[WT-support] Questions

[Bob Shohet, KQ2M]

Hi Bob,

I didn’t see a reply to my questions of December 10th, so I thought I would ask them again in case you (hopefully) know the answers.

Tnx & 73


Bob  KQ2M


From: Bob Shohet, KQ2M 
Sent: Sunday, December 10, 2017 7:20 AM
To: Bob Wilson, N6TV ; Win-Test Reflector 
Subject: Re: [WT-support] Questions

Thank you Bob for those extremely helpful and detailed answers!

Will the developers consider supporting two Computer two Keyboard SO2R and a two computer lockout?   This would make the program much more powerful and useful for state of the art contest operations now and which are rapidly becoming more popular.

Also, will the developers consider supporting full alternating cq’s on two computers and without swapping the primary and secondary radio windows?

Tnx & 73

Bob  KQ2M


From: Bob Wilson, N6TV 
Sent: Sunday, December 10, 2017 12:53 AM
To: Win-Test Reflector ; Bob Shohet, KQ2M 
Subject: Re: [WT-support] Questions

On Sat, Dec 9, 2017 at 3:40 PM, Bob Shohet, KQ2M <kq2m at kq2m.com> wrote:

  1)  Will I be able to use WT in SO2R mode with two computers and two keyboards?

You can certainly network two computers, one keyboard per computer, but Win-Test's SO2R features are designed to work only on one computer, with one keyboard.  A couple of motivated folks have managed to make two keyboard SO2R work while running Win-Test on a single computer using http://download.win-test.com/utils/wtRemote-1.1.zip, but much customization and additonal programming is required, which is explained (though not completely) in the Readme file inside the Zip.

  2)  Will it provide a lockout for both computers?

Software lockout between two computers is not supported by Win-Test.

  3)  Does it support automatic alternating cqing for 2 radios with two computers on 2 different bands?

It does not.  There's a canned "Alternating CQ" scenario built-in to Win-Test for use on a single computer, but most people don't like the way it works since it constantly swaps the Primary and Secondary Radio windows.

  4)  Does it have the ability to access an external DVK and its functions through the keyboard?  (F1 for example)

Yes, if your computer has a 25-pin LPT port, and your external DVK is configured to be driven by pins on the LPT port, as documented here:

http://docs.win-test.com/wiki/Interfaces#Digital_Voice_Keyer

But most folks either the sound card in the PC for voice keying, or trigger the radio's voice memories using LUA scripts (doesn't work with Icom radios due to missing commands).  The newest radios with USB connectors look like external USB sound cards to Win-Test, and Win-Test can use those instead of the sound card in your PC.  But, since Win-Test only supports a single sound card for voice keying, this will not work for SO2R Alternating CQs on two radios.

In sum, most folks use other methods, such as an external SO2R box controlled by Win-Test (e.g. microHAM micro2R, microHAM MK2R+, YCCC SO2R box) on a single computer, or they run two copies of Win-Test on two computers and use a custom hardware lockout box to ensure that only one transmits at a time.  The latter does not work well in the WPX contest because there is no serial number reservation system between computers; the same serial number can be sent on both, then when you log the QSO, a different serial number can be logged than the one you sent (send n on both, log n on one and n + 1 on the other).  This is also a problem when using a single computer in SO2R mode.

73,

Bob, N6TV
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