Commander Configuration

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

  • Radio  panel

    • radio model and bus address

    • polling and command execution interval

    • memory scan dwell time

    • radio-specific options

  • General panel

  • transmit/receive switching

  • VFO autorepeat rate

  • Initial command

  • Sub-band definitions

  • Online help access
Ports
Devices (3)

  • device name (appears as tab caption)

  • control names

  • control settings for each frequency
Filter Groups

  • Filter names and bandwidths

  • Filter Group behavior when radio's mode changes
Memories

  • titles for each memory bank

  • memory import and export controls
Multi Radio

  • names and polling rates for up to 4 controlled radios

  • serial port paramaters for each controlled radio

  • automatic radio selection by band
Bandspread

  • bandspread dial orientation (lower frequency on top or bottom)

  • time trigger for pushing a frequency onto the current band stack

  • bandspread mousewheel control by mode

  • DX spot parameters
Transverters
  • supports the specification of transverters for the 6m, 4m, 2m, and 70cm bands

 

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.

General tab

Model the radio being controlled
CI-V Address 
(visible only if the Model is an Icom or TenTec Omni VI)		 the radio's CI-V bus address in either hexadecimal or decimal 
Hexadecimal
(visible only if the Model is an Icom or TenTec Omni VI)		 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 VI)		 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

  • if no value is specified, 200 ms is used

  • values less than 50 ms. are interpreted as 50 ms

  • values greater than 60,000 ms. are interpreted as 60,000 ms.

  • 200 ms. is a reasonable setting for most PCs and radios

    • if the transceiver is a Yaesu FT-747, values less than 2000 ms. are interpreted as 2000 ms.

    • if the transceiver is a Yaesu FT-767, values less than 400 ms. are interpreted as 400 ms.
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 VI)		 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
Synchronize transceiver frequencies before logging or spotting
(visible only if the Model is an Icom or TenTec Omni VI)		 when checked, informs applications that log and spot that the active transceiver does not report changes in VFO B so they can direct Commander to refresh its VFO frequencies and disseminate them so that logged and spotted frequencies are accurate
Set transceiver UTC time on startup or selection (visible only if the Model is an Icom IC-7600, IC-7700, or IC-7800) when checked, sets the transceiver's UTC date and time when Commander starts or when the transceiver is selected
Emit subreceiver audio when dual receive enabled (visible only if the Model is an Icom IC-7800) when checked, directs the transceiver to emit subreceiver audio via backpanel connector ACC-A's AF signal when dual receive is enabled; when un-chekced, the transceiver emits main receiver audio via this signal
Control Filenename (visible only if the Model is a Kachina ) specify the the Kachina control filename
Control Folder
(visible only if the Model is a TenTec Pegasus)		 specify 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

Assign subreceiver to VFO A when dual receive disabled

(visible only if the Model is a TenTec Orion)

 when checked, the Orion's subreceiver is assigned to VFO A when dual receive is disabled; when unchecked, the subreceiver is unassigned
Radio's minimum VFO step is set to 10 hz
(visible only if the Model is a Yaesu FT-1000D, MP-1000MKV, MP-1000, FT-990, FT-990_12, FT-900, or FT-890)		 when checked, operations that QSY the radio by 10 hz (e.g. wheeled mouse movements) will be accomplished by sending a "Step VFO" CAT command instead of the standard "QSY" CAT command, thereby avoiding any muting of receiver audio

This capability is disabled if the Secondary CAT Port is configured to Lead or Follow and Lead with the Interrogate selector not set to off.
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
Reset when clicked, resets communications with the transceiver
Display Error Log when clicked, displays Commander's Errorlog.txt file
Set Time (visible only if the Model is an Icom IC-7600, IC-7700, or IC-7800) when clicked, updates the transceiver with the current UTC date and time

 

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 

  • sending the radio an appropriate command via the serial port  (if supported by the radio, and not suppressed)

  • controlling an external interface via the serial port signals RTS and/or DTR

  • controlling an external interface via parallel port pin 17
TX clicking this button directs the radio to switch from receiving to transmitting
RX clicking this button directs the radio to switch from transmitting to receiving
suppress CAT when checked, CAT commands will not be used to switch the transceiver between receiving and transmitting; presumably a hardware signal (serial port DTR, serial port RTS, or parallel port pin 17) will be exclusively used for this purpose, e.g. when an external sequencer is in use

