[RSM] Serial Port Testing Question

[Jessy Blanchette]

Your welcome!

Another quick tip,  on the rs232 adapter or physical serial port on the PC
you can also do a "loopback test" jumping the TX and RX lines together.
 When the rx / tx serial lines are looped ,whatever you type in Putty will
echo back right away -- then you know the host/pc serial port working ;)
 If it's a one wire test, make sure hardware flow control is disabled in
Putty.

https://www.instructables.com/DB-9-RS-232-Loopback-Plug-Windows-and-OS-X/
 overkill tutorial, but explains this in more detail.

73 es GL!

On Sun, 25 Jan 2026 at 14:33, Jack Parker <vhfplus at gmail.com> wrote:

> Wow, Jessy, thanks very much! I will give this a try and report back.
>
> The best to you in the New Year.
> On 1/25/2026 1:17 PM, Jessy Blanchette wrote:
>
>
> Hi Jack, Happy New Year!
>
> I would try using a free program like Putty
> https://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/ and manually talk
> with the rig directly via the serial port.    Double check the rig settings
> that the baud rate, stop bits and parity are all correct.
>
> In the session if you type "IF;"<enter> the rig should respond with a long
> message with the encoded state of the rig, "FA;"<enter> should return the
> VFO A information (FA00014250000;).  Elecraft copied uses the same plain
> command style (so this also works for the K3 folks)
>
> Not sure if the Kenwood can do it, but on the K3 you can set up the rig to
> auto report the state of the rig (IF;) every second from the config menus.
>  Using putty you would see this like a heartbeat,  and if the output is all
> garbage looking it's likely a mismatch of baud rate etc.
>
> Hope that might help with your diagnosis.
>
> 73 Jessy :)
>
>
>
> On Sun, 25 Jan 2026 at 12:59, Jack Parker <vhfplus at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> I hope this is not too far off topic but Shelley and I would like to get
>> back on for some contests (RTTY/CW focus) so thought we would ask.
>>
>> Can anyone suggest a means of testing whether a serial comm port on a
>> rig is functional? In my case it is a Kenwood TS-570D with a male DB9
>> connector on the rear panel. I have a USB/RS232 adapter (no, not an
>> FTDI) that is recognized by all our computers but will not talk to the
>> rig with either N1MM Logger+ or N3FJP's ACLog. My test bench is
>> non-existent, save for a hand held DMM.
>>
>> Unless a command string can be generate manually, I am pessimistic any
>> solution is possible. Any suggestions are appreciated, even if they lead
>> to a negative result.
>>
>> --
>> 73, Jack, VA4JP/K0JP
>> Steinbach, MB
>>
>>
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>>
> --
> Jack, VA4JP/K0JP
> Steinbach, MB
> EN19pm
>
>