VOX Actuated Recorder is a simple, freely distributable program that enables audio recording. It differs from other programs in that it actually records only as long as an audio signal is fed to the computer's sound card.
Nino Porcino, the author of the program, recommends it especially for listeners who watch irregular broadcasts on a certain frequency. If they use the VOX Recorder, they don't have to sit for long hours at the receiver. The program will record the communication for them in a WAV file, which they can listen to at any time.
The program stood out a few years ago, so the HW requirements are minimal - a computer with W95+, a sound card, enough space on the hard disk (an hour of recording takes about 75 MB), a receiver with squelch and a connecting audio cable.
You can't talk about installing the program in the true sense of the word. The "voxrecorder.zip" file just needs to be extracted into the directory we created.
Working with the program: before starting the program, it is advisable to try using some other sound recording program to set the sensitivity of the sound card. This is to ensure that the recording is neither over-modulated (resulting in distortion) nor under-modulated (resulting in a quiet recording, and in extreme cases, a significant deterioration of the signal/background distance).
If everything is as it should be, run the program. VOX Recorder allows you to set the path where the recording will be saved. On the right are two pull potentiometers. The first, Squelch Threshold, determines the level of the audio signal at which the program starts recording. The second, Squelch Decay, sets the possible length of the pause that will not cause the recording to stop.
Overall impression of the program: the program works without errors, but provides minimal comfort. There is no internal recording player, but I consider the impossibility of changing the file format to be a certain shortcoming. It is standard 8-bit with a sampling frequency of 22kHz. Significant changes would be represented by saving in MP3 format.
You can download VOX Recorder at CQ.sk