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RADIO REMOTE CONTROL PROGRAM FOR OS/2 By Lydia Rosa Copyright 1995,1997 by Lydia Rosa RADIO REMOTE CONTROL PROGRAM FOR OS/2 CONTENTS WHAT'S NEW IN THIS RELEASE ....................................... 1 DISCLAIMERS ...................................................... 3 INTRODUCTION ..................................................... 4 REQUIREMENTS ..................................................... 5 STARTUP .......................................................... 7 General Description .............................................. 7 THE DISPLAY ...................................................... 9 VFO Frequency. .................................................. 9 Modulation. ..................................................... 9 Channel #. ...................................................... 9 VFO step value. ................................................ 10 Priority Indicator .............................................. 10 Digit Scrolling ................................................. 11 Freq/Memory Scroll Buttons ...................................... 11 Signal Meter .................................................... 11 Attenuator ...................................................... 12 Scan Mode Buttons. ............................................. 12 Manual Mode ................................................... 12 Scan Mode ..................................................... 12 Search Mode ................................................... 14 Load and Set Buttons ............................................ 15 Load ALL ...................................................... 15 Set ALL ...................................................... 16 Mem->VFO ...................................................... 16 VFO->Mem ...................................................... 16 Operation Modification Buttons .................................. 17 COMPUTER/RADIO Button ......................................... 17 VFO Select Button ............................................. 17 Priority ...................................................... 18 Banks On ...................................................... 18 Resume ........................................................ 18 Ack ........................................................... 18 Logging ....................................................... 19 Radio Selection ............................................... 19 Speed Control ................................................. 19 MEMORY CHANNEL DATA FIELDS ..................................... 19 CHANNEL number ................................................ 20 VALID (Vld) ................................................... 20 DELAY (Dly) ................................................... 20 ATTENUATION (Att) ............................................. 21 RESUME (Rsm) .................................................. 21 FREQUENCY ..................................................... 21 MODE .......................................................... 21 COUNT ......................................................... 22 TIME .......................................................... 22 SIGNAL ........................................................ 22 SERVICE ....................................................... 22 Contents ii RADIO REMOTE CONTROL PROGRAM FOR OS/2 TIME STAMP .................................................... 22 SCAN BANK DATA FIELDS .......................................... 23 CHANNEL number ................................................ 23 Valid ......................................................... 23 Start ......................................................... 23 STOP .......................................................... 24 SERVICE ....................................................... 24 SEARCH BANK DATA FIELDS ......................................... 25 CHANNEL number ................................................ 25 VALID ......................................................... 25 Start-Freq .................................................... 26 Stop-Freq ..................................................... 26 Incr-Freq ..................................................... 26 Mode .......................................................... 26 Service ....................................................... 27 Status line ..................................................... 27 SPECTRUM DISPLAY ................................................ 27 The Menu ........................................................ 28 File menu ....................................................... 28 Database menu ................................................... 28 Common Parms panel .............................................. 29 Priority ...................................................... 29 Delay ........................................................ 29 Resume ....................................................... 29 Spectrum Background .......................................... 30 Tone Decode Enable ........................................... 30 Radio Parms panel .............................................. 30 Radio Name .................................................... 30 Radio Type .................................................... 30 TXADR ......................................................... 31 Max Channel ................................................... 31 Origin .......................................................... 31 Max Frequency ................................................... 31 Min Frequency ................................................... 31 Baud Rate ....................................................... 32 Com Port ........................................................ 32 Data Bits ....................................................... 32 Stop Bits ....................................................... 32 Flow Control .................................................... 32 Signal Detect ................................................... 33 Send Delay ...................................................... 33 SPECIAL KEYS .................................................... 34 ENTER ......................................................... 34 ESC ........................................................... 34 tab keys ...................................................... 34 PgDn/PgUp ..................................................... 34 ctl-PgDn/ctl-PgUp ............................................. 34 alt-PgDn/ctl-PgUp ............................................. 35 DATA FILE FORMATS ............................................... 36 LOGFILE format ................................................ 36 FREQLIST.DBF .................................................. 36 data file format .............................................. 37 Contents iii RADIO REMOTE CONTROL PROGRAM FOR OS/2 RS232 INTERFACE ................................................. 46 PROGRAM LIMITS AND RANGES ....................................... 47 Contents iv RADIO REMOTE CONTROL PROGRAM FOR OS/2 WHAT'S NEW IN THIS RELEASE Version 0.1 Beta Test Release Version 0.2 Bug Fix release. Fixed problem with entering SERVICE data with signal present. Fixed several hang problems. Added VFO attenuation button Added active HELP display Added support for AOR8000 (untested) Version 0.3 Fixed WARP problem with signal strength meter not showing. Some radio parameters were not being saved in .INI file Fixed various problems with the KENWOOD protocol. Increased number of radios to 8. Added Modem Status Reg (MSR) display. Added scroll bars for FREQUENCY and MEMORY CHANNEL Added frequency display sync selection Fixed spectrum display problems. Version 0.4 Fixed problem with certain errors not displaying. Fixed problem with DBASE selection. Added leading blank removal on Service string load. Added save/recall of strength values. enhanced error handling of file read. added CHAIN command (in TEXT files) for file chaining. added support for certain commands in TEXT files. Added support for AOR2500 (untested) Version 0.5 Added resume for individual memory channels. Added time stamp for memory channel log. Modified spectrum display routines. Fixed sort bug that left displayed channel unsorted. Version 0.6 Fixed bug -service not being read on SCAN bank. Fixed bug -SCAN bank info not being saved correctly. Fixed bug -comments not being rewritten to file. Fixed bug -KENWOOD modulation not being correctly read. Fixed bug -Two copies of Radioctl could not run as same time. bank number now shows current bank. Added buffer for service info. DBASE file now closed after read. Added pop-up window on exit for data save. Added command line option for loading a file. Version 0.7 Removed UP/DN buttons. Replaced with direct mouse clicks. Rearranged screen to make room for longer SERVICE strings. WHAT'S NEW IN THIS RELEASE 1 RADIO REMOTE CONTROL PROGRAM FOR OS/2 Added file logging. Fixed problem that kept program from working with normal speed UART. Added support for OptoScan protocol. Added hardware signal detect for AOR radios. Added additional PL parms in save file (for future enhancement) Fixed a few AOR8000 bugs. Version 0.8 added several pop-up status messages. Fixed a few file read and write bugs. Fixed search bug: existing frequency not found in database when blank channels were present. Fixed a problem that caused corrupted SERVICE data when DBASE file had no service information on frequency record. Version 0.9 Added VFO selection for KENWOOD radios. Fixed a problem with some KENWOOD radios not being able to SET channels. Added support for KENWOOD radios that have signal strength logging. Fixed memory channel