[Elecraft] Who's On First?

[Jack Brindle]

This is a remnant of days long gone when the PC - DOS and early Windows systems used serial-port connected mice. It used the sequence to detect the presence of a mouse. The Mac has never used asynchronous serial-port based mice, instead using a special bus, followed by ADB in early Macs (starting with the Mac Plus), then USB after it was adopted. Thus it does not mess with the serial ports on startup. 

I now wonder why Microsoft maintains this arcane procedure since its utility has long passed into history.

Jack, W6FB


> On Mar 31, 2018, at 4:31 PM, Bill Frantz <frantz at pwpconsult.com> wrote:
> 
> I guess I'm not being clear. I don't think the Mac moves the DTR/RTS lines when it boots. I haven't ever seen the K3 go into transmit mode when I reboot.
> 
> Of course that might be because I have PTT_KEY set to OFF-OFF and use VOX for sound card modes except wsjt-x and RUMlogNG contest mode. (They use the CAT interface.)
> 
> 73 Bill AE6JV
> 
> On 3/29/18 at 5:11 PM, donwilh at embarqmail.com (Don Wilhelm) wrote:
> 
>> If you have updated the K3 firmware in the last few months, it does not make any difference whether the K3 or the computer is turned on first.
>> The K3 now has a SAFE mode that disables DTR and RTS until it receives some command like polling for frequency, mode, etc. from your software application.
>> 
>> You can go into the K3 CONFIG menu for KEY-PTT and turn it to unsafe if you have devices that monitor the RS-232 bus and do not issue any commands (SteppIR controllers for one instance).
>> 
>> Look at the firmware release notes for the past 3 months.
>> BTW, the firmware release notes should be considered an addition to your K3/K3S manual.  Do not overlook them.
>> 
>> 73,
>> Don W3FPR
>> 
>> On 3/29/2018 6:58 PM, Bill Frantz wrote:
>>> On my Mac system, it doesn't seem to matter whether the radio or the computer starts first. The USB interface to my upgraded K3 is powered from the computer with enough functionality that the computer recognizes it without the radio being on.
>>> 
>>> In any case, start wsjt-x last because it will try to talk to the radio for rig control and harass you until it can succeed. I've been in this situation enough times to know that starting the radio, waiting until the radio is ready to talk to the computer and then clicking "Retry" works.
>>> 
>>> 73 Bill AE6JV
>>> 
>> 
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Bill Frantz        | "I wish there was a knob on the TV to turn up the
> 408-356-8506       | intelligence.  There's a knob called "brightness", but
> www.pwpconsult.com | it doesn't work. -- Gallagher
> 
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