[RTTY] 4-port serial card for Windows 8.1 results

[Joe Subich, W4TV]

It won't happen unless someone gets busy with the Open Source
MMTTY project and adds pFSK support to MMTTY and MMVARI.

73,

    ... Joe, W4TV


On 4/25/2014 12:53 PM, Dave Hachadorian wrote:
> I predict that, in the near future, G3YYD's "Improved Pseudo-FSK
> Circuit" will become the standard RTTY TX interface, rather than
> serial ports.
> http://lists.contesting.com/archives//html/RTTY/2014-03/msg00102.html
>
> Laptop prices keep decreasing relative to desktops, and 45 baud
> USB to Serial adapters are getting more scarce and pricey.
>
> That's my prediction anyway, and I'm stickin' with it.
>
> Dave Hachadorian, K6LL
> Yuma, AZ
>
>
> -----Original Message----- From: Don AA5AU
> Sent: Friday, April 25, 2014 8:38 AM
> To: rtty reflector
> Subject: Re: [RTTY] 4-port serial card for Windows 8.1 results
>
> Tom et al, the reason I went with the standard serial port board
> in my new PC is because most USB-to-serial adapters will not
> handle 5-bit data. I think the Edgeport does, but most do not.
>
> For years I have been running a laptop and a Sigi 4-port
> USB-to-serial adapter for FSK/PTT and radio control on my second
> radio. In WriteLog, I used "Software generated FSK" and all
> worked well until the BARTG 75 contest came up. WriteLog's
> "Software generated FSK" does not support 75 baud RTTY.
>
> In order to run SO2R in the BARTG 75 contests, I was forced to
> run both radios on my one PC that had 5 legacy serial ports. I do
> not like SO2R on a single PC (too busy for me), so I'm looking
> forward to doing my standard SO2R on two PC's during BARTG 75 on
> Sunday!
>
> 73, Don AA5AU
>
>
>
>> ________________________________
>> From: Tom Magarelli <wa2pni at verizon.net>
>> To: 'Dave Greig' <daven3buo at gmail.com>; "'Joe Subich, W4TV'"
>> <lists at subich.com>
>> Cc: 'RTTY Reflector' <rtty at contesting.com>
>> Sent: Friday, April 25, 2014 10:16 AM
>> Subject: Re: [RTTY] 4-port serial card for Windows 8.1 results
>>
>>
>> I have been looking at this thread and I know I had purchased a
>> Serial
>> Adapter
>>
>> cable that went from USB 2.0 to two male serial connections.
>>
>> It was recommended to me that it does work well,
>>
>> I cannot confirm because I have not tried it yet. I have not had
>> a need to
>> use it,
>>
>> plus my mother board does have a serial header. I purchased for
>> possible
>> future needs.
>>
>> It is a Micro Connections product. Purchased on Amazon
>>
>> On the package it says the CD includes drivers for Win7 - Win
>> 8 - Vista - XP
>> and Mac
>>
>> Here is a link:
>>
>> Adapter Cable
>> <http://www.amazon.com/Micro-Connectors-Serial-Adapter-E07-162/dp/B0032325LE
>>
>> /ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1398438412&sr=8-10&keywords=usb+to+serial+port+adap
>>
>> tor>
>>
>>
>>
>> I just thought it was easier than installing a board. Just
>> another thought
>> or possibility.
>>
>>
>>
>> Tom - WA2PNI
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: RTTY [mailto:rtty-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of
>> Dave Greig
>> Sent: Friday, April 25, 2014 10:33 AM
>> To: Joe Subich, W4TV
>> Cc: RTTY Reflector
>> Subject: Re: [RTTY] 4-port serial card for Windows 8.1 results
>>
>>
>>
>> Joe,
>>
>> Thank you very much for this information. I did not realize 8.1
>> had this
>> capability.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Thank You!
>>
>> Dave Greig N3BUO
>>
>> *801 Tactical*
>>
>> Phone: (682) 422-6667
>>
>> <http://www.801tactical.com> http://www.801tactical.com
>>
>> Google Plus: gplus.to/801Tactical
>>
>> Facebook:  <https://www.facebook.com/801Tactical>
>> https://www.facebook.com/801Tactical
>>
>> Twitter: @801tactical
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On Thu, Apr 24, 2014 at 11:08 PM, Joe Subich, W4TV <
>> <mailto:lists at subich.com> lists at subich.com> wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>>>
>>
>>> Part of the problem with installing drivers in Windows 8/8.1
>>> is the
>>
>>> new hybrid sleep (fast boot) capability.  In essence, Win
>>> 8/8.1 closes
>>
>>> any running applications then saves the operating system and
>>> hardware
>>
>>> drivers image to disk just like hibernate.  When rebooting
>>> that old
>>
>>> image is reloaded complete with all the drivers that were
>>> previously
>>
>>> installed - even if the hardware changed.  If the previous
>>> image had
>>
>>> drivers for hardware that was no longer present or drivers
>>> that were
>>
>>> to be replaced, that conflict can cause page faults and other
>>> (BSOD)
>>
>>> errors.
>>
>>>
>>
>>> When installing new hardware the best thing one can do is to
>>> hold the
>>
>>> shift key while shutting down Windows 8/8.1 before making any
>>> hardware
>>
>>> change, install any new drivers, then restart Windows 8/8.1
>>> before
>>
>>> trying to run anything new.  Shift-shutdown and restart both
>>> force a
>>
>>> complete (fresh) reload of the operating system and all
>>> drivers.
>>
>>>
>>
>>> Another little known tip ... when installing new USB devices,
>>> always
>>
>>> disconnect any previously connected devices and restart before
>>
