How many devices can use the rig control com port at once?

DrTeeth

I can either have Fldigi using CAT or my logging program. I have not figured out how to get both to connect to the rig at the same time. The logging program that I will start using is Log4OM and it connects to get the frequency.

Thanks

DrTeeth

Bad form to reply to one's self, but the solution was not clear in the manual (at least I could not find it). The solution is to create a dedicated port in SmartSDR and connect your other program to that. Strangely, that port does not show up in the port map tab.

Just posted this in case others find it useful

Richard G7EIX

DDUTIL is your friend....

http://k5fr.com/ddutilwiki/index.php?title=Main_Page

Al K0VM

Guy,  You beat me to it..    You may have to click refresh in to port map tab or close and restart SSDR CAT to see the new port..

AL, K0VM

DrTeeth

Hi Richard,

I know that DDUtil is useful and many people refer to it. I actually have it installed here. It does not seem to be able to allow two programs to use the same com port - which is what I was initially trying to do - I don't know if it is even possible.

I have read through the Wiki, but it is not clear how it would have helped in my case here. Would you be so kind as to provide further information? A specific link would do.

The only thing I used it for was to make Ham Radio Deluxe 6.2 (on trial) play nice with SSDR 1.3.0.

I am having the same problem that I had when I first started with computers way back in April 1992; I know a program can do something, but I do not know what it is called so I cannot look it up. I have come back to ham radio after a long break (>25 yrs) and so so much is new. I am really enjoying the steepish learning curve.

Thanks

KY6LA_Howard

I thought u solved it like the rest of us do by defining another dedicated COM pair? U just need to give each program a different port number to use. One really useful thing in DDUTIL is the ability for different programs to control the rotor. I use DDUTIL, Writelog, HRD all to control my router on physical port 1.

DrTeeth

Hi Howard,

I did :-). I was just checking if DDUtils could help in this area too for future reference as Richard intimated above.

Hope you are enjoying your trip.

KY6LA_Howard

Heading to Mallorca in AM for remoting country #18 Could,not control all the devices and programs I do without DDUTIL

Steve W6SDM

You can have your cake and eat it too!  I am using FLDigi and Log4OM, which is an outstanding, very capable, and free general logger for the Flex.  When I make a contact with FLDigi, the contact is logged to Log4OM as soon as I hit the "log it" button.  If I see a digital spot on the Log4OM cluster, all I have to do is double click on it and it tuned FLDigi, and my radio, automatically.

I am using other programs simultaneously, like CWGet and CWSkimmer.  I don't use DDUTIL except to display the temperature of my rig - something I hope Flex puts into a future release of SSDR.

One of the tricks is to install SSDR first, then FLDigi, then Log4OM, in that order.

If you have trouble getting it working, let me know and I will be glad to send you screenshots of my various setup screens.

Steve

KY6LA_Howard

Guy Have you joined LOTW and eQSL yet? Personally unless it is some amazingly rare DX, I strongly prefer LOTW. Now And even then all,the DXpeditions will ultimately post to LOTW I guess I have too many shoe boxes full of QSL cards, I just don't need yet another 1000 Paper QSLs I seem to get from the Bureau 3-5 years after an Alll Asia Contest.

Al K0VM

Guy,
   DDUtil can be thought as a COMport server,  Its main comport talks to SSDR via a "dedicated" SSDR CAT comport,  Different additional comports can be selected to talk to you other things ( logging programs, fldigi, WSJT, etc ), each via a "shared" SSDR CAT port pair.  DDUtil can also drive real hardware ports for AMP/Tuner/Rotor/StepIR control.

There are many ways that DDUtil can be useful in station integration.

AL, K0VM

KY6LA_Howard

To amplify Al's comments, I currently have DDUTIL controlling real ports com1 - Rotor com 2 - spare Com3. - Steppir com4 - LP-100 wattmeter com5 - 2K-FA amp (I added a 4 port serial board to the computer) Plus lots of other stUFf via USB ports such as a. FlexControl and A couple of 4 channel Wavenode wattmeters. In addition to being the traffic cop for a myriad of different logging and digital programs. So it's a really useful tool and Steve K5FR, the author is really responsive to special requests.

Ken - NM9P

DDUtil is very useful IF you need to interface with other equipment - rotors, amps, antenna switches, StepIR antenna drivers, etc.  But if you only need to use multiple software programs, then simply adding additional Dedicated ports, and Dedicated PTT ports will work fine.  You can only use one software program at a time per each "port."

