Erich,
Wow, thank you so much for the reply. This is wonderful news. I was pulling my hair our trying to figure out an easy way to do the hardware mod, and like an angel you give me a much easier solution. The patch works fine and I am in business.
One question: In the last line of the patch description on your website, it says: "To correct the downlink frequency during a QSO use the "Downl. Corr." controls in menu CAT or the +/- keys of the numerical pad of the keyboard." I thought that the software automatically corrected the downlink frequency? Does this mean we should use the "Downl. Corr." controls or the +/- keys and not the VFO dial on the radio to QSY?
73, Bill NZ5N
--- On Sun, 4/12/09, Erich Eichmann erich.eichmann@t-online.de wrote:
From: Erich Eichmann erich.eichmann@t-online.de Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Sat Tracking and SatPC32 w/ICOM rig - CT-17 hardware modneeded To: billdz.geo@yahoo.com Cc: amsat-bb@amsat.org Date: Sunday, April 12, 2009, 5:35 PM Hello Bill, the SatPC32.Exe and SatPC32ISS.Exe files that come with the 12.8 setup file require the hardware handshaking I have described in the Readme(Icom) text (the "normal" SatPC32 only with the semi duplex radios IC-706MKIIG and IC-7000 when used as single radio for satellite operation, SatPC32ISS with the IC-910H for "inband" operation in non-satellite mode).
Meanwhile this hardware handshaking is no longer necessary. Some time ago I have uploaded patch files on my website www.dk1tb.de (English page "Downloads", sect. 5 "Patches"). With the IC-910H and IC-7000 the PTT status is now checked via the software (CAT command hex. 1C. I didn't know that command when I released 12.8. My manual doesn't mention it). The IC-706MKGII doesn't provide such command, but Tony Monteiro, AA2TX, found a solution also for that radio and told me the trick
- many thanks to
him. So, also this radio does no longer require the extra line between the radio's ACC jacket and the PC's serial port.
On my website I have described how to use the patch files.
73s, Erich, DK1TB
----- Original Message ----- From: "Bill Dzurilla" billdz.geo@yahoo.com To: amsat-bb@amsat.org Sent: Sunday, April 12, 2009 9:05 PM Subject: [amsat-bb] Sat Tracking and SatPC32 w/ICOM rig - CT-17 hardware modneeded
This may be old news to many but perhaps will save a
few hours of
frustration for newcomers.
In my prior post about HRD Sat Tracking slowness with
my Windows Vista
computer, I reported there that ST was working very
slowly with my Lenovo
desktop running Windows Vista, but that it ran at
normal speed with a
laptop running Windows XP. However, the frequencies
were not tracking
properly -- the transmit frequency would
"stick" as the receive frequency
on my IC-7000.
It seems there is a hardware cause for this issue.
After I gave up trying
to get HRD Sat Tracking to work with the laptop, I
downloaded SatPC32,
another program that automatically sets transmit and
receive frequency to
account for doppler. The same "sticking"
problem occurred with that
program.
The ReadMe(Icom) in SatPC32 provides what appears to
be an explanation for
this issue:
With ICOM half duplex transceivers (IC-706MKIIG,
IC-7000) hardware
handshaking must be installed to suspend computer
control while the radio
is transmitting. Frequency changes are theoretically
possible while the
radio is transmitting, but frequency errors will occur,
i.e., the frequencies
of VFO A and VFO B will be exchanged.
Unfortunately there is no way to check the PTT state
of the radio via
the CAT software. Therefore hardware handshaking is
needed to prevent
writing to the radio while it is transmitting. On the
radio side pin 7
of the ACC socket can be used for this purpose. The
voltage at this pin
is approximately + 8.0 V while the radio is in RX
mode. In TX mode the
voltage at pin 7 drops to 0.
Pin 7 of the ACC socket must be connected with the CTS
pin of the
serial port on the PC side (pin 8 of the 9-pin, pin 5
of the 25-pin
RS232 cable connector). I have connected these pins
via a diode
and a 5K resistor, see Acc_Com.jpg in this sub folder.
IT GOES WITHOUT SAYING THAT EVERYONE INSTALLS THIS
LINE AT HIS OWN RISK!
When the radio pulls down the voltage at pin 7 to 0,
it signals the PC
not to send data. As soon as the radio is back in RX
mode the frequencies
are updated by the program.
ATTENTION! There must be NO bridge between pins 7 and
8 of the 9-pin
(5 and 4 of the 25-pin) cable connector at the PC
side! Otherwise the
voltage at Pin 8 (rsp.Pin 5) and therefore also at Pin
7 of the ACC
socket will be pulled down and the radio will be
switched into transmit
mode. The sketches in the Icom sub folder provide this
bridge. If it is
built in, please, remove it.
The 25-pin Connector at the ICOM CT-17 also provides a
bridge between
pins 4 and 5 and other pins. The CTS pin of the cable
connector at the
PC side must be connected only to Pin 7 of the ACC
socket.
Thus, as I appreciate this, a standard ICOM CT-17 CAT
cable will not work
properly with SatPC32, and presumably not with HRD Sat
Tracking either.
Can anyone confirm this? Does anyone sell modified
CT-17 cables that will
do the job?
73, Bill NZ5N
Sent via AMSAT-BB@amsat.org. Opinions expressed are
those of the author.
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