microHAM CW KEYER Manual page 17

The bottom two-thirds of the Radio window is a serial communication monitor. The monitor uses colors and tags
to indicate which device is responsible for the data. Black queries (H1-TX or H2-TX) and grey radio responses
(H1-RX or H2-TX) are from the "host" application (e.g., logger), H1 indicates the host application on the main
CAT port, H2 is the host application on the 2
from/to Router and not routed to the application.
Router monitors the communication when the host application performs control and polls the radio periodically
for any missing information (VFO frequencies and mode). Because some applications do not poll the radio
regularly or completely, Router must break this communication to update its internal state. In order to avoid
confusing the application when Router polls the radio, data from the application is buffered and sent to the radio
after Router receives a response to its query. If Router does not receive response to a poll within the time
allowed or does not understand the response, it displays "oldest query discarded" but forwards all data to the
virtual serial port to avoid confusing the application (logger).
Since USB transmits data in frames with a delay between frames, Router indicates frame boundaries with three
dots (...). When a packet ends with three dots it means that the data continues in the next frame.
Beginning with version 7.0, Router provides unique control capability: the 2
(software 'Y' connector) that allows a second application to share control of the radio. Router monitors when
data is sent from each application and routes the radio's responses to the correct virtual port.
IMPORTANT: Both applications must use same communication parameters (baud rate, data length, parity and
number of stopbits) for proper operation!
Neither CAT port has priority. Polls/commands from the application are processed alternately. In order to avoid
collisions and confusion due to unexpected data, responses from the radio are returned only to the application
that generated the command. Unsolicited data such as automatic frequency/mode updates (Icom "transceive"
packets or "Auto-information" data from Kenwood, Elecraft and recent Yaesu transceivers) is forwarded to both
CAT ports.
Due to physical limitation of data channel throughput and the controller capabilities in various transceivers,
there are several important rules which must be observed.
Combined data from both applications must not exceed maximum throughput of the radio control port
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and transceiver controller. In other words, the polling rate from one application may need to be
decreased to provide data space for the second application and vice versa.
Applications must be tolerant of delayed responses from the radio. Each application must wait for the
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radio to respond when the another application is communicating with the radio.
Due to protocol deficiencies in handling VFO split commands with many transceivers (particularly
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Icom), split mode must be initiated and ended by only one application and manual split control (from the
front panel of the radio) should not be used.
NOTE: Despite extensive testing using various combinations of applications for the CAT and 2
ports, microHAM cannot guarantee proper operation with every potential combination of applications.
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CAT port. Green packets (R-TX and R-RX) are polls/responses
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2 CAT PORT
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CAT Port is an intelligent data fork
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CAT