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FLDIGI on Raspberry Pi PTT issue with the K2

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wa4ywm

FLDIGI on Raspberry Pi PTT issue with the K2

Please carefully read everything that follows to avoid repetition of the steps followed. What I have summarized here is the result of MANY hours of work and extensive troubleshooting time via email with 2 incredibly helpful and patient hams.

I have an RPi 3 with FLDIGI and WSJT-X installed.

After MUCH effort over the past 6 months I have WSJT-X working. My problem now is that the PTT on the FLDIGI does not work.

The PTT on the WSJT-X does work. It's underlying rig control is Hamlib. I am using the Elecraft USB to serial adapter connected to the proprietary K2 serial cable.

Note that I have successfully used the K2 with a Windows PC running FLDIGI and WSJT-X for some time.

I have configured FLDIGI for RigCAT. It communicates with the K2 (frequency, mode, filter selection) but no PTT.

I have also tried Hamlib but it will not initialize.

During an extensive troubleshooting process over the past 3 weeks with a ham on the Yahoo FLDIGI RPi group I tried FLRIG. It is fully functional with the K2 but when I try using it with FLDIGI nothing works – no frequency control, no PTT, nothing! By this I mean that I am trying to use FLDIGI for the control. I have verified that I have all the correct settings in both FLDIGI and FLRIG with the ham that has been helping me. As a sanity check I installed FLRIG on my Windows machine and successfully ran FLDIGI there.

Has anyone had similar issues?

Thanks for any help.

73,
Jim WA4YWM

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James Bennett

Re: FLDIGI on Raspberry Pi PTT issue with the K2

Jim -

For what it’s worth……… I run a KX3 with an RPI3. I have FLDIGI and WSJT-X. I use HAMLIB. I’m also using the same Elecraft USB—>Serial cable. It “used” to work quite well - both could receive/transmit/and control the radio. I use VOX to make the radio squeal. Somewhere along the line, something broke. I have NOT upgraded anything in FLDIGI, but I have gotten the RPI3 to a pretty current version of the OS. WSJT-X continues to work pretty much perfectly. But FLDIGI - not so.

My very uneducated Linux guess is that something in the OS has clobbered FLDIGI’s ability to work nicely with the radio. Unfortunately, my use of FLDIGI was quite infrequent in the past, and when it completely broke, I didn’t spend a whole lot of time working on a solution.

Anyway, while our two setups are a bit different, there may be an underlying “thing” in Raspian that has crippled FLDIGI. Should be interesting to see if anyone else has the same issue, and if they’ve found a cure.

73, Jim / W6JHB

> On Nov 21, 2017, at 6:54 PM, Elmore's <[hidden email]> wrote:
>
> Please carefully read everything that follows to avoid repetition of the steps followed. What I have summarized here is the result of MANY hours of work and extensive troubleshooting time via email with 2 incredibly helpful and patient hams.
>
> I have an RPi 3 with FLDIGI and WSJT-X installed.
>
> After MUCH effort over the past 6 months I have WSJT-X working. My problem now is that the PTT on the FLDIGI does not work.
>
> The PTT on the WSJT-X does work. It's underlying rig control is Hamlib. I am using the Elecraft USB to serial adapter connected to the proprietary K2 serial cable.
>
> Note that I have successfully used the K2 with a Windows PC running FLDIGI and WSJT-X for some time.
>
> I have configured FLDIGI for RigCAT. It communicates with the K2 (frequency, mode, filter selection) but no PTT.
>
> I have also tried Hamlib but it will not initialize.
>
> During an extensive troubleshooting process over the past 3 weeks with a ham on the Yahoo FLDIGI RPi group I tried FLRIG. It is fully functional with the K2 but when I try using it with FLDIGI nothing works – no frequency control, no PTT, nothing! By this I mean that I am trying to use FLDIGI for the control. I have verified that I have all the correct settings in both FLDIGI and FLRIG with the ham that has been helping me. As a sanity check I installed FLRIG on my Windows machine and successfully ran FLDIGI there.
>
> Has anyone had similar issues?
>
> Thanks for any help.
>
> 73,
> Jim WA4YWM
>
> ---
> This email has been checked for viruses by AVG.
> http://www.avg.com
> ______________________________________________________________
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ve3ibw

Re: FLDIGI on Raspberry Pi PTT issue with the K2

In reply to this post by wa4ywm

Hi Jim,

I don't think this is a serial port issue any more. Why do I think that?
Because you said that fldigi does read the frequency, the mode, and the
filter width. You also said that wsjtx, via hamlib, also controls the rig
(ptt as well) via the same hardware setup. I assume you can change these
values (freq, etc.) in fldigi and the k2 changes in a commensurate
fashion.

Ok, what's next? Hmmm... I assume you are using the K2.xml file from
https://sourceforge.net/projects/fldigi/files/xmls/elecraft/. I wonder if
the ptt cat command is not correct in that file. But you said fldigi on
windows works and I assume you are using the same rigcat file (k2.xml)??
Is that correct, are you using the same rigcat file I reference?

