I was back on air fairly quickly when I accidentally ended up with one of VK6ZUK Danny's spare OT+ units. Thanks for letting me keep it for a while. Meanwhile I ordered a couple of spare microcontrollers and some other stuff. At $USD7 per microcontroller it wasn't such an expensive blunder after all. It also highlights why you should always save a copy of your configuration to disk. After fitting the microcontroller, a quick load from file and write to device and you're back to normal.
The other 'stuff' I ordered was a couple of OT+ SMT (surface mount technology which equals REALLY SMALL UNIT), a GP525 tiny GPS receiver module (designed for internal use) and an experimenters solderless breadboard (I can buy these locally but importing them from Argent in the USA is cheaper!)
Now all I need to do is see if I can fit the OT+ SMT and GPS into the battery compartment of the PX-777 handheld. I have a hammer. The other thing I like about these is that the telemetry inputs are a lot more flexible than the regular OT+ or the Tracker2. It's just a shame that the documentation is very poor.
31 October 2010
03 October 2010
VK6UFO-9 downgrade...
For some reason my mobile APRS wasn't getting out. After some fooling around I found that TX audio wasn't making it out of the OpenTracker+. Even stranger, it wasn't going out until I connected an amplified speaker to the signal where it started working.. and stopped when I removed the speaker. Looks like one of the divider resistors has a bad solder joint or something. I'm not sure because I had to disconnect the power to the GPS receiver (which is injected through one of the JP links) to get at the audio test point. When I reconnected the GPS power (8 volts) I plugged it into the output of the 5 volt regulator by accident. The regulator survived no problem. The 5v micro-controller, however, had a myocardial infarction. That's a heart attack, not some sort of kinky sex act. All the LEDs lit up and the PTT was on permanent TX. That was one dead black caterpillar. Thanks to Danny VK6ZUK for a loaner until my order for more OT+ and micro-controllers comes in.
I've also ordered from Argent Data a tiny OpenTracker+ (SMT version) and an even tinier GPS receiver module. I hope to make a portable all-in-one unit by fitting both into a battery eliminator for a PX-777 handheld radio. These things replace the battery, are mostly empty space and offer around 7.5 - 8 volts which will power the tracker, which will in turn power the GPS receiver. With a little luck, a smaller generic 7.4v LiPo battery will fit inside along with the other stuff and the radio will become a tiny self-contained portable APRS. A smaller battery should do since the duty cycle is quite low. There's quite a bit of hope involved at the moment.
I wonder if a Tracker2 board would fit inside an FT-1802.
I've also ordered from Argent Data a tiny OpenTracker+ (SMT version) and an even tinier GPS receiver module. I hope to make a portable all-in-one unit by fitting both into a battery eliminator for a PX-777 handheld radio. These things replace the battery, are mostly empty space and offer around 7.5 - 8 volts which will power the tracker, which will in turn power the GPS receiver. With a little luck, a smaller generic 7.4v LiPo battery will fit inside along with the other stuff and the radio will become a tiny self-contained portable APRS. A smaller battery should do since the duty cycle is quite low. There's quite a bit of hope involved at the moment.
I wonder if a Tracker2 board would fit inside an FT-1802.
VK6RN-13 upgrade
As I said, the Argent Data Tracker2 has finally become available again. I ordered one for myself as well as for HARG. I finished setting it up as a fill-in digipeater late Friday afternoon after running for a couple of days as a full digi. As a full digipeater it was performing quite well but is quite unnecessary for Perth as there are already enough digipeaters. Mine was just adding too much unneeded traffic. It's good to know where it's reaching though.
The antenna is a Comet mobile tri-bander (6/2/70) about 2 metres above the roof of a tin shed. Average terrain is quite low unfortunately, around 20m. Comet claims it to be useful on 6m but in reality it's a 1/4 wave at 52 MHz and requires a decent groundplane. I've supplied some radials in case I get the urge to work 6m from there during my lunch break.
I picked up an FT-1802 for a good price last weekend and that is now the transceiver for the station.
I made an interface cable which connects the D9 socket from the T2 to the 6 pin mike and 3.5mm speaker connectors on the FT-1802 (as well as power, rather than powered through the DC jack. A lot simpler I think) The radio volume was turned down quite low and increased until the RX light on the T2 operated consistently with received stations. Even then the knob is still down very low. I think I'll add a dab of hot glue to stop the volume being bumped.
