[WriteLog] strange problem with WriteLog on Windows 2000

[Dick Green]

David,

I'm running WL 10.34B here under the latest W2K and it works fine. I trust
your COM1 is a built-in motherboard port and not an add-on card or USB port.
If that's not the case, let us know.

The problems you describe sound an awful lot like what happens when two
programs try to use the same COM port and interfere with each other -- i.e.,
one program sets a mode on the port that's not expected by the other, data
intended for one winds up going to the other because interrupts get
redirected, etc. You mentioned that Palm Pilot HotSync works OK with COM1.
Does HotSync appear in the system tray when you are running WL? If so, then
it may be accessing the port. If HotSync is running, right-click on the icon
and select Exit. If that doesn't help WL to run, then temporarily remove the
HotSync manager from the Startup folder (under Start... Programs), reboot
and try WL.

73, Dick WC1M

> -----Original Message-----
> From: writelog-admin@contesting.com
> [mailto:writelog-admin@contesting.com]On Behalf Of David W. Jeris
> Sent: Friday, August 16, 2002 4:53 PM
> To: writelog@contesting.com
> Subject: [WriteLog] strange problem with WriteLog on Windows 2000
>
>
> Greetings,
>
> I just purchased and installed WriteLog 10.34B.  I cannot get WriteLog to
> update its frequency, band or mode when I change the frequency,
> band or mode
> from the rig.
>
> My setup:
>
> Compaq Presario 305 notebook running Windows 2000 Professional (hereafter
> called “the computer.).  The systems software on the computer has any and
> all updates available from Compaq or Microsoft applied.  The serial port
> COM1, used to connect to the rig, works fine on the one other
> application I
> have for it, Hotsyncing with my PalmPilot PDA.  COM1 is set to 4800 baud
> full duplex, 8 bit characters, 1 start, 2 stop bits, no parity, hardware
> start stop, per the rig’s documentation on control from a
> personal computer.
> I have tried other flow control (none, X-On) with no better results.
>
> Kenwood TS850S with IF-232C interface box (hereafter called “the rig”).  I
> know the rig and interface box are working correctly.  I
> installed WriteLog
> on my wife’s Windows 98 laptop and everything works fine.
>
> WriteLog  port setup is for COM1 for the rig, Kenwood, 4800 baud, polling
> and PTT. I have also tried Auto speed, no polling, no PTT without any
> improvement.
>
> What works:
>
> 1.	Commands from the computer, to the rig to change band,
> frequency or mode
> work fine.
>
> 2.	If the rig is running when I start WriteLog, WriteLog
> correctly displays
> the rig’s band, frequency and mode.
>
> 3.	If rig and WriteLog are both running, and I then shut off the rig,
> WriteLog quickly displays “No Rig!”  (If I shut off polling of
> the rig from
> WriteLog, and then shut off the rig, it keeps displaying the last known
> frequency.)
>
> What behaves strangely:
>
> 4.	If I change the frequency, band or mode from the rig after #2 above,
> WriteLog does NOT immediately display the new frequency, band or mode.
> 5.	If I leave the rig alone, with WriteLog displaying the
> correct frequency,
> mode or band (#2) WriteLog will always eventually display “No Rig!”  This
> seems to take somewhere between 2 and 15 minutes to happen.
> 6.	If I turn the rig back on after #3 above, WriteLog displays the
> frequency, mode and band it knew about when the rig disappeared, not what
> the rig is actually set to now.
> 7.	If the rig and WriteLog are both running (e.g., #2 above)
> and I access
> the “Setup” “Ports” menu and hit “OK”, the frequency displayed by WriteLog
> goes to zero.
> 8.	Now here’s the really strange one:  if I change the
> frequency, band or
> mode as in #4 above, then do something else with the computer (e.g., run
> another program, tell Outlook to send/receive mail, minimize/maximize a
> window) WriteLog usually updates its display to match the rig.  The same
> action won’t always force WriteLog to update, but I seem to always be able
> to find some action that does.
> 9.	More strangeness:  if I have the Windows Task Manager displaying the
> running processes, and then change the frequency, mode or band as in #4
> above, WriteLog will eventually update its display.  This seems to take
> anywhere from 15 to 60 seconds to occur.
>
> My analysis:
>
> My formal Computer Science education is almost 30 yrs old(!) and
> I am only a
> user of Windows 2000 and know nothing about Windows NT on which 2000 is
> based, but it appears to me that either WriteLog is not polling,
> or WriteLog
> is not being awakened to poll until some other event causes it to run, or
> WriteLog is writing its polling command to COM1, but this is not
> being sent
> to the rig until some other event “flushes” the COM1 write
> buffer.  Or maybe
> it’s something else entirely!
>
> Help!
>
> Dave Jeris W9HPJ
>
>
>
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