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Are any of the modes that the KAM+ are capable of even still in use anymore? I was planning to use it on both HF and VHF packet since it has the two ports, I wouldn't have to swap connections back and forth with a soundcard interface (that's what I was thinking).

Theoretically yes.? In practice, no? The KAMs are radio modems intended primarily to be used in a command-line mode from an ASCII terminal or terminal app on a computer. You switch from the VHF to the HF side and back with a typed stream-switch command.? (Note that there is no actual physical switch on the front panel to select between VHF and HF ports.)?? On receive, data from both sides comes out the same serial port -- it's up to the application on the computer to sort out the two streams.???

Classic terminal applications for the KAM would have a three-way split screen with separate windows for VHF receive and HF receive.? A third window was used to compose outgoing messages for both bands. A typed "stream-switch" command would determine which side the transmit should go to. Some Kantronics-oriented comms programs would use two function keys on the PC keyboard to determine which side should send your message.?

When you say "use it on both HF and VHF packet", what activities did you have in mind????? Winlink radio email?? BBS access??? APRS?? Each of these will require different applications with differing abilities to deal with the KAM's quirky stream switching commands. ??

Given that today's dominant HF modes (the various MFSK variants, the proprietary SCS Systems high-speed Pactor 4 modems, VARA) can't be done on a KAM but rather require sound card apps (or proprietary hardware in the case of Pactor 4).? Compared to today's data modes, packet on HF is awful - very slow and unreliable.?

[When the KAM devices were born over 30 years ago, packet was in it's heyday as the dominant data mode on both VHF and HF.? One of the attractions was that the KAMs could do cross-band digipeating between the VHF and HF sides, standalone. Today, that is more-or-less history. Today the main use of the KAM would be the same as for a KPC3 -- for 1200-baud VHF packet. ] ?

Today, using two sound cards, one for VHF and one for HF makes far more sense so you can use all the modern modes at will on both bands.

Since I now have a 101MP that runs data modes off the USB port that's not quite as much of a concern but I'd still need an interface for the 300 I guess. I don't suppose that there's any using the KAM+ for anything other than packet? Amtor is dead

Correct.? The main use for AMTOR today is it's commercial variant SITOR used on HF for receiving marine weather forecasts on the high seas. (There are commercial apps that can use the AMTOR/SITOR/NAVTEX mode of the KAM to receive marine weather charts.)

Pactor, not sure if that has any use with VARA?

Huh??? Pactor and VARA are totally different unrelated data transmission modes.? You can't do one with the other!? Some top-level applications, such as radio email can be setup to use either,? but the station at the other end has to be using the same mode.?

VARA is exclusively a sound-card-based "software modem" while classic packet can be done with either hardware devices like the KAM or sound-card "soft TNCs" like the UZ7HO Soundmodem or DireWolf. ?? [Note that the soundcard TNCs, on both VHF and HF,? VASTLY outperform the classic hardware TNCs on weak noisy signals plagued with QRM, selective fading or multipath phase distortion.]

As for VHF FM data, packet and VARA FM is about all you can do, right??

Again, two completely different data transmission modes not compatible with each other.? Again, top level applications for messaging, radio email, APRS position reporting, BBS access, etc can use either? --but --? the station at the other end has to be using the same mode.?

Once more, VARA is exclusively a soundcard-based "soft modem" -- the KAM can't do this mode, period.

Actually many other modes can and are used on VHF. Typically these are the multiple modes (RTTY, various MFSK and MT-2000 variants, etc)? generated by FLdigi, along with SSTV (also a soundcard mode). The FLdigi suite of soundcard programs (the main modem program FLdigi, FLmessage, FLamp, etc) are very widely used by emergency comms a.k.a. "EMCOMMS" groups.?

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Stephen H. Smith??? wa8lmf (at) aol.com
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