Setup
From DDUtil
Contents |
Ports Tab
Serial Ports
Now would probably be a good time to talk about Virtual Serial Port Planning before you get to far down the road setting up the various ports.
- In the Serial Ports group select the CAT Port you will use to talk to your radio. This will be one of a virtual port pair like the com0com utility provides. In this illustration PowerSDR is set to port 31 and DDUtil is set to port 30. If you are new to Virtual Serial Ports see this Flex Knowledge Base article on how to set them up.
Note:
If using com0com:
1. Make sure to check the enable buffer overrun check boxes in the
com0com Setup Manager for each port in each pair. Failure to do
this may result in DDUtil hanging when starting and or numerous
errors in DDUtil's error log.
2. All port names must begin with COM. Failure to observe this will result
in a startup crash or a message being displayed.
- Optionally, select from the drop down box the Passive Listener Port you will use. Usually COM1, but may be any RS-232 compliant hardware serial port connected to your PC including add-on cards or USB to serial adapters.
- Optionally, select from the drop down box the Radio Control Port you will use. This will be one of a virtual serial port pair like the com0com utility provides. In the example below the Radio Control program (HRD, etc.) port is set to COM4 and DDUtil is set to COM5.
- In the setup section of the Radio Control Program set the radio type to Kenwood, the speed parity and stop bits don't matter on virtual serial ports.
- Set the Cat Polling Interval. This interval determines how often DDUtil checks the radio for frequency and mode status. The built in default is 500 which equates to 1/2 second. Lower numbers speed up the polling time, but increase CPU utilization so caution should be exercised when setting this number. 500~1000 has proven to be satisfactory intervals. Please note this interval only applies if NO RCP's are running!. Else, the RCP controls the polling.
Serial Port Notes:
A typical virtual ports setup for DDUtil could be: DDUtil CAT COM30 <-> COM31 PowerSDR CAT HRD CAT COM7 <-> COM17 DDUtil RCP1 CAT
Power
See the Remote On page for discussion of this feature.
Parallel Port
- In the Parallel Port group, optionally, select the parallel port you will use. Usually LPT1, but may be any parallel port including add-on cards.
- If your not sure what your port numbers are you can get help here finding out if you have any parallel ports and what their numbers are.
- If you are using an add-on board or USB to Parallel adapter for your parallel port the port address will have to be entered manually. Click here for a guide on how-to find the address for your non-standard parallel port and enter it into DDUtil.
Data Signals
- In the Data Signals group, select the device you want to use as a file source for the BCD data. In order to make this selection you will have to go to one or more of the device tabs and setup a source. See the following section for advice on this.
Other Controls
- Follow SDR - Select this check box if you want to Slave another radio to PowerSDR in-lieu of a Passive Listener device. This feature allows another radio to follow PowerSDR's frequency, which is handy if your SDR is an old three (3) board stack or SoftRock. Be advised that in this mode receiver muting and antenna switching is required when transmitting from the slave radio or bad things will happen to your SDR.
- Follow Mode - Select this check box if you want the Slave radio to use the same mode as PowerSDR. If left unchecked the Slave radio will not follow the PowerSDR mode.
- Slave Radio Type - Select the radio type you wish to use as the slave.
Note: Right-click on the form background to display a menu of options and select "Slave Radio Info" for the radio models in each radio type. - PL/Radio Comm - Selects serial communication parameters for the Passive Listener port. Consult your radio users manual for this if necessary.
- DTR - Select this check box if your CI-V adapter or other equipment requires power from the DTR line. Check the manufactures instructions.
- RTS - Select this check box if your CI-V adapter or other equipment requires power from the RTS line. Check the manufactures instructions.
- CI-V Addr - Sets the appropriate CI-V Hex address if using an ICOM radio. Consult owner's manual for information on this.
Note: For more information on how to configure these functions see the How To section.
- Forward Power / Avg / SWR windows - If a digital watt meter is installed and configured per the Other tab, the readings will be displayed in these windows.
- FZ button - Shows the Mini window and minimizes the Main window. This is a complementary control to the one with the same name on the Mini window.
- Split Mode - between the FZ button and the Temperature window are two controls that allow placing the radio into Split mode and incrementing VFO B by the number of kHz in the first control window. Pressing the small Turquoise button will toggle this function on/off. When the function is on the button will turn yellow.
- Power Supply Volts window shows main power supply voltage applied to the radio. As a visual indicator this window will change color, as reflected in the table below, to alert the operator to unexpected voltage changes. Please consult the Flex Operators Manual for the recommended operating voltage range.
Color Voltage Range ------ --------------- Green > 12.8 & <= 14.5 Yellow > 12.0 & <= 12.8 Orange >= 11.5 & <= 12.0 Red < 11.5 or > 14.5
- PA Temperature window shows the current temperature of the Flex-5000 Final Amplifier heat sink in either Fahrenheit or Centigrade. Left-click the temperature window with the mouse to change from Fahrenheit to Centigrade readings. This window will also change color as the temperature increases.
Color Temperature Range ------ ----------------- Green < 70 C Yellow > 70 C and < 80 C Orange > 80 C and < 90 C Red > 90 C
- Quick Memory Controls - The last row of controls on the form is to allow operation of the Memory save and restore function. See the Memory section of this document for an explanation of the Memory function and the use of these controls.
