wrote in :

I want to get back into some form of free ham radio
comms that would allow me to stay in touch with people
while living in an RV or boat


The boaters have been sucked into the most overpriced, proprietary-of-
course, digital mode, Pactor.

It's all nonsense. You can get the finest digital service on HF on the
planet called PSK31....without buying more equipment, more modems, more
wasted money....

The worldwide homepage of PSK31 is:
http://www.aintel.bi.ehu.es/psk31.html

PSK31 only requires your transmitter to be in the 10-20 watt output class
because it will copy perfect text....right down so far in the noise you
can't even hear the guy you are communicating with. Wanna hear it? That's
easy. Tune any USB receiver to 14.070 Mhz, the "PSK-band" on 20 meters.
You'll hear this funny "warbling" sound, many of them at once. On this
website:
http://www.qsl.net/wm2u/psk31.html
You'll find pointers to all the different PSK31 programs to run on your
computer....any Windoze computer will do.....like your boat notebook.
PSK31 uses your computer's sound card and does all its stuff in
software....no external "boxes" are necessary.

I, personally, have always used WinWarbler:
http://www.qsl.net/winwarbler/
but most hams are using Digipan:
http://www.digipan.net/

Any of the programs work great. There's even versions for Linux and Mac.

Winwarbler will copy three separate stations SIMULTANEOUSLY, and you can
switch your transmit back to them with just a mouseclick.

If you get your shore stations also setup with PSK31, you'll have reliable
text comms from any point on the planet. I worked a Japanese station that
was running a 20 meter dipole and 10 watts! PSK stations will raise hell
with you if you hog the bandwidth with big powerful transmitters. It is
simply amazing how far down in the noise the computer running this software
can copy.....a station you can't even hear!

As it's free.....give it a try!

73, and welcome back to ham radio

DE Larry W4CSC

NNNN

AR