Hi Bob --
Thanks for the note. Actually, the Quatech QSP-100 card can be loaded into
any 4 consecutive COM port assignments. One might
have to edit the registry if one needs a different I/O base address or IRQ
assignment.
The problem was solved. Quatech send an answer within 6 hours of my
inquiry. Under WinNT, the Quatech driver doesn't work with
the Softex PCMCIA hotswap software that Dell automatically includes in its
laptops. One must use the default WinNT PCMCIA software.
Backing out the Softex installation is straightforward and the Quatech boards
comes up right away.
It's pretty cool having 5 serial ports plus ethernetworking on a laptop --
enough to run a SO2R station.
-- Eric R3/K3NA
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-ct-user@contesting.com
[mailto:owner-ct-user@contesting.com]On Behalf Of Bob Mandeville
Sent: 2001 January 30 Tue 03:16
To: Eric Scace
Cc: CT; WriteLog; Kachina
Subject: Re: [ct-user] WinNT experts: Quatech QSP-100 quad serial port
PCMCIA difficulties
I've used the Quatech QSP-100. One item has me confused. You say that the
Quatech ports are COM3-6. I believe that the software
only
allows them to load as COM5-8. Was anything done to reconfigure these to
COM3-6? If so, you might try to reconfigure them again,
only
as COM5-8. In all my experience with the Quatech, it always loaded above COM4
(once, it even loaded as COM6-9)
I hope this might give you a clue to use.
Bob, N1EDM
Eric Scace wrote:
> Howdy folks --
>
> I'm having difficulty getting some additional serial ports running on my
> machine in order to support radio communications.
> Perhaps someone with WinNT administrator experience will have a couple of
> ideas to help.
>
> Here are the details:
> machine: Dell Inspiron 7500 laptop.
> operating system: WinNT 4.0 SP5 workstation.
> latest Quatech drivers for NT are loaded & running.
> COM port configuration:
> COM1 - rear panel serial port.
> COM2 - built in modem
> COM3-6 - Quatech ports.
> IRQ and base address rundown (from WinNT Diagnostics):
> 1: i8042prt - bus 0 ISA - 0060, 0064. [I think this is the keyboard and
> mouse port driver.]
> 4: serial - bus 0 ISA - 03F8-03FF. This is COM1 (works fine).
> 5: LTmodem - bus 0 PCI - 1080-1086 & 1800-1807. This modem is on COM2
> (works fine).
> 5: maestro - bus 0 PCI - 1400-14FF. [This is the soundcard controller.
> See note below.]
> 6: floppy - bus 0 ISA - 03F0-03F5, 03F7.
> 7: WinNT Diagnostics doesn't list this, but the hardware boot setup
> process shows the parallel port configured for IRQ 7, base
> 0378.
> 9: CBENT - bus 0 PCI - F500-F57F. This is a Xircom Ethernet PCMCIA card,
> which works fine.
> 10: assigned to COM3-6, the Quatech COM ports. Doesn't show up in the
> WinNT Diagnostics listing, but see the Event Log report
> later.
> 12: i8042prt - bus 0 ISA.
> 14: atapi - bus 0 ISA - 0170-0177, 01F0-01F7, 0376, 03F6, 1050-1057, and
> 1058-105F.
> 15: atapi.
>
> In addition WinNT Diagnostics shows other I/O port addresses assigned as
> follows:
> VGASave - bus 0 PCI - 01CE-01CF, 03B0-03BB.
> ParPort - bus 0 ISA - 0378-037A.
> ati2mpab - bus 1 PCI - 03B0-03BB, 03C0-03Df, 2000-20FF. This is the
> display driver.
>
> And a bunch of very low address I/O ports are used by PC compatible
> EISA/ISA HAL device.
>
> On this Dell laptop, the PCMCIA cards are not really managed by the WinNT
> PCMCIA applet, but by a Softex PC Card Controller. The
> Softex PC Card Controller shows the Quatech card as "available for use (Point
> Enable)", IRQ=10 and base I/O at x300-31F.
>
> It does seem odd that the "maestro" driver shares IRQ5 with the LTmodem.
> However, they've done this since the day the laptop
> arrived without apparent problems so far.
>
> The Control Panel/Port applet shows:
> COM1 - IRQ 4, I/O base address x3F8.
> COM2 - defined, but the "advanced" button is grayed out so the applet
> doesn't report on IRQ or base address values. RegEdit
> shows a key in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\ltmodem
> named "ModemIsr" with a value of 5. The key "ModemIo"
> has a value of x100.
> COM3 thru 6 are defined as per the Quatech documented default, which
> appears not to conflict on this machine: IRQ=10, and base
> addresses of x300, x308, x310, and x318 respectively.
>
> Upon startup, the Event Logger reports an error: "The status port for COM3
> overlaps the control registers for the device." I
> suspect the Quatech device is not operating, despite what the Softex PC Card
> controller reports -- nothing resembling the device
is
> listed in WinNT diagnostics 'devices'... WinNT diagnostics does not show
> IRQ10 in use... nor does it show I/O port addresses
300-31F
> in use.
>
> Although the PC Card Controller shows the Quatech card installed, and the
> Control Panel/Port applet shows everything is in order,
in
> fact no application is able to communicate with COM3 through 6. WriteLog,
> for example, reports that COM3 or 4 is unavailable when
> one attempts to configure a radio on it; WriteLog works fine on COM1 (the
> back panel serial port). The Kachina software works
fine
> on COM1 but doesn't see the radio or tuning knob when configured to use COM3
> thru 6.
>
> The registry keys for the card appear correct according to the manufacturer's
> documentation, except for one:
>
> HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Pcmcia\Database\Quatech
> Inc\PCMCIA Quad RS-232 Serial Port
> Card\AttributeMemorySize is in the registry with value x8100 (33,024) when
> the documentation shows a value of 4096. But this is a
> database entry so I'm skeptical that this really is doing anything. And I am
> loathe to edit the registry without someone looking
> over my shoulder.
>
> The drivers and installer software is the most current version from the
> manufacturer's website and, other than noted above,
> everything aligns with the manufacturer's specs.
>
> Any ideas?
>
> -- Eric R3/K3NA
>
> --
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> Problems: owner-ct-user@contesting.com
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