Really want an analog S meter

Thanks - I installed it this evening and it looks nice. Only problem is that when it is running my logging prog or contesting progs (logger32 and n1mmplus) cannot read the freq from smartcat.  I have them on cat4 which is the selected default port in smartcat for cat interface. I tried assigning to port 5 but that didn't work the meter. Can you get the meter and freq polling from logging programme to work at same time ? Its probably me missing something in the smart cat setting box?

cheers, Steve gw0gei

COM port sharing is disallowed under MS Windows. This kind of ancient protocol was fine when only one program could run in the computer to talk to your devices. But increasingly, we are seeing the need for devices as services to multiple client apps.

The problem with the COM model is that it assumes only one talker and listener. No ID's are exchanged. Hence port sharing programs from Eltima and others is still insufficient. A device answer intended for one query source ends up broadcast to all listeners.

I have begun writing interposer code that always runs, which makes all devices appear as services to apps. Apps send along a return address for every query so the answers don't get broadcast. To make this work with apps expecting a private COM port, I manufacture individual virtual ports for each of them to use. The ports carry implicit return addresses to the service thread. This has worked very well for me, and allows any number of simultaneous users of multiple radios in concurrent use.

E.g., this allows me to have K3, Flex-3000, and IC-7700 all running at the same time, with apps like HDSDR, PowerSDR, FLDigi, and WSPR-X

73 de Dave, N7AIG