Digital software recommendations

[NA4IT]

For the newbie or the OM wanting to get their feet wet in digital ops.

PSK31

Digipan. You can't go wrong here. It is simple to use, has a neat logbook in it, and the macros are easy to set up and use! It's at "http://www.digipan.net/".

SSTV

Well, I've used serveral versions of MMSSTV as they have been released, and haven't found anything wrong with any of them. The help files are good, setup is simple, and talk about latest of everything! Highly recommend it for everyday SSTV. It's at "http://www.qsl.net/mmhamsoft/". (Just surf to the MMSSTV page.

RTTY

Well, sometimes new stuff makes the old stuff better. RTTY has been around since ? But with sound card digital, it now requires TONS less equipment. I tried several programs for RTTY. None of the worked. A friend suggested MMTTY. Well, it didn't work either. Until I put it on a fast enough machine for it. (Old machine was Pentium 133 w/64M memory). Now it works great. It is a little tougher to setup and operate than PSK31, being the nature of the beast, but it can be learned. It's at "http://www.qsl.net/mmhamsoft/" also, just surf to the MMTTY page.

Digital modes are a lot of fun. When you're tired of talking, and tired of Morse, then try out the digital. I have never found any of them very useful in contest mode, but for some good old-fashioned rag chews and some really neat picture trading, you can't beat it.

Still not sure if you want to try it? Well, get in your junk box or go to Rad Shack and get you a cable to go from your rig's audio out to the sound card line in, download the software and "listen" a little. You'll probably get the bug!

73 & hope this helps someone enjoy the hobby even more!

[K0HZI]

Also MixW will do most of the soundcard modes, however it is not freeware: http://www.mixw.net/
Ham RTTY has been around since 1946, first on two meter AM using AFSK. One of the pioneers of RTTY was Wayne Green (yes that Wayne Green W2NSD) Merrill Swan W6AEE, Boyd Phelps W0BP, Bob Weitbrecht W9TCJ, Frank White W3PYW were pioneers on HF RTTY using "make and break" carrier. From "The Radio Amateurs RTTY Handbook" first edition 1957 by Wayne Green W2NSD, Byron Kretzman W2JTP.

[AA6YQ]

If you're interested in both PSK and RTTY, WinWarbler provides both via the same easy-to-use graphical user  interface. RTTY is implemented by using the MMTTY engine "under the hood".

WinWarbler is a member of the DXLab suite, so you can incrementally add more powerful logging, full transceiver control, a very active world map, propagation prediction and beacon monitoring, QSL route discovery, and DX Spot collection and analysis.

WinWarbler and the rest of the DXLab Suite are available via www.qsl.net/dxlab -- they're all free.

    73,

       Dave, AA6YQ