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C A T 9 8 0 COMPUTER CONTROL (Writen in Turbo Pascal V4) For The YAESU(tm) FT980 Ver 1.8 Art Harding K5YEF P.O. Box 861719 Plano, Texas 75074 CompuServe ID 72770,2653 Copyright August 1988 - Share Ware Registration $20 May Be Freely Distributed - No Fee May Be Charged For Distribution PLEASE FEEL FREE TO PLACE THESE UNMODIFIED FILES ON YOUR FAVORITE BBS ========**======= The author of this program believes that the designers of the FT-980 HF radio were well ahead of their time in thinking Computer-Aided-Transceiver control. Indeed they incorporated features which today's 'new' radios, also boasting CAT control, actually lack. This is probably because the amateur community didn't respond immediately to the challenge. When the radio hit the market the next ARRL handbook hinted at the future possibilities. Yet where was the software? There are CAT programs but they seem to be toys, more for demonstrations, leaving the real promises left unfulfilled. It is hoped that CAT980 is a step away from the demo and in the right direction, a direction toward flexible operation. Just what can be done with this program is left to the imagination of the amateur/SWL user. Just what can be done in future versions will also be a product of this group. The author hopes these users will share their ASCII menus, memory files, tips and operating ideas with the rest of us. The real possibilities still lie ahead. FILES ON THIS DISK ================== 1. Your CAT980 disk contains the following files: A. CAT980.EXE This is a stand-alone program. B. CAT980.CFG This is a configuration file you can rewrite. C. *.MNU These are menu files - you can create more! D. *.MEM These are memory load files - you create too! E. CAT980.DOC This is what you read when all else fails. F. README.TXT The latest info. 2. This Manual Contains: Set Up * Description * Commands * Scanning * Menus * Memory Loads * Operation Appendix A: How To Write a Configuration File Appendix B: How To Write A Memory Load File Appendix C: How To Write Your Own Menus Appendix D: Hardware Interface (includes a schematic) It would be a good idea to put all the supplied files (not necessarily this .doc file) into a a sub directory called \CAT980 if you run from a hard disk. Running from a floppy is FB too. FIRST THE HARDWARE =================== You can use a Yaesu(tm) commercial interface, such as the FIF- 232C, or you can build the circuit described in this package (Appendix D) for about the price of a good steak dinner - and not much longer in time to build as to cook 'n consume. If you do have any interface problems then send me a SASE and explain the problem. Don't worry about not being a registered user; I wouldn't register either until I had it running and planned to use it! Besides, hamming is more important than money (not an XYL quote). *YOU MUST CONNECT A H\W INTERFACE BETWEEN YOUR IBM/COMPATIBLE *AND THE FT980!* If you don't have a Yaesu interface or are a builder at heart, you should like the simple circuit in Appendix D. It has excellent isolation and the parts can be acquired almost anywhere including Radio Shack(tm). Four op amps in one chip do the job with op amps left over. (You may even want to develop your own circuit.) For a power supply, two 9v. batteries work nicely. Battery drain is low enough that it may be left connected for 9 days without going down - but it would be a good idea to include an on/off switch or power from a permanent supply. The author built this circuit on a Radio Shack breadboard. GETTING STARTED =============== If there is going to be any trouble at all it will probably be in the H/W. If you are using the commercial interface then you're way ahead of the game; even the cables are ready to go. It should be a piece of cake. If you're a mama-please-I'll-do-it-myself, like the author, then be careful about the pin outs for both the computer and the radio. Once you get it running it will be a snap from there on. We'll assume at this point you are interfaced. BUT STOP! Do You Really Want To Use COM 1? The default port for CAT980 is COM 1. But many people have a mouse, packet modems, etc., hanging on this port. CAT980 let's you use any of 4 ports - but you must tell the program which one you want to use. You can do this by adding the statement COMM=2 (or 3 or 4) to the supplied file CAT980.CFG to the port you want to use. See Appendix A for a discussion on this but for now you can ignore the port assignment because there is another way. Upon entry to CAT980 you may also hit a Control p <^p> and bring up a port menu which will allow you to choose any port at that time - provided the CAT980.CFG file does not contain a COMM=X statement!! The supplied .cfg file on your disk does not. You might want to use this feature while you're installing the interface; you can add the port statement to the .cfg file when you're happy with a particular configuration. FROM THE BEGINNING ================== OK, if the hardware is in place then let's bring up the program. From the proper directory and the DOS prompt type: cat980 <CR> EXIT? ---- Before you get into this here's how you get out: Hit <Alt X> and follow the exit menu instructions. CAT980 UP AND RUNNING ===================== The first thing you will see is the header with the copyright share ware info. Press any key to move on. The next thing to happen is a message stating that the .cfg file is being read(or that it's not present, it really doesn't have to be). That's the file above with the port info and some other customized installation info. There's more to that file like zulu time shift and a way to show your time zone in english - but we'll get to that latter. For now let's continue. The only thing that will abort the program at this point is a bum port statement in the file - like, COMM=5. PROOF OF THE PUDDING ==================== After the screen tells you it is done reading the .cfg file it will ask you to hit any key. IF YOU DON'T GET A H/W ERROR MESSAGE NOW YOUR INTERFACE IS A.O.K! One of two things is about to happen. One - the program will continue and you can congratulate yourself on a proper hardware installation. Two - a hardware error message will appear and the program will automatically abort. Don't be discouraged if this happens; the original system development had both software and hardware unknowns to contend with. Go back over the lash up. If you have an RS 232 tester you should be able to see CAT980 trying to communicate with the radio. Pin connections, mixed or wrong, are usually the culprits. If you really get into what seems an unsolvable interface problem then drop me a line on CompuServe(ID 72770,2653) or in the mail(sase) - but please document your problem thoroughly. ON WITH IT ========== Once you get past the interface installation the program will go into its next phase. It will load a .mem file into the FT-980 and you can see this happening on the screen. It will load a .mem only if the .cfg file tells it to (the one on the disk tells it to load example1.mem) - again, more about that later. You will see a presentation of the FT-980 16 memories (yes, 16, not 12 as shown on the front panel). You will see Channel 1, 8, 12 and 16 being loaded by example1.mem file on your disk. You will be able to write numerous such files which will load all or any combination of the 16 memories. *DON'T WORRY. YOUR ORIGINAL STORAGE IN CHANNEL 1, 8, & 12* *WILL BE RESTORED WHEN YOU EXIT CAT980!