[Elecraft] Suggestions for good 192kHz external sound card for digital modes

[Phil Wheeler]

Probably very true, Wes -- for the K3. I have two 
mitigating factors which pushed me to Signalink USB:

  * I do PSK31 with my K3 and with my older K2/100
    (though not much with that anymore)
  * My 10.1" $280 HP notebook may or may not have
    an adequate sound card; but access to AF in
    and out is via a 4 conductor plug and I really
    hate messing with those guys. The Signalink
    USB with the Tigertronics-provided cables is
    just an easier road to follow. I even have a
    set for my KX3, though I've not yet tried it
    on PSK31.

So far I've not ventured into JT65, just PSK31. No 
RTTY yet -- well not for about 30 years, when the 
technology was very different:-)

73, Phil W7OX


On 11/12/14 2:01 PM, Wes (N7WS) wrote:
> Operationally, at least with a K3 and the modes 
> I operate I've seen no difference between the 
> built-in sound card on my Lenovo T400, a TASCAM 
> US-100 or a SignaLink.
>
> Admittedly, I haven't yet tried the digital 
> modes that dig out imaginary signals from the 
> noise, but on RTTY and PSK I simply can't see an 
> advantage to a better sound card.  My T400 is 
> what I use.  I sold the SignaLink, so I can no 
> longer compare but I just did a quick test on 
> the other two.
>
> Using Spectrum Lab and listening to my Elecraft 
> XG2 on 14 MHz with the K3 line out into the 
> sound card, the SNR with either the T400 or the 
> Tascam is about 50 dB.  This is with the XG2 set 
> to low power (~S3), AGC off, 400 Hz crystal 
> filter.  The filter shape is easily seen and 
> disconnecting either card drops the baseline 
> noise about 30 dB.  I say "about" because about 
> is good enough.  The T400 is slightly 
> microphonic but this is only seen with no audio 
> input.
>
> IMHO, the SNR is set by the receiver and the 
> defects in any practical sound card are, excuse 
> the pun, in the noise.  I'm looking at a couple 
> of KHz of audio, why would I need a 192KHz, 24 
> bit card?  (Actually, the T400 card is such)
>
> All of the other hand wringing about PTT, 
> Windows sounds, etc, are just that, hand 
> wringing.  Turn off Windows sounds, turn on VOX 
> and enjoy.
>
> Wes  N7WS
>
>
>
> From: "David Orman" <ormandj at corenode.com>
> To: "elecraft" <elecraft at mailman.qth.net>
> Sent: Tuesday, November 11, 2014 7:08:12 PM
> Subject: [Elecraft] Suggestions for good 192kHz 
> external sound card for digital modes
>
> Hi,
>
> Splitting off from the Signalink thread, since 
> it's actually a different
> question, what are the current external sound 
> cards that people suggest
> (that are supported in Linux if known - if not - 
> that's ok)?
>
> I see the Tascam mentioned in the PDF in the 
> other thread, so I'm looking
> into those (the ones that support 192kHz now, 
> that is) - are there any
> other suggestions to look into? I operate on a 
> lot of digital modes, but my
> Lenovo Thinkpad T400's built in sound card adds 
> a lot of noise to the
> signal I'm receiving. I have a Native 
> Instruments Audio Kontrol 1 which
> works much better, but it is USB powered (it 
> seemed to be indicated this
> was a no-no for best decoding in digital modes 
> in the other thread).
>
> There are a lot of options out there now, so 
> it's hard to sift through them
> all, and make a guess as to which are best for 
> HF radio digital
> communication, so I thought a thread would be 
> helpful in getting some ideas
> on what is tested/true. If Linux support is 
> unknown, that's ok - I can do
> that research - but it would be great to have a 
> list to start looking at
> that are known good performers with low noise.
>
> Thanks!
> David/K5DJO