BASIC SOUND CARD MODE TRAINING GUIDE
Contents
1. ic jumper PSK In SignaLink PTCllex 2 COND GND Modem white Cable PTT yellow 5 13 8 VDC input PIT SignaLink USB E SLUSB8PD EH Rec Audio OO 756Pro Cable blue AF input 4 green PTCllex cable Shield to DIN Case 2 5 4 3 T gnd AF Mod SEND 13 8V DIN cable to ACC1 Figure 6 Schematic Diagram for the IC 756Pro SignaLink USB Cable Figures 7 and 8 show the same summing technique for the very popular ICOM IC 706 series IC 706Pro PTCllex SignaLink USB External Sound Car DC power from USB G 0g 8 AirMail se Sli MixW pa eal PIT c 3 HIC c 2 DIR l Figure 7 Summing Technique for IC 706 Series and SignaLink USB 34 Audio Out Xmit audio 2 violet orange Drive Level Pes Q FSK 350 IC 7000 a Sn te PSK 350 IC 7000 g PTCllex 2 GND GND g Cable 3 atl PIT 3 SignaLink USB yenow White green SLCAB13PI 5 13 8 VDC input 706 Cable blue 4 AF input Rec Audio 4 green White orange Sater ese fat 2s Ng es ce cae T PTCllex cable VSEND Shield to wae DIN13 blue 2 12 11 3 8 gnd AF Mod HSEND13 8V DIN cable to ACC Figure 8 Schematic Diagram and Photo of IC 706 PTCIlex SignaLink USB Cable Figures 9 and 10 show the schematic diagrams for the summing cable for the IC 746Pro and C 706 7000 for the RigExpert Standard 35 Audio Out Xmit audio 25 violet PTCllex 2 GND 41 24 Modem white Cable 3 PTT PTT 17 yellow 5 13 8 VDC input blue 4 AF inpu2. Save and release the mouse button gt testmsg Notepad File Edit Format View Help Ctrl M Cbrl 0 Ctrl 5 Save AS Page Setup Print CrP lst message for the net as Exit 24 This action will result in the following window appearing Aimy Pictures Z Packet Wet log E Propagation TRAINING My Recent ORCYR MSG Documents O 5Sat Tracking 5S5 firmware O Symantec TCARES Hardware tle txt O ItsDeductiblez006 C TurboTax Lew s WYIS Corner C TxMF Forms COMaRS digital CD GTS Unused Desktop Shortcuts O Updater5 utilities size 5 20 KB wi 2 2MIT M Files Dell Jukebox by musicmatch nk My Computer gt hay Network Save as type wt Document Save in this format by default You have to now confirm make three changes in this screen before clicking Save so that your document will be placed in the correct file folder and have the correct name 1 Double click on one of the two new folders you created XMIT MSG or RCVR MSG This will result in opening the folder you created as shown below 25 Save in O SMIT MSG O F e o E EEIFORMAT Mi A ecent Documents My Documents My Computer _ a File name My Network Save as type Text Documents txt Encoding ANSI 2 Fill in the File name and then click on Save to store this document in the XMIT MSG folder in My Documents File To retrieve this document go to START My D
3. Clear o Cancel Subset Text macros lt M CALL your callsign YMAINCALL the same without P etc MYNAME gt your name MYQTH your OTH sBLOG pour Way locator CALL callsign of other station MAME name of other station operator lt OTH OTH of other station AWW LOC WA locator of other station NOTES gt Notes field x Default for all modes Clear Cancel subset Text macros z MYCALL your callsign eYMAINCALL the same without P etc MYNAME gt your name MYQTH your OTH skw LOC pour Way locator CALL callsign of other station MAME name of other station operator Q7TH gt OTH of other station AWW LOC Way locator of other station NOTES gt Notes field ASTRA AST Received Edit user macro lt CLESR WINDOW Edit user macro Macro Label TH Test eT Edit user macro Macro Label RX Text lt A 42 x Default for all modes Clear Cancel Subset Text macros eM CALL your callsign MY MAINCSLL the same without PF etc MYNAME gt your name lt MY QTH your OTH skw LOC your Way locator CALL callsign of other station MAME name of other station operator lt OTH OTH of other station AWW LOC Way locator of other station NOTES gt Notes field ASTRA AST Received x Default for all modes Clear Cancel subset Text macros MYCALL your callsi
4. TO AAA6RD TX BI SUBJECT TEST MESSAGE 1 This is a test message for the net as requested BT Necessary Computer Skills Copy amp Paste To receive forward and transmit MARS messages it will be necessary for you to be able to copy and paste messages to and from Notepad Mix W and Airmail The process is exactly the same in all of these documents as well as many other Microsoft Windows applications The best way to understand this process is to visualize a scratchpad or clipboard in the computer that all programs can access Any of the programs Mix W Airmail Notepad Word etc can write to or read from this scratchpad There is only one scratchpad and only the last thing written to it copied will be available to write paste to another document To copy a message to this scratch pad place the cursor at the top of the text left click and hold while dragging the mouse over the text you wish to copy This is called high lighting the text You then release the left mouse button at the end of the text and immediate go to Edit left click and scroll down to Copy and release the button You have now placed the high lighted text into your computer s scratchpad The high lighted copy process is shown below You do not even have to keep the MixW program running after the copy process since the copied text is now located in the computer s central scratchpad memory 17 AAR6UK Current log
5. MixW2 log MixW File Edit Mode Options View Configure Help 4020 900 i Eq 0 cop 100 4444 O Isni 60 RX Sq AFC Lock Snap 1500 0 Hz 1 kHz long MT63 03 05 2008 19 43 27 z Mix W has a convenient feature that brings up an action menu when you release the mouse button after high lighting One of these actions items is copy Scroll down to Copy and left click to save in the scratchpad You can now open another application like Airmail and paste the contents of the scratch pad into its message buffer as shown on the next page 18 E AirMail Untitled Seles File Edit View Message Tools Modules Window Help 8 X j et Pl Ok hey pige Cue Ctrl Post via Mars Cor Copy Ctrl Subject Ctrl V Paste gt Quote Delete Select All Ckrl A Spell Check F7 Mime Filter Unlock read only Font wordwrap Find Ctrl F Find Next F3 Find Previous Shift F3 Replace a 19 55 53 utc 4 Resulting in the message appearing the AirMail message buffer as shown on the next page 19 AirMail Untitled Sel File Edit View Message Tools Modules Window Help 0 X i A A il EEA To Dave Martin lt aaaeTx gt Psst via MARS ef ooo Subject MARSA O O DE AARSUE NR 136 k O514152 Mar 2008 FM AARGUEK TX TO AAAGRD amp NET BI SUBJECT TEST MESSAGE 1 This i a test message for the net as requested 19 45 38 utc Change the top line DE AAR6
