I had trouble creating a pair of smartcat ptt ports

Bill-W9OL

As I'm trying to replace virtual com ports made by VSPM with SmartCat.
I'm having trouble.
All my programs, rig, contesting use the VSPM pair of com 18<>8.
As some programs I use will not accept ports higher than 8, this pair serves as my PTT pair.
I can switch between programs without the need to make any changes.

Some suggested I delete them and create the same pair in SmartCat
So I figured this would be a great learning process.
Sure enough after delete the pair via VSPM, I found that these two ports were available in the SmartCat program.
I created them and specified that they be PTT ports.
To say it was a disappointment ... was an understatement. Even though they were displayed in SmartCat, and of course employing total reboots after deletion and then again after creation of the ports, it did not work.
Fortunately I had created a restore point before embarking on the deletion-creation process.

Anybody see anything in the process I may have goofed up.
Presently my station is fully computer controlled, and I'd hate to loose some of that 'Ease of Use'.

Feel free to respond to me direct if you have any clues as to why it didn't work.
bill@w9ol.com

73, pse et tu

Steve N4LQ

Bill
I don't know much about these things but why not just let SmartCat create a port then go to your programs and set them for that port? At least that's what I did and haven't had any trouble. Also I noticed your said 18 -8. That seems backwards from what Smartcat yields. I'm showing the low number first. Guess it matters not.

Bill-W9OL

It matters not how you list them 18<>8 or 8<>18.
What matters is ....whether some older programs, I use for hamming don't accept numbers higher than 8.
That's slowly changing, but my rotator program MUST be on com 4, that's the highest number it will accept.
Other programs are more generous but each one takes a low number out of the mix.
I would switch in a heartbeat....If I could just simply transfers the pairs, but for two years now...I've been trying. One problem I have is...I'm a DXer and Contester....so it's a pita to have the system down for weeks while I try to fix it. LOL

For example, I had WSJT-x working great on my 6K, I tried to switch the ptt ports from vspm to SmartCat.
deleted the vspm pair, rebooted, created the SmartCat pair, same numbers also designated as ptt.
WOULD NOT WORK, AND after reversing the procedure, I still can't get it to work.
Been working on it for 3 days....can't get ptt to work with the same com port numbers whether VSPM or SmartCat.
That was a lot of 'delete' reboot, 'create' reboots and it still won't work with either pair of ports.
More time spent trying to fix it than it was worth.
I've had that 'just dump them all and use smartcat' from a lot of people.
and I've tried and each time it was very frustrating.

I'm doing something wrong when I create a pair in SmartCat and designate it for PTT.
Just can't figure out what.

Andrew VK5CV

Bill, you are not quite alone. SmartCat has worked for me in the past but the latest version won't work after a reboot at all. Waiting not so patiently for 1.3. Still using VSPM for PSDR. Andrew de VK5CV.

Bill-W9OL

Sorry to hear you are having similar problems.
I'm just wondering if the people who have had success were starting with a clean slate.
Where as you and I where trying to upgrade.
I still use my Flex5K and the comports work ok with that radio.

np2g

AH 
If Cat has  defaulted  PTT port  8/18 

You have other systems on your computer that have grabbed  5/15  6/16  7/17 

What should happen is  start over .

**** all that com port stuff (Device manager) (Uninstall)  that you are not using. Allow Smart cat to pick the NEXT available pair . (Bet it is 6/16 ) set your Pin change 

AND LIFE will Be GOOD 

Bill-W9OL

No it doesn't mean I have virtual com port 5<>15, 6<>16 etc.
It means I have real actual com ports  5 and 6 for specific things like a keyer, and antenna rotors and a antenna switch
Devices that will only accept LOW com port numbers.

np2g

Sorry, you missed the point  It's still YES

Running in this computer Com ports 1 through (4 virt)  5 are for Tuners amps,radios ,rotors ,antennas 

It was necessary to redirect ,assign  any of the real ports  So that any other virt port would follow  and be within the limitations of whatever software that would not list the higher ones. 

And you can re assign that additional "REAL" one after the VIRT ones if you so need . Again it is the limits of what software programs you are using 

Adding   anything it's up to you to  re assign them to fall correctly. 

Tim - W4TME

Windows does a lousy job of managing virtual com ports.  The key is to make sure that Windows doesn't have any "ghosted" or orphaned com ports that you can not normally see.  Use this procedure from the HelpDesk Help Center to remove those ports. http://helpdesk.flexradio.com/hc/en-us/articles/200883925-Removing-Hidden-or-Ghosted-Com-ports

I also recommend cleaning out all com ports and starting over using just one virtual com port driver application; it makes managing the virtual com ports a lot cleaner.



Bill-W9OL

Thank you for your advice I removed all the old VSPM virtual ports that worked and installed only smartcat ports
Now NOTHING WORKS,
I can't communicate between any program with either PSDR or SmartSDR.
I am unable to get any connection between my programs and either rig.
I did create a restore point prior to doing that...hopefully I'll be able salvage something.