[Dx4win] CW function-key with USB RS232 emullation

[Radivoj KAR]

Hi Paul,
I have purchased  very fine and versatile Micro-Keyer (MK) from OM7ZZ
(www.microham.com ), which allows full computer control, Iambic keying,
CW/PTT and PSK/Packet/RTTY/SSTV interfacing with my FT1000MP (and other
modern rigs) over the USB port of the laptop (many new laptops today do not
have RS232 comports). The MK uses a program that emulates RS232 COMports
over the USB port, without need to manually define the IRQ's.

I have configured DX4WIN preferences on my Win2000Pro Pentium III 1GHz
laptop (the same one that was used to control radio via RS232 ) to use now
the COM4 for radio control and COM5 DTR/RTS for CW and PTT keying.
Everything works fine as before (when I was using COM1 RS232 for radio
control, CW and PTT keying), except one thing:

The messages stored in buffers of the CW function-key keyer of DX4WIN are
now being sent with a lot of errors: omission of dots, replacement of dashes
by dots, change of spacing/weights...

The examples (changing randomly):
F6GNZ becomes --> R6GNZ, R6GIZ, F6RNZ..
F6EPY --> F6PY, R6EPY..
UP --> AG, AP
QRZ --> QNZ....

I first thought the problem could be  either in the USB/RS232 driver
software or within the micro-Keyer software. But, I found that with another
(contest) logging software (WinTest by F5MZN), installed on the same laptop,
there is no problem nor distortion of CW strings sent from its function
buffers over the USB interface. I tried to inhibit all other programs
running in the background, but still no improvement of DX4WIN CW keying. So
,I suppose DX4WIN uses some different software routine for CW keying than
WinTest.

As the issue may have a similar impact on the future non-RS232 port provided
PCs, which would use USB/RS232 emulators to interface DX4WIN with rigs,
would you please give me your thoughts on the above, and let me know if the
issue is dependent on the USB driver program used, and if yes, do you
suggest using a particular one. I could use the internal MK CW buffers to
store message strings, but it won't be able to read and insert the
correspondent's callsign nor automatically log the QSO, like it can be done
by the use of the DX4WIN buffers in CW pileups.

Thanks in advance for your help.

73,
Radi  F6GNZ