background image

microHAM © 2010  All rights reserved

CONTROL PORT

The Control Port allows an application program (logger) that implements the microHAM Control (SO2R)
Protocol to operate micro2R completely with only a single USB connection.   The microHAM SO2R Control
protocol allows a logger to specify Transmit Focus, Receive Focus, Stereo/Split headphone as well as
control antenna switching and optionally use the CW, FSK and voice memory functions. 

When an application opens the control port, Router
reports port as  open and displays settings used to
configure COM port.  

Data flowing through the channel are indicated by two arrows. The green arrow indicates data flow from the
application to WinKey and the red arrow indicates data flow from WinKey to the host application.

Mon:  Opens a “Control Protocol Monitor” window to capture microHAM SO2R Protocol communications

between a logger and Router.  Controls for the monitor include Start, Stop, Clear and Save.  

The Control Protocol Monitor should not be used under normal conditions.  However, if there are
problems between a logger and Router, it may be useful to  Start a capture and close the window.
When a problem is noticed, the window can be opened and the Control protocol log Saved for
analysis.  
The monitor log is circular – only the last 20 kilobytes or so will be saved in order to prevent creating
very large files. 

The monitor will display a description of each command from the application and the response  from
Router.  If a line ends in three dots (...) it means that the command or response has been broken
across two USB packets. 

  

FOOT SWITCH

Router allows assigning a virtual serial port to the foot switch channel and selecting one of four available
input control lines (CTS, DCD, DSR or RING). 

NOTE: CTS is not available if the foot switch channel is shared with the radio control port.  The state

of the signal on the virtual port can be inverted by checking inverted box. 

When a COM port is assigned for the foot switch but the application does not support foot switch status (or
no application is running), Router reports the channel as closed.

When an application opens the COM port (usually
at start-up), Router reports channel as open.

When the foot switch is pressed, this state is indicated by a red arrow.

25

Summary of Contents for micro2R

Page 1: ...microHAM 2010 All rights reserved micro2R u2R microHAM fax 421 2 4594 5100 e mail support microham com homepage www microham com Version 7 8 30 March 2010 1 ...

Page 2: ...K 21 Ports CW 22 Ports PTT 2nd PTT 23 Ports WinKeyer2 24 Ports Control 25 Ports Foot Switch 25 Ports CW and PTT from LPT parallel port 26 Ports CW PTT Steering 26 Ports Steer FSK 26 Ports Steer WinKey CW PTT 26 Audio Tab 27 Audio Mixer Tab 30 PTT ACC Tab 32 CW WinKey Tab 34 CW Messages Tab 35 FSK Messages Tab 36 DVK Tab 37 Keyboard Tab 38 SO2R Tab 39 6 micro2R OPERATION 41 Setting Audio Levels 41 ...

Page 3: ...HARDWARE SPECIFICATIONS 50 8 PACKAGE CONTENTS 51 9 WARRANTY 51 DECLARATION OF CONFORMITY 52 APPENDIX A CONNECTORS 52 APPENDIX B microHAM Control Protocol 55 APPENDIX C RFI Considerations 57 APPENDIX D Typical Hardware Configurations 57 3 ...

Page 4: ...S 2 keyboard for CW transmission with type ahead supports PS 2 keyboard or keypad for CW memory keyer and control PS 2 keyboard or keypad CW works without computer connection multiple CW sources WinKey2 serial port and or LPT port with steering Voice SSB AM FM front panel headset jacks selectable electret bias 8V on mic tip or ring wide range preamplifier supports both dynamic and electret microph...

Page 5: ...YS check the polarity of the 13 8 V power supply Remember under Windows microHAM USB Device Router must be running anytime the interface is used not just for setup If Router is not running the virtual COM ports will disappear and the device cannot be accessed 5 ...

Page 6: ...ive 5 RX AUTO Receiver selection is controlled by logging program or follows transmitter selection 6 RX R2 Receiver 2 active 7 TX R1 Transmitter 1 active 8 TX AUTO Transmitter selection is controlled by logging program 9 TX R2 Transmitter 2 active 10 PTT R1 Indicates Radio 1 PTT is active 11 PTT R2 Indicates Radio 2 PTT is active 12 FSK Blinks with FSK output 13 PHONES Output for operator headphon...

