[WT-support] computer question

[Bob Wilson, N6TV]

On Mon, May 30, 2011 at 4:14 AM, Rick Dougherty NQ4I <nq4i at contesting.com>wrote:

> .I have 3 super fast machines that were 2800
> mhz lots of RAM etc...we cleaned off the hard drives and installed my
> stable version of XP....lo and behold, there are a number of drivers
> missing...most are related to USB functions, and USB is the way MK
> talks to WT.....these 3
> super fast machines are a proverbial pain in the tush! I have spent
> time searching for drivers etc and still I am missing some...
>

Can you be more specific?  All the USB drivers that you need for each
machine should be available somewhere, but it may take you a lot of time and
effort to locate and install what you need, especially if the machine came
pre-installed with Windows 7, not XP.

I would probably be easier to just buy some surplus machines from a
reputable dealer with Windows XP already pre-installed.  That should be
easier than spending hours trying to get Windows XP running a Windows 7
machine that was "wiped clean."

question 1.  Is there a way in Vista or Windows 7 to easily interface
> with MK and WT? Especially audio functions for SSB use..we use an USB
> external sound card and it works great with XP.
>

According to the latest microKeyer I
manual<http://www.microham.com/Downloads/MK_English_Manual.pdf>,
"The Windows 2000 and Windows XP Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) that the
Audio Mixer tab requires is not present in Vista and Windows 7. Because that
capability is missing, Router cannot perform the audio control
functions. *Audio
levels must be set using a combination of the Windows Volume Mixer and the
Sound Control Panel." *

So it sounds like it should all work with Windows 7, just in a different
way.

question 2. Is there a easy foolproof way to get the drivers needed to2
> make the current computer situation work?
>

Unfortunately, no.  It takes time and effort and expertise to wipe a modern
Windows 7 machine "clean" and reinstall Windows XP, and all the required
drivers, if you can find them.

The only time I used Windows 7 and Win-Test in a phone contest, I used my
own Win-Test scripts to drive the Elecraft K3 built-in Voice Keyer via
software commands, and that worked fine.  Unfortunately, the Icom CAT
command set provides no way to activate a DVK message from software,
assuming that you are using Icom rigs.

In theory you can also use the Win-Test "Internal DVK", but starting with
Windows Vista or 7, there is no longer a way to plug the mic. into the
laptop have have the audio "echoed" to the radio, so there's no easy way to
update an audio message "on the fly" as you could when using Windows XP.

73,
Bob, N6TV
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