[Ham-Mac] The OSX DarwinPSK Lives

[Richard Kriss]

TNX to Tom -K3ORC and Volker-DL1KSV for the new Macintosh OSX version 0.8 of
DarwinPSK.  It is a 100% improvement over the X11 application because it
works. The installation was easy and I even made my first ever PSK31 QSO
today. 

I am little red-faced to admit to the interface arrangement. I simply pulled
audio from a Radio Shack Y-Connector on the TS-570's External Speaker
connector to the audio input jack on the rear of the Mac G4 (AGP). I used a
jumper that came with the PK-232 with standard connectors on each end. For
transmit I put the Kenwood MC-80 Mic up to the front of the G4 and ran the
rig in VOX mode. Nobody was more surprised than me when KG4ORA answered my
first CQ on 14.070 MHz USB - using the DarwinPSK default settings!

That is the good-news. The bad-news was I did something wrong going from Rx
to Tx and locked up DarwinPSK during the QSO.  By locked up I mean the OSX
spinning disc stayed ON (and froze DarwinPSK) until I used the OSX Force
Quit to exit.  I am not sure what locking up the program but Force Quit is
an easy way to recover. I just restart DarwinPSK using an alias on the OSX
Dock.  Anybody know what causes the spinning disc?

I then tried but could not copy RTTY using DarwinPSK.  I had the good old
MacRATT/PK-232 running in the background doing solid copy and could not get
DarwinPSK to print anything but <F> errors.  I was able too copy Volker's
RTTY demo file with no problems but can't seem to print signals from the
TS-570 with my setup. It may want the constant level audio from the ACCY
plug that I use for the PK-232.

My primary operation preference is RTTY so I am not ready to give up the
ACCY connector the goes to the PK-232 for RTTY.  Any suggestions on how I
can handle the Mac G4 (AGP) to TS-570D(G) without giving up the 13-PIN DIN
on the rear of the rig? The PK-232 does an excellent job in FSK-RTTY and I
am not ready to ditch it until something better comes along.

Anybody have luck with the plug and play adapters on the market?

I am not picking on DarwinPSK.... very nice PSK31 application and Volker's
effort is appreciated. It may become my application of preference for PSK31.
I am still looking for something to replace the old PK-232 for RTTY.

My next test will be the PC MMTTY program running under Virtual PC. I have
heard it has one of the better RTTY sound card engines. Anybody tried MMTTY
on a Mac?

73 Dick, AA5VU