Device Tab
- This tab is for configuring the BCD data file. This file is needed to set the parallel port BCD codes for a frequency dependent device and will vary according to the device's configuration and design criteria. The following is an example of the codes required for a Yaesu Quadra amplifier to automatically switch bands as PowerSDR changes frequency.
160 = 1, 80 = 2, 40 = 3, 30 = 4, 20 = 5, 17 = 6, 15 = 7, 12 = 8, 10 = 9, 6 = 10
- You input a digital number for a specific frequency and the decoder converts it to BCD at the parallel port (i.e. 7 = 0111)
- This page is pretty self explanatory, here is a description of the controls functions.
- Device Name = Give this device a suitable name to distinguish it in the device list on the Ports tab. This name will be transferred to the device tab name for easy recognition.
- Enabled = indicates the device is available for selection by the Ports page Data Signals Device selector combo box.
- Data Grid = Display and/or edit the Frequency / Data pairs. This is the data used by the BCD converter to output on the parallel port. See Other Topics for a discussion on BCD data file format.
- File Name | Select = When pressed brings up a file dialog where a file may be selected for input into the data grid.
- File Name | Re-Load = Will re-load the displayed file. This is intended to allow salvaging a file that has been edited and the user decides to abandon it due to errors or whatever.
- File Name | Save = After creating or editing a file in the data grid pressing this button will save it to the file named in the File Name box.
Note: This will overwrite whatever file is in the file name box. Be careful! - Help = Invokes the help file.
Note: For more information on how to configure a BCD device see the How To section.
Manual Control
This group is intended for users to be able to temporally disable the auto frequency update feature in favor of manually changing the BCD device. This is especially useful if you have a antenna switch hooked to the BCD port and want to check one antenna against another antenna for the best signal reception. Say a dipole vs a vertical.
Toggling the Override check box will enable/disable this function and alternately enable/disable the auto frequency update function. The Manual Control Override check box is not remembered and will not persist between sessions.
Aux BCD Control
This feature is for the user that needs more finite control over the BCD data than can be afforded by the Data File alone. Each bit can be individually set by the user while not affecting the others.
Features
- Full control of the data byte by the user.
- Optionally, the user can elect to use the frequency following ability of the BCD data file.
- Bits 1-4 are reserved for the frequency data.
- Bits 5-8 are available at the user's discretion.
- Optionally, the data byte can be loaded from a macro command.
- The macro command may be presented either from one of the macro buttons or from one of the special mode change commands.
Controls
- Data bits 1-8
- Set as required by hand or with the aid of the BCD macro.
- Enable
- When selected control of the BCD data is transferred to the Aux BCD data word.
- Follow Freq
- When selected forces bits 1-4 to follow the original BCD data file frequency.
- Bits 1-4 are not available for use when checked.
- Allow Macro
- When selected a special macro command can send data to the aux data byte.
Macro Operation
- Command Format
DDBC Sets the Aux BCD data byte Set DDBC P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 ; Notes P1 = 0 for off, 1 for on. Example DDBC01010101; Sends decimal 85 (0x55) to the BCD port.
- May be assigned to any user accessible macro 1-16.
- Or, assigned to any of the mode specific macros 17-20.
Note: The first four bits (1-4) are not available when the Follow Freq option is used.
For more information on setting up, programming and using Macro commands see the CAT and How To sections.
RCP Tab
This tab is for configuring the other Radio Control Programs (RCP) ports.
This page sets up and controls additional RCP programs. These are programs that can be used in addition to the Main RCP program setup on the "Ports" tab.
Warning!
- DO NOT setup any of these programs without setting up the Master RCP program (RCP1) on the Ports Tab first. Instability will occur.
- Enabled indicates the RCP is selected to communicate with the radio via the radio CAT port. Communication with the radio will not occur unless this control is selected.
- Serial Port Selection Drop-Down Box, immediately to the right of the Enabled check box, is used to select the virtual serial port the RCP will use to communicate with the radio.
- IF Only if selected will eliminate all commands except IF commands from being sent to the RCP port. This control is used for RCP's that are sensitive to extraneous commands. As an example, MixW is such a program and requires the control to be checked in order to keep it's frequency display from erratically switching back and forth with what appears to be random readings. Note! see the RCP Programs section for discussions on settings and tips for some of the various RCP programs that are known to run with DDUtil.
- Disable Polling will stop the polling commands coming from this RCP from being passed to the radio. This is useful if this RCP is using the same commands as RCP1 and duplicate commands are causing response or other performance issues. Please note that some RCP's require their own polling commands to be passed to the radio for them to function properly.
- RCP Rotor Port Select one end of a pair of virtual serial ports to connect your RCP's Rotor to DDUtil. See the following for a description of using Rotor Functions in DDUtil.
- Program Memo use this text box to keep track of what RCP's are attached to what ports. It's very easy to lose track of them.
Note: For more information on how to configure these functions see the How To section.
Watt Tab
Power Master
(version 1.6.8)
The Array Solutions Power Master digital watt meter may be remotely read using this setup group.
The following controls will need to be setup to enable this function.
- Port - Select the port number you have the Power Master attached to. Configure this port to match the Power Master serial port requirements.
- Comm - The communication Baud Rate for the serial port. Select to match the Power Master control unit.
- Enabled - Indicates you want the Power Master Forward and Reverse power readings to be displayed on the DDUtil form.
Note: Only one watt meter may be selected at a time. Enabling one will disable any other.