 

In clicking this button specifies the font color for in-band frequencies displayed in the Main window's primary VFO panel and all frequencies displayed in the secondary VFO and Memory Bank panels
Out click to specify the font color for out-of-band frequencies displayed in the Main window's primary VFO panel
Back click to specify the background color for frequencies displayed in the Main window
Def click to set the font colors for in-band frequencies and out-of-band frequencies and the background color for frequencies to the factory default values: cyan font for in-band frequencies, yellow font  for out-of-band frequencies, and black background
 

 

Command Function

a hexadecimal radio command specified by an even number of hexadecimal characters, e.g.

FEFE26EO0700FD

 all characters are sent to the radio, two per byte (useful for Icom, TenTec, and Yaesu radios

an ASCII radio command specified by a sequence of ASCII characters preceded by a single apostrophe, e.g.

'AN1;

 each character following the apostrophe is sent to the radio (useful for Kenwood and Elecraft radios)
 
Enable when enabled, specifies a Command Sequence to be executed when Commander starts, or when a new radio Model  is selected
  • If an Initial Command is also specified, the Initial Command Sequence is executed after the Initial Command
Edit when clicked, displays a window that lets you define, edit, and test the initial command sequence
 
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

 

Ports tab

 

 

Radio Parallel port pin 16 Parallel port pin 14
1 0 0
2 0 1
3 1 0
4 1 1
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
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
 

 

Device tabs

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 eight banks of ten memories. If the frequently-dependent device panels are not visible, clicking the Main window's Filters & Devices button will make them and the receiver filter controls appear in place of the memory banks.

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, select the Device 0 tab (you can use the Device 1 and Device 2 tabs to setup a second and third frequency-dependent device, if desired)
4 check the Device 0 tab's Enabled box; in the Main window, you'll see a Device 0 panel appear (the contents of this panel will be updated as you complete this procedure)
5 enter the name of the device in the Device Name box; the name of the tab will change from Device 0 to the name you specify
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.

to drive a command-generating slider with a control, set the control's name to <Sn> where n is a number from 1 to 8 that identifies the slider being driven
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

  • To modify an existing device table entry, 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 add a new entry to a device table, scroll to its bottom, where you will find a blank line with an asterisk in the grey left-most column. Key in the entry's frequency,  and then strike the Enter key. Commander automatically sorts the Device Table in ascending frequency order, so the new entry may disappear from view. If you're planning to add several entries, it is more efficient to first create the entries, and then scroll through the Device Table entering control values for the newly-created entries.

  • To delete an entry in the device table, select it by clicking in the grey left-most column; then strike the Delete key.

  • it is not necessary to enter control values for every frequency in the table

  • depressing the CTRL key while clicking on a Device Table entry will QSY your transceiver to that entry's frequency,  making it easy to determine or verify settings
9 enter a percentage in the Tolerance box  (2% is a reasonable default)

  • the percentage difference between the frequency of  the Device Table entry closest to your radio's current frequency and your radio's current frequency must be less than or equal to the specified Tolerance for that entry's control settings to be displayed

  • if there is no Device Table entry within the specified Tolerance, the Device's control settings will be blanked
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.

.

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 specify the colors used to display a Device's settings on the right side of Commander's Main window via buttons in the Setting Readout Colors panel: 

You can select one control of one frequency-dependent device whose integer value will be placed on data bits 7 through 0 of a specified parallel port. This can be used to control an antenna switch, for example.


Filter Groups tab

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.


Memories tab

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.


Multi Radio tab

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


Note that  each transceiver's Enable box will remain disabled (grayed out) until all of its items have been selected. If your transceiver doesn't need DTR or RTS, for example, set those selectors to N rather than leave the blank.

If the port assigned to an enabled transceiver is currently specified as the Secondary CAT port, the transceiver's Main window selection button will be disabled ("grayed out").

A User-defined Control Set specifies

The 16 Sequence pathnames and 8 Slider pathnames are organized into two banks, each specifying 8 Sequence pathnames and 4 slider pathnames.

To create or display a radio's Control Set, click the radio's Edit button in this tab's User-defined Controls Sets panel.

Selecting radio for which a Control Set is specified

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.

Bandspread tab

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:

 

 

 

Transverters tab

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.