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[NA-User] COM PORT HELP

To: <na-user@contesting.com>
Subject: [NA-User] COM PORT HELP
From: don.chisholm@home.com (don.chisholm@home.com)
Date: Thu, 1 Nov 2001 19:55:19 -0500
I have had similiar conflicts.

Just because it is "turned off" in the BIOS does not always mean that, if
some hardware is still present, it will not conflict.

FYI -
IRQ 10 is often used by a sound card (if it is not on 5)
IRQ 11 can be used by an EtherNet card (and often is if a sound card is on
IRQ 10)
IRQ 12 is your PS/2 style mouse port
IRQ 15 is probably the other high IRQ you tried and forgot. It is usually
used by a secondary IDE hard drive.

If IRQ 5 will work, then I assume you have a sound card it is on IRQ 10.

You may be able to download a utility to adjust the IRQ parameters for your
device, available from the manufacturer, I assume. I was able to do this for
an ethernet card I have in my loging computer (an old 486). The dos-based
utility allowed me to adjust the "firmware" settings so I could get it on an
IRQ which was not going to conflict with my many I/O ports.

If you have an ethernet card which is not hardware settable (i.e. there are
no jumpers to assign IRQ or address) it probably autodetects and sets itself
there. To work around this, take it out and reboot - in the Windows control
panel (SYSTEM) disable or remove its hardware profile, and check the
resources to see if anything else is using the required IRQs.

If not, install the I/O expansion card and use your desired IRQ settings.
Reboot and verify that Windows is getting all of the settings correct and is
recognizing it accurately.

Next, reinstall your ethernet card. It should (mine have) detect that there
is a conflict and reassign itself to another resource that will not conflict
or that it can share appropriately. (Many Windows-driven PCI devices can
share an IRQ with no evident problems.)

Does any of this help??

73
Don
WX3M

----- Original Message -----
From: Ray Benny <jbenny@rain.org>
To: <na-user@contesting.com>
Sent: Wednesday, October 31, 2001 2:30 AM
Subject: [NA-User] COM PORT HELP


> I need help on setting up Com ports on IRQs above 9. This should not be
> a mystery, but I have had no luck in trying on and off over the past 3
> months.
>
> Here's the story:  I have installed a 4 Serial port / 3 LPT port card in
> the main P233 computer (WIN 98 booting to DOS). I disabled all the ports
> in the BIOS (Com 1, 2 & LPT1). On the second computer, a P120 (DOS 6.2),
> I have added a 2 Serial port / 1 LPT port card in it. Com ports 1 & 2 on
> both computers are set to default addresses and IRQ's and work fine. I
> assigned Com 3 to 3E8 & IRQ11, Com 4 to 2E8 & IRQ 10. These two ports
> will not talk to the corresponding ports on the other computer via NA
> network. If I reset the NA config for Com 1 or 2, the network works
> fine.
>
> I can use a DOS, Checkit program with a loop back plug, and all ports
> test fine.
>
> If I change Com 3 to IRQ 5, that port will work just fine. It appears
> that as long as I am using IRQ's below 9, they will work.
>
> Both cards are 16 bit ISA cards and have the correct jumpers to set for
> IRQ's above 9. As described above, I have tried IRQ's 10, 11, 12 and
> another I forgot. They will not work.
>
> I feel certain that I have the card jumpers set properly. Setting the
> serial port config (F4) is not rocket science, so I believe I have those
> right. I have been thru the computer's BIOS and think everything is
> either enabled or disabled correctly.
>
> By using IRQs 3, 4 & 5, I can work the upcoming SS contest in the two tx
> category (TNC, rotator & network), but with all my efforts, I cannot get
> the last Com port to work!
>
> The LPT ports have not been any problem. Both the keying and logic
> control for switching of the antennas and bandpass filters work fine.
>
> Any suggesting or ideas? I am stumped.
>
> Ray,
> N6VR
>
>
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