>>> connecting a new USB device for the first time.  This allows
>>> drivers
>>
>>> for the new device to be installed with a "clean slate" and
>>> prevents
>>
>>> older drivers and drivers from hardware no longer present from
>>
>>> interfering with the installation of a new device.
>>
>>>
>>
>>> 73,
>>
>>>
>>
>>>    ... Joe, W4TV
>>
>>>
>>
>>>
>>
>>> On 4/24/2014 11:36 PM, Don Hill AA5AU wrote:
>>
>>>
>>
>>>> Thanks to everyone who sent information on the serial cards
>>>> they were
>>
>>>> using in their Windows 8 computers. I purchased a new Dell
>>
>>>> 3847 desktop PC with Windows 8.1 and it arrived this past
>>>> Monday.
>>
>>>>
>>
>>>> On the serial card, I decided to go with a suggestion from
>>>> Joe, W4TV,
>>
>>>> on the Syba model SD-PEX15011 for three reasons. One is that
>>>> Joe is
>>
>>>> usually good about suggesting hardware (I purchased two USB
>>>> sound
>>
>>>> cards he recommended and they work great), secondly because
>>>> this
>>
>>>> particular 4-port board is the sister of the 4-port board I
>>>> have been
>>
>>>> using in my XP Pro machine for many years, and thirdly
>>>> because of the
>>
>>>> price. It is cheaper than any of the others. Although the
>>
>>>> manufacturer is listed as Syba, it says "Best Connectivity"
>>
>>>> on the box.
>>
>>>>
>>
>>>> I purchased the SD-PEX15011 from Newegg on Monday and it
>>>> arrived today.
>>
>>>>
>>
>>>>
>>>> <http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815124075>
>> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815124075
>>
>>>>
>>
>>>> I installed the board this evening using the instructions
>>>> that came
>>
>>>> with the board. I'm sorry to report that nothing worked as it
>>>> was
>>
>>>> suppose to but in the end, for reasons I can't explain, all
>>>> four
>>
>>>> ports magically started working.
>>
>>>>
>>
>>>> The instructions said to install the board, turn on the
>>>> computer and
>>
>>>> Windows would recognize it - it did not. Windows did not like
>>>> the
>>
>>>> board being installed and kept giving an error that it had to
>>>> shut
>>
>>>> down and restart because "page fault in non-paged area".
>>
>>>>
>>
>>>> I decided to remove the board and install the driver on the
>>>> disk that
>>
>>>> came with the board, then re-install the board. There were
>>>> Windows 8
>>
>>>> drivers on the disk. Windows still did not like the board
>>>> being
>>
>>>> installed. On occasion it would give me the "page fault"
>>
>>>> error and restart, but I did notice that COM 1 was showing up
>>>> and the
>>
>>>> other ports were also showing in Device Manager but Windows
>>>> didn't
>>
>>>> know what they were. I tried re-installing the driver but it
>>>> wasn't
>>
>>>> working. I went online to find updated drivers. The drivers
>>>> on the
>>
>>>> Syba website were actually older than the ones on the disk
>>>> and I
>>
>>>> didn't see any for Windows 8. I did find a set of
>>>> instructions for
>>
>>>> Windows 7 that suggested to "Disable Driver Signature
>>>> Enforcement". I
>>
>>>> finally found instructions on how to do this in Windows 8.1
>>>> because
>>
>>>> the instructions for "Disable Driver Signature Enforcement"
>>>> on
>>
>>>> Windows 8 are totally different. I am finding out that
>>>> Windows 8.1 is
>>
>>>> different than Window 8 in many ways.
>>
>>>>
>>
>>>> Rebooting after "Disable Driver Signature Enforcement" helped
>>>> keep
>>
>>>> the PC from wanting to restart. I re-installed the drivers as
>>
>>>> Administrator but the ports did not show up in Device
>>>> Manager. So I
>>
>>>> switched over to my non-Administrator account for no good
>>>> reason
>>
>>>> other than to check the Device Manager; lo and behold, all
>>>> four ports
>>
>>>> showed up in Device Manager.
>>
>>>>
>>
>>>> I went ahead and tested all four ports and they all work for
>>>> radio
>>
>>>> control and FSK/PTT. I restarted the computer several times
>>>> and have
>>
>>>> not gotten the "page fault in non-paged area" error and
>>>> everything
>>
>>>> seems very stable.
>>
>>>>
>>
>>>> I don't know if I would recommend this board to anyone other
>>>> than to
>>
>>>> someone who has time to play with it to get it to work. I
>>>> think it's
>>
>>>> going to be OK, but if you want to spend a little more money,
>>>> maybe
>>
>>>> something like a StarTech would install better. I don't know.
>>
>>>>
>>
>>>> I will give it the smoke test in SPDX RTTY this weekend. I'm
>>>> just not
>>
>>>> a fan of USB-to-serial adapters for FSK. Especially with the
>>>> BARTG 75
>>
>>>> coming up on Sunday. Definitely need a legacy COM port for 75
>>>> baud on
>>
>>>> a homebrew transistor FSK interface!
>>
>>>>
>>
>>>> 73, Don AA5AU
>>
>>>>
>>
>>>>
>>
>>>>
>>
>>>>
>>
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>
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>>
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>>
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>> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/rtty
>>
>>>>
>>
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>>
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>>
>>>
>>
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>>
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