Upgrading NASA Target HF3/HF3M

[catmandoo]

I have a target SW radio an HF3/HF3M . I understand that it runs on DOS soft ware . Manufacturer has offered to upgrade to Window is I send the unit back and give me Meteo scan software for £50 . Has any one bought the bits and done it them selves more cheaply or without sending it back

IS there any free soft ware about too

 

[boatbuilder]

Just download JV.Com its free, You can also get a trial of Meteoscan as well.
Google search will find lots of freebies
The radio has nothing to do with the computer it just isues a signal that the programs above can understand

 

[mikejames]

The catch is that the HF3/M outputs digital intended to go to the serial port on a PC and most of the modern PC navtex/wefax software needs analogue into the soundcard input. The modern S/W is much better with interference than the NASA provided DOS S/W.

I fitted a second 3.5 mm stereo jack socket to my HF3/M which was fed from the top end of the volume control -giving a constant level output with the ability to turn the volume down on the speaker once you have tuned in.
If you search the internet I think others have done it. Otherwise I will put details on my website in about a week's time. A lot cheaper than £50. More like £2.00 for the parts needed

 

[boatbuilder]

Point taken, I was looking at my own one and it is a direct line to the mic input on my computer.

 

[hubert]

The output on the hf3m has been passed through a comparator and comes out as a 5volt square wave. In squaring up the sinusoidal waveform a lot of information is lost. To get best results you need to remove that little board with the comparator on. Remove the wire that goes to pcb labelled 5volt The other wire is labelled data. this is the connection you make to your computer. You can fit a socker in the hole in the back. The data output is buffered and about 200mV peak. This may be too high for some computers so you can pot it down with a couple of resistors.
Finally the software nasa that supply is far superior to jvfax and they supply a fully paid up copy which you will find costs more than the £50 nasa charge for the whole package.
regards.

 

[AlanPound]

Well, if you that the DIY route, you can try out both JVComm32 (www.jvcomm.de) and MScanMeteo (mscan.com) demo versions, and see for yourself. Then if you want the full version, you can stump up the £43 for JvComm, or the £140 + vat (I think) for Mscan... They will certainly both do the job... (and if you want the Mscan, then the Nasa offer looks like a good deal (if it is a fully featured version, that is...)

However, you might (like me) prefer JvComm...