Model-specific Rig Interface Issues
Here is some model-specific information that we have collected.
Elecraft K2 & K3
Use the Kenwood 850 driver. The K3 does not support setting the current VFO to B.
Kenwood TS-2000
This rig has a different default baud rate than the rest of the Kenwood line. Set both the rig and LOGic to 9600 baud, 1 stop bit. In LOGic 5 or later, use the TS-850 driver. We have also had reports that this rig is fixed at 57,600 baud.
Apparently the Auto Information mode of this rig does not work, at least not like the rest of the Kenwood line. The latest update to LOGic 6 includes a new driver that polls the rig. Without this driver, the interface still works--the proper frequency is always logged. The frequency display in LOGic just does not update in real-time.
Kenwood TS-850S
The optional DSP-100 unit for this rig plugs into the connector where the level converter normally goes. To use the level converter with and the DSP simultaneously, plug the DSP into the rig, and the level converter into the CONT OUT jack on the DSP unit.
Icom and Icom-compatible Ten-Tec
If your rig is not listed in LOGic's Driver dropdown, start with ICOM. It covers most rigs. If Split does not work, try other drivers. Some older rigs do not support setting of Split. For these rigs, use the ICOM BASIC driver.
Consult the manual for the default baud rate and CI/V address and set LOGic accordingly. If If the desired address is not in the dropdown list, merely type it in.
The CI/V address and baud rate are changeable on most Icom rigs, so if the default does not work, check the settings of the rig. Most rigs have menus accessible from the front panel. Consult your manual.
Some Icoms have a AUTO baud rate setting. Do not use this setting. It will not work. Choose an actual baud rate (9600 baud is good), and of course set the software to match.
Some Icoms permit setting of split frequency with a computer. If your rig supports this, use the ICOM driver in LOGic to give you this capability. (If in doubt, try and find out).
Most Icoms do not support reading the split status. The Icom driver in LOGic remembers the last split state set from within LOGic, and uses that to determine split status when logging. In other words, LOGic will properly log split frequency only if you control the split status only with LOGic. If you change the split status from the rig's front panel, LOGic has no way of detecting this.
Icom and Ten-Tec rigs have a feature that causes it to automatically send any changes made to the rig via the front panel to the computer. This feature is called by various names--"Transceive Matrix", or ."CI-V Transcieve". The Omni-6 calls this feature "Continuous Data Echo".
This feature should be on in order for LOGic to update its display of the rig's frequency and mode as you tune the rig with the front panel. (If this feature is off, LOGic will still log the proper frequency, since it always requests the frequency, mode, split status, etc. whenever it needs it. However the real-time display will not update).
LOGic has an option to poll Icom rigs. We have seen one case where the CI/V Transceive was reportedly turned on, yet it was not sending data. The customer used the Poll Icoms option instead.
Sometimes, when running multiple Icoms on the same port (using the Icom CI/V networking bus), the radios will interfere with each other--tuning one rig will cause the others to QSY also. Make sure that each rig is set to a different address. If the interaction still occurs, turn off the CI/V Transceive in the rigs, and turn on the Poll option in LOGic.
In LOGic 9 and later, you may assign multiple Icom rigs to the same port, each to a different port, or have one group of Icoms on one port and another on a second port -- you have total flexibility in sharing the CI/V bus.
In previous versions of LOGic, all Icom drivers in LOGic have a counterpart that does not use the common Icom CI/V bus, but permits using a different unshared COM port for each rig.
Some Icom rigs have the ability to set the width of the frequency field in the data returned by the radio. This setting should be set to 5 bytes. (The IC-735 is an exception. It always sends 4 bytes.)
LOGic 9 automatically detects the frequency length. Users of prior versions of LOGic must be careful to select the proper driver. An example of problems experienced by an improper setting of this option is as follows: A customer with a 756 Pro III reported that the rig would return the proper frequency when the rig was polled. However, spinning the VFO knob would not cause a frequency update, even though CI-V Transceive was on, and LOGic's data scope verified that the radio was sending data. The Icom 735 driver would properly display the frequency as the dial was turned.
You can test an Icom to make sure that it is sending a signal with a multimeter. Make sure the Transceive Matrix/CI-V Transeive feature of the rig is on Connect the meter to the output of the rig's data jack. When set to DC, our meter shows about 2 volts, that spasmaticly decreases as you spin the VFO dial. When set to AC, our meter showed almost nothing when the dial was stationary, and about 0.8 volts when spinning the dial.
