Required environment

At the time of writing (March 2014), NaP3 runs well under XP, Windows 7 and Windows 8 (depending on how Win8 is set up) but the 64-bit operating versions can be sensitive to the audio driver and may need limiting to 4GB memory. NaP3 was developed with an E-MU 1212m PCIe with the 2.30 driver, first on XP 32 bit, then Windows 7 32-bit and now a Windows 7 64-bit.

Just because card is described as "high dynamic range, low noise, 192kHz sampling rate" in the sales blurb does not mean it will meet an acceptable standard for use as an analogue to digital converter of an input I/Q pair. With all operating systems most problems can be traced to the sound card, its drivers and setup. This is a common result of using sound cards at the extremes of their specifications. Some have a high output level, bringing NaP3 closer to overload.

LP Pan is the recommended interface for rigs with an IF output, having a wide dynamic range, high sensitivity and leaving no 'dc hump' at the display centre. To obtain the best display sensitivity with some rigs an IF amp may be necessary.

The FUNcube Dongle Pro Plus has a lesser dynamic range but the advantage of transforming any IF, including VHF up to >2GHz, straight to a USB I/Q input. It can also be used as a wide frequency range receiver with any computer and general-purpose SDR software.

A serial connection is needed for NaP3 and the rig to 'talk' to one another. If the port is shared with other software, LP-Bridge or LPB2 are recommended to avoid the problems that can occur with less careful COM designs.

The quality of a sound card and its drivers are a significant factor in the overall performance. A mono-only input will not work. The best information for LP-Pan sound interfacing is at www.telepostinc.com/sound cards.html.

The video card does not have to be too highly specified; the author uses a Radeon 4350 with two dvi outputs to drive a pair of 24” monitors, The computer will ideally have a multi-core processor. A good cpu will allow a couple of instances of NaP3 to simultaneously run comfortably, with a logger, CW Skimmer, a couple of instances of MMTTY, a browser and email. With a four-core cpu the processor utilisation can run as low as 4%, but a USB sound card or the use of any DSP functions will increase this. A wheel mouse is essential for the full enjoyment of NaP3 capabilities.