The radio will be stuck on transmit if the HT jumper is left in on the T2 so remove it. The audio out to the mike is way too high so you must also remove the HI jumper from the T2. Also turn the volume right down in the OTWinCfg application which sets the software volume level. I have it set at around 20%. It's better to have it a bit too low than a bit too high. Anything more will overdrive the radio. That will reduce the chances of other stations decoding you, will cause QRM and possibly spill out beyond the bandwidth allowed. I set the FT-1802 mic gain to 3 as well. I expect the same sort of settings will work with other Yaesu mobiles connected through the speaker and mike connectors. Most other mobiles have a 6 pin packet connector so that would be a much better option (and the settings will differ from mine)
I've left the EQ jumper off the T2 for the moment. It will probably stay off as removing this jumper allows for correcting pre-emphasis built into the radio when using the speaker (which shouldn't be needed when using the packet connector) Some day I hope to hack the radio and put in a connection to the discriminator for RX as well as inject TX audio a bit further down the line, maybe around where CTCSS enters.
The power supply is a 100w SMPSU connected via a diode network to the radio and T2 as well as a 7Ah SLA battery. The battery is always on trickle charge until mains is lost where it then takes over. The digipeater ran for about 13 hours on battery on Friday before shutting down. It was a bit unreliable towards the end. Unfortunately I wasn't actually testing the battery.. I just forgot to turn the mains on when I swapped out the previous PSU I was testing with. D'oh. Off for the whole weekend. Oh well, it's handy to know.
The digipeater has no problems decoding and reaching VK6KSB-3 70 km away.
The antenna is a Comet mobile tri-bander (6/2/70) about 2 metres above the roof of a tin shed. Average terrain is quite low unfortunately, around 20m. Comet claims it to be useful on 6m but in reality it's a 1/4 wave at 52 MHz and requires a decent groundplane. I've supplied some radials in case I get the urge to work 6m from there during my lunch break.
I picked up an FT-1802 for a good price last weekend and that is now the transceiver for the station.
I made an interface cable which connects the D9 socket from the T2 to the 6 pin mike and 3.5mm speaker connectors on the FT-1802 (as well as power, rather than powered through the DC jack. A lot simpler I think) The radio volume was turned down quite low and increased until the RX light on the T2 operated consistently with received stations. Even then the knob is still down very low. I think I'll add a dab of hot glue to stop the volume being bumped.
The radio will be stuck on transmit if the HT jumper is left in on the T2 so remove it. The audio out to the mike is way too high so you must also remove the HI jumper from the T2. Also turn the volume right down in the OTWinCfg application which sets the software volume level. I have it set at around 20%. It's better to have it a bit too low than a bit too high. Anything more will overdrive the radio. That will reduce the chances of other stations decoding you, will cause QRM and possibly spill out beyond the bandwidth allowed. I set the FT-1802 mic gain to 3 as well. I expect the same sort of settings will work with other Yaesu mobiles connected through the speaker and mike connectors. Most other mobiles have a 6 pin packet connector so that would be a much better option (and the settings will differ from mine)
I've left the EQ jumper off the T2 for the moment. It will probably stay off as removing this jumper allows for correcting pre-emphasis built into the radio when using the speaker (which shouldn't be needed when using the packet connector) Some day I hope to hack the radio and put in a connection to the discriminator for RX as well as inject TX audio a bit further down the line, maybe around where CTCSS enters.
The power supply is a 100w SMPSU connected via a diode network to the radio and T2 as well as a 7Ah SLA battery. The battery is always on trickle charge until mains is lost where it then takes over. The digipeater ran for about 13 hours on battery on Friday before shutting down. It was a bit unreliable towards the end. Unfortunately I wasn't actually testing the battery.. I just forgot to turn the mains on when I swapped out the previous PSU I was testing with. D'oh. Off for the whole weekend. Oh well, it's handy to know.
The digipeater has no problems decoding and reaching VK6KSB-3 70 km away.
VK6AHR-3
Hills Amateur Radio Group (HARG) digipeater VK6AHR-3 has been up and running for some time with good results. The FM-92 seems to work well. The loaned KPC-3 TNC works as expected (taking into account the issue with WIDE1-1 on the 8.2 firmware which can't be fixed 100%) Argent finally released some more Tracker2 units. HARG will be installing and setting it up next Saturday as a combined upgrade and APRS workshop for members. The antenna is a j-pole mounted at roof-top. We will be installing a high gain Comet on the HF mast in the near future. We have also started installing a weather station which will integrate with the digipeater.
