Protocol and Syntax
K4 Remote control commands are human-readable, providing an advantage for developers as well as
operators who wish to create their own macros (strings of commands). Software applications can interact
with the radio by polling with GET commands, or they may be designed to respond to automatically
generated responses resulting from control changes.
Command Groups
Commands are divided into three groups:
band, mode, audio, RF, and operational settings
menu entry names, parameters, and default values
panadapter, waterfall, and monitor configuration settings
Within each group are SET and GET commands. Response commands (RESP) from the K4
occur in reply to GETs, and can also be generated automatically following control changes at the
radio. Responses use the same format as SET commands.
Polling vs. Auto-Info (AI)
Many computer software applications
poll
for data of interest by using GET commands. Typically only a
small subset of K4 commands is used for a given application.
An alternative is to place the K4 into AI (auto-info) mode. In this case, every control change at the radio
(due to either local or remote control by any client) will generate a corresponding GET response
automatically. The application can use all or a subset of these responses to update its interface. See the
AI
command.
Syntax
Commands have a 2-, 3-, or 4-letter prefix followed by one or more parameters. Parameters can be
comprised of numeric fields, letters, or a combination of these. All commands are terminated by a
semicolon (;). Commands may use upper or lower case alphabetic characters. The only command that
differentiates between the two is the CW/DATA text-send command (KY <text>), when used in PSK mode.
A dollar sign symbol ($) after a command prefix modifies a command to target VFO B/sub
receiver. Applicable commands are so identified in the
SET commands
have a prefix and usually 1 or more parameters. (All SET commands have
corresponding GET commands and vice-versa unless otherwise noted.) SET examples:
