Ft1000 and Signal Link for RTTY Operation

[NW9R]

Anyone using the Signal Link with the FT-1000?  I got mine from Tigertronics and the cable interfaces with the Packet jack on the radio and in order to make it work have to be in the packet mode....on the radio...is that correct?  Tigertronics not much help.

[VE3FMC]

Anyone using the Signal Link with the FT-1000?  I got mine from Tigertronics and the cable interfaces with the Packet jack on the radio and in order to make it work have to be in the packet mode....on the radio...is that correct?  Tigertronics not much help.

I would think that you would operate in USB or LSB for RTTY. USB for all other digital modes.

No reason why it should not operate that way. What does the radio manual tell you?

[NW9R]

The manual for the radio tell you for running RTTY, you go into RTTY mode, to run packet,  you go into packet mode..a bit contrary to the signal link operation.  It works fine in the packet mode on the radio, running RTTY but just seems odd to me they (Tigertronics) don't use the RTTY jack for that purpose. I suspect being a sound card interface and not a traditionaly TNC, that is why. 

[VE3FMC]

The manual for the radio tell you for running RTTY, you go into RTTY mode, to run packet,  you go into packet mode..a bit contrary to the signal link operation.  It works fine in the packet mode on the radio, running RTTY but just seems odd to me they (Tigertronics) don't use the RTTY jack for that purpose. I suspect being a sound card interface and not a traditionaly TNC, that is why. 

Quite likely that is the reason. What mode do you use for the other digital modes? When I run RTTY with my SignaLink USB I am on sideband, not the RTTY mode on the radio.

[AA4PB]

The SignaLink is an "audio only" device with a built-in sound card. It has a vox circuit that keys the radio PTT line any time there are transmit tones present. It does not have the ability to toggle the FSK data line in order to run the radio in RTTY mode and it does not have a CW key output to key your radio in CW modes.

The Signalink requires that the radio operate in USB or LSB mode and that the "sound card software" on the computer generates the appropriate tones for the desired operating mode.

With a USB or LSB radio, if you put FSK audio RTTY tones into the mike audio then you get FSK RTTY mode on the RF output. If you put a CW keyed audio tone into the mike audio then you get CW on the RF output. If you put PSK31 audio tones into the mike input then you get PSK31 on the RF output. You change modes by changing the software setting only - you do not change the mode on the radio.

There are certain advantages to using the radio in it's native mode (i.e. setting its mode switch), but you can't do that with a basic Signalink setup because it doesn't have the necessary control signal outputs.

[VA7CPC]

AA4PB is right, but leaves out an important point:

. . . If a radio has PACKET mode, it's almost certain that in that mode:

. . . . . . audio signals from a DATA IN jack (or pins) are sent to the TX modulator, bypassing the mic amplifier;

. . . . . . received audio from the demodulator is sent to a DATA OUT jack (or pins), bypassing the headphone amp
. . . . . .  and the "AF Gain" control.

That's exactly what you want for RTTY / AFSK (audio frequency-shift keying), if you have a SignaLink.

If you're lucky, the FT-1000 has a 6-pin mini-DIN "Data jack", which the manual says is used to connect a TNC for packet operation.  That's where you plug in the SignaLink.

. .            Charles

[W5DQ]

The manual for the radio tell you for running RTTY, you go into RTTY mode, to run packet,  you go into packet mode..a bit contrary to the signal link operation.  It works fine in the packet mode on the radio, running RTTY but just seems odd to me they (Tigertronics) don't use the RTTY jack for that purpose. I suspect being a sound card interface and not a traditionaly TNC, that is why. 

Typically the dedicated RTTY connection on a radio is for true FSK operations. Using a soundcard device like a Signal Link, the output is AFSK and probably will come out of another port like a digital mode interface used for packet and such. At least it has been my experience with most rigs I have interface from Yaesu and Kenwood.

Gene W5DQ