22 July 2010
VK6RN-13
I am testing a Philips FM-92 converted commercial VHF transceiver for APRS use at HARG (Hills Amateur radio group) . Our aim is to purchase an OpenTracker Tracker2 unit and run it as a digipeater, weather station (Ultimeter 2100) and telemetry. Currently the radio is interfaced to a PC running UI-View32 via the sound card (and RS-232 for PTT) The Tracker2 has been out of stock at ArgentData for at least 8 weeks now :-(
13 June 2010
Not much
Not much to report. The PX-777 gets out well, even in areas where other 5w mobile stations are having problems.
Our radio club has voted to set up a digipeater at the club house. We have a good location which covers an area known to be difficult to other digipeaters. We are going to purchase the Argent Data Tracker2 which will, as a stand-alone unit, perform as a digipeater, as a weather station (we have an Ultimeter 2100) and telemetry. With a PC it will do anything else you can do using KISS TNC.
The radio will be a converted FM92 commercial VHF at 25w. The antenna is a j-pole until we can get the Comet high gain mounted on the tower.
Our radio club has voted to set up a digipeater at the club house. We have a good location which covers an area known to be difficult to other digipeaters. We are going to purchase the Argent Data Tracker2 which will, as a stand-alone unit, perform as a digipeater, as a weather station (we have an Ultimeter 2100) and telemetry. With a PC it will do anything else you can do using KISS TNC.
The radio will be a converted FM92 commercial VHF at 25w. The antenna is a j-pole until we can get the Comet high gain mounted on the tower.
12 February 2010
30 January 2010
More changes to mobile APRS
After much consideration I decided to keep power to the GPS16 receiver permanently. The reason is my intention to eventually install a car PC. The second is that I would like to come up some sort of arrangement that will activate the APRS should the car end up being driven by someone other than me and parked where it might not be easy to find. This would probably involve some sort of device that I would carry and be detected. If the car is started and driven without the device being detected, the APRS turns on and remains on until I intervene. The device would probably be an RFID or somesuch. The car PC would also log all GPS activity at all times.
To allow for GPS connectivity to a PC, I made and installed a splitter between the RS232 GPS and the OpenTracker+. The splitter simply feeds RS232 signal from GPS to two outputs. This was tested with the APRS running and the netboook connected through a 4 port USB-to-RS232 device at the same time and it worked fine. I will need to make sure that the car PC and OT+ can't both talk to the GPS at the same time or something will collide. There shouldn't be any need for either to TX to the GPS anyway.
Still looking for a VGA LCD display that can be powered from 12V, around 10". I could buy an old laptop and hack the display to extend it from the body, but I'm not sure what cable length I could use before it becomes unstable. I suspect it wouldn't be much. I refuse to install an inverter just to power a mains-powered LCD! There are some in-dash displays available but the price is just way over the top for a project like this and besides, I can't install in-dash in the work vehicle.
To allow for GPS connectivity to a PC, I made and installed a splitter between the RS232 GPS and the OpenTracker+. The splitter simply feeds RS232 signal from GPS to two outputs. This was tested with the APRS running and the netboook connected through a 4 port USB-to-RS232 device at the same time and it worked fine. I will need to make sure that the car PC and OT+ can't both talk to the GPS at the same time or something will collide. There shouldn't be any need for either to TX to the GPS anyway.
Still looking for a VGA LCD display that can be powered from 12V, around 10". I could buy an old laptop and hack the display to extend it from the body, but I'm not sure what cable length I could use before it becomes unstable. I suspect it wouldn't be much. I refuse to install an inverter just to power a mains-powered LCD! There are some in-dash displays available but the price is just way over the top for a project like this and besides, I can't install in-dash in the work vehicle.
