Issue and Fix for USB Rig Control for fldigi with Kenwood TS-590S

[Richard Kriss [e-mail] [linuxham]]

A few weeks ago I was trying to help a new TS-590S user with fldigi rig control settings. His RigCAT configuration and TS-590S Setting were correct but each time he started fldigi he had no rig control. We messed around with all sorts of things and finally got it working.

This morning I worked the W1AW/1 (ME) on 18 MHz but when checked the log it showed the QSO logged 21 MHz. I did a double-check of fldigi and it was stuck on 21 MHz. I knew something was wrong when the fldigi rig frequency was no longer labeled as RigCAT - TS-590S. I did the normal RigCAT Initialize, save config, restarted fldigi and still had no rig control. I then remembered reading something posted on the TS-590S reflector about resetting the USB port to the sound card chipset in the TS-590S.

Cycling the TS-590S ON and OFF does not reset the chipset. To reset the chipset you have to first turn OFF the TS-590, then turn OFF the Power Supply, and wait a few seconds before turning on the Power Supply. I may have over-killed but I cycled the Power Supply On and Off first, then turned the TS-590S OFF and then cycled the Power Supply with delay between the OFF and ON. Bingo on the first fldigi restart…. I had rig control again.

Keep this tip in mind the next time you lose fldigi Rig Control. The USB port to the sound card chipset on the TS-590S seemed to be the problem child. A simple reset fixed it.

73 Dick AA5VU

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[Dave B g8kbvdave-gM/[e-mail] [linuxham]]

2. Issue and Fix for USB Rig Control for fldigi with Kenwood TS-590S
Date: Wed Aug 27, 2014 10:49 am ((PDT))
A few weeks ago I was trying to help a new TS-590S user with fldigi
rig control settings. His RigCAT configuration and TS-590S Setting
were correct but each time he started fldigi he had no rig control.
We messed around with all sorts of things and finally got it working.
This morning I worked the W1AW/1 (ME) on 18 MHz but when checked the
log it showed the QSO logged 21 MHz. I did a double-check of fldigi
and it was stuck on 21 MHz. I knew something was wrong when the fldigi
rig frequency was no longer labeled as RigCAT - TS-590S. I did the
normal RigCAT Initialize, save config, restarted fldigi and still had
no rig control. I then remembered reading something posted on the
TS-590S reflector about resetting the USB port to the sound card
chipset in the TS-590S.
Cycling the TS-590S ON and OFF does not reset the chipset. To reset
the chipset you have to first turn OFF the TS-590, then turn OFF the
Power Supply, and wait a few seconds before turning on the Power
Supply. I may have over-killed but I cycled the Power Supply On and
Off first, then turned the TS-590S OFF and then cycled the Power
Supply with delay between the OFF and ON. Bingo on the first fldigi
restart¦. I had rig control again.
Keep this tip in mind the next time you lose fldigi Rig Control. The
USB port to the sound card chipset on the TS-590S seemed to be the
problem child. A simple reset fixed it.
73 Dick AA5VU

Hi Dick.

Thanks for that info, though not a TS590 owner, I've seen similar things happen
with both Linux and Windoze, when "something" causes the system to
re-enumerate the collection of attached USB devices, often when something else
pops a new virtual device on the system, or the user physically connects another
"thing".

USB serial ports and sound devices sudenly "moved" and show up as something
the software that is running does not know about.

(Windoze 7 seems especially prone to this behaviour.)

With self powered (from the PC) devices, you just need to (after shutting down
the complaining appliction) unplug/replug the gadget, then restart the app'
again. In rare cases, reboot the OS if some driver got in a twist it cant recover
from. (Legacy Soundblasters on Windoze for instance.)

As you say with the TS590, with devices that have their own power source, you
need to pull that too to afford a full reset...

Of course, all this only happens when you are about to work that bit of rare DX
you've been calling for hours, just as they acknowlege your call, you find you
sudenly can't TX, or are sending silence.

Sadly, many older "well used" PC's, so beloved of us ham types, sometimes have
less than reliable USB sockets. So, when something moves.............

I suspect too, that often RF gets into the USB subsystem upseting things enough
to cause this sort of trouble, and intermittently, just to rub salt into the wound.

73.

Dave G0WBX.



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Posted by: Dave B <g8kbvdave-gM/Ye1E23mwN+***@public.gmane.org>
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