My XGGCOMMS USB soundcard came in on Christmas Eve. ?I got the chance to work with it today on the X5105 and compare it to the Sabrent USB Soundcard. ?Here are my observations?
1st - I thought I was ordering as Soundcard and CAT Control device ($88 USD). ?However, I did not read the descriptions closely enough and only got the Soundcard without CAT Control (Digimode -3 $66 USD). ?Bummed because I was really excited about having a single USB cable connection that did both Sound and CAT Control with a single 8 pin DIN going into the radio. ?This way I would have computer activated PTT instead of relying on VOX. ? ? ?So if you order one be sure you are getting the one you want.
2nd - Performance of the Soundcard is excellent. ?One USB cable into my computer, one 8 pin DIN cable into the radio. ?No CE-19 or other cables. ?The soundcard is a very good digital mode soundcard. ?In my view it performed better than the Sabrent soundcard. ?I realize digital mode propagation is fickle and changes by the second. ?However, I was able to switch back and forth between the Sabrent and the XGGCOMMS quickly (during one FT8 cycle). ?Consistently I decoded more stations with the XGGCOMMS than with the Sabrent. ?Additionally I would adjust the audio coming into the Sabrent soundcard from the radio to read 51 dB on the input scale of WSJTX. ?When I switched to the XGGCOMMS the meter jumped to 75-80 dB for input. ?So no question in my mind the XGGCOMMS is a better soundcard on RX. ?
3rd - TX I could not tell a difference between the two soundcards. ?My output on the X5105 seemed to be the same from both soundcards. ?Additionally I could not tell that other stations were hearing me better with one or the other. ?By not getting Soundcard and CAT Control in one, I had to use VOX to activate PTT with FT8. ?However, I did not discern a significant time difference between the start of a new cycle and the activation of the TX using VOX. ?I made 4-5 contacts thru a Mag Loop Antenna (Alex Loop) with 4-5 watts. ?
Overall I am very pleased with the Digimode-3. ?All I needed was for it to perform as well as the Sabrent soundcard. ?The ability to have one cable to my computer and a 8 pin DIN going into the radio with no CE-19 between them is such an advantage that doing just as well as Sabrent makes it a better choice for portable/mobile operations. ?The digimode box is nice and tight, appears reasonably dust & water resistant. ?It also appears to be satisfactorily shielded from RFI. ?I have no hesitation encouraging fellow X5105 users to buy one, and if they are looking at mobile/portable ops definitely get one to use instead of the CE-19 in the field. ?
I may bite the bullet and get the Digimode-4 that has both Sound and CAT control in one box. ?
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Brian
K0FBS
Brian Smith