6. and Signal Summing methods All examples shown have been tested but only include three ICOM transceivers As MARS members apply these techniques this Appendix will be expanded to include other brands of transceivers Multiple Rig Inputs Modern HF VHF transceivers include one or more accessory connectors ACC and Data a microphone with PTT and a speaker output Combinations of these ports can be used to provide two independent ports for external digital devices A number of ICOM transceivers include both Accessory and Data ports While the Data port on the IC 7000 and I C 746Pro were intended for VHF Packet operation they both have the necessary input output PTT functions for HF operation also A SignaLink USB functions exactly the same when plugged into either the ACC or the Data port for these two radios Wiring details for a SignaLink USB PTCIIex are shown in Figures 1 and 2 The cable part numbers shown are for Farallon PTCIIex and Tigertronics SignaLink USB A multiple input arrangement using a RigBlaster Plus and the PTCIlex is shown in Figure 3 Note that this solution uses the microphone and ACC1 inputs and include an ICOM CI V converter for rig frequency control in Airmail 30 IC 746Pro PTCllex SignaLink USB Laptop Gjo ojs AirMail cla ala MixW vale N PIT a HIC i Djo Aj Figure 1 ICOM IC 746Pro Dual Digital Interface IC 7000 PTCllex SignaLink USB DC power from USB Lapt
7. Port loads down the Mic circuitry which results in weak Mic audio until you turn up the Mic gain You can most likely resolve this issue by adding some isolation inside the SignaLink This can easily be done by simply replacing the SignaLink s Mic jumper wire that you installed in JP1 with a standard 1 4 watt resistor this will simply plug in in place of the regular jumper wire We suggest starting with a 2 7K value and go up from there until you find a value that adds enough isolation to let you keep the Mic gain control set normally try 2 7K 4 7K 10K 18K etc standard value Note that you need to use a 1 4 watt size resistor nothing 28 larger or you ll damage the JP1 socket Also during digital operation you may need to turn up the SignaLink s TX knob to offset the additional attenuation from the resistor 29 APPENDIX 2 SIMULTANEOUS OPERATION OF SOUND CARD AND TNC HARDWARE Background Typical MARS field operation now requires that an operator to be able to receive and transmit both MT 63 a sound card mode and PACTOR a TNC Terminal Node Controller mode MT 63 is used for net message broadcasts Alerts SITREPS etc while PACTOR is used to send traffic toa MARS Winlink Internet gateway station Several methods will be discussed that allow rapid movement between these two modes without having to swap connectors between the sound card interface and TNC These techniques will be divided into Multiple Rig Inputs
8. left of the red X in the upper right hand portion of the MixW screen 3 Drag and drop the Tuning Indicator Frequency Control and World to the right of the QSO Log as shown on the next page AAR6UK Current log MixW2 log MixW File Edit Mode Options Yiew Configure Help 4022400 Fa 4 022 400 USB arenas Kon O Isni 60 1 MT63 _ 4022 4 03 04 2008 20 31 28 599 599 s EXI 4 Ef DE AAN6ETX NRnn R 0223302 OCT 2007 FM SOC AAN6ETX TX TO AAA9O DC INFO AAA6RD TX AAA6TX TX AAN3HR DC MARS EXERCISE GARDEN PARTY SUBJ SUPPORT REQUEST TALL WATER AUSTIN TX Receive Buffer 1 0223152 OCT 2007 2 SOC AANGETX AUSTIN TX 3 MARS WINLINK AAN6GETX WINLINK ORG 4 AUSTIN OEM REQUESTING BOTTLED WATER AND ICE FOR 25 000 DISPLACED RESIDENTS FOR 5 DAYS BEGINNING 3 OCT 2007 MARS EXERCISE GARDEN PARTY BT NNNN v A Transmit Buffer y Waterfall display MT 63 reception RX Sq AFC Lock Snap 1500 0 Hz 1 kHz long MT63 03 04 2008 20 31 28 z 4 Move the mouse cursor to the waterfall area dark then slowly upward until the cursor changes from an arrow to small parallel lines Left Click and drag the waterfall display down as shown above 5 Do the same for the next gray line as shown above The space between the waterfall and the gray line is the Transmit buffer The large top portion is the receive buffer 6 Display setting are done under the View menu as follows a Under Vie
9. 1 Install Internal Jumpers a A CD is provided that contains a large variety of jumper settings The CD should auto load and to bring up jumper settings simply click on the installation manual link then go to Jumper setting and Radio Wiring Information b Note that there are two sets of wiring instructions one for mic input speaker output and the other the accessories ACC port I would strongly recommend using the ACC port Please see Appendix 2 if you intend to operate both the SignaLink USB and a Pactor TNC oa ae oe ot eS 21 simultaneously as this may affect the cable choice and therefore the jumper settings c Install the jumpers following the wiring diagram and instructions on page 2 of the printed manual If you intend to use the SignaLink USB for multiple rigs purchase from Tigertronics 16 pin DIP headers Different header can be wired for each transceiver interface In addition Tigertronics now offers pre wired plug amp play jumper modules for many popular radios See the Tigertronics web site for details 2 Computer Connection Carefully follow the instructions on pages 3 5 If your operating system is XP you do not need to install a software driver Special instructions are available on the CD for Vista You must install a driver from the CD if you are running Windows 98 The computer set up is a little confusing in that Tigertronics first has you select your internal sound card for system sound