* Next you will see a message indicating that storage frequency slots are being loaded. These are 300 special memories inside CAT980 that you can also write your own files for. Wait until you are asked to hit any key and please do so. THE WORKING SCREEN DISPLAYS =========================== The operating status is always on the screen in the status display boxes on the bottom of the screen, just above the "COMMAND >" line. On the far left is the OP FREQ box, the same digital display as on the radio. Both the megahertz and kilohertz digits are marked for an easy read. The next box is the status display box which displays the Vfo, HAM or GEN; MEM, if in memory mode along with the selected channel. A two-note musical symbol before the channel number indicates that the memory is unlocked (as SHIFT/LBD button on the radio) or, if absent, that the radio is locked to the memory channel, the normal state. In the same box on the bottom line is the Mode - LSB, USB, CWW, CWN, AMW, AMN, FSK or FM. If in FSK the shift, 170, 425 or 850 hz is shown. Also in the same box is the clarifier or RIT indicator. This top line only comes alive if the RIT is activated. It indicates RX, TX or RX/TX configurations and displays + or - shift in hz from the OP FREQ. If there is no shift no number is shown. If RIT is off no display clarifier info is shown. The next display box is the Time Box. It shows the day and date for local time plus a local time zone descriptor you supply in the config file (see Appendix A). Below the local time is UTC (zulu) which is displayed as a shift from local time. This is also set up in the config file by you for your QTH. The last display box shows an indication of the PC/FT980 interface. A blinking X means no communication between these two. It will be replaced by head-to-head arrows after CAT980 captures the radio. This box also displays the port in use (COM 1 thru 4) after the radio is captured. Just above the box will appear an indication if you raise the RTS or DTR lines. Nothing will show if the lines are in their default low state. (See TAB and ShftTAB). Above the status boxes you will see an analog presentation of the FT-980 dial. Each ham band has its own dial and the GEN VFO has its own individual display also. The dial shown will be whatever the radio was tuned to before it was captured. TRY IT OUT ========== OK, let's try some frequency commands below: Right Arrow Down 10 hz Left Arrow Up 10 hz Up Arrow Up 100 hz Dn Arrow Dn 100 hz PageUp Up 1 Khz PageDown Dn 1 Khz Ctrl Lft Arrow Up 5 KHz Ctrl Rgt Arrow Dn 5 KHz Home/End Moves frequency from one end of the band to the other. On the GEN VFO this is from 29.999.990 Mhz to 150 Khz! On the ham bands it goes from one legal end to the other. It will also honor limits set by the Tab feature. *IT DIDN'T WORK?* *YOU CAN'T PICK UP SIX METERS ON THE FT-980!* Remember, the radio has built in limitations. If you captured the FT-980 while it was in memory mode than you can't change the frequency from the keyboard any more than you can from the front panel. You have to unlock the memory (SHIFT/LDB button on the FT-980) - you do this with the <Delete> key. Try it and then run thru the above keys. You may even want to exit the program <AltX><CR> and set the radio to VFO and GEN from the front panel - then reenter CAT980 and try again. (Just for now; just till you get used to it.) *STAY AWAY FROM THE FT-980 CONTROLS?* *JUST SOME OF 'EM!* By the way, if habit has you reaching over and pushing buttons on the FT980 after it's captured, nothing may happen. BUT - when you exit CAT980 all those buttons you pushed will then take effect. The knobs you can twist are those that are not allowed to be controlled by the radio's PROM. You'll learn what you can and cannot do quickly. In general: --------------------------------------------------------------------- |YOU HAVE CONTROL OF ALL KNOBS AND | CAT980 HAS CONTROL OF ALL | |BUTTONS('LOCK' excepted) TO THE | KNOBS ('FWD SET'/'ATT' | |LEFT OF THE MAIN TUNING DIAL | excepted) AND BUTTONS TO | | | THE RIGHT OF THE MAIN | | | TUNING DIAL. | ---------------------------------------------------------------------- *CAT980 HAS CONTROL OF THE MAIN TUNING DIAL* Let's go to the main menu and check some of the features. Hit <F1>. This is the main menu and shows most of the features and many of the commands. The frequency commands we played with above are shown here plus a whole lot more. Do a <PgDn> to read more of the menu. <ESC> will take you back to the command line. THE CAT980 COMMAND SET ====================== The following is a list of the CAT980 major command set and an explanation of their effect: ESC "Abort and Ooooops" The <ESC> key can be your friend. It will often abort a procedure that was begun. Use it when in doubt until it does nothing else but produce an error msg. F1 "CAT980 Help File" You will reach a proficiency level where you won't need this display, but it's always there if you do. F2 "Key In A Frequency" This allows you to key in a frequency with numbers from the keyboard. If you hit an <ESC> at any time the procedure will abort and the original frequency that was initially displayed will return. Hit a <CR> anytime the display is showing what you want - regardless of where the cursor is - and that's the frequency you get. You can use the right/left arrow keys to move about and even the <Home><End> keys will take you to each limit. But keep in mind that if you try something the radio just can't do, you'll get an error, i.e. keying in 8 Mhz from a ham band. The bands and dial display will switch however if the frequency you key in is valid. *ERROR - Beyond FT-980 Capability* *THE RADIO CAN'T GO TO 6.99 MHZ IF IT'S ON 40 M. HAM VFO!