[Ham-Mac] Waterfall display questions

[Dino Papas]

Robert - you may want to consider a commercial interface that uses  
USB to connect to your computer.  Many of those available have a  
built-in sound card that will take the place of your internal  
computer's sound devices.  Many have had good success with the  
SignalLink:

http://www.tigertronics.com/slusbmain.htm

Personally I use a microHAM Digi-Keyer that accomplishes the same  
thing but adds the capability to directly key a radio's FSK port for  
those of us who want to be able to use the FSK filtering system in  
our radios when running RTTY.

http://www.microham-usa.com/

I'm sure there are many others out there.  One good reason to take  
the sound card function outside the computer via USB is that any  
ancillary sounds your computer produces (like "boink") are NOT  
transmitted over the air as they can be if you feed the audio  
directly to your rig.  Another plus is your cabling between the  
computer and radio gets much simpler.

73 -- Dino KL0S


On 27Dec2009, at 12:12 AM, Robert Klein wrote:

> This is probably elementary, so please bear with me, but I am  
> confused about
> digital mode software for the Mac.  I have a K3 and connect to my  
> Mac (OS
> 10.6.2) via a Keyspan serial to USB.  That works great for logging  
> software
> and the K3 Utility program. The K3 has data capability built-in, so  
> it will
> decode PSK31 RX, for example, without the need for a computer.  The K3
> Utility terminal function will display the output and allow me to  
> type in
> text to transmit, and these work to a degree.
>
> I am trying to learn and use PSK31 et al., and I want to be able to  
> see a
> waterfall display at the same time.  iSpectrum requires a live  
> audio input
> device (microphone or line in) rather than the USB input.   
> CocoaModem 2.0
> and MultiMode Cocoa appear to require that also, as I could not  
> figure out
> how to make them respond to the input from the radio.  I have the
> transceiver set to Data/PSK31 mode and tuned to a transmission, but  
> nothing
> shows up anywhere in those programs, so I can only surmise that  
> live audio
> is required.  I would prefer not to have to connect live audio  
> because I use
> an external speaker and it just seems like a very clumsy way of  
> going about
> it.  Neither program has built-in Help and the manuals are not at  
> all clear.
> MacLogger DX does not appear to have a waterfall display for  
> digital modes.
> I want to have software includes PSK31 controls and terminal, and
> Digipan-like display without having to run Parallels or the like with
> Windows.  I don’t want to have to buy a panadapter.  Would I have  
> to run the
> live audio at the same time that I run two programs (K3 Utility,  
> MacLogger
> DX or Aether, etc. AND iSpectrum or MultiMode Cocoa) at once to do  
> this?  Am
> I missing something with these programs?  I don’t even know if  
> there is a
> combination that is or is not compatible running at the same time.
>
> I would very much appreciate the community’s advice on this.
>
> Thanks and 73,
>
> Robert
> KY1RK