"Ed." wrote in message
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From my point of view, a VFO completely independant of the personnal
computer
is desirable. This can be done with a PIC or other microprocessor with 2
thumbwheel switches for 99 channels (or frequencies) or a two digit
display
with up and down selection buttons. Ed!

While encoders can be found for upwards of fifty bucks, plenty of encoders
that do a much nicer job than thumbwheel switches cost barely more than two.
And why would you use a two digit display when a nice 8 digit LCD can be had
for around five bucks, less if you're willing to hunt around. This stuff
may have made sense when it was all going to be lashed together with 7400
series logic chips, but with a PIC or other processor, the encoder and LCD
display is a lot easier, and usually cheaper, to say nothing of nicer.

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