[ICOM] HRD-what is the attraction?

[Ron Hashiro]

-----Original Message-----
From: icom-bounces at mailman.qth.net [mailto:icom-bounces at mailman.qth.net]
On Behalf Of John Geiger
Sent: Tuesday, November 18, 2008 9:24 AM
To: yaesu_ft-450 at mailman.qth.net; yaesu at Mailman.qth.net;
icom at Mailman.qth.net
Subject: [ICOM] HRD-what is the attraction?

Everywhere I see Ham Radio Deluxe being metioned-in email posts, in QST articles, on eham.net, and I have to wonder what is the attraction of it?  I tried computer control a couple of years ago with a Kenwood TS-B2000 and soon grew to hate it.  Tuning around with a mouse was awkward at best.  I like a tuning knob to turn, and other buttons to turn and push. SO what am I missing?  What makes computer control so much better than physical control?  From the attention paid to HRD, it seems that I am the only one who feels this way.

73s John AA5JG
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Ham Radio Deluxe is my second favorite satellite PC program, after STSPLUS.

STSPLUS produces more positional and doppler information that I use for predicting and planning satellite contacts, and also for post-contact analysis.  Based on the knowledge gained, I improve the technique for the next time.

http://ronhashiro.htohananet.com/am-radio/spacecomm/getting-started-iss.html

The only feature of HRD that I find of keen interest is that it can quickly calculate mutual windows of opportunity between two ground stations.  I used to run it on a home PC (I've since switched to a Mac for most of my home/ham computing).  For the most recent Hawaii-California record VHF packet contact via the ISS (which on the Hawaii end was done using an Icom IC-910H from the mobile) on Saturday, November 1, I asked Scott WA6LIE to run the program and generate the list of mutual pass times.  It was very obvious that the most opportune pass was coming up in a couple of days (it happens only about once a month), and we proceeded on the schedule and work plans.

I use MacDoppler for VFO control of the radio (if that's what I want to do), but most times, I manually tune the radio for doppler by presetting the ISS doppler pairs in memory.  MacDoppler does not work well with real-time Computer Assisted Tuning (CAT) of the IC-910H in VHF split mode (VHF uplink and VHF downlink, different frequencies, with doppler compensation) which is needed for ISS Packet or voice contacts -- which is why I do manual tuning using preprogrammed memories.  (I haven't tried it, but MacDoppler should work well on the standard VHF/UHF or UHF/VHF splits.  I sit and watch it tune, and it seems normal.)

I store away the doppler splits in 1 KHz increments into seven consecutive memories.

http://ronhashiro.htohananet.com/am-radio/spacecomm/doppler-and-the-iss.html

Since I operate satellite mobile, I do not use either HRD or MacDoppler to drive an az-el rotator assembly and VHF/UHF yagis.  I either use vertical mag mount antennas, or hand-direct an Arrow beam antenna.  If you have az-el rotators, you would greatly benefit from a tracking program such as HRD or MacDoppler.

Hope that answers your questions.

73 and aloha,

Ron Hashiro, AH6RH
Honolulu, HI

P.s.  Gary, K8IZ, FYI and thanks for your help at Dayton 2007.  Now you know the rest of the story, and now you know more about the 910H.  *hihi*