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[K1LEM]

  I'll be giving up my personal station from now until end of my license term. Its a personal decision , but I have a friend in Vermont who has the potential to gateway a 75 meter station. He has neither experience or technical savvy. I have no experience, but do have technical savvy.

Problem: There is a New England net I like to check into, and have during winter seasons. I am about 800 miles SE of Vermont, and can't really hear them well in most of seasons. Now, I know, it is possible to set up a computer as a server rather than what we all use, client mode.

I want a really simple set up that would allow me to just monitor 3.933 and with the VOX or some simple system activate the T/R so I could remotely transmit on the gateway.
What is the simplest most easily reset system for this. I say this, because my friend is basically an appliance Op. (Not that there is anything wrong with that)

Thanks, Wit

[K0JEG]

The absolute simplest way would be to set up a call with your friend and have him hold the microphone (and key the radio) next to the speaker when you want to talk, and hold the radio speaker next to the phone microphone when you want to listen. Works, but terrible phone-quality audio.

The next simplest way would be to have your friend install Skype and set up a sound card interface between the PC and radio. Have the radio pre-tuned to the net and in VOX mode. When you speak it will key up the radio. A good quality microphone and headset designed for VOiP should give you decent audio.

If you want to control the radio, your friend will need to install rig control software, a CAT interface and some sort of remote PC control software. You'll need to connect using your PC and similar software (lots of options, many free, available). You'll continue to use Skype for audio.

If your friend has a complicated setup, such as multiple antennas, you'll need some way to switch them and it gets a lot more complicated. Modulated CW might be possible with a code oscillator, but might be more trouble than it's worth trying to keep a clean signal. Someone else might have some experience with remote control CW, I haven't tried it.

[N4UM]

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