26 January 2010
Dollar
Hey, if you are advertising something on the internet then have the courtesy to state what dollar you are using. We don't feel like searching your web pages for 20 minutes to find out what country you are based in (and even that is still guessing) If your web site its www.something-or-other.com then you could be anywhere in the known universe. The internet goes that far. Just so you get it, here a list of countries that use dollars:
Australian dollar
Bahamian dollar
Barbados dollar
Belize dollar
Bermuda dollar
Brunei dollar
Canadian dollar
Cayman Islands dollar
East Caribbean dollar
Fiji dollar
Guyanese dollar
Hong Kong dollar
Jamaican dollar
New Zealand dollar
Namibian dollar
Rhodesian dollar
Singapore dollar
Solomon Islands dollar
Taiwan dollar
Trinidad and Tobago dollar
Zimbabwe dollar
United States dollar
Better still, have a gadget on the web page to let us change what currency your prices are displayed as. Plenty of websites do it. They are probably getting our business instead of you.
Australian dollar
Bahamian dollar
Barbados dollar
Belize dollar
Bermuda dollar
Brunei dollar
Canadian dollar
Cayman Islands dollar
East Caribbean dollar
Fiji dollar
Guyanese dollar
Hong Kong dollar
Jamaican dollar
New Zealand dollar
Namibian dollar
Rhodesian dollar
Singapore dollar
Solomon Islands dollar
Taiwan dollar
Trinidad and Tobago dollar
Zimbabwe dollar
United States dollar
Better still, have a gadget on the web page to let us change what currency your prices are displayed as. Plenty of websites do it. They are probably getting our business instead of you.
Aussie Aussie Aussie
Happy Australia Day from AX6UFO
Installing everything properly. Everything was held together with duct tape and cables running through doorways. Looking at buying a cheapie Nagoya NL-770R antenna which should get the 5 watts out a little better than the mag base ¼ wave. The NL-770R appears to be a clone of the Diamond NR-770R. I can buy three of these cheapies for the price of one locally purchased Diamond.
Installing everything properly. Everything was held together with duct tape and cables running through doorways. Looking at buying a cheapie Nagoya NL-770R antenna which should get the 5 watts out a little better than the mag base ¼ wave. The NL-770R appears to be a clone of the Diamond NR-770R. I can buy three of these cheapies for the price of one locally purchased Diamond.
19 January 2010
Connect PX-777 to OT+ using free earpiece
Here's how I connected my PX-777 to the OpenTracker+ using the free earpiece/mike. Your earpiece may be different. Use this information at your own risk. If you can't see the whole image then just click on it.The easiest way I found was to crack open the mike/PTT thingie using a pair of pliers or similar (it came apart quite easily) and then desolder the wires from the mike, PTT button and wire leading to the ear piece. The wires are coloured as in the diagram. The 'copper' wire was just that, no colour to the insulation.
This method is a lot easier than cutting the cable off and trying to tin the individual wires. This type of wire can be tricky to tin. I mounted the DB-9M inside a standard shell. Make sure the wires are restrained properly otherwise it's all going to fall apart. I put several layers of heatshrink tubing over the wires as the restraining clamp would not have enough to clamp down on.
I also built a voltage regulator to power the PX-777 without batttery. I used an LM317 TO-220 in the normal configuration built on some veroboard (stripboard). I included the input and output capacitors as well as the reverse protection diodes.
After measuring the voltage of the fully charged battery, I found that the radio is happy to run from 8.2 volts, so I set the LM317 to that. I probably could have used a 7808 regulator but I didn't have one.
I powered the PX-777, OT+ and GPS16-HVS all from the regulator and it worked fine on a 30 minute journey. I wouldn't recommend transmitting with the radio for normal QSOs, especially if the regulator isn't on a decent heatsink like mine isn't. The regulator can handle the occasional 1 second data transmissions but it probably won't like continuous duty. I found some information on the battery eliminator you can buy for these radios and they are rated at 3 amps. I doubt the radio draws 3 amps though. I probably should measure it some time...
To connect power to the radio without a battery I am using nippy clips (small insulated alligator/crocodile clips.. whatever colloquialism you want use) temporarily until I find a better solution. I might end up just getting a battery eliminator anyway.
16 January 2010
More PX-777
Can you program a PX-777 with Icom or Yaesu cables? No. If you have a programming cable for other radios that is 'one wire' (ie the TX and RX comms travel down one wire) then they will not work. Later Icoms and Yaesus seem to use these. Most Chinese radios seem to be compatible with Kenwood and use separate TX and RX line. Some earlier Icoms and Yaesus do use two wire but I don't know if they are true RS232 or are TTL. Let me know.