scroll bar so that radio channel changes when MEMORY tracking mode is selected. Version 0.91 Added verification screen for SET ALL operation. Tuned serial port routines for better reliability. Fixed array bounds problem that cause intermitant failures. Added VFO selection for ALL radios that support it. Fixed bug - Hardware/software signal select not working correctly. Improved AOR8000 routines. Dropped support for AOR2500 due to difficulties in making this radio conform to the RadioCtl program. The protocol selection has been left in, but the routines will most likely not work correctly. Version 0.92 Fixed problem with KENWOOD TS870 not setting memory channels. Version 0.93 Fixed more AOR8000 problems. Fixed problem with display not being updated during search. Fixed problem with NEW DBASE menu grayed out if DBASE file not available at load time. Version 0.94 Put some hooks to minimize hanging when a radio is not attached. Fixed data file write that caused "(null)" written when no service. Version 0.95 Fixed problem with AOR3000 not setting data correctly. Fixed still MORE problems with the AOR8000 (tested with a REAL one). Added update of VFO display when doing SETALL. WHAT'S NEW IN THIS RELEASE 2 RADIO REMOTE CONTROL PROGRAM FOR OS/2 DISCLAIMERS IBM is a trademark of IBM corporation. ICOM is a trademark of Icom incorporated. KENWOOD is a trademark of Kenwood Corporation. AOR is a trademark of AOR inc. DBASE III is a trademark of Borland International. RADIO SHACK is a trademark of Tandy Corporation. The author takes no responsibility for any damages that may occur to your radio or computer due to the operation of this program. This program is being distributed as SHAREWARE. This means that voluntary contributions are the only source of remuneration obtained for this work. A contribution of $25.00 gives you the following: 1. Fixes for any bugs. 2. Schematics and instructions for the interfaces. 3. A clear conscience. Please mail all contributions, problem reports and suggestions to Lydia Rosa P.O. Box 414 Marlboro, N.Y. 12542 The author (and the latest versions of RADIOCTL) can also be contacted on the following Bulletin Board System: Rosa's Folly BBS (914) 236-7607 300/1200/2400/9600/14400 baud Thank you for your support. DISCLAIMERS 3 RADIO REMOTE CONTROL PROGRAM FOR OS/2 INTRODUCTION The RADIO REMOTE CONTROL PROGRAM for OS/2 will allow you to control selected radios from any computer serial port (RS232) using OS/2. This program expands the capabilities of your radio to 10000 channels and 100 programmable scan or search banks. In addition, scanning, searching, and logging facilities are also provided. Some radios will need an additional interface to utilize the signal detection facilities of this program. A circuit diagram and build instructions are provided free of charge to all registered users. The program allows you to select various baud rates, COM ports, and other parameters associated with individual radios. Up to eight different radio configurations can be defined for easy switching. A LOCAL mode is also provided to run the program without the need for a radio connection. Frequency information can be loaded or saved from a text file. An interface to a DBASE type file is also provided for frequency to service lookup. Most setup information is saved in a .INI file for ease in restarting the program. INTRODUCTION 4 RADIO REMOTE CONTROL PROGRAM FOR OS/2 REQUIREMENTS In order to run this program you will need the following: * A 386,486 or Pentium based computer. * At least 4mb of memory (8mb is recommended). * about 1mb of free disk space (for the program and document). * OS/2 2.11, WARP, or higher level of OS/2. * one of the following models of radio: - ICOM R-7000* - KENWOOD R-5000* - AOR3000a - AOR8000 - RadioShack radio equipped with OPTOSCAN interface (from OptoElectronics). *NOTE:Although not tested, this program should work with other models of this manufacturer equipped with a serial port. For Kenwood and Icom Radios, a modified interface is required for full program functionally (signal detection). For all other radios, the manufacturer's interface will work. However, signal detection can be speeded up by use of the modified interface for all of the radios. Plans for this interface are made available free of charge for all registered users. It is also recommended that the COM driver included with OS/2 be replaced with the SIO driver by Ray Guinn. This driver has proved to be more reliable than the default COM.SYS driver. This driver package is available in shareware, and can be found on most bulletin boards. If you are controlling the R7000, you will need either the ICOM CI-V interface adapter, or the modified RS232 interface. If you wish to use the signal detection feature of this program, you will need to use the modified interface. For the R-5000, you will need the IC-10 option kit. A modification must be made to the R-5000 if you wish to use the signal detection feature of this program. Some other KENWOOD radios provide for software signal detection. Although RADIOCTL can make use of this, the hardware detection will increase the spee of scanning. REQUIREMENTS 5 RADIO REMOTE CONTROL PROGRAM FOR OS/2 The AOR3000 and OPTO equipped radios already have a RS232 interface. No modification is needed for these radios, as signal detection is done in software. However, use of the modified signal detection will allow an increase in the speed of scanning. In addition, the modification instructions include a change to the AOR3000 to allow 9600 baud operation (from the default 4800 baud) . For the AOR8000, an interface is also needed. The OPTOLINK from Optoelectronics has been tested with this program. This interface allows the use of hardware signal detection for faster scanning. This interface will also work with ICOM radios as well. However, most interfaces for the AOR8000 should work with this program. It is highly recommended that the modified interface be used for ICOM and KENWOOD radios. Most of the features of this program make use of the detection of an available signal (SQUELCH). These radios do NOT currently have squelch detection as part of the standard interface. Although this program will work fine without this signal detection, operations such as SCAN and SEARCH will have no usability. The interface circuit is a inexpensive, easy to build project. All the parts are readily available at any electronic store. Estimated cost for each interface is $15. Plans and instructions for these interfaces are provided to you when you become a registered user. REQUIREMENTS 6 RADIO REMOTE CONTROL PROGRAM FOR OS/2 STARTUP It is recommended (but not required) that this program be installed in it's own directory. You should also add the directory to your PATH and DPATH statements in CONFIG.SYS. The FREQLIST.DBF file should be placed in the same subdirectory as the RADIOCTL.EXE file. Start the program by entering RADIOCTL on the command line. If you wish, you can also specify a file to load on the command line. This file MUST be a RADIOCTL format file (see APPENDIX for the format of this file). Once the program loads, the main control panel will be displayed. You can maximize the window to see all of the display, or you can size the window as you like. GENERAL DESCRIPTION RADIOCTL provides the user with a flexible way of controlling a radio. It also provides a uniform interface for different types of radios. This is a high-level block diagram of the program: ┌────────┐ |search |---┐ |banks | | └────────┘ | | | | ┌──────┐ ┌────────┐ └----->| | serial ┌────────┐ |memory |<---------|VFO |---------->| radio | |channels|--------->| |<----------| | └────────┘ └──────┘ ┌------->| | ^ ^ | port └────────┘ | | | | | ┌─────────┐ | | └----|channel #|-------┘ | └─────────┘ ┌──────┐ |scan | |banks | └──────┘ Memory channels store information on frequency, modulation, squelch count, duration, and other important parameters. The program provides for a maximum of 10000 memory channels. Information can be directly entered from the control panel, loaded from a text file, loaded from the radio's memory, or transferred from the program's VFO. The VFO represents a single frequency and modulation. This setting can be sent to the radio, or stored in a memory channel. STARTUP 7 RADIO REMOTE CONTROL PROGRAM FOR OS/2 The VFO can be set from the control panel direct input, loaded from a memory channel, loaded from a search bank, or set from the radio. Scan banks provide the ability to group blocks of channels for scanning. Scan banks allow the user to define up to 100 different blocks of memory channels for selection. Search banks provide groups of frequencies to search. Up to 100 different ranges of frequency, modulation and step value can be defined. The Channel # provides selection of the memory channels. It can also be used to address the memory channels of the current radio. Radio control information is sent to and received from the radio by way of the serial port. The program provides for selection of up to eight different radios, each with a unique set of operation characteristics. The program can also provide simulation of a radio. The actual commands to the radio are defined by a protocol setting. The program current supports protocols for KENWOOD, ICOM, AOR8000, AOR3000, and OPTO equipped radios. A LOCAL protocol is also provided which does not require a radio to be attached. STARTUP 8 RADIO REMOTE CONTROL PROGRAM FOR OS/2 THE DISPLAY The control panel shows you the status of your radio, as well as the status of the program. There are numerous controls, and various status fields. Controls are toggled by moving the mouse cursor over the control and clicking. Entry fields require a ENTER or TAB key to complete the entry. VFO FREQUENCY. This display shows the current frequency of the program. This frequency may or may not reflect the VFO state of the attached radio. Any frequency information sent to the radio is displayed in this field. The value of this field can be changed using the scroll buttons to the left of the display or by using the mouse buttons when the mouse pointer is over the digit displayed. The left mouse button will increase a digit, and the right button will decrease. A frequency value can also be entered in the entry field under the display. If a value is entered, changed with mouse buttons, or scrolled with the VFO scroll bar, it is also sent to the radio. MODULATION. This is a combination display and selection box. It shows the current modulation used by the program. This may or may not reflect the state of the radio. A modulation can be set by pressing the drop-down control on the right of the box, and double-clicking on the desired modulation. When selected, the radio's modulation will be set. CHANNEL #. This display shows the current channel number being used by the program. Depending on the state of the COMPUTER/RADIO switch, it will represent the internal memory channels in the program, or the radio's memory channels. The memory channel can be changed using the scroll buttons to the left of the display, using left (increment) or right (decrement) mouse buttons, or entering a channel number in the entry field under the display. When a memory channel number is changed, and the COMPUTER/RADIO switch is set to COMPUTER, the corresponding computer memory channel information is set to the VFO, and to the radio. If the THE DISPLAY 9 RADIO REMOTE CONTROL PROGRAM FOR OS/2 COMPUTER/RADIO switch is in the RADIO position, the radio's memory channel is changed. If the program is in MANUAL mode, and the MEM SYNC switch is selected, changing the channel number will display the corresponding Memory Channel information. NOTE:The AOR8000 is organized into 20 banks of 50 channels. Each bank is identified as a lower or upper case letter. RADIOCTL maps these channels as follows: ┌─────────┬──────────────────┬─────────────┬─────────────┐ │ radio │ computer │ radio │ computer │ ├─────────┼──────────────────┼─────────────┼─────────────┤ │A00-A49 │ 000 - 049 │ a00-a49 │ 050 - 099 │ ├─────────┼──────────────────┼─────────────┼─────────────┤ │B00-B49 │ 100 - 149 │ b00-b49 │ 150 - 199 │ ├─────────┼──────────────────┼─────────────┼─────────────┤ │C00-C49 │ 200 - 249 │ c00-c49 │ 250 - 299 │ ├─────────┼──────────────────┼─────────────┼─────────────┤ │D00-D49 │ 300 - 349 │ d00-d49 │ 350 - 399 │ ├─────────┼──────────────────┼─────────────┼─────────────┤ │E00-E49 │ 400 - 449 │ e00-e49 │ 450 - 499 │ ├─────────┼──────────────────┼─────────────┼─────────────┤ │F00-F49 │ 500 - 549 │ f00-f49 │ 550 - 599 │ ├─────────┼──────────────────┼─────────────┼─────────────┤ │G00-G49 │ 600 - 649 │ g00-g49 │ 650 - 699 │ ├─────────┼──────────────────┼─────────────┼─────────────┤ │H00-H49 │ 700 - 749 │ h00-h49 │ 750 - 799 │ ├─────────┼──────────────────┼─────────────┼─────────────┤ │I00-I49 │ 800 - 849 │ i00-i49 │ 850 - 899 │ ├─────────┼──────────────────┼─────────────┼─────────────┤ │J00-J49 │ 900 - 849 │ j00-j49 │ 950 - 999 │ └─────────┴──────────────────┴─────────────┴─────────────┘ VFO STEP VALUE. This display shows the current step value that is used for Search mode. This value will be added to or subtracted from the VFO frequency to obtain the next VFO frequency. This value can be set using the left (increment) or right (decrement) mouse buttons, or direct entry in the field under the display. During a bank search, this field will be loaded from the selected bank. PRIORITY INDICATOR When the unit is scanning, and the PRIORITY button is selected, a specific channel is defined as the priority channel. When this channel is being scanned, the Priority Indicator is lit. This is a red "P" situated next to the Channel # display. THE DISPLAY 10 RADIO REMOTE CONTROL PROGRAM FOR OS/2 DIGIT SCROLLING The VFO Step Value, VFO frequency, and Channel # displays can be changed using the left and right mouse buttons to increment and decrement the digit. The mouse pointer selects the digit to change, and the left button will increment, and the right button will decrement the digit. This allows quick changing of any of the information in the display. FREQ/MEMORY SCROLL BUTTONS Both frequency and memory channel number can be incremented or decremented using the scroll buttons next the the affected display. For the Frequency, the increment or decrement value will be the current VFO STEP setting. For the memory channel number, increment or decrement value is always 1. SIGNAL METER The signal is a 12 step indicator corresponding to the signal strength being detected. For ICOM and KENWOOD radios, the signal indicated will always be 9. This is due to the fact that the signal detection is a binary (On or OFF) line, with no way to read the actual strength. For all other radios, the actual strength detected by the radio will be displayed. For a LOCAL radio, clicking any of the signal display buttons will turn on the signal at that strength. For all radios, the OFF button will temporarily turn off the signal. If scanning or searching, this will cause the radio to resume scan or search. For LOCAL operation, the OFF button is the only way to turn off the signal detection. When not running in LOCAL mode, the signal buttons can be used to define a minimum squelch trigger. Clicking on a button will cause the program to ignore any signal at or below that signal level. When the squelch minimum is active, the signal limit level buttons are displayed in green. NOTE:This feature is not useful for the ICOM and KENWOOD radios, as these radios do not have the ability to determine signal strength values. THE DISPLAY 11 RADIO REMOTE CONTROL PROGRAM FOR OS/2 ATTENUATOR The AOR3000 and AOR8000 have a built in attenuator. This can be switched on to reduce overload from a strong signal. Pressing this button will toggle the current attenuator setting in the radio. When in SCAN mode, this button will be set by the currently scanning memory channel's attenuator setting. SCAN MODE BUTTONS. These buttons select the scanning mode. The program runs in one of three scanning modes. MANUAL, SCAN and SEARCH modes determine the primary operation of the program. MANUAL mode is the default. Manual Mode Of three scanning modes. MANUAL mode is the default. In this mode, the program will continuously monitor the signal strength from the radio. For the ICOM, changes in the radio frequency or modulation will be logged in the VFO displays. The program will switch to manual mode if one of the following conditions is met: * The MANUAL button is pressed. * SCAN mode detects no valid channels or banks. * SEARCH mode detects no valid banks Scan Mode The SCAN button starts the program scanning through selected memory channels. Memory channels that are flagged with the VALID field will be scanned. Channels with the VALID flag off will be bypassed. When a signal is detected, scanning will stop, the signal strength will be displayed in the Signal Meter, and information (duration, squelch count, etc) will be logged in the memory channel. If the MEM SYNC switch is selected, the Memory Channel display will change to the Memory Channel number that is being logged. When the signal stops, scanning will continue. Memory channels are normally incremented. The direction of the scan can be changed by pressing the CHANNEL NUMBER scroll button THE DISPLAY 12 RADIO REMOTE CONTROL PROGRAM FOR OS/2 to the side of the channel display. Several parameters and memory channel settings affect the operation of SCAN. Each channel has a VALID flag associated with it. If this flag is set off, the corresponding memory channel will NOT be scanned. If the DELAY field of the corresponding memory channel is set, the program will delay for a number of seconds after the signal stops before resuming scan. The DELAY value can be set from the PARMS panel. The SPEED CONTROL setting determines how fast each channel will be scanned. In the event that a scan is too fast to respond to certain frequencies, it can be slowed by adjusting the SPEED CONTROL. Setting the SPEED CONTROL to a lower value causes the computer to wait on each channel when there is no signal present. This gives the radio time for the squelch to detect a signal. The RESUME switch determines the action after the squelch breaks. If RESUME is off, scanning will not continue until the signal ends. If RESUME is on, scanning will resume after the number of seconds specified by the RESUME value. This value can be set from the PARMS panel. NOTE:The RESUME switch overrides any RESUME setting for an individual memory channels. If a channel is entered in the PRIORITY channel, it will be scanned every interval specified by the priority value if the PRIORITY switch is set. If a signal is detected on the priority channel, normal scanning stops, and the program switches to the priority channel. Normal scanning will resume when the signal is no longer present on the PRIORITY channel. The interval for priority checking is set on the PARMS panel. Note:The RESUME counter does not function when stopped on the priority channel. Scan or Search will resume from a priority channel ONLY when the signal disappears. If BANKS ON button is on, the order of channel scan will be determined by the START and END of the current bank. The current bank is scanned from 0 to 99. When BANKS ON is selected, each valid bank will determine starting and ending channels for scan. Channel numbers will be incremented for a selected bank if the START channel number is less than the STOP channel number. Otherwise, channel numbers will be decremented. Failure to find a valid bank, or a valid channel for the specified banks will force MANUAL mode. The MEM SYNC button allows the Memory Channel display to follow active channels. If this button is selected for SCAN or SEARCH mode, the displayed Memory Channel information will change to any channel where a signal is detected. This allows you to automatically display the channel information whenever the squelch breaks. If this button is off, then the memory channel display will NOT change when a signal is detected. The COMPUTER/RADIO switch determines the source of the frequency information for the radio. If COMPUTER is selected, frequency and modulation information is sent to the radio from THE DISPLAY 13 RADIO REMOTE CONTROL PROGRAM FOR OS/2 the computer's memory channels. If RADIO is set, then the program will change the radio's memory channel to correspond to the channel being sent. This allows use of the radio's memory instead of the information in the computer. If RADIO is selected, only the channel numbers supported by the selected radio will be allowed. The maximum channel number can be changed using the PARMS panel. NOTE.The OPTO protocol does not provide for memory channel control. When using the OPTO protocol, this switch remains in the COMPUTER position, and cannot be changed. Search Mode Search Mode allows you to scan a range of frequencies for action. Up to 100 different ranges can be programmed. Each range consists of a starting frequency, stopping frequency, increment value and modulation. In addition, searching can start at the current VFO frequency and be incremented or decremented by a set amount. For non-bank processing, the program will normally increment the frequency. Pressing VFO STEP UP/DN buttons will change the search direction. When a range is searched, the radio is set to the initial frequency and modulation. If a signal is detected, the frequency and and modulation are recorded in the next free log record, and the VALID flag is set for this record. If this frequency is already recorded in the log, then COUNT, TIME and SIGNAL values are updated. If the log entry has the VALID flag off, the signal is ignored. If there are no more free channels (frequency = 0) then the message "SEARCH FULL" is displayed, and the information is NOT saved. Several parameters and memory channel settings affect the operation of SEARCH. Each channel has a VALID flag associated with it. If this flag is set off, the corresponding frequency will NOT respond to a squelch break. If the DELAY field of the a memory channel is set, and the corresponding frequency breaks the squelch, the program will delay for a number of seconds after the signal stops before resuming scan. The DELAY value can be set from the PARMS panel. The SPEED CONTROL setting determines how fast each frequency will be monitored. In the event that a search is too fast to respond to certain frequencies, it can be slowed by adjusting the SPEED CONTROL. Setting the SPEED CONTROL to a lower value causes the computer to wait on each frequency when there is no signal present. This gives the radio time for the squelch to detect a signal. The RESUME switch determines the action after the squelch breaks. If RESUME is off, searching will not continue until the signal ends. If RESUME is on, scanning will resume after the number of seconds specified by the RESUME value. This value can THE DISPLAY 14 RADIO REMOTE CONTROL PROGRAM FOR OS/2 be set from the PARMS panel. NOTE:The RESUME switch overrides any RESUME setting for an individual memory channels. If BANKS ON button is on, the order of frequency scan will be determined by the START and END of the current bank. When BANKS ON is selected, each valid bank will determine starting and ending frequency , increment and modulation. If the START frequency is less than the STOP frequency, then the frequency will be incremented. Otherwise, the frequency will be decremented. Failure to find a valid bank will force MANUAL mode. The MEM SYNC button allows the Memory Channel display to follow active channels. If this button is selected, the displayed Memory Channel information will change to any channel where a signal is detected. This allows you to automatically display the channel information whenever the squelch breaks. If this button is off, then the memory channel display will NOT change when a signal is detected. The PRIORITY button does NOT have any effect on Search Mode. Priority is not supported during a search operation. Likewise, the COMPUTER/RADIO switch is also ignored. Search Mode always uses the computer's VFO. LOAD AND SET BUTTONS Four buttons provide load and set operations. These operations transfer information between the VFO, memory channels and the computer. When one of these buttons is pressed, the current scan mode is suspended, and the operation is started. Pressing the button a second time before the operation is complete will terminate the operation and resume the suspended scan mode. Selecting the MANUAL scan button will also terminate any load or set operation. Load ALL When pressed, all of the radio's memory channels are loaded into the computer's memory channels. The load starts at the first channel in the radio (0 or 1) and continues to the maximum channel. The maximum channel can be set on the PARMS panel. The contents of computer memory channels are overwritten with the new information. Any memory channel with a non-zero frequency is marked as valid. The count, duration and strength fields are reset to 0. The service string is also cleared. For a LOCAL radio, a set of random frequency and modulations is set for each channel. THE DISPLAY 15 RADIO REMOTE CONTROL PROGRAM FOR OS/2 Note: The OPTO protocol does not provide for memory channel control. When using the OPTO protocol, this switch is disabled. Set ALL When pressed, the contents of the computer memory channels are stored into the radio's memory channels. The set starts at the first channel in the radio (0 or 1) and continues to the maximum channel. The maximum channel can be set on the PARMS panel. The contents of radio memory channels are overwritten with the new information. For ICOM and KENWOOD radios, a zero frequency will cause the memory channel to be cleared. For AOR3000 radios, zero frequency channels will NOT be set. For LOCAL mode, each memory channel will be transferred to the VFO in turn. NOTE.The OPTO protocol does not provide for memory channel control. When using the OPTO protocol, this switch is disabled. Mem->VFO This button will transfer the contents of the Memory Channel indicated by the MEMORY # display, to the VFO. If the COMPUTER/RADIO switch is in the COMPUTER position, the Computer's memory channel will be transferred. If the RADIO position is selected, the information will be transferred from the radio's memory. For a LOCAL radio, the input will be a random frequency and modulation. This operation is the same as a Load All for one channel. VFO->Mem This button will transfer the contents of the VFO frequency and modulation to the Memory Channel indicated by the MEMORY # display. If the COMPUTER/RADIO switch is in the COMPUTER position, the Computer's memory channel will be updated. Count, Strength, and Duration fields are reset. The Service string is also cleared. If the RADIO position is selected, the information will be transferred to the radio's memory. For a LOCAL radio, no data is transferred. This operation is the same as a Save All for one channel. THE DISPLAY 16 RADIO REMOTE CONTROL PROGRAM FOR OS/2 OPERATION MODIFICATION BUTTONS Next to the Channel # display is a column of buttons that affect various operations. These buttons determine what memory is used, priority, resume, bank selection, acknowledgment and the radio being used. Each of these buttons is a toggle switch. Move the mouse cursor over the button and right click to toggle on or off. The Priority switch has an entry field next to it. The others have a status field. COMPUTER/RADIO Button For various Scan modes and operations, the program needs to determine who's memory is the source or destination of the operation. When in the COMPUTER position, the program is using the internal Memory Channels for the operation. If the RADIO position is selected, the operation will affect the memory channels in the selected radio. Note: The OPTO protocol does not provide for memory channel control. When using the OPTO protocol, this switch is disabled. VFO Select Button Above the Frequency display is a button used to select a VFO (A or B) to be used in the selected radio. Some radios have two selectable frequency memories (VFO). This button determines which VFO will be selected when setting the frequency on the radio. If the radio that is currently connected does not support two VFOs, then this button will not have any effect. The MEM SYNC button allows the Memory Channel display to follow active channels. If this button is selected for SCAN or SEARCH mode, the displayed Memory Channel information will change to any channel where a signal is detected. This allows you to automatically display the channel information whenever the squelch breaks. If the program is in MANUAL mode, then the memory channel display will change in sync with the memory channel number. THE DISPLAY 17 RADIO REMOTE CONTROL PROGRAM FOR OS/2 Priority Priority scanning allows a selected channel to be tested for a signal once every interval. The channel number to select as a Priority channel is entered in the entry field next to the Priority switch. If the Priority switch is ON, then the priority channel will be used. The priority checking interval can be set using the PARMS panel. Priority only works during SCAN mode. Banks On When in SCAN or SEARCH mode, the program can make use of banks of scan or search information. These banks allow the grouping of channels or frequencies for the SCAN mode. The Banks On switch allows the scan mode to use the bank associated with the SCAN mode. When selected, the indicator next to the switch will display what bank number (00-99) is currently being used. Resume The Resume switch will allow the Scan or Search to continue when a signal is present. This is useful when a Scan or Search encounters a constant signal. With Resume on, the signal is ignored after a set amount of time. This time interval is set using the Parms panel. The indicator next to the Resume switch shows approximately how many seconds are left until the SCAN/SEARCH resumes. Note:This switch is a global setting. If on, the RESUME switch for each memory channel is ignored. Ack Ack sets radio acknowledgement on. When a command is sent to the radio, the program will normally wait for acknowledgement of that command to come from the radio. In the event that the command is lost or garbled, the program will resend the command. Ack forces the program to wait until this acknowledgement is received before continuing to the next channel during SCAN or SEARCH mode. If Ack is OFF, then the program will not wait for acknowledgment. This will speed up some Scan/Search operations, but may cause incorrect data to be exchanged between the radio and program. NOTE: If Ack is ON, the radio will retry a command up to three times if acknowledgement is set on. After the third failure, the THE DISPLAY 18 RADIO REMOTE CONTROL PROGRAM FOR OS/2 program will continue to the next command. Logging When this switch is selected, all actions are logged to a data file. This includes mode changes and squelch breaks. A time stamp is also logged with each event. This file is cumulative, and is not erased by this program. The name of the logging file can be changed with the FILE menu selection. Radio Selection Up to eight different radios can be defined to the program. These radios can have different BAUD rates, Com ports, protocols, etc. Each radio is assigned a name. You can change the name (and other parameters) for a given radio from the Parms panel. Radio Selection is a drop-down selection field. Click on the right button to display the radio list. Double click on a radio to select it. The Baud and Com port used will be displayed next to the Radio Selection control. NOTE: When a new radio is selected, Manual mode is forced. Speed Control For SCAN or SEARCH mode, the speed control determines the time between each channel or frequency. When the control is all the way to the left, the time between each setting is minimal. If the slider is moved to the right, the program will delay for a certain time before changing the setting on the radio. During this time, the program will monitor the radio for a signal. The SPEED control allows you to reduce the SCAN or SEARCH speed to give the radio more time to respond to a signal. MEMORY CHANNEL DATA FIELDS Program Memory channels contain information for a specific radio setting. Each channel contains information on Frequency, Modulation and attenuation to be sent to (or received from) the radio. In addition, information on signal strength, number of squelch breaks and the frequency assignment are also displayed. THE DISPLAY 19 RADIO REMOTE CONTROL PROGRAM FOR OS/2 Each program channel displayed has several fields associated with it. Some of these fields are entry fields that information can be entered. Other fields are toggle switches that can be turned on and off. Note that entry field information is NOT accepted until ENTER is pressed, a TAB key is pressed, a new entry field is selected with the mouse, or the channel display is changed with the scroll bars. CHANNEL number This is the first field on the display. It determines which memory channel is being displayed or changed. The memory channel can be changed by direct entry in the channel field, or using the scroll bars to the left of the channel number. The PgUp and PgDn keys will also scroll the memory channel up and down. If entering the channel number, keep in mind that the data will NOT be entered unless you press ENTER or a TAB key. VALID (Vld) The VALID field determines whether or not SCAN and SEARCH will use the frequency currently entered into that channel. For SCAN mode, the program will not scan the memory channel if VLD is OFF. For the SEARCH operation, a frequency entered in a memory record that has the VALID flag off will NOT cause the search to stop and log. DELAY (Dly) The DELAY field is use during the SCAN and SEARCH operations. If delay is set ON, scanning will continue DELAY seconds after the signal ends on that channel. If delay is set OFF, then scanning will continue immediately after the signal ends. The DELAY time value can be set on the PARMS panel. THE DISPLAY 20 RADIO REMOTE CONTROL PROGRAM FOR OS/2 ATTENUATION (Att) The ATTENUATION field selects the attenuator of the radio. This is a circuit that reduces the signal strength so that high level signals do not overload the radio. The AOR3000 and AOR8000 radios support this feature. This option has no effect for KENWOOD and ICOM radios. RESUME (Rsm) The RESUME field selects the RESUME function for the individual memory channel. If this switch is on, and a signal is detected for this memory channel in SEARCH or SCAN mode, SEARCH or SCAN will continue after a set number of second if the signal has not gone away. This works the same as the global RESUME switch except that it only affects the single channel. FREQUENCY The FREQUENCY field is used to record or set the current memory channel frequency. Frequency information is entered in Mhz. Note that INS and DEL keys do not work when editing the FREQUENCY field. MODE The MODE field represents the modulation being used for a specific frequency. This field is a drop down selection box. To select a modulation, click on the button to the right of the box. Double click on the desired modulation. Note that not all modulations will be accepted by your particular radio. THE DISPLAY 21 RADIO REMOTE CONTROL PROGRAM FOR OS/2 COUNT This field displays the number of times a signal was detected on a specific channel. This field cannot be edited. However, left-clicking on this field with the mouse cursor will reset the field to 0. TIME This field displays the average number of seconds that a signal was detected on a specific channel. This field cannot be edited. However, left-clicking on this field with the mouse cursor will reset the field to 0. SIGNAL The signal strength of the last recorded signal is reported here. This field cannot be edited. However, left-clicking on this field with the mouse cursor will reset the field to 0. SERVICE This field is used to record the service for a specific channel. This is a scratch pad location to record information about a specific frequency. If the squelch breaks on this channel during SCAN or SEARCH mode, the program will attempt to lookup the service for the frequency entered. If the frequency is found in the current frequency database, and the SERVICE field is blank, then it will be filled in with the service found in the database. TIME STAMP When ever a squelch break occurs for this channel, the time stamp is updated with the time and date of the occurrence. This field cannot be edited. However, left-clicking on this field with the mouse cursor will reset the field to 0. THE DISPLAY 22 RADIO REMOTE CONTROL PROGRAM FOR OS/2 SCAN BANK DATA FIELDS Scan Bank entry allows you to define banks of channels for scanning. RADIOCTL allows you to assign any range of channels to various banks. Up to 100 banks (0-99) can be assigned. Banks can overlap, and can be turned on or off selectively. In order for SCAN mode to recognize banks, the Banks On button must be active. The bank displayed has several fields associated with it. CHANNEL number This is the first field on the display. It determines which scan bank is being displayed or changed. The range for this channel number is 0 to 99. The Channel number can be changed by direct entry in the channel field, or using the scroll bars to the left of the channel number. The shift-PgUp and shift-PgDn keys will also scroll the memory channel up and down. If entering the channel number, keep in mind that the data will NOT be entered unless you press ENTER or a TAB key. Valid The VALID field determines whether or not SCAN will use this bank. Scanning banks without the VALID flag will be ignored at all times. Start START identifies the first channel to start scanning with for the given bank. When this bank is active, START will be the first channel scanned if the channel's VALID flag is set. If the channel's VALID flag is NOT set, then the first channel to be scanned will be the next sequential channel with a VALID flag. THE DISPLAY 23 RADIO REMOTE CONTROL PROGRAM FOR OS/2 STOP STOP identifies the last channel to scan when the bank is active. After this channel is scanned, scanning will continue with the START channel of the next VALID scan bank. If the STOP channel is set lower than the START channel, the SCAN will decrement channel numbers. If STOP is greater than START, channel numbers will increment. If STOP and START are equal, the single channel number in START and END will be scanned. SERVICE This field is provided to enter comments about a given bank. It is not used or modified by any program function. THE DISPLAY 24 RADIO REMOTE CONTROL PROGRAM FOR OS/2 SEARCH BANK DATA FIELDS The search bank panel allows you to define banks of channels for searching. RADIOCTL allows you to assign any range of frequencies, along with a modulation and step value for searching. Up to 100 search banks (0-99) can be defined. In order for SEARCH mode to recognize banks, the Banks On button must be active. The bank displayed has several fields associated with it. When searching, the program will start with the first search channel marked as valid, set the radio VFO to the frequency in the START field and the modulation in the MODE field, and check for a signal. If no signal is detected, the program will increment or decrement the frequency by the amount in the INC field, and repeat the process. When the frequency in the STOP field is reached, the program will select the next valid search bank and repeat the process. When all valid search channels have been processed, the program returns to the first search bank. For more details on the SEARCH operation, see the description of the SEARCH mode. CHANNEL number This is the first field on the display. It determines which search bank is being displayed or changed. The range for this channel number is 0 to 99. The Channel number can be changed by direct entry in the channel field, or using the scroll bars to the left of the channel number. The alt-PgUp and alt-PgDn keys will also scroll the memory channel up and down. If entering the channel number, keep in mind that the data will NOT be accepted unless you press ENTER or a TAB key. VALID The VALID field determines whether or not SEARCH will use this bank. Search banks without the VALID flag will be ignored at all times. SEARCH BANK DATA FIELDS 25 RADIO REMOTE CONTROL PROGRAM FOR OS/2 Start-Freq Start-Freq identifies the first frequency to set for the search. Please note that the program does NOT check the range of this value. If it is outside the range of the radio, the radio may ignore the setting. Stop-Freq Stop-freq identifies the last frequency to set for the search. The search bank ends when the vfo frequency reaches the Stop-freq value. If the Stop-freq value is less than the Start-freq value, the frequency is decremented. If the Stop-freq value is greater than the Start-freq value, the frequency is incremented. Please note that the program does NOT check the range of this value. If it is outside the range of the radio, the radio may ignore the setting. Incr-Freq Inc-Freq determines the steps for the given search bank. The Inc-Freq value is added to (or subtracted from) the VFO frequency for each step. If an Inc-Freq value of 0 is entered, the SEARCH mode will automatically reset the VLD flag for that bank. Mode The MODE field represents the modulation being used for the search range. The radio will be set to this modulation at the beginning of the search range. This field is a drop down selection box. To select a modulation, click on the button to the right of the box. Double click on the desired modulation. Note that not all modulations will be accepted by your particular radio. SEARCH BANK DATA FIELDS 26 RADIO REMOTE CONTROL PROGRAM FOR OS/2 Service This field is provided to enter comments about a given bank. It is not used or modified by any program function. STATUS LINE The status line displays messages from the program. This may be error messages, or normal operation messages. The time and date are included with all messages as an indication of when the error occurred. SPECTRUM DISPLAY The spectrum display shows a graph of frequency vs. signal strength. An active channel will be shown as a red line (if the graph is in the range of the active frequency). Frequencies representing past activity will be displayed in green. In the lower left hand corner, the starting frequency will be displayed. The ending frequency of the spectrum will be displayed in the lower right hand corner of the display. The center frequency of the spectrum is changed by moving the horizontal scroll bar. The minimum start frequency is 0 mhz and the maximum stop frequency is 9999.9mhz. The horz step increment is determined by the spectrum resolution. The resolution is changed by moving the vertical scroll bar. Resolution goes from 100khz per pixel to 1khz per pixel in 1khz steps. Tic marks are displayed for reference. Tic marks are displayed every 10 mhz when the resolution is above 10khz/pixel. When the resolution is 10khz or below, the tic marks are displayed every 1mhz. SEARCH BANK DATA FIELDS 27 RADIO REMOTE CONTROL PROGRAM FOR OS/2 THE MENU The menu on the top of the panel provides additional functions. these functions provide the ability to load and save information to disk, customize your radio setup, and manipulate the memory channel information. Menu items can be selected by placing the mouse cursor over the item and pressing the right mouse button. indicated by an underline under the character in the specific menu item. For the primary menu, the ALT key must also be pressed. For drop-down menus, only the key itself is need to select an item. FILE MENU The File menu provides the ability to load or save the current memory channel, scan banks, and search banks to or from a text file. The file format for this file is described in the DATA FORMAT section. The scan information can be saved to or loaded from many different files. When a file is loaded, only those memory channels, scan bank channels, or search channels that are included in the file are changed. For a save, only memory channels with a frequency greater than zero , and scan and search banks that are marked as valid are written. If the program detects a file format problem when loading, the type of error and the line number causing the error will be displayed, and the load will stop. A new DBASE file can also be selected from this panel. This file is used for service lookup operations. The format of this file is also discussed in the DATA FORMAT section. The name of the logging file is also set from this menu. This is the file that is written to when the LOGGING switch is on. The File menu also contains the Quit for the program. Function key 3 will also terminate the program. DATABASE MENU The Database menu allows you to manipulate various aspects of the memory channels. A sort of memory channel by frequency can be done from this panel. With a sorted frequency list, the radio being controlled requires less settling time for each frequency change, allowing for faster signal detection. The Service search will update all Service fields for any memory channel with a non-zero frequency. The service information The Menu 28 RADIO REMOTE CONTROL PROGRAM FOR OS/2 is obtained from the current DBASE file. The Clear option allows you to clear all memory channels, all service fields from all memory channels, or all count, time and signal logs from all memory channels. COMMON PARMS PANEL Various parameters determine the operation of the program. For the most part, these parameters are set once when you first install the program. The first page of the Parms Notebook allows you to set program operation parameters. Priority This common panel parm sets the time (in seconds) between priority checks. Delay The number of seconds that the program will wait on a channel after a signal disappears. This value only has affect if the DELAY flag is set on the current memory channel. Resume If RESUME is selected, this is the number of seconds that SCAN or SEARCH will continue after a signal is detected. The Menu 29 RADIO REMOTE CONTROL PROGRAM FOR OS/2 Spectrum Background This is the color of the SPECTRUM DISPLAY window background. The default is BLACK. However, it can be changed to suit personal preference. Tone Decode Enable This selection is for a future enhancement. It is currently disabled, and cannot be selected. RADIO PARMS PANEL The program provides settings for up to eight radios. Each radio can be setup with different operation characteristics. For the most part, these parameters are set once when you first install the program. However, you may need to update these parameters if you connect different radios. Except for Baud rate and Com port, the defaults for the particular radio types should only be changed if a non-standard radio is being supported. Radio Name This is the name that you give the radio. There are no restrictions on the name, other than is is limited to 30 alpha-numeric characters. This name is used in the Radio Selection control on the main panel. Radio Type This field defines the type of radio (protocol). There are currently six types of radios supported. ICOM, KENWOOD, AOR3000, AOR8000, OPTO and LOCAL. Other radios may be added in the future. The Menu 30 RADIO REMOTE CONTROL PROGRAM FOR OS/2 TXADR ICOM and OPTO radios require an address. For the R-7000, the address is normally 8. If you connect a different ICOM or OPTO radio, or you have more than one ICOM radio connected, you can change this address to match. This parameter has no affect for other radio types. Max Channel This field defines the maximum memory channel in the radio. For the ICOM R-7000, and KENWOOD R-5000, this would normally be 99. For the AOR3000 this value should be 399. Changing this field allows the program to support other radios with more (or less) memory. This parm has no effect for the OPTO protocol, as the OPTO protocol does not support memory channels. ORIGIN Origin is the first memory channel. ICOM radios start with memory channel 1. The AOR3000 and KENWOOD start with memory channel 0. This parm has no effect for the OPTO protocol, as the OPTO protocol does not support memory channels. MAX FREQUENCY This is the maximum frequency that the radio will accept. MIN FREQUENCY This is the minimum frequency that the radio will accept. The Menu 31 RADIO REMOTE CONTROL PROGRAM FOR OS/2 BAUD RATE The baud setting for this radio. Most radios can be configured to accept baud rates from 1200 to 9600 baud. The default setting for ICOM and AOR3000 is 9600. For the KENWOOD, the default is 4800 baud. Adjust this setting to match the baud rate that your radio is set for. COM PORT This is the com port that your radio is attached to. The program allows you to select com 1 thru com 4 or LOCAL. A LOCAL selection will bypass all serial port output. DATA BITS Most of the radios supported work with an 8 bit data format. If you have a radio that requires 7 bits, this can be changed. STOP BITS Most of the radios supported use 2 stop bits. If needed, you can change this to 1 stop bit. FLOW CONTROL Flow Control provides the ability to stop and start communications based on the ability of the radio and computer to accept data. Flow control requires the use of additional control lines (RTS/DTS). These lines are used as signals to indicate to the radio and the computer to start and stop sending information. The ICOM interface that this program is designed to work with does NOT provide for RTS/CTS control lines (flow control). The KENWOOD and AOR3000 interfaces will use RTS/CTS flow control. It is recommended that flow control be left on for these radios, as they may not work properly with it off. The Menu 32 RADIO REMOTE CONTROL PROGRAM FOR OS/2 SIGNAL DETECT There are three ways to detect a squelch break. The first is using a spare signal on the RS-232 port. This signal detection is part of the modified interface, and also provided with OPTO equipped radios. This is referred to as HARDWARE detection. The second detection method involves using a command to the radio to detect squelch break. This is referred to as SOFTWARE detection. This method also uses a command to the radio to determine the signal strength. SOFTWARE detection is NOT available for the ICOM protocol. Some KENWOOD radios provide a software signal detection. The KENWOOD R5000 does NOT have this feature. The third method is a combination of HARDWARE and SOFTWARE. With this technique, the signal line is checked for squelch break, and a signal strength command is issued ONLY if the squelch break signal has been detected. This method is the most efficient for scanning speed. However, it cannot be used for ICOM radios, as there are no signal strength commands available. Please note that to make use of the HARDWARE, or HARDWARE and SOFTWARE detect methods, either the modified interface or the OPTO interface must be present. SEND DELAY Some radios require a delay between each character sent. If this value is set greater than 0, the computer will pause for the number of milliseconds entered between each character sent to the radio. Although this delay is not needed on the currently supported radios, this option is provided for future support of other radios. The maximum value that the program will allow for this value is 50. If a greater value is set, it will be reduced when the PARMS panel is exited. Be aware that setting this parameter will slow down the SCAN and SEARCH rates of the program. NOTE: The delay time generated is approximate. This is due to the unpredictability of the multi-tasking dispatching environment. If this option is required, some experimentation may be needed to determine the correct value. The Menu 33 RADIO REMOTE CONTROL PROGRAM FOR OS/2 SPECIAL KEYS ENTER The ENTER key finalizes input to the program. For data entry fields, the information is stored into the computer's memory, and the cursor advances to the next field. ESC Pressing ESC terminates the current operation. It is equivalent to pressing the MANUAL button. tab keys The tab keys will move the cursor to the next field. A forward or reverse tab key will complete data entry of the current field. PgDn/PgUp These keys increment or decrement the current memory channel being displayed. ctl-PgDn/ctl-PgUp These keys increment or decrement the current scan bank channel being displayed. SPECIAL KEYS 34 RADIO REMOTE CONTROL PROGRAM FOR OS/2 alt-PgDn/ctl-PgUp These keys increment or decrement the current search bank channel being displayed. SPECIAL KEYS 35 RADIO REMOTE CONTROL PROGRAM FOR OS/2 DATA FILE FORMATS There are several files that this program makes use of. These files are used to store and retrieve data used by the program. LOGFILE format When LOGGING is enabled, certain transactions are logged to a file. The name of this file is set by the user. The initial setting for this filename is RADIOCTL.LOG. For a given transaction, the following information is logged: * Timestamp- The Date and Time of the transaction. * The scanning mode (SCAN/SEARCH/MANUAL). * The VFO frequency. * The VFO modulation. * The current memory channel. * The signal strength at the time of transaction. * The length of the transaction. * The service information for the current memory channel. FREQLIST.DBF This is a standard DBASE III+ type data file. It contains frequencies and allocations for the radio spectrum. There are three fields that are used by this program. field name allocation description ----------------------------------------------------------- FREQUENCY decimal 10.5 holds the frequency in Mhz DESCRIPT character 50 usage of the frequency ACTION logical flags the frequency in use If the ACTION field is not present, the program will use the DATA FILE FORMATS 36 RADIO REMOTE CONTROL PROGRAM FOR OS/2 DESCRIPT field to determine ACTION. A blank DESCRIPT field signals an inactive channel. The length of the DESCRIPT field can be changed, if so desired. This program only uses the first 80 chars of this field. Any other fields can be added or deleted from this file without affecting the operation of the program. However, if either the FREQUENCY or DESCRIPT field is not present in the database, the DBASE function will not operate. data file format The SAVE command creates a file with the current settings of memory channels, and various scan parameters. The file created is an ASCII readable file. Each record is terminated by a CR/LF sequence. One record represents one frequency channel, one scan bank channel, one search bank channel, one command, or a comment. Which type if record is determined by the first non-blank character on the line. The following table shows the identifier for the various types of records: ┌──────────────┬─────────────────────────────┐ │ identifier │ type of record │ ├──────────────┼─────────────────────────────┤ │ number │ frequency channel info │ ├──────────────┼─────────────────────────────┤ │ @ │ scan bank information │ ├──────────────┼─────────────────────────────┤ │ # │ search bank information │ ├──────────────┼─────────────────────────────┤ │ keyword │ command to program │ ├──────────────┼─────────────────────────────┤ │ * │ comment │ └──────────────┴─────────────────────────────┘ Each record contains one or more fields delimited by blanks. The file can be altered (or created) using any standard text editor. The maximum record length that the program can handle is 200 characters. If the comment record flag is detected, all information following the '*' is ignored on that line. When the program reads the file, any missing required parameter, parameter range error, or unrecognized keyword will terminate the file read at that line. The format for a frequency channel entry is as follows: DATA FILE FORMATS 37 RADIO REMOTE CONTROL PROGRAM FOR OS/2 ┌─────┬───────────┬────────────────┬────────────────────────────┐ │field│ name │ value range │ description │ ├─────┼───────────┼────────────────┼────────────────────────────┤ │ 1 │ CHANNEL │ 0-9999 │channel number to set │ │ │ │ │ required-positional │ ├─────┼───────────┼────────────────┼────────────────────────────┤ │ 2 │ FREQUENCY │ 0-999.9999 │frequency in Mhz │ │ │ │ │ required-positional │ ├─────┼───────────┼────────────────┼────────────────────────────┤ │ 3 │ MODE │ 3 chars │valid modulation for radio │ │ │ │ │ required-positional │ ├─────┼───────────┼────────────────┼────────────────────────────┤ │ 4*│ COUNT │ 0-999999 │count of squelch breaks │ ├─────┼───────────┼────────────────┼────────────────────────────┤ │ 5*│ DURATION │ 0-999999 │total duration of squelch │ ├─────┼───────────┼────────────────┼────────────────────────────┤ │ 6*│ SIGNAL │ Sxx │Signal strength value (xx) │ │ │ │ xx=00 to 15 │ optional │ ├─────┼───────────┼────────────────┼────────────────────────────┤ │ 7*│ VALID │ VALID/NOTVALID │indicator of channel valid │ ├─────┼───────────┼────────────────┼────────────────────────────┤ │ 8*│ ATTEN │ ANTEN/NOANTEN │indicator of attenuation │ ├─────┼───────────┼────────────────┼────────────────────────────┤ │ 9*│ RESUME │ RESUME/NORESUME│indicator of resume │ ├─────┼───────────┼────────────────┼────────────────────────────┤ │ 10*│ TSTAMP │ TSTAMP value │squelch break time stamp │ │ │ │ TSTAMP 0 │time value is UNIX time │ │ │ │ │(number of seconds since │ │ │ │ │ 1970) 0 = no stamp. │ ├─────┼───────────┼────────────────┼────────────────────────────┤ │ 11*│ TONE │ PL 0 0 0 │future enhancement. │ │ │ │ │If included, all three │ │ │ │ │numbers must be specified. │ │ │ │ │ │ ├─────┼───────────┼────────────────┼────────────────────────────┤ │ 12*│ DELAY │ DELAY/NODELAY │indicator of channel delay │ ├─────┼───────────┼────────────────┼────────────────────────────┤ │ 13*│ SERVICE │ 80 chars │service for channel │ └─────┴───────────┴────────────────┴────────────────────────────┘ *optional fields The first three fields MUST be specified and be in the proper order. Optional fields do NOT have to be specified. However, the following positional restrictions apply:, * If COUNT is specified, it MUST follow the MODE field. If not specified, the COUNT value for the channel is set to 0. * If DURATION is specified, COUNT must also be specified, and DURATION must follow the COUNT. If not specified, the DURATION value for the channel is set to 0. * Duration value MUST be specified if any of the following fields are specified: DATA FILE FORMATS 38 RADIO REMOTE CONTROL PROGRAM FOR OS/2 SIGNAL, VALID, ANTEN, RESUME, TSTAMP, TONE, DELAY, SERVICE. * If SIGNAL value is not specified, then SIGNAL value for the channel