One question I have been getting a lot lately is something like..."Why should I bother to build a WSH Interface when I can display high-quality satellite images on my computer using its sound-card and free software?"

Well, one legitimate answer is perhaps you shouldn't. If you have a modern, soundcard-equipped PC, a program such as WxSat may be all you really need. The same is true if you are planning one using one of the fine commercial image acquisition systems. I use both WxSat and a Quorum WEFAX Explorer, but I also use the WSH Interface every day as well. Here are some of the reasons you should keep the option open:

One of the major design goals for the WSH Interface was to create a satellite interface that would work with virtually any PC, from the earliest IBM 8088 PC to the latest Pentium system operating at 500 MHz or more. A soundcard makes a great satellite interface, but it requires a 486 or Pentium-class machine and even there, it may not multi-task with other software due to timing constraints. PC bus architecture is also evolving, with EISA.ISA slots gradually disappearing in favor of PCI architecture. The only real constant over all of this time has been the lowly parallel printer port. Every PC but the most compact notebook has one and even the micro-PC's have adapters to emulate the printer port. The WSH Interface will connect with virtually any PC ever produced - including laptops. You can move it around between computers of wide-ranging capabilities. If the computer has a printer port and VGA display, it will work with the WSH Interface.

If your objectives involve capturing occasional pictures, it makes sense to do so on your primary computer system. However, if you get seriously into the hobby, there is a tendency to want to capture more and more images. At that point you may run into time conflicts with your "big" system. I am sitting here writing this page on my "big" computer while an "ancient" 386 laptop is constantly logging passes using the WSH Interface and the WSHFax software. This computer won't run any modern Windows-based software, but it does just fine logging pictures and eliminates any conflicts with respect to my primary computer system. Since all the images acquired are saved in the Windows-standard .BMP image file format, it is a simple task to move them to the big machine for image processing and archiving on a CD-ROM.

If you are working on a budget, the WSH Interface is ideal. At $160 (kit) or $190 (wired and tested), the system is one of the best bargains around and the software is free! An old 386 or 486 computer is just fine for logging pictures and, with a little scrounging, you can probably get such a computer for free. Add a receiver and antenna and you have a very effective ground station without spending a lot of money!

Now that I am finally back at work developing software for the system, there will be new and exciting options appearing on a regular basis, including Windows-based software for "high-end" computers.

The WSH Interface is available from:

The units are available both as complete kits or wired and tested, so you needn't worry if you don't have the skills to build the unit.