Hi pcooke2002, I have never found anything as detailed as a complete book on the subject here on the internet, but there are some web sources that can help. The arrl.org site has a multipart series from QST that you should be able to access even if you are not a member:
http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/digital.html Needless to say, Steve Ford, WB8IMY, the editor of QST, has written really good book entitled "HF Digital Handbook" that is probably the best primer on the subject in book form. Doing a basic search on "amateur radio digital modes" will give you a few hits of value, such as: http://www.wb8nut.com/digital.html http://www.rac.ca/opsinfo/infodig.htm http://ac6v.com/opmodes.htm These will give you specifics about individual modes so you can sort some of this out. The main sound card digital modes are often RTTY and PSK31, but there are many more. For the most part, ARES/RACES uses tactical communication when in the field and that pretty much means voice for the responsiveness you can not get with text digital. There are cases where digital data might be used although not too much for sending hospital data with any patient information due to the HIPAA regulations. In the old days, those of us who were heavily into VHF digital even used packet radio with an HT. In order to do this you still need the additional equipment of a computer or terminal (such as the laptop you mention), plus the TNC or some kind of interface with a sound card mode. Not very easy or practical most of the time, but it can be used for messaging between EOC and an ICP, local EOC to state level EOC, etc. for non-tactical purposes. Also, digital can be useful from mass care facilites to supporting agencies, etc. but that assumes that there are stations with the same kind of digital capabilities on each end so needs to be completely worked out in advance and practiced regularly to ensure that operators have working equipment and how to use it. 73, Rick, KV9U pcooke2002 wrote: >I am a fairly inexpeirenced ham, and wanting to experiment with >digital. > >Can anyone recommend primers on web?? > >Also wondering... for RACES/ARES disaster stuff. I would think a >little HT tied to a laptop at a hospital/evac center tied to the EOC >would be ideal. > >It seems that hooking up an HT is not a common thing? > > > > > >
