AEA PK-232 , scope question ?

I like to know what scope would work on my pk-232 in the mark and space in back of box,,,, so I can turn in amtor and baudot faster and better..
I like to get into it.... I have a heath-kit 610 and it has problems, big time.....

PS what is a good software to use with it..... I have HRD ON my other sound card Timewave DSP I have problems getting it to pick up any thing. just get stupid funny letters and numbers...

Thankyou very much for your time.... will buy the scope.....

Merry Christmas

kb8wwq...

 

You can use any terminal program (or even a dumb terminal) with a PK-232. I ran a Link unit with mine for years.

For a PC program, look at HyperTerm or PuTTY for starters.

Any scope which has both horizontal and vertical inputs (with the option to set the horizontal timebase to 'Manual Sweep') will work. I've used a B&K, an SM-220 and a YO-901 with my PK-232 and my KAMs.

 

I would love to have an AMTOR QSO. Is anyone actually doing that still? Decades ago I had no issue tuning in AMTOR with the lights on the PK-232 itself.

 

I spent A LOT of time with my PK-232 back in the late 80's early 90's, experimenting with ALL the modes. Worked great! I had the same feelings and hooked it up to a scope, but I gave up on that; the tuning indicator on the PK-232 itself looks at the same signals, is easier to use than a scope and is just as accurate. Do note, however, that the RTTY in a PK-232 is set up for a 200 Hz shift, not 170 Hz. This lets them use the same mod/demod for RTTY and HF Packet. That did not cause any problem years ago but I can't speak about current practice. Due to the calibration pots in the PK-232 you could probably adjust the shift to a true 170 Hz but I would need to verify that.

As far as software, all you really need is a terminal program, the PK-232 itself does all the heavy lifting. Having said that, IMHO the last really good dedicated software for the PK-232 was the last DOS version of PC-Pakratt. I never saw any Windows software for it that I really enjoyed. The Windows software "sorta" worked but then Windows "sorta" worked back then too.... When Windows got to the point where it really worked the sound card technique was developed and quickly overshadowed hardware like the PK-232.

Not to be a party pooper, but unless you need some features "unique" to the PK-232 (or any hardware TNC), like AMTOR, I think you get better results from a modern suite of programs. However, intellectual curiosity is excused, if you want to use a PK-232 for the sheer sport of it I understand completely!

 

AS soon as I get this thing working I would enjoy using it to chat with all that still have it..

I will let you know when I get it working...

kb8wwq

 

I have a program that works great with the pk-232 and all models of old tnc that any one can have,,( The new Lanlink Pro 4.2.11 ) my biggest problem is to get it to receive the single, did i spell that right ? any way all i get it missed up letters so i can read it to reply to all on there... and where is all the hams transmit at, that they chat on... exp, I am on 7.076.000 I don,t know what it is...I do not know what sounds tell me what they are.. exp. what is the sound that baubot makes. to pactor ? you might say i need ,,lol lol baby sited .. lol lol I scope I use just make funny lines on it bunch of circles ..

 

If you have an old prehistoric scope with X and Y inputs, it will work great. Looks pretty cool too. Doesn't need to have any bandwidth to speak of. I used an old EICO for ages for RTTY and other modes.

 

PS....the Heathkit 610 is a perfectly adequate scope for this....and they're easy to work on...well worth restoring to its former glory.

 

I can not believe you said that,, in fact I have a Eico 482 dual trace odcilloscope ,, and a heath kit 610,, so how do you hook it up right,, all I get is wriggly lines ,,i do not net the X it show on the screen on the heath kit book.. both scope show the same thing. ? what am i doing wrong.. and do you use probes ?

kb8wwq-330-599-9111

 

Do you have a signal generator? Or even a low voltage transformer, like filament transformer? Set the oscilloscope to XY mode, and connect both probes to the transformer. If everything is working, you should get a straight diagonal line (from southwest to northeast).
Eric