Enable CAT Control IMPOSSIBLE

Doug Allen

CAN'T ENABLE CAT Control. My trial version of VAC seems to be working fine. I have downloaded com0com, VspMGR, and VCom, but nothing I have done in 10 hours has allowed me to enable CAT control for using N1MM with Power SDR-2.6.4 with my Flex 5000. This is my second exhaustive attempt this year to successfully use my Flex with N1MM. Using physical cables with different rigs and computers was always a breeze. Doug K4LY@gmail.com

Dudley-WA5QPZ

Did you follow Steve's (K5FR) instructions that came with VSP manager 1.03 ? You will to have at least 2 virtual pairs generated, no matter virtual serial SW you want to use. By the way Vcom has not been updated in years and there is a 64 bit version of Com0Com on the internet, so be careful if you are running 64 bit windows.. VSP Manager has 32 and 64 bit drivers included. The virtual pairs is what usually trips up everyone, windows allows a program to connect to a unique com port, can't tie two together... Hope that helps.

Doug Allen

Thanks Dudley, Didn't get that far. Tried four times to get vspMGR working properly (deleted and reloded twice) which included selecting Windows XP SP3 compatibility mode and selecting to run program as administer as per instructions. I always got the following message window- "Object reference not set to an object at VspMGR.vspMain.btnDel-AllClick (object sender, event Aigs e)" I seemed to have gotten a lot further with com0com (many times); selected COM7 and 17 plus COM8 and COM18, but never could enable CAT Control. The check box always remains grayed out. Doug K4LY

Tim - W4TME

Try a different virtual com port driver, like the one from Eltima http://www.eltima.com/products/vspdxp/

Doug Allen

Thanks Tim, I'll try that tomorrow. Let me give additional information. With com0com I have set up the virtual port pairs 7 and 17 and 8 and 18. However, when I go to SDR Setup and CAT Control I can NOT enable it because there are no ports shown. Never in about 20 hours of trying to get the interface to work have I ever had any ports shown. Perhaps I'm too old to learn how to use SDR?

Ernest - W4EG

Please email me at my QRZ.com address. I have a method to doing this that many have used and are enjoying their digital modes. I hope that it help

Tim - W4TME

If the ports are not showing up, it is because Windows is not able to enumerate (discover and display) them. This is a rare problem with virtual com ports, but it does happen. Keep working at it. It does work. I am sure Ernest can get you going.

Doug Allen

I'd like to thank Dudley, Ernest, and Tim above for their replies and assistance. Tim's comment above let me narrow down the problem and not waste all those hours that I previously did reading and rereading software documentation and every other aid I found on the internet, reloading and deleting software, turning the SDR software off and then back on, the Flex 5000 off and then back on in almost every combination. This evening I again deleted the com0com program after unsuccessfully getting it to work. Then I again reloaded the previously deleted vspMGR program after rereading its documentation again. Not sure what, if anything I did different this time, but I went very slowly and carefully until finally the CAT Control showed the virtual serial ports I had created. After that it was smooth sailing, and N1MM is tracking frequency and mode. There are still things I don't understand (more questions later) and undoubtedly more hurdles ahead, but I'm a happy camper this evening THANKS! Doug K4LY

Tim - W4TME

That is EXCELLENT news! Yes, virtual com port driver can be a pain in the ****. Which is why we now include one in SmartSDR CAT for the FLEX-6000.