On the plus side, you can use the USB TTL adaptor that I mentioned in the previous post on some (maybe all?) newer Icoms. All you need to do is join the RX and TX lines together on the TTL side and add a suitable lead. I've done exactly that with the adaptor I mentioned connected to an IC-706MKIIG and an IC-208H. You need the software as well :-)
I'm looking at why I can't do the same with Yaesu. The way the TX and RX are tied together seems to be different. Probably the same reason why I can't use the 3rd party Icom adaptor I bought on a VX-3R or FT-1802.
I also forgot to mention in my previous - when programming the PX-777, you don't need to set the radio into a particular mode. Just turn it on, plug the plug(s) in and start communications.
Found the issue with the unit not charging in the charger. The charger has two projections, one either side that slot into grooves on the battery. It's possible to insert the radio so the projections are completely behind the whole unit. There's way too much play in the bay. Just pay attention to how you push it in.
I plan on playing with this radio for a few days as a regular handheld for voice just to see what they are like. So far the
Pros: Seems to get out well. Software is legally free and can be made to work. All documentation including service manual and informtion for interfacing is publicly available. Speaker volume is definitely not lacking! (See cons) Kenwood handheld accessories are interchangeable. Easy to interface for packet/APRS. LiPo battery. 12v charger for easy adaptation to mobile and portable use and uses a standard 2.1mm DC plug. Solid contruction. Plenty of information on line how to disassemble and reassemble.
and cons: Antenna connector gender isn't logical. Volume control goes from soft to LOUD very quickly. Software, although free, is poorly written. English voice announcer could be made by someone who speaks English without accent (my wife's NavMan does several different English accents and US American) The English manual needs translating to English. No biggy but the selectable colours for the LED illumination are just weird: Violet, blue and orange. Violet? Some obvious functions are completely omitted from the manual; eg How to get it to display channel tags instead of the frequency. Stumbled upon that one on tha interweb. Can't plug in a standard external speaker - get a 3.5mm to 2.5mm adaptor (they do exist; my Laser DMP is the same) The PTT button is very touchy. I sneezed a while ago and three callsigns said "Gesundheit." OK slight exaggeration but would need to modify for day-to-day use. Was the same for my FT-1802 mike.
Sorry about the typing... I'm on teh netbook.
On the plus side, you can use the USB TTL adaptor that I mentioned in the previous post on some (maybe all?) newer Icoms. All you need to do is join the RX and TX lines together on the TTL side and add a suitable lead. I've done exactly that with the adaptor I mentioned connected to an IC-706MKIIG and an IC-208H. You need the software as well :-)
I'm looking at why I can't do the same with Yaesu. The way the TX and RX are tied together seems to be different. Probably the same reason why I can't use the 3rd party Icom adaptor I bought on a VX-3R or FT-1802.
I also forgot to mention in my previous - when programming the PX-777, you don't need to set the radio into a particular mode. Just turn it on, plug the plug(s) in and start communications.
Found the issue with the unit not charging in the charger. The charger has two projections, one either side that slot into grooves on the battery. It's possible to insert the radio so the projections are completely behind the whole unit. There's way too much play in the bay. Just pay attention to how you push it in.
I plan on playing with this radio for a few days as a regular handheld for voice just to see what they are like. So far the
Pros: Seems to get out well. Software is legally free and can be made to work. All documentation including service manual and informtion for interfacing is publicly available. Speaker volume is definitely not lacking! (See cons) Kenwood handheld accessories are interchangeable. Easy to interface for packet/APRS. LiPo battery. 12v charger for easy adaptation to mobile and portable use and uses a standard 2.1mm DC plug. Solid contruction. Plenty of information on line how to disassemble and reassemble.
and cons: Antenna connector gender isn't logical. Volume control goes from soft to LOUD very quickly. Software, although free, is poorly written. English voice announcer could be made by someone who speaks English without accent (my wife's NavMan does several different English accents and US American) The English manual needs translating to English. No biggy but the selectable colours for the LED illumination are just weird: Violet, blue and orange. Violet? Some obvious functions are completely omitted from the manual; eg How to get it to display channel tags instead of the frequency. Stumbled upon that one on tha interweb. Can't plug in a standard external speaker - get a 3.5mm to 2.5mm adaptor (they do exist; my Laser DMP is the same) The PTT button is very touchy. I sneezed a while ago and three callsigns said "Gesundheit." OK slight exaggeration but would need to modify for day-to-day use. Was the same for my FT-1802 mike.
