kenwood+software+conflict?

K1FR

Anyone with experience using Kenwood's MCP-4A software while having SmartSDR installed?  I just bought a Kenwood TH-D72A and have had zero luck getting the USB-UART bridge drivers that Kenwood supplies to work.  Drivers installed OK.  When I plug in the radio, the drivers show up in win7 control panel.  However, they say they are not working because windows cannot find the drivers.  Driver update reports the latest drivers are installed. I am stumped!

So, was wondering if the Flex software and/or other VSPs might be source of a conflict.  Am guessing some other Flexer has come across this. 

The handheld is working fine otherwise.  First one I have had since a 20 year old Yaesu bit the dust many years ago.  Not sure why this ancient CW op needs one, but it is fun.

Thanks for any help.

73, Tom
K1FR

WX7Y

Hi Tom, 
what COM ports are you presently using? other words what is shown in your Device Manager.

Could be that the Driver will only work on the lower 12 or so Comm ports.
Don't kinow for sure but I DO know for a fact that the commercial Kenwood software for the a little bit older radios can only use COM ports 1 through 4 and the newer software will go as high as COM 20

Maybe all your lower ports are used by FLEX, FLEX Control or your other COM ports.

hope this helps
73's
Bret

K1FR

Thanks, Bret.  Well, surely gives me something to go look into.  The Kenwood drivers defaulted to COM 6 which I <thought> was open.  At the moment, have myself in a do loop and think will walk away from it until fresher eyes and brain in the morning!  Thanks again.

73, Tom
K1FR

Lawrence Kellar KB5ZZB

Could this be the old prolific vs ftdi chip set issue? If your cable is a prolific chip set there is a know issue where new drivers detect "counterfeit" chips and disable the driver. I think the highest version of the driver you can use is 3.0. Or you could buy a cable with a ftdi chipset.

K1FR

Thanks for the suggestions from all.  I <think> the problem lies with conflicts with virtual ports.  For reasons unknown (unremembered?) to me there are VSPs called ELTIMA occupying COM4 through COM6.  The Kenwood defaulted to COM6 which showed as available.  I disabled all the ELTIMA ports and found I no longer see an error message on the device driver for the Kenwood.

However, I still cannot find a match for the ports that make the fool Kenwood software work.  This is making me sooo glad my main rig is a Flex!!  

73, Tom
K1FR

K1FR

Well, finally... success!  Wish I could claim some brilliant deduction led me to it, but found that blowing away the ELTIMA VSPs plus totally ignoring the Kenwood manual worked.  Blew away the Kenwood provided VSP as well and just plugged the handheld into the USB.  Windows found a driver that worked.  Pretty nice software once one gets it running.

73, Tom
K1FR

WX7Y

Great news Tom,
73's
Bret
WX7Y