[WriteLog] Filter Reset by Clicking Spot - Orion

Tue Nov 30 22:17:51 EST 2004

This email is really long so I apologize.

Ok, I see what you're trying to do now. Here's your point 1 and my
reply. 

1. Wayne was informed of the problem (bandwidth changes when frequency
is changed)
   with the Orion, and he said there isn't any command to change the
BandWidth; 
   TenTec agreed.

Rebuttal 1.  There is a command to change the bandwidth on the Orion.
If you have Carl / N4PY's program you can set the bandwidth to whatever
you choose. 

  This is right out of the programmer's reference guide:

---------------------------------------------------
<snip>

Receive Filter
The ORION does not contain a predefined DSP filter set. When a filter is
selected the DSP creates the requested filter
on-the-fly. Filters can be programmed between 100 and 6000 Hz to a
resolution of 1 Hz.
Setting: *RMF<bw> <cr> for main receiver
*RSF<bw> <cr> for sub receiver
<bm>=receiver bandwidth 100hz to 6000 hz.
<cr>= carriage return.
examples:
*RMF1200<cr>
Sets main receiver fillter bandwidth to 1200 Hz.
*RSF6000<cr>
Sets sub receiver fillter bandwidth to 6 kHz.

<snip>
--------------------------------------------------

***The typos are in the programming manual they are not mine...

When the command to change frequency is sent to the radio it may change
the bandwidth to the default set for that mode.  I would bet if that
command is immediately followed by the bandwidth command as detailed
above the rig will appear to change frequency and have the bandwidth go
to the width set in the program.  

To test this theory out here is what I did...

I use Logger32 as my General purpose logger. I use the Orion radio
control. In the radio set up menu there is an option called "radio debug
window" this echoes the data sent to and from the serial port the rig is
set up on...  I click on a spot on the band map (using Logger32) and
here is what I see..

Set Radio Freq : *AF7.085000

Set Radio Mode : *RMM1
*RMF2400
*TF2400

I looked this up in the programming manual and this is my interpretation
of what Logger32 is sending the rig. The page number is from the manual
which can be found here:
http://www.rfsquared.com/Orion/565prg%20Rev%201.2.pdf 
The <cr> is a carriage return and I am not including it in any of my
examples as this is long enough as is.

*AF7.085000 - Page 13 sets VFO frequency
*RMM1 - Page 7 sets Main Receiver to LSB mode
*RMF2400 - Page 11 sets Receive bandwidth for Main Receiver
*TF2400 - Page 27 sets Transmit bandwidth

I also turned on a port monitor, monitored my serial port 1, started
Writelog, changed the bandwidth, and clicked on a bandmap spot.  Here
are the commands Writelog sends.

Writelog Commands

*TU (unkey transmitter) This was the first command Writelog sent so it
may be something Wayne sends as a precaution in case the transmitter
keys when Writelog starts.

*KVABA (sets VFO A to main receiver VFO B to sub receiver and sets
transmit on VFO A)

*RMM2 (sets main receiver mode to UCW)

*AF14015100 (sets VFO A to 14.0151 mhz)

In this case the bandwidth changed to the Orion default bandwidth I had
set using the mode button, not the one I had just changed using the bw
encoder.

Next, I downloaded N1MM logger and clicked on a couple of different
spots.  Here is what N1MM did:

*AF14.01500 (sets VFO A to 14.015 mhz)

*BF14.01502 (Sets VFO B to 14.01502 mhz)

*RSM2 (Sets sub reciever mode to UCW)

*RSF400 (sets sub receiver filter to 400 hz)

This was a spot for VP8 and I assume they were operating split because
the VFO B frequency was changed as well as the VFO A setting.  Notice
the bandwidth was also set. When I clicked on another spot N1MM did not
change the bandwidth to the 250 hz default on VFO A.

  What I propose for the Orion would be if Wayne did the following when
clicking on the VFO A bandmap (when it is not a split spot).

  a. query the VFO A receive filter (?RMF)
  b. store the response in a variable (@RMF400)
  c. set VFO A main receiver, VFO B sub receiver, transmit on VFO A
(*KVABA)
  d. set VFO A main receiver mode to UCW (*RMM2)
  e. set VFO A frequency to spot (*AF14015100)
  f. set VFO A bandwidth to setting stored in variable from b. (*RMFXXX)

  If it is a split spot of course he could have VFO B set to Transmit
and set the frequencies, modes, and bandwidths accordingly.