Page 7: ...he right ear A long press of BOTH R1 16 and R2 17 at the same time enables automatic headphone switching AUTO mode If enabled the yellow AUTO light will be lit the R1 4 and R2 6 lights indicate receive focus 18 TX R1 R2 A short press alternately selects transmission on RADIO1 or RADIO 2 and disables automatic control of transmit focus if it was enabled A long press enables automatic control of tra...

Page 8: ...O1 interconnection Connector DB9 female Detailed description is in Appendix A 4 PS 2 Port for connection of external PS 2 keyboard or numeric keypad Connector Mini DIN6 5 LPT Input from computer LPT printer port Connector DB25 female 6 PADDLE Paddle input Connector 6 3mm 1 4 stereo TIP DIT Input RING DAH Input SHELL Ground 7 FOOTSW Footswitch input Connector RCA active when grounded TIP Signal SHE...

Page 9: ...nnector DB9 female Detailed description is in Appendix A 13 ACC external multi function I O port see ACC Port section of this manual Connector DB25 female Pin description is in Appendix B 14 FOCUS Focus status output Connector RCA grounded when active Open collector 12V 50mA maximum TIP Signal SHELL Ground 15 FSK 2 FSK Output for Radio 2 Connector RCA Grounded closed on MARK TIP Signal 16 POWER Po...

Page 10: ...rface software 3 configure Router 4 set audio levels Preparing micro2R for Use 1 Make up two cable sets to connect your radios to micro2R Schematic index A B X Y Signal name PTT PTTG MIC MICG Mobile Icom RJ45 4 7 6 5 Desktop Icom Foster8 5 6 1 7 Kenwood TS 480 RJ45 5 4 3 6 Kenwood Elecraft Foster8 2 8 1 7 Mobile Yaesu RJ45 6 7 5 4 Desktop Yaesu TenTec Foster8 6 5 8 7 TenTec Foster4 3 4 1 2 10 ...

Page 11: ... If you use a foot switch or hand PTT connect it to the FOOTSW jack 10 Connect the SC OUT jack to the Line Out or Speaker jack of your sound card 11 Connect the SC MIC jack to the Microphone jack of your sound card 12 Connect a 12V 16V DC supply to the DC 13 8V jack Be sure to observe the proper polarity NOTE Do not use a power supply that is connected to either radio Using a common power supply f...

Page 12: ...d package click on urouter_release_xx_xx exe xx_xx is version to start the installation The Windows setup utility will start and ask into which folder Router and its supporting files should be installed Note unless you have a very strong reason to install Router elsewhere please accept the default location When the Router installation is completed click Finish to launch Router for the first time T...

Page 13: ...ital mode software micro2R includes an LPT parallel input This connection is required for applications which do not support the microHAM SO2R Control Protocol or provide focus control information on a serial port micro2R Status When the USB driver is installed correctly and micro2R is turned on Router will show a device tab with a GREEN check beside the device name u2R When Router shows a YELLOW X...

Page 14: ...erlap and will not work properly when you connect such device WARNING Before you begin to create virtual ports attach all external devices you are using with computer and allow them to connected to the system Restart Router and then create virtual ports Virtual ports are created on the Virtual Port menu Create Creates virtual COM ports It is possible to select more than one port at a time by holdi...

Page 15: ...de operation This setting is used to automatically select VOICE or DIGITAL audio switching and the proper PTT output Careful selection of the Digital band is necessary for transceivers which do not have a special mode for AFSK operation or do not report the mode in the computer command set This primarily effects Kenwood and TenTec transceivers although it applies to some older Icom and Yaesu radio...

Page 16: ...ance from micro2R the user should create customized settings for each application used For easy switching among applications Router supports up to 12 user definable Presets Different configurations can be stored in these presets and recalled almost instantly simply by clicking on the preset button Each preset contains the settings for all devices connected to and controlled by Router For example i...

Page 17: ...or more devices are connected to the Router For example CW KEYER and microKEYER II can be renamed to more identifiable names as shown here Delete Removes a device from the Router Only disconnected devices with a RED X on device tab can be removed To disconnect a device from Router unplug the USB cable from the computer or device Save Template will save the current Router settings to template file ...

