[Ham-Mac] NEW

[Chris Smolinski]

>To whoever can help.  It seems that I have not taken advantage of 
>those out there who can help.  I have been trying to connect my 
>Kenwood TS-480 to my PowerBook G4 without success.  I downloaded 
>MultiMode. I connected an audio cable from the phone jack to the mic 
>input of my Mac.  Made all the settings as suggested in MultiMode 
>for reception of CW, tuned in a strong CW signal and NOTHING.  It 
>printed out garbage.  I adjusted the strength of the input and still 
>got gibberish.
>As you all may have figured out by now I am a novice to this 
>connecting my Mac to decoding devices.  I would like to work with 
>PSK-31, EchoLink, CW, and other modes that are supported by 
>MulitMode or

Hi Joe,

Even though it's fairly easy for humans to decode CW by ear, it can 
be tricky for computers, as the software can be fooled by noise, etc. 
You also need to make sure you have the correct CW speed set.  There 
is an auto-speed setting in MultiMode, but of course that requires 
that the CW is being sent at a constant rate. Many humans don't 
always do that ;-)  You also need to make sure that the audio 
frequency of the received CW is the same as the setting in MultiMode.

You might want to try receiving some PSK31 first, as it can be much 
easier to tune in. Just click on the center of the signal of interest 
in the waterfall. For the 20 meter band, set your rig to 14070 kHz 
USB mode. Usually I see one or two dozen transmissions at any time 
(when the band is open of course).

>other such systems out there.  I am open to suggestions on other 
>software and interfaces.  I understand that the RigBlaster interface 
>is good, could you let me know if this is the only one out there or 
>is there better or is this the one to use.  It is easy to set up 
>from what I have read and when you get older as I am easy is the 
>best way to go. Thanks to all in advance, any and all help will be 
>accepted.

The RigBlaster works well, as do other systems out there. You can 
also just directly connect your radio to the Mac's sound input as 
you've done. Sometimes putting a small audio isolation transformer in 
the cable can help, if you're getting AC hum due to a ground loop. 
Radio Shack sells them. In my case, I use an audio mixer between  my 
various radios and the Mac, for both the audio input and output, 
which lets me adjust the settings just right.

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Chris Smolinski
Black Cat Systems
http://www.blackcatsystems.com