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WSPR with K3

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Phillip Zminda

WSPR with K3

I started experimenting with WSPR over the weekend using my MacBook
Pro 13 in with the Intel processor running Windows XP using Parallels
virtual machine. I have the audio connected through an iMic external
USB sound-card and the K3 is connected to the Mac with a generic USB
to Serial card with the Prolific drivers. I can receive and transmit
with VOX but the CAT control will not seem to work to change frequency
or bands. The K3 connects OK to the Mac using K3 Utilities and HRD.

I have tried various setup combinations of COM port, baud rate and
handshake but can't find the right configuration to get frequency
control.

Is anybody running a similar setup who can make some suggestions? Any
help is appreciated.

Thanks

Phil N3ZP
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Joe Subich, W4TV-4

Re: WSPR with K3

The K3 support is (and has been) broken in HAMLIB on the Windows
platform. Fldigi, WSPR and other software that requires HAMLIB
for rig support will not work reliably with the K3.

It's up to the maintainer of the Windows port of HAMLIB to fix the
issue.

73,

... Joe, W4TV

On 1/3/2011 2:51 PM, Phillip Zminda wrote:

> I started experimenting with WSPR over the weekend using my MacBook
> Pro 13 in with the Intel processor running Windows XP using Parallels
> virtual machine. I have the audio connected through an iMic external
> USB sound-card and the K3 is connected to the Mac with a generic USB
> to Serial card with the Prolific drivers. I can receive and transmit
> with VOX but the CAT control will not seem to work to change frequency
> or bands. The K3 connects OK to the Mac using K3 Utilities and HRD.
>
> I have tried various setup combinations of COM port, baud rate and
> handshake but can't find the right configuration to get frequency
> control.
>
> Is anybody running a similar setup who can make some suggestions? Any
> help is appreciated.
>
> Thanks
>
> Phil N3ZP
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
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>

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Iain MacDonnell - N6ML-2

Re: WSPR with K3

In reply to this post by Phillip Zminda

Phil,

There are reported issues with use of Prolific-based USB/Serial
adapters with Visual Basic applications. Perhaps the WSPR software
you're using is another case of this. The usual suggestion is to get a
USB/Serial adapter that uses the FTDI chip instead...

~Iain / N6ML

On Mon, Jan 3, 2011 at 7:51 PM, Phillip Zminda <[hidden email]> wrote:

Tony Estep

Re: WSPR with K3

Phil, the parameters I use with WSPR are: port COM1 (of course, this depends
on your port assignment; use Device Manager, Properties to set it); Rig
Number 229 Elecraft K3; Serial rate 4800; Data bits 8; Stop bits 1;
handshake None. Click Enable CAT, use PTT DTR (not PTT CAT). WSPR does not
use the .net framework.

Good luck,
Tony KT0NY
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John Ragle

Re: WSPR with K3

In reply to this post by Joe Subich, W4TV-4

The K3.XML file available from the FLDIGI site works completely,
reliably, and correctly inside FLDIGI (with the K3 in RigCAT and WIN XP
or WIN 7). I would be glad to supply settings if requested (however,
that is not what the gentleman asked for). FLDIGI does not "require"
HAMLIB for rig support.

John Ragle -- W1ZI

=====

On 1/3/2011 3:33 PM, Joe Subich, W4TV wrote:
> The K3 support is (and has been) broken in HAMLIB on the Windows
> platform. Fldigi, WSPR and other software that requires HAMLIB
> for rig support will not work reliably with the K3.

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Julian, G4ILO

Re: WSPR with K3

John Ragle wrote

The K3.XML file available from the FLDIGI site works completely,
reliably, and correctly inside FLDIGI (with the K3 in RigCAT and WIN XP
or WIN 7). I would be glad to supply settings if requested (however,
that is not what the gentleman asked for). FLDIGI does not "require"
HAMLIB for rig support.

The problem does exist and affects Fldigi (both RigCAT and HamLib options), KComm and any software that uses Hamlib as an interface to the radio. It only affects Prolific USB to serial adapters. FTDI adapters and real serial ports are OK as far as I know.

I am only an amateur programmer so others may know better but I believe that the Prolific adapters only work reliably with software that uses the MSCOMM.OCX component for serial port access. This basically means programs written using Microsoft development tools.

The programs mentioned above are open source software developed using open source tools which use open source libraries for serial port access. Open source development tools do not support OCX components because they are Windows specific so ham software developers who use these tools cannot use this component to solve the problem. Nor can they fix the problem themselves because they don't actually write the serial port code. All they can do is complain to the developers of the serial port libraries who reply "it works fine with a real serial port so there is nothing wrong with our code, it is the Prolific adapter serial port emulation that is at fault." Which, while not being the helpful response you might expect from the developer of a component if you had paid good money for it, is nevertheless true.

Julian, G4ILO. K2 #392 K3 #222 KX3 #110
* G4ILO's Shack - http://www.g4ilo.com
* KComm - http://www.g4ilo.com/kcomm.html
* KTune - http://www.g4ilo.com/ktune.html

Joe Subich, W4TV-4

Re: WSPR with K3

In reply to this post by John Ragle

> FLDIGI does not "require" HAMLIB for rig support.

A new version of WSPR requires the use of hamlib for rig support.
The K3 support is broken in hamlib. Since the question was
specifically about problems with fldigi using hamlib and the K3,
the response was appropriate (and accurate).

