N3FJP ACLog Flex API Interface

Dan Trainor

Need some help. I had the N3FJP Flex API Interface working with SPOTS showing on Flex panadapter. Worked for months, but last month it stopped working. I am troubleshooting, but don't see anything wrong yet. Any ideas please for what the problem could be. This is the "Flex API" DLL interface (not a COM port method). Also Freq, Mode, etc stopped working as well. Any Ideas? Thank you, dan WA1QZX

Dan Trainor

Thank you to Dave wo2x!!!! Who called me and helped me out using a TeamViewer troubleshooting session. Always good to have a second pair of eyes when you get stuck. And he found the issue quickly. Thank you kindly Dave! Turned out since I was operating remote the data packets between ACLog and Flex Radio API were not being passed though the home router, as the router was blocking and not forwarding this port. I now have at at least two solutions. 1) port forward 12061 in home router and/or have a local PC running that would serve to feed Flex API with Spots locally. Thanks again Dave for helping understand what the issue was and suggesting work arounds. I hope this information helps someone in the future if they have a similar scenario. The SPOTS were all working for me for about a year when my SSDR client was local and directly connected to the radio through a switch and thus the SPOT data packets were passing successfully from ACLog to Flex Radio Panadapter. When I moved the SSDR client remote, as I didn't think about how that may affect the ACLog to Flex Radio interaction. Dave didn't have to take the time out and kindly lend a hand to this old man but he did and I am grateful. Thank you, dan WA1QZX

David Decoons, wo2x

Dan's issue turned out to be trying to use the N3FJP Flex API connection over SmartLink. it will not work as the radio's discovery broadcast packets are not seen at the remote network.

Dave wo2x

Dudley WA5QPZ

Dan,

Have you checked to make sure that you still have CAT working through the TCP port? Check the "Settings" => Rig Interface settings.

Dudley

WA5QPZ

Dan Trainor

Hello Dudley,

Thanks for replying. I have two interface choice settings in N3FJP ACLog: 1) Flex API or 2) FlexRadio. FlexRadio uses the CAT method of connecting to radio through a CAT COM serial port (not TCP). Using that CAT method it works fine and I get Freq, Mode, Band etc exchanged between ACLog and Radio. But, what I am trying to get working is the Flex API method of communication (so I can get SPOT info passed to Flex Radio). In ACLog I can set Rig Interface to Flex API and also set any IP port number (default 1100). I set this port and it is LISTENING. But, nothing is connecting on this port and no data being passed from Flex Radio. I don't see where on the Flex Side I can tell it to connect to this port 1100. In other words, I am trying to make a TCP/IP connection between my logger program and FLex Radio via FLex API. I also tried port 21000 (the CAT port), but no go. I have not yet tried port 4992 of SSDR yet. This all was working at one time (using defaults out of box) and I was getting Freq, Band, Mode info from Radio and the SPOTs collected from logger were being passed over to Flex Radio and displayed on Panadapter, but something broke along the way and now no data is being send or received. I have turned off all FireWalls. Basically I need to make a good TCP/IP connection between ACLog logger program and Flex Radio via FlexAPI. Any ideas?

Thanks! Dan WA1QZX

Dan Trainor

Still can't get this to work.... I wonder if anyone has this working that could share their settings. There does not seem to be any interaction between N3FJP ACLog and Flex Radio. I have checked everything on both sides. I must be missing something. dan WA1QZX

David Decoons, wo2x

I have it working fine. Under settings/Rig Interface just select Flex API and then done. That's it.

Another thing - did you upgrade antivirus or firewall software recently that can be blocking the ports?

Last - Export your log, uninstall ACLog and then reboot and reinstall and import your log. That will recreate the firewall rules for the program.

Dave wo2x

Dan Trainor

Hello David, Thanks for the reply and information. Yes, when I first used this I simply: Under settings/Rig Interface select Flex API. And it worked just fine for many months! Then it Broke. Yes, I did upgrade antivirus and firewall software recently, but in my troubleshooting efforts, I turned all OFF to make sure they weren't blocking. And I am monitoring all TCP/IP port connections and data traffic. Still no luck. I have not tried your last suggestion of re-installing ACLog. I will try that. Thank you. I just can't believe there is apparently no information from N3FJP or Flex as to what Port Number this API communication is on. Or maybe it is not on a TCP/IP port at all. No documentation of Interface that I can find. Puzzling. So hard to troubleshoot. OK, I reinstall ACLog and see what happens. Thank You very much David, dan WA1QZX

Dan Trainor

OK, I uninstalled and reinstalled N3FJP ACLog program. Still no communication to Flex Radio via Flex API. Not going to give up, but running out of things to check. And no one seems to know anything about this interface. The owner of N3FJP says just click settings>Rig Interface and just select Flex API which of course I have done. There is no other information publicly available about this N3FJP to Flex Radio Interface. Unless I can somehow locate the person who wrote it. Thanks, dan

Don w2xb

Dan,

Been using aclog and flex for years. Check to see if you

have dx spotting checked. With out it checked spots wont show up on flex.

Don...w2xb

Don w2xb

Dan Trainor

DX Spotting checked. Check.

David Decoons, wo2x

Dan,

if you would like a second set of eyes to check your ACLog setup in case something was overlooked, email me direct and I’ll send you my cell number. I have an appointment in the morning but will be free after 11 a.m. Eastern. We can do a TeamViewer session.

an option is to install WireShark (free program) which can show IP communications between the PC and Flex.

my call at ARRL dot net

73

Dave wo2x

Dan Trainor

Wow. Dave, thank you so much for your kind offer. I email you in the this morning with my cell number, thank you, dan

Dan Trainor

OK, Dave email sent. Hope you have received. My e-mail is DPTrainor => a gmail account. Thank you, dan

Ken Wells

Do you have more than one Flex Radio active on the network?

If so, the N3FJP API interface will not work. He has not yet incorporated a "Radio Chooser" to allow you to select which Flex to connect to.

Dan Trainor

Another good point Ken. And something to be aware when using multiple Flex radios..

WX7Y

The problem is both radios use UDP ports 4991 and 4992 and unfortunately you can't change the UDP Ports on the 2nd radio so you could have 2 separate VITA49 streams on the same network. Maybe one of these days they will figure out how to make this work by using the Radio name or IP address's.

With out this change the 3rd party software just toggles back and forth between the 2 radios, This about drove my HF-Auto crazy using FRStack for the HF-Auto software link using the VITA49 UDP stream.

James Charlton

I guess I'm missing something, but I can't get N3FJP ACL logger using the Flex API to work properly. The logger displays DX spots and transfers them to the radio where they display correctly and clicking on a spot on the logger causes the radio to tune to it. So, that part works fine.

But, when I'm running 2 slices on my 6600m the logger logs the frequency of the active slice, not the slice I'm transmitting on.

I usually lock onto and run a freq on the A slice while I look around with the B slice to determine when I should switch bands. That means the A slice is the transmit slice. But, since I'm tuning around different bands with the B slice, it becomes the active slice which the logger logs as the frequency of the contact - which is wrong.

I can solve the "logging wrong frequency" problem above by using the Flex Radio interface and using COM ports. But then the DX spotter interaction with the radio doesn't work.

Does anybody have a solution whereby the N3FJP logger logs the transmit frequency and the DX spotter interacts correctly with the radio?

Thanks,

Jim Charlton AD0AB

Dan Trainor

I have not tried this scenario. But, it is a good question. dan