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Hamlib and virtual serial ports
7 January 2013 | by Sometimes it seems as if half the posts in this blog relate to trouble with computers.
After I got back from the hospital today I thought I would try some WSPR for a change. Paul PC4T had mentioned that conditions on 80m were good. 80 is not a band I often use so I thought I’d try there. But no sooner than I had tried to change band than the software beeped rudely at me. The console window contained an error message: serial_open: Unable to open COM13 – Invalid argument.
COM13 is a virtual serial port splitter on COM3 which I’d created using Eterlogic’s Virtual Serial Port Emulator, VSPE. I’ve used this utility for years to create virtual serial ports so that more than one program can open my radios’ computer control ports at the same time. I’d used one to try out CW Skimmer with KComm before Christmas. As I’d uninstalled Skimmer I removed the virtual serial port. WSPR, which does its rig control through hamlib, then opened COM3 up just fine.
That’s a temporary solution, but I haven’t given up the idea of running other ham software alongside KComm for good. I think there are other serial port splitters out there (there’s com0com which was far too complicated for me to figure out) but VSPE has always worked for me until now. Don’t you just love computers?
One Response to “Hamlib and virtual serial ports”
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- Matt W1MST, Managing Editor
For me om0com seemed simple once I figured out the “pairs” concept, like two ends of a virtual cable connecting the radio to a piece of software; or connecting two softwares together.
Then after a few days of com0com working unpredictably and after a bit of research I discovered I needed to update the several com0com drivers I created. Once I did that, all was well in com0com land.
I interconnected my IC-7100 with Win4Icom Suite, WSJT–X, JS8Call, DXLabs, and Fldigi. They are able to open and sync together with the radio all at once -not that I would ever operate that way. But its good to know I can operate with the radio, Win4Icom and any of those digital apps.
The interconnects I’m still trying to figure out are with SDRUno and Log4OM. A work in progress.
Good luck, and a happy and productive new year.