W7YV Ham Radio

Playing around with QRP is lots of fun and sometimes very challenging. But, it usually takes two to tango. You need somebody on the other end of the link to hear you and respond. Usually, we expect that to be a warm-blooded human being. If you have the itch to play radio with QRP and nobody is around, well, you're stuck. There is another way.... Recently, I acquired an account on Winlink's Global Email System and can now connect to servers around the world and the country to send email via HF radio. It occurred to me that I am connecting to a computer that is, for the most part, impartial in it's judgement of my signal quality. If it doesn't like it, it won't answer. If it is too weak, it will not hesitate to dump me and move on to paying customers. I use RMS Express as the client software for Winlink. It works well for my purposes. Within that software is a database that shows the available remote stations that you can connect if you have a Winlink Email acco...

This is a post to West Mountain Radio describing a problem with RMS Express and the RigBlaster PRO. The West Mountain Radio folks provided a quick answer. The image and explanation is posted at the end of this article. PROBLEM: When sending to a remote station using RMS Express (WinLink/Winmor), the software appears to be using audio picked up by the rig's microphone rather than audio delivered into the RigBlaster's LINE IN from the computer's LINE OUT. While this is functional, it requires that the microphone be placed close to the station speakers so that it can hear what is being generated for an output. I am pretty sure this is not the way it is designed. Now, when using RTTY, PSK31, or other modes with MixW Version 2.2, all is fine, i.e., the RigBlaster feeds computer audio directly to the rig rather than through the microphone. SETUP: a. ICOM 756PRO b. RigBlaster PRO configured to take RCV AUDIO from the mic connector using jumpers on P1 (irrelevant but...

This short article reports on implementing the capability to connect to the WinLink 2000 Global Email System (1)  using HF radio and an inexpensive sound card interface. GOAL: Implement the capability to connect to the WinLink 2000 Global Email System (1) using HF radio and an inexpensive sound card interface and equipment already on hand. EQUIPMENT: ICOM 756 PRO HF Transceiver (on hand) Horizontal Loop Antenna, 268 ft perimeter, up 30 feet (on hand) West Mountain Radio RIGBlaster PRO (2)  (on hand, MSRP: $299.95) RMS Express Winlink 2000 (WL2K) radio email client. MixW (3) multi-mode software for PSK31 testing (free) DISCUSSION: From the time I had the idea to implement the capability to the time I sent my first message was a little less than a day. First, I had to find my RIGBlaster and all the cables. That was the hardest part. Then, I had to review the RIGBlaster documentation to relearn what I had forgotten. It has been idle for over three years ...