From: wmartin@STL-06SIMA.ARMY.MIL (Will Martin)
Newsgroups: rec.radio.shortwave
Subject: Re:  SW Receivers with RS232 interface?
Date: 14 Oct 1992 12:44:29 -0500
Organization: UTexas Mail-to-News Gateway
NNTP-Posting-Host: cs.utexas.edu

I'll try e-mailing this to the original poster, but I doubt if one
can get mail to an "<anything>.uucp" address these days, so I'm also
sending it to the SWL list/group in the expectation that my e-mail will
bounce, too. Regarding Ralph Brandi's pointer to the DR333, here's
some info on it from the literature, and a pointer to a review, 
extracted from info I posted some months back:

>Date:     Tue, 18 Aug 92 7:36:27 CDT
>From:     Will Martin  <wmartin@stl-06sima.army.mil>
>To:       rec-radio-shortwave@ucbvax.berkeley.edu
>Subject:  "Audio" reviews McKay-Dymek

For those who are interested, th September '92 issue of "Audio" magazine,
just out, has a review of the McKay-Dymek DR333 computer-controlled
general-coverage receiver (begins page 84).

This is a "black-box" radio which requires a computer to control it.
The radio is nothing but a box with connectors on it; the computer
software simulates a front panel.

Here's a description I extraced from the literature early this year:

Date:     Wed, 8 Jan 92 8:15:19 CST

McKay-Dymek DR333 Monitor/Surveillance, General Purpose HF Receiver,
10 kHz to 29.999995 MHz

The picture shows a black box with only the following jacks:

A DB-9 marked "RS-232"; A BNC marked "Antenna", two RCA phonos marked
"600 Ohm" and "Speaker", a 1/8th" phone jack marked "Phones", and some
unidentifiable type, with a center pin, marked "Power". 

Made in USA by McKay-Dymek Division of Stoner Communications, Inc.,
Rancho Cucamonga, CA.

Distributed by ICI, 4521 Campus Drive, Irvine, CA (No ZIP given)
(714) 720-8159 and FAX (714) 854-2154

Price $1495.00 including software (more expensive than I recalled! :-)

A picture of the PC display is given; it shows dual clocks, a large
frequency readout, a simulation of an analog S-meter, "knobs" for AF and
IF gain, Noise Blanker & Squelch, and selection-boxes for AM, USB, LSB,
FM, CW, FSK, ATT, RFA, PWR ("power" to what, I wonder :-),BND, SQU, AGC,
NB, and SET. "Channel" selections for 1 thru 5 and "STA", and bandwidths
of 6, 2.7, 1.2, and .4. Cursor is moved from function to function with
arrow keys or a mouse. Data is changed with up and down arrow keys or a
mouse.

While the picture shows a "needle-and-scale" type S-meter, the text
mentions "signal strength is shown in digits from 1 to 200 and a
20-segment extending bar for precise representation." That seems
inconsistent.

Bandwidths are depicted as I indicated, but the text says "bandwidths
from 400 Hz to 10 kHz; 6 and 2.7 kHz standard." In another place it
states "2.7 is Collins mechanical. Optional filters to 10 kHz from .4
kHz (mechanical) and 1.2 kHz (mechanical)." (Current note: the Audio
review says they tested it without some of the bandwidth filters
installed due to their being backordered.)

Size is 7.375" X 4.75" X 2.25"; weight 2 pounds. Power required is
specified at one place as "12 volts DC, 4 Watt draw" and in another as
"11 to 16 Volts DC, 1 Amp (normal operation 320 mA)". (Interestingly,
nowhere does it show or indicate that a power supply is actually included
with the thing! For $1500, one would think they'd throw in a $3
wall-plug transformer power supply... :-)

Pass band tuning + or - 600 Hz. Sensitivity in microvolts: AM = 1, SSB = .5,
CW = .25, and FSK = 2. Image Rejection -90 dB, First IF Rejection -70 dB, 
Second IF Rejection -100 dB, Third Order Intercept Point +30 dBm.

Antenna 50 Ohms; Audio Output 8 Ohm speaker or phones (no wattage given).

Included software has: 9999 channels in any of several formats or in
numerical order, 10 per file.

999 band scans, as above.

Scan of channels can be set from two to total.

Band scan limits settable from 2 Hz to full spectrum of receiver.

Scan steps from 1 Hz, dwell from 1 ms.

All channel and band scans may be logged for hard copy printout or
recording.

Spectrum analyzer with settable limits and grid overlay option.

Custom software or user-programming guide (Turbo C) is available.

**********

Hope this is of help!

Regards, Will
wmartin@st-louis-emh2.army.mil OR wmartin@stl-06sima.army.mil
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU