[Dx4win] ICOM 7600-7700-7800 and there so called VFO-B SPLIT function

[ON4AOI]

Hi All with Icom tranceivers,

With ICOM announcing that the split status can be read from some of their
radios,
we had hope that support for obtaining the split frequency was finally
possible in DX4WIN.
The way we tried to read the VFO-B frequency is not working as we hoped and
SHOULD NOT BE USED. I have asked Jim to remove the rig files for the IC7600
and IC7700.  

Here my comments about the new firmware where it all should have been fixed
and working now!!!!!!!!!!!

This is not TRUE and probably never will be
UNLESS WE STOP TO BUY THERE TRANCEIVERS.
MAYBE THEN THEY WILL LISTEN TO RADIOAMATEURS. 

WHY?

This is an email (answer) I got in 2009 when I had talked to a Staff member
of ICOM in Friedrichshafen.
I left out the name of the sender because it was forwarded.  

****************************************************************************
*********
Dear Mr. Guy, 

I’ve just got an answer regarding "readout of the VFO B via PC / CI-V" . 

Unfortunately, it’s a negative response. 
For reasons of compatibility with other devices without a second VFO, ICOM
Inc did not (and will not) include this function. 
We are sorry, but we cannot give you any other information.
  
****************************************************************************
******** 

This is crap , because older transceivers can´t be updated via software
new transceivers should not have this possibility?
It's like driving a Ferrari with bicycle wheels.

B4 the latest firmware you could only SET SPLIT ON/OFF,
now you can also READ if SPLIT is ON/OFF.
There is still NO READ VFO-B or should I say SUB VFO in ICOM language.

How Paul implemented it in DX4WIN is in short like this
Check split status
Change to SUB-VFO (in our terms VFO-B)
Read the freq and mode of SUB-VFO
Change to MAIN-VFO (in our terms VFO-A)
Read the freq and mode of MAIN-VFO
Set SPLIT ON/OFF if needed

This is the reason why you see the switching between MAIN/SUB

Is it safe?
I tested this out for many hours on my IC-7800 and had no problems even with
dualwatch,
but I have a second receiver in the radio and that is a big difference
compared
to the IC7600 and IC7700. My polling rate is at 2500 or even higher so the
switching is not that often.
Also because my antennas and other stuff are controlled from a station
master where I can select the frequency he needs to use
For switching between my antennas.
I thought it was SAFE.................................

But Friday night Dick,K7VC send me an email about the tests he did with his
IC7700 and the new (v2 not available) rigfile.
Freq and mode are readout ok for both Main and Sub VFO BUT He was testing
with following settings
(probably for the wpx-rtty contest SO2R)
MAIN VFO 14090 FSK
SUB VFO 28090 FSK

With short pollings he had strange effects in  TX with his tuner because the
radio
was going shortly from 20m fsk to 10m fsk.
I never tried this since I had it running only in same band.

SO IT IS NOT SAFE AND THIS IS THE REASON WHY I ASKED JIM TO WITHDRAW THE
RIGFILES FOR DOWNLOAD BECAUSE YOU CAN IMAGINE
WHAT COULD HAPPEN IF THERE IS AN AMPLIFIER CONNECTED AND YOU ARE RUNNING ON
DIFFERENT BANDS.

I will check with Paul if it can be solved but I guess NOT 
The following command 1C0200FD or 1C0201FD could maybe help but never got
any reaction from the transceiver when I tried out. 
Cmd 1C, Sub Cmd 02, Data 00,01 ===> Send Read transmit frequency monitor
setting, (00=OFF, 01=ON)

In worst case the support for SPLIT will be removed for ICOM radios until
they come with a descent command for VFO-B

There are other programs I tested out and they are acting the same or have
other effects. 


The RS-BA1 that I own also does not do what we hoped for,
It only read onetime but when retuning the sub-vfo you have
to manually switch between Main and Sub to get it on screen.


Guy ON4AOI