Sound Card
PacketSound Card
Packet |
Introduction |
Using a Second (or more) Sound Card with AGWPERecent AGWPE versions let you use unlimited additional sound cards in your computer. This allows you to use one sound card for Windows and other programs and devices, such as a CD player, while your second sound card can be dedicated to AGWPE. In fact, you can install a third sound card (or more!) for more AGWPE packet ports. (Your only limitation will be the number of available card slots and PTT signaling ports -- COM, LPT or USB -- in your computer.) Additional sound cards are usually not hard to come by. You can often pull one out of an older/discarded computer. Or you can obtain a new card for very little money ($30 USD or less). External cards that plug into a USB port are also available. Generally speaking, modern day inexpensive sound cards will have adequate quality for AGWPE use. [For more information about compatible sound cards see this page.] Ideally your additional sound card will be "plug-and-play" and Windows will automatically recognize it after you install it and reboot. Otherwise you will need to use the Windows Control Panel option, "Add New Hardware", to tell Windows about the sound card and install the appropriate drivers. After the additional sound card is installed in Windows, AGWPE will automatically recognize it. So which card should you use for AGWPE? Most other programs will insist on using the card designated as the default card (usually the first card installed). These programs do not have ability of selecting alternative cards. So, to avoid conflicts, set AGWPE to use a non-default card. You can determine which sound card is the default card by temporarily attaching speakers to the LINE OUT jacks on each sound card. Play some Windows sounds or a CD to see which sound card is being used. That one will be the default card.] To select the sound card you want AGWPE to use for sound card packet, call up AGWPE's main menu, select Properties and then, with Port 1 highlighted, click on OK. The Properties for Port1 box will then open. Under the TNC Sub Type choice field there is an Options button. Click on the Options button to bring up the SoundCard Modem/TNC Setup window. At the bottom of this window is a Sound Card Selection dialogue box where you can select the sound card you want AGWPE to use. Click on the down arrow to the right of the box to see your choices.
Typically the first sound card listed in the AGWPE Sound Card list is the Windows default card and it is usually the original or first card installed in the computer. You want to use a non-default card for AGWPE. In the example above, the Creative Sound Blaster PCI is the default card. So you'd want to use the non-default card for AGWPE, in this case the Yamaha DS1xNative Audio. Caution: AGWPE may also report other devices that are not sound cards, such as telephone modems as in line 2 in the screen shot above: Modem #0 Line Record. If you select a non-sound card device, AGWPE will give this error message: " Your Sound Card Drivers can not Support the Wave Format" and will not run.
Note: If you have more than one sound card in your system, you will have to select the AGWPE card in the Mixer Device field when you set the volume settings for the card. Normally the default card's volume settings are first shown, so you have to make the effort to change the Mixer Device field selection to select the AGWPE card. Known and Possible Bugs
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| Last Updated: 09/03/2010 |
