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USB to Serial Adapter for antenna switch controller

Grant Kesselring
Grant Kesselring Member ✭✭
edited October 2019 in SmartSDR for Windows

Answers

  • Kari Gustafsson SM0HRP
    Kari Gustafsson SM0HRP Member ✭✭
    edited October 2019
    Hi, is the switch of RS-232 type or BCD/BIT decoded? If the latter you need the other - not RS-232,- type of USB cable adapter.
  • Harold Rosee
    Harold Rosee Member ✭✭
    edited October 2019
  • Grant Kesselring
    Grant Kesselring Member ✭✭
    edited October 2019
    It is BCD/BIT decoded.  I understand now.  Thank you for the reply.
  • Grant Kesselring
    Grant Kesselring Member ✭✭
    edited October 2019
    Harold, thanks for the detailed response.  I understand now that I didn't select the cable adapter necessary to do what I want.  I think my options are to purchase the Flex USB to parallel cable (pricey), or USB A to B plugged into a Sainsmart relay board (or something similar).  I am familiar with these boards and they work great.  I use a pair of them to control some Dunestar band pass filters. 

    Currently, I can control the antenna selector box directly from the PC using LPT ports and a logging program such as N1MM or Logger32.  However, I was hoping to have the Flex radio control the antenna controller directly.  The advantage would be avoid having the PC handle it.  Also, I could get away from using LPT cables and switch over to more modern USB.  Finally, the SSDR USB bit cable is very easy to program and could be easily modified if my antenna selection options changed in the future. 

    However, I'm not sure there is a low cost way of interfacing the antenna controller to the Flex radio which doesn't involve pricey converter cables or additional relay boards. 
  • LZ2BE
    LZ2BE Member ✭✭
    edited October 2019
  • Grant Kesselring
    Grant Kesselring Member ✭✭
    edited October 2019
    Boyan, thank you for the tip.  I will check these cables out.

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