I am currently running Voice Keyer, ACLog, FLDigi, N1MM+, WSJT-X and an occasional other program.  Each one has its own dedicated port and I never need to adjust anything.  Except sometimes I need to change DAX lines if there is a conflict.  The only major problem with doing it this way is that many legacy programs are limited as to which serial.CAT ports they can address.  

On the other hand, sometimes I wish to "****" my 1500 to the 6500 so it will track the frequency & mode of my 6500.  DDUtil does a wonderful job for this.  Once I add a fancy amp and digital rotor controller, I will incorporate DDUtil permanently into my setup.

Others have additional things they use DDUtil for, such as monitoring rig temperature, Digital S-Meter, and adding additional FlexControl Knobs - NN4ZZ, for example.  My motto for SDR is "Whatever works for you."  There is no "Right" way for many of these functions.  Though some are easier than others.  And others are more "intuitive" for some people.

Steve W6SDM

I am an LotW user.  I do log to eQSL and QRZ.com but only as a courtesy to other hams.  LotW is where you get your awards and it would be nice if everyone would use it.  I have well over 300 countries worked but about 40 of them are paper QSLs.  I have to get them verified and sent in - a pain in the but going through thousands of cards to find the few you need, then organizing them the way they need to be for the card checker.

LotW did get off to a rough start but it works great now.  It's fast.  When you get a confirmation on LotW you can be sure it's a valid confirmation.  I don't think it's possible to "fool" the system into confirming a contact that wasn't real.  Therefore, the awards that come from it are absolutely earned.

DrTeeth

Howard, They are on my 'to-do' list.

DrTeeth

Why do you use it to control the FlexControl when one can do it just by creating another COM port in SmartCAT? That is the bit I do not understand.

TIA

KY6LA_Howard

Greetings from Mallorca What convinced me to use LOTW almost exclusively was a QSO with Hong Kong on 40M long path to another MonstIR owner way back in 2005. During the QSO we both did LOTW and were instantly confirmed before we ended the QSO. After that it just became too painful to go back to paper.

KY6LA_Howard

Because DDUTIL. Allows u many more options to be defined for the buttons and knob that the plain vanilla SSDR

DrTeeth

Hi,

Terry (G4POP) emailed me with this too. I followed the instructions in the manual but find everything in the FlDigi settings is greyed out and I cannot enable the interface. I have tried loading and reloading the various programs in different orders. They were installed in the order you suggested.

The integration is perfect for me and is just what I have been looking for.

DrTeeth

Terry helped me with this one. Should be set up tomorrow night. Got too much email to catchup on.

DrTeeth

I need to look into DDUtils more. I understand what it can do, but how does it make things better than just opening another dedicated COM port in SCAT? That is my main conceptual issue at the moment.

KY6LA_Howard

Easy example is my rotor on Com1 Several programs need to access it....Writelog, MixW, HRD rotor so that it is always pointed in correct direction of the worker station DDUTIL is the traffic cop that allows everyone access without causing port busy conflicts It does this by redirecting com1 thru virtual ports.

DrTeeth

Does it help with the XYL complaining too much when you are hamming instead of holidaying? I thought I had things sorted here (hi, hi) but I bow to a master ;-)))).

KY6LA_Howard

Guy Nothing in life is free! Did a 12KM hike today over the mountains of Mallorca. -XYL loves to hike ,... I detest hiking. When we hit the coast - it was "Oh ****-Thirty" time which meant that I could, quaff a cold one, take my iPad and MIFI hotspot (I even have an external,antenna for it) out of the backpack and try DXing while XYL had rosatto at the bar. The hike is the deal for the DXing. I was quite excited as I had a 5 bar signal and great internet connection compared to our 5 Star mountain hotel,with awful 1 Star Internet. HOWEVER as luck would have it! my headset was in the other backpack. Impossible to do SSB QSO from a bar or within 200' of XYL without a headset. JT65 did work but I wanted to do SSB #18. We change hotels tomorrow...so maybe DXing from there If it has working internet. BTW. Inverse Rule of thumb...the better the hotel, the crappier the Internet. Write me off this community. Ky6la at ky6la dot com and I can relate more tricks of the XYL trade. Offs.