Well, I agree about Ethernet for networked computers. My sales and order
fulfillment system at work has 21 workstations, and two servers. The
inventory
system has its own server and five workstations. And as CEO,CFO, and tech
wonk I
have to keep all that up. Even when the pickers insist on deleting inventory!
But.....
Sooner rather than later someone is going to cut costs and put a <$5.00 USB
interface in place of the RS232 port on rotor controllers. And the next
generation of auto-tune amps. And the next generation of all the other
computer
controlled shack accessories. Because the USB port is cheaper to build in
than the
legacy serial port; because it will take less effort to convert programs to
use USB or Firewire than Ethernet; and because nearly every computer
built in
the last three years has either or both USB and Firewire. While an increasing
percentage have no "legacy" serial or printer ports at all.
To further complicate life many if not most modems already have a singe
ethernet port built in. But most of us want to use the shack computer for
internet
access. Meaning at least one more card - or a separate router. Meaning one
more piece of equipment taking up space I have dedicated to something else,
and a whole bunch more cables to try to keep sorted in the restricted
space in
back of the equipment. Or give it up and go to thin Ethernet - I don't
think!
A single daisy chained USB line could serve the rig, amp, antenna tuner,
keyer, and whatever else you might have hooked to your computer. And do it
with
short branch cableing. So a USB port would currently be more useful to "Joe
Average Hamm" than an RS232 port if the rig and accessory manufacturers
modernized their equipment. Something that's going to happen fairly
quickly the way
'232 driver chips are disappearing from the catalogs.
Since USB/RS232 adapters are still fairly common and fairly cheap the
transition to the newer mode would be much easier, allowing a mix
of USB, or
Firewire, and "Legacy" RS232 equipment. Without obsoleting the equipment
we already
have, or requiring a major upgrade of most late model computers.
On the rig side - RS232 seems to do an adequate job of doing what needs to be
done. The alternatives might do it faster - but how much faster do you need
to update the frequency on your rig? Or change bands remotely? '232
works at
57 kbytes or some such - and I saw a demonstration of Firewire carrying
streaming video.
I did some looking and I don't find RS232 to Ethernet adapters. I suppose
someone makes an adapter of some sort, as there are plenty of stand alone
print
servers. I failed to locate any - but I didn't have time to look through all
33,000 odd hits, either. But they must be fairly rare if even a casual scan
failed to turn up any.
That means converting the shack from what I have to Ethernet would be an
expensive proposition. I would have to consider the situation very carefully
before I placed an order for an Ethernet enabled rig - and not much
thought at all
to placing an order for a Firewire or USB ported rig.
Of course, it appears the ideal solution would be to do both. Spend the extra
three bucks or whatever and add both USB and Ethernet to the next generation
high end rigs. You can have your cake and eat it too.
73 Pete Allen aC5E
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