At 05:28 PM 31/12/2007,Roger wrote:
>I was active on the TNC modes, i.e. Amtor, Pactor, RTTY for a lot of >years, roughly 1989-2003 or so. Pactor was quite popular until the >early 2000s, when PSK31 was introduced by Peter Martinez. This ushered >in an age of narrow-frequency soundcard modes, which made ownership of a >TNC unnecessary to work these new modes. This was a good thing because >prior to this only a limited number of hams bothered with the digital >modes (indeed most hams did not know what Amtor and Pactor were) due to >the cost of the TNC, which was several hundred dollars. When this >happened I owned the top-of-the-line TNC at that time, the SCS PTC-II. >Before that I had owned a PK232 (a good unit for what it was), and for a >brief time, the Kantronics Kam Plus (not a good unit). Within a year >after the debut of PSK31, Pactor K-to-K activity dropped to almost nil. >Oh, for a while you could scare up a contact now and then, but it was >hard going. At some point I threw in the towel, my PTC-II went into the >junk drawer, and not long ago I sold it to a boater. Since the early >2000s period, I don't think I have heard a Pactor FEC signal one single >time, which indicates that no one is calling CQ for Pactor contacts any >more, and thus whatever Pactor you hear is mailbox robot activity, or, >less likely, people calling each other on schedule. > >I have gotten a couple of private emails this weekend, including one >from a European ham, which emails confirm that Pactor is now dead other >than for mailbox use both in North America and in Europe. > >Your PK232 is quite obsolete because it cannot even do Pactor II, and >cannot be modified to do so. If you do what most people did, you will >pitch it. Other than Pactor 1, your computer sound card or higher-end >units such as the Navigator or the Signal-Link units will do far more >than any TNC will do if you are simply interested in ordinary amateur >radio contacts, i.e. QSOs. > >de Roger W6VZV I still use a TNC for PSK31, IF I want to run a minimalist station, without a laptop ;-) The SCS PTC-IIex has PSK31 built in that allows me to use a hand held battery powered dumb terminal on it, or my Psion 3MX palmtop on AA batteries. In addition, this TNC runs HF Packet, Robust Packet (200 & 600Baud) VHF/UHF 1200 baud Packet, PACTOR-II, PACTOR-I, AMTOR, NAVTEX, AMTEX, RTTY, CW, SSTV, FAX , APRS Has a mailbox too, not super user friendly like the TNCs of old. Its performance with DSP bits inside means it works well. The only downside is the cost...... I have yet to do a side by side comparison with my Tigertronics SignaLink USB & PSK31 Deluxe, but I am happy with the TNC solution. 73s Jack VK4JRC
