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Ham Radio Deluxe Review

Posted: 25 Dec 2020 05:36 PM PST
https://www.n0un.net/ham-radio-deluxe-review/


For years I used the free version of Ham Radio Deluxe (HRD) by Simon,
HB9DRV. It worked great. But over the years since Simon sold HRD in 2011,
the only way to update the Country Manager database or Unique Callsign
database was to edit them yourself. Frankly I got tired of trying to stay
on top of changes so I finally moved on over to the one-time paid version.

And Im glad I did!

Ill probably make a few more Blog posts on the features in Ham Radio Deluxe
over the coming months, but Ill keep this post to just the HRD Rotator
program.Â* For my three electronic rotor controllers HRD Rotator is
absolutely fantastic!

Heres a screenshot of HRD Rotator controlling my three electronic
controllers (click to enlarge):

I simply set the rotator type, set the com port for each rotator, set for 1
second refresh interval from the pulldown menu, and connect.Â* HRD remembers
my settings so I only have to set them once initially, then the program
remembers them every time I open HRD.Â* I point & shoot with the mouse so no
more holding down levers or fingers slipping off the controller brake for
me!Â* In my case, the Hy-Gain Tailtwister rotator on Com 3 is powered by our
Ham Supply Rotor-EZ With RS 232 board mounted inside a Hy-Gain controller,
Com 4 is a Alpha Spid RAK rotator powered by an Alpha Spid electronic
controller, and Com 5 is a Yaesu G-800 rotator powered by our internal Ham
Supply RotorCard mounted in a Yaesu G-800DXA controller. Hands off control
of all three rotators!

Heres a snapshot of my HRD Logbook program with one rotator chosen.Â* As you
can see I have the screen stacked with several utilities in HRD. Logging,
DX Cluster, rotator control, audio recording, QRZ lookup, and more. If I
want to change the rotator heading all I have to do is click the new
heading and HRD Rotator in combination with my chosen electronic controller
do the rest. One click on 315° and my antenna is on its way to Japan. 90°
to South Africa. 180° to the South Pole.Â* I can watch the pointer follow
the rotator in real time and am also assured the antenna is where I want
it. Easy stuff, and as always HRD is rock solid. No flaky bugs or crashes.

Thats about it for this Part I review of Ham Radio Deluxe. Check back soon
for Part II. Ill probably review the HRD Logbook, some of its functions,
awards tracking and their one click LoTW upload/download utility. Awesome
sauce. Click their link/logo on the right if youd like to find out more
about Ham Radio Deluxe software, straight from the company itself.

See you in the pileups!

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