Hi Doug,

On Tue, Dec 03, 2002 at 05:52:50AM -0500, Douglas Smith wrote:
>     Hi Buddy,
>
>     Well, we are still wrestling with the
> best way to accomplish some of that.
> I'm not sure the hardware is currently
> there to support audible feedback.
> I should have some kind of answer on
> that issue today, Tuesday.

Please educate me. It is certainly possible that this is a more
complex issue than I would have thought. (I certainly don't have all
the answers or anything like that!) But as far as hardware...Wouldn't
all you would need would be something that made some sort of tone?
(We're not talking multiple tones, or anything elaborate, one or two
different pitches maybe.) For instance, I have an HT here that has the
ability to make exactly two pitches; one for everything that isn't an
error or a dying battery, and another for an error (such as pressing
buttons when the keypad is locked) or pressing buttons when the
battery's about dead. Granted, the latter may have been an unintended
feature, but that's beside the point, really. All important status
notifications are indicated by the non-error beep...which is to say,
all the button punches make the same tone, last digit of an entered
frequency makes a slightly longer beep, there's a beep at the
beginning of a menu as well as at the default of a multifunction
setting. I would think that the problem wouldn't be so much hardware
as software (i.e. make the gadget that does the sidetone, if nothing
else is available, generate some sort of alert tone. Nothing fancy
mind you.) Now I fully agree that the frequency readout is a much
knottier problem and may well require a bit of extra
hardware. Again, I'm no expert, and I have even fewer answers than on
the other problem. It could well be that the most viable solution to
this would be an outboard one, something on the order of the Stinger
Singer (available as a kit from the SQRPions, or something like that,
I hve it here somewhere)...basically a freq counter with cw
output. But the main thing with determining your operating frequency
is getting to some known point. Sure, a readout is nice. I personally
have never owned a radio that has this sort of provision. My current
rig, however, does have an outboard keypad, which is why I originally
asked about the possibility of drafting the one from the
Pegasus/Jupiter into service. Is this not a viable option (since the
rig cannot, I think, be computer-controlled, only computer-updated?)

In any case, I cannot express to you enough how much I appreciate your
working with me (and others) on this issue and at least hearing--and
airing--our concerns to those who can make a difference. Whatever the
outcome of this particular discussion, I see this as a very positive
sign that Ten-Tec really is interested in helping us out. I,
personally, hope that these issues can be taken into account, if not
with this rig, with future projects.

I appreciate your keeping me updated.
--
Buddy Brannan, KB5ELV/3   | "And if the ground yawned,
Phone: (814) 455-7333     | I'd step to the side and say,
Email: [log in to unmask]  | "Hey ground! I'm nobody's lunch!"
http://www.ycardz.com/    | --Eddie From Ohio