On 16 Oct 2019, at 19:40, Jeri <jerihara00@...> wrote:

Colin,

I looked into the Hamlib interface for my Yaest FT-817 when I first started using WSJT-X to see if I could get Split Operation to work in the Rig mode. I came to the conclusion that there are limitations in the CAT commands of the Yaesu FT-817 that would not allow this to work.

WSJT-X uses Hamlib for its rig control. Hamlib for the Yaesu FT-8*7 and a few of the other Yaesu radios does not have the capability to change the VFO to a specific VFO (A or B). This is because the documented Yaesu CAT commands in these radios do not have commands to select a specific VFO for operation. There are only commands to swap the current VFO between A and B, but not to select the current VFO. Also, if you are trying to use WSJT-X with Split Operation set to Rig, Hamlib won't work properly, since it won't know which VFO is the Transmit VFO and which one is the Receive VFO.

If the error you are seeing in WSJT-X is what I suspect it is, you cannot use Rig for the Split Operation control. There is no documented Yaesu command to do this reliably. For instance, if you manually switch the A/B VFO from the front panel, the Transmit and Receive frequencies will switch too, and WSJT-X will get confused, probably transmitting on the wrong frequency.

I looked up in Google the following:

hamlib ft-817 split

Back in 2005, there was a whole set of discussions on whether Hamlib should include some of the unofficial, discovered "backdoor" commands, usually using EEPROM Reads/Writes to undocumented locations inside the FT-817. It was decided back then that the only reliable way of controlling these Yaesu radios from a computer was to use only the Yaesu-documented CAT commands, in case Yaesu changed the location or format of the EEPROM in other, newer Firmware for the radios. Also, since all the Yaesu CAT commands have no error checking, such as a command checksum, any writes to EEPROM could potentially corrupt an unknown address in EEPROM, possibly corrupting the EEPROM so the radio wouldn't work. There was one documented case I came across where an operator was doing EEPROM writes and the battery ran down, causing the radio to no longer work (it was "bricked").

Hamlib is Public Domain software. If you or a friend know how to program C software, you could potentially create your own version of Hamlib with some of these undocumented features in it, that would let you do some of the things you need to do, then use it in WSJT-X. However, if there are any upgrades to the original Hamlib, you would have to upgrade your version too.

I believe the best way to set up WSJT-X for the Yaesu FT-8*7 series is to set the Split Operation to Fake It. Also, verify the radio has Split turned off before you start WSJT-X. And as long as you don't switch the VFO A/B manually on the radio, this should work.

For my specific interface to my FT-817, I have used both CAT and RTS for the PTT Method. I use the default Transmit Audio Source, since I can't change it. I use the Mode set to USB.

On the CAT Control, I set it to 38400 (and configure the radio to the same), everything else default, and the Force Control Lines off.

So, if there is a problem with Hamlib, it appears the official release won't be changed in the near future. However, if you want, you can contact the Developers of Hamlib to see if they have more information on this, or if they see an error that needs to be corrected.

Hope some of this helps.

--
Jerry K6ANI
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Colin,

I looked into the Hamlib interface for my Yaest FT-817 when I first started using WSJT-X to see if I could get Split Operation to work in the Rig mode. I came to the conclusion that there are limitations in the CAT commands of the Yaesu FT-817 that would not allow this to work.

WSJT-X uses Hamlib for its rig control. Hamlib for the Yaesu FT-8*7 and a few of the other Yaesu radios does not have the capability to change the VFO to a specific VFO (A or B). This is because the documented Yaesu CAT commands in these radios do not have commands to select a specific VFO for operation. There are only commands to swap the current VFO between A and B, but not to select the current VFO. Also, if you are trying to use WSJT-X with Split Operation set to Rig, Hamlib won't work properly, since it won't know which VFO is the Transmit VFO and which one is the Receive VFO.

If the error you are seeing in WSJT-X is what I suspect it is, you cannot use Rig for the Split Operation control. There is no documented Yaesu command to do this reliably. For instance, if you manually switch the A/B VFO from the front panel, the Transmit and Receive frequencies will switch too, and WSJT-X will get confused, probably transmitting on the wrong frequency.

I looked up in Google the following:

   hamlib ft-817 split

Back in 2005, there was a whole set of discussions on whether Hamlib should include some of the unofficial, discovered "backdoor" commands, usually using EEPROM Reads/Writes to undocumented locations inside the FT-817. It was decided back then that the only reliable way of controlling these Yaesu radios from a computer was to use only the Yaesu-documented CAT commands, in case Yaesu changed the location or format of the EEPROM in other, newer Firmware for the radios. Also, since all the Yaesu CAT commands have no error checking, such as a command checksum, any writes to EEPROM could potentially corrupt an unknown address in EEPROM, possibly corrupting the EEPROM so the radio wouldn't work. There was one documented case I came across where an operator was doing EEPROM writes and the battery ran down, causing the radio to no longer work (it was "bricked").

Hamlib is Public Domain software. If you or a friend know how to program C software, you could potentially create your own version of Hamlib with some of these undocumented features in it, that would let you do some of the things you need to do, then use it in WSJT-X. However, if there are any upgrades to the original Hamlib, you would have to upgrade your version too.

I believe the best way to set up WSJT-X for the Yaesu FT-8*7 series is to set the Split Operation to Fake It. Also, verify the radio has Split turned off before you start WSJT-X. And as long as you don't switch the VFO A/B manually on the radio, this should work.

For my specific interface to my FT-817, I have used both CAT and RTS for the PTT Method. I use the default Transmit Audio Source, since I can't change it. I use the Mode set to USB.

On the CAT Control, I set it to 38400 (and configure the radio to the same), everything else default, and the Force Control Lines off.

So, if there is a problem with Hamlib, it appears the official release won't be changed in the near future. However, if you want, you can contact the Developers of Hamlib to see if they have more information on this, or if they see an error that needs to be corrected.

Hope some of this helps.

--

Jerry K6ANI