Appendix B - Remote Control Programs - Kenwood R-5000 User Handbook Manual

This appendix lists various remote control programs that I have tried for the Kenwood R-
5000 radio. Some have been around for years, and may or may not be updated since my initial
review of them. Only programs for IBM compatible computers are listed. Included are remote
control programs specifically for controlling the Kenwood R-5000. Some of these were also
written for the Kenwood TS-440 transceiver, but the receiver commands are identical. Some
also control other radios other than the R-5000.
Some of these programs are "shareware" available on CD ROMS, or World Wide Web
pages that cater to the shortwave hobby or amateur radio (see Appendix A for a list of Web
pages that may have these programs). Shareware is a form of software, usually written by
individuals, that is lower in cost than commercially available programs. Shareware is distributed
on a trial basis. If you continue to use the program, a small donation (usually $20-$40) should
be paid to the author. Most of the people who write Shareware do it for fun and not for profit.
Supporting them will only foster the idea of affordable software.
Also listed is a common modem communications program called Procomm Plus. Those
who wish to enter the commands manually can use this program. Any similar program written
for computers to talk to each other through modems can be used. You can use these programs
to send single commands or to download channel memory information. The more advanced
computer users could write small script files to do multiple commands.
REMOTE CONTROL PROGRAMS
1) SMART KENWOOD CONTROL
This program allows you to run your Kenwood radio from the Microsoft Windows
environment. Smart Kenwood Control is a sophisticated and versatile remote control program,
and is very user friendly. It allows tuning and memory channel management as well as all the
other remote control functions. The user interface is in the typical Windows style of scroll bars,
buttons, icons, etc. The tuning window also shows the status of both VFOs and memory, as well
as which antenna is selected. The program uses an awesome database of frequencies for
broadcasters and utility stations. This database contains not only the frequencies for most
shortwave stations, but also their broadcast schedules. You can simply enter the current time
and a window shows you which stations are broadcasting and what frequency to tune to.
Tuning is then as simple as clicking you mouse on the frequency. Updates to the database can
be obtained from the company or the user can enter their own. Smart Kenwood Control also
works with the TS-440 Transceiver. Overall this program does a great job of controlling the
radio. An evaluation copy of Smart Kenwood Control program by Fineware can be download
from the World Wide Web at http://www.erols.com/fineware/skc.html.
APPENDIX B
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