[NLRS] WSJT Modes and SDRs

[Terry - W0VB]

John,

To echo and provide some real life experiences to this question, I just
completed 5 WSJT QSOs last weekend on two meters using:
- one computer,
- two pairs of virtual serial ports
- one virtual audio cable
- one sound card
on a desk top PC

I also have a similar setup running a laptop with HRD Ham Radio Deluxe, one
sound card (USB Creative Labs Extigy card) and the same compliment of
virtual stuff above and have made PSK31 contacts, received Slow Scan TV on
20 meters using MixW, RTTY, and a whole slew of other modes.

It's awesome!

However, all the other methods mentioned also work...... two computers, each
with a sound card, or two sound cards on one computer..... you choose.

If you choose two sound cards on one machine, or two machines, you will need
to physically cable the two sound cards together.... Running the way I first
described, is all done inside the software - no cables for the serial ports
or the audio connections.

Terry,  W0VB

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Duane - N9DG" <n9dg at yahoo.com>
To: "John (JK) Kalenowsky, K9JK" <hamk9jk at ameritech.net>; "NLRS mailing
list" <nlrs at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Wednesday, November 23, 2005 5:19 PM
Subject: Re: [NLRS] WSJT Modes and SDRs


>
>
> -- "John (JK) Kalenowsky, K9JK" <hamk9jk at ameritech.net>
> wrote:
>
> > SO...my question: Would it require TWO computers to "do"
> > WSJT Modes with a(n) SDR?
>
> No it does not require two PC's (in the case of the
> SDR-1000/PowerSDR). Currently there are two options:
>
> 1. A single PC with two sound cards and some simple patch
> cables between them. The SDR's soundcard output feeding the
> second sound card dedicated to WSJT or any other sound card
> mode program.
>
> 2. Use a "Virtual Audio Cable". In this case the WSJT or most
> any other sound card program uses the VAC as its "sound card"
> and the SDR program "patches" its audio output into the VAC.
> So in this case a single physical sound card is all that is
> needed. This method works quite well with most any of the
> popular sound card base programs out there.
>
> > It would SEEM that, ultimately, software could created for
> > the SDR to encode
> > and decode the WSJT "modulation" directly withOUT a need
> > for a second
> > computer to "do" the WSJT part but I don't know if it has
> > progressed that far as of yet.
>
> The VAC approach is close to this, so yes it has progressed
> this far. In Flex Radio circles there has also been talk of
> creating a "virtual sound card" to do essentially same thing
> that the virtual audio cable can now do but look even more
> like a sound card to the sound based application. The virtual
> sound card effort has been put on hold for now since the
> virtual audio cable solution was uncovered and does most of
> what the virtual sound would provide (the virtual audio cable
> being an independent software product not development by
> anyone directly involve with the SDR-1000).
>
> BTW there is also a virtual com port "driver" that works with
> the SDR-1000/PowerSDR system that was developed by one of the
> programmers closely associated with the Flex Radio SDR-1000.
>
> Hope this helps.
>
> Duane
> N9DG
>
>
>
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