LP-100
If you own one of Larry Phipps's (N8LP) LP-100 Peak Reading Digital Vector Wattmeters and have an additional serial port on your PC, this option may be useful for you.
The forward and reverse power readings from the LP-100 can be displayed at the bottom of the DDUtil form. This is handy as you won't have to look away from the monitor to see the wattmeter readings.
The following controls will need to be setup to enable this function.
- Port - Select the port number you have the LP-100 attached to. Configure this port to match the LP-100 serial requirements.
- Interval - The interval in milliseconds (ms) DDUtil will use to poll the LP-100 for readings. This number needs to be fairly small or there will be a lag in readings from the LP-100. I have found a range of 80 - 200 ms to be suitable.
- Enabled - Indicates you want the LP-100 Forward and Reverse power readings to be displayed on the DDUtil form.
Note: Only one watt meter may be selected at a time. Enabling one will disable any other.
WaveNode WN2
(version 1.5.9)
The WaveNode WN2 Peak Reading Digital watt meter can be remotely read using this setup group.
Select the Enable check box and pick the sensor you want to read and set it's type, everything else is automatic. No additional serial port is required as the WN2 is a USB device. Starting with version 1.6.7 the sensors may be controlled by a band matrix. With this matrix different sensors may be used on different bands. Press the small Green button to display the sensor matrix screen as shown below.
The readout is shared with the LP-100 and automatically changes readout configuration depending on which one is selected. The WN2 has an additional Peak reading the LP-100 doesn't offer. Additionally, the WN2 allows up to four (4) sensors to be connected to your station and you can select which one you wish to monitor.
Warning:
DO NOT start the WN2 furnished software prior to starting DDUtil.
If the WN2 software has been started after the WN2 has been powered up DDUtil
will not connect and the WN2 will have to be powered down and back up again.
Note: Only one watt meter may be selected at a time. Enabling one will disable any other.
SWR Alarm
If any of the above watt meters are used then you may set this control to inhibit PowerSDR from transmitting if the SWR exceeds the setting in the number box. Pressing the up/down arrows will set the SWR not-to-exceed value in 0.5 increments.
If the SWR Alarm trips, a message window is displayed describing the problem and allowing the user to dismiss the window and reset the alarm. There is also a High SWR message displayed just under the title bar on the main DDUtil form.
Amps Tab
This tab is for selecting a specifically supported linear amplifier. These amplifiers have built-in functionality to allow direct communication between the amp and DDUtil.
Expert 1K-FA
This little amplifier packs a lot of punch in a small package and can be remotely controlled for unattended operation.
PTT
The PTT (push to talk) group allows control of the TX1-3 lines to the amplifier. This button has two (2) states Operate and Standby. When in Operate all TX lines are in normal condition as you have set them. When in Standby all three (3) TX lines are disconnected and the amplifier can’t be keyed. DDUtil keeps track of the TX1-3 user configuration and restores them on returning to Operate or during program shutdown if in Standby.
In addition to this control there is a PTT status indicator located in the upper right hand corner of the DDUtil form that will display the status of the PTT line. Green is Operate and Yellow is StandBy. This indicator is visible no matter what tab is open.
Note:
In order to use the PTT function the Amp Bands group (Setup tab) must be filled in for the bands your amplifier will cover. Make sure to check the bands you wish the amplifier to operate on or the PTT will not switch to Operate on those bands.
Auto Drive
This feature allows automatic management of the PowerSDR Drive Level when driving a linear power amplifier. See the Auto Drive section of this document for a complete discussion of this feature.
Alpha 87A / ACOM 2000A
Either of these amplifiers can be selected to display here. To select an amplifier model:
- Open the Options menu (top of form) and select your choice from the Tube Amps heading and the specific controls will be configured for the amplifier that was chosen.
Below is the description for the Alpha 87A and in the How-To section of this document is the description for the ACOM 2000A.
- Serial Port
- Select the hardware serial port to which your amplifier is connected. Note: A port must be selected before the amplifier may be enabled.
- Enable
- Select the Enable check box to allow use of the amplifier.
- Baud Rate
- Select the baud rate (4800/9600) your amplifier is setup for.
- Interval
- Select the interval to poll the amplifier (1000 = 1 second). It is recommended this be set to a high number (60,000 = 1 minute) as frequent polling is not necessary.
- Freq
- Displays the last frequency sent to the amplifier.
- Power
- Pressing this button toggles the amplifier's Mains Power On/Off.
- Oper
- Pressing this button toggles the amplifier's Operate/StandBy mode .
- Tune
- Pressing this button toggles the amplifier's Auto Tune mode Off/On.
- HV
- Pressing this button toggles the amplifier's High Voltage from High/Low .
- SF
- Pressing this button displays the amplifier's Soft Fault Log. If a Soft Fault warning has been received the Soft Fault log will be automatically displayed in the Message window and the push button will change to "Yellow".
- HF
- Pressing this button displays the amplifier's Hard Fault Log. If a Hard Fault warning has been received the Hard Fault log will be automatically displayed in the Message window and the push button will change to "Red".
- Band
- Displays the current Band (160M-10M) the amplifier is set to as reported by the amplifier.
- Seg
- Displays the current Band Segment (1-5) the amplifier is set to as reported by the amplifier.
- Message Window
- Displays various messages including the Hard and Soft Fault logs.
