[ct-user] CT Time offset problem

[Mike Walker]

Comments on V9.36 after WPX (M/S 1900 Q's).

2 Machines DOS 6.22
3Com 3C509B cards 10BaseT config. 
4 Serial Ports (all unique base addresses and IRQ's)
1 - 486 33Mhz
1 - 486 40Mhz
1 - Compaq laptop with Win 95 DOS 

We ran 2 stations for WPX and used NETTSR the do the network.  Worked like
a champ.   Only received a few Checksum error messages on the network for
48 hours.  I highly recommend that you explore using a proper network!
Makes adding to and removing machines a breeze.  Test it at home first
though.  We kept getting a lot of Unknown Network Message (with DATA) on
the Laptop.  This had a Xircom card and Win95 DOS (not running Win95). 

Icom IC-756 running as a IC-775 worked great.  Immediate updates to the
ALT-J frequency screen on all computers.  Really slick (ran this at 9600
baud to its host computer).  Using the dual watch helped to find
multipliers while running.  Also, if you make the sub-band the active
control band, when you jump to the cluster callouts and hit enter, it
updates the subband and leaves the run frequency alone.  (One one instance,
I think it turned on split, but it was early in the morning. :-) )  Splits
worked silently (great for 40M).

TS-850 with the -RTS switch on the was OK, but not as nice as the IC-756.
Frequency update lags, but all the band switching worked fine.  We did have
some jumping around, but it went away after I changed something (can't
remember what, but it may have been the order of the loading of NETTSR,
COMTSR's and DVPTSR).  When you do a split on Kenwood, the software needs
to change VFO's and load the QSX frequency in each VFO, return to the
original frequency and then turn split on.  Still much faster than manually
entering the split, but annoying when compared to the Icom.

We did keep loosing com links to the radios (not a conflicting IRQ
problem...each com port has its own unique address and IRQ).  The events
where something like this:

opon va3mw
run on 20M
change to 15M
log a couple
opon va3sk
log more
opon va3mw

At this point, the band changed back to 20M and we lost the com link to the
radio.  This happened twice and it was 15 q's later when we noticed that we
where logging on the wrong band.  This happened on both stations.

More on the network.  If you have at least one machine with multiple com
ports, you can add the TNC here.  This also means you can use Laptops for
everything else.  Assuming the mouse is built in, you can connect the radio
to the single com port, and add a PCMCIA network card.  Make sure the
PCMCIA card supports Packet Drivers.  My 3com one in my Dell does not (at
least I couldn't find one for the 3C562D).  You can't use a DVP card, but
you may be able to use one of the sound blaster utils and make use of the
onboard sound card in the laptop.  

(Ken...I think the API's that people want may be a great idea.  Also,
please add my vote to add the RAC contest.  Right now we use CT in Field
Day mode for that contest).

73 for now...Mike

----------------------------------------------------------------
Michael K. Walker                   Legato Systems (Canada) Inc.
Silver Care Management                   3390 South Service Road
(905) 637-4738                                    Burlington, ON
http://www.legato.com                                    L7N 3J5
pager:  1480111@pagemart.net


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