#amateurradio

danie10@squeet.me

Comparison of some hardware devices used for Ham Radio Digital Modes

A selection of ham radio hardware devices resting on a wooden table top. Shown are a Signalink USB with three dials on the front, a rectangular Mobinlinkd TNC about the size of a cigarette box, and a small DigiRig about the size of a 9V battery.
As I’m often having to choose how to use what digital mode on different radios that I have, it has meant also trying to understand which device works with which radio, and what modes it will support (not to mention radio functionality).

It has taken me a while to try to understand some of the differences, as there is no one device that just does everything. So, this linked webpage is my attempt to clarify this for myself. I’d be happy to also get input from others so that I can improve or correct it.

For anyone else trying to decide which device they should buy first (or do they even need one?), this webpage will hopefully help to quickly clarify things a bit.

For now, I have just added details for the SignaLink USB, Mobilinkd TNC, and the DigiRig, as these were the options I’d been actively looking at.

See https://gadgeteer.co.za/hamradio/hardware-devices-for-digital-ham-radio-modes/
#Blog, #amateurradio, #hamradio, #technology

danie10@squeet.me

VarAC digital chatting on Amateur Radio seems to be getting more popular than JS8Call

Vara-HF screenshot showing at the bottom a green coloured waterfall of the spectrum with some smudges where the signal is represented. Above it are half-moon gauges showing Audio Input as -13 dB, a CPU usage one showing 15%, an AFC guage without a needle, and at S/N gauge showing -3.3 dB. This is all detail showing the radio connection signal stats.
This is at least apparent for what I’m observing in my country on the Southern tip of Africa. The reason seems to be that VarAC provides most of the functions that JS8Call already provides, and then provides a lot of usability improvements as well as transmitting images, documents, faster speed, VMails, etc.

I’ve been getting up to speed with it the last two days, and am really enjoying using it. I’ve documenting what it is about, how it compares with JS8Call, and some tips I’ve been learning, at the web page I’ve linked to in this post.

See https://gadgeteer.co.za/hamradio/varac-p2p-digital-mode-chatting-application/
#Blog, #amateurradio, #digitalmodes, #hamradio, #technology, #VarAC