poltergeisty said:
These are neat programs but, how can one benefit from them while using unitrunker or trunker?
It lets you see the signal coming out of your radio.
Is it too weak, too strong, too distorted? Does it contain too much static? You can actually see evidence of this in the displayed waveform. You won't need them while running Trunker or Unitrunker unless you suddenly lose signal (or fading) and want to learn why. The main use is in testing out your freshly tapped radio to make sure it works or to see if your old reliable rig will work with on a different computer - like a new laptop.
Wouldn't a program used for monitoring RS232 data be better?
You wouldn't see anything ... at least not the way you're probably expecting. When passing a signal through a data slicer, the RxD pin isn't used so it's not like you could run Hyperterminal under Windows and expect to see raw data scroll by on the screen. The slicer is triggering one of the modem status pins ... like CTS (clear to send) or DSR (data set ready). Programs like Trunker receive a timely notification (in the form of an interrupt) whenever one of these pins changes state. By
changing state I mean a change in voltage - from a high voltage to a low voltage (like from +5 volts to -5 volts or vice-versa). Raw binary data is inferred by measuring the time delay between interrupts.
If you've ever used a logic analyzer, that is essentially what you have with a data slicer - a one channel "poor man's" logic analyzer.
Another thing to consider is resolution ... most sound inputs are 16 bits. That's 65536 distinct levels. You will see more signal detail than from a data slicer which squares everything - noise or not - into one of two levels - high or low.
-rick
