Commander Online Help Contents
Commander's Configuration window provides 9 tabs, each contains a related group of settings and controls that you can inspect and/or modify:
General |
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Ports |
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Devices (3) |
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Filter Groups |
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Memories |
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Multi Radio |
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Bandspread |
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Transverters |
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You can define up to two sub-bands per band; when the primary VFO frequency does not lie within a defined sub-band, the frequency is displayed in yellow font.
For information about the purpose of any Commander control, allow the cursor to linger over that control for a second or two; a box containing explanatory text will appear. This feature can be disabled if desired.
Model | the radio being controlled |
CI-V
Address (visible only if the Model is an Icom or TenTec Omni) |
the radio's CI-V bus address in either hexadecimal or decimal |
Hexadecimal (visible only if the Model is an Icom or TenTec Omni) |
if selected, the CI-V Address is interpreted as a hexadecimal (base 16) number |
Decimal (visible only if the Model is an Icom or TenTec Omni) |
if selected, the CI-V Address is interpreted as a decimal (base 10) number |
Continuous interrogation | when checked, Commander directs the radio to report its frequency, mode, VFO, filter, and S-meter data at the specified rate specified by the Command Interval |
Command Interval (ms) | the time interval between command groups sent to the transceiver, in milliseconds
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No interrogation while transmitting | when checked, Commander will not ask the radio to report its frequency, mode, VFO, filter, and S-meter data while directing the radio to transmit |
Verify
CI-V command acceptance (visible only if the Model is an Icom or TenTec Omni) |
when checked, waits for a positive acknowledgement after transmitting each CI-V command and resends the command if either a negative acknowledgement or no acknowledgement is received |
Control
Folder (visible only if the Model is a TenTec Pegasus) |
specifies the folder containing your TenTec Pegasus control software; this folder should contain a file named PEGASUS.OUT |
DTS transmission using ANI input (visible only if the Model is a Kenwood TS-480) |
when checked, the TS-480 is directed to transmit from its ANI input rather than its MIC input |
Scan Dwell | specified the amount of time (seconds) spent listening to a memory's frequency before advancing to the next memory when Memory Scanning is enabled |
Ignore Mousewheel | when checked, directs Commander to not change transceiver frequency when you rotate your mousewheel |
Accept Dual Receive directives | when checked, allows other DXLab applications to enable the radio's Dual Receive (if available), e.g. when double-clicking on one of SpotCollector's Spot Database entries that specifies split frequency operation |
Use TX freq for devices when split | when checked, settings for frequency-dependent devices are computed from the transmit frequency when operating split |
Show user-defined cmd sequence panel | when checked, the Main window displays a panel containing 8 buttons that can be used to invoke and edit User-defined Command Sequences |
Display information in title bar | when checked, the Main window title bar displays the current UTC time, and the radio's frequency and mode updated each second (disable this if running Windows Vista!) |
Use multiple monitors | when checked, windows that resided on a secondary monitor during the previous session will be restored to the same secondary monitor on startup; when not checked, all windows are restored to the primary monitor on startup |
Log debugging Information | when checked, directs Commander to record diagnostic information in the file errorlog.txt located in Commander's folder |
Commander can switch the radio between receiving and transmitting by |
TX | directs the radio to switch from receiving to transmitting |
RX | directs the radio to switch from transmitting to receiving |
Command | Function |
an even number of hexadecimal characters, e.g. FEFE26EO0700FD |
characters are sent to the radio, two per byte (useful for Icom, TenTec, and Yaesu radios |
a sequence of ascii characters preceded by a single apostrophe, e.g. 'AN1; |
each character following the apostrophe will be sent to the radio (useful for Kenwood and Elecraft radios) |
Edit | edits the sub-band definition file BandSegments.txt; if this file doesn't exist, creates it from DefaultBandSegments.txt |
Reload | reloads sub-band definitions from the file BandSegments.txt if it exists; otherwise, from the file DefaultBandSegments.txt |
You can define up to two sub-bands for each amateur band from 160m to 70cm, excluding 1.25cm; when the primary VFO frequency does not lie within a defined sub-band, the frequency is displayed in yellow font. By default, sub-bands are defined by the contents of the file DefaultBandSegments.txt in Commander's folder. Each line in this file defines a sub-band by specifying a name, a lower-bound (in mHz), an upper-bound (in mHz), and an antenna selection code:
160M, 1.800, 2.000, 0
80M, 3.500, 3.750, 0
75M, 3.750, 4.000, 0
40M, 7.000, 7.150, 0
40M, 7.150, 7.300, 0
60M, 5.330, 5.405, 0
30M, 10.100, 10.150, 0
20M, 14.000, 14.150, 0
20M, 14.150, 14.350, 0
17M, 18.068, 18.168, 0
15M, 21.000, 21.200, 0
15M, 21.200, 21.450, 0
12M, 24.890, 24.990, 0
10M, 28.000, 28.300, 0
10M, 28.300, 29.900, 0
6M, 50.000, 54.000, 0
4M, 70.000, 70.500, 0
2M, 144.000, 148.000, 0
70CM, 420.000, 450.000, 0To modify these sub-band definitions or define new sub-bands, click this panel's Edit button; this will create a file named BandSegments.txt initialize its contents from the file DefaultBandSegments.txt, and open BandSegments.txt for editing. You can define one or two sub-bands for each amateur band; if you hold a General Class license in the United States, for example, you might define the following two sub-bands:
80M, 3.525, 3.750, 0
75M, 3.850, 4.000, 0Save your modifications, and click the panel's Reload button to put your new sub-band definitions into effect. When subsequently started, Commander will load sub-band definitions from BandSegments.txt .
