Working with DXLOG and digi modes with KENWOOD TS-480HX : How to make data cable and connect with DXLOG

 This post should be written long time ago but due to my lazyness it was not published yet. Now, summer holidays are here so I have time to write it down.

TS-480HX is not quite young radio, it is aalmost 10 years old, but people still use it. Somebody want to work digi (FT8) somebody used it as a contest station (200W radio power) SSB or CW mode, but common for every one is connection of this radio with your pc or laptop.

So let make it clear:

1st: For PTT-eing  this radio you will need 

a. Straight RS232 cable (not crossover),

b. USB to RS232 cable (with prolific driver for it)

Each of these cables could be find in better equipped electronic hardware store.

Please do not forget to properly set COM port for these cables: for straight rs232 it is usually COM1 or COM2, and for usb to rs232 cable it is usually COM15 (you will have to check device manager settings under Win10 or TTY output under Ubuntu).

2nd: For digi modes and for connecting your radio with WSJTX and (or) DXLOG you will need "radio" cable consisting of 2x3.5mm stereo jack (mic/earphone) and one mini 6 din connector (Also known as PS/2 connector). I made one myslef from this site Kenwood TS480 audio cable . I suggest if you have audio transformer (600:600 audio transformer) to add them to this cable so you can stop interfere your computer to radio.

Also here is pictures from above mentioned link and site ( Thank you IU2MEH for your post).

For your information, xggcom's radio interface for ICOM dgi modes of work is also available to use with Kenwood, making just one adapter from DIN 13 to mini 6 din.

Picture show Icom's and Kenwood's ports on radios. Circled pins on Icom show what digimode-3 is using for communication with radio. So it is very simple: on left side of pic is Icom din13 female connector (front) and on the right is minidin 6 male from kenwood (front). Numbers in middle are connections that should be used (without a VOX option. If you want to use VOX then both pin's numbered 3 should be connected).

 

What about DXLOG ?

1st: You will need to configure COM port where your radio is connected.

 2nd. You will have, pressing setup on desired port, to configure your radio.

When setting Ts-480 it is reccomended to make a check box active

- use CAT PTT command on phone and digital

- use RADIO data mode for voice keyer plyback

Also keyring & Control:

DTR (pin4) - CW or Radio OFF

RTS (pin7) - PTT 

DSR set to off (none).

 

Also if you want to use Digital voice keyer from DXLOG then you will have to make check box active for this option.

Given picture show ICOM setup, but it is the same menu that will show to you when choosing Kenwood TS-480 radio.

NOTE: Latest version of DXLOG have one issue with settings for TS480 radio: Instead of sending AT command TX1 to radio it is sending TX0 command that results in activating handheld microphone connection instead of data port input of radio (mini din 6). For now, latest version 2.5.46 this problem exist so I suggest to use Kenwood TS590 setup menu. It is the same but this "issue" is already corrected to TX1.

You can activate PTT with sending saved wav (voice) message to radio that is stored under F1 function key, but first using SHIFT+F1 you will have to record your CQ message.

Stay well.

Z34PC

Install WIA driver for RICOH MP301 printer in Windows 10

 In company where I work we have Ricoh MP301 printer/scanner.

Interesting, if you try to scan from Windows 10 you will face little problems like not supported WIA driver for scanning.

Well, you should look for drivers on official Ricoh page, download TWAIN and / or WIA drivers and install them. OK, TWAIN is easy to install, it has its own installing software. What about WIA ? In this situation you will need this procedure:

How to install the WIA driver

1. Go to the following folder C:\Program Files\Windows Photo Viewer. Run ImagingDevices.exe.
2. Select Add Device…
3. Select Next.
4. Select Have Disk…
5. Select Browse…
6. Go to the folder where the WIA scanner driver files were extracted to. Open the folder. ...
7. Select required inf  file. ...
8. Select OK.

After this wait a minute and additional device will be installed to your computer, in this situation it is a scanner. After this procedure MP301 scanner is accesible and working 100% :)

 

Enjoy.

How to run IPTV and Internet trough one FTP KAT5e cable

Hi,

this post is made intentionally for all of you ou there having the same problem like me: having only one cable going from your router to your room or a place, and you have two devices, a computer and IPTV box, both running in that room.
I know many of you would say, ok, we have wi-fi, but sometimes wi-fi know to be so annoying, with low speeds because of interfere with other strong nearby signals, so you just can't rely on it's speed.

It is not a philosophy, but many of you just did not know it.

As we know, ftp cable has 8 wires. What everyone does not know is that signal to your computer is processing (mostly for speeds up to 100Mbit) trough 4 wires, so other 4 wires are free for use to transfer other data :)

This is good , so we can use 4 wires (2 pairs) for existing iptv protocol and connecting iptv box to your router, and another 4 wires (other 2 pairs) for transfer of internet to your pc or internet device.

Scheme is so easy to make. For this you will need 

- RJ45 connector (shielded or not shielded) - 6 pcs

- FTP KAT5e cable 1m - 2 pcs

- LAN extender (coupler) - 2 pcs

- Networking tool (crimp, wire stripper, etc.)

Basic RJ45 pinout is like on the picture below: 

Basic work of data transfer is to send signals from router to end users using pins 1, 2, 3 and 6.

So we are going to make  a new cable (same cable made twice, for both sides, at router and at end users) that will have modified pinouts on one side and on the other he will have regular basic rj45 pinout.

Diagram of our wiring is :

 

- On one side of the cable connect rj45 as regular, T568B wiring diagram (as shown on first picture).

- On the other side:

a. For first device (IPTV) you will need following wires: 1, 2, 3 and 6. So, connect them in to new RJ45 connector, on their proper place, pins 1,2,3 and 6. Take note that you should follow coloring on wires in order everything can work proper. This should look like: white orange-pin1, orange-pin2, white green-pin3, green-pin6.

b. For second device (Internet) you will need following wires: 4, 5, 7 and 8. Same as before, place them on pins 1,2,3 and 6 on rj45 connector. This should look like: blue-pin1, white blue-pin2, white brown-pin3, brown-pin6. If you like you can swap colors like I did: white blue-pin1, blue-pin2, white brown-pin3 and brown-pin6 (in this option you got similar coloring scheme on both new rj45 connectors).

The same way you prepare second cable: one side regular rj45 wiring scheme and othe side scheme for connectin iptv and internet.

I would suggest to control how good conectors are crimped. Use instrument in order to check crimping quality. Quality crimping depends so much of the quality of the cable. I put to junk one made cable just because wire insulation was so hard to penetrate when pins were crimped and because of that I did not get signal on some pins.

 

At the end you can connect with network coupler

your new made cable with existing network cable on both sides. Just take a note wich connector is attached to  wich device (see color scheme on both devices :) ) .

On next pictures you can see final result and wiring.

 

 

This made connection is capable of transfering up to 100Mbit of data. On my picture you can see that one cable is connect to router (100 Mbit iptv) and second one is going to my switch (1GBit Internet switch).

 

Have a nice day.

 

73 de Z34PEC