Re: [tnc-x] Why Use a TNC?
In order to operate packet you need to be able to generate and decode audio tones. So, you're probably thinking that you can do that with the sound card in your computer, and you would be correct. It is certainly possible to have a packet radio station with no hardware at all other than a radio and a computer with a sound card. So why do people spend money on TNC's? There are a couple of reasons. First, some people do it to avoid having their sound card tied up while operating packet. While it is possible to add a second sound card to a PC or use a USB sound device, in that case you need to have packet software that will allow you to select the secondary sound card. And inexpensive TNC's may mean that the cost of the TNC isn't all that much higher than the cost of the second sound card.
A second reason that may people prefer a hardware TNC is performance. The quality of decoding varies considerably from sound card to sound card, and is generally better with a dedicated hardware TNC than it is with a sound card based system.
For whatever reason, most people still prefer hardware TNC's to sound card based solutions.
John W2FSOn Mon, Feb 28, 2011 at 7:53 PM, w2jem <w2jem@...> wrote:
Just lookin' for some feedback. With the power of computers today, why use a TNC? Is there something the TNC offers that can't be done on a computer?