my AARP card the other week)... but for
RTTY contesting, every radio built should have an FSK mode. One diode, one
cap, and a piece of wire... pennies...
Regarding NET/Autotune... well okay, if you must... :-) My solution is to
buy a radio that tunes 1KHz per revolution so you can easily zero the signal
in the first place... At 5 KHz per revolution, it IS a challenge to get
right on top of a 170 Hz signal.
But overall, I think we're pretty much in agreement...
"How about PSK?" ...what's that??? (just kidding...)
<soapbox=on>
With the enormous increase in RTTY contesting (and other digital modes), I
think manufacturers will need to address these features, even in their entry
level radios...
Talk digital up at the manufacturers booths at Dayton Hamvention, or any
other chance you get... They need to hear everyone doesn't have $3K to $10K
to spend on one radio for their hobby.
And I think that's where this whole thread started... If you have a limited
budget... what does experience tell you...
<soapbox=off>
Now all we need to do is get Tom to whip out that checkbook and throw some
of his money around! And then let us know what he decided to do!
Microphone back to you...
73 de Bob - K0RC
----- Original Message -----
From: Tyler Stewart <mailto:k3mm@verizon.net>
To: 'Robert Chudek' <mailto:k0rc@pclink.com> ; rtty@contesting.com
Cc: w7why@verizon.net
Sent: Sunday, February 26, 2006 1:08 PM
Subject: RE: [RTTY] Station upgrade
Outlaw AFSK? Maybe dirty AFSK, but it's the only way to fly AFAIC. S&P in
NET/Autotune TX mode saves a lot of time and you are on exactly the right
frequency when you answer.
How about PSK? You cant run FSK there... One of the big pluses with the
Yaesu's over most of the Kenwoods is that they are set up for proper
AFSK/PSK operation in PACKET mode and that passband, etc., is easily
programmed. With the older Kenwoods, you have to run in SSB mode and you
have to play manual games with the passbands to get it up above 2 khz center
freq. If you run AFSK at lower audio frequencies, you are asking for
trouble with audio harmonics trashing the band for others.
AFSK when done properly works just fine, and in fact, a lot of modern rigs
just have an internal AFSK generator so it's really still AFSK without the
tracking advantages of a sound card.
Ty K3MM
_____
From: Robert Chudek [mailto:k0rc@citlink.net]
Sent: Saturday, February 25, 2006 11:16 PM
To: rtty@contesting.com
Cc: k3mm@verizon.net; w7why@verizon.net
Subject: Re: [RTTY] Station upgrade
Okay, a second shot at this...
I agree, the TS-850SAT is definitely a better radio. They're selling in the
$700 ~ $800 price range for a sharp used unit. Then you can filter them up
for another couple hundred bucks. And the TS-870 is even better.
If Tom can suppress his desire to run High Power, and he sells both the
FT-840 and the TS-450, and he throws that Grand on the table, he could end
up with a nice pair of TS-850's with good filters.
But don't sell the TS-450 too short. It actually runs true FSK and you can
filter it up with 250 Hz filters that work on CW and RTTY. But a $3
Kilo-buck radio it's not! It's a compact, portable, entry-level radio.
As far as I'm concerned, AFSK should be outlawed. I was chasing a phantom
signal on 15m in NAQP this afternoon. Another overdriven AFSK operator.
Come to think about it, my old Drake T4XB had FSK in it. That's what, 30
year old tube technology? I don't understand why FSK isn't a standard
feature in all radios. You know, like a microphone.
73 de Bob - K0RC
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Message: 9
Date: Sat, 25 Feb 2006 20:05:35 -0500
From: "Tyler Stewart" <k3mm@verizon.net>
Subject: Re: [RTTY] Station upgrade
To: "'Robert Chudek'" <k0rc@pclink.com>, <rtty@contesting.com>
Cc: w7why@verizon.net
Message-ID: <008801c63a70$c02116e0$8900a8c0@basement>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
I don't know about the FT840, but the TS4x0 is really a lousy contest radio.
The worst part is the noisy synthesizer, and if you overdrive in
AFSK...gawd! Instead of running high power, get a couple of TS850's...much
better radios.
Ty K3MM
_____
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