From: rsc@hao.ucar.edu (Bob Campbell)
Subject: SUMMARY:  HAM Radio on Amigas
Keywords: HAM Radio Amiga
Reply-To: rsc@hao.ucar.edu (Bob Campbell)
Organization: High Altitude Observatory/NCAR, Boulder CO
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 1992 20:44:22 GMT

Here's a summary of what I found out about using a HAM radio on an Amiga.
Thanks for all of the responses!

Bob Campbell
rsc@hao.ucar.edu


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From: hardie@herald.usask.ca (Peter Hardie)

You haven't made it quite clear what your father really intends to do with
his serial connection to the radio. My radio is an ICOM IC-735 which can be
controlled by the serial port but its frequency range is 150kHz to 30Mhz
which is way too low to be able listen to a weather satellite. Furthermore,
even you have a radio that can tune in weather satellites (up in the 134Mhz
region) the serial port will only control the frequency of the radio. It will
not also copy the picture being transmitted. For that you need a separate
board that will almost certainly connect to the parallel port. I believe
that AEA sells a board for the amiga that can read various kinds of picture
transmission including weather satellites. You're looking at another $300 or
so for the board and software.
Hope this helps.
Pete hardie@herald.usask.ca  VE5VA


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From: vjh21@cas.org (Vince Herried ext 2877)


QST had an ad a few months back for a 'does everything' program that
runs on an Amiga.  Seems like it would do wx and such.  
Sorry I don't recall the name of the company.

I've written a loggin program that runs under Amy dos 2.04, and a
call sign sort utility and am currently working on a morse code trainer.

There is also a satellite tracking program available on a fish disk that
came out about mid summer.



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>From: garyf@wiis.wang.com (Gary Field)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Looking for weather stuff
Date: 26 Jul 90 17:50:36 GMT                        <--- PLEASE NOTE!
Organization: Wang Laboratories, Inc

glenb@hpnmdla.HP.COM (Glen Baker) writes:

>Does anybody out there know of any weather information software/hadware for
>the Amiga? 

There is a hardware/Software package called AVT that is available from 
AEA (Advanced Electronic Applications):
AEA
PO Box C-2160
Lynnwood, WA 98036
(206) 775-7373

Price is $299.95

This package not only can copy Weather FAX but also Amateur Slow Scan TV
in every known format. I have it and highly recommend it.

--------
-eom-


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From: nfsun!kgeisel@uunet.UU.NET (Kurt Geisel)

I would need a little more information to understand your request.  What
model of radio does he have?  I can think of three potential things
you might be talking about:

1.  The radio has a serial port for controlling radio functions.  This is
pretty common.  All you can do with this is tune the radio to certain
frequencies, change modes, etc. under computer control.  You still would
need additional hardware to decode the pictures.

2.  The radio has a serial port for packet radio operation.  I forget
the manufacturer right now, but I only know of one radio which has this:
I think its called the "Data Radio."  This radio has a packet radio
modem built in to the radio itself, allowing you to make computer data
connections over radio with other packet radio stations.  However,
this has nothing to do with the traditional image formats.  You would
still need to get the same new hardware to get into weather sattellite.
You could, however, transfer computer image files (like IFF) with
other computers.

3.  Your father heard about a product from AEA called the AVT, Amiga
Video Terminal.  This piece of hardware plugs into your Amiga and a 
radio and gives you almost all of the known radio image formats: SSTV
(Slow Scan Television), Radio Fax, and Weather sattellites.  This
products costs around $300.  It's really the only thing that has
anything to do with Amigas and weather sattellites that I know of...
You still need the radio and the Amiga.

Hope this helps.  I recommend that you look in the rec.radio.amateur groups
and especially look for the FAQ (frequently asked questions) list.  I know
it has a section on imaging.

- Kurt


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From: thieleke@icaen.uiowa.edu (Jeffrey Ray Thieleke)

This kinda defeats the purpose, but anonymous FTP site, vmd.cso.uiuc.edu,
has the latest weather satellite images.


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From: smckinty@sunicnc.France.Sun.COM (Steve McKinty - Sun ICNC)


Any ham radios with serial ports that I've seen use the port to control
the radio, i.e tune it, set memories, etc. Only the very expensive ones
(> $2000) have the necessary hardware built-in to decode satellite
info.

To process the weathersat data usually requires a bit of extra hardware
that plugs into the headphone socket and demodulates the audio. That info
can then be processed by a computer.

I think that a company called BlackBelt makes such programs (& hardware) for
the Amiga. There are usually quite a few adverts for things like that in the
Ham radio magazines.

Steve

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From: GaryW@cup.portal.com (Gary J Wandrie)

In response to the question posed, the answer is actually easier than
you might think.  First you need a receiver to get the satellite signals.
Then a demodulator (Black Belts AVT and a unit that they recommend -
I can't remmeber the name of the company) will get you all set up.
If you are looking to use an hf radio with the computer controlling it,
that will be a bit more difficult.  You have to make sure that 
your radio has the proper interface (Icom, Kenwood, Yaseau, etc) sell
units for their newer radios, older units will be a problem.  But 
the real problem on the amiga will be finding a program to control
the radio.  There may be some out there but I'm not up on that enough
to give any suggestions.  But getting weather sat pictures, SSTV, and FAX

is absolutely no problem using the AVT unit (sold by AEA) created by
BlackBelt.


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From: garyf@wang.com (Gary Field)

There is a software/hardware package that is sold by AEA that will
allow you to receive Slow Scan TV and Weather Fax on an Amiga.
The device connects to the parallel port on the Amiga and to the
audio connections on the radio eqt. It sells for $299. It is a very well
done package and works quite well. It was originally written by
Ben Blish( Williams ) who is now Black Belt Systems. He sold the rights
to AEA (Advanced Electronic Applications).
Gary

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I realize that most of this may be redundancies, but I'd like to start seeing
more SUMMARY followups on comp.sys.amiga.*

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