[Elecraft] Soundcard "quality" for PSK31

[Lyle Johnson]

Hello Brian!

> ...I'm using a laptop, so the "soundcard" options seem
> limited. I've seen "external soundcards" (e.g., Creative Labs Extigy)
> that connect to the PC via USB, but I can't tell (without buying one) if
> it will work with "stock" PSK31 software.

The soundcard in my laptop is atrocious. I didn't really know it until I
tried to run the SDR-1000 radio into it.  Turned dout my desktop was really
bad, too :-(

I bought a Creative Labs Soundblaster USB MP3+ (~$59 new).  It is a
spectacularly better soundcard, at least with respect to its A/D
performance.  Might even make Spectrogram become honest!  Spectrogram does
work with it as well, incidentally.

I am monitoring 20 meters on it right now with Digipan, which also works
with the internal card, so the card seems to map itself into Windows pretty
well.

I will point out that it hogs a bit of CPU resources, more than a standard
soundcard. This will depend on the USB driver in your laptop.  Mine is a 3
year old Dell Inspiron with a 750 MHz Pentium 3.

I haven't tried transmitting with this soundcard.

I have no financial interest in any products mentioned, etc.

Lyle KK7P