The p4dragon modem offers several modes of operation of which most are related to the exchange of text or data. Pactor mfhf modem scs dr7800 pactor mfhf modem this mfhf modem p4dragon dr7800 is the uncompromising advancement of the legendary ptcii which is designed for professional deployment and for the ambitious amateur radio operator. Scs modems are the original pactor mode modems developed by the people who have created all pactor modes. Pactor4, the latest release, is not permitted on the usa ham bands, yet ads for auto mailbox use, marine band use, mars use, and outofusa use are the sales and. Software modems rely on the computers processor to modulate and demodulate signals. Further, scs reserves the right to revise this publication, hardware, and software, and to make changes from time to time in the content thereof without the. How to update your modem to the professional firmware with. Staying connected at sea, describes how they use their pactor modem and hf. Do this with the modem unplugged from the computer. Current ptc modems are now upgradable to use pactoriii via a software update. Setting up a scs dr 7400 as a hardware pactor modem with. As far as i know there is no sound card software to transmit pactor i.
My mars mil modem is much faster than any mode we have in the amateur space and uses the same bandwidth as pactor 3 because it can use 300 baud symbol rate. Winlink, also known as the winlink 2000 network, is a worldwide radio messaging system that mixes internet technology and appropriate amateur radio radio frequency rf technologies. The current pactor offering in the us is pactor 3 and when used strictly for text email messages, it is not quite as fast as regular email. The chirp mode is robust against narrow band and partchannel interference, as well as against. Buy pactor 3 modem usb with bluetooth module brand.
Pactor ii performs its initial link setup using pactor in order to achieve compatibility. Dr7400 p4dragon pactor 4 modem with the dr7400 hfssb pactor 4 modem, enter the pactor 4 world of ultra fast data over radio at a lower cost. Most current pactor ii modems are upgradeable to use pactor iii via a software update since pactor ii firmware accommodates the new pactor iii software. Windows hyperterminal will control a p4dragon, it is much more convenient to use a program which. What i did to make my ssb radio and pactor modem work. A software modem is a modem with minimum hardware capability designed to work using a host computers resources. Pactor ii is a fully backwardcompatible improvement to the original pactor system. You must include with your orderthe serial numberthat is below the bar code on your modem. Installing an hf ssb and a pactor modem ocean navigator. From scs and scs representatives, you will receive the best possible support and benefit from the concentrated knowledge of the pactor engineers who invented pactor. Scs modems with a current firmware version are capable of pactor iii. The pactor team at scs went on to develop pactor2, a twotone phaseshift encoding psk scheme. Dc power for the modem is supplied by the radio, via the other interconnecting cables that we have supplied. Noticeably improved performance with pactor 2 and pactor 3.
We use the modem for our daily email communications with friends and family, as well as all our weather data, including weather fax, charts, noaa text offshore forecasts and even as a backup to chris parkers daily weather briefing. Specialpurpose hardwaresoftware scs pactor modems provide advanced advantages. This applies to all ptciipro, ptciiex, ptcile and nearly all ptciis. Their pactor2 controller is the ptcii, with the modem implemented by a powerful dsp digital signal processor chip and incorporating a fast 32bit microprocessor to move the data. I have tried linux red hat and mandrake in the past and have not been totally happy with the setup and the fact that several programs essential to both my hamming and my professional operations had no linux equivalents. Steal software that is protected under legal rights how. Combine this radio with the scs pactor modem, and worldwide email is a reality. Winlink express is designed to be easily used by single users with a single call sign but it may also be used to simultaneously send and. If windows cant find drivers, or airmail still cant find the modem, then be sure the modem is connected and powered on, go back to windows device manager and find the unknown device, rightclick on that icon i. Click on software verify which of the ptciixxx modems you have and download the correct. Pactoriii is an adaptive transmission mode that provides higher throughput and improved robustness compared to pactori and ii, both designed for operation within a bandwidth of 500 hz. With totally new hardware and firmware designs, pactor4s maximum throughput speed of 10,500 bps. It is an adaptive mode that applies different modulation and encoding methods depending on the channel quality.
Softare modems are capable of a majority of tasks performed by a traditional hardware modem, but use the host computers processor to carry out the signal processing required to modulate and demodulate data signals. Foreword the information contained in this handbook has been carefully put together. Pactorii is a fully backwardcompatible improvement to the original pactor system. Winlink is an allvolunteer project of the amateur radio safety foundation, inc. Scsptcs are the original pactor mode modem developed by the people who have created all pactor modes. Pactor i pactor ii pactor iii pactor iv pactor iii introduces 6 speed levels that provide higher throughput and improved robustness compared to pactor i and ii.
Pactor developer scs announces monitoring software arrl. The system provides radio interconnection services including. Psk31 isnt very good with this modem, but its designed for pactor, amtor and rtty, which is does brilliantly. Pactor modes other than level 1 p1 are not open source, but are publicly documented and can be monitored and decoded easily over the air by third parties using free raspberry pi software pmon for raspberry pi or pmon utility on the modem itself.