I know about (and use) RigCAT for my own testing/support of fldigi.
In fact, I restrict my support for fldigi to the RigCAT interface.
While it provides a work around for fldigi, using RigCAT does not
resolve the issues with hamlib and software that uses it.

73,

... Joe, W4TV

On 1/5/2011 2:59 PM, John Ragle wrote:

> The K3.XML file available from the FLDIGI site works completely,
> reliably, and correctly inside FLDIGI (with the K3 in RigCAT and WIN XP
> or WIN 7). I would be glad to supply settings if requested (however,
> that is not what the gentleman asked for). FLDIGI does not "require"
> HAMLIB for rig support.
>
> John Ragle -- W1ZI
>
> =====
>
> On 1/3/2011 3:33 PM, Joe Subich, W4TV wrote:
>> The K3 support is (and has been) broken in HAMLIB on the Windows
>> platform. Fldigi, WSPR and other software that requires HAMLIB
>> for rig support will not work reliably with the K3.
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> 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

Re: WSPR with K3

In reply to this post by Joe Subich, W4TV-4

* On 2011 05 Jan 13:38 -0600, Joe Subich, W4TV wrote:
>
> The K3 support is (and has been) broken in HAMLIB on the Windows
> platform. Fldigi, WSPR and other software that requires HAMLIB
> for rig support will not work reliably with the K3.

Sadly, this is true, and until I bought my K3, no one who develops
Hamlib code actually had a K3. I have made some changes with more to go
that will be in the next Hamlib release, 1.2.13. This does not help
those K3 owners stuck with an older version.

Hamlib development relies on volunteers to either write the backend code
and test with their own hardware or other volunteers who can test
prototype code with their radios. Fortunately, the gap is closing bit
by bit, thanks to help from many hams. Hamlib is a voluntary project
and few of us are professional programmers. That has certain
consequences for the project.

> It's up to the maintainer of the Windows port of HAMLIB to fix the
> issue.

Actually, there is no "Windows port" as it were as the DLL for Windows
is generated from the exact same sources used to compile the binaries
for the *nix versions. So the changes made to the K3 and K2 backends
before the next release will be in the Win32 release as well. The
situation is complicated by whether an application has Hamlib compiled
in it statically, or it is dynamically linked.

For those wishing to test the latest code, there is a daily SVN source
code snapshot at:

http://n0nb.users.sourceforge.net

For those willing to do so, a Win32 DLL can be compiled from the
snapshot.

On behalf of the Hamlib Group,

73, de Nate N0NB >>

--

"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://n0nb.us/index.html
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Mike Reublin

Re: WSPR with K3

In reply to this post by Julian, G4ILO

The Prolific chipset works fine in Delphi using a freeware serial component.

73, Mike NF4L

On 1/5/2011 3:25 PM, Julian, G4ILO wrote:

>
> John Ragle wrote:
>> The K3.XML file available from the FLDIGI site works completely,
>> reliably, and correctly inside FLDIGI (with the K3 in RigCAT and WIN XP
>> or WIN 7). I would be glad to supply settings if requested (however,
>> that is not what the gentleman asked for). FLDIGI does not "require"
>> HAMLIB for rig support.
>>
> The problem does exist and affects Fldigi (both RigCAT and HamLib options),
> KComm and any software that uses Hamlib as an interface to the radio. It
> only affects Prolific USB to serial adapters. FTDI adapters and real serial
> ports are OK as far as I know.
>
> I am only an amateur programmer so others may know better but I believe that
> the Prolific adapters only work reliably with software that uses the
> MSCOMM.OCX component for serial port access. This basically means programs
> written using Microsoft development tools.
>
> The programs mentioned above are open source software developed using open
> source tools which use open source libraries for serial port access. Open
> source development tools do not support OCX components because they are
> Windows specific so ham software developers who use these tools cannot use
> this component to solve the problem. Nor can they fix the problem themselves
> because they don't actually write the serial port code. All they can do is
> complain to the developers of the serial port libraries who reply "it works
> fine with a real serial port so there is nothing wrong with our code, it is
> the Prolific adapter serial port emulation that is at fault." Which, while
> not being the helpful response you might expect from the developer of a
> component if you had paid good money for it, is nevertheless true.
>
> -----
> Julian, G4ILO. K2 #392 K3 #222.
> * G4ILO's Shack - http://www.g4ilo.com
> * KComm - http://www.g4ilo.com/kcomm.html
> * KTune - http://www.g4ilo.com/ktune.html
>

Tony Estep

Re: WSPR with K3

In reply to this post by Joe Subich, W4TV-4

On Wed, Jan 5, 2011 at 2:27 PM, Joe Subich, W4TV <[hidden email]> wrote:

>
> A new version of WSPR requires the use of hamlib for rig support....
>

Ouch! So I guess we shouldn't get any new versions of WSPR until this
changes - if it ever does.

Tony KT0NY
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Brendan Minish

Re: WSPR with K3

Well since hamblib is 100% free and open source software ANYONE who
wishes to improve the hamlib support for the k3 is completely free to do
so I would expect any shortcomings with K3 support under hamlib to get
fixed in fairly short order

In addition to this WSPR can use com port signal line PTT which the K3
supports

On Fri, 2011-01-07 at 15:35 -0600, Tony Estep wrote:
> Ouch! So I guess we shouldn't get any new versions of WSPR until this
> changes - if it ever does.
>
> Tony KT0NY

--
73
Brendan EI6IZ

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