10. 3 Olivia RTTY MFSK CW G TOR THROB WINMOR and WINDRAM digital voice Required Equipment The required equipment includes a personal computer with a sound card internal or external a Sound Card Interface Unit and a HF transceiver Figure 1 Sound Card Interface Options Internal Sound Card Mode _ Audio RIGblaster Audio External Sound Card Mode SignaLink USB a hl Audio sb lt gt 2 lt M PTT Figure shows a typical sound card interface options for an amateur radio transceiver All audio cables are shielded Some sound card interfaces have USB rather than RS 232 serial port capability Some Sound Card Interfaces connect to the microphone input MIC amp PTT and speaker output while others connect entirely to an accessory connector on the back of the radio Still other Sound Card Interfaces contain their own external sound card thus eliminating any internal sound card compatibility issues All Sound Card Interfaces contains isolation transformers relays and level converters to provide proper functionality with the modern HF transceiver Table describes a number of commercially available Sound Card Interface devices Table 1 A Collection of Available Sound Card Interface Units Interface Source RIGBlaster Computer Serial or External http www westmountainradio com Plus II 160 Sound USB Card Rascal II 69 Computer USB Sound Card MFJ 1275 Computer Serial Ext
11. BLOG pour Way locator CALL callsign of other station MAME name of other station operator lt OTH OTH of other station AWW LOC WA locator of other station NOTES gt Notes field x Default for all modes Clear Cancel subset Text macros z MYCALL your callsign eYMAINCALL the same without P etc MYNAME gt your name MYQTH your OTH skw LOC pour Way locator CALL callsign of other station MAME name of other station operator Q7TH gt OTH of other station AWW LOC Way locator of other station NOTES gt Notes field ASTRA AST Received Edit user macro Macro Label NCSE Text gTa lt TIME gt CALF CALF ABIINT KE A amp A46TH AAA K AA Edit user macro Macro Label Not Hrd Text gTa TIME lt CALF CALF DE ASSET GN AR lt A Edit user macro Macro Label CLOSE Tert gTa lt TIME gt lt CALF CALF 46 DE SAAA6T a kde AA lt A 4 x Default for all modes Clear Cancel Subset Text macros lt eMYCALL your callsign eYMAINCALL the same without P etc MYNAME gt your name MYOQTH your OTH skw LOC pour Way locator CALL callsign of other station MAME name of other station operator lt OTH OTH of other station AWW LOC Way locator of other station NOTES gt Notes field ASTRA AST Received x Default for all modes
12. E FOR THE NET AS REQUESTED BT NNNNI 1000 l RX Sq AFC Lock Snap 1500 0 Hz 2 kHz long MT63 8 26 2011 02 40 02 z Click the mouse cursor in the transmit buffer then Paste Your message will now be transmitted when you click on the TX button Note that you can use the Transmit Buffer scroll bar to view the complete message When the end of the message appears in the receive buffer press the RX button to stop transmission or add lt ENTER gt lt ALT END gt or lt F10 gt to the end of the message to automatically end transmission and return to receive mode Simple File Structures It will be convenient for you to place all your received and transmitted messages in two file folders titled XMIT MSG and RCVR MSG To generate these new folders in your My Documents File do the following 1 Go to START then My Documents 22 Internet pe My Documents P Metscape T z ls My Pictures Notepad 7 E mail F Metscape Mail tr Say Set Program Access and wW Microsoft Office Word 2003 Defaults w Connect To cy HAM AirMail Sen Printers and Faxes cy MARS AirMail E Microsoft Office PowerPoint A 2003 7J Help and Support J Mix 2 18 Feb 19 2007 All Programs gt Be Log OFF fo Turn OFF Computer 2 Go to File New Folder as shown on the next page and release the mouse button Type XMIT MSG and then lt RETURN gt Do steps 1 and 2 above again typing
13. EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS BASIC SOUND CARD MODE TRAINING GUIDE Lewis Thompson AAA6TX 30 August 2011 CONTENTS MEPOCUCUON sg scncccssevawerwsndacuesesnacnansawounewemnarbessssateaen snewarnenaarnessecnee 3 R guired FE GUID MENG csiccccccstotwiaceecesssuuncececeetouuaccseceuseuwnncceceeteeweadeens 3 SOWAT Cs aids ranne aE OEA st essenniact sie satn santas 5 IMIX VV Software Installations sussscaksss vince rneeiwsiadsawnessevouetareeseesaetaswonvs 5 PIAL Mix W SeU Dresser eeencvneswswe cane vow sine sine Donen vw E E beew es ee O ehemaee 7 IN AIXCY VR COIS UE UI ON oe sictnicigscrociets dete its sibotiste sessing ota cat ints sn ole esate oe dele cuimeen tes 7 Mix VY APO WAEC SetuP weve sans vassucesicalsnecseieaevaiseaieeaeseneseudeewececeeuaieseeess 9 Mode SOLON SS sc tics cut acransyienemswhisiees Seton easeeeieandeniaeeasieanepunenieuedads 11 Transmit and Receive Level Adjustments ccssccccccssccccccsscccccess 12 Calibration and Trouble Shooting cccccccccssccccccccccsssccccccccccscccs 15 Sound Card Mode Operations cccccccccccccccccccccsccccccccccccsscccccccces 16 Necessary Computer SKINS ociscene 17 CODY A PaslO erien EEE AE O E ATOT 17 Notepad osser onran E EE 20 Appendix 1 Tigertronics SignaLink USB Interface seeesssseee 27 Appendix 2 Simultaneous Operation of Sound Card amp Pactor Modem 30 Appendiks 3 MKW IVIACKOS sesionar A N 39 Introduction The amateur MARS di
14. UK Current log MixW2 log MixW File Edit Mode Options Yiew Configure Help f Brag _Bye Clear a i BS ees ee aS Eq 4 022 390 e fuse z J See 100 BPSK31 gt E isni 60 OPSK31 me Bn es ees eee FSK31 E LI EES RTTY 599 335 Packet 2 Pactor Amtor MFSK on Throb e Hellschreiber l Fax e se SSTY a J CHY oe a 24K iB e i e eloteee i e Pw Inverted we eeo t et etx bA f esu eosoe en n n Oeet owreicn nA art en r i l Mode settings Character encoding for this mode gt tee Output amplitude for this mode eeeP3 o iM di Orh t i 0 cg t Le Additional modes gt eehte Additional modes settings eee TNC modes gt m een TNC modes settings e rs o 2e e oe t ei lWeueaaea ct t itee oT t eei t ciT te t te e tol 2 c so t roye i ie h te nts i sreu lota pA t i eheo TiNe ncao enet eaee st60 eeaebet itT ad e ai i Dsr eio toeegsTo RX Sq AFC Lock Snap 1500 0 Hz 1 kHz long MT63 03 04 2008 03 40 23 2 3 Mode settings After selecting MT 63 mode go back to Mode and select Mode Settings You should get the following screen 11 M163 settings Inverted Bandwidth 2000Hz W Squelch Interleave Long Cancel Threshold Tes shart frequency 500 H As start frequency 500 Hz Allow manual tuning requires faster CPL Video ID On start On end Fill in Bandwidth Interleave TX start and RX start frequencies and set the Threshold about 40 to 50 Leave the All
