[KX3} rig control with fldigi

[Mike WA8BXN]

For some reason I can't seem to get any control of the KX3 from the PC
running fldigi. Used the elecraft utitily to verify port number and baud
rate. Set those in fldigi for hamlib. Set other parameters there as
suggested by K4MTX blog. Pressed initialized button. No error indication.
Changing dial freq on KX3 not reflected on PC, changing freq in fldigi doesn
t change XK3. Pressing T/R button in fldigi does nothing. I am able to
decode received signals with fldigi fine. I must be missing something simple
 Any ideas?  



Thanks,

73 - Mike WA8BXN
______________________________________________________________
Elecraft mailing list
Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
Post: mailto:[hidden email]

This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html

[Don Wilhelm-4]

Mike,

The Fldigi waterfall display and the rig control/frequency display are
two different animals.  The waterfall comes from the soundcard stuff and
the rig control/frequency display comes from the computer to KX3
communications over the RS-232 bus.  These are independent functions.

You will have t experiment with the RigCAT or HamLib settings to get
things to work.  Make sure you tell the application which COM port is
connected to the KX3.  The web help pages and user forums for RigCAT or
HamLib may be of assistance.

73,
Don W3FPR

On 7/18/2013 9:01 PM, Mike WA8BXN wrote:
> For some reason I can't seem to get any control of the KX3 from the PC
> running fldigi. Used the elecraft utitily to verify port number and baud
> rate. Set those in fldigi for hamlib. Set other parameters there as
> suggested by K4MTX blog. Pressed initialized button. No error indication.
> Changing dial freq on KX3 not reflected on PC, changing freq in fldigi doesn
> t change XK3. Pressing T/R button in fldigi does nothing. I am able to
> decode received signals with fldigi fine. I must be missing something simple
>   Any ideas?
>

______________________________________________________________
Elecraft mailing list
Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
Post: mailto:[hidden email]

This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html

[Mike WA8BXN]

I have found the solution to my problem. First, when the initialize button
is pressed an error message appeared on the bottom of the main window, not
on the configuration window that pops up. It took me a while to see that. I
am using the hamlib option to control the KX3. It seems the com port number
cannot be bigger than 9 for it to work. My Elecraft USB cable defaulted to a
com port greater than 9, so it did not work. Going to device manager for
that com port, one can change to com port number, in my case I changed it to
com2 and it works fine now.

 

73 - Mike WA8BXN

 

 

 

-------Original Message-------

 

From: Mike WA8BXN

Date: 7/18/2013 9:01:41 PM

To: [hidden email]

Subject: [Elecraft] [KX3} rig control with fldigi

 

For some reason I can't seem to get any control of the KX3 from the PC

running fldigi. Used the elecraft utitily to verify port number and baud

rate. Set those in fldigi for hamlib. Set other parameters there as

suggested by K4MTX blog. Pressed initialized button. No error indication.

Changing dial freq on KX3 not reflected on PC, changing freq in fldigi doesn


t change XK3. Pressing T/R button in fldigi does nothing. I am able to

decode received signals with fldigi fine. I must be missing something simple


Any ideas?

 

 

 

Thanks,

 

73 - Mike WA8BXN

______________________________________________________________

Elecraft mailing list

Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft 

Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm 

Post: mailto:[hidden email]

 

This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net 

Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html 

 
______________________________________________________________
Elecraft mailing list
Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
Post: mailto:[hidden email]

This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html

[Nate Bargmann]

* On 2013 22 Jul 21:57 -0500, Mike WA8BXN wrote:
> I have found the solution to my problem. First, when the initialize button
> is pressed an error message appeared on the bottom of the main window, not
> on the configuration window that pops up. It took me a while to see that. I
> am using the hamlib option to control the KX3. It seems the com port number
> cannot be bigger than 9 for it to work. My Elecraft USB cable defaulted to a
> com port greater than 9, so it did not work. Going to device manager for
> that com port, one can change to com port number, in my case I changed it to
> com2 and it works fine now.

Hi Mike, et. al.

The latest version of Fldigi that is in testing (I'm not exactly sure,
ask Dave, W1HKJ, for which version of Fldigi this change affects)
includes the latest version of Hamlib where the COM9+ limitation should
be removed.

If there are issues with the KX3 Hamlib support, please let me know.

73, de Nate >>

--

"The optimist proclaims that we live in the best of all
possible worlds.  The pessimist fears this is true."

Ham radio, Linux, bikes, and more: http://www.n0nb.us
______________________________________________________________
Elecraft mailing list
Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
Post: mailto:[hidden email]

This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html

[g8kbvdave]

A note for Windows users of Fldigi and the KX3.