Sorry about the typing... I'm on teh netbook.
Programming the Puxing PX-777
If you are thinking about buying one, or have one but haven't programmed it through your PC, it can get messy.
To program a PX-777 from PC you need four things. A PC, a PX-777, a programming cable and some software. Your PC will need to be able to run windows programs. I haven't tried wine. I suspect that 98/Me will work OK - I plan to try it later just for the hell of it. Under Windows XP you might have problems but it can be fixed. If you are using Vista then you can fix that by upgrading to Windows XP.
The programming cable can be purchased online. You can (apparently) also use cables designed for Kenwood handhelds. As a ham you might want to make your own. It's not that difficult. If you have a standard RS-232 serial port then you need to convert to TTL level signals with a MAX232, MAX 233 or similar. There's a hand drawn circuit here. Make sure the lead to the radio is as short as possible. Although this signal is usually called "TTL RS232", it is not really RS232 and there will be signal loss over long cables. It will also be prone to interference.
Serial ports aren't that common any more, so you might have a USB converter or want to buy one. You need to establish what comm port it becomes, and you will find that the port number might change from PC to PC and even from USB port to USB port! Open the device manager and select the PORTS item. Look for your port there. The next problem is that some of the software allows you to select only comm port 1,2,3 or 4. (USB adaptors usually end up being comm 5 or higher). This is very poor programming. You can get around that by reassigning the comm port of your device. As administrator, right click on the port in device manager, select Properties, click the Port Settings tab, select the Advanced button, and use the dropdown to select a new port. Hopefully you will find one of the first four free. After you close all the windows you just opened, you might need to unplug the device and replug to gain access to the new port.
Another option which is easier than making a MAX232 interface is to buy a USB to TTL converter. I bought a Sparkfun adaptor for $AUD 17 in Perth. Shops that sell Arduino or robotics might carry these. Also look here. This adaptor has a USB mini-B socket one end and a six pin SIL socket the other end. An A-to-mini-B USB lead is required, such as used on most USB hard drives, some media gadgets and some phones. The SIL connector is standard 2.54mm pitch and has TX, RX, GND, +5V and two handshake signals. Connect the GND, TX and RX the same way as in the diagram mentioned above. Keep the wires short! I bought a 3.5mm stereo plug and 2.5mm stereo plug from an electronics store and used some shielded twin cable connect it together. Did I mention short wires?
As for the software... well Puxing make great radios. If you look here, you will find some programming software. See if you can work out which one to download. Yes, it is (as of this writing) "V6". If you use windows XP or any of the other NT versions and are like me then you log into the OS as a regular user (limited account) and not as an administrator. If you do the latter then suffer! The problem with some programmers is that they aren't really programmers. They just write programs. And usually while they are logged in as an administrator. They never test their software as a user. If they did, they would see that they make the same old mistake time and time again. Save files in the application install directory. Why is this stupid? Well you can't write into install directories if they are in a system directory unless you have rights. Eg admin rights. Files like settings and other user stuff are supposed to go in the user's home folderer, preferably in the application data folder which is what it's there for. This also means you can have multiple users on one PC without each stomping on the others' settings. But no, the Fuxing software tries to save settings in "C:\Program Files\PX6IN1\" which it can't do as a user, so the software is stuck with the default settings. If you have a PX-777+, the default setting is to use Chinese language.
How to get around this? Well you can install the application to a folder that anyone can read and write, or you can install the default directory and then copy the whole folder somewhere else. I chose the latter.
1) Install the software as normal (as admin of course).
2) Look at "C:\Program Files\PX6IN1". Copy the PX6IN1 directory to a USB thumb drive or your 'My Documents' folder or some other location you have rights to. 'Shared Documents' is another good place. This is where I keep all unfriendly applications. There's plenty of them.
3) Uninstalll the software. You have a copy remember?
4) Run application from thumb drive. Hey presto, language is now English. The application has the default MFC icon (blue, cyan and white). They could even be bothered to install their trade icon in the application.
When you run the application, select "PX777/328 CH128 +2TONE" for the PX777+. That will be remembered for next time you run it. Next, make sure you set the comm port - Click on the "Port" menu. It defaults to port 1 and is NOT remembered for next time. Jeez. Next, click on the "Program" menu adnd select "Read from radio." Click on the Start button. If that works immediately then you are ready to roll. If it doesn't work then you will need to check that your cable is correct and that you have selected the correct port. Also make sure you have selected the correct model of radio... it probably won't work even if everything else is OK.