Page 18: ...avigate to the directory into which you downloaded the firmware file and select the file NOTE If you upgrade Router each upgrade will include the latest firmware file The new firmware will be automatically uploaded to the micro2R when the new version of Router connects for the first time you have just to confirm the upgrade when prompted VIRTUAL PORT MENU It is necessary to create a number of virt...

Page 19: ...ges DEVICE CONFIGURATION TABS There are ten 10 tabs for configuring micro2R Each tab controls part of micro2R s functions Except for CW Messages FSK Messages and Functions tabs any change is applied immediately to micro2R Ports assign virtual ports to the micro2R for use by applications Audio configures headphone switching based on operator preference receive focus and transmit source Audio Mixer ...

Page 20: ...els each channel provides an indication of the settings applied by the application and current state e g or or off These eight channels functions are available for each radio FSK uses TxD for FSK and RTS for PTT if checked 2nd FSK uses TxD for FSK and RTS for PTT if checked CW uses DTR or RTS PTT uses DTR or RTS 2nd PTT uses DTR or RTS These channels are common to both radios WinKeyer2 uses RxD an...

Page 21: ...cate during transmission the signal is likely to be clean It is also important is to turn off the microphone compressor ANY transmit audio equalizer AND transmit DSP when AFSK is used DO NOT use any form of digital modulation sometimes called Transmit DSP with AFSK or PSK Some transceivers bypass these circuits automatically when signal is routed to the rear audio jack instead of the microphone ja...

Page 22: ...e are also latencies caused by computer CPU load internal Windows message processing inter process communication and data flow from another peripherals sharing same the USB hub This can result in transmitted characters that are garbled To minimize these unwanted operating system effects Router uses a specially developed oversampling and prediction algorithm to assure the smoothest possible transfe...

Page 23: ...is indicated by a green arrow If the port is opened it does not mean it is properly configured When the port is properly configured the arrow will light during the entire transmission To test PTT operation click on the Test button with no port assigned or the port closed The 2nd PTT channel is identical to the primary PTT channel 2nd PTT provides a way for a second application to key the radio if ...

Page 24: ...ata to WinKey at 1200 baud but reliable operation is not guaranteed Data flowing through the channel are indicated by two arrows The green arrow indicates data flow from the application to WinKey and the red arrow indicates data flow from WinKey to the host application Test Sends Test via Winkey2 if a port is not selected or is closed NOTE Select RADIO1 or RADIO2 as needed with the TX R1 R2 button...

Page 25: ...if there are problems between a logger and Router it may be useful to Start a capture and close the window When a problem is noticed the window can be opened and the Control protocol log Saved for analysis The monitor log is circular only the last 20 kilobytes or so will be saved in order to prevent creating very large files The monitor will display a description of each command from the applicati...

Page 26: ...e logging programs do not support two radios or are designed to generate only one set of keying signals which are connected to the selected radio using a steering A B control Selecting Steer serial CW PTT will allow Router and micro2R work properly with those applications When steering is enabled the Serial CW Serial PTT and 2nd PTT channels for RADIO1 are used for both radios The active radio wil...

Page 27: ...ndow If not your sound card will not support live mic mode You will need to upgrade your sound card to make use of those functions Now UNMUTE all controls in the PLAYBACK window If you speak to the microphone you should hear your own voice in headphones You can control level with the microphone slider or master volume slider This is because sound card has INTERNAL LOOPBACK from the microphone inpu...

Page 28: ...ware The Stereo state overrides all other states Receive audio headphone selections can be set using the Headphones panel on the Audio tab The audio source Radio 1 Left Right Radio1 Left Radio 2 Left Radio 2 Left Right for each state is selected using the radio buttons and becomes effective immediately NOTE Separate switching for TX and Computer TX Latch is enabled disabled using the front panel L...

Page 29: ...to the transceiver which has TX focus Sound card output is switched to the microphone jack only for DVK playback when the computer generates a PTT signal through the virtual serial port WinKey microHAM protocol or LPT port 2 When the Disable audio switching on RADIO1 2 check box is selected audio from the microphone is disconnected from transceiver but remains connected to the sound card The sound...