15. UK NR 136 to your call and your message number and this message is ready to post click on the mailbox icon and transmit either by Winlink TELNET or Pactor You can also paste messages into the MixW transmit buffer as discussed below with Notepad Notepad Notepad is small simple word processor that can be used to generate MARS messages Its contents can then be pasted into AirMail or MixW for digital transmission Any messages you wish to save from MixW can be pasted into Notepad and saved as separate documents Notepad is a Windows program found by clicking Start then All Programs scrolling to Accessories then right to the arrow then down to Notepad Notepad with the test message is shown on the next page 20 gt Untitled Notepad Sel DE AAR6 UE NE 137 E 06l4 l5 MAR 2008 FM THOMPSONM A ARGUE TX TO MANGOLD AARSLH TA BT SUBJ TEST MESSAGE 1 THIS Is A TEST MESSAGE FOR THE NET As REQUESTED BT NNNNI Once you have completed your MARS message high light the text go up to Edit Copy You can then Paste this document into the transmit buffer of MixW as shown below 21 gt lt AAR6UK Current log MixW2 log CSV File Edit Mode Options View Configure Help i 14 070 000 v 0 copy 100 Eag 14 070 0 A Ko 0 Isni 60 DE AAR6UK NR 137 R 0614152 MAR 2008 FM THOMPSON AAR6UK TX TO MANGOLD AAR6LN TX BT SUBJ TEST MESSAGE 1 THIS IS A TEST MESSAG
16. ditor for each button is accessed by right clicking on the specific button You can change both the title of the button and its actions For example Edit user macro Eg Macro Label CK ir Default for all modes Clear Ea Cancel Texk T gt Subset Test macros lt TIME gt CALF MY CALL your callsign lt CALF gt MYMAIN CALL the same without P etc sR CALL lt CALL DE ASABTA AASET S ARE k MY NAME gt your name a4 MYQTH your OTH sk EWW LOC pour Way locator CALL callsign of other station MAME name of other station operator Q7TH gt OTH of other station AWW LOC Ww locator of other station NOTES gt Notes field ASTRA AST Received m m T m Button F7 titled CK in Check In does the following 1 Puts the radio in the transmit mode lt TX gt Sends the UTC time lt TIME gt Note now required by Army MARS Sends a couple of carriage return line feeds lt CRLF gt Sends the call sign of the station in the station buffer lt CALL gt Then transmits DE AAA6TX AAA6TX ZKE k Finally places the radio back in the receive mode lt RX gt Note that lt CALL gt is either entered manually or by simply double clicking on the call sign in the receive buffer St a a A list of the macros I use are shown below I suggest that each member develop his own set of macros to facilitate digital operations Note that even radio control commands such as mode a
17. ernal http www mfjenterprises com 110 Sound Card RigExpert External http rigexpert net Standard Sound 258 Card USB http www buxcomm com 99 95 Card RigBlaster External Advantage Sound 200 Card http www westmountainradio com Tigertronics External USB USB http www tigertronics com SignaLinkUSB Sound B Each manufacturer can supply custom cables to interface their unit to your specific HF transceiver The author has specific favorable experience with the RIGBlaster Plus RigExpert Standard and SignaLink USB The new Tigertronics SignaLink USB is very easy to install is inexpensive and has the advantages of using an external sound card See Appendix 1 for SignaLink USB details The RigExpert Standard is the most capable of all the sound card devices available at this time Connection of each specific unit to your radio and computer is described in the operating manual supplied with each interface unit Laptop computers typically have an earphone output rather than a speaker output and a MIC LINE input Some newer laptops and desktops have eliminated the serial connector leaving only the USB digital interface Examine your target computer before purchasing a Sound Card Interface The USB controlled devices may require that you install a USB driver Once again carefully follow the manufacturer s instructions found in your Sound Card Interface Owner s manual Software Army MARS has spec
18. from 11025 2 Hardware Most hardware problems are associated with PTT Carefully review your hardware manual to make sure that you are using RTS and only RTS as your 15 PTT command line For example RIGBlaster has jumpers to select either or both RTS and DTR for PTT Remove any jumpers on the DTR line The DTR jumper caused my system to go to transmit anytime I exited MixW Sound Card Mode Operations Receiving Traffic To receive MT 63 traffic the flashing vertical cursor must be present in the Transmit Buffer This is most easily accomplished by simply clicking the mouse anywhere in the Waterfall display If the cursor is accidentally left in the Receive Buffer the traffic will still be successfully received but will be hidden from view until the flashing cursor is moved to the Transmit Buffer I know this is not logical But this is simply how MixW works The received message can be copied and pasted into other documents AirMail Notepad etc or even the MixW Transmit Buffer for relay Cut amp Paste will be discussed in the next section Computer Skills To reduce the amount of noise characters MixW has a character squelch control that can be activated and then its threshold adjusted Under Options click on Squelch Control to activate the squelch Then go back to Squelch Threshold to adjust Transmitting Traffic Traffic to be transmitted can either be typed or pasted into the transm
