[WriteLog] Problem with CI-V & Writelog

[Jerry Pixton]

Bob,

This is the same problem I have had ever since I tried to take band data 
from the Icom CI-V Buss. It just does not work! I think there are just too 
many collisions on the half duplex buss.

Writelog itself has difficulty getting a frequency reading in a timely 
fashion. Notice that your Band Map sometimes re-draws with Zero frequency. 
When you put the W5XD keyer also on that rig control channel as I did, 
things get really bad. I have moved the keyer back to the other radio to 
get it off that circuit. Then I have taken the band data from the voltage 
signal on the din plug on the back of the IC-756 to a band decoder and use 
that to drive my antenna switching, band filters and linear (but this has 
the ambiguity on 17 and 12m  which really screws things up) Then Writelog 
can take it's time trying to get a clear message from the CI-V buss and if 
it fails (takes too long) at least the only damage is the Band Map flickers.

It is my understanding that Transceive On generates a lot more traffic on 
the buss, ie more collisions. And that the SteppIR reads the buss directly 
- this stopped me from buying one for the new station. Why Icom sticks with 
these old architectural mistakes is beyond me.

There is no solution, that I know of, other than getting off Icom 
equipment. The CI-V buss just doesn't work very well even with one radio. I 
can't imagine the babel with 4 radios. Nobody would ever get a clean packet.

Jerry, W6IHG




At 10:02 PM 10/15/2005 -0500, montemerlo wrote:
>Hi,
>
>I have a new station setup and am experiencing a problem with Writelog & CI-
>V. If anyone has a solution or can verify this as a bug, I'd appreciate it.
>
>My station is ProIII- MicroHam Microkeyer-PW1 AMP- Steppir Vertical
>controller-PC Portable Computer.
>
>When running Writelog, I appear to be having some CI-V errors or collisions.
>
>Here are three things I have tried:
>
>         Baseline: SteppIR Controller is passive and MicroHam is set to not
>Poll (box checked). I am using the latest release of Writelog (D)
>
>1-      With ProIII CI-V Trancieve "On" and Writelog set for polling  the
>station works but when tuning through a band via the radio, occasionally the
>PW1 will switch bands momentarily and then reset to the original band.
>Slow/fast movement doesn't seem to matter. The Steppir appears to not have a
>problem.
>2-      With the ProIII CI-V Trancieve "On" and Writelog set for "No"
>polling the radio and PW1 work fine but Writelog does not read the frequency
>in the radio control, band map, or when a contact is logged (which I thought
>it would from the help file) Not very usable!
>3-      With the ProIII CI-V Trancieve "Off" and Writelog set for polling,
>Writelog, radio, and Steppir track fine but the PW1 takes several seconds to
>switch to a new frequency range or band.  Big problem since the amp can be
>tuned to the wrong band when you transmit.
>
>At first I thought it could be some hardware setup but I loaded my DX
>application (DX Labs Commander etc) and it ran perfectly with polling turned
>on and turned off. The PW1 never acted up.
>
>Is something going on with how Writelog handles polling???
>
>Thanks in advance
>
>Bob KB1JZU
>kb1jzu at arrl.net
>
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------------------------------------------
Dr. Jerry R. Pixton, PIXOS Designs LLC
http://www.pixos.com/designs/RadioTuner/
jpixton at shentel.net
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