Using
the WebXCVR Radio Control Interface
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The WebXCVR control is
intended for control and/or monitor of Kenwood radios. It provides a user-friendly interface
that handles most of the popular functions of the radios. Most of the interface
is via mouse click and selection. A few functions, e.g. mode selection and
direct frequency control, are keyboard accessible. The general rule with this interface is to click on anything
that is a red of green color or looks like a button. Most of the time a menu
will appear, then select your choice. Menu and display clearing is via the ESC
key on the keyboard. If you need
access to additional control features then you should use the more detailed
Kenwood software, TRX-Manager, Ham Radio Deluxe, etc to access those features.
The two menu items on the
top are used to access additional information (Info menu) or seldom used
features (Setup menu).
The following will address
some key concepts on this interface, but playing with it is the best way to
learn. Note that the values of the display are changed immediately when
you command the radio, but eventually the display reads the actual radio state
and thus will accurately reflect the actually setup of the radio. So if you
change something and it is different in the display, note that is how the radio
is actually set.
Changing
Frequency: The easiest way to go directly to a new band or frequency is
to type in the frequency, either in kHz or MHz, e.g. 7002, 7.002, 14, etc. This
can be done ANYTIME that the window is active. Band up and down is done by
clicking the << or >>
arrows surrounding ÒBandÓ. Tuning
is done using the UP and DOWN arrow keys, with the specific digit (yellow
number) selected via the LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys.
Changing
Modes: Click on the MODE NAME (CW in
this example) and select a new mode from the list. Modes can also be changed
using the L, U, C, A, AND F keys (note that case does not matter).
IF
Filter bandwidths: Click on the
current filter width (e.g. 600Hz in this example) and select a new bandwidth
from the list. If the mode is LSB or USB, control over the low and high filter
limits may be possible with your radio.
Click either the high or low frequency limit shown under the IF Band
Pass label and use the < and > key to scroll through the available
choices.
RIT: RIT can be turned ON and OFF by clicking the RIT value
(currently OFF in this example) and selecting a state from the list. RIT tuning
is done using the < and > keys to select an offset within the allowed
range
Transmit
VFO and SPLIT: The three BUTTONS: ÒSplitÓ, ÒA <==>BÓ, and ÒA==BÓ perform the
same functions as the radio buttons. Note that the larger frequency display is ALWAYS the receive frequency
and the smaller frequency display is ALWAYS the transmit frequency. It is possible to independently set a
Tx freq offset in the SPLIT mode, by clicking on the ÒSET TX OFFSETÓ button
below the Tx Freq display. The background will turn red and then the < and
> keys can be used to change the Tx freq, e.g up 2kHz. Remember if you are
using the RIT also, you should just click the RIT freq to restore its red background
for tuning.
TRANSMIT
(PTT and VOX): VOX is automatically enabled when the
CW mode is selected. This is to allow for the Keyboard CW. Push-to-Talk (PTT) is done through
either the red button (one click to enable TX and a second click to disable TX)
or using the SPACE BAR on the keyboard (one click to enable TX and another to
disable TX).
The question arises as to
why we even need this radio control display if the TS480 keyboard is being
used. There are several reasons.
First it supports direct entry of frequency better that the front panel.
Second, it is a bit tricky to do PTT from the TS480 front panel (for more info
see page 66 of the TS480 manual).
Next, this control reads the telemetry coming back through the CAT port
of the radio, so keeps track of the current frequency, info that is needed to
support some of the Alpha control, SteppIR control, Rotator control and
logging. Finally, this control is
coupled to the DxCluster control, allowing automatic frequency (and possible
mode) selection based on clicking on a selected spot.