[Elecraft] [OT] PCI Express sound card for digimodes

[Joe Subich, W4TV]

Julian, 

PCI-E soundcards are available but they are not inexpensive 
and you need to read the reviews carefully as some (e.g. 
Creative X-Fi Xtreme Audio) are not up to the quality of 
their PCI cousins. 

The inexpensive solution may be a USB soundcard like the 
UA-580 available from ByteRunner, GWC (pctekonline) and 
others.  

The other approach is a dedicated (purpose built) interface 
and of course I can suggest some <G>. 

73, 

   ... Joe, W4TV 
  



> -----Original Message-----
> From: elecraft-bounces at mailman.qth.net 
> [mailto:elecraft-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Julian, G4ILO
> Sent: Saturday, January 30, 2010 10:37 AM
> To: elecraft at mailman.qth.net
> Subject: [Elecraft] [OT] PCI Express sound card for digimodes
> 
> 
> 
> Apologies for the OT question but I'm at my wits end. I just 
> bought a new computer for the shack and find that I can't 
> install my SB Live 24 card that I kept from the old one 
> because it doesn't have PCI Slots. Instead, it has what I've 
> been told are PCI Express slots. Even my local computer shop 
> hadn't heard of a PC without PCI slots, and said PCI EXpress 
> is only for graphics cards. But that can't be right as the 
> computer has 4 of them, 3 short ones which are PCIe x1 and 
> one long one which is PCIe x16.
> 
> The built in Realtek sound card has all kinds of controls for 
> special effects, karaoke etc. but I can't find an option for 
> "look, just convert it to digital as accurately as possible 
> and don't mess with it." In any case, I really want to use 
> the internal board for normal audio as it has front panel 
> sockets for headphones etc. which is why I had the second 
> sound card. However when I search for PCI Express sound cards 
> they are all pretty expensive. The cheapest seems to be an 
> Asus Xonar DX 7.1. I admit the DX part sounds promising, but 
> it still has these special effects features and outputs for 
> subwoofers and so on none of which I need.
> 
> What's a guy who just wants to work digital modes to do? A 
> few years ago you could buy a 16-bit ISA sound card for 15 
> quid. Surely we don't all have to go out and splash £200 on a 
> RigExpert or MicroHam now? Someone suggested I got a "cheap 
> USB audio device" but how cheap is OK? You can buy these 
> things on eBay for $2, I kid you not, but I bought one once 
> and tossed it after 5 minutes it was so bad.
> 
> I'd appreciate hearing from anyone who has had this problem 
> and solved it satisfactorily because I'm getting withdrawal 
> symptoms not being able to work digimodes. Is it just me, or 
> is technology getting way too complicated?
> 
> -----
> Julian, G4ILO. K2 #392  K3 #222.
> * G4ILO's Shack - http://www.g4ilo.com
> * KComm - http://www.g4ilo.com/kcomm.html
> * KTune - http://www.g4ilo.com/ktune.html
> 
> -- 
> View this message in context: 
> http://n2.nabble.com/OT-PCI-Express-sound-card-for-digimodes-t
p4485694p4485694.html
Sent from the Elecraft mailing list archive at Nabble.com. ______________________________________________________________
Elecraft mailing list
Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
Post: mailto:Elecraft at mailman.qth.net

This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html