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Here is the announcement and I have
nothing to do with SCS except a happy user: Dear
PACTOR friends! Just
like every year we want to invite you to visit us at the Ham-Radio exhibition
in The
PTC-IIusb: -------------- As
the name indicates, with this product we want to accommodate the increasing
demand for a modem with direct USB connection to the PC. The external V24/USB
converter is with this not required any more. With its features and functions,
the PTC-IIusb finds its place between the PTC-IIex and the PTC-IIpro. Like the
PTC-IIex, it is a single port unit with just one
radio connector, which is capable of all known modes alternatively, but not
simultaneously. But just like the PTC-IIpro, the PTC-IIusb has a full featured transceiver control port. Thus,
with this unit it is possible to control a transceiver from the USB port of a
PC. The
size of the housing is the same as the PTC-IIpro. In
opposite to all the other modems we refrained from backing up the memory with a
battery because this has sometimes created some trouble, especially under
maritime operating conditions. Finally, with our new modems we have the power
switch on the frontpanel, which was also asked for by
many users. The
PTC-IInet: -------------- The
PTC-IInet is a combination of a PACTOR modem (with
transceiver control)
and a Linux-PC, where both find their place together in a PTC-IIpro sized case. The PTC-IInet
has a network connection (Ethernet 10/100)
and can with this directly be connected to a router. If that router is
connected to the Internet (e.g. via DSL- or cable-modem) then the PTC-IInet is also "online" this way. When
the PTC-IInet receives a connect
from the outside, it serves as a gateway into the Internet for that distant
station. This function is called "PACTOR-IP-Bridge" (PIB) and works
similar to WLAN, but with the advantage of a very large range of coverage and
the disadvantage of narrow bandwidth. The PTC-IInet
is by default delivered with PACTOR-III and can be configured with a standard webbrowser, which means that it has a build-in webserver. It is the same method how routers and WLAN accesspoints are configured, so this procedure can be
assumed as well known. Another
interesting viewpoint of having a networking PACTOR modem device with
transceiver control capability is the fact, that with
transceivers can be controlled via the Internet this way from any point of the
planet. The PTC-IInet largely supports that feature
with its web interface. The
web interface also supports automated updates of the firmware and Linux kernel
via the Internet. With a simple click on a button, the PTC-IInet
connects to the SCS Internet server, looks for updates and installs them
automatically, if available. If
anybody wants to "play" with the web interface of a real PTC-IInet, he may use the link to one of them here at the SCS
facilities: http://dl1zam.dyndns.org. I'm really
curious how many simultaneous connections it can serve :-) A detailed article
about the PIB with the PTC-IInet is available here: http://www.scs-ptc.com/download/pib_review_eng.pdf New
Firmware 3.6: ----------------- The
version 3.6 firmware considerably increases the functionality: For the first
time the PTC firmware supports "Automatic Position Reporting System"
as "stand alone" service. A PTC can be used as a position
"Tracker". The generated datagram is APRS compatible. Version
3.6 offers a further important new feature, an innovative, robust modulation
mode for HF-Packet-Radio (HF-PR). This is also the ideal method to transfer
position data with high reliability via shortwave. As a special feature for all
the variants of "Robust PR", a completely new synchronizations
algorithm with "catch" properties that were not possible before has
been implemented. Frequency deviations of up to ±250 Hz are immediately
recognized and compensated without any loss of sensitivity,
and this with signals that are buried deep in the noise. The
new modulation method (Robust Packet-Radio) is available for free for the PTC-IIex and PTC-IIusb. For the
PTC-II and PTC-IIpro a new DSP-Modem-II (plug in
module) will be available from SCS as of June 2005. The new DSP-Modem certainly
offers all the past PR-modulation modes (300-19200 Bd).
Only the PTC-IIe is unfortunately not upgradeable for
"Robust-PR". >>>
IMPORTANT for the (old) PTC-II <<< The
firmware (firmware file profi36.pt2) will only be started by the PTC-II when
the PTC-II is equipped with 2 MB of RAM. The PTC-II is upgradable
to 2 MB of RAM, the price for that upgrade has been
reduced to the half to make the decision easier. Further
enhancements of the firmware 3.6: -
Auto GLL/RMC when GPS receiver is connected. Firmware now accepts parallel $XXRMC as well
as $XXGLL (XX = GP or II). RMC has priority. As soon as RMC is received
the firmware does not look for GLL any
more for 15 seconds (retriggered). -
On hostmode channel 249 the PTC-IIex
provides all NMEA sentences of a connected GPS
receiver. Except the terminating <CR> (ASCII13) the data is exactly matching
with the one the GPS receiver sends. 32 sets of NMEA data are buffered
internally. This NMEA channel is also included in the extended hostmode channel 255, which means that the usual poll on
channel 255 is sufficient to determine if there is
new NMEA data available on channel 249 -
Dynamic FRack with Packet-Radio connection: Automatic
adaptation of the retry timing creates
a higher average throughput under weak conditions. The
SCS website will be updated after the Ham-Radio. Then all new products will be
available in the webstore and the new firmware will
be ready for download. Best
Regards from the SCS PACTOR-team _________________________ Martin Clas SCS GmbH & Co. KG Amateur
Radio: DL1ZAM The K3UK DIGITAL MODES SPOTTING CLUSTER AT telnet://208.15.25.196/ Yahoo! Groups Links
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