[Elecraft] AGC Setting for PSK-31

[Jay Bromley]

I have both the Navigator and Microkeyer II with built in sound cards and 
yes I can see a difference (used on other rigs here).  Not much compared to 
my high end sound card I am using in another computer with the K3.  It is 
not one of those professional jobs, just a gaming one from Creative that 
cost a few hundred when new.  Even that is much better against overload 
compared to the stock internal sound card.

However the new internals are sure better than there were a few years ago! 
The thing I like using the USB external boxes is normally less wires 
compared to something like a Rig Blaster Pro.  However except for FSK keying 
the K3 is right up there with very few wires, line in, line out, and RS232 
cable.  Simple and nice!

For years I heard from RTTY contesters to just use the stock internal board 
sound card.  However I do see enough performance advantage to keep using the 
external boxes or after market sound cards.

If you haven't ran calibration on your internal sound card that will also 
help in performance.

I have also found very few internal laptop sound cards that are up to much 
of the task asked of them, most of the time they are very poor.  The two 
interfaces I mentioned above are worth their weight in gold if I am using my 
laptop and while bypassing their internal card that most of the time stinks 
in performance!  There are some high in XLS Dels I have seen that don't fall 
in this category.

Like with everything there is always the exception to the rule!

73 de w5jay/jay..




>> I'm using a Thinkpad laptop with my K3. I have a Creative E-MU 0202 
>> connect
>> to an LP-PAN for use with the IF output on the K3. I've been using the 
>> built
>> in SoundMAX sound card in the laptop to do the data modes via HRD and DM. 
>> So
>> far so good. Would I really see any advantage in using another external
>> sound card for data modes?
>
> I find the built-in soundcard function on my various computers to be
> perfectly adequate for soundcard-based digital modes with my K3 and
> other radios.  I have not run exhaustive tests, but I've not observed
> any performance improvememt when using the EMU0202 or one of the
> built-in-soundcard-USB-based-radio-interface widgets here.
>
> YMMV
>
> 73,
>
> Lyle KK7P