* F3 "Mode Options" LSB USB CWW CWN AMW AMN FSK FM Pretty straight forward. You use the left/right arrow and the <Home><End> keys to move from mode to mode. Note that the command is instant and follows the arrow keys so that you can "hear" what you're doing. (Remember, you can't change the mode in memory - or can you? See ShftF9!) When you have the mode you want, hit a <CR>. Note also that if you choose FSK another display appears and asks you for the shift. Now you can go from 170, 425 to 850 hz without crawling behind the rig! Like many of the commands your can repeat the command key again to abort, in this case <F3>, and it will return you to the command line. Handy when you hit the wrong key. F4 "HAM/GEN Toggle" Another straight forward command. If you're in the VFO mode hit F4 to change from GEN to HAM and vice versa. If the radio is in the memory mode this key will, of course, give you an error. See F5. F5 "VFO MR RXM RXV Options" But if <F4> does give an error than here's how to get out of it. (Choose VFO and then try <F4> again) With <F5> use the left/right arrow keys again to move about (and <Home><End>) - to move thru the FT-980 configurations - again they happen as you move. But notice how the display really shows you what the deal is (unlike the radio!). You can see the splits and what the Tx frequency will be before you key up! A <CR> permanents your selection. Like the front panel operation you must make sensible choices for split operation. F6 "Clarifier (RIT) Options" OFF RX /TX Use the arrow keys to move about and change the RIT through four different operating possibilities. After you make your choice <CR>, most of the frequency controls move the RIT frequency. RIT will also be disabled automatically by some of the other commands - like a band change from 80 to 40 meters. F7 "Radio Memories Active Display" This will activate the Memory display. The command line relinquishes control and the applicable commands are displayed on the left side of the display and now apply only to this display. That is to say, all the arrow keys and <Home><End> keys will move you about the memory display. If the radio is in memory mode upon entry then the channels will become active as you move about. When you hit a <CR> the memory channel the cursor is on becomes active. Note again that while the front panel only has 12 memories, the radio actually offers 16. *IF YOU HIT A <CR> THE SELECTED CHANNEL WILL BE ACTIVATED!* *USE <ESC> TO LEAVE WITH NO CHANGES* When you hit <F6> again (or <ESC>) the display of memories remain but all command keys go back to their regular state to the command line. This is the way to change the channel selection without activating the memory channel selection itself. Hit either <F7> or <ESC> again and the display disappears. F8 "IF Filter Active Display" This feature displays an approximate picture of the variable band pass vs. the fixed filters in the FT-980. The command line relinquishes control and a new command set to move the filter about is shown in the display. This takes the guess work out of tuning by ear - it actually compliments your hearing. Pertinent filter data is calculated and displayed as well and the displayed graphics are derived from the FT-980 PROM statusing stream. Hit <F8> again (or <ESC>) and the filter display remains but all command keys return to their regular state from the command line. To see all the filters in this state hit an <F3> (provided the radio is not in memory mode) and 'walk' through the various modes. The filter display will change accordingly. <F8> or <ESC> will remove the display. F9 "SCANNER Options" This feature can put some imagination back into operating. There are three different scan modes - each accessible through <F9> or individual control keys from the command line. From <F9> use the up/down arrow and <Home><End> keys to select the desired scan mode. A <CR> will activate your choice. See "Scanning Operations" described latter in this paper F10 "WWV 10 Mhz" Here's a real help for precise operating. Just hit <F10> and you've got WWV on 10 Mhz. Hit it again (or any key) and you go right back to the operating frequency and mode prior to the WWV command. If 10 Mhz is not cooperating then hit <Shift F10> and you get WWV on 5 Mhz with the same instant return feature. Shift F1 "Files" This command allows you to load memory and menu files that you have created. Be sure and load only files with extensions .mnu and .mem - although CAT980 will permit other extensions to be recognized. However to load a file not created for menu or memory loads will most certainly have unpredictable results! To realize the full advantage of this feature read Appendix B. For now do a <ShftF1> and load the supplied 10 meter beacon frequency memory file. Supply the prompt with 'beacon10.mem' without the '' marks and hit a <CR>. There are some more .mem files on your disk you may want to try. *DEFAULT FOR <ShftF1> IS .MNU * Do a <ShftF1> again and supply the name 'DEMO' without the '' marks. This is where the real fun begins! Use up/down arrows to pick a selection and instantly deploy the radio! Appendix C will show you how to build your own!! Shift F2 "Save Set Up" This will store the present set up - frequency, mode etc., into a special memory slot to be used with the <ShiftF3> key. Shift F3 "Restore Set Up" This toggles between the setup saved by <ShiftF2> and whatever the configuration was when you hit <F2>. Let's say you a setup saved by <ShiftF2> that was USB but you are presently monitoring a TTY frequency in FSK down the band. You can toggle between the two setups quickly - seeing if that USB station you are looking for is on the air yet then dropping back to get some copy. You can also use it for a quick USB/LSB switch if you set it up that way. This feature is also handy in checking another station for spurious emissions - allowing you to toggle between the unwanted signal and the QSO frequency quickly for a report. Shift F4 thru Shift F8 "IF Filter Control" These commands allow the same control of the IF filters that you can get from the active filter display <F8> - only no display is active. The commands are: Shift F4 : Shifts the filter up 100 hz. Shift F5 : Shifts the filter down 100 hz. Shift F6 : Moves the left skirt to the right. Shift F7 : Moves the right skirt to the left. Shift F8 : Centers the IF filters. Shift F9 "Memory Channel to Operating Mode" This command activates the selected memory channel in the FT-980 into the VFO mode - something the front panel would never let you do. This is not the same thing as selecting a memory channel where you will be 'stuck' with whatever mode and vfo that channel is locked to. After a <ShftF9> you have control of the parameters as if they were manually entered. Indeed, that's exactly what CAT980 has done for you and at maximum speed. The memory channel activated can be chosen by <F7>. Shift F10 "WWV 5Mhz" This is the same as <F10> only brings up WWV on 5 Mhz. SCANNING OPERATIONS =================== Enter the scanning operations with <F9> for a menu, or choose a direct command listed below to directly enter a particular scanning mode. <^v> SCAN MARKED FREQUENCIES ---------------------------- This mode will scan the frequencies you have marked during previous operation with a <^s> or loaded from a .mem file. There must be at least 2 marked frequencies and can be as many as 300. (See Appendix B.) You will be prompted for a 'hang time' - that time in seconds, approximately, that the radio will remain on each frequency before advancing the scan to the next loaded slot. This parameter may be in tenths of a second up to 300 seconds. .3, 3 and 300 are all valid entries. Three hundred seconds is 5 minutes and may seem a bit excessive for most operating. On the other hand one may be scanning fax frequencies and time is needed to present part of the picture on the screen (using a program like AEA(tm) PKFAX. Once the scan begins simply hit any key to stop it. Caution: The scan won't stop until the present frequency