CSS Announces Upgrade Offer Extension for Users of Old MS-DOS and Windows 3.1 Radio Software
Users of HostMaster, KaWin, KaGOLD, PkGOLD and PC PakRatt Can Upgrade to the Radio Operations Center Digital Desktop and Save 20 Percent
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 15, 2009 — W4PCSoftware, Inc. (CSS) today announced a special upgrade offer for licensed users of HostMaster, KaWin, KaGOLD, PkGOLD and PC PakRatt software. With a valid serial number for any of these older MS-DOS and Windows 3.1-based products, users can upgrade to CSS’ Radio Operations Center (ROC) Digital Desktop™ for $79.95, a 20 percent savings off the regular retail price of $99.95.
Rick Ruhl, W4PC, President of CSS, has said, “With the economy recovering, although slowly, I wanted to give fellow hams a chance to have an opportunity to own our products at a lower price
“A lot of radio operators still use old software that is no longer in development and no longer supported, which limits their ability to keep up with the latest in amateur radio technology,” said Rick Ruhl, CSS president. “All of these older systems are built on the 16-bit MS-DOS or Windows 3.1 platforms of the 1980s. As older PCs get retired and new radio technology continues to evolve, it becomes less and less feasible to continue to run software that is well more than a decade old.”
Because most of the old radio software programs are no longer in development, amateur radio operators cannot take advantage of new features and new capabilities without upgrading to advanced solutions like the Radio Operations Center. Customer service is usually not available at all or available only from other users rather than from software professionals. “If a radio amateur gets a new PC, a new TNC or a new radio, there’s no guarantee their old software will work at all,” Ruhl explained. “And even if they are able to run the software in an emulation window, they’ll run into all kinds of limitations—like the inability to multitask, or to work in full screen, for example. That can take a lot of the enjoyment out of the radio hobby.”
CSS cites a number of features and benefits available in the Radio Operations Center Digital Desktop that are not available in older software, including:
- The industry's most complete support for digital radio modes in one comprehensive solution.
- Advanced radio, TNC and soundcard compatibility, supporting more hardware than any other radio control software solution.
- Robust integration with other Windows applications and ham radio tools such as logging programs and call books, supporting both binary and ASCII file transfers as well as Windows cut-and-paste.
- The productivity advantage of 32-bit Windows multitasking that frees operators to run other applications, including desktop software such as Microsoft Office, while operating a transceiver at the same time.
- Support for more than 70 radios, with an on-going commitment to adding compatibility for the latest radio technology as it develops.
- Better performance and reliability, thanks to ROC Digital Desktop’s 32-bit Windows operating system design.
The Radio Operations Center is available for a free, 30-day trial on the CSS Website and retails for $99.95. The purchase of ROC Digital Desktop includes one year of e-mail or phone technical support, access to the CSS user forum and free maintenance updates. The $79.95 upgrade offer for licensed users of HostMaster, KaWin, KaGOLD, PkGOLD and PC PakRatt software regardless of how long the trial software has been in use. Visit www.cssincorp.com/offers/upgrade-the-old.html for more information, to download the demo version, or to take advantage of the special upgrade offer. CSS products are also available from many ham radio retailers and radio equipment catalogs.
About the Radio Operations Center
The Radio Operations Center software suite from CSS is the only amateur, MARS and commercial radio software solution that combines the integration, automation and multitasking capabilities of Microsoft® Windows with the flexibility and control to operate on multiple TNCs, soundcard and radio hardware in all the digital modes. The Radio Operations Center allows users to control radios, TNCs, rotors, and to access logging applications, call books and more — all from within a single 32-bit Microsoft Windows application. The software formerly known as PKTerm™ (for Timewave/AEA TNCs) and PacTerm™ (for Kantronics TNCs) are now called ROC Digital Desktop™. Other Radio Operations Center products include EmComm Ops, Marine Radio Ops and Weather Ops.
About W4PC SW
W4PC Software (W4PCSW) is a privately held software and technology consulting company specializing in software connectivity for commercial and amateur radio operators; office automation and network management solutions for business; and custom software development for specialized Web and wireless applications.