Page 30: ...the proper mixer has been assigned click the Get ID button and confirm that the proper sound card is selected If the names do not match restart Router REC MIC software voice message recording level This control adjusts the level of microphone signal which will be used for recording voice messages by the logging application If channel is active the green rectangle light is on If not click on TX Mix...

Page 31: ...and Wave controls There are four 4 sliders a WAVE slider and MASTER slider for each channel Audio from the sound card is summed to mono in micro2R As a starting point set the MASTER level to about 80 and adjust the Wave controls for the proper drive level TX Mixer this button opens the Windows Volume Control Playback Mixer for the selected sound card GET ID this button will retrieve the name and n...

Page 32: ...that can be applied to the radio with transmit focus NOTE when WinKey2 is controlled by a logging program the program configuration determines whether WinKey generates one or two PTT signals PTT OUTPUT micro2R has one PTT output for each radio located on pin 2 of the RADIO1 and RADIO2 connectors Use WinKey PTT If unchecked micro2R ignores the PTT from WinKey2 Generate PTT Output When checked micro...

Page 33: ...ed CW will resume when the foot switch is released if it has not already ended If Restore serial CW is not checked application generated CW will remain suppressed until the application releases PTT Mute serial FSK if checked FSK generated by an application will be suppressed while the foot switch is pressed If Restore serial FSK is checked FSK will resume when the foot switch is released if it has...

Page 34: ...gle lever Bug Keyer Vibroplex emulation NOTE To connect a straight key to MKII use Bug Keyer mode The straight key should be connected between ring and sleeve of a three conductor plug The tip must be open Priority Ultimatic mode offers a choice if DIT or DAH priority for dual lever paddles If no priority is selected the keyer works in a last paddle wins mode Paddle set point controls when WinKey ...

Page 35: ...n of speed knob Set Key close CW output for selected time in seconds Set Wait wait selected seconds during playback Jump to used for looping a message or calling another message Delay sets the delay in seconds before looping or calling another message Test plays a message without storing it Store saves one message to micro2R memory Store All saves all messages to micro2R memory Load from File load...

Page 36: ...ial Letter character Blank Insert special Blank character Letter Insert special Bell character Jump to used for looping a message or calling another message Delay sets the delay in seconds before looping or calling another message Store saves one message to micro2R memory Store All saves all messages to micro2R memory Load from File loads all messages from file Save to File saves all messages to f...

Page 37: ...tored DVK mixer settings are not stored with presets but in the message banks This means each bank can have its own levels slider position It also allows each bank to be configured for the voice of a different operator if micro2R is used in a multi operator station Under Windows 2000 or XP Router DVK uses the sound card defined on the Audio Mixer Tab Under Vista the input and output sound cards ar...

Page 38: ...e ahead enables type ahead when using a PS 2 keyboard Characters are transmitted after a space word mode or when the buffer has reached its limit 16 characters Speed Step set the amount by which the Up Down or NUM keys change the CW speed Auto numbering Leading zero as T sends leading zeros in contest report as T For example 001 will be send as TT1 Zero as T sends all zeros in contest report as T ...

Page 39: ...CLASSIC AUTO CONTROL is flexible tool for customizing micro2R for operation with legacy software There are four 4 parameters which can be controlled via parallel port CT NA compatible LPT or virtual serial port DTR and RTS signals TX focus Used for automatic selection of the transmitter Available signals are LPT pin 3 LPT pin 14 COM port RTS signal COM port DTR signal Two PTTs Each signal can be i...

Page 40: ... one wins beginning a transmission on one radio will abort a transmission in progress on the other radio SO2R mode If checked simultaneous transmission on both radios is not allowed When not checked the radios can transmit at the same time Warning You are violating contest rules and etiquette if you enter a single operator or multi operator single transmitter class with the SO2R mode disabled ALWA...

Page 41: ...s are very different with the typical electret mic producing signal levels 20 60 times greater than that from a dynamic mic Because of the differences one can not interchange dynamic and electret microphones without special consideration Most amateur transceivers are designed for use with dynamic microphones this includes those made by Elecraft Kenwood TenTec and Yaesu On the other hand Icom trans...

Page 42: ...ard drop down boxes are lit If not double click on them or open the specific mixer and select un mute the channels When done close both Volume Control windows 4 Set the REC MIC and TX MIC sliders to 70 the TX VOICE MASTER sliders to 70 and WAVE sliders to 80 5 Select a sampling rate on the REC MIC to enable the metering 6 While speaking into the microphone adjust the REC MIC slider until you see t...