The following sub-bands are currently fixed, and cannot be modified by the user:
1.25M: 222.000 to 225.000
33CM: 902.000 to 928.000
23CM: 1240.000 to 1300.000While an antenna selection code is required in each sub-band definition, the use of this code to control an external antenna switch via a PC parallel port is not yet implemented
Command | if Commander is controlling a remote transceiver via a serial port connected to a modem, use this textbox to specify the modem initialization and dialing commands to be sent when the Send button is activated; if a command is specified, Continuous Frequency and Mode Interrogation is disabled on startup |
Send button | when clicked, sends the Command to the modem via the serial port |
Browser pathname | if this setting is blank, Commander displays online help using your PC's default HTML browser; if this setting contains the pathname of an HTML browser, Commander displays online help using that browser. |
Select button | displays a file selector dialog that allows you to choose a Browser pathname |
show control explanations | when checked, enables the display of explanatory information when the mouse cursor lingers over a textbox, button, checkbox, display pane, or setting. |
Help button | displays the information you are now reading |
always off | DTR is never asserted |
always on | DTR is always asserted (required if an external interface that derives its power from DTR is in use) |
on to xmit | DTR is asserted when Commander is directed by another application to transmit, or when TX is clicked until RX is clicked |
CW | DTR is asserted as Commander is directed by another application to send CW |
- RTS panel: specifies the behavior of the Request To Send modem control signal of the selected Com port
always off | RTS is never asserted |
always on | RTS is always asserted (required if an external interface that derives its power from RTS is in use) |
on to xmit | RTS is asserted when Commander is directed by a client application to key the radio, or when the PTT On button is clicked until the PTT Off button is clicked |
flow control | RTS is asserted when Commander has data to send to the radio via the serial port; this data will not be sent until the radio responds by asserting the incoming modem control signal Clear To Send (CTS) |
CW | RTS is asserted as Commander is directed by another application to send CW |
Selector panel: specifies the PC parallel port use for radio selection and/or control of frequency-dependent hardware
Radio panel: if the Enable box is checked, Commander encodes the currently-selected radio on pins 16 and 14 of the specified parallel port, and asserts pin 17 when Commander is directing the transceiver to transmit.
Radio | Parallel port pin 16 | Parallel port pin 14 |
1 | 0 | 0 |
2 | 0 | 1 |
3 | 1 | 0 |
4 | 1 | 1 |
Data Signals panel: if the Enable box is checked, Commander places the integer value of the selected Device Control onto the data bits (pins 2 through 9) of the specified parallel port
Enable | when checked, the integer value of the selected Device Control is placed onto the specified parallel port's data bits |
Device | specifies the frequency-dependent device whose Control value is placed onto the specified parallel port's data bits |
Control | specifies the frequency-dependent device's Control whose value is placed onto the specified parallel port's data bits |
Devices like antenna tuners and linear amplifiers have controls whose settings are frequency-dependent. While high-end units do this automatically, most require the operator to manually set the controls whenever the operating frequency changes. Commander enables you to specify tables for such devices; it then performs a table lookup based on the transceiver's current frequency and displays the correct settings, eliminating the need for paper tables taped to the front-panel. Up to three different frequency-dependent devices are supported, each with up to three controls.
The right side of Commander's Main window is shared by frequency-dependent device readouts, receiver filter controls, and Memory Banks. If the frequently-dependent device panels are not visible, clicking the Main window's Filters & Devices button will make them appear.
Initially, Commander refers to the three frequency-dependent devices as Device 0, Device 1, and Device 2; as part of the setup procedure, you can replace these generic names with more meaningful names like Amplifier, or Tuner.
