Notes on using RT1446_Probe with the RT1446 / RF-350
Ken Fowler, KO6NO
May 30, 2011

Current Version: v0.40
Build Date: 1-26-11:1405

I. Known Bugs:  

1. The program will sometimes stop responding, usually after a long period of operation.  This seems to be a problem with the MSComm control and driver in Visual Basic.

2. If a command is sent at the same time that a Sync command is being sent, the program may stop responding.

II. Installing the program:

RT1446_Probe is a Windows program.  It has been tested with MicroSoft Windows XP and Windows 7.  The purpose is to investigate the responses of the Harris RF-350 to commands sent from a PC Serial Port. The program was created by MicroSoft Visual Basic 6.0.  

RT1446_Probe does not need to be installed.  Extract 1446_Probe.exe from the ZIP folder to your Desktop or other folder. Running the program will require that the support files for Visual Basic programs are installed.  The following programs may need to be installed in your Windows system:
  
comctl32.ocx
COMDLG32.OCX
MSCOMM32.OCX

The support files are not distributed but can be obtained from MicroSoft or other Internet sources.

III. Using the program:

1. When the program is started, it will determine the available COM ports in the system and display them in the COM Port dropdown menu box.  Select the port which connects to the RF-350. Set the Baud Rate in the Baud Rate dropdown menu box.  Data Bits, Parity, and Stop Bits are fixed at 7, O, 1.  

2. Click on the Start Probe button to open the port.  The button will change to "Stop Probe". The PC COM port will be be set for the selected parameters and for "No Handshake". The PC CTS output will be set to True to enable the RT1446 to send. The PC RTS input will be ignored. Error Messages returned by the Port will be displayed in the Error Message box.

3. Click on the Start Sync button to begin sending "U" messages to the RT1446.  The sync messages will be sent about every 3 seconds, and if the RT1446 responds, a "U" will be displayed in the U textbox.  The button will change to "Stop Sync".  NOte: The RT1446 may not answer the sync message until a Get Status command has been sent and acted upon.

4. Place the RT1446 in "Remote" mode by pressing "Second" and "Remote" on the front panel, Then click on the Get Status button.  A question mark and linefeed will be sent to the RT1446. The response strings will be displayed in the FromRT1446 textbox and the individual statuses will be displayed in the array of textboxes.  Click on the Clear buttons to clear the textboxes.