To program a PX-777 from PC you need four things. A PC, a PX-777, a programming cable and some software. Your PC will need to be able to run windows programs. I haven't tried wine. I suspect that 98/Me will work OK - I plan to try it later just for the hell of it. Under Windows XP you might have problems but it can be fixed. If you are using Vista then you can fix that by upgrading to Windows XP.
The programming cable can be purchased online. You can (apparently) also use cables designed for Kenwood handhelds. As a ham you might want to make your own. It's not that difficult. If you have a standard RS-232 serial port then you need to convert to TTL level signals with a MAX232, MAX 233 or similar. There's a hand drawn circuit here. Make sure the lead to the radio is as short as possible. Although this signal is usually called "TTL RS232", it is not really RS232 and there will be signal loss over long cables. It will also be prone to interference.
Serial ports aren't that common any more, so you might have a USB converter or want to buy one. You need to establish what comm port it becomes, and you will find that the port number might change from PC to PC and even from USB port to USB port! Open the device manager and select the PORTS item. Look for your port there. The next problem is that some of the software allows you to select only comm port 1,2,3 or 4. (USB adaptors usually end up being comm 5 or higher). This is very poor programming. You can get around that by reassigning the comm port of your device. As administrator, right click on the port in device manager, select Properties, click the Port Settings tab, select the Advanced button, and use the dropdown to select a new port. Hopefully you will find one of the first four free. After you close all the windows you just opened, you might need to unplug the device and replug to gain access to the new port.
Another option which is easier than making a MAX232 interface is to buy a USB to TTL converter. I bought a Sparkfun adaptor for $AUD 17 in Perth. Shops that sell Arduino or robotics might carry these. Also look here. This adaptor has a USB mini-B socket one end and a six pin SIL socket the other end. An A-to-mini-B USB lead is required, such as used on most USB hard drives, some media gadgets and some phones. The SIL connector is standard 2.54mm pitch and has TX, RX, GND, +5V and two handshake signals. Connect the GND, TX and RX the same way as in the diagram mentioned above. Keep the wires short! I bought a 3.5mm stereo plug and 2.5mm stereo plug from an electronics store and used some shielded twin cable connect it together. Did I mention short wires?
As for the software... well Puxing make great radios. If you look here, you will find some programming software. See if you can work out which one to download. Yes, it is (as of this writing) "V6". If you use windows XP or any of the other NT versions and are like me then you log into the OS as a regular user (limited account) and not as an administrator. If you do the latter then suffer! The problem with some programmers is that they aren't really programmers. They just write programs. And usually while they are logged in as an administrator. They never test their software as a user. If they did, they would see that they make the same old mistake time and time again. Save files in the application install directory. Why is this stupid? Well you can't write into install directories if they are in a system directory unless you have rights. Eg admin rights. Files like settings and other user stuff are supposed to go in the user's home folderer, preferably in the application data folder which is what it's there for. This also means you can have multiple users on one PC without each stomping on the others' settings. But no, the Fuxing software tries to save settings in "C:\Program Files\PX6IN1\" which it can't do as a user, so the software is stuck with the default settings. If you have a PX-777+, the default setting is to use Chinese language.
How to get around this? Well you can install the application to a folder that anyone can read and write, or you can install the default directory and then copy the whole folder somewhere else. I chose the latter.
1) Install the software as normal (as admin of course).
2) Look at "C:\Program Files\PX6IN1". Copy the PX6IN1 directory to a USB thumb drive or your 'My Documents' folder or some other location you have rights to. 'Shared Documents' is another good place. This is where I keep all unfriendly applications. There's plenty of them.
3) Uninstalll the software. You have a copy remember?
4) Run application from thumb drive. Hey presto, language is now English. The application has the default MFC icon (blue, cyan and white). They could even be bothered to install their trade icon in the application.
When you run the application, select "PX777/328 CH128 +2TONE" for the PX777+. That will be remembered for next time you run it. Next, make sure you set the comm port - Click on the "Port" menu. It defaults to port 1 and is NOT remembered for next time. Jeez. Next, click on the "Program" menu adnd select "Read from radio." Click on the Start button. If that works immediately then you are ready to roll. If it doesn't work then you will need to check that your cable is correct and that you have selected the correct port. Also make sure you have selected the correct model of radio... it probably won't work even if everything else is OK.