Page 43: ...d keep all levels as set above Use ONLY the front panel RADIO1 RADIO2 controls to adjust for proper drive levels maximum power no ALC reading This sets the proper levels for both radios and all modes We suggest that you store these Router settings to the last preset Click Preset Save as choose position number 12 name it Default and store settings TIP When you create your presets always begin by se...

Page 44: ...t the top of page 42 Do not adjust the preamp GAIN trimmer R1 trimmer or MIC gain knob on radio If you cannot set the correct drive level adjust the front panel RADIO1 knob 13 Set TX Focus to Radio 2 using the TX R1 R2 button 14 Turn on VOX or press the MOX transmit switch on the radio and speak into the microphone Using RIGHT slider set the same drive level as you set in step 10 at the top of pag...

Page 45: ...tton will cancel AUTO mode and at the same time move TX focus to the selected radio In manual mode micro2R will redirect all CW FSK PTT WinKey and DVK signals to the active radio the radio with transmit focus even when the signal was assigned to the other radio AUTO TX focus mode In AUTO mode focus transmitter selection is controlled by the logging program AUTO mode is selected by a long press mor...

Page 46: ...TH at any time will exit AUTO mode return to manual control The micro2R AUTO mode operates based on six operating states and one priority state A different operator defined headphone switching configuration can be applied for each state Transmit focus the transmit receive state of each radio Receive Focus and STEREO or SPLIT are used to control headphone switching The interface by which the loggin...

Page 47: ...th DOS loggers like CT TRlog and NA In this mode micro2R requires a PC compatible computer running Windows 2000 64 MB RAM CDROM and USB 1 1 port for configuration purposes only micro2R is controlled through the LPT input in classic mode and the advanced features provided by microHAM Router are not available Windows Applications When used with Windows based contest logging applications like CTWin N...

Page 48: ...key on the number pad Messages may be made to repeat loop by pressing DEL period on the number pad while the message is playing The default minimum wait time after ending a message and starting again is one second The pause time may be set from 1 to 9 seconds by entering the desired delay immediately after pressing DEL For example 1 DEL 5 will start message number 1 and cause it to repeat with fiv...

Page 49: ...by one without transmitting PG DN DN NUM WPM control Decrease CW speed step defined by configuration S N mode Decrement number by one HOME ENTER NUM ENTER WPM control Reset CW speed to pot knob value S N mode Transmit number with optional report and increase number by one format defined by configuration ENTER transmit CR and LF characters F10 Toggle PTT alternative to foot switch CAPS LOCK Switch ...

Page 50: ...inputs load less than 1mA per port at 5V FSK 2 x open collector max 30V 400mA FOCUS open collector max 12V 50mA closed to ground when TXFOCUS R1 FOOTSW input active when closed to ground max load 1mA at 5V PHONES stereo output for headphones 32 ohm load MIC dynamic electret microphone input max 500mV p p switchable 8V bias off tip ring max 1mA SOUND CARD OUT AC coupled stereo input from sound card...

Page 51: ...e product microHAM will pay return shipping What is not covered This Limited Warranty does not cover 1 correction of installation or software errors in the user s computer s 2 damage caused by misuse negligence user modifications or failure to follow the user manual 3 connection to improper or excessive voltage or voltage surges 4 the incorrect installation of any cables connected to the device by...

Page 52: ...s device may not cause harmful interference and 2 this device must accept any interference received including interference that may cause undesired operation European Union Declaration of Conformity microHAM s r o declares that the products Product Name micro2R Conforms to the following Product Specifications EN 55022 1998 Class B following the provisions of the Electromagnetic Compatibility Direc...

Page 53: ... MIC Microphone signal output 8 MIC GND Microphone ground 4 HPL Left headphone input 9 HPG Headphones ground 5 HPR Right headphone input PS 2 miniDIN 6 Pin Label Description 1 PS 2 DATA TTL PS 2 DATA line 2 RESPAD Input for resistive keypad FH 2 max 5V 1mA 3 GND Connected to the system ground and case 4 5 V 5V output max 100mA 5 PS 2 Clock TTL PS 2 CLOCK line 6 WinKey Button Connected to WinKeyer2...