- Tune
- Displays the current setting for the Tune control.
- Load
- Displays the current setting for the Load control.
The major controls may also be viewed from the expanded Mini Window
Other Tab
SteppIR
This setup is for users that want to use the extended features of the SteppIR control box beyond just following frequency. These features include:
- Changing the beam direction to Forward, 180 (Reverse), Uni-directional and 3/4 mode (verticals only).
- Home the elements.
- Calibrate the antenna.
Additionally, the message Transmit Inhibited is displayed near the top of the DDUtil form whenever the antenna is adjusting and the radio is disabled from transmitting during this time.
- Select the port number connected to the SteppIR controller Data Out port.
- Select the Comm setting to match your setup. For best response use 19200 8N1.
Note: See the Rotor tab for the control interface for these features.
Repeater
This group is intended to serve two purposes:
- As a conduit to the radio CAT port for programmers that want to send/receive CAT commands using their own software program.
- The preferred method to connect a MicroHam Band Decoder to the radio using DDUtil.
- The preferred method of connecting the Palstar AT-AUTO tuner when wanting to use the tuner's programming commands.
- Set the port number and baud rate then select either of the All or IF Only modes.
- All will return ALL commands coming from the radio to this port.
- IF Only will only return Kenwood IF commands to this port.
- This port will accept any valid Flex CAT command and return the answer
Palstar AT-AUTO Users
- Select Port number
- Set Comm settings to match your tuner setup
- Select Pal in the Data Type group.
- Check the Enable check box.
- See the Palstar manual for using the command mode.
MicroHam Band Decoder Users
- In the DDUtil Repeater Group
- Set the port number and baud rate.
- Select IF Only as the data type.
- microHAM Device Configurator software:
- Select Kenwood TS 2000 as the RIG (band data source.
- Press the Advanced Settings button on the bottom left corner of the form.
- In the Band data source tab select the following parameters.
- Rig Interface = RS232
- Baud Rate to match the setting in DDUtil using the highest rate possible.
- Check the Stop Polling, use auto information check box then click OK.
- In the Configuration Menu select Write to Device to save the new configuration to the decoder.
- MicroHam Band Decoder
- Connect a Null Modem cable to the RS232 port on the decoder and to a PC port. In the decoder manual this cable is identified as RIG232.
IC-PW1
If you wish to have your ICOM IC-PW1 linear amplifier follow PowerSDR automatically from band to band this control group is where you set it up.
You will need a CT-17 or some other CI-V level converter.
- Note: Even though a CT-17 will work, it is suggested that a Single Radio CI-V Interface, such as the ones sold by W2ENY, be used in lieu of the CT-17. The reason for this is the CT-17 re-broadcasts every message it receives back to DDUtil which increases the CPU overhead and cuts down the efficiency and response time in DDUtil.
Also, the following controls will need to be set for this function.
- Port - Select the hardware port number, from the drop-down list, you wish to use to connect your IC-PW1 via a CI-V level converter.
- Enabled - Check to enable the function.
- Disable Broadcast - When checked will turn off the broadcast of frequency data to this port. Leave this control un-checked so frequency data will flow to the IC-PW1.
- CI-V Address (ra) - This is the address of the IC-PW1. DDUtil will automatically pick this address up when the IC-PW1 polls DDUtil. No action is required on the user's part and the ra box is not accessible and is shown for information purposes only.
- CI-V Address (ta) - This is the hex address used by DDUtil during communication with the IC-PW1. It is suggested that the default address of 33H be used, but any other address between 00~7F may be used.
- DTR - Select this check box if your CI-V adapter or other equipment requires power from the DTR line. Check the manufactures instructions.
- RTS - Select this check box if your CI-V adapter or other equipment requires power from the RTS line. Check the manufactures instructions.
Additionally, The user will need to follow the "Program the CI-V address" procedure in section 3 of the IC-PW1 Instruction Manual. If you don't have a copy of the Instruction Manual one can be downloaded here.
This is normally for an exciter, but in this case it will be used for DDUtil. Whenever the IC-PW1 enters into this mode DDUtil will recognize the query and furnish the appropriate information back to the IC-PW1. This only takes a few seconds and only has to be done once, normally.
See the How To section for additional information on this function.
VSP Manager
To be able to start the VSP Manager program from DDUtil place the location of vspMgr.exe in the File Location window.
Alternately, you can double-click the File Location window and a file dialog window will come up where you can select the file location.
To start the VSP Manager program from within DDUtil, open the Tools menu and select the Start VSP Manager option.
Macro Switch
By connecting a SPST switch across the signal pins CTS (pin 8) and DTR (pin 4) of a standard DB9F RS232 connector you can trigger an event to fire that will allow any properly formed PSDR CAT command to be sent to the radio (PSDR) for processing on switch open or close changes.
Additionally, DDUtil Macro commands are also recognized.
It's advisable to use the following connection data when wiring up the switch. The resistor capacitor combination is required to de-bounce the switch contacts. Failure to do this can result in multiple events being fired when the switch is opened or closed and can cause multiple messages to be displayed if used.
Connection Data --------------- DB9F pin 4 ---> 10k ohm resistor ---> switch DB9F pin 8 ---> .1uf capacitor ---> DB9F pin 5 DB9F pin 8 ---> switch
An example of this could be turning PowerSDR on/off or any of many other appropriate radio functions.