14 January 2010
Puxing PX-777 plus
The PX-777+ arrived today. $AUD 83 including shipping from HK. It took five days to arrive which is not too bad for 'including shipping.' KB2SRH has a good youtube of it here.
Came with a free earpiece mike thingamy. Great! This will hack nicely into the OT+.
The manual is the typical Chinese translated into English by someone who only speaks Lithuanian. Fortunately I only need to program one simplex frequency into it. And I learned AngloCinoLithuanian during my service in the Foreign Legion.
The quality is what you would expect for an 83 dollar transceiver... the battery doesn't quite sit snuggly against the radio. The charger doesn't work when the radio is inserted. It works if the battery is inserted by itself. That's not going to work too well for an unattended APRS setup.
The antenna is an SMA but the opposite gender to, say, a Yaesu VX-3. In other words you can screw the PX-777 antenna into a VX-3 antenna. This also means that the tiny and fragile SMA pin is in the radio, just waiting to be bent or broken. The pin should be in the antenna. If you break the pin, you throw the antenna away. I bought an SMA to BNC adaptor a couple of days ago so that will sort that out. Loctite will sort it out even more.
Need to sort out an antenna. I'm using a mag base with a modified ¼ wave so it will almost fit under the car port. There's a twang as it hits a support beam. Also, it seems that I'm not making it into any digipeaters for half my journey to work using 5 watts. I might have to look and a 3db (or better) antenna which definitely won't fit under the car port. This means another antenna up the back of the car.
I'm considering doing away with the PX-777 LiPo battery altogether and running it from the car power via a voltage regulator. 7.4v will probably mean an LM317 or similar. The OT+ and GPS can run from 7.4v as well. That could save a lot of messy wiring.
I'm also considering breaking out the RS232 signal from the GPS to plug into a laptop or car PC. This would allow me to log trips. OpenStreetMap is very sparse in my locality. There's also the option to run nav software. I have everything I need to make a low power car PC, except for a display. I need a VGA LCD that can run from 12v that doesn't require funding from selling my first born.
Came with a free earpiece mike thingamy. Great! This will hack nicely into the OT+.
The manual is the typical Chinese translated into English by someone who only speaks Lithuanian. Fortunately I only need to program one simplex frequency into it. And I learned AngloCinoLithuanian during my service in the Foreign Legion.
The quality is what you would expect for an 83 dollar transceiver... the battery doesn't quite sit snuggly against the radio. The charger doesn't work when the radio is inserted. It works if the battery is inserted by itself. That's not going to work too well for an unattended APRS setup.
The antenna is an SMA but the opposite gender to, say, a Yaesu VX-3. In other words you can screw the PX-777 antenna into a VX-3 antenna. This also means that the tiny and fragile SMA pin is in the radio, just waiting to be bent or broken. The pin should be in the antenna. If you break the pin, you throw the antenna away. I bought an SMA to BNC adaptor a couple of days ago so that will sort that out. Loctite will sort it out even more.
Need to sort out an antenna. I'm using a mag base with a modified ¼ wave so it will almost fit under the car port. There's a twang as it hits a support beam. Also, it seems that I'm not making it into any digipeaters for half my journey to work using 5 watts. I might have to look and a 3db (or better) antenna which definitely won't fit under the car port. This means another antenna up the back of the car.
I'm considering doing away with the PX-777 LiPo battery altogether and running it from the car power via a voltage regulator. 7.4v will probably mean an LM317 or similar. The OT+ and GPS can run from 7.4v as well. That could save a lot of messy wiring.
I'm also considering breaking out the RS232 signal from the GPS to plug into a laptop or car PC. This would allow me to log trips. OpenStreetMap is very sparse in my locality. There's also the option to run nav software. I have everything I need to make a low power car PC, except for a display. I need a VGA LCD that can run from 12v that doesn't require funding from selling my first born.
04 January 2010
Use a valid symbol for APRS
aprs.fi doesn't like certain overlay symbols. For example a secondary Van with an alpha overlay (eg Uv)
Secondary Box with alpha overlay is OK though. Apparently the next version of APRS will support a much broader selection of symbols that won't break the holy UIView
Secondary Box with alpha overlay is OK though. Apparently the next version of APRS will support a much broader selection of symbols that won't break the holy UIView
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