[aprssig] New Version of Freeware AGW Packet Engine Released

[Stephen H. Smith]

  Many of you use the AGW Packet Engine with UI-View, either as a soundcard 
"soft TNC" or to share a single TNC with multiple applications.    This may be 
of interest.



After about 5 years, a new version of the FREE version of the AGW Packet Engine 
has been released.


Version 2010-805 just went up on SV2AGW's web site a few days ago.   According 
to the site, changes have been made to address new sound cards and to work 
better with USB<-->serial dongles for PTT keying.

I can't say I saw any difference in performance in 4 installations on my 
various computers, but the setup dialog does make it a bit simpler to select 
between multiple sound cards if you have more than one on your computer.

Get it here:

<http://www.sv2agw.com/downloads/default.htm>

Scroll down below the "Pro" version at the top of the page.

[ Note that the freeware version of AGWpe only supports the high (2100/2300 Hz) 
"PK-232" tones on HF 300-baud packet, while the pay-for "Pro" version also 
supports the standard (1600/1800 Hz)  KAM/TNC2/MFJ-127x  tones on HF. ]




*** IMPORTANT***      The AGW sound card TNC works well, --BUT--  is very 
sensitive to sound card sampling rate errors.    Many cheap motherboard-based 
sound systems have MAJOR errors in their sampling rates which will keep AGW 
from working.  (You will see the incoming audio on the built-in scope or 
waterfall display, but nothing ever decodes.)

Verify your soundcard's sampling rate with the    CheckSR.exe   test utility 
bundled with the MixW multi-mode soundcard program at:

<http://mixw.net/index.php?j=downloads>

Download and install the latest version of MixW as a trial.  The CheckSR 
utility is a completely separate single-file-exe program placed in the MixW 
folder during the setup.   It will function by itself, even if you don't 
purchase and activate MixW after the trial period.

If the 11025 Hz sampling rate is off by more than 50-100 Hz, you may want to 
consider an alternative sound  system. An inexpensive USB-connected external 
sound system that works well is the Griffin Electronics "iMic" reviewed here on 
my web site:

<http://wa8lmf.net/ham/imic.htm>



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Stephen H. Smith    wa8lmf (at) aol.com
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