The version of Hamlib, compiled into Fldigi (for Windows) is not
always the latest version as found on the Hamlib project pages.

You can find out what version it is using, with "Help, Build Info"
and scroll down to  "libraries".

You also CANNOT (sory to shout) just download/install a later
version of the Hamlib DLL, or build one from source on
Windows(Cygwin) and expect Fldigi(on Windows) to use it.  It will
not, it cannot link to, or use a later external file.  The program
is not built that way on Windows.

(The Linux version does allow you to do that, as it uses whatever is
installed elsewhere on the system, and that too can sometimes cause
confusion for some.)

If what rig control facilities already built into Fldigi will not
work for you, try creating a new XML file for Fldigi's RigCAT
function, but base it on an existing Elecraft file, that should get
you close for starters.   You can edit/save/create XML files with
Windows Notepad just fine.

There is an existing K3 file already in there:-
http://www.w1hkj.com/xmlarchives.html
That should be at a guess, close to what is needed already.

You only realy need frequency control/readback, and mode
control/readback (remember to go for DATA A(?) mode ('MD 6' CAT
command I think) to disable any RX/TX compression/equalisation
settings you use for voice modes.)  Also set the filters for
something like 100Hz to 3kHz, and use TX/RX control by CAT command,
as the KX3 supports that.   There almost certainly will be other
details to figure out and fine tune, but that's the basics's
covered.

You will need however, knowledge of the commands and parameters used
by the K3/KX3 (or whatever rig you have) they are all in the
programmers reference manual, freely downloadable from Elecraft:-
http://www.elecraft.com/manual/K3&KX3%20Pgmrs%20Ref,%20E6.pdf
(Yes, that link does work, I just checked it.)

And idealy a dumb terminal emulator to experiment with.  The KX3Util
program can be used for that, if you don't have such a tool already.

It can all be done, it is not dificult, but can be time consuming
(Warning.  It can be adictive too!)

Also read the comments in the FldigiWiki (google for it!)  
https://fedorahosted.org/fldigi/wiki/Documentation/HOWTO

Especially the "Taming the Wild COMport in Windows" item under:-
"I/O Device Naming"

It is all possible, you just have to search and read how.

I have a KX3, am a long time user of Fldigi on Windows and Linux,
and have created the Kenwood TS-870s.xml file, so when I get time(?)
I will do this (also in Flrig, one day, unless someone less rusty at
C/C++ gets there before me) but in the mean time feel free to create
one yourself.  You may find it a lot easier than you imagine.  
Plus, the grin factor at the end when *You* made it all work, is
well worth it.   Just post the result back to the Fldigi list (and
here) for all to revel in your new found expertise.

It's all open source after all, the idea being that the "community"
contributes and all benefit.

There is lots of help on the WinFldigi list (on Yahoo) too if you
ask.

Get stuck in, and Enjoy!

73.

Dave G0WBX.


On 23 Jul 2013 at 12:00, [hidden email] wrote:

> Message: 21
> Date: Tue, 23 Jul 2013 06:36:07 -0500
> From: Nate Bargmann <[hidden email]>
> To: [hidden email]
> Subject: Re: [Elecraft] [KX3} rig control with fldigi
> Message-ID: <[hidden email]>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
>
> * On 2013 22 Jul 21:57 -0500, Mike WA8BXN wrote:
> > I have found the solution to my problem. First, when the initialize
> > button is pressed an error message appeared on the bottom of the
> > main window, not on the configuration window that pops up. It took
> > me a while to see that. I am using the hamlib option to control the
> > KX3. It seems the com port number cannot be bigger than 9 for it to
> > work. My Elecraft USB cable defaulted to a com port greater than 9,
> > so it did not work. Going to device manager for that com port, one
> > can change to com port number, in my case I changed it to com2 and
> > it works fine now.
>
> Hi Mike, et. al.
>
> The latest version of Fldigi that is in testing (I'm not exactly sure,
> ask Dave, W1HKJ, for which version of Fldigi this change affects)
> includes the latest version of Hamlib where the COM9+ limitation
> should be removed.
>
> If there are issues with the KX3 Hamlib support, please let me know.
>
> 73, de Nate >>
>
> --
>
> "The optimist proclaims that we live in the best of all
> possible worlds.  The pessimist fears this is true."
>
> Ham radio, Linux, bikes, and more: http://www.n0nb.us

______________________________________________________________
Elecraft mailing list
Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
Post: mailto:[hidden email]

This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html