[TenTec] Config help. Orion - Writelog - Windows XP

[Martin AA6E]

The Orion Programmer's Reference Guide rev 1.2 p 34 gives the info on 
how to send CW from the serial port using the "/" command. Use any 
method you like to generate the commands - your favorite programming 
language, terminal emulator or whatever.

I have tried it, and it works.  There are problems, because there is an 
internal buffer of only so many characters long. (TT does not specify 
the length!  Some dozens of characters as I recall.)  That is, you can 
send these commands (one CW character per command) as fast as you want 
up to the length of that buffer.  They are sent out at the keyer's wpm 
rate.  There is no way for your computer to know when the buffer is full 
or empty, so it's tricky to send a long CW transmission without gaps or 
overruns.  It may be OK for a short ID or contest exchange.

The safe thing to do is to send the commands timed to the keying rate 
you hope the Orion is using.  A messy interface IMO.

73 Martin AA6E

Tom Childers, N5GE wrote:
> On Fri, 20 Jul 2007 20:50:33 -0500, you wrote:
> 
> Below:
> 
>> I think he was looking for someone who is keying the Orion through the
>> serial cable that connects a COM port directly to the rig.  I still don't
>> know that this can be done, though 
>> someone posted that it can.
> 
> [N5GE]  That was probably me.  
> 
> If you download the Programmer's Guide from the Ten-Tec web site you can read
> about how it is done, but you will need to know how to program in some language
> like C#, C++ or Visual Basic.  I'm pretty sure you could also do in Pascal. In a
> nut shell all you have to do (in laymen's language) send an 'alert' code to the
> serial port that say's "the next character I send you should be keyed at the
> keyer" and then send the character to the serial port and the Orion I or II will
> route that character to the keyer, which will key that character via the keyer
> to the TX just as if you had sent it from the paddles.
> 
> Of course integrating that into your logging program is another thing
> altogether.
>   
>> I key mine
>> through a DigiKeyer off a USB port (virtual COM port) to the rear panel key
>> jack (or accessory plug key input - I forget which).  In case it's useful at
>> all, here are my WriteLog parms:
>>
>> Com1  TenTec Orion,  Baud:Auto, Poll: checked,  CommPTT: Yes
>> Com2  n/a
>> Com3  n/a
>> Com4  n/a
>>
>> CW Keyer Type:  PC Generates
>>
>> The interface is via MicroHam DigiKeyer via their Eltima virtual ports
>> (Com1-3, and 8 are virtual COM ports created by the driver software.)
>>
>> FWIW.
>>
>> 	73, Duane
>>
>>
>> Duane Calvin, AC5AA
>> Austin, Texas
>> www.ac5aa.com  
>>
>>
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> Tom, N5GE
> 
> http://www.n5ge.com
> http://www.eQSL.cc/Member.cfm?N5GE
> 
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