Hints
and
Tips in using the Tigertronics SignalinkUSB
External USB Sound Card and Interface
(FINE PRINT NOTE: This page will be a
work in progress!)
Ain't it cute??
First, what is the Signalink
USB?
The Signalink USB is in fact an external USB monophonic sound
card and
radio interface. It plugs into a USB2.0 port on a computer. It
will not
work properly on USB1.1 ports. It is powered from the 5 volt
buss in
the USB port. The unit offers front panel controls for TX and
RX audio
levels, as well as PTT un-key delay. There is a power switch
and led,
as well as a PTT led. It is an AFSK mode device. It will only
do audio
frequency shift keying, however will do EVERY mode that is
AFSK. (See
note 5 below for true CW operation.)
Going to the rear panel, there are the following jacks:
Speaker (SPKR) (1/8" jack) (input from radio
speaker jack
if RX audio not available in data jack)
Auxilary (AUX) (1/8" jack) (output to speaker when using
Auxilary jack
for RX audio)
Radio (RJ45 modular)
Monitor (MON) (1/8" jack) (a set of headphones or
computer
speakers can be used to monitor TX audio)
USB (USB "B" connector)
Inside the unit, you will find a good amount of surface mount
components, some two pin jumpers, and a jumper block that uses
wires to
set the
unit up for a particular radio. When you purchase a Signalink
USB, it
comes with instructions, a USB cable, a hex key wrench, wire
jumpers,
an 1/8" mono to mono cable, and a radio cable is included
(your choice).
The instruction manual details how to set up the computer for
use with
the unit, as well as how to set up the unit, thus I will not
cover all
of that
here, but will give a few important pointers:
1) The Signalink USB will probably have to be plugged into a
USB 2.0
port to work properly.
2) When you follow page 3 in the Signalink USB manual, "Sound
Card
Selection", once you have selected what you need, restart the
computer.
Also, each time you have configured a specific software for
the
Signailnk USB (MixW, MMTTY, etc), close the software and
restart the
computer. This lets the computer write your settings to the
registry.
Now for "hints and tips".
1) For some radios, such as some Yaesu FT-450's, the TX audio
may be so
loud that the front panel TX control on the Signalink USB will
not
control it properly. It is suggested in this case to remove
the "MIC"
jumper inside the Signalink USB and replace it with a 100K 1/4
watt
resistor (brown, black, yellow). If you multiple radios that
require
the same type cable, and the other rigs won't work with the
resistor,
my suggestion is to add the resistor to the cable and leave
the wire
jumper in the Signalink USB. I suppose one could leave the
resistor in
the Signalink USB, and add a shorting switch to the rear panel
of the
unit (but DON'T do it until the warranty is out!). I run the FT-450 and
a FT-8800
and both
work fine with the resistor. I will be trying it with an Icom
IC706MKIIG
in the future, and will post info on that set up later. Also,
if you
plan to "Y" connect the Signalink USB with a TNC to the same
jack on
the radio, you might want to replace the PTT jumper with a
small signal
diode, such as a 1N914. The band would go towards the radio.
2) You will find with some modes, such as CW and EasyPAL digital SSTV
the Signalink USB will drop the PTT before completing
transmission.
Simply crank up the DLY knob to correct this. For my unit, I
run the
control at 2:00.
3) You may also find with some modes, you may need different
computer
audio settings. Simply pull up the Windows Volume Control for
the USB
Audio CODEC and adjust them. I have found with EasyPAL that
the WAV
slider needs to be a little higher. I also recommend running a
little
widget called QuickMix
that will memorize your volume settings in Windows for recall
later.
4) Do you want to be able to do true CW with your
SignalinkUSB? Take a
look at this page on
the Tigertronics web site and click on the "1. How do I operate "direct
keyed" CW
with the SignaLink?". One thing that is not mentioned
in the FAQ
is that is you plan to receive using the SignalinkUSB, you
also need to
connect the RX audio to the unit.
5) You will need to do a calibration routine for software
setup. Most of the latest software for digital has some way to
do this procedure.
Need to be able to swtch between radios and not switch cables?
Try a
RJ45 A/B switch! You can find these for $20-$25 on eBay, and
Buxcomm
also carries them. I am currently working on a design which
will allow
me to switch between two rigs, the Signalink USB, and a TNC.
See the
diagram below:
To setup the Signalink USB
and a
TNC to the same radio port without a switch (such as for
WL2K RMS
operation), try this hookup: