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World of Ham Radio 1997
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WOHR97_AmSoft_(1997-02-01).iso
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k_expla.tx_
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1997-02-01
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409 lines
ADDITIONAL NOTES ON RIGMASTER 5.03
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
1. PROGRAM HISTORY
===============
New features of v 1.1 with respect to v 1.0:
- DDE: a DDE menu has been added, allowing you to select Client or Server DDE
and the relevant options;
- Freq. set option: the panel has been redesigned to allow for multiple
operations without having to re-make the freq. set selection every time;
- some minor improvements in controls operation.
New features of v 2.0:
- the support of TS850S;
- the capability to perform an automatic SWR measurements set within a
predifined frequency range, to visualize and print an SWR-versus-frequency
plot, to store measurement results on file and to retrieve them;
- other operational improvements.
New features of v 2.12:
- the support of TS450S and TS690S;
- the possibility of graphically comparing SWR plots;
- improvement of SWR plots print;
- modification of Server DDE strings;
- further operational improvements.
New features of v 2.32:
- the support of TS950SDX;
- possibility to operate the Client and Server DDE modes simultaneously;
- improvement of message parsing procedures.
New features of v 2.42:
- files are now generated with Visual Basic version 2.0;
- improvement in the SWR graphs presentation.
New features of v 3.0:
- files are now generated with Visual Basic version 3.0;
- a data base of HF stations for automatic SWL operation. It features
automatic selection of strongest station, with graphic presentation;
- automatic installation is now available;
- some operational improvements;
- new help structure.
New features of v 4.1:
- the capability to plot the antenna gain, to print the plot and to
store/retrieve data to/from file;
- some operational improvements.
New features of v 5.03:
- total re-design of the DDE facility. The Client-Server distinction does no
longer exist;
- some operational improvements.
2. NOTES ON SERIAL PORTS UTILIZATION
=================================
Transceiver control requires a free serial port. The program supports COM1,
COM2, COM3 and COM4. If the available serial ports are all utilized, you may
consider purchasing a 2-way (or even 4-way) RS-232 switch (typically around
30 US$) allowing you to share the same port over many devices. This solution
may be inadequate if you intend to operate RigMaster simultaneously with
other applications (multitasking mode is allowed by Windows) which also make
use of a serial port, such as a packet radio program.
To operate in multitasking mode, it is necessary to have serial ports confi-
gured such as to able to operate simultaneously with each other. Although
Windows allows you to install up to 4 serial ports (COM1 ... COM4), it is
worth noting that COM1 and COM3 typically share the same IRQ (IRQ4), so do
COM2 and COM4 (IRQ3). This means that only 2 ports can be simultaneously
active. If you use one port for the mouse and one for your packet radio
program you get stuck, as there are no more ports available to support
RigMaster. You may buy special serial boards which allow circumventing this
problem by selecting a different IRQ, which are becoming cheaper nowadays.
An alternative cost-effective solution (do it at your risk !) is that of
making a simple hardware modification to the board supporting COM3 / COM4, so
that at least one of the two ports can operate on an IRQ different from the
standard one. Unfortunately there are not plenty of IRQs to play with. A
viable solution is that of using an IRQ assigned to the parallel ports (IRQ5
or IRQ7). This should not cause problems as long as you use the parallel port
to actually print and not as an input device (this is quite an unfrequent
usage; anyway you would still be able to receive data over the parallel port,
if so required, but not while RigMaster is operational). I would suggest
using IRQ5, because IRQ7 is the default for common sound boards, which are
supported by Windows. It is conceivable to use also IRQ10 and IRQ11 (and
perhaps IRQ9). Access to the first two can only be gained on the second comb
connector, which normally does not exist on typical serial boards. Never use
IRQ2 on 286/386/486 PCs !
How to change the IRQ ? Quite simple: cut the appropriate copper strip of the
serial board (consult an hardware engineer if you need assistance) and make a
connection to the IRQ5 connector contact (next to IRQ4 pin). Note that most
serial boards do not even have a contact on the connector at the IRQ5 or IRQ7
position, as it would be of no use for them. It is therefore suggested that
you procure a board having, in addition to the serial port(s), also a paral-
lel port (which you may disable if not needed), this supposedly having the
IRQ5/IRQ7 contact you need.
To configure serial ports, run the "Control Panel", select "Port", then
"Settings", lastly "Advanced" and then enter the appropriate IRQ number.
As to sound boards, certain model allow you to utilize IRQ10, thus yielding
better flexibility in selecting IRQs for serial ports. Even higher flexi-
bility is achieved by using a "bus mouse" (having a dedicated board typically
configurable also on IRQ5), which frees a serial port.
As an example, the following table shows the configuration of my PC.