stop has completed its hang time. So if you do choose 300 you've got time to put on a pot of coffee after you command a scan halt! On the other hand, if you have a fast scan in progress and you don't hit a key fast enough and overshoot the frequency of interest, use <BkSp> and <^BkSp> to back down or go forward thru the frequencies. A <CR> will start the scan again from the any slot or an <ESC> will exit the scan leaving the last frequency as the operating frequency. <^n> MEMORY SCAN OF THE FT-980 MEMORIES --------------------------------------- You're first prompted for how many channels to scan from 2 to 16. A <CR> defaults to 2 channels. Next you're asked what the timing should be - that period that the FT-980 remains on a channel. This is the same as the example above with 5 minutes max. Time wise you're limited by the 4800 baud rate of the FT-980 and your system speed. We've heard it go fast enough between two broadcast stations that music from one and speech from the other seemed to be on top of each other! The channels being scanned are those of the FT-980 memory bank. Of course these must be selected first. You can do that from the keyboard using the Insert key (write-to-memory) - or better yet, load the whole bank quickly with a memory file (see ShftF1). <^b> BAND SCAN -------------- This mode is truly versatile. First the band limits default to the ham band edges - if HAM vfo selected - OR you can set the limits by setting the Tabs (<^l>,<^u>,<^t>). Once you have defined the edges to scan you are prompted for the frequency differential, that 'distance' from one scan frequency to the next. The default is 10 Khz or the last differential entered - but you can choose any difference frequency from 10 hz (enter 0.001) to 500 Khz (enter 500). Pick a reasonable number in relation to the band limits. If CW is of interest one might choose 100 or 200 hz or perhaps 2 Khz for ssb. When a band edge is detected by CAT980 the frequency will jump to the other edge and continue the scan. Once the scan begins you can again stop it by hitting any key and use the back space or control back space to retrace the previous frequencies or manually move forward. Hitting a <CR> will resume the scan from any stop point or an <ESC> will terminate the scan and leave the radio on the last frequency. Of course if tabs are used they must be set correctly; the FT-980 allows backward tabs with unpredictable results. See Tabs below. MANUAL SCAN This is not a scanning option as such but can be used most effectively in some situations. Simply use the frequency move commands, <+> and <-> keys, to 'walk' up or down a spectrum. Once you have selected the amount, say 2 Khz, it is only necessary to manually keep hitting the key to produce a scan type effect, but try not to overload your computer buffer by holding down the key indefinitely (each computer is different). Manual scan can be from 10 hz to 500 Khz increments with the <+><-> keys. A manual scan can also be had with the <BkSp> and <^BkSp> keys moving through the CAT980 loaded slots. USER MENU'S - YOUR PERSONALITY ------------------------------ You can effectively 'program' CAT980 to suite your operating needs. You can create an unlimited number of operating menus in plain text ASCII editors and CAT980 will read them in, display them, and deploy the radio to a given menu selection. If you haven't tried this feature yet, do it now. Call in the W1AW.MNU supplied on your disk. Do the following: 1. Hit <ShiftF1>. 2. Type 'w1aw' without the '' marks. 3. Use the up/down arrow keys to pick a selection. 4. Hit <CR> and the radio is there! Your menu entries can call out frequency, mode, FSK shift, filter width, filter shift - and even split frequency operation for such operating as 10 meter FM repeaters. See Appendix C for details on how to create your own menus. USER MEMORY PROGRAMING ======================= The FT-980 Sixteen Memories ---------------------------- You may also create an unlimited number of plain text ASCII files (they must have the extension .mem) to load the FT-980 memories - any or all 16 of them - when you first enter CAT980 or any time during operation. There are 16 memories available even though the radio only allows 12 from the front panel. Try loading the example1.mem file from the keyboard. 1. Hit <ShiftF1>. 2. Type 'example1.mem' without the '' marks. 3. Hit <CR> and watch the action on the screen. (Try the same with beacon10.mem) Standard Memory (and not so standard) Operations ------------------------------------------------ <Del> From the keyboard you can lock or unlock the memory function with the <Del> key, the same result you get with the Shift/LDB button on the FT-980 panel during non CAT operation. As with the radio this toggle can only occur when the radio is in the memory mode. <Ins> If you are in the VFO mode you can store the present operating parameters in the selected memory with the <Ins> key. One thing the radio won't do but CAT980 will, is to bring any of the 16 memory channels 'alive' as the VFO frequency. Hitting <ShiftF9> will so activate the selected memory channel into the VFO mode so the operator then has control of mode, etc. The CAT980 Three Hundred Memories --------------------------------- Three hundred available memories may seem excessive for most operations, yet this flexibility offers the imaginative operator his own horizons and a chance to implement some new ideas. For instance the memories can be configured to allow a scan of a number of ham bands to monitor for band openings. A user memory load file can be created to scan the spectrum from 30 Mhz down, allowing the operator to spot the approximate MUF vicinity. See Appendix C for a guide to writing .mem files. <^s> There are a number of ways to program each and all of the 300 slots. During regular operation a <^s> from the keyboard will load a slot and advance the storage pointer ready to load the next slot. One use for this feature is to install a scan to check for SWR across a desired band. It goes without saying that to do this with the transmitter on at high power or when frequencies are active is not the thing to do. <^a><^d><^r><^f> ---------------- Besides pre written ASCII files a 'high speed' load can load up to all three hundred slots automatically can be implemented from a .mem file and is also available from the keyboard. Use the following procedure: 1. Hit <^a> 2. Enter the frequency difference in hz of each slot up to 100 Khz. 3. Enter the number of slots desired up to the amount shown. The first slot loaded will be the first slot available. You can clear all slots with a <^d>, select any slot with a <^r>, or activate a display showing all the slots and their frequencies with a <^f>. FREQUENCY CONTROL ================== These commands will probably be some of your most used keys. CAT980 has expanded the flexibility of the FT-980 to allow a number of useful possibilities. Some of these commands have already been mentioned but are all grouped together here: Right Arrow Down 10 hz Left Arrow Up 10 hz Up Arrow Up 100 hz Dn Arrow