Does anyone remember the "Super Comshack 64?" That thing did everything except track satellites for you. Synthesized voice, beam rotator control with heading readback, linking, and all the beeps you could eat!
73, Paul, AE4KR ----- Original Message ----- From: skipp025 To: [email protected] Sent: Thursday, June 19, 2008 4:13 PM Subject: [Repeater-Builder] Re: software repeater controller Gary, What are you complaining about... (time for a "log cabin story") try spending nearly an hour entering code into a non key-bounced (keypad) machine, then having it go off to never-never land when you tried to save the memory to cassette tape or some of the early 5.25" disks. And the Vic 20 and 64 has/had a quasi serial floppy drive that still cracks me up just thinking about it. Circa 1984/85 one of the Service Monitor Mfgrs came out with a new product using the Vic 20 for an external computer interface. I of course wasn't interested because I was throwing my money into the TRS-80 Model I/III pit. That monitor (can't remember who they were) actually came out with the Vic 20 Interface option Wouldn't be hard to make a software repeater controller and a few people have offered both Parallel (printer) and serial port interfaces. I'm looking at the Manual for a PCRC II controller I picked up a few months back. Otherwise it's hard to beat the power of newer generation pic processors. The only serious caution I would place on any repeater running a computer type external repeater controller is to include a fixed hardware transmit logic time out timer... just so you don't become famous or smoke something. I haven't met a computer or repeater controller yet that hasn't locked up or farted at least once... with the possible exception of a Linux Machine or two.... where I would also include the hardware time out timer just to be able to sleep at night. cheers, s. > "Gary Glaenzer" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > two words come to mind when recalling the VIC's > 'syntax error'........................AAARRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH ! > From: Brian > To: [email protected] > Sent: Thursday, June 19, 2008 7:18 AM > Subject: Re: [Repeater-Builder] Re: software repeater controller > > > Hey > > Back in the late 80's I made a repeater controller with a vic20. I > added a little board to the I/O port for the TX transistor and cheated > by using a 555 timer for the cw osc :) . There was a second board > plugged into the 22/44 connector which had the program. The program in > the plugin board had a program on it so that the vic 20 would run the > controller program when it powered up. It was the same technique used > by the plug in games. > > All the software was in assembly language. I think I had 2 of them > running for a while, one ran for 10 years before I actually made a PIC > board, which now had been running on that same repeater for 7 years. > > 73 > Brian > ka9pmm > > Robert Pease wrote: > > > > You have to write it. It programs in basic. Just don't lose power or > > you will be reentering it > > > > Sent by Good Messaging (www.good.com) > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Mike Reed [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>] > > Sent: Thursday, June 19, 2008 12:09 AM Eastern Standard Time > > To: [email protected] > > Subject: Re: [Repeater-Builder] Re: software repeater controller > > > > Repeater software for Vic-20's? Have the machines, need the software, > > don't know where to find it. I could use a copy of it for local project. > > 73 > > Mike - N7ZEF > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: N0ATH > > To: [email protected] > > Sent: Wednesday, June 18, 2008 1:18 PM > > Subject: Re: [Repeater-Builder] Re: software repeater controller > > > > > > Remember em? I am still using em! Dave / NØATH > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: jistabout > > To: [email protected] > > Sent: Wednesday, June 18, 2008 2:15 PM > > Subject: [Repeater-Builder] Re: software repeater controller > > > > > > --- In [email protected], "Alexandre Souza" <alexandre- > > listas@> wrote: > > > > > > > For multiple audio ports these days I'd recommend using USB audio > > > > devices. ISA slots are way gone and PCI slots aren't far behind. > > For > > > > an embedded PC controlling radios 24/7 you want something small, > > quiet > > > > and low power, most form factors that fit that description usually > > > > have few if any PCI slots. > > > > > > A PC controlling a repeater?!?!?! What is the problem of using > > a small > > > microcontroller, with some BASIC programming??? > > > > > > You are using a cannon to kill a microbe he he he > > > > > > > Not at all. Using a PC to control a repeater as complex as the system > > here with remotes etc. is a perfectly logical choice and allows > > nearly unlimited flexability. > > > > The original controller on the system here back in the mid 1980s was > > a Commodore VIC-20 :). Any young'ens remember those? > > - Darrell/KA7BTV