Controls
- Enable
- Port
- Select the serial port where the switch is attached.
- ON
- The CAT command(s) to be sent when the switch is closed (on).
- OFF
- The CAT command(s) to be sent when the switch is open (off).
- Event Message
- The message to display when the Macro Switch Event fires.
- Double-clicking this window will display this help information.
Operation
The On and Off windows require properly formed and recognized PSDR CAT commands. See the following references for a list of these commands.
- PowerSDR CAT Command Dictionary
- PowerSDR CAT Command Cross Reference
- DDUtil Macro Command Dictionary.
- Enter an appropriate message to display for the event. This message can be multiple lines long if needed. Use the enter key to add a new line and use the up/down arrow keys to move between the different rows.
- - Note: Leave this window empty if no event message is desired.
Macro Tab
This tab is for configuring Macro commands used to instruct the radio to perform actions remotely. These actions can include setting almost any control or function on the radio console. Typically, commands might be attached to one of the macro buttons labeled FR Net (Flex Radio Net). These commands will; Change frequency to 14,319.000, Set Mode to USB, Set Transmit Profile to PR781+EQ, Set PA Power to 100 watts, Set RX Filter to 2.7K, etc.
The Macro tab is divided into three areas.
- Data Grid is the upper portion of the tab and is used to input the button names and command strings. Also, at the far left of each line is an M indicator that refers to the sequential number of the Macro button the line is assigned to.
- Note: The Data Grid and the Data File areas may be hidden/unhidden from view by clicking in any open area of the Macro tab. A good spot is at the end of the Data File Group in the open area.
- Data File is in the center of the tab and is where the file name for a group of commands is designated. This group contains four elements to manage file names.
- File Name - Name of the file containing the macro commands.
- Select Button - Press to browse for file name.
- Re-Load Button - Reloads the Data Grid with the same file. This allows dumping changes prior to saving them to the file.
- Save Button - commits contents of the Data Grid to the file name in the File Name window. Use this feature to save the contents of the Data Grid after editing.
- Macro Buttons is the lower part of the tab and contains the individual buttons used to execute the commands stored in the Data Grid.
- There are a total of sixteen (16) assignable buttons that can be set up with any recognizable PowerSDR CAT command string. In addition to being able to press each individual button F keys F1 - F12 are assigned to macros 1 - 12 and Shift + F1 - F4 are assigned to macros 13 - 16 as follows:
F Key F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 F6 F7 F8 F9 F10 F11 F12 ^F1 ^F2 ^F3 ^F4 Macro 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
For more information on setting up, programming and using Macro commands see the CAT and How To sections.
Additionally, there are four (4) more macros (17 - 20) that are reserved for mode changes. To use this mode go to the Setup tab and check the Mode Change check box (lower left on tab) to enable this function. When the radio changes modes one of the following macros will be executed depending on which mode is chosen.
Macro 17 18 19 20 Mode AM SSB CW DIGI
Any combination of commands may be strung together to execute when the mode changes. As an example, one user uses CWSkimmer and the RX2 for CW operation. This requires the Direct IQ Output to VAC check box to be checked and the RX2 turned on. But, he wanted this check box unchecked and the RX2 turned off when changing to Digi mode. This requires a number steps each way to accomplish, but is totally automatic when macros are setup for these functions.
Programming Note:
If using the Transmit Profile (ZZTPnn) command be advised this command will set the Power Level to what is stored in the Transmit Profile.If you want some other Power level set it after you set the Transmit Profile. Or, always set the Power Level as the last command in the macro.
Rotor Tab
This tab is for controlling your rotor direction either by turning the antenna to the short path bearing or to the long path bearing.
Setup
Before using this feature you must go to the Setup tab and configure the parameters for your rotor. Otherwise the short path and long path buttons won't be active.
If you are planning to use the Rotor Pass-Thru functions in any of the RCP's it's important to understand how DDUtil implements these functions. Please see the article on Rotor Functions in the How To section of this document.
Operation
To find the antenna bearing for a country perform one of the following actions.
- Call Prefix
- Enter the first two characters of a special call sign prefix.
- These prefixes are not ARRL DXCC prefixes, but special prefixes assigned to many countries for special events or other uses.
- Prefix
- Enter a call sign prefix in the Prefix text box.
- Select a call sign prefix from the drop down list in the Prefix window.
- Entity
- Enter a entity (country) name in the Entity text box.
- Select a country name from the drop down list in the Entity window.
- Press the appropriate Heading button (SP/LP) to start the rotor turning.
- Note: pressing Ctrl+SP or Ctrl+LP or the Red button between SP & LP will stop the rotor if turning.
- The data displayed under the heading buttons shows the last heading the rotor was set to last and whether it was short or long path. Starting with version 1.6.4 for some rotors report actual headings depending upon rotor capability.
- Location Data is provided for information about the entity chosen.
- Note: Short path distance is shown in red. Double-clicking the Distance window will show the distance for long path in blue.
- Rotor Presets
- Bearing presets are provided when the operator wants to move the antenna in a general direction without doing a Prefix or Entity lookup. Simply select the preset and the antenna will position itself to that heading.
Tips for Entering Heading Data
The prefix and entity controls keep track of what has been entered progressively as you type. This means even though you can't see what you are typing, in some cases, it's still there. If you didn't find what you wanted due to entering the wrong data and need to start over one of the following actions will reset the control buffer.
