[TenTec] Orion 565 serial port woes

[Martin Sole]

I've not been very active of late and not been reading the mail here either
for a few months.

 

Getting fired up to work FT5 and 3D20 this weekend, success on both counts
so cannot complain, I have found a problem with the pc to radio operation.
Previously this has worked well but it has just stopped. I have a Targus USB
to serial port adaptor plugged straight in to the back of the radio and the
trailing cable with USB plug has been left lying loose for the last couple
of months. Plugging it in to my laptop and using DX Commander I can set
frequencies, modes, and other functions from the software and they get
actioned at the radio but nothing done at the radio gets sent to the pc. The
serial port adaptor seems to be fine, works in loop back mode with a
terminal program and I have also tried a known good cable to a real serial
port. Same deal.

 

I am rapidly coming to the conclusion that the MAX232 chip might have failed
on the CPU board of the 565 and wonder if anyone else has seen a similar
failure. I have yet to open up the radio to dig further but just fishing for
info to see if others have encountered the same situation and if that was
the problem.

 

Any ideas and thoughts very welcome.

 

Martin, HS0ZED