Dn 100 hz PageUp Up 1 Khz PageDown Dn 1 Khz Ctrl Lft Arrow Up 5 KHz Ctrl Rgt Arrow Dn 5 KHz + Move Up xxx KHz ( from 10 hz to 500 Khz) - Move Down xxx KHz (initial default for +- is 10 Khz) (+/- defined by operator from 10 hz<0.01> to 100 Khz<100>) BackSpace If 2 to 300 slots are loaded, <BkSp> will restore the next lower slot from the last one chosen. Ctrl BackSpace The same except the next higher slot is chosen. Ctrl Page Up This is the normal FT-980 band change command. Hit <^PgUp> to advance to the next upper band. Ctrl Page Dn <^PgDn> drops to the next lower band. Ctrl Home Sets GEN=HAM (or HAM=GEN) VFO frequency equality. This can be extremely useful in many situations. If you are operating on 14.233, a <^Home> will set the GEN VFO to the same frequency. This will also work for a HAM=GEN match provided the GEN frequency to be matched lies within a ham band. Ctrl End This is an 'external' command. <^End> toggles the OFFSET display on the FT-980 only. It produces no screen action. <Home><End> Top/Bottom band limits. These limits default to the regular ham band edges, i.e. 7.3/7.0 for 40 meters, or they can be defined by the operator using the Tab controls (^l, ^u, ^t). Home and End keys will honor activated tab limits. F2 Key in any frequency by the digits. You can use the <Home><End> keys, arrow keys and the digit keys to set up a frequency. Any time a <CR> is entered the radio will be deployed to the displayed frequency - provided it isn't outside the radio's capability. ShiftF3 This will toggle the operating frequency between the present frequency and any frequency marked by <ShiftF2>. If no frequency is entered than the default is the frequency of entry when CAT980 first gained control or a major change such as a Band Up command is issued. ^r This restores any frequency marked by a <^s> or loaded with a 'high speed' load. Simply supply the slot number when prompted. If the exact slot number is not known use <^f> for a display of all loaded slots. ^q This activates the FT-980 and CAT980 status display. The info displayed is self explanatory. ^o This command toggles the continuous Tx monitor control on and off. When on, CAT980 continually interrogates the radio from the command line to see if it has changed from its last state of receive or transmit. This can be handy in VOX operation when there is no way for the program to know that the operator's voice has keyed the radio. If you are using a lash up where the RTS or DTR line is keying the radio then this feature can be left in it's default OFF state. A word of caution about enabling this feature: because of the steady stream of data between the computer and radio, the other commands become slower acting. If a command key is held down to slew a frequency change, the buffer in the computer may fall behind the radio to the point that control is lost! Depending on your operating habit this may or may not be a problem. Experiment. But if you don't need the feature it's recommended that you leave it disabled. It may be also be enabled by a line in the .cfg file. See Appendix A. TABS ===== We're talking here about the FT-980 Tab functions not to be confused with computer keyboard tabs. The FT-980 seems to accept some unacceptable tab limits like the lower frequency being the upper tab limit. When setting tabs use the same precautions outlined in the radio manual. Common sense will keep CAT980 and FT-980 happy. Below is an example procedure to set the tabs to the 10 meter novice phone band: 1. Set lower tab. <F2> Key in 28.300.000 as the operating frequency. <^l> set lower tab. 2. Set upper tab. <F2> Key in 28.500.000 as the operating frequency. <^u> set upper tab. 3. Activate tabs. <^t> This command toggles tabs on and off. When on, notice that the <Home><End> keys now define the band limits as 28.3 to 28.5 Mhz.. Try a band scan <^b> with the tabs activated. One last note on tabs. The radio itself stores two complete sets, one for GEN and one for HAM operation. It's good practice to have both pre set to sensible limits before operation is switched to CAT980. Otherwise some strange conditions can occur such as the frequency 00000000! Doing a <^q> will display the state of the present tab settings. EXTERNAL COMMANDS ================= You may want to control some device from within CAT980, especially a transmit function. Both RTS and DTR lines can be controlled from the keyboard. TAB Toggles the RTS line high and low. ShftTAB Toggles the DTR line high and low. CAT980 is unaware of your intentions so it is taking no chances. If either of the commands above are initiated, CAT980 interrogates the FT980 to see if there has been any changes. If you use the TAB key to raise the RTS line and key the radio, your command line prompt will change from the normal "COMMAND >" to a blinking "TX CMD >>" indication. INTRODUCTION TO APPENDICES ========================== BEFORE YOU WRITE ANY FILES.... ============================== As you know some editors add a lot of control bytes that the editor itself uses. Most editors have an ASCII save function to write a file without these characters. If nothing else the EDLIN editor that comes with DOS will create usable files for CAT980. FORMATTING RULES ---------------- 1. Statements may be upper, lower or mixed case unless noted. 2. Statements must appear and be spelled exactly: freq=2810000 is valid, frequency=2810000 will be ignored. 3. Statements must contain NO spaces: channel=11 is a valid statement; channel= 11 is not valid. 4. Statements should be the same line, separated by spaces, unless noted. Comments In The File -------------------- Any text in the file that is not formatted as above will be ignored and thus can be useful as comments. Keep in mind however that CAT980 will examine these comments to see if there are indeed any valid commands imbedded in them and, if there are, it will attempt to execute them. Load CHANNEL = 12 for cw net. (This will be ignored as a comment.) Load CHANNEL=12 for cw net. (This WILL load channel 12!) Error Messages -------------- CAT980 tries to catch specific errors if you miswrite a user file. Watch for them! HINTS ON WRITING FILES ----------------------- The more comments and blank lines you have in any .mem or user file you create, the longer it will take for CAT980 to 'read' it. A well written, tight file will be loaded much quicker than one with a lot of non-command text. Actually, in most cases, your comments won't visibly slow down the loads unless they are unusually long. The supplied files on your disk contain a number of comments - and worth reading too! See the included BEACON10.MEM file as an example of a 'tight' file.. APPENDIX A WRITING THE CAT980.CFG CONFIG FILE ================================== First off, the one thing you do NOT want to do in this file is include a COMM= statement unless you are absolutely sure which port you are going to use. Leaving this statement out allows CAT980 to default to COM1 and will let you use a <^p> to change the port from the keyboard prior to capturing the radio. If you have decided on a port, however, then by all means include the statement in this file so CAT980 will always know automatically which port to use. ONE of the following is allowed: COMM=1 COMM=2 COMM=3 COMM=4 Lower case is OK but include no spaces and keep this statement on a line by itself. Your supplied cat980.cfg file contains NO COMM= statement, allowing the default for port 1 and the use of <^p> for set up purposes. *YOU MUST HAVE THE HARDWARE INSTALLED IN YOUR COMPUTER* *TO USE THE ABOVE PORTS!