TAKAHASHI@SRI-KL.ARPA (12/03/85)
I understand that JPL's Amateur radio club will be re-braodcasting
images from the VOYAGER II/Uranus encounter using SSTV. Is anyone on this
list a member of that club, and can you give me additional information?
For example, are they broadcasting in real-time? What is the format?
I have never tried SSTV - perhaps someone can cue me in on what is
involved. I have read the section in the ARRL handbook. Is there any way
I can get hold of others pursuing this aspect of the hobby? Reccomendations
for equipment?
Thanks,
TAKAHASHI@SRI-KL.ARPA
-------jhs@mitre-bedford.ARPA (12/04/85)
Re: slow-scan equipment. My cousin John Hain, N4AZY, has developed slow-scan hardware and software for the ATARI 800XL computer. It works very well and is flexible enough to cover many different slow-scan modes of operation. The interface is fairly simple, using only about 8 IC chips and connecting to the "joystick" port of the ATARI. The same interface will also allow you to copy RTTY with a software change (though this has not been tested yet.) The ATARI 800XL sells for about $99 at places like Toys Ya Us (where Ya is the Russian Cyrillic character that looks like a backwards R). It is the best of the cheap personal computers for graphics applications requiring rapid response, e.g. animated arcade games. For convenience, a disk drive costing about $175 is also desirable. The slow-scan software could probably also be made available on a cassette or a ROM module if anybody wanted it. N4AZY has also developed a Morse keyboard program for the ATARI which requires just one external relay driven by the cassette motor start/stop line. He and I are working on a modification to the slow-scan/RTTY interface which will let it copy Morse code also (with still more software). N4AZY can be contacted via his Huntsville, Alabama address as given in the Callbook. 73, John S., W3IKG