I had a quick look in that file (from fldigi rigs file download section on
sourceforge) and noticed a small error. The following is incorrect from
the file on the site:
<COMMAND>
<SYMBOL>INIT</SYMBOL>
<SIZE>*3*</SIZE>
<STRING>K22;</STRING>
</COMMAND>

The highlighted 3 should be a 4. The <size> is supposed to include the
semicolon in the <string> tag. The effect of this error is that the K2
will likely not be placed in extended command mode. The TX; and RX;
commands don't have extended modes. But, perhaps other commands that need
extended mode might affect the TX and RX cat commands. Not sure. But,
certainly worth changing the k2.xml file in ~/.fldigi/rigs to correct the
error and then give it a try again.

Also, I noticed in Elecraft's documentation that the K2 must be in either
SSB or RTTY modes in order for TX; and RX; cat commands to function. The
k2 won't respond when in CW to TX; and RX;.
http://www.elecraft.com/manual/KIO2%20Pgmrs%20Ref%20rev%20E.pdf.

I am not sure why Hamlib isn't working with Fldigi. I haven't had much
luck with Hamlib and Fldigi and usually opted for rigcat. Mostly because
it worked the first time (so I could start to operate and have fun) and I
was able to tinker with the cat commands to add more customized filter
widths and names than those provided in the kx3.xml rigcat file I use.

regards,
Brian
VE3IBW

On Tue, Nov 21, 2017 at 9:54 PM, Elmore's <[hidden email]> wrote:

> Please carefully read everything that follows to avoid repetition of the
> steps followed. What I have summarized here is the result of MANY hours of
> work and extensive troubleshooting time via email with 2 incredibly helpful
> and patient hams.
>
> I have an RPi 3 with FLDIGI and WSJT-X installed.
>
> After MUCH effort over the past 6 months I have WSJT-X working. My problem
> now is that the PTT on the FLDIGI does not work.
>
> The PTT on the WSJT-X does work. It's underlying rig control is Hamlib. I
> am using the Elecraft USB to serial adapter connected to the proprietary K2
> serial cable.
>
> Note that I have successfully used the K2 with a Windows PC running FLDIGI
> and WSJT-X for some time.
>
> I have configured FLDIGI for RigCAT. It communicates with the K2
> (frequency, mode, filter selection) but no PTT.
>
> I have also tried Hamlib but it will not initialize.
>
> During an extensive troubleshooting process over the past 3 weeks with a
> ham on the Yahoo FLDIGI RPi group I tried FLRIG. It is fully functional
> with the K2 but when I try using it with FLDIGI nothing works – no
> frequency control, no PTT, nothing! By this I mean that I am trying to use
> FLDIGI for the control. I have verified that I have all the correct
> settings in both FLDIGI and FLRIG with the ham that has been helping me. As
> a sanity check I installed FLRIG on my Windows machine and successfully ran
> FLDIGI there.
>
> Has anyone had similar issues?
>
> Thanks for any help.
>
> 73,
> Jim WA4YWM
>
> ---
> This email has been checked for viruses by AVG.
> http://www.avg.com
> ______________________________________________________________
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Regards,
Brian
VE3IBW

Elecraft mailing list

Re: FLDIGI on Raspberry Pi PTT issue with the K2

In reply to this post by wa4ywm

On 22/11/17 23:27, [hidden email] wrote:

> Date: Tue, 21 Nov 2017 21:54:31 -0500
> From: "Elmore's" <[hidden email]>
> To: <[hidden email]>
> Subject: [Elecraft] FLDIGI on Raspberry Pi PTT issue with the K2
> Message-ID: <D7C01D5705B34A388485DF4EFC69D84B@Mainpc2>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
>
> Please carefully read everything that follows to avoid repetition of the steps followed. What I have summarized here is the result of MANY hours of work and extensive troubleshooting time via email with 2 incredibly helpful and patient hams.
>
> I have an RPi 3 with FLDIGI and WSJT-X installed.
>
> After MUCH effort over the past 6 months I have WSJT-X working. My problem now is that the PTT on the FLDIGI does not work.
>
> The PTT on the WSJT-X does work. It's underlying rig control is Hamlib. I am using the Elecraft USB to serial adapter connected to the proprietary K2 serial cable.
>
> Note that I have successfully used the K2 with a Windows PC running FLDIGI and WSJT-X for some time.
>
> I have configured FLDIGI for RigCAT. It communicates with the K2 (frequency, mode, filter selection) but no PTT.
>
> I have also tried Hamlib but it will not initialize.
>
> During an extensive troubleshooting process over the past 3 weeks with a ham on the Yahoo FLDIGI RPi group I tried FLRIG. It is fully functional with the K2 but when I try using it with FLDIGI nothing works ? no frequency control, no PTT, nothing! By this I mean that I am trying to use FLDIGI for the control. I have verified that I have all the correct settings in both FLDIGI and FLRIG with the ham that has been helping me. As a sanity check I installed FLRIG on my Windows machine and successfully ran FLDIGI there.
>
> Has anyone had similar issues?
>
> Thanks for any help.
>
> 73,
> Jim WA4YWM
>
>

What version Fldigi, Flrig and Hamlib?   Also, what exact OS on the Pi?

Did you build Fldigi/Flrig from sources, or pulled from a repository?
Sadly, the repo' versions are often out of date.

The best place to ask for help, would be the LinuxHam list on Groups.io.
https://groups.io/g/linuxham

73.

    Dave G0WBX.

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