To setup a frequency-dependent device, use the following procedure:
Step | Directions |
1 | on Commander's Main window, click the Config button |
2 | on Commander's Main window, click the Filters & Devices button if its visible |
3 | on Commander's Configuration window, click the Device 0, Device 1, or Device 2 tab |
4 | check the Device tab's Enabled box; in the Main window, you'll see a Device panel appear (the contents of this panel will be updated as you complete thois procedure) |
5 | enter the name of the device in the Device Name box |
6 | enter the number of controls associated with this device in the # Controls box; reasonable values are 1, 2, or 3. |
7 | enter the name of the first control in the Control 1 box; if there's a second control, enter its name in the Control 2 box and if there's a third control, enter its name in the Control 3 box. |
8 | scroll the Device
Table to the frequencies of interest, and enter the control
values for each such frequency; after entering each value, strike the Enter
key
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9 | enter a
percentage in the Tolerance box (2% is a reasonable
default)
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10 | click the Save button and specify a destination filename into which the Device data just specified will be saved for use in subsequent Commander sessions. |
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If Commander is terminated and later restarted, saved Device data will automatically be reloaded for each Device that was enabled when Commander was terminated.
You can use the above procedure to record data for an alternate device -- e.g. a backup amplifier -- in a separate file. The Select button allows you to choose the file from which the Device data will be loaded. The ReLoad button restores the Device data to the values contained in the most recently-loaded file.
You can select one control of one frequency-dependent device whose integer value will be placed on pins 2-9 of a specified parallel port. This can be used to control an antenna switch, for example.
A Filter Group is a named configuration of one or more receiver bandwidth settings. If Filter Groups are supported for a particular radio Model, Commander remembers the Filter Group last used in each mode. Checking the restore Filter Group on mode change box directs Commander to automatically restore the last used Filter Group whenever a new mode is selected.
If the radio Model is an Icom, the Filter Groups tab displays the Icom Filter Group Names panel, which lets you assign names to the each Filter Group. Early Icom transceivers provides two Filter Groups whose functions are hardwired: group 1 provides a wide bandwidth filter, and group 2 provides a narrow bandwidth filter. Later Icom transceivers allow the user to reconfigure one or both filter groups for different bandwidth (by physical replacement or in high-end transceivers via menu selection), and some include a third group ambiguously referred to as normal. The Icom Filter Group Names panel lets you assign names to each group that are meaningful given the actual filter configuration of your transceiver; these names appear in the Group selector in the Main window's Filters panel, enabling you to change bandwidth with a mouse click.
If the radio Model is set to MP1000 or MP1000MKV, the Filter Groups tab displays the Yaesu FT1000MP and Mark V panel which contains a table, each of whose entries defines a Filter Group.
To modify an item in an existing Filter Group, click on its associated cell to display a down-pointing triangle; clicking on this triangle will display a list of alternatives from which you can choose with a mouse click. After modifying any item, a pencil icon appears in the left-most column. To undo the change, strike the ESC key; to record the change, click on any other entry in the table, or strike the UpArrow or DownArrow keys.
To delete a Filter Group, click in its left-most column, and then strike the Delete key.
To add a new Filter Group, click on any item in the bottom-most table entry, which is marked with an asterisk in its left-most column; doing so will create an empty new item, which you can populate and then abandon record as when modifying an Filter Group.
Textboxes in this tab's Memory panel allow you to establish a title for each memory bank; this title serves as the caption for the Main window panel that displays the currently-selected memory bank.
The Export Memories button saves the information associated with all memories that contain at least a frequency and mode to a specified file.
The Import Memories button loads memories from information contained in a specified file. Any errors are placed in an error file that's displayed after the operation completes.
The Clear Memories button erases the contents of all memories.in the current memory bank
Using the controls on this tab, you can configure Commander to support rapid switching among up to four radios. Switching can be manual, via a set of buttons on the VFO panel on Commander's Main window, or automatic as a function of amateur band.
Controls on this tab's Control panel let you specify a transceiver model, a CI-V Address (for Icom and TenTec radios), the need for continuous frequency and mode interrogation, and the interval (in milliseconds) between command groups for up to four radios; these controls are identical in function to the controls on the General tab. You can specify a unique name for each radio, which is used to identify the radio for both manual and automatic switching; if you have a pair of Icom 756 Pro radios, for example, with one dedicated to HF operation and the other to VHF operation, you might name the first HF 756Pro and the second VHF 756Pro. The enable boxes in this panel let you designate which radios are active. If you are switching between radios 1 and 2, enable them both, and uncheck the enable boxes associated with radios 3 and 4.
