NA-User
[Top] [All Lists]

[NA-User] NA serial keying under Windows

To: <na-user@contesting.com>
Subject: [NA-User] NA serial keying under Windows
From: k8cc@mediaone.net (Dave Pruett)
Date: Mon, 04 Feb 2002 00:19:38 -0500
Ed, et al,

This doesn't surprise me at all, and it shouldn't surprise anyone who tries 
to run DOS apps under Windows.  Way back at WRTC 1996, we discovered that 
the brand new (for then) TI 5200 laptop running brand new (for then) Win 95 
would key fine from a COM port, but not from an LPT port.  The exact same 
version of NA worked PERFECTLY on a Win 3.1 laptop.

The fact that the radio control interface provides a clue that its not a 
BIOS issue, and NA is finding the base address of the COM port 
correctly.  Since keying uses the "handshake" or "control" lines, I suspect 
that Windows is insinuating itself between NA and the port.  I have no clue 
how to get around this.

This past weekend I bought a pair of used Acer P233MMX desktops for $70 
each at a computer show.  Their intended use is for a new 28 MHz position 
at the K8CC multi-multi.  These computers were surplused out of a local 
school system.  They boot up to a command line prompt (looks like DOS), but 
when you do the VER command it says "Windows 98".  (There is no Win98 files 
on the machine - our best guess is that the HDDs were wiped clean, then 
formatted with a bootable floppy from a Win98 machine.)  So far, in testing 
these run NA just fine - for LPT keying and rig control.

This probably provides no useful data for Ed's problem, since LPT keying 
and rig control work's in his case as well.  If I can find a COM keying 
adapter (not too common around K8CC) I'll test it for COM keying as well.

Dave/K8CC


At 01:50 PM 2/3/02 +0000, Ed Taylor, G3SQX wrote:

>I've been unable to get serial CW keying working with NA when running in a
>DOS window under Windows 98.  It works fine if I boot up into the DOS
>command prompt, but once Windows has started, NA doesn't seem able to key my
>COM1 or COM2.  Parallel keying is fine in both cases, and (more puzzlingly)
>rig control works OK either in a DOS-booted command prompt or under Windows.
>
>Any ideas?  By the way, SD will key OK under Windows or DOS, and TR behaves
>identically to NA -- I suppose that suggests there's a Windows thing that NA
>is not doing (and TR the same).  COM port resources are all standard.
>
>73,
>
>Ed, G3SQX
>
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>NA-User mailing list
>NA-User@contesting.com
>http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/na-user


<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>