Yep, that's the best solution. I built a winkeyer clone with an Arduino Nano, and it works great. Thanks for a fine piece of software Tom. It is well worth the price of admission and a key component in my shack. 73 de W0ZF
On Wed, Jun 12, 2019 at 5:09 PM Tom <[email protected]> wrote: > Managing the DTR and RTS over 6 virtual computers all running in separate > threads and on the radio introduces lots of potential incompatibilities > between applications where one might expect a different signal than the > other and so on. Fortunately, all applications that I am aware of support > software PTT or allow you to use a different comport for PTT. You can make > such an adapter easily with one resistor and a transistor on an RS232 port. > In the case of N1MM+, using DTR to send CW when there are 6 other > applications running is impossible since it relies on precise time for the > dit's and dah's. So the solution is a WinKey for CW. You can buy one for > under $40 these days and well worth it. > 73 Tom > > -----Original Message----- > From: [email protected] <[email protected]> > On > Behalf Of Dave Fugleberg > Sent: June 12, 2019 9:08 AM > To: M. George <[email protected]> > Cc: Elecraft Mailer <[email protected]> > Subject: Re: [Elecraft] K3 port sharing and FT-8 > > I would echo what Max said. I use Win4K3 whenever the K3 is on in the > shack, > but seldom use its graphical interface. The virtual radio concept works > extremely well. > As he said, software that expects to connect directly to the K3 has no idea > that Win4K3 is there. I did find one caveat to this while testing it during > my trial period... I used to send CW from the computer by toggling DTR on > the K3 serial port. With Win4K3 in the mix, this did not work. Tom told me > that direct control of those hardware handshake lines was not supported. > I was so happy with everything else it does that I bought it anyway and > switched to using a winkeyer. > I don't know whether that limitation still exists or not...just throwing it > out there in case it matters to your use case. > > On Tue, Jun 11, 2019 at 11:05 PM M. George <[email protected]> > wrote: > > > Wes, I wanted to jump in where Tom mentioned my YouTube video of > > sharing Virtual K3 CAT feeds with Win4K3Suite > > <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbf7BPfcj4U>. > > > > I'm just like you, I like to turn the knobs primarily. Don't be > > confused by the graphical interface that Win4K3Suite provides as it > > relates to sharing your K3/S CAT feed. Early on I purchased the > > software primarily for the ability to share full on Virtual CAT Feeds > > and not the graphical interface. The CAT sharing is just one aspect > > of Win4K3Suite. The PAN Adapter support and graphic interface are > > simply additional features you can use if you like. And for remote > > operation the graphical interface is excellent as you will learn if > > you operate remote. Or just minimize Win4K3Suite and don't use it... > > twist the knobs on your radio and just use the CAT sharing via the > Virtual > K3 CAT feeds it provides. > > > > I would highly recommend that you watch my video. It's very > > detailed... to a fault some will say, but you can jump ahead by 10 > > seconds and back using the L and J keys and pause with the K key. Or > > jump ahead 5 seconds and back with the arrow keys and pause with the > space > bar. > > > > I too used LP-Bridge many years ago and it did work, but it isn't even > > in the same ball park for reliability as Win4K3Suite for sharing CAT > Feeds. > > Not even close. > > > > The beauty of :Win4K3Suite is that it creates true Virtual K3/S CAT > feeds. > > The software or hardware you are using has no idea it's not connected > > directly to the K3/S CAT port / USB CAT port direct. No funky API's > > like Hamlib or Omni-rig that requires software support to use the > > abstraction layer required. > > > > If there is hardware or software that expects to be connected directly > > to a K3/S CAT port / feed, it will work with Win4K3Suite Virtual K3/S > > CAT interfaces. > > > > Watch the video and give Win4K3Suite a try. > > <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbf7BPfcj4U> The com0com port setup > > trips most guys up, but you have the same problem with LP-Bridge too. > > I go into great detail on com0com in the video. It's not bad once you > > understand the concept. You won't go back to LP-Bridge... my two > > cents. And again, you are not required to use the graphical interface > > to the K3 for anything, but you might just start using it after awhile, > for remote control like I did. > > Not to mention all the other features... like using it with LP-PAN2 or > > SDRPlay. I switched from NaP3 long ago and never looked back. By the > > way, i'm a big N8LP fan too... I love the LP-PAN2 setup and LP-700, > > but NaP3 plays second fiddle to Win4K3Suite's spectrum display and you > > can now pump a UDP feed of the spectrum to N1MM too... Have fun. > > > > Max NG7M > > > > > > Tom, > > > > I've downloaded and tried your program several times (perhaps that why > > your site won't let me do it again).? Nothing personal, but I just > > don't like running the radio from the computer that much.? I know that > > flies in the face of my desire to tune (sometimes) the frequency with > > the mouse on the panadapter.? > > Otherwise, > > I like the knobs.? That said, your mention of Omni-rig got me thinking > > and I installed it and at first blush it appears that I can now > > connect everything to everything else using LP-Bridge. > > > > I'll call this the beta test stage, but did want to put this out there > > for the folks who said it would work. > > > > Wes > > > > > > On 6/11/2019 4:00 PM, Tom wrote: > > > Hi > > > 7 years ago, I tried to write some small software projects that used > > LPBridge to share ports. I quickly found out that it does not pass all > > commands through the radio. In addition, there were many cases of > > collisions between software products if they tried to write to the > > comport at the same time. > > > So, a long story short, I developed Win4K3Suite. > > > It is completely different than passive comport sharing utilities. > > > It > > has 6 "Virtual radios" that act pretty well identical to the K3, KX3 > > or KX2. It listens to commands from software products and then > > delivers results either from memory or if a write is necessary, then > > all threads are synchronized and prioritised so that one application > > cannot clobber the other. > > > You can run 6 applications simultaneously as well as HRD Logbook. > > > It > > also works with hardware devices like SteppIr antennas and tuners. > > Here is a video from Max, NG7M who uses it extensively to connect all > > kinds of software and hardware together. https://youtu.be/zbf7BPfcj4U > > > It does use com0com, but not as a sharing tool but rather com0com > > actually behaves just like a null modem cable. You create a Pair of > > comports which form a null modem cable and you connect one side to > > Win4K3 and the other to the other software. It is 100% reliable and > > tested with thousands of users. > > > There's a free trial and updates are free. There are numerous > > > videos > > under Documentation, Video Tutorials. > > > In any case, I would not use HamLib for connections. Always use > > Omni-rig. Much more stable. > > > 73 Tom > > > Va2fsq.com > > > > > > > -- > > M. George > > ______________________________________________________________ > > Elecraft mailing list > > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > > Post: mailto:[email protected] > > > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email > > list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to > > [email protected] > > > ______________________________________________________________ > Elecraft mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto:[email protected] > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html > Message > delivered to [email protected] > > > --- > This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. > https://www.avast.com/antivirus > > ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[email protected] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to [email protected]