* THE SCREEN CLOCK ================ CAT980 derives its time and date from your system clock so it is assumed you will have that set correctly on boot up or you have a permanent system hardware clock installed. Depending upon where in the world you are, you can include a TIMEZONE= statement up to 5 printable ASCII characters. Some of the most common are: timezone=CST timezone=CSDT timezone=EST timezone=X9IQK No, that last one is not a misprint even though it is meaningless. The point is whatever 5 characters you choose, that is what will be shown in upper case in your clock box on the screen. *IF YOU OMIT THE TIMEZONE= STATEMENT THE TIME BOX* *WILL DISPLAY THE WORD 'LOCAL'* Because hams often live on UTC the clock box displays both your local time and UTC time. The date and day, however, are always local. Since CAT980 doesn't know where you are operating from, you can use the ZULUSHIFT= statement to set the UTC time. Some examples are: STATEMENT or STATEMENT for QTH ------------- ------------- ----------- zulushift=+6 zulushift=-18 CST zulushift=0 (omit) London zulushift=-1 zulushift=+23 Germany zulushift=-9 zulushift=+15 Japan zulushift=-14 zulushift=+10 Hawaii *CAT980 IS FRIENDLY TO 9V1'S IN SINGAPORE!* If you live in a part of the world that is on the half hour in respect to UTC the time box will still work for you. In Singapore only one statement will work: zulushift=-7.5 (you'll get an error if you try +16.5, it's too long) Any other half hour time zone can be set in the same manner. *DEFAULT FOR CAT980 IS C.S.T.* *IF YOUR QTH IS IN ZERO TIME ZONE THAN ONLY ONE TIME WILL BE* *DISPLAYED IN THE TIME BOX* LOAD A MEMORY FILE STATEMENT ============================ You will probably want to enter CAT980 with a particular configuration of memories. CAT980 will load a .mem file on entry provided you include the LOAD= statement. The file name must be a standard DOS file name and the file must be located in the same directory as the main program. *ALL YOUR MEMORIES SET PREVIOUSLY BY THE FRONT PANEL WILL BE* *AUTOMATICALLY RESTORED AFTER A SESSION* To demonstrate this capability your supplied cat980.cfg file includes the statement LOAD=EXAMPLE1.MEM. CHECK FOR TRANSMIT ================== One allowable statement the author isn't particularly fond of is the CHECKTX= statement. It's only allowable form is: checktx=on This tells CAT980 to continually interrogate the FT-980 from the command prompt to see if it has changed from receive to transmit and the other way around. Somehow the steady stream of data flowing between the radio and the computer lacks a certain eloquence. The advantage is that in operation like VOX, the screen would show a transmit condition when the operator speaks and keys the radio. The disadvantage is it can slow down the keyboard commands. If a key is held down by the operator, say a manual sweep stepping 1 Khz up the band <Home>, then at some point the commands outnumber the ability to respond and the interface could be lost. It depends on your habits (do you hold down a key for long periods?)and the speed of your computer. However no difference in response should be noticed with singular commands during normal CAT980 operation. If you want to use the CheckTx= statement go ahead and experiment. It has been omitted in the supplied configuration file. *IF YOU DON'T INCLUDE THE CHECKTX= STATEMENT* *YOU CAN STILL USE THE FEATURE FROM THE KEYBOARD WITH A ^O* By the way, if you are keying the radio through the RTS or DTR lines than you will get a screen indication of a transmit condition the moment the line changes state. The author finds this more satisfactory at this QTH and simply leaves the statement out of the config file. APPENDIX B Writing CAT980 Memory Files =========================== You may write an 'unlimited' number of memory files to compliment your operating preferences. These must be plain text ASCII files and formatted as explained as previously explained and with special difference shown below. There are two main functions that are controlled by this user file, (1. the loading of any one or all of the FT980 internal memories, 2( the loading of any one or all of CAT980 300 memory storage slots. Loading The FT-980 Internal Memories ------------------------------------ Each or any of the radio memories can be loaded from this file by the following format: Channel=1 Freq=2810000 Mode=USB vfo=HAM | | | | | | | | | | | - Can be HAM GEN | | | | | -Can be LSB USB CWW CWN AMW AMN FSK FM | | | -Must be 7 digits. | | - One of the FT-980 memory channels. Must be 1 thru 16. The key is the statement 'Channel=x'. Any parameters following such a statement such as frequency, mode and vfo will pertain to that channel number. When the next channel number statement is encountered than all the info following will pertain to that channel, etc. You can load them in any order you desire. Allowable Range of Parameters: Channel=1 Freq=2810000 Mode=USB vfo=HAM | | | | | | | |_HAM GEN | | | | | |_USB LSB CWN CWW FSK AMW AMN FM | | | |_0015000 to 2999990 (150 Khz to 29.999.990 Mhz) | Freq MUST always be entered 7 digits long!! | |_1 to 16 FORMATTING .mem RULES --------------------- 1. The 'Channel=x' statement comes before any of the parameters that will apply to it. If no parameters are listed then the present configuration of the radio will be stored in that channel. 2. The freq= statement must always contain 7 digits or the channel may be loaded with an unpredictable result - or not at all. 3. Statements may be on consecutive lines or the same line. HINTS ON WRITING .mem FILES --------------------------- One 'trick' to use is to load some channel to capture the configuration of the radio as it was when it was captured. This is done by NOT supplying parameters after a channel statement. For instance if the first statement in the .mem file is: Channel=16 then channel 16 will be loaded with the default frequency, mode and vfo that was in effect before CAT980 took control of the radio. A memory file can be loaded in 2 ways. 1) using the <ShftF1> key and supplying the name of a .mem file or 2) the .cfg file can specify an automatic load of a particular file. (see Appendix A) If CAT980 was in prior control and then exited with a <z> leaving the FT-980 locked to the last configuration, a .mem file will NOT be automatically read upon reentry to CAT980. When CAT980 is exited by <AltX> then the FT-980 memories will revert to the original parameters previously stored by the operator from the front panel. Here are two forms of valid load statements: Channel=1 load channel 1 Freq=1400100 Mode=cwn vfo=ham Channel=2 Freq=2810000 Mode=USB vfo=HAM *IMPORTANT: ALL MEMORY FILES MUST HAVE THE EXTENSION .MEM !