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This note regards experiences with ARRL SSB test, 2RSO - voice card.
Pre-contest I tried writelog on a 486-100mhz AT&T laptop and a Dell-400mhz
laptop - used the 400mhz but might have been better off with the 486 voice
card.
Thoughts in no peculiar order :
1. Before install try the sound board tester :
http://www.writelog.com/Downloads/sbrdchk.zip
I'm surprised this link isn't on the computer "requirements" part of
writelog(perhaps I missed it). I
was never aware that a sound card might not pass audio through - expensive
if
your looking at a laptop that won't do it.
2. The Dell 400mhz laptop would not pass audio through the mic port to the
out port using it's default driver and sbrdchk reported that.
3. The 400mhz laptop had a 2nd playback driver. sbrdchk gave it full
marks & the mic port was on the playback screen but it still wouldn't pass
mic audio.
4. The 100mhz 486 was reported by sbrdchk to be OK for transmitting mic
audio for 2 radio but I finally concluded the laptop had only mono
capabilities. The balance control would never move for operator or
writelog.
(I tried sbrdchk on several desktops - not all of them got full marks. It
seems almost any sound card will work for 2R RTTY on transmit if it's stereo
board, but other items seem to vary. sbrdchk isn't 100% but it
is worth using up front.)
5. I found the MS playback volume control to be critical and the master
volume had to be set just above zero mark. I didn't use isolation
transformers but will check that. I'm sure it's an impedance mis-match from
the sound card to mic input. Way too easy to over drive the rig input.
6. Audio quality. Transmit Quality was good IF the Dell laptop battery
charger was unplugged. I wanted to stick a ground cable on it but
with a plastic case..... Perhaps the charger output is not filtered?
Fortunately the Dell battery lasts a LONG time & I'd take a break during
charging.
7. Never got the "Auto Resume" feature to work.
8. The shift-F function to record audio , never got it to work. Recorded
all audio using the MicroSoft voice recorder. Named them Msg# and saved
them. Perhaps this is that the MS voice recorder has a 20db boost for the
mic on record?
9. When I took a break - IF I closed the top , the port connection did not
recover. It would blink the
Comm light on the rig but no data made it to writelog. I learned that by
going to the port page and clicking OK agn everything worked.
10. I could never tell if Auto Save was working. Shouldn't there be a
save function to the Floppy during the contest?? I recommend it.
11. I would like to see dedicated F keys to each radio. For example hit
F2 and it gives callsign on radio L, hit F6 and it gives callsign on radio
R. F3/F7, F4/F8, etc....
12. Can we have it so we can setup 2 DVP's? Like use voice card (like
the 486 mono port) for one radio and LPT to key DVP for other radio ??
Also if it would stop the CQ'ing voice card if the F key was pressed to key
the outboard DVP.
13. See item 5 above.
14. Made a few contacts using the FT1000 memories - writelog recorded VFO
A info? Can writelog tell when the rig is in split mode on 40 & 80 ??
73 Robert W5AJ
http://www.blkbox.com/~w5robert
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