Cannot set up SSDR CAT 1.6 and N1MM+ to generate CW with Winkey emulation or external Winkeyer

Mike_N1MD

I cannot get this combination correctly to generate CW via Winkey emulation OR my external Winkeyer.

I have had no problem with the external Winkeyer with either my 6700 or 6300 with past versions of SSDR CAT but have had no joy with 1.6

I have fiddled with everything I know about or have learned about in the last few hours but I cannot get CW.

I CAN get RTTY fine!

What am I missing!

Thanks

Mike

Phil M0VSE

The configuration of N1MM+ plus for a winkeyer is a bit counter-intuitive, add a second port in the N1MM+ hardware tab (with the COMx port you have added for WinKey in the CAT control panel), leave Radio set to None, check CW/Other and click Set. Make sure that the correct radio number is selected and WinKey is checked. There may be other settings that you need to change here but it just worked for me

Barry N1EU

I got this working but I was getting a chopped up leading cw character.  I switched back to using the physical Winkeyer and the leading character was still chopped.  I switched the Winkeyer output to a second radio and it was fine.  Switched back to the 6500 and leading character was chopped.  Only after I removed the Flex Winkeyer port did the physical Winkeyer key smoothly again.  I need to experiment more but my first attempt was not encouraging.  I tried with Breakin enabled and disabled but keying problem existed both ways.

Phil M0VSE

I have unplugged my Winkeyer (and put it in the cupboard!) and with DM780 it transmits fine (no chopped-up leading character). I haven't tried transmitting with N1MM+ though but I will try this tonight and report back. Were you using the same COM port for both physical and virtual winkeyers as I guess they would conflict?

Mike_N1MD

Barry, how did you get your external Winkey to work again? I have used external Winkeyers on three different computers with two different Flex 6000 models with N1MM+ prior to 1.6 with NO set up problems. I cannot get the external Winkey to work at all with 1.6 and N1MM+. Can you tell us what your set-up in N1MM Configurer looks like? I must be missing something.
Tnx Mike N1MD

Barry N1EU

Thanks Phil - no, definitely different COM ports.  I will try unplugging the physical Winkeyer later today and see if that cures the chopped up leading character with virtual Winkeyer.  

Mike, are you saying that you didn't even create the virtual Winkeyer port and physical Winkeyer just stopped working?  I didn't have that problem. My physical WinKey is allocated COM7 by Windows so I have that configured with CW box checked in N1MM  (rig is NONE) and Winkey checked in the COM7 port configurer.  It's always been this way and works fine in v1.6 SSDR

Phil M0VSE

This is what works for me Mike, with the Flex (and previously hardware) Winkeyer on COM4:

Barry N1EU

Yes, that's how I have it configured as well.

Phil M0VSE

One thing Mike, if your hardware Winkeyer uses an FTDI chipset then as per the USB Serial Converter thread, SSDR 1.6 install may have removed the drivers so it is possible that you would need to reinstall any drivers for it to work (you can check in Windows Device Manager to see if there are any driver problems). Have you tried the Cat based Winkeyer? 

Mike_N1MD

The hardware Winkeyer did not work after the 1.6 upgrade. I did not change any N1MM settings and I had to create the com port in CAT -- it did not appear in the CAT list after the upgrade.
After failing the hardware, I then tried to create an emulated Winkey port in CAT but this did not work either (using a different com port).
So, I am very suspicious that Phil's observation is my problem -- the USB converter problem. Tonight I will try to research that and see if I can detect problems with drivers and/or ghosts.
Thanks for all your help. Before I dig around with Device Manager I think I will recapitulate the Configurer settings you displayed above. They are slightly different from what I have been using so want to explore before I attack the driver/ghosts possibility.
Mike

Barry N1EU

Mike, I don't understand you having "to create the com port in CAT."  A hardware Winkeyer shouldn't appear in the CAT list before OR after the upgrade.  It should only appear in Windows device manager.

Mike_N1MD

Barry, you are right. I went through so many attempted "fixes" last night that, frankly,  I am not sure what I saw and when I saw it. But you and Phil have helped me clear my mind now so I have a methodical approach that I can now use. Will post here after I work on this.
Mike

Mike_N1MD

Barry, you are right. I went through so many attempted "fixes" last night that, frankly,  I am not sure what I saw and when I saw it. But you and Phil have helped me clear my mind now so I have a methodical approach that I can now use. Will post here after I work on this.
Mike

km9r.mike

Following. I am all for a simulated wkusb but it needs to work as reliably as the wkusb hardware. Reliable wkusb is important and cables to an an external device are not a deal breaker for me.

Tim - W4TME

Barry - are you sure that the first character is truncated or is it the leading part of the sidetone?  Verifying that the RF is correct will help a lot in determining if this is a serious issue or not.

Barry N1EU

Tim, now that I disconnected my hardware WinkeyUSB, I can't get any keying from N1MM Logger+.  So my virtual Winkeyer is not working at all now.  Here's CAT config.  I tell Logger+ that Winkey is on COM11, but radio is not getting keyed.  I tried with Breakin on and off.

ctate243

Barry the fact that N1MM is not connected as a process is an indicator here, check N1MM and open up the ports tab and verify your winkey settings, then save those settings and see if the process shows N1MM and then it should work.

Barry N1EU

It's all working now.  I needed to shut down and restart SSDR and N1MM.  No more choppiness on the leading character Tim.

Chris, that was a good observation.

WinKey PTT doesn't seem to be implemented as far as holding PTT for the duration of the message being keyed, which the hardware Winkey does.

ctate243

That's great news! enjoy.

ctate243

ctate243

Oh and set the delay in SSDR a bit higher ..maybe 30  and it should hold the PTT for the duration

Barry N1EU

Chris, a hardware Winkeyer driven by N1MM asserts PTT for the duration of a keyed message.  Flex's virtual WinKey implementation is not doing this.

Delay is with respect to Breakin - you wouldn't need delay if PTT was working as expected.