Welcome Steve. Getting started is not too complicated. HRD is a good choice. Your others would be Multipsk, FLdigi, Digipan or Winwarbler . All fairly easy to set up. If you PC has an internal sound card, that is all you would need. You can add a second sound card later if you wanted to do digital modes and listen to other sounds at the same time. In general you need a cable that will take the audio received from you radio to the line-in of your computer soundcard. Also a cable that takes generated tones from your PC to the input of you radio. Most people also like to have the ability to control the radio via the software, so there is also usually a connection via a serial or USB port that controls the radio and switches between transmit and receive. Many hams built all this themselves but many others buy commercial "interfaces". These interfaces range from very basic (but effective) interfaces like the "Donner cable" that sells for around $40.00, the Signallink interfaces that is around $120, to the higher end interfaces with bells and whistles like the Microham or Rigblaster products that exceed $250.00. If you want to build your own, Skip Teller's interface recently outlined in QST magazine can be built easily and inexpensively.
For software, I find the "easiest" are the products that get you very quick responses when stuck, and the ones that don't scold you when you don't read the manual (or have an Einstein brain) . Winwarbler, Digipan, HRD-DM780, Multipsk and FLdigi will all get you quick, patient, responses if you need help. Authors of each of these applications are active here Andy K3UK On Fri, Aug 20, 2010 at 5:13 PM, Stephen <smyer...@yahoo.com> wrote: > > > Hello all. After being a SWL for several years, a friend willed (he is an > SK now) to me his Icom 765. I am intrested in getting into the digital > modes. Being new, I don't even know enough to ask the right questions. > > My wife is in the US Navy and we will retire to the country of Panama. I > got my ticket last Feb. but we moved to Baton Rouge and I have nothing set > up (except a long wire in the attic). I have had all the gear (IC-765, > IC-AT500, IC-2kl and its powersupply) back to a guy who rebuilt and > referbished to factory spect. I have found that if you have a ticket, in > Panama, they will give you one (of equal rating) so you can operate in their > country. > > Is HRD the program to use, or should I start out with somethig that is more > simple? Do I get an "outboard" sound card? What cables do I need? Any advice > will be appreciated. > > Steve > KJ4SLK > > >