Controls on the Serial port panel let you specify serial communication port settings for each of four radios. These controls are identical in function to those on the Ports tab's Serial Port panel. If you are controlling multiple Icom or TenTec radios on the same CI-V bus, assign identical serial port parameters to these radios. Due to space compression, the Serial Port control uses a hyphen to mean "none", and the Parity, DTR, and RTS controls use single letter abbreviations:
Parity Abbreviation | Meaning |
N | No parity |
O | Odd parity |
E | Even parity |
M | Mark parity |
S | Space parity |
DTR and RTS Abbreviation | Meaning |
N | Always off |
Y | Always on |
X | On to transmit |
F | Flow control (RTS only) |
C | CW |
By default, switching between radios is manual, effected by clicking the radio selection buttons on the Main window's VFO panel. To enable automatic radio switching, use the Selection by band panel to choose a radio for each amateur band, and then check the Auto box.
You can configure Commander to identify
the currently-selected radio via a binary encoding on pins 16 and 14 of a
specified parallel port.
The controls on this tab influence the behavior of the Bandspread window's slide rule dial, its Band Stack, and its presentation of DX Spots.
The always on top box, when checked, ensures that the Bandspread window will not be obscured by any other application window except one similarly configured.
The Orientation panel determines whether the slide rule dial shows lower frequencies at its top and higher frequencies at its bottom, pr higher frequencies at its top and lower frequencies at its bottom.
The Band Stack panel's dwell time setting specifies the interval that determines how long the radio must pause on a frequency before that frequency is saved onto the current Band Stack; the dwell time is specified in seconds.
The Mousewheel Motion panel determines the increment by which your radio is QSY'd when the Bandspread window is active and you rotate your mouse's wheel by one click. Increments are specified by mode, and expressed as a percentage of the slide rule dial's frequency range; negative percentages can be used to reverse the meaning of mouse wheel rotation to suit the user's taste. The mode-specific entries make it convenient to setup a faster tuning rate for SSB operation than for CW or RTTY operation.
the DX Spot Font Size panel specifies the font size with which DX spots are to be rendered on the slide rule dial; font sizes can be specified independently for each dial range.
There are several DX Spot controls:
if hide duplicates is checked, only a station's most recent spot in each mode will be displayed on the slide rule dial; if not checked, every spot will be displayed.
spots whose age exceeds the lifetime setting (in hours) will not be displayed on the slide rule dial
the Log Filter panel determines which previous QSOs DXKeeper will display when you click on a spot in the Bandspread window
clicking the Clear button removes all current spots from the slide rule dial
the RTTY Mode if no Digital Mode Application panel specifies the mode to which the transceiver should be set when you click on a RTTY mode spot with the specified Digital Mode Application not running
RTTY |
set the transceiver to normal RTTY mode |
RTTY-R |
set the transceiver to reversed RTTY mode |
USB |
set the transceiver to USB mode |
LSB |
set the transceiver to LSB mode |
the CW Mode panel specifies the mode to which the transceiver should be set when you click on a CW mode spot
CW |
set the transceiver to normal CW mode |
CW-R |
set the transceiver to reversed CW mode |
CW via DMA |
if the specified Digital Mode Application is running, convey the spot information to it if the specified Digital Mode Application isn't running, set the transceiver to normal CW mode |
the Phone Modes panel specifies the mode to which the transceiver should be set when you click on an SSB, AM, or FM mode spot
SSB via DMA |
if the specified Digital Mode Application is running, convey the spot information to it if the specified Digital Mode Application isn't running, set the transceiver to USB or LSB mode as a function of frequency |
AM via DMA |
if the specified Digital Mode Application is running, convey the spot information to it if the specified Digital Mode Application isn't running, set the transceiver to AM mode |
FM via DMA |
if the specified Digital Mode Application is running, convey the spot information to it if the specified Digital Mode Application isn't running, set the transceiver to FM mode |
A transverter is an external device that enables transmission and reception on a frequency significantly offset from that of one's transceiver. When operating with a transverter, Commander's VFO displays the transverter output frequency, and sets your transceiver to the required transceiver input frequency.
Commander supports transverters with outputs on the 6m, 4m, 2m, and 70cm bands, providing a dedicated panel on the Transverters tab that lets you specify the frequency offset (in kHz) and relationship (additive or subtractive) for each band. If, for example, your 6m transverter requires your transceiver to operate on the 10m band, then you would set the 6M transverter panel's offset setting to 22000, select the + (additive) button, and check the Enabled box; If QSYed to 50100, Commander would set your transceiver to 28100. If you have configured Commander to control more than one transceiver, each transverter panel lets you specify the transceiver connected to its associated transverter.