* LOADING THE CAT980 300 MEMORY SLOTS =================================== Another unique function of your memory file is to load special memory slots in the program for recall or scanning purposes. To load an individual slot use the following format: SLOT=0350000 This is the only allowable slot statement, i.e. a frequency. The number of the slot loaded, 1 to 300, will depend on the last slot loaded either from a .mem file or the keyboard. Thus if the first five slots were loaded from the keyboard with a <^s> then the statement above will load slot 6 with 3.5 Mhz. The following would then load slots 7 thru 10: SLOT=0360000 SLOT=0370000 SLOT=0380000 SLOT=2850000 To type up 300 such statements, say to do a spectrum scan, would try the patients of the most experienced typist. So CAT980 allows a general load of any string of statements up to 300 loads with a special SLOTXX= statement formatted as: SLOTXX=0100000/01000/202 | | | | | - The number of slots to load. This must | | be 3 digits. So 8 channels would | | be 008. | | | | | -The frequency DIFFERENCE between each slot. | This must be 5 digits. Range can be | from 10 hz (00001) | to 999,990 hz (99999). | -The actual frequency (here, 1 Mhz) the 1st available slot will occupy. This must be 7 digits. Again, this statement will begin the load in the first available unloaded slot. In the previous example 10 slots had already been loaded. Therefor this SLOTXX statement will begin its load in slot 11 and will continue to high speed load the next 202 slots, each slot being 10 Khz higher than the last. If this statement were to load slots beyond the FT-980 capability (29.999.990), or an attempt to load more than 300 slots - an appropriate error message will result. The slash '/' characters in the statement are necessary *A .MEM FILE CAN CONTAIN EITHER CHANNEL LOADS, SLOT LOADS OR BOTH* FILTER CHARACTERISTICS ---------------------- You can command the FT-980 filter shift and width controls from within a .mem file using the form: ifwidth=xxx ifshift=xxxx See Appendix C for a detailed discussion on these two statements. The same rules apply. *IF YOU INCLUDE FILTER STATEMENTS MAKE THEM* *THE LAST IN THE .MEM FILE* Examine the ASCII file example1.mem supplied on your disk. This file is automatically loaded by the supplied .cfg each time the radio is captured by CAT980 - unless reentering after a <z> exit. In that case all 300 memory slots are cleared but the FT-980 memories will still retain the initial load. You can reload the 300 slots from the keyboard <ShftF1> and resupplying the example1.mem file name. Of course you can rewrite the config file to NOT load this file or to load a .mem file of your creation. See Appendix A. APPENDIX C Writing the menus is probably one of the most satisfying and fun things to do with CAT980. Everyone's interests are different and every op has his own special operating preferences. You have complete control of your menus and each menu selection has virtual complete control of the radio at the stroke of a key. You can define modes, filter characteristics, FSK shift, frequency and even call up split operation for each and every entry on the menu. You can develop special interest menus. Digital operation, sideband, am, cw, fm (including 10m repeaters!) and unique shortwave broadcast station listings. *SHARE YOUR UNIQUE KNOWLEDGE OF THE ELECTROMAGNETIC SPECTRUM* *BY SHARING YOUR MENUS WITH OTHER CAT980 USERS!* Like all the CAT980 files you write, be sure and create it as an ASCII file. THE MENU TITLE ============== You can supply an ASCII string up to 60 characters long which will display at the top when you call in the menu from the program. Any printable characters are allowed. Example: TITLE= T H I S W I L L P R I N T A S A T I T L E *IF YOU OMIT THE TITLE= STATEMENT THEN THE DEFAULT IS 'Menu'* MENU ENTRIES ============ The First Line -------------- Each entry consists of 2 lines beginning with an ASCII text line that starts with two closed brackets with consecutive numbers. A menu with 3 entries would look like: [1] Write your menu description here. Entire line will display. command statements for this selection - will NOT display. [2] Write your menu description here. command statements for this selection - will NOT display. [3] Write your menu description here. command statements for this selection - will NOT display. The consecutive [1], [2] and [3] is very important as this is how CAT980 understands your file. You can have 75 characters in this line including the [xx] portion. You may have from [1] to [21] entries for any one menu file. Use any upper/lower case characters but do NOT use brackets, [], except at the beginning of the line for the selection number. Keep your selections numbered and in order. THE MENU COMMAND SET ==================== The Second Line --------------- CAT980 will execute all valid commands that appear on the next line immediately after the menu entry line. For example: [1] 3.850111 Wheelin' & Dealin' Southwest Swap Net MODE=LSB VFO=HAM FREQ=0385011 [2] 20 Meter Packet Mail Box MODE=FSK VFO=HAM FSK=170 FREQ=1410700 [3] SPLIT 10 M FM MODE=FM VFO=HAM FREQ=29660000 CHANNEL=16 CONTROL=RXM *THERE IS NO THIRD LINE - KEEP ALL YOUR COMMANDS ON THE 2ND LINE* *SEPARATED BY SPACES* If [1] is selected than all the commands following the displayed line will be executed on that line only. Note that the frequency listed after [1] is NOT a command, just part of the displayed text - it could just as well have been shown as '75 M'. It is the statement freq=0385011 that commands the radio to the desired frequency. Note also that only those commands needed are included. Invariably this will require MODE, VFO and FREQ for all menu entries. But more may be required for special listings. Selection [2] is for a packet set up so an additional command to insure an FSK shift of 170 hz is included. Selection [3] is a bit more complex. First the radio is commanded into an operating FM mode on a frequency of 29.66 Mhz. Then the command follows to point to channel 16 in the FT-980 which was loaded on entry with the 10 m. FM frequency of 29.6 Mhz (as it was by the included file example1.mem) . Now comes a RXM control command meaning that the radio will receive on memory (29.6) and transmit on the ham vfo frequency of 29.66. It could have been the other way around if the statement was CONTROL=RXV. In either case an FT-980 memory channel has to contain one of the frequency set ups. This can be done from the keyboard prior to calling up the menu - or better yet, automatically with a .mem file as above. *FOR SPLIT OPERATION AN FT-980 MEMORY CHANNEL MUST CONTAIN* *ONE OF THE FREQUENCIES! The most obvious use of such a menu selection as [3] are the 10 m. FM repeaters around the world. (The above example is NOT a standard 10 meter FM split.) A not so obvious use would be a station sending packet yet listening to the other station on USB during a test. Etc.? THE PARAMETERS AVAILABLE FOR A MENU SELECTION ============================================= STATEMENT ALLOWABLE PARAMETERS --------- -------------------- VFO= HAM GEN MODE= LSB USB CWW CWN AMN AMW FSK FM FREQ= 0000150 to 2999990 must be 7 digits FSK= 170 425 850 (FSK hz shift) CONTROL= VFO MEM RXM RXV CHANNEL= 1 thru 16 (FT-980 memories) IFWIDTH= -100 to +100 (+/- 100%) must be 3 digits IFSHIFT= -1500 to +1500 (+/- 100 hz increments) must be 4 digits Those last two? - yes, you can control the filter characteristics with each menu selection! Here are some examples: IFWidth=000 centers the filter width IFShift=0000 centers the filter shift IFShift=-300 shifts the filter 300 hz down IFShift=-350 INVALID! Will yield error msg. Must be multiples of 100. 