Device IRQ
---------------------
COM1 IRQ4
COM2 IRQ3
COM3 IRQ11
COM4 IRQ7
Sound Board IRQ10
Bus Mouse IRQ5
3. DIFFERENCES AMONG TRANSCEIVERS
==============================
Please take note that, depending on the transceiver used, certain controls
will result to be disabled, them not being implemented. These are:
- SUB VFO (TS-850S, TS-690S, TS-450S);
- Data ON-OFF control (TS-850S, TS-690S, TS-450S);
- VBT control (TS-850S, TS-690S, TS-450S);
- Collector current (Ic) meter (TS-850S, TS-690S, TS-450S);
- Compression meter (TS-690S, TS-450S);
- dB (AF) meter (TS-950SDX, TS-950S/SD,
TS-850S);
- Modes CW-R and FSK-R (TS-950S/SD);
- Mode TUNE (TS-950SDX, TS-950S/SD,
TS-690S, TS-450S);
- 270 Hz filter @ 8.83 MHz (TS-690S, TS-450S);
- 1.8 KHz filter @ 8.83 MHz (TS-850S, TS-690S, TS-450S);
- 250 Hz filter @ 455 KHz (TS-850S, TS-690S, TS-450S);
- 12 KHz filter @ 455 KHz in SSB/CW/FSK/AM modes (TS-950SDX, TS-950S/SD).
With other Kenwood transceivers, all the TS-950S/SD controls are made
enabled, so you should experiment which of them work in your case and which
not. Again, no tests have been conducted with other equipment, so that
results are unpredictable.
As far as filters are concerned, not all the filter positions shown on the
transceiver front panel may actually be operational, unless you buy optional
filters. To be able to manage all possible equipment configurations, the
program shows all the filter positions, so be not surprised if you will not
be able to set certain filters on, simply because you do not have them!
With the TS-950SDX, it will be possible to activate only those filters which
can be switched in on the front panel, these varying with the operating mode.
4. FILE STRUCTURES
===============
All files are so called - comma and "" delimited files - (common spreadsheet
import). They can be easily edited with a normal ASCII editor.
Where applicable, it is reminded that the signal strength is represented by
the number of lit LED bars on the S-meter (0 to 30). S-9 correponds to 15 lit
LED bars. One LED bar means a change of 4 dB.
4.1 Antenna plot feature files
--------------------------
The generated file has the following format (187-point example):
"6-January-93","16:37:25" ' plot date, time
187 ' number of points
8 ' plot step, in dB
1 ' if 1, rotation was CW during measurement
' if 0, rotation was CCW during measurement
8.947369 ' first point value
10 ' ... ... ...
8.947369 ' ... ... ...
9.473684 ' ... ... ...
9.473684 ' ... ... ...
9.473684 ' ... ... ...
6.842105 ' ... ... ...
7.368421 ' last point value
Please note that a change of 1 in the value (e.g. 10 to 9) means a change of
4 dB in signal level.
4.2. SWL feature files
-----------------
The SWL feature utilizes the following files:
- the GROUPS.DB file which contains the existing groups names and the names
of the files (extension .GRO is to implicitly be added) containing data
relevant to each group;
- as many .GRO files as the number of groups. Please note that numbers have
been used to designate file names (e.g. 1.GRO, 2.GRO etc.).
In the following, the content of a sample file set is given.
- File GROUPS.DB ----------------------------------------------------------
2 ' total number of .GRO files
1 ' file name (1.GRO) associated to the first group
"Broadcast" ' name of the first group
4 ' file name (4.GRO) associated to the second group
"Bullettins" ' name of the second group
Note: as shown in the above example, the .GRO file names are not necessarily
constituted by consecutive numbers.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
- File 1.GRO --------------------------------------------------------------
2 ' total number of stations on file
"BBC",5,"005","005",2 ' first station name, mode, 8.83 MHz filter,
455 KHz filter, number of frequencies
12345.67,23 ' first frequency, signal strength of first station
23456.78,18 ' second frequency, signal strength of first station
"VOA",5,"005","005",1 ' second station name, mode, 8.83 MHz filter,
455 KHz filter, number of frequencies
21987.65,11 ' first frequency, signal strength of second station
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
- File 4.GRO --------------------------------------------------------------
1 ' total number of stations on file
"ANSA",6,"007","007",1 ' first station name, mode, 8.83 MHz filter,
455 KHz filter, number of frequencies
3546.98,27 ' first frequency, signal strength of first station
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Please note the following data encodings:
- mode is encoded according to following table (where applicable):
1 LSB
2 USB
3 CW
4 FM
5 AM
6 FSK
7 CW-R
8 TUNE
9 FSK-R
- the 8.83 MHz filter is encoded as shown below (where applicable):
"002" through
"005" 6 KHz
"007" 2.7 Khz
"008" 1.8 KHz
"009" 500 Hz
"010" 270 Hz
- the 455 KHz filter is encoded as shown below (where applicable):
"002" 12 KHz
"003" 6 KHz FM (only TS450/690S)
"005" 6 KHz and, for TS-850S/950S/SD/SDX, also 6 KHz FM
"007" 2.7 KHz
"009" 500 Hz
"010" 250 Hz
4.3. SWR plot files
--------------
The generated file has the following format (7-point example):
"6-January-93","16:37:25" ' plot date, time
7,14000,80 ' number of points, start frequency, step
"Frequency","LED count","SWR" ' labels
14000,5,1.5 ' frequency, lit LED bars count, SWR
14080,2,1.3 ' ... ... ... ...
14160,1,1.15 ' ... ... ... ...
14240,1,1.15 ' ... ... ... ...
14320,3,1.4 ' ... ... ... ...
14400,5,1.5 ' ... ... ... ...
14480,8,1.8 ' ... ... ... ...
(the above is the response of my Hy-Gain 204BA 4-element monobander)
5. PROGRAM FILES
=============
- KEN_I0JX.EXE the main executable Windows 3.1 file
- 850.ICO a Windows icon for TS-850S owners
- 690.ICO a Windows icon for TS-690S owners
- 450.ICO a Windows icon for TS-450S owners
- K_READ.ME this file
- K_LEGGI.MI this file translated into Italian
- K_EXPLA.TXT more details on RigMaster
- K_SPIEG.TXT as above translated into Italian
- GROUPS.DB a support file for the SWL feature
- 1.GRO files a data base file for the SWL feature
- 2.GRO files a data base file for the SWL feature
- 3.GRO files a data base file for the SWL feature
- 4.GRO files a data base file for the SWL feature
- 5.GRO files a data base file for the SWL feature
- PRO67_7.SWR a sample .SWR file
- PRO67_14.PLT a sample .PLT file
6. ADDITIONAL NOTES ON HARDWARE
============================
Between the standard VGA mode (640x480) and SVGA modes some differences exist
for what concerns fonts appearance. Due to the increasing usage of SVGA
modes, the graphic presentation has been optimized for these modes (both
800x600 and 1024x768).
KEN_I0JX.EXE heavily relies upon colors. I cannot predict the program
operability with a monochrome monitor or a VGA board with less than 256
colors.
KEN_I0JX.EXE has been exclusively tested on 33/50/66 MHz machines; but there
should be no reason why the program should not work on other machines. Never-
theless certain features may not work if the computer is not fast enough
(reports welcome).
7. VISUAL BASIC SUPPORT FILES
==========================
The following files are utilized:
- VBRUN300.DLL
- GSWDLL.DLL
- GSW.EXE
- GAUGE.VBX
- GRAPH.VBX
- SPIN.VBX
- THREED.VBX
Caution: the corresponding files of Visual Basic 1.0 or 2.0 may not properly
work with KEN_I0JX.EXE.
8. COMMAND LINE SYNTAX
===================
The command line shall read \XXX\KEN_I0JX.EXE nX, where XXX is the RigMaster
directory and nX is a field to be filled as explained below.
If the expression nX is left blank (i.e. the command line is just KEN_I0JX.
EXE), the program will just start assuming COM1 as the default COM port and
DDE disabled.
If you instead wish a different default COM port or you wish to directly
activate a DDE feature, please use the following syntax:
n is:
1 to get COM1 as default
2 to get COM2 as default
3 to get COM3 as default
4 to get COM4 as default
X sets the program starting mode, according to following table:
|--------|-----------|----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
| normal | minimized | DDE | DDE | DDE | COM |
| window | | disabled | frequency | frequency | port open |
| | | | only | & mode | Auto ON |
|-----|--------|-----------|----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
| X=A | X | | X | | | |
| X=B | | X | | X | | X |
| X=C | | X | | | X | X |
| X=D | X | | | X | | X |
| X=E | X | | | | X | X |
|-----|--------|-----------|----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
For instance, if the commmand line is KEN_I0JX.EXE 4C, the program will
automatically start minimized, with COM4 already open, with "Auto" set to ON
and with DDE set to "Frequency + mode".
9. ANTENNA PLOT
============
A wide range of signal levels can be used to perform the antenna plot,
however best results should be expected with a signal of about S9+10 when
the antenna is pointing the signal source. If the signal is lower, background
noise or interference may impair the measurement accuracy, especially when
the antenna is pointing 90 deg away from the source. Conversely, with a
stronger signal, the plot step will result to be larger, thus reducing the
plot resolution in Normal view (with the Expanded view however, the resolu-
tion is always the same independently of signal level).
As far as the indication of gain is concerned, this is determined by
calculating and processing the value of the gain curve area, and applying
correction factors taking account of the transformation of this curve into a
tri-dimensional surface. These factors were calculated on the basis of
typical Yagi antenna responses.
The inaccuracy of provided gain figure mainly arises from:
- the imprecision of the above mentioned correction factors (moderate
impact);
- the S-meter inaccuracy (larger impact);
- the antenna ohmic losses (typically little impact).
On the contary, coaxial cable loss has no impact on provided gain figures
(gain is defined at the antenna terminals).