Winlink, or formally, winlink global radio email registered us service mark, also known as the winlink 2000 network, is a worldwide radio messaging system that uses amateurband radio frequencies and government frequencies to provide radio interconnection services that include email with attachments, position reporting, weather bulletins, emergency and relief. If you have deleted driver software below, then you can always rerun the airmail installer program. Pactori and ii modes are supported by scs manufactured ptc modems, the ptcii, ptciie and ptciipro. May 29, 2014 luckily enough there is way to make everything work on a mac without too much hacking. Then power on the modem and plug in the usb cable, windows should automatically find the drivers and install them.
Softare modems are capable of a majority of tasks performed by a traditional hardware modem, but use the host computers processor to carry out the signal processing required to modulate and demodulate data. Synchronized, similar to pactor 3, except 10 instead of 6 speed levels waveforms and faster switching. Most current pactorii modems are upgradeable to use pactoriii via a software update since pactorii firmware accommodates the new pactoriii software. Setting up a scs dr 7400 as a hardware pactor modem with the.
To access and operate your modem you must run a software program on your computer pc. The client software performs most of the configurations and modem. Dr7800 is software compatible with ptcii which means that one may continue to use the existing software, such as airmail, rms express, alpha, etc. Winlink express formerly rms express is the preferred winlink radio email client because it supports all new system features, and it is the only client supporting the winlink hybrid network for email delivery with or without the internet. When our pactor iii modem went silent earlier this fall, i was devastated. Click cable reference link to determine correct cable to order for your radio. Any of the scs pactor modems including the dr7400 or dr7800. Farallon ptciiiusb 1071 ptciiiusb model 1071 pactor 3 modem replaces pticiiusb. Any previous ptcii, iie, iiex, iipro, or iiusb modem can be licensed to use the pactoriii protocol for a fee paid to an scs dealer or to scs, not to sailmail but cant be used for p4. Glossary of scs pactor modem model numbers sailmail. Scs, the company that created pactor has released pmon software for linux to allow overtheair monitoring of pactor 123 transmissions for meaning. Pactor iii introduces 6 speed levels that provide higher throughput and improved robustness compared to pactor i and ii. The p4dragon line of modems are for people serious about moving data. Usually one needs to decide what one is doing before one decides how one will do it.
For a number of years hams whove accessed the winlink network on the hf bands have used pactor, primarily pactor ii or iii. With totally new hardware and firmware designs, pactor 4s maximum throughput speed of 10,500 bps. The following information can be used to connect and setup a dr7400 p4dragon pactor 4 modem with any flex6000 signature series sdr. Those of you traditionalists that use an ssb radio in conjunction with a pactor iii modem to receive winlink, sailmail and saildocs, may understand my frustration when i turned on our icom m802 radio for the first time this season, and heard no reassuring pactor iii modem beep. Oh yes, so easy to justify if you skip all of the steps. At the lowest speed level, pactor 4 uses a newly developed 2tone chirp modem. In addition, pactor use is touted for outofthehamband use. Email at sea with ssb, pactor and your mac kismet adventures. The p4dragon series modems are all backwards compatible with pactor iiii. All things in the ham radio world, however, progress, and pactor is no exception. On a quiet band pactor iiiii works on signal levels that are inaudible by ear.
I can spread out my psk31 real good just turn the gain all the way up given everyone has a bandscopesdr screenpanadapter now, how is it even remotely possible that any mode is spread spectrum and you havent all seen it already. With optimal conditions, pactor iii becomes over 5 times faster. Their pactor 2 controller is the ptcii, with the modem implemented by a powerful dsp digital signal processor chip and incorporating a fast 32bit microprocessor to move the data. Pactor iii is a software upgrade for existing pactor ii modems that provides a new data transmission mode for improved speed and robustness. From scs and scs representatives, you will receive the best possible support and benefit from the. Scs tells us that pactor 4 technology is the absolute fastest a pactor modem can go on the hf bands and still stay within the internationally mandated bandwidth. Scs tells us that pactor4 technology is the absolute fastest a pactor modem can go on the hf bands and still stay within the internationally mandated bandwidth. The appearance of freeware software and the much higher cost of using pactor means that fewer hams bother with pactor. Pactor is a radio modulation mode used by amateur radio operators, marine radio stations, military or government users such as the department of homeland security, and radio stations in isolated areas to send and receive digital information via radio. Once the airmail software in installed, if your computer has access to the.