19. gital radio station prior to 1980 consisted of a mechanical teletype machine The teletype machine was connected to the transceiver through an interface know as a terminal unit TU As microprocessor technology appeared in the 70 s TU s evolved replacing the mechanical teletype machines When personal computers debuted in the early 80 s they became the perfect companions for the TU s acting as dumb terminals displaying the received data from the TU and sending data to the TU for transmission In the late 80 s the TU became much more sophisticated and became the multimode controller we still use today These controllers like the PK 232 KAM and PTClIlex can run RTTY packet PACTOR AMTOR Like TU s the multimode controllers are stand alone devices that communicate with the personal computer using it as a dumb terminal In the early 90 s sound cards appeared as accessories for personal computers With the right software a sound card could take received audio and translate it into digital information The same sound card could also create various forms of digital audio modulation for transmission The hardware multimode controllers are still with us but they are primarily used for modes like PACTOR and Clover that require more processing muscle than a typical personal computer can provide All of the other amateur radio digital modes are now handled by the personal computer s sound card Some examples include PSK 31 MT 6
20. gn YMAINCALL the same without P etc MYNAME gt your name MYQTH your OTH sBLOG pour Way locator CALL callsign of other station MAME name of other station operator lt OTH OTH of other station AWW LOC WA locator of other station NOTES gt Notes field ASTRA AST Received x Defaut for all modes Clear Cancel subset Text macros MYCALL your callsign eYMAINCALL the same without P etc MYNAME gt your name MYQTH your OTH skw LOC pour Way locator CALL callsign of other station MAME name of other station operator Q7TH gt OTH of other station AWW LOC Way locator of other station NOTES gt Notes field ASTRA AST Received Edit user macro lt TH CALF lt CALF lt TIME gt CALF 43 x Cea Cancel Subset Text macros eY CALL your callsign MY MAINCSLL the same without PF etc MYNAME gt your name MY OTH your OTH skw LOC your Way locator CALL callsign of other station MAME name of other station operator lt OTH OTH of other station AWW LOC Way locator of other station NOTES gt Notes field ASTRA AST Recenved
21. ified the use of MT 63 and Olivia for digital sound card mode operations PSK 31 is another sound card mode that is an excellent Keyboard chat mode that is widely used on the amateur bands MT 63 is almost exclusively a MARS mode of operation and is seldom found on the amateur radio bands All available software requires the Windows operating system Windows 98 or newer Windows XP is highly recommended and most software is Vista and Windows 7 compatible Table 2 lists some of the available software Table 2 Sound Card Software 2 20 All http www rigexpert net frame downloads html 50 Fldigi 3 21 12 All jhupsfiwerw wihkicom Iwww wlhkj com Ham Radio 4 0 Lettre http www ham radio deluxe com Deluxe Texas Army MARS recommends MixW and the rest of this manual will provide simplified instructions for setting up MixW V2 20 with both internal and external sound cards MixW Software Installation Once you have your hardware connected you will next download MixW program install and set it up for operation as follows 1 To download MixW go to http www rigexpert net frame downloads html 2 Click on Click here to down load MixW ver 2 20 3 A pop up box will ask you to Save File Opening MixW 2 70 exe You have chosen to open 7 MinW2 20 exe which is a Binary File From AEROS iiy miw net would vou like to save this File l Save File Cancel 4 Save the file MixW2 20 to the desktop b
22. in RCVR MSG this time You have now created two new folders in your Document file 23 i My Documents File Edit View Favorites Tools Help Oe Create Shortcut E shortcut sau B Briefcase Jo TA Es Battery Analyzer Test z A Se mai Microsoft Word Document E iad J bel LJ E Close ce Microsoft PowerPoint Presentation tle txt Utilities Symantec TurboTax My Pictures A Publish this folde Eel Paint Shop Pro 6 Image web OpenOffice org 1 1 4 Spreadsheet j a DA Share this Folder OpenOffice org 1 1 4 Drawing lawl CJ lone CJ im TS Open ffice org 1 1 4 Presentation sDeductibl UpdaterS Lew s MIS Antennas MARS digital Default OpenOffice org 1 1 4 Text Document Corner CD E Text Document TE Ei Desktop wary File Shared Documer Microsoft Excel worksheet L5 Form 213 Packet Netlog ZoneMap Description of MWIS DICE SOC x Blank WLeEE RMS ANTENNA C Sked Other Places 1 J E ai z y My Computer is Compressed zipped Folder T WHS eee ppp B My Logbooks TCARES CTECC Dell Mem stick 505 firmware MISC Digital PPTs MARS MSG 7 3 o p Doga TMF forms TSG Digital Hardware MARS PPTs NFES_IC5 2713 i HF Digital Modes Mix Training FPresentationi PSYEPY gH Mix cal ce a La wWRLESTS Outline AFMARS SOUNDTCA SOUNDCA lt Creates anew empty folder To place a document into one of these new folders first copy and paste it into Notepad When finished click File then holding mouse button scroll down to
23. isable sound device Sound device settings Output volume Input volume TNC settings Markers Callbook v Use WAE country list RX Sq AFC Lock Snap 1500 0 Hz 1 kHz long MT63 03 04 2008 03 15 07 z Clicking on TRCVR CAT PTT brings up the following screen PTT amp CAT Cancel PTT amp CAT Interface None E tess Save frequency on exit Display zero beat frequency PTT via CAT command CW via CAT command CW out via soundcard ane oo CW is LSB W APSE in place of FSK se Cw pitch Hz Default digi mode USE l TA to Ra n W Mouse wheel for tuning Sensitivity Hz tick 500 Cat correction Hz Digi Confirm that all the default setting shown above are in your computer then click on Details in the PTT amp CAT Interface box The following screen will appear Serial port Fort Baud rate 9600 Data bits Parity Stop bits RTS DTA Change None to COMI in the Port box Confirm that all other settings shown above are in your computer Then press OK 10 Press OK on the PTT amp CAT box PTT should now be configured to operate on the RTS digital line of COM1 If your Sound Card Interface has CAT control see the MixW Operating manual The basic instructions for this advanced mode are to configure the CAT control using the TRCVR CAT PTT then use the Secondary PTT port for PTT control 2 Mode Selection Under Mode select MT 63 AAR6
