Here is what is probably a cockpit problem, but it is nevertheless a
vexing problem that has afflicted at least a couple of us out here on
the left coast:
I'm running CT 9.27 with a 1000MP. Some days this combination works
fine, some days it doesn't. I can never predict which it's going to
be. This time around, things were fine the night before the start of
SS, but (you guessed it) not the day of the contest. Here's a problem
description:
The computer can be used to set a frequency on the MP. Type in a
frequency and the radio will go to that frequency. However, CT stays
stuck on some random frequency. At the moment, it is 3.728, but I have
seen this happen with other frequencies on other bands. I can type in
any frequency, the radio will go to that frequency, the CT display will
go momentarily to the new band I have selected, then the display will
pop back to indicate 80 meters. If I log a contact, it gets put in the
log as an 80m contact, and when I do WRITELOG the contact shows up as
3.527. It makes no difference what band or what frequency I actually
use; the frequency in the log will always be the same. Clearly the
breakdown occurs when CT issues a poll command for a frequency
indication and then sees a bogus frequency when it unpacks the return
block.
Some things I have been very careful to check:
- I have RIT turned OFF and the internal RIT offset set to 0. (We all
know CT can't handle RIT on a MP.)
- The RS-232 cable is a known good cable; I have tried several with
the same results.
- The COM port is a known good port. I have obtained the same results
with several different COM ports on the same computer, and in fact have
tried three different computers with this radio and obtained the same
results.
- This radio does work fine with TRlog. TRlog will not only set the
right frequency, but it will get the right frequency into the log. (But
note that TRlog only enters the band you're on; it doesn't try to get an
actual frequency out of the radio the way CT does.)
- I do have CT set to use RADIO1 (obviously; otherwise I wouldn't be
able to set frequency).
This state seems to come and go with the phase of the moon, or maybe the
alignment of the stars. I have seen the computer/radio system be in a
functional state and then go into a failed state when I don't think I
made any changes to anything. It only enters the failed state when I
bring first it up, though. I have never seen the computer interface
suddenly start failing after I brought up CT and had things working
correctly.
This problem is not just peculiar to my radio, by the way. A couple of
hours before the contest Saturday I got a phone call from K2KW, getting
ready to do SS from K6KM's station. Kenny had K6KM's MP in this state
and wanted to know how to clear it and get CT working. I told him I had
seen the same problem but (fortunately) my rig was working fine at the
moment. When I brought it up just to be sure, though, it was stuck on
3.527! The only solution was to disconnect and manually band-change CT
during the contest. (Well, I could have switched over to TR, but I
decided against that.) As luck would have it, I now see a whole string
of SS contacts logged as 20m which I know were on 15m. Of course,
there's no way now of finding where this started or where it ended! So
I've got to figure out what I (we) are doing wrong here before the next
contest. Anybody ever seen this problem before? What's going on here?
Bruce, N6NT
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