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Reviews For: Airlink Express

Category: Ham Software/Apps - Other than logging

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Review Summary For : Airlink Express
Reviews: 24MSRP: Free
Description:
Digital mode software
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.airlinkexpress.org
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00244.9
W6USC Rating: 2013-05-11
Its fun and Eazy to use Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
A+ Software works like a charm. 1 st time setup was Great.Makes using PSK31 a Breeze thanks
K2DC Rating: 2013-02-02
More Pros Than Cons Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I'm relatively new to digital modes. Overall this seems to me very well done for free software.
Pro's:
- Setup is relatively intuitive
- Help files are comprehensive
- Does very well for PSK and RTTY
- Multichannel decode is very useful
- Callsign Grab is very useful

Con's:
- Does not include any of the newer modes lke JT-65 or Field Hell
- AFC Funtion drives me NUTS!:
There are two AFC funtions: One is meant to track a station currently being decoded, and the other meant to search for signals. The first one can not be disabled and that's the one that gives me problems. On a crowded band, when the station I'm in QSO with stops transmitting, the AFC will drift quickly to a nearby signal, sometimes before I begin to transmit. This feature make the software difficult to use in a crowded part of the band segment, and completely useless in a contest environment.
VE7KNQ Rating: 2013-02-01
Excellent Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I just started using this program and it is excellent! Very easy to set up and use. I find it's a little easier to pick out weak signals using Airlink Express than some of the other programs. Highly recommend it.
W5DPK Rating: 2013-01-22
Simple Great working PSK and RTTY program Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Yes HRD does more but sometimes less is better. I use Airlink Express with a old IBM ThinkPad and it is a slow computer with a very small memory. Airlink is a small program compared with HRD and the ThinkPad loves it. I like the waterfall on AE more than the waterfall on HRD for me it is just easier on the eyes.

Now I can not be sure but it seems to me Airlink does a better job copying a weak PSK signal than HRD. Have no way to prove it but it just seems to work better with weak signal.

Finally the price is right and the support has been first class. I had one problem not so much with Airlink but with my old computer and Alex was there to help. A couple of Emails and I was up and going.

If you plan to use PSK for field day this program has a short learning curve so anyone who sets down at the digi station will adapt to it quickly.

Down load Airlink and play with it and you will keep it on the desktop.
G4NKX Rating: 2013-01-22
Good no frills Software Time Owned: N.A.
I actually was introduced to Airlink while in qso using DM780, the guy I was working said he was using it, so I looked it up and Downloaded it - a refreshed looking Digipan, with a few extra "Bells" and a neat waterfall display (spectrums good too) sets up well to my TS590S.
Could maybe do with a "couple" of exras like E-qsl/Lotw and qsl management and maybe develop more exotic modes?
But its pure simplicity makes it very attractive and its not "Bloated", I'm going to thoroughly test.
G3LIV Rating: 2013-01-01
Easy to use. Does it all so well Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have used AE for some time now. I market DATA interfaces for most modes. I advise newcommers to the world of DATA to use this program
It is so easy to set up.
Easy to operate.
And seems to have a very clean waterfall indeed.
Maybe it does not have all the Bells & whistles of HRD but it does as it says on the box.
Thanks to the writer.
WELL DONE
Johnny G3LIV
AC9ZL Rating: 2012-08-12
good basic program Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I have tried several different programs for PSK. Airlink Express is very easy to setup without reading the help file. I like the online call sign lookup, bandpass filters, multichannel display, and how it connects with my rig to retrieve which band I am on. I miss not having the capability to send qso information to eQSL automatically, and so I currently use a different program for PSK.
AD7LL Rating: 2012-06-16
Best PSK / RTTY ! ! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
From Hamscope to HRD, This is nearly perfect !
Most other software either doesn't play well with Windows 7, or it's just too bloated with stuff and control options that I will never use.
For PSK and RTTY, Airlinks decode is wonderful, and the layout is much like what you would find with digipan. Only short coming for me applies to all digi software I have tried so far, the built in logging I do not like. I much prefer ACLog, and wished that Airlink's logger had similiar fields placed on a bar at the top. That way when I export to ACLog all the data that I want will be there.
GM1SXX Rating: 2012-01-04
Excellent alternative to Digipan Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I'm a fairly recent convert to Airlink Express, having used it for a couple of months.
It reminds me greatly of Digipan, but without all those annoying and inevitable program crashes.

In the last two days, I've thrashed this software hard and it has never let me down. It does a great job of work with no fuss. I haven't managed to break it yet.

What I really like is the multi-QSO receive screen and the fact that it slots into PSKREPORTER so painlessly. It's quite simple to set up and anyone used to Digipan would probably take to it quickly. I like the fact that a lot of configuration and 'look & feel' can be 'tweaked' by the user.

It has some nice bells & whistles but for me, it does what Digipan did for me, only better and much more reliably. I normally run QRP power levels to a simple DIY vertical, and with my low power setup, I get good results with this software.

It's a simple fact that no software will ever suit everyone. If there's anything I don't particularly like, it's the appearange of the waterfall display. Still, thats a *very* minor niggle. I'm bound not to like 'something' after all :-)

Like all digital mode software, it pays to read the online notes.

Airlink Express uses the excellent MMVari DSP Engine written by Makoto Mori, JE3HHT.

If you have never tried Airlink Express, give it a whirl. Alex KR1ST who developed it will be happy to accept a tip from you if you like it. I sent mine by Paypal earlier.

73 AL GM1SXX
K3NOQ Rating: 2011-12-21
BRAVO ! Digital HF newbie, Win 7 Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I am new to the HF digital modes. I downloaded and tried many different programs based on Eham reviews. This Airlink Express program is excellent, has a quick learning curve once you download and start to play with it. I use windows 7 32bit on a homebrew desktop dual core 2.3ghz. AMD 4400 computer. The program downloaded, installed and took right off for me. Could not be happier. I have tried the other programs with my Signalink USB as I got more familiar with the modes, but I keep coming back to Airlink Express. BRAVO ALEX!