  To go one step farther Writelog could have a SO2V mode where if you
have VFO A and VFO B bandmaps and click on a spot on VFO B the following
happens:
  a. query the VFO B receive filter (?RSF)
  b. store the response in a variable (@RSF400)
  c. set VFO B main receiver, VFO A sub receiver, transmit on VFO B
(*KVBAB)
  d. set VFO B main receiver mode to UCW (*RSM2)
  e. set VFO B frequency to spot (*BF14015100)
  f. set VFO B bandwidth to setting stored in variable from b. (*RSFXXX)

  Of course when clicking back on a VFO A spot the transmit would shift
to VFO A the receive to A, etc....

 40 meters in a phone contest complicates the SO2V concept and would
require some further thinking.  

--------------------------------------------------------------

Now for your point 2.

2. The setting of specific BandWidth for each Mode does help, since the
BW doesn't
   jump back to the SSB setting on a frequ change, but it still does not
solve the
   the basic problem; if I have changed the bandwidth (wide for run, to
get those
   off-frequency guys, narrow for S&P so I'm not off-freq!), changing
the frequency
   (either thru SPOT or thru commanded frequency), the BandWidth is
changed from
   what I've set back to the default for CW.

Rebuttal 2.  

2.  I use a clunky solution for this.  I set the main receiver to my run
frequency and set the bandwidth to the width I want to run at.  I then
click the sub rx button and set the bandwidth for vfo b on the sub rx to
my s&p bandwidth.  Now push a/b click the spot in the packet spots
window or bandmap and the radio will change the frequency and use the
default bandwidth setting.  When I have worked my mult I push a/b again
and I am back on my run frequency with the bandwidth I had set manually.

Now if Wayne implements the SO2V idea you could keep your wide filters
on your run frequency by setting VFO B filters narrow and the frequency
on the same band.  Then you could click on your mult in the bandmap, the
program would switch the VFO's, transmit on the correct frequency (with
the receive filter set to whatever you had on VFO B). When you clicked
back on your run frequency on VFO A everything would switch back and you
would continue running.

This all assumes you just have your transmit antennas set up on your ANT
1 jack and switch them manually or by using a band decoder and six pack
type arrangement.  If you use a second amp or antenna hooked up to the
ANT 2 and expect the Sub RX to automatically follow what you have the
radio set up for you would need to add the ?KA command to query the
antenna port state of the Orion, and switch appropriately before
transmitting.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

N1MM Logger lets you do SO2V and the VFO A/B transmit switching by
clicking on the VFO A/B bandmap.  I do not want to use N1MM because I
have been using Writelog for many years and I would rather support him
because I feel he has worked really hard on this to make it the best
contesting program.  

N1MM has an Orion so he has the advantage of being able to test any
changes as he makes coding changes.  I'm sure Wayne doesn't make enough
selling Writelog to buy every rig that comes out to optimize the rig
drivers and program to fully utilize each different rig's features.

I haven't used N1MM in a contest, I just downloaded it and played around
with it a few hours so I don't know how it treats the 40 meter splits,
etc. 

If Wayne did all this coding for the Orion (and the IC-7800 and FT-9000
could/will probably be able to use similar commands) I would expect he
could ask for additional money for the extra programming and testing
required for just these users.  I would be willing to pay but I'm not
sure if it would be worth it to Wayne.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks,

George / KF9YR

-----Original Message-----
From: Barry Merrill [mailto:barry at mxg.com] 
Sent: Monday, November 29, 2004 10:18 AM
To: 'George Skoubis'; 'Richard (Rick) Karlquist (N6RK)';
writelog at contesting.com; 'Robert Carroll'
Subject: RE: [WriteLog] Filter Reset by Clicking Spot - Orion

1. Wayne was informed of the problem (bandwidth changes when frequency
is changed)
   with the Orion, and he said there isn't any command to change the
BandWidth; 
   TenTec agreed.
2. The setting of specific BandWidth for each Mode does help, since the
BW doesn't
   jump back to the SSB setting on a frequ change, but it still does not
solve the
   the basic problem; if I have changed the bandwidth (wide for run, to
get those
   off-frequency guys, narrow for S&P so I'm not off-freq!), changing
the frequency
   (either thru SPOT or thru commanded frequency), the BandWidth is
changed from
   what I've set back to the default for CW.

Barry, W5GN

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