- Press the Enter key
- Press the Tab key to leave the control
- Click on the control you are using
Grid
As an additional feature to the DXCC Prefix look up function, the Grid group performs antenna heading calculations and distance measuring for any Grid Square on earth from your QTH. To use this feature follow these steps. See the graphic below for this alternate configuration.
- Important: Make sure your grid square is entered correctly on the Setup tab in the Station Info group. It is needed for the calculations and errors will occur if it is missing or not correct.
- Enter the target Grid Square in the top window of the Grid group.
Note: Only a standard six (6) position Maidenhead Grid Square number (XXnnXX) as shown below will work. - Either press Enter or Double-Click the target Grid Square window to start the calculation.
- The antenna heading will appear in the Short window in the Heading group.
- The distance in Statute Miles and Kilometers to the target Grid Square is displayed in the two lower windows in the Grid group.
- In order not to confuse the user, any pre-existing DXCC Info is blanked out in the display and is replaced with the Latitude and Longitude for the target Grid Square in the Location Data group.
- Pressing the SP button will turn the antenna to the indicated heading.
- To restore standard DXCC prefix and entity look up operation, simply select a prefix or entity from their drop down boxes.
This link is an excellent source for Grid Square information world wide.
SteppIR Control
The following controls affect the SteppIR antenna modes:
- Fwd (Forward) selects the forward mode of the antenna.
- 180 selects the 180 mode of the antenna.
- <--> (Bi-Directional) selects the Bi_Directional mode of the antenna.
- 3/4 (3/4 wavelength) selects the 3/4 wavelength mode of the antenna (verticals only).
- Home button retracts the elements then disables the SteppIR check box (Other tab).
- Calibrate button retracts and then re-extends the elements to the correct frequency.
ExtCtrl Tab
This tab is for enabling support for two 8-bit ports that are wired to the VHF+ band select buttons in Power SDR. When enabled these matrices allow signals to be sent to the assigned Parallel Port addresses shown in the port boxes. Additionally, HF band buttons 6 and 2 are also available if needed.
Note:
If you intend to use the HF 6 or HF 2 band buttons DO NOT setup these
frequencies on any of the VHF+ buttons or the VHF+ buttons will take
precedence over the HF buttons and the output may not be what you expect.
If you don't intend to use this feature make sure to disable both ports as this function can double the load time of DDUtil due to the number of controls that have to be initialized.
Controls
- Invert
- Some devices such as the UCB (Universal Controller Board) requires negative TTL logic logic to operate properly. This check box will cause the logic from the matrix to be presented properly to these devices.
- Enable
- Allows the matrix to be selected.
- Port A/B
- Assigns the address for the parallel port that outputs the matrix data.
Note:
- This box will be grayed out if the FlexWire selection is chosen.
- The port address must be entered in Decimal and not Hex notation.
Note:
If using both ports and/or the parallel port on the Ports tab,
make sure the port addresses are different for each port or
unintended results will occur.
This link will help you find the port address you will need.
- Clear
- Pressing this button will clear all check boxes for the Port.
- Band
- Displays the currently selected VHF+ band (0 - 13) and HF bands 6 and 2.
UCB Operation
The Universal Controller Board may be used with the External Control Matrix by building a custom cable assembly to connect the UCB to a PC parallel port. I have included a drawing showing example connection information.
Note:
You must provide an external +5vdc source to the UCB connector pin #14 and
you must check the Invert check box on the ExtCtrl tab in DDUtil
for the port you are using.
One Final Caution:
The output of a PC parallel port WILL NOT drive antenna relays directly. You must use a suitable relay driver capable of the voltage and current for the particular relay(s) you intend to use. Typical parallel port output voltage is 3~5vdc at < 20ma. these ports are intended to drive other electronic circuits such as printers. Failure to observe this can result in a blown port.
One source of a relay driver board can be found here and is quite reasonable.
Setup Tab
This tab is for configuring the rotor and other station information.
Rotor Setup
If you plan to control a rotor from DDUtil this setup is mandatory.
- Model
- Select the rotor model you are using.
- Speed
- Select a speed setting if your rotor (Orion, Yaesu) is one of the models that require a speed be set.
- Serial Port
- Select the hardware serial port your rotor control box is connected to.
- Com Data
- From the drop down list select the proper communication setting to match your rotor control box.
- Enable
- Select the Enable check box to complete the Rotor setup.
- SteppIR Dipole
- Select this check box if you have a SteppIR yagi antenna with the 80 meter dipole option.
- DDUtil will modify the beam heading when on the 80 meter band to be Broad Side to the station heading selected.
- Will take the shortest path to the Broad Side position from the last heading entered.
- Display Tenths
- Select this check box if the Rotor controller is Green Heron and you wish to have the rotor heading feed back shown in degrees and tenths (rotor tab). Leaving the check box unchecked will force the display to be shown in whole degrees.
Station info
This information is required for the Heading and Location Information lookup routines to function properly on the Rotor tab.
- Set your station Latitude and Longitude settings in decimal degrees. If you don't know these settings they can be obtained from QRZ.com using your call sign and then looking under Detailed Info.
- Enter your Grid (optional).
Watch Dog Timer
When selected this feature will shut down the transmitter if it is keyed continuously for a period exceeding the setting in the Period window.
To use, select the Enable checkbox and enter the time in minutes for the timeout you want.