The meter we used is a Radio Shack 22-178 "Auto Range Sampling Bargraph Digital Multimeter". It is probably manufactured by Fluke, and is probably identical to their low-end model. Both the bar graph and digital display indicate very obvious change as the dial is spun. Your meter may not be responsive enough to detect the data stream.
Kenwood rigs have a feature similar to Icom's Transceive Matrix. They call it Auto Information mode. It must be enabled in software. So, if you are able to control your Kenwood but not read from it, you should be able to test it with a voltmeter as follows. Start LOGic and control the rig to initialize Auto Information. Disconnect the rig from the interface and connect the voltmeter to the rig's data out (see the Loopback Test page for pinouts). Proceed as described for Icom.
We have not been able to get the Auto Information feature to work on the TS-2000.
Omni 6
The Omni 6 + requires a custom-made cable. The rig end needs a DB25 male connector. Here is the information for making your own cable for a 9-pin RS-232 port.
Computer 9 -pin Radio 25-pin
2 --> 2
3 ---> 3
5 ---> 7
On the computer end, jumper:
pins 7 and 8
pins 1, 4, and 6
If you still have a 25-pin serial port on your computer, here is how to make a cable: Pins 2,3,7 are run straight through to the DB25F connector on the computer. On the DB25F on the computer, pins 4,5 are jumpered and pins 6,8,20 are jumpered.
The Omni 6 can send frequency data to the computer in 4-byte or 5-byte format. The configuration that we know works is to set the Omni 6 to 4-byte frequency and set LOGic to use the Icom 735 driver. However, other features may be available by setting the Omni 6 to 5 bytes, and using the Icom Plus driver in LOGic.
Yaesu FT-847
The first release of this rig was incapable of sending mode and frequency data to the computer. FT-736 software works with this ROM.
The vast majority of 847's have the new ROM that provides full two-way communications. If you have the old ROM, contact Yaesu for an upgrade.
Yaesu FT1000D and FT990
These radios have been sold with two substantially different ROMs. The old-style ROMs were somewhat problematic because they would return information about all memories--an enormous amount of data--when requesting mode/freq status. This would tie up the radio for around 3 seconds. The new ROMs, which started shipping in the spring of 1992, overcame this problem by providing new commands that cause the radio to return only a minimal amount of data. Besides increased speed, we have had reports of higher reliability with the new ROMs.
To see if your radio has the new or old chip, turn the radio off. While holding down the 1 and 3 keys on the keypad, turn the radio on. On the FT1000, the new ROM is revision 6.0 or later. On the FT990, the new ROM is revision 1.3 or later.
Apparently Yaesu no longer provides upgraded ROMs (The FT-1000D new ROM part# was G1093217. The cost was about $10. Yaesu America phone# is 310-404-2700 last we heard. ). However,third party replacements are available. Search the web and eBay.
To the best of our knowledge, the FT-990 ROM is soldered in place, and it is difficult to find a replacement -- your best bet is finding a junked radio and salvaging the board that contains the chip. We do not know if the ROM version is printed on the chip or not.
There is almost no software available to supports these old ROMs. We dropped support for the old ROMs with LOGic 5.0.
TRX-Manager still supports them.
Ten-Tec Pegasus and Jupiter
LOGic supports interface to the Pegasus , Jupiter, and Omni 7 radios. This permits simultaneous use of LOGic and the Pegasus control program. LOGic can read and control these radios. The Jupiter is just like the pegasus except that it features a physical front panel. All information on interfacing the Pegasus applies to the Jupiter.
This interface uses an intermediate disk file to pass information between the two programs. This file is buffered, so there is no actual wear and tear on your disk drive as you use the program. No serial port is actually used by LOGic.
Make sure you are running LOGic version 5.2.54 or later. Download the latest Pegasus software from Ten-Tec. Install the software and run it. Insure that the software is communicating with the rig.
Run LOGic. Go to tools/setup/misc ham setup. Select Radio Ifc. Select the "Pegasus with disk file interface" driver. Leave the Port selection blank, and baud rate 0. This interface does not use a serial port. Click OK.
You will be prompted for the inteface disk file name. Select PEGASUS.OUT. It will be located in the same folder as the Pegasus software. LOGic will remember the file location and will not ask for it again. (The file name is stored in Pegasus.INI, which is located in the LOGIC5 folder.)
Note that the Pegasus program does not permit setting or reading of split status. LOGic merely assumes that split mode is on if the TX and RX frequencies are different.
The N4PY software also works with LOGic. Be sure to select the interface disk file that is compatible with Ten-Tec's program. By default it's interface disk file is different than the file made by the Ten-Tec software, and therefore not compatible with LOGic. Consult the N4PY documentation for details.
Updated May/29/16