0000,+0100,-0100 etc. IFWidth=-30 moves left skirt in by approx. 30% IFWidth=+40 moves right skirt in by approx. 40% You will find statusing of the FT-980 from CAT980 to show a slight discrepancy of the IF width from the entered menu values. The Heisenberg uncertainty principal could be cited but you would be correct in not believing that. It is due to the FT-980 hardware response to the command. It is so close that it was not worth the code to make it exact. You can believe your entries will yield the desired results. *CAUTION!* *IF YOU'RE CHANGING FILTER CHARACTERISTICS WITH A MENU SELECTION* *THEN YOU SHOULD CENTER THE FILTERS WITH THE OTHER SELECTIONS!* The values for these two parameters are probably best picked by actual operation. Say you are in a 40 m. cw QSO with W1XXX and using the filter display feature <F8> you find the best copy is with an IF width of 38.58% and a positive shift of 200 hz. You and W1XXX decide to set up a schedule so you want to add him/her to the menu. Your entry might look like: [4] W1XXX 40 M. Sked. Tuesday nites - 2000 local freq=0703185 mode=cww vfo=ham ifshift=+200 ifwidth=+39 Everything worked fine business. But suppose after your chat with W1XXX you decided to listen to the swap net listed above as entry [1]. When you choose that entry it sounds funny(besides what is being offered for trade). That's because the IF filters are still in the configuration chosen by [4]!! Simply rewrite your menu entry [1] to include the additional statements: IFSHIFT=0000 IFWIDTH=000 *REMEMBER - YOU CAN ALWAYS CENTER ALL FILTERS FROM THE KEYBOARD* *WITH <ShiftF8>* If you're designing special interest menus like, say SWL stations, that don't require special band passes, then you probably won't need to keep recentering the filters. If you have a mixed operating menu like we are designing here, then it's good practice to center the filters on those entries that do not require special filter characteristics. *WORRIED ABOUT THE ORDER OF THE STATEMENTS? USE COMMON SENSE.* *WRITE THE MENU SEQUENCE AS YOU WOULD PROGRAM FROM THE FRONT PANEL.* CAT980 is structured to perform your statements in the correct order demanded by the radio - even though you may put the commands out of sequence. However, if it seems a particular entry isn't behaving go back and sequence your command statements in the same order you would perform them from the front panel to get your desired result. By the way, there is often confusion and an actual difference from where a receiver is tuned compared to a published frequency - like RTTY center frequencies. You can have your 1st line displaying the accepted published frequency - but your 2nd line can put the rig right were it belongs! DEMO MENU ========= To get familiar with menu operation you might want to print the included ASCII file DEMO.MNU. Then load it in <ShftF1> and try the various selections as you examine the statements that produced them. Some selections on the file are designed to give error messages so you can get some experience in formatting. Comments in the file will help you along. *COOK UP SOME MENUS AND SHARE THEM WITH US!* APPENDIX D YAESU(tm) FT-980 TO IBM COMPUTER INTERFACE CIRCUIT by K5YEF TO IBM/COMPATIBLE ----------------O +9v to +12v | | | TO FT-980 | < | 232 CONNECTOR | <10 k 6 PIN DIN CONNECTOR | | < | | | 1<----o--------------------------------------------o---------->1 7<----| | | | | | | | | |/|2 100 k | | 4/+|-----/\/\----|------------------------->2 | / | | | 3.3 k 1 / | | | | 3<------/\/\-----/ U1A| | | \ | | | | | \ | | |\ | | \ |3 | | \| | | | \-|-----/\/\----o------| /|----o \| 100 k |/ | | | | 1N914 | -----\/\/------- | | | | 100 k | | | |\ | | | 2<------/\/\--o--|-\ | | 100 k 6| \ | | /| | | | | \ 7 | |/ | | |U1B \------o----/\/\------|\ |----------o--->3 | / 47 | \| | | | /11 1N914 | | | /| | | -----|+/ | | | | 5|/ | | ------ | | | /\1N914 | | | / \ > | | ---- > 100 k | | | > | | | | O -9v to -12v | | _|_ _|_ _|_ /// /// /// - For use with CAT980 or any interface activity. Schematic in public domain. K5YEF/Art Harding/PO Box 861719/Plano, Tx. 75074/USA WHAT'S ON THE WORKBENCH? ======================== * STAY RESIDENT For digital enthusiasts, packet, amtor, RTTY, FAX, slow scan and ? - the operation of CAT980 would be much enhanced if the program would stay in memory to be activated at the stroke of a key. This would allow the use of other communication packages to run simultaneously with CAT980. At least that's the thrust right now. * INTERACTIVE CAT980 This is another frontier of computer operation. The idea is to use the available AGC line to be monitored by the program. The interactive decisions the program could make are mind boggling. Scanning decisions, automatic fine tuning, statistical fade analysis, IF filter shaping, band opening alerts, selective frequency activity alerts, SWR vs. F charts(how about a noise plot across the band for an SWR indication?) - the list goes on. And it's the list of ideas that this developer would like your help with. You have ideas that have not occurred to me. What would you like to see CAT980 do? Your ideas probably gel with other operators and there's a good chance they will be incorporated in a new version. This is fun! The author learns something new about CAT980 every day. So send in your ideas and be part of this development. And consider sharing your menus and memory files with other CAT980 users. Put 'em on CompuServe and other bulletin boards. Send your disk to me and I'll share 'em with others. I suspect we will be a small group but that's OK. As a registered user you will get first crack at any future versions. I don't know how many times this developer has registered for share ware never to hear another word. That is not my intention; register and you will be kept informed. ============================================================ | | | CAT 980 REGISTRATION. $20.00 Continental USA | | $25.00 Overseas | | | | NAME ____________________________________________________ | | | | | | | | ADDRESS__________________________________________________ | | | | | | _________________________________________________________ | | | | | | CALL_______________________(if any, or put SWL) | | | | COMMENTS: | | | | | | | | | | SEND TO: | | | | Art Harding K5YEF | | P.O. BOX 861719 | | PLANO, TX. 75074 U.S.A. | | | ============================================================