Connect the dr7400 to the acc connector on the flex6000 using a farallon 9087 cable. While patrick was working, i hooked up yet more copper strapping to our ssb ground. The scs guys have been busy and about a year ago they introduced the pactor4 modem. Weve revisited this topic in a new blog post where we dig even deeper into the actual costs of doing shiptoshore communications over hf radio vs. Dr7800 is softwarecompatible with ptcii which means that one may continue to use the existing software, such as airmail, rms express, alpha. Pactoriii is a software upgrade for existing pactorii modems that provides a new data transmission mode for improved speed and robustness. I put copper strapping from the tuner to the copper foilplane, as well as from the tuner directly to the fridgefreezer copper thru hull, with a hose clamp. Pactor 4, the latest release, is not permitted on the usa ham bands, yet ads for auto mailbox use, marine band use, mars use, and outofusa use are the sales and. Oct 01, 2009 icoms latest marine ssb transceiver, the model icm802, is popular with the voyaging community, as it is legally usable without modification on both the marine hf and amateur radio hf frequencies with appropriate licenses. Thus pactor3 is the ideal means of fast and reliable data communication over. The cost of a pactor modem has gone up so much that it is beyond the means of the. Winlink, or formally, winlink global radio email registered us service mark, also known as the winlink 2000 network, is a worldwide radio messaging system that uses amateurband radio frequencies and government frequencies to provide radio interconnection services that include email with attachments, position reporting, weather bulletins, emergency and relief communications, and message relay.
All kits include the cables, genuine fairrite ferrite rf chokes, software, and the information necessary to connect a scs p4, ptciiiiiusb, pactor modem to your icom, kenwood, sgc, or yaesu radio. These kits contain everything you need to connect to your radio and computer. But any conventional computer modem can do the same thing. The throughput difference is more noticeable on typical shortwave channels than on awgn channels, and lies, on average, about a factor 2 compared to that of pactor 3. Disclaimer scs makes no representation of warranties with respect to the contents hereof and specifically disclaims any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose. Pactor is a radio modulation mode used by amateur radio operators, marine radio stations. One words p e e dscs tells us that pactor4 technology is the absolute fastest a pactor modem can go on the hf bands and still stay within the internationally mandated bandwidth. After pactoriii was released on may 1, 2002, current ptc modems are now upgradable to use pactoriii via a software update. To achieve the improved features, pactoriii uses up to a maximum of 18 tones spaced 120 hz, thus occupying a maximum bandwidth of 2160 hz. Luckily enough there is way to make everything work on a mac without too much hacking. Modem definition is a device that converts signals produced by one type of device such as a computer to a form compatible with another such as a telephone and that is used especially to transmit and receive information between computers via landlines. The pactor team at scs went on to develop pactor 2, a twotone phaseshift encoding psk scheme. Farallon ptciiiusb 1071 digital modems, ptciiiusb 1071.
Arsfi, a nonprofit public benefit corporation if you use winlink email, or correspond regularly with someone who does, please donate to arsfi. Pactor mfhf modem scs nmea 0183, iec 61162, ship network. Icoms latest marine ssb transceiver, the model icm802, is popular with the voyaging community, as it is legally usable without modification on both the marine hf and amateur radio hf frequencies with appropriate licenses. That means more free time for you to enjoy the cruising life style, and less drain on your ships batteries. In its wisdom scs has kept that proprietary and patented, along with p ii and p iii. Software running on the computer drives the terminal node controller. New hf modem p4dragon dr7800 is the uncompromising advancement of the legendary ptcii which is designed for professional deployment and for the ambitious amateur radio operator. Two hf data protocols utilize proprietaryenabled publiclydocumented modems. This required the purchase of an external hardware modem. Further, scs reserves the right to revise this publication, hardware, and software, and to make changes from time to time in the content thereof without the obligation of scs to notify any persons of such revisions or changes. Pactorii performs its initial link setup using pactor in order to achieve compatibility.
Opc478 level converter for control of icom radios from computer serial port, includes driver on cd. After pactor iii was released on may 1, 2002, current ptc modems are now upgradable to use pactor iii via a software update. The company also said the new software permits modemless monitoring. Furthermore a computer modem can transfer data at a lot higher rate than a pactor iii modem can, as it uses a much larger bandwidth than any pactor modem. Finally the pactor 4 pr7800 modem is ideal for data transmission enthusiasts who require the ability to connect multiple radios or network a chain of modems and is thus.
Dr7800 is softwarecompatible with ptcii which means that one may continue to use the existing software, such as airmail, rms express, alpha, etc. In some cases keyboards, mice these are included with windows, but in most cases they are provided by the device manufacturer scs, in the case of the usbconnected pactor modems. Pactor i and ii modes are supported by scs manufactured ptc modems, the ptcii, ptciie and ptciipro. There are also other modes blocked by this silly rule. Jun 14, 20 but any conventional computer modem can do the same thing. After purchasing a pactor iii upgrade,you will receive an unlock codeto enable pactor iii operation with your modem.
Just do it overseas whether other amateurs in usa or overseas condone stealing and bragging about it on amsat servers. Here is kismet adventures stepbystep guide to do emails at sea with your mac, a pactor modem and an ssb radio. Winlink express is designed to be easily used by single users with a single call sign but it may also be used to simultaneously send and receive mail with. It has some good information on what i did to get the ssb radio and pactor iii modem finally working. Current ptc modems are now upgradable to use pactor iii via a software update. The scs ptciiex modem turns on off using the applicable switch. Pactor can store and hold and depending upon software, forward.