Page 54: ...e high 19 GND GND 7 R1 BAND DATA B Output TTL levels max 4mA load active high 20 NC N A 8 R1 BAND DATA C Output TTL levels max 4mA load active high 21 NC N A 9 R1 BAND DATA D Output TTL levels max 4mA load active high 22 NC N A 10 R2 BAND DATA A Output TTL levels max 4mA load active high 23 NC N A 11 R2 BAND DATA B Output TTL levels max 4mA load active high 24 NC N A 12 R2 BAND DATA C Output TTL l...

Page 55: ... purpose not specifically authorized herein nor shall this disclosure grant license to use these controls or any subset of these controls with any controller not produced by micoHAM Commands All commands are ASCII and are case sensitive Each command is uppercase and ends with CR In this document parameters arguments for the command are shown in lower case Router responds to any invalid command wit...

Page 56: ... command starts message playback in a loop index is 1 to 9 interval is 0 to 9 seconds MPImi CR PlayMessagePeriodically msgIndex interval Record This command starts message recording index is 1 to 9 MRm CR StartMessageRecording msgIndex This command stops message recording MRS CR StopMessageRecording DVK Message Bank Select This command selects voice message bank applies only to DVK MBname CR SetMe...

Page 57: ...owered from the same branch circuit It is always better to avoid this source of noise interference It is also a good idea to check the power distribution for loose connections reversed neutral ground open ground and other wiring problems 3 Sometimes the USB cable can be a source of RF interference the cable might have inadequate shielding or the transceivers in PC might be improperly designed caus...

Page 58: ...party band decoders used for automatic Antenna and BPF switching must use the Yaesu TTL band data format For digital mode operation the constant level audio output from each radio must be isolated using audio transformers The left radio Radio 1 should be connected to the left audio channel tip and sleeve of the sound card line input The right radio Radio 2 should be connected to the right audio ch...

Page 59: ...etup Special notes The CAT port of each radio is connected to its Station Master Station Master provides computer control CAT automatic antenna control and BPF switching PTTIN of each Station Master can be connected in parallel with appropriate PTTIN of u2R 59 ...

Page 60: ...ust use the WinKey port of u2R Use microHAM CODEC as the sound card with u2R Use FSK port on MKII for Radio1 instead of Radio 1 FSK port of u2R Constant level audio output from Radio 2 can be connected to the SUBRX input of MKII instead of 2nd RX of Radio 1 This way logger gets Radio1 audio in left channel and Radio 2 audio in right channel of microHAM codec PTTIN of MKII can be connected in paral...

Page 61: ...am must use the WinKey port of u2R Use microHAM CODEC as the sound card with u2R Use FSK port on MKII for Radio1 instead of Radio 1 FSK port of u2R Constant level audio output from Radio 2 can be connected to the SUBRX input of MKII instead of 2nd RX of Radio 1 This way logger gets Radio1 audio in left channel and Radio 2 audio in right channel of microHAM codec PTTIN of MKII can be connected in p...

Page 62: ...ed to u2R The MK II WinKey are not used The logging program must use the WinKey port of u2R Use microHAM CODEC from the first MK II as the sound card with u2R Use FSK port on MKII for Radio1 instead of the Radio 1 FSK port of u2R Use FSK port on MKII for Radio2 instead of the Radio 2 FSK port of u2R PTTIN of each MKII can be connected in parallel with the appropriate PTTIN of u2R For digital modes...

Page 63: ...e disconnected Use the micro2R CW WinKey ports for CW A computer sound card must be used for for SSB DVK For digital modes use USB Audio Codec 1 of USBIII 1 for Radio 1 and USB Audio Codec 2 of USBIII 2 for Radio 2 3rd party band decoders used for automatic Antenna and BPF switching must use the Yaesu TTL band data format 63 ...

Page 64: ...on MK for Radio1 instead of Radio 1 FSK port of u2R For digital mode operation the constant level audio output from each radio should be isolated using audio transformers The sound card In line from microKEYER should be connected to the left audio channel tip and sleeve of the sound card line input The right radio Radio 2 should be connected to the right audio channel ring and sleeve of the stereo...

Reviews: