Author: Ralph AG7FE

  • Setting up HF Winlink Using Soundcard Modes

    Last fall I bought a used ICOM IC-7200 radio so I could start operating on the HF bands. Part of the attraction of this radio is the built-in soundcard. It takes a single USB cable for both the soundcard and for radio control. My goal was to use Winlink on HF.

    I found a Youtube video by Commsprepper on setting up Winlink Winmor for this specific radio. From this video, I learned about some great information included with Winlink:

    In Winlink, click on Help -> Help Index…, then click on IC-7200 or Radios with Built-in Soundcards or Sound Cards or Winmor Setup

    In my case, the IC-7200 section had everything I needed, and the video showed the radio side of the steps. The basic information needed from the radio is the USB device address, plus there were a couple of mode changes.

    Next start Winlink, open a “Winmor Winlink” session, click on Settings, and then click on “WINMOR TNC Setup”. (You may get a Setup window the first time you select a Winmor session.) You should only need to set the “WINMOR Capture Device” and the “WINMOR Playback Device” to your radio’s sound device (e.g. “USB Audio Codec”). Click “Update” when done.

    Click on Settings again, then click on “Radio Setup”. In the “Select Radio Model” pull-down, select your radio model (I selected Icom 7200). Enter the radio’s configured USB address (in my case, in the “Icom Address” field), and click on “USB Digital” so Winlink can control the radio. For the “Radio Control Port” field, select the radio’s COM port in the “Serial Port to Use” field, and set the radio’s configured baud rate. For the “PTT Port”, select the radio or COM port in the “Serial Port to Use” field. Click on “Update” when done.

    Now click on “Channel Selection” and get the current list of HF RMS Gateway channels using the “Update Table Via Internet” option. Pick a channel with a high “Path Reliability Estimate” and “Path Quality Estimate”. Double click on a channel row to select the channel and close the HF Channel Selector window. You should see/hear the radio change to the frequency of the selected channel.

    Now click on Start to initiate a connection attempt. (Commsprepper also has a video called “SignaLink and Winmor”, which shows a session using Winmor.)

    Setting up for ARDOP follows a similar sequence. Open an “ARDOP Winlink” session, click on Settings, then click on “Ardop TNC Setup” to enter the “Ardop Capture Device” and “Ardop Playback Device” (set to the USB Audio Codec), and then do the same “Radio setup” steps mentioned above. If you have already setup Winmor, these settings may be set for ARDOP too.

    More information:
    This document has good information overall, and a detailed Winmor setup section.

  • Featured Member Profile: Ralph AG7FE

    I was born in southern California in 1955. We moved to the Sacramento area in the mid-60s. As a kid, I built a couple of crystal radios, and tore apart dozens of tube radios and TV sets. Other radios I “repaired” by attaching long lengths of speaker wire onto the antenna to get better reception. I also collected bicycle parts and built usable bicycles from the parts, at one point having six bicycles that I made.

    After high school, I went to the local community college, and managed to get a two-year AA degree in just three years (not counting a 7 month gap spent hitchhiking in Europe).

    Then I found an old “TTY demodulator” in a 19″ rack at Goodwill. I connected this to my grandfather’s Hallicrafters SW receiver. This got me interested in building a “TV Typewriter” so I could read the messages, which lead to another two years at community college for their electronics program, which led to a 38 year (and counting) career as a software engineer. During this time I had my own business as a software contractor for about 12 years. I also had an Internet cafe (Millennium Cafe) for a while in the late 90s. I never did build the TV Typewriter though.

    I met Carol, now my wife, back in 1994. We were married on the beach in Washington, and went clam digging that evening with her family. At one point early in our marriage we were comparing places we used to live and hang out, and realized that we had crossed paths over a dozen times before two mutual friends both suggested that we meet. We have a 17-year-old daughter and live in NE Portland. Our daughter is a senior in high school, nearing the launch pad of college, so we are “Empty Nesters In Training.”

    For hobbies, early on I had a string of British sports cars: 3 MGAs, an Austin Healey 100-4, 2 Triumph TR3s, a TR4 with a TR250 engine, an MGB, a Triumph GT6. Then there was the motorcycle phase: Yamaha 750 Special, Suzuki 1150ES, Suzuki GSXR750 (I raced both Suzukis at PIR and SIR), Yamaha FJ1200, Honda ST1100, Norton 850 Commando, 2 Norton 750 Commandos (one of which I raced at PIR/SIR), Ducati 860, BMW R100RS. Then there was the electric car phase, where I bought a converted Geo Prizm and completely rebuilt the electronics three times. When the car needed yet another new battery pack, I sold it and got myself some proper woodworking tools. My wife especially likes this hobby since I can make things we use in the house (although I won’t remodel another kitchen).

    I got into ham radio after becoming involved with emergency preparedness (Portland NET) and learning that they needed ham radio operators. This quickly led to a focus on ham radio, and then to MCARES. I have a VHF/UHF go-kit similar to the ARES digital go-kits, and am now working on my HF radio setup.