24. it buffer The flashing cursor must be in the transmit buffer and at the end of the message you wish to send MixW can either be in the transmit or receive mode during typing or pasting MixW will empty the transmit buffer and then remain in transmit mode until the RX button is clicked Type lt ENTER gt then lt ALT END gt or simply lt F10 gt after all text has been entered to force MixW to go to the receive mode when all text has been transmitted As text is transmitted it will be underlined in the transmit buffer and written to the receive buffer as it is transmitted The delay between underlined text and transmitted text is due to the forward error correction FEC technique of MT 63 and Olivia since each has to add additional characters to create the redundant text for FEC Forwarding Traffic Recall that when you are forwarding any 12 line MARS message the top line is replaced with your call and message number All other components of the message like the Time Date Group and TO FM remain unchanged You should also record this message in your Message Log For example if the following message is relayed to me DE AAROLN NR 44 R 0414307 Mar 2008 FM AAR6LN TX TO AAA6RD TX BT 16 SUBJECT TEST MESSAGE 1 This is a test message for the net as requested BI I AAR6UK would make the following changes to the message before relaying or delivering the message to AAA6RD DE AAR6UK NR 135 R 04143024 Mar 2008 FM AAROLN TX
25. n your transceiver s metering and turn off any microphone compression e Click on the TX button at the top of the MixW display to start transmitting The transceiver should go to transmit mode and display some power output f Adjust the Play controls and Sound Card Interface level until you get about 50 of maximum power 50 watts g Switch over to ALC Automatic Level Control metering and adjust the drive again until you get about 50 of maximum ALC When you have finished with these adjustments click on the RX button MT 63 will take about 6 seconds to return to receive mode due to the forward error correction transmission overhead h These same levels will work perfectly for Olivia An excellent free ware program QUICKMIX is available to remember and reset these level controls each time you run MixW See http www ptpart co uk quickm1x You can store different setting for MT 63 Olivia and BPSK31 Run this program after you have started MixW to set the internal sound card levels Calibration and Trouble Shooting Trouble Shooting 1 Software Please read the rest of this manual and your Sound Card Interface Manual The help files for MixW are quite good also There is a Windows XP problem that manifests itself as garbled MT 63 transmission but good reception The other modes like Olivia and BPSK31 transmit and receive perfectly The cure is to go to MixW Configure Sound device settings and change the Samplerate to 12000
26. nd bandwidth changes can be sent as macros See https www txarmymars org vault Texas Procedures amp Resources TICP MARS Station Setup and Operation Appendix 2 Software This reference demonstrates how both the C 7200 transceiver mode and filter bandwidth can be changed when the radio is placed in the sound card transmit mode 39 Edit user macro Macro Label DE Text gTa lt TIME gt CALF CALF CALL DE AAABT lt CALF gt Edit user macro Macro Label CMTS Text gTa TIME CALF CALF CALL lt CALL gt DE AAA6TS INT CMTS NAME k sH Edit user macro Macro Label NCS 1l Tert gTa lt TIME gt LALF gt CALF B 46 DE A446 SAA6 TS THE QUICK BROWN FOX JUMPED OVER THE Lazy BROWN DOG S BACK 1234567890 HF AC AR lt A Ea x Default for all modes Clear Cancel Subset Text macros eM CALL your callsign MYMAINCALL the same without P etc MYNAME gt your name MYOQTH your OTH skw LOC pour Way locator CALL callsign of other station MAME name of other station operator lt OTH OTH of other station AWW LOC Way locator of other station NOTES gt Notes field ASTRA AST Received x Default for all modes Clear o Cancel Subset Text macros lt M CALL your callsign YMAINCALL the same without P etc MYNAME gt your name MYQTH your OTH s
27. ne Input is available c With your transceiver receiving noise and its audio output connected to Line In on your computer adjust the Line In volume control until you see light blue green noise on the waterfall as shown on the next page d When you have finished with this adjustment close the Recording Control box by clicking on the red X 13 AAR6UK Current log MixW2 log MixW File Edit Mode Options View Configure Help MyCall MyName MyQTH Call Name QTH BM E ae ee ae ee es ee ee eee 10 s n 5 OLIVIA 4022 31 03 04 2008 13 39 44 Ii 599_ 599 i waa N RX Sq AFC Lock Snap 1469 0 Hz 16 tones 1000 Hz OLIVIA 03 04 2008 19 39 44 z a To adjust the transmit level go to Configure Output Volume Two controls are used to set the output audio level The Play Control and Wave MP3 Again the exact control names will vary with different types of sound cards b Set both controls to about mid level and then refer to your sound card interface manual c Typically the interal sound card interface unit RigBlaster Plus will have a separate volume control either on the front or back of the unit Set this control at its mid level position 14 A Play Control Si Ed Options Help Flay Control waver bPa Balance Balance pJ 4 leo 4 volume Volume Mute all SB Audigy 2 25 Audio DCO d Connect your transceiver to a dummy load and select power output o
28. o add such a resistor on the internal jumper socket The 10 K ohm resistor is the input impedance of the accessory port on most modern HF transceivers When one of the two input devices is not generating a signal its output appears to be grounded this generates a resistive voltage divider that causes an approximate 6 dB voltage drop at the modulation input This drop in voltage must be made up by increasing the drive level from each device The amount of current driven back into each device from the other is insufficient to cause electrical damage This fact was verified with the manufacturers of both the RigExpert Standard and SignaLink USB Further no reduction in signal accuracy has been seem with the technique by verifying proper signal function with no increase in harmonics that would be produced by distortion of the modulation signal 32 200 Sound Card Output z Transceiver Modulation TNC Output input I H0 Figure 4 Resistive Summing network To follow are details on two implementations of this technique Figures 5 and 6 show the technique for the IC 756Pro series with a SignaLink USB A 200 ohm resistor should be substituted for the Mic jumper wire IC 756Pro PTCllex SignaLink USB Senne a j m i EPEE Laptop gjo oss j AirMail MixW PTR 4 PIT 3 HIC 2 PR n oj Figure 5 Summing Technique for IC 756Pro with SignaLink USB 33 4 Audio Out Xmit audio violet Drive Level a Q FSK