is set to 0. * If VALID is not specified, the channel will be marked VALID. * If ANTEN, RESUME or DELAY is not specified, the respective flags will be reset for the channel. * If DELAY is specified, it MUST precede the service field. * If SERVICE is specified, DELAY must also be specified. All characters (up to 80) following the DELAY value and up to the end of the line (CR/LF) are taken as a SERVICE string. Leading blanks and any special ASCII characters are removed. DATA FILE FORMATS 39 RADIO REMOTE CONTROL PROGRAM FOR OS/2 The format for a scan bank entry is as follows: ┌─────┬───────────┬────────────────┬────────────────────────────┐ │field│ name │ value range │ description │ ├─────┼───────────┼────────────────┼────────────────────────────┤ │ 1 │ BANKID │ @ │@ identifies a scan bank │ ├─────┼───────────┼────────────────┼────────────────────────────┤ │ 2 │ BANK │ 1-100 │bank number │ ├─────┼───────────┼────────────────┼────────────────────────────┤ │ 3 │ START │ 0- MAX │starting channel for bank │ ├─────┼───────────┼────────────────┼────────────────────────────┤ │ 4 │ END │ 0- MAX │ending channel for bank │ ├─────┼───────────┼────────────────┼────────────────────────────┤ │ 5*│ SCAN │ SCAN/NOSCAN │valid bank │ ├─────┼───────────┼────────────────┼────────────────────────────┤ │ 6*│ DESCRIPT │ 80 chars │description of bank │ └─────┴───────────┴────────────────┴────────────────────────────┘ *optional fields If NOSCAN is not specified, the bank is marked as valid. DATA FILE FORMATS 40 RADIO REMOTE CONTROL PROGRAM FOR OS/2 The format for a search bank entry is as follows: ┌─────┬───────────┬────────────────┬────────────────────────────┐ │field│ name │ value range │ description │ ├─────┼───────────┼────────────────┼────────────────────────────┤ │ 1 │ BANKID │ # │@ identifies a search bank │ ├─────┼───────────┼────────────────┼────────────────────────────┤ │ 2 │ BANK │ 1-100 │bank number │ ├─────┼───────────┼────────────────┼────────────────────────────┤ │ 3 │ START │ 0- 9999.99999 │starting frequency for bank │ ├─────┼───────────┼────────────────┼────────────────────────────┤ │ 4 │ END │ 0- 9999.99999 │ending frequency for bank │ ├─────┼───────────┼────────────────┼────────────────────────────┤ │ 5 │ INC │ 0- 9999.99999 │frequency increment │ ├─────┼───────────┼────────────────┼────────────────────────────┤ │ 5 │ MODE │AM,FM,FMN,etc. │modulation for bank │ ├─────┼───────────┼────────────────┼────────────────────────────┤ │ 5*│ SEARCH │ SEARCH/NOSEARCH│valid bank │ ├─────┼───────────┼────────────────┼────────────────────────────┤ │ 6*│ DESCRIPT │ 80 chars │description of bank │ └─────┴───────────┴────────────────┴────────────────────────────┘ *optional fields If NOSEARCH is not specified, the bank is marked as valid. DATA FILE FORMATS 41 RADIO REMOTE CONTROL PROGRAM FOR OS/2 Certain commands can be entered in a text file for execution. These commands provide the ability to execute certain operations automatically, without having to select them from the various panel controls. COMMANDS RECOGNIZED ┌────────────────┬────────────────┬────────────────────────────┐ │command │ option(s) │ description │ ├────────────────┼────────────────┼────────────────────────────┤ │ACK │ - │turn ON acknowledgement │ ├────────────────┼────────────────┼────────────────────────────┤ │BANK │ ON|OFF │BANK mode on or off. │ │ │ │Equivalent to pressing BANK │ │ │ │button. │ ├────────────────┼────────────────┼────────────────────────────┤ │CHAIN │ filespec │start reading another text │ │ │ │file. Maximum CHAIN depth │ │ │ │is 3 files. │ ├────────────────┼────────────────┼────────────────────────────┤ │CHANNEL │ 0 to 9999 │set channel number. │ │ │ │Equivalent to setting │ │ │ │CHANNEL display value. │ ├────────────────┼────────────────┼────────────────────────────┤ │CLEAR │ - │Clear all memory channels │ │ │ ALL │Clear all memory channels │ │ │ COUNTS │Clear all squelch counts │ │ │ SERVICE │Clear all service strings │ │ │ SIGNAL │Clear all strength readings │ │ │ TIME │Clear all squelch times │ ├────────────────┼────────────────┼────────────────────────────┤ │DBNAME │ filespec │change DBASE filename for │ │ │ │service lookups. │ ├────────────────┼────────────────┼────────────────────────────┤ │DELAY │ xxxx │Set DELAY value to xxxx. │ ├────────────────┼────────────────┼────────────────────────────┤ │F │ frequency │Set VFO frequency │ ├────────────────┼────────────────┼────────────────────────────┤ │HALT │ - │Force MANUAL mode │ ├────────────────┼────────────────┼────────────────────────────┤ │LOAD │ - │load memory from radio │ ├────────────────┼────────────────┼────────────────────────────┤ │M │ modulation │set VFO modulation │ └────────────────┴────────────────┴────────────────────────────┘ DATA FILE FORMATS 42 RADIO REMOTE CONTROL PROGRAM FOR OS/2 COMMANDS RECOGNIZED (cont) ┌────────────────┬────────────────┬────────────────────────────┐ │NOACK │ - │turn OFF acknowledgement │ ├────────────────┼────────────────┼────────────────────────────┤ │MANUAL │ - │Force MANUAL mode │ ├────────────────┼────────────────┼────────────────────────────┤ │MEMORY │ - │use radio's memory │ ├────────────────┼────────────────┼────────────────────────────┤ │PDELAY │ 0 to 9999 │set priority sample delay │ ├────────────────┼────────────────┼────────────────────────────┤ │QUIT │ - │exit RADIOCTL │ ├────────────────┼────────────────┼────────────────────────────┤ │PRIORITY │ ON │set priority switch on │ │ │ OFF │set priority switch off │ │ │ 0 to 99999 │set priority channel │ ├────────────────┼────────────────┼────────────────────────────┤ │RESUME │ ON │set resume switch on │ │ │ OFF │set resume switch off │ │ │ 0 to 9999 │set resume value │ ├────────────────┼────────────────┼────────────────────────────┤ │SCAN │ - │Start SCAN mode │ ├────────────────┼────────────────┼────────────────────────────┤ │SEARCH │ - │Start SEARCH mode │ ├────────────────┼────────────────┼────────────────────────────┤ │SORT │ - │Sort memory channels │ ├────────────────┼────────────────┼────────────────────────────┤ │VFO │ - │use computer's memory │ └────────────────┴────────────────┴────────────────────────────┘ For compatibility with the DOS version of Radioctl, the following command keywords are recognized, but ignored when reading: * BANK {bank_number} * BAUD * CD * COM1 * COM2 * DBASE * DIR * DMAX * DMIN DATA FILE FORMATS 43 RADIO REMOTE CONTROL PROGRAM FOR OS/2 * FILENAME * FKn * GOTO * HELP * INC * LOG * LOGNAME * LPT1 * LPT2 * MAX * MAXMEM * MODE * NOSIGNAL * PRINT * PRTLENGTH * PRTWIDTH * QFK * QSET * RECALL * RESET * SAVE * SET * SHELL * SIGNAL * SPEED * START * STOP * TXADR DATA FILE FORMATS 44 RADIO REMOTE CONTROL PROGRAM FOR OS/2 Any record that is not recognized as a Frequency, Scan bank, Search bank, command or comment will be flagged as a line in error. DATA FILE FORMATS 45 RADIO REMOTE CONTROL PROGRAM FOR OS/2 RS232 INTERFACE This program is designed to use the serial communications port (RS232) of the IBM computer. In order to interface a radio to this port, an interface adapter is needed designed for the specific radio. Each radio manufacturer makes such an adapter. However, none of the adapters supplied from the manufacturer provide for squelch detection. Without this detection, the signal sensing functions of this program will not work. For each radio supported, a circuit and instructions are available. This circuit provides the squelch detection needed by this program. The interface circuits are easy to build, and require few parts. All of the parts can be obtained cheaply at any electronics supply store. The schematics and instructions are provided to all registered users. RS232 INTERFACE 46 RADIO REMOTE CONTROL PROGRAM FOR OS/2 PROGRAM LIMITS AND RANGES MEMORY REQUIRED: 4 meg (OS/2 minimum). 8 Meg+ suggested PROCESSOR REQUIRED: 80386 or Higher OS/2 LEVEL REQUIRED: 2.1 or higher MAXIMUM MEMORY CHANNELS 10000 MAXIMUM SCAN BANKS 100 MAXIMUM SEARCH BANKS 100 FREQUENCY RANGE .01khz to 9999.99999mhz* MINIMUM FREQUENCY STEP 10hz* MAXIMUM FREQUENCY STEP 9999.99999mhz *may be limited by radio model. PROGRAM LIMITS AND RANGES 47 RADIO REMOTE CONTROL PROGRAM FOR OS/2 INDEX A H Ack 18 Hot Keys AOR3000 3 Alt PgDn 25 attenuation 20 Alt PgUp 25 Attenuator 11 PgDn 20 PgUp 20 Shift PgDn 23 Shift PgUp 23 B Banks On 18 I ICOM 3 C interface 5 Channel # 9 channel RESUME 21 COMPUTER/RADIO Button 17 K COUNT 21 KENWOOD 3 D L DBASE 3 delay 20 Load ALL 15 Digit Scrolling 11 Load/Set Buttons 15 Logging 19 E M ENTER key 34 ESC key 34 Manual Mode 12 Mem Sync 17 Mem->VFO 16 Memory Channel F CHANNEL number 20 Memory Channels 19 Freq/Memory Scroll Buttons 11 Menu 27 frequency 21 Database 28 FREQUENCY field 21 File 28 Parms 29 MODE field 21 modulation 21 Index 48 RADIO REMOTE CONTROL PROGRAM FOR OS/2 Scan Mode O BANKS 13 COMPUTER 13 Operation Modification Buttons 16 DELAY 13 MEM SYNC 13 PRIORITY 13 RADIO 13 P RESUME 13 SPEED 13 Parms VALID 13 Baud Rate 31 Search Bank 24 Com Port 32 Channel number 25 Data Bits 32 Incr-freq 26 Delay 29 Mode 26 Flow Control 32 Service 26 Max Channel 31 Start-freq 25 Max Frequency 31 Stop-freq 26 Min Frequency 31 Valid 25 Origin 31 Search Mode 14 Priority 29 BANKS 15 Radio Name 30 DELAY 14 Radio Type 30 MEM SYNC 15 Resume 29 RESUME 14 Send Delay 33 SPEED 14 Signal Detect 32 VALID 14 Spectrum Background 29 SERVICE 22 Stop Bits 32 Set ALL 16 Tone Decode Enable 30 shareware 3 TXADR 30 SIGNAL 21 PgDn key 34 Signal Meter 11 Pgup key 34 Spectrum Display 27 Priority 17 Priority indicator 10 T R tab key 34 TIME 21 Radio Selection 19 TIME STAMP 21 Resume 18 RS232 5 V S valid 20 VFO Frequency 9 Scan Bank VFO Modulation 9 Channel number 23 VFO Select Button 17 Service 24 VFO step value 10 Start 23 VFO->Mem 16 Stop 23 Valid 23 Scan Mode 12 Scan Mode Buttons 12 MANUAL 12 SCAN 12 SEARCH 14 Index 49