If a timeout occurs a message is presented to the user and it must be dismissed before the transmitter can be keyed again.
Flex Remote
Setup for the Remote On Power feature.
Amp Bands
This group is intended to provide protection for your amplifier by letting you designate which bands your amplifier will cover or you wish to use it on. Check each band you want to be able to use the amplifier on. If a band is not checked DDUtil will prevent the PTT line from closing for that band. This keeps the operator from accidentally keying the amp on an unintended band.
This group of controls works together with the Oper/Stby button (Amps tab) providing control of the PTT lines TX1-3.
Additionally, the BypOnBandChg check box provides for additional protection.
See the Linear Amplifier Management section of this document for a discussion of how DDUtil handles amplifier management.
Tool Tips Check box
Select this box to enable ToolTips, clear the check box to disable.
Audio On Check box
Select the box to enable a sound when an Alert Message is displayed. This sound is intended to draw attention to the message. To use your own sound file place it in the DDUtil directory and name it Alert.wav.
BOBC Check box
(Bypass On Band Change)
This feature will cause the PTT line to go to Stand By when the band changes in every instance. This is significant if your amp must be manually band switched or re-tuned for each band thus eliminating the possibility of keying the amp while out of band/tune.
Mode Chg Check box
Select to execute a macro when the PSDR mode changes. The following modes are implemented as follows:
Macro PSDR Mode Action
------- --------- ------------------
AM - AM - executes macro #17
SSB - USB/LSB - executes macro #18
CW - CWL/CWU - executes macro #19
Digital - DIGL/DIGU - executes macro #20
As indicated above, the last four (4) Macros are hard wired to this function.
Uses for this function could be:
- Set meter = Mic, transmit profile = AM, power = 50 for Phone mode.
- Set meter = Fwd, power = 100 for CW mode.
- Set meter = Mic, power = 50 for Digital mode (PSK/RTTY).
For more information on using and programming Macros see the Macro Tab in this section and the How To section Setup_Macro_Commands.
Programming Note:
If using the Transmit Profile (ZZTPnn) command be advised this command will set the Power Level to what is stored in the Transmit Profile.If you want some other Power level set it after you set the Transmit Profile. Or, always set the Power Level as the last command in the macro.
On Top Check box
When selected will force the DDUtil main window to stay on top of all others.
Show CW TX Check Box
When selected and when PowerSDR is in Split mode will cause the Yellow Transmit Filter Line to display in the Panadapter window. This serves as a visual indicator where your transmit frequency is relative to the receive frequency which is a real help when your trying to squeeze into a slot of the pile-up.
Start-up Macro Check Box
When selected the macro number in the adjacent text box to the right will be executed on DDUtil start-up. The referenced macro can be any single or series of recognized Flex CAT (ZZxx) or DDUtil function (DDxx) commands. For more information on setting up and running macros in DDUtil see the following links. Macro Tab, CAT, Setting up Macro Commands
SO2R
Stands for Single Operator 2 Radios and is used by *SERIOUS* contesters to improve their scores in the contests.
DDUtil can achieve this with a Flex-5000 and an added receiver (RX2).
See the SO2R page for complete details on using this feature. BUT, be advised this feature is NOT for sissies or the faint of heart ;>).
Quick Memory
Allows the user to save and recall up to five (5) different frequencies and profile data.
Mini Window
General
This window is intended to be used to conserve screen space and provides only limited readings and functions. During normal operating most of DDUtil's settings are already established and don't require further adjustment. The main form can be minimized to the task bar and the Mini Window displayed by selecting Show Mini Window from the Tools menu or by pressing the Alt+M keys when the main form has focus.
The following information & functions are available in the Mini Window:
- Watt Meter readings are displayed from any of the supported digital watt meters listed on the Watt tab.
- PO/PC buttons open/close the Flex Profiler program.
- PA Temperature reading from the Flex 3000/5000 transceivers.
- FZ button toggles the Main form on/off.
- BCD numeric read out (6) shows the current band data value.
- OPER/Stby button. Pressing this button will toggle the PTT line between Operate and Stand By.
- SteppIR Antenna Controls if using the Active mode of the SteppIR controller
- Rotor Control enter heading and press Go (Ctrl+Go to stop the rotor).
- Quick Memory See the previous heading in this section for an explanation for these controls.
Starting in version 1.7.3 additional controls are available by Double-Clicking the window background. A second Double-Click will hide the additional controls.
A note on Mini Window Sizing
It is possible to get the Mini Window sizing out-of-whack. If double clicking the background produces undesirable effects move the bottom border just under the last row of controls (Quick Memory controls). See the image above and this should fix the problem.
These additional controls allow access to some of the lesser used functions and many users won't ever need them. These additional controls are described as follows:
- Macro Buttons These buttons access the macro functions previously setup on the Macro tab. Additionally, the short cut keys F1 - F12 and Shift+F1 thru Shift+F4 will access these functions as well while the Mini Window has focus.
- RCP 2-4 Check boxes will enable/disable the Radio Control Programs attached to them.
- On Top Check Box when checked forces the Mini Window to remain on top of all other windows.
Operation
- All functions and readings are dependent upon the proper settings on the main form. The Mini Window is only an extension of, and is dependent on, the main form.
- The main form is still available and MUST be left open when the Mini Window is open. The main form is minimized in the Task Bar.