29. ocuments XMIT MSG and then simply double click on the document and Windows will start Notepad and display the message You can then modify copy paste to prepare the document for transmission The XMIT MSG folder is a good place to build groups of canned documents to allow quick generation of MARS messages like EEI AAR etc 26 APPENDIX 1 Tigertronics SignaLink USB SignaLink USB Tx Fix Bese pia 3 ys integraled CSA Sound Card Description The Tigertronics SignaLink USB appears to be both cost effective and a good performing sound card interface It has the following advantages 1 External Sound Card USB interface External input and output level adjustments No external power required powered from USB interface Large variety of rig interface cables available for both ACC and microphone inputs plug amp play Simple computer and rig set up Compatible with MixW USB control technique allows Winlink Airmail program to run simultaneously Cost 99 95 with one interface cable cheaper than most internal sound card interfaces It has the following limitations when compared with the RigExpert Standard 1 No rig control CAT feature for frequency control AirMail 2 No additional COM ports for FSK keying in RTTY mode 3 Installation manual is confusing 4 Internal jumpers must be installed to match SignaLink USB to cable and rig Set up The set up is divided into three steps as follows
30. op Gjo ojs AirMail ala ali MixW ale NZ PIT 3 MIC 2 Br 1 Figure 2 ICOM IC 7000 Dual Digital Interface 31 IC 756Pro Ill Desktop Computer Serial COM1 PTCllex O e Serial 9090 wi a Serial COM3 nal Mixw Serial COM2 RigBlaster Plus Audio Out Audio In Figure 3 ICOM IC 756Pro III Dual Digital Interface Signal Summing Technique Both the sound card internal or external and the Pactor TNC all have the same inputs and outputs requirements as follows 1 Audio input from the receiver 2 Modulation output to the transmitter 3 Push to talk PTT control The audio output from the receiver can be shared between both devices audio input The PTT is typically a pull down 1 e ground to transmit type function that is effectively a logical OR Either device can pull the PTT line down without affecting the other device s PTT circuit The modulation audio outputs of the two devices can be connected together without damage or malfunction because the two devices have protective resistors in series with their outputs to protect again short circuits The output protective resistors and the input impedance of the transceiver constitute a resistive summing network as shown in Figure 4 The 200 ohm resistors represent the output impedance of the TNC and Sound Card device The PTCHex and PK 232MBX actually have a 200 ohm resistor in series with their outputs The SignaLink USB has a provision t
31. ow manual Tuning box unchecked for now Click OK when finished In a similar fashion Olivia can be selected The typical Texas MARS Olivia Settings are shown below Olivia settings inverted Number of tones 64 AFC F S guelch Bandwidth Hz O00 Cancel Threshold sik Allow manual tuning Tas start frequency 500 Ae start frequency 500 Frequency margin 46 Hz r Hz Hz 4 Transmit and receive level adjustments If you have not done so already connect the computer and transceiver to your Sound Card Interface Unit as described in your owner s manual Connect the audio output of your transceiver to the Line Input of your computer If you have only a microphone input use this instead New laptops with only one audio input and you may be ask if you wish the input to be mic or line when you plug in the 1 8 jack If given a choice select Line Input 12 The input and output levels of your sound card are adjusted using the Windows Volume transmit and Record receive controls These controls can be launched from within MixW a To adjust the receive level go to Configure Input Volume The display will vary with different sound cards but will be similar to below Options Help Analog Mis Microphone Balance Balance p F dp F 4 Volume Volurne L Select Select SB Audigy 2 Z5 Audio D8CO b Select Analog Mix Line In or Microphone if no Analog Mix or Li
32. puter is connected to the Internet run MixW and then go to Help Apply Registration The Apply Registration letters should gray out and you will receive no more unregistered copy reminders To download Olivia go to File Extras Modes Click on Download to install Olivia Contestia and RttyM as shown below Olivia Contestia and RttyM should now appear under Modes Download i Contestia additional mode Select All i Olivia additional mode i WlRttyM additional mode Deselect All Close Complete MixW hardware setup for a simple Internal Sound Card Interface RigBlaster Plus Having completed the initial installation of MixW the next step is to customize the software for the hardware installation Please refer to your hardware user manual if you are using anything other than a simple serial RigBlaster Plus type interface 1 Configuring Transceiver PTT settings Go to Configure TRCVR CAT PTT AAR6UK Current log MixW2 log MixW File Edit Mode Options View Configure Help Ckin DE other Ce Personal Data Interface language Default macros Macros For this mode Fa 4 022 400 use 0 com 100 4444 gt gt gt gt 0 s n 60 aso Sa a y Merge macros eee Text colors oo xX E Fonts gt Disable CAT LPT port settings Secondary PTT port gt FSK port gt Winkey port gt TNC emulation Rotor gt D
33. s then select the external USB Audio Codec for your communications program MixW page 4 Transmit Audio Adjustment If your jumpers are correct but you cannot get PTT to activate go back to page 4 Transmit Audio Adjustment and verify that you have selected the USB Audio Codec Note that no COM ports are used in MixW2 so under the options menu in MixW all com ports are can be disabled 3 Transmit and Receive Level Adjustments The Windows Playback volume control must be adjusted once as discussed on page 4 and 5 After that all levels are controlled by the external controls on the SignaLink USB box I found it necessary to set the Wave control as well as the Speaker control to full volume when mixing the outputs of the SignaLink USB and the PTCIIex TNC I get good performance with about 50 ALC allowing almost full power operation Please consult your rig s operating manual about transmit duty cycle capability 4 From The Tigertronics Engineering Team Regarding your question about distortion and microphone noise while using the Signalink USB we have heard of this issue before with a few IC 706 units The problem is with the radio not the SignaLink and is caused by a lack of isolation between the radio s Mic and Accy jacks Normally the ACCY Port is fully isolated from the mic jack and whatever you attach there will not affect the Mic audio However on some 706 radios they seem to be lacking in isolation and the ACCY
