Scott,
Great, yes you have it.
Except: the serial port may key older, "less Elegant than the K3" rigs:
build the 2-transistor circuit shown in the TR Manual. The K3 merely has
this circuitry implemented inside its chassis. No WinKey required.
Headphone switching is my problem, but I suspect it has been addressed. Yes,
in the Russian-language Wiki. Dmitriy has developed a serial port interface
to do some of the higher functions formerly reserved for the parallel port.
Sorry, but I haven't had time to study/translate/understand this yet (since
my 'new' desktop has a real parallel port which does the job just fine).
Yes, there is a way to 'kludge' this... which is in a notebook here
somewhere... but again, another unfinished project since the system works
as-is, hi.
The old-notebook solution is very viable. TR4W, like TR, is very sleek and
requires little processing power. The minimum stated system is a
PentI@200MHz. I've run it on a Dell PentI@150MHz laptop, but not in a
contest.
73 de Bob, K6XX
> -----Original Message-----
> From: k0dq [mailto:k0dq@analog.org]
> Sent: Monday, June 28, 2010 6:56 PM
> To: 'Bob Wolbert, K6XX'; 'Tod -MN'; trlog@contesting.com
> Subject: RE: [Trlog] TR4W
>
> Thanks, Bob. Very helpful post. And all the best at WRTC.
>
> To summarize, I think there are three major tasks involved
> with implementing SO2R under TR4W when computers with only
> USB ports are available.
>
> As I (barely) understand it:
>
> 1. CAT/computer control of radios. No problem via
> USB/Serial converters for radios one and two.
>
> 2. CW keying of two transmitters, separately switchable. No
> problem if you have a rig (e.g. K-3) which allows using COM
> port RTS/DTR for keying and PTT. If you have an older rig
> (e.g. FT-990) still may be doable (I believe) with WINKEY
> (one or two?), but I don't have any experience yet.
> - As an aside, I haven't seen the stutter problem yet,
> but I haven't graduated to spots, telnets, etc. yet. Just
> trying to duplicate reliable old faithful TRLog in windows.
>
> 3. Headphone switching. That seems to be the last - and
> most gnarly - problem, which I infer you are referring to
> when you say "much of the job."
> As you note, that's solvable with an LPT port, using pin 14,
> but not sure how to do that without an LPT. THAT'S where I'm
> coming up short. (I suppose you could, in theory, build a
> box that takes the radio PTT signal for Radio 2, sent via COM
> Port DTR/RTS, and have it key a relay actuating +5 volts for Radio 2.)
>
> Don't intend to ask any three letter agencies for translation
> help, but wonder if there's something on the wiki about
> implementing SO2R under TR4W.
> Happy to buy a Micro2R, YCCC box or some such. Much happier
> if I can use my DX Doubler (and maybe SO2Rxlat).
>
> Plan B is to take several of my old HP Omnibook 500's and
> other older laptops with LPTs and/or PCMCIA/Express sockets,
> load them up with TR4W, and take them to P4 until they all
> die. That may not be long.
>
> Thanks
>
> Scott
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Bob Wolbert, K6XX [mailto:k6xx@ihwy.com]
> Sent: Monday, June 28, 2010 1:21 PM
> To: 'k0dq'; 'Tod -MN'; trlog@contesting.com
> Subject: RE: [Trlog] TR4W
>
> Gentlemen,
>
> TR4W is working well for me, and has been used exclusively
> here for about 18 months. Well enough that we will use it at
> WRTC in a couple of weeks.
>
> At home, Alt-R functionality works normally with a relatively
> modern Core-2 duo PC (2008 Lenovo desktop with an honest
> parallel port) and the older WX0B SO2R box (similar to the
> DXD). Using a laptop without a parallel port, the WinKey
> thing can simulate the second radio switching to a certain extent.
> USB-serial converters also will do much of the job; you may
> key the rig through the same port as you use to control it,
> with TR4W automatically directing PTT and keying to the proper rig.
>
> I do see some issues with this USB-serial port keying in
> TR4W, especially if I'm running something that bogs down the
> processor like HamCAP (propagation display program) when it
> updates at the top of the hour. Keying stutters slightly
> during these updates, with the stutter severity dependant
> upon PC processor. A 1.6GHz "dual core" stutters badly, while
> the 2.2GHz Core 2 Duo (a much faster processor family,
> independent of clock speed) hardly notices the loading. With
> the parallel port keying, I have never heard stutter.
> Using the WinKey, you will never hear any stutter.
>
> Scott, I imagine your Russian is a heck of a lot better than
> mine--or at least you have the resources to accurately
> translate the technical documents available on the TR4W
> Russian-language "Wiki". Look at what Dmitriy has done with
> the serial port. He has implemented external hardware and
> code to emulate much (all??) of the functionality previously
> available on the parallel port. Paddle input, for example...
> but last time I tried it, the paddle was non-iambic.
> Hopefully, the radio control bit is also available now on a
> serial port.
>
> Alt-D functionality also works, and in fact has been improved
> from that in TR (DOS) in several ways. Preeminent among the
> improvements, IMHO, is the way it will automatically load a
> callsign into the second rig window if that call is in the
> bandmap. But there are some operational differences between
> TR4W and TR that you must learn. The most bothersome is the
> difference in functionality when you don't get the second rig
> Q on the first call. On the second call, it sometimes works,
> but sometimes doesn't. TR has the same issue, but with a
> different threshold. I haven't figured out either one!
>
> 73 de Bob, K6XX
>
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: trlog-bounces@contesting.com
> > [mailto:trlog-bounces@contesting.com] On Behalf Of k0dq
> > Sent: Monday, June 28, 2010 9:04 AM
> > To: 'Tod -MN'; trlog@contesting.com
> > Subject: Re: [Trlog] TR4W
> >
> > Tod,
> >
> >
> >
> > Thanks. All that makes sense and am doing that with my older
> > computers (desktops and laptops) that have 'real' Parallel / LPT
> > ports. Haven't used it in a 48 hour contest yet, but all works well
> > unless there's some hidden deal. I'm only interested in
> CW, BTW, and
> > am trying to figure this out for the 'take a laptop to
> Aruba' setup.
> > The Alt-D SO2R function is the one I'm particularly trying to
> > preserve.
> >
> >
> >
> > USB-serial ports can do virtually everything EXCEPT switch the DXD
> > from radio 1 to radio 2. While USB-serial ports work well, USB-LPT
> > ports don't work. That's the challenge - getting the LPT
> pin 14 Radio
> > Select A/B signal from a USB only computer.
> >
> >
> >
> > Blessings
> >
> >
> >
> > Scott
> >
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Tod -MN [mailto:tod@k0to.us]
> > Sent: Monday, June 28, 2010 11:11 AM
> > To: 'k0dq'; trlog@contesting.com
> > Subject: RE: [Trlog] TR4W
> >
> >
> >
> > Scott:
> >
> >
> >
> > I presently am using a Desk Top type computer with 'real' COM
> > ports and a
> >
> > 'real' Parallel port. I have tested TR4W using a USB COM port
> > and that works
> >
> > very well. I do not [yet] have a USB to LPT cable so have no
> > experience with
> >
> > that.
> >
> >
> >
> > I do not use the LPT line to specify the band that a
> > particular radio is on
> >
> > -- I have the TopTen Band Decoders. The LPT lines are only
> > used to provide
> >
> > PTT and the computer CW keying signal. I do not use the
> > paddles connected to
> >
> > the LPT inputs to generate a 'keyer' type CW output since
> > there simply
> >
> > seems to be no way for anyone [N1MM, etc.] to get the correct
> > timing turn
> >
> > around to allow paddle CW as we used to have it in the DOS
> version of
> >
> > TR-Log.
> >
> >
> >
> > I have not implemented the footswitch.
> >
> >
> >
> > The DVP function works correctly but the ALT-R and ALT-W
> > options that were
> >
> > available for the DVK board in TR-Log are not available in
> > TR4W -- at least
> >
> > not as far as I can tell.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > I have converted some of the documentation from Russian into
> > English --
> >
> > particularly tables and the command statements for the CFG files.
> >
> >
> >
> > My experience has been that it seems one must put all of the
> > RADIO ONE and
> >
> > RADIO TWO command statements into the TR.ini file for things
> > to work. I am
> >
> > not absolutely certain about that, because the computer and
> radios are
> >
> > located in Idaho and I am in Minnesota for the next few
> > weeks. I know that I
> >
> > had to do something unusual to get statements into the
> > correct directory
> >
> > before they did what I expected them to do.
> >
> >
> >
> > Once the Radio One and Radio Two statements were locate in
> the correct
> >
> > directory with the correct name things worked exactly as they
> > do/did when
> >
> > running TR-Log under DOS.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Tod, K0TO
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> >
> > > From: k0dq [mailto:k0dq@analog.org]
> >
> > > Sent: Monday, June 28, 2010 8:42 AM
> >
> > > To: 'Tod -MN'
> >
> > > Subject: RE: [Trlog] TR4W
> >
> > >
> >
> > > Tod,
> >
> > >
> >
> > > Where do you connect the LPT cable on your computer? Do you
> >
> > > use an LPT port or PCMCIA/Express card converter?
> >
> > >
> >
> > > Trying to figure out how to do it with a computer with only
> > USB ports.
> >
> > >
> >
> > > Tnx,
> >
> > >
> >
> > > Scott
> >
> > >
> >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> >
> > > From: Tod -MN [mailto:tod@k0to.us]
> >
> > > Sent: Monday, June 28, 2010 9:46 AM
> >
> > > To: 'k0dq'
> >
> > > Subject: RE: [Trlog] TR4W
> >
> > >
> >
> > > I use Dxdoubler and TR4W.
> >
> > >
> >
> > > What seems to be the non-functioning thing?
> >
> > >
> >
> > > Tod, K0TO
> >
> > >
> >
> > >
> >
> > >
> >
> > > > -----Original Message-----
> >
> > > > From: trlog-bounces@contesting.com
> >
> > > > [mailto:trlog-bounces@contesting.com] On Behalf Of k0dq
> >
> > > > Sent: Sunday, June 27, 2010 8:05 PM
> >
> > > > To: trlog@contesting.com
> >
> > > > Subject: [Trlog] TR4W
> >
> > > >
> >
> > > > Trying to figure out how best to make the transition to
> >
> > > Windows based
> >
> > > > contest logging program for SO2R. Preferred option is
> >
> > > TR4W, which I
> >
> > > > have working on machines with an LPT.
> >
> > > > I do have a PIEXX SO2Rxlat and hoped to utilize my trusty
> >
> > > DX Doubler,
> >
> > > > but doesn't appear to be compatible.
> >
> > > >
> >
> > > >
> >
> > > >
> >
> > > > Is anyone successfully using TR4W on a modern laptop (i.e.
> >
> > > > only USB ports)
> >
> > > > in SO2R? If so, how.
> >
> > > >
> >
> > > >
> >
> > > >
> >
> > > > Thanks,
> >
> > > >
> >
> > > >
> >
> > > >
> >
> > > > Scott, K0DQ
> >
> > > >
> >
> > > > _______________________________________________
> >
> > > > Trlog mailing list
> >
> > > > Trlog@contesting.com
> >
> > > > http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/trlog
> >
> > >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Trlog mailing list
> > Trlog@contesting.com
> > http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/trlog
>
>
>
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