- The Mini Window may be reduced further in height and/or width if desired. If the third and/or second lines of information is not needed the form may be re-sized. Place the cursor on the bottom border of the window where a double ended arrow will appear, left click and drag the window upward to re-size to the desired height. Width re-sizing is accomplished in the same manner except from the side border.
- Screen Position and Location of the Mini Window will be remembered if the window is closed using the 'X' on the right hand side of the Title Bar.
Note for ACOM 2000A & Alpha 87A Amplifier users
Starting with version 1.6.7 an expanded area of the Mini Window is available for Alpha 87A and ACOM2000A users. Just drag the right margin to expose the controls for the selected amplifier. Also see the Amps Tab for more information on this feature.
Using DDUtil
Using the DDUtil is straight forward and shouldn't require more than a minimal amount of familiarization for the user to be comfortable with it's use.
Note: For more information on how to configure these and other functions see the How To section of this wiki.
All control settings on the DDUtil forms are stored and remembered from session to session.
Hardware Setup
The following information is required to connect DDUtil to your device.
- What kind of device do you want to control (amplifier, antenna switch, etc.).
- Is the device RS-232 or BCD driven.
- If RS-232 driven, set the device receiving the data to a Kenwood or Yaesu model and speed to match 9600 8-N-1.
- If BCD driven, you must:
- Know the BCD scheme (what codes do what) See the manufactures user manual for this.
- Build a cable configured to fit your hardware setup (DB25M to your device input port). See the cable drawing for example information.
Program Operation
The following operations assume the proper setups have been performed on the Ports and Device tabs.
- DDUtil as stand-alone.
- Start PowerSDR, start DDUtil.
- If all is setup correctly you should see the frequency and VFO A in the header bar as [7,033.83] (VFO A/B). If instead you see [not connected] there is a problem and some back tracking is in order. The most common problem will be wrong port setup for PowerSDR (CAT) port or the CAT Polling Interval is way off, try 1000 for this setting.
- DDUtil used with a radio control/logging program.
- Start PowerSDR, start DDUtil and you should now see connect data in the title bar that looks something like [7,033.83] (VFO A).
- Start your radio control/logging program. If everything is working right you should see something like [RC] [7,033.83] (VFO A) in the title bar of DDUtil and your radio control/logging program should show it has control of PowerSDR.
- Note: The [RC] stands for Radio Control program is in use. If the [RC] is not in the title bar the program is in Stand-Alone mode.
- Tool Tips (description of control function) are available for all controls by hovering the mouse over the control momentarily.
- Once setup, DDUtil can either be minimized or reduced to a minimal size for normal operation. Shrinking is accomplished by right clicking anywhere on the form (except the title bar) where a menu will appear giving the options of Shrink & Restore. Additionally the borders of the form may be resized as desired.
Important Notices Please Read
- When connecting to a amplifier remember that Flex radios DO NOT have any ALC control circuitry, yet! It is up to the operator to make sure the drive power level is adjusted properly in PowerSDR or the amp may be over driven which could result in distortion and/or the amp being damaged.
- Parallel ports can come up in any configuration when the pc is booted up. My pc defaults to 4 (00000100) which equates to 30 meters when it boots up. You could quite easily have your BCD device set to the wrong band if caution is not exercised. It is a good policy to not turn on your BCD device until after DDUtil is up and running as the program will configure the port based on what transmit frequency it receives from PowerSDR.
- In it's current state PowerSDR has a timer that will not allow devices to connect to the CAT port if PowerSDR has been running for 10 minutes or more without a CAT connection. So if it fails to connect (displays [not connected] in the title bar) close PowerSDR and restart it. This will reset the CAT timer and DDUtil should now connect.
Other Topics
- BCD Data File Format (Ports tab)
- The BCD data file has a specific format that must be adhered to. The frequency must be in multiples of 100 kHz (7000, 7100, 7200) due to the way the BCD lookup algorithm is constructed. The data itself can be any decimal number from 0 - 255. An example setting 14,100 would be freq = 14100, data= 5 which equates to binary 00000101. See the Devices tab.
- Please note that this file format is specific to the BCD device you are using. The file furnished with DDUtil is for a Yaesu Quadra and may or may not work with any other device. See the manufactures information for the format for your device.
- BCD Data Port (Ports tab)
- Most BCD driven devices I have been associated with only use 3-5 control lines. My Quadra uses four (4). It is entirely conceivable that two (2) BCD devices could be run off of one (1) port. Hook device 1 to port pins 2-5 and device 2 to pins 6-9. Set up the data file for say 20 meters using (14100, 85) instead of (14100, 5) and it will produce 01010101 instead of 00000101 at the parallel port which is a binary 5 for each device.
- Inter-Connecting Cables
- Serial (RS-232) cables can be either purchased or fabricated by the user as dictated by the device to be controlled.
- Parallel port cables will have to be fabricated by the user for the particular hardware setup. I have prepared a sample cable drawing as part of this package to serve as a guide.
- If you would like to see how this concept works without setting up a binary device you can build a small LED array that can connect to your parallel port and show the binary code being sent. You can watch the LEDs change as the frequency changes.
- Port Locater
If you don't know what ports are installed on your pc the following procedure will tell you.- From the Start button select Control Panel
- Select System
- Select Hardware
- Select Device Manager
- Expand the Ports entry
- If you are using a non-standard parallel port (non-motherboard port), this link will help you get the port address you will need.
- All your hardware ports will be listed there.