34. t Rec Audio 12 green Red Wire was added and Connected inside dB 25 Connector shell l RTTY 1 14 6 3 2 2 5 4 7 1 VSEND SEND gnd gnd AF Mod 13 8V RITY RigExpert DIN cable to ACC2 RigExpert DIN cable to ACC1 Figure 9 Schematic Diagram for the IC 746Pro RigExpert Standard Cable 4 Audio Out violet Xmit audio 25 PTCllex 2 GND 11 24 Modem Cable 3 PIT 47 RigExpert yellow Standard 7000 Cable 13 8 VDC input 5 ITE DB25 4 AF input Rec Audio 12 green RT TY 4 2 12 1137 8 10 gnd AF Mod SEND 13 8V RITY RigExpert DIN cable to IC 706 ACC Figure 10 Schematic Diagram and Photo for C 706 7000 to RigExpert Standard Cable 37 Software Operation The multiple inputs and the summing technique allow both MixW and AirMail to be running simultaneously In the case of the SignaLink USB since it used no COM ports there is never a COM port conflict In the case of the RigExpert Standard since it uses two COM ports PTT and CAT care must be taken that the COM port for the Pactor TNC does not generate a port conflict A very powerful capability of the CAT control on the RigExpert Standard is for rig frequency control in the AirMail program The CAT serial port number used in MixW is placed in the rig control screen of the AirMail Program Tools Options Connection Radio Connection Check the box Direct via COM port put in the Radio Type Baud rate and rig CIV address If you intend to use the RigExpert S
35. tandard CAT port for rig frequency control in AirMail then you must either disable the CAT port in MixW or not run both programs simultaneously I find little use for the CAT port in MixW so I disable it so that both programs can be running simultaneously The sensitivity of the ACC port on ICOM transceivers causes circuitry noise within the SCS PTCIIex to be transmitted during voice or sound card mode operations The PTCIIex can be turned off via software control when exiting the AirMail Terminal program leaving the main AirMail program running When the AirMail Terminal program is started again the PTCIHex is booted up To implement this feature in AirMail go to Tools Options Connections Advanced Settings and Check the box Power modem off when done Cable Construction Hints The extreme input sensitivity of the accessory ports on some transceivers can lead to RF pickup causing transceiver oscillation and distortion on the transmitted signal Care should be taken to assure that all cable shields and connector shells are connected together and grounded to the transceiver and digital devices chassis I found several factory cables with the DIN shell not connected to the cable shield Correcting this factory error eliminated RF problems in one rig IC 746Pro 38 APPENDIX 3 MixW MACROS MixW has a very rich set of special commands called macros that can be activated using the functions keys on the MixW control panel The macro e
36. w menu select Spectrum then Sound b Under View menu select Spectrum then Zoom and then x2 c Under View menu select Show Hairlines Registration 6 MixW without Olivia will run free for 15 days You must register during this time otherwise MixW will stop functioning Go to http www mixwusa com registration htm to register and pay You can register both your amateur radio and MARS call signs for the one fee of 50 7 Once you are registered your call sign s will be placed in an international registration data file that will be interrogated by your MixW program to complete the registration process You can check your registration by going to http mixw net misc regcust check php Enter your call sign in the display to verify your registration as shown on the next page 3 Am registered with MixW Mozilla Firefox File Edit wiew History Bookmarks Tools Help hi re http timiz netimisciregcust icheck php TT Ig rigblaster adyantac A ae P _ it en avae Applied Research Lab 4 Customize Links MSN com EA RealPlayer windows Marketplace Windows Media Windows startnew WE h Search 28 Shopping 2 Games Norton SafeWeb Identity Sate l Am I registered with Mit W n Am I registered with MixW Here you may check and register desired version of Mixi software Fill in callsign field 7 To register make sure that your com
37. y clicking Save as shown below Enter name of file to save to Save in fet Desktop w My Recent Documents a Ls Desktop MMi Documents My Computer z Wy Hetwork my Documents k My Computer tdm Network Places E Burn COs amp DVDs with RecordNow 7 ate Dell Jukebox by musicmatch DYMO Label 5 FutureDial Suite da GIMP 2 id iTunes MARS RMS Express MARS Toolkit ie Mozilla Firefox ey Mozilla Thunderbird a Norton 360 5a Openice org 3 3 lt jiii File name Mit 20 exe CO RealPlayer ED winzip pep ZoomBrowser Ex Folded Monopoles_ files 3 OpenOffice org 3 3 ten U5 Installatior EF AATETTY 5 avg avi stb all 9 115 exe Em EasyFal fui Faros aal FileFormatConverters exe ae Flarg 4 3 1 F Fidigi 3 20 19 EI GetFax ET getfax4416 exe ES HAM AirMail Save 5 Double click on the MixW2 20 icon on the desktop to install MixW Click Next then I Agree then Next to install all components Install the program in the default location C Program Files MixW by clicking Install Once complete click Finish Initial MixW Setup The next step is to set up MixW to operate with a Sound Card Interface and transceiver as follows 1 Launch MixW by going to Start All Programs M1x W MixW2 20 Enter personal data including your MARS call then click OK 2 Expand the MixW display to full screen by clicking on the middle box just to the
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