All
Just to let you know, I worked on the v2.02 firmware over the last week and have completed it, I am now testing. On Monday I am planning to have a few sent to some people who can also do some testing. I have managed to incorporate ALL requests, and fix ALL reported issues. I made careful notes since the launch of the U2 kit and I don't think I have missed any requests that I agreed to include, or bug fixes for any issues.
However code space is extremely tight and I had to do some space-saving modifications, including removal of a few unnecessary features! To be precise, the code currently occupies 99.9% of the available space, there are just 14 bytes of 16,384 spare!
List of changes:
1) GPS: I put the GPS back to as close as I could, to how it was done in the U1, since that seemed to work well. The existing U2 method in v2.01 worked with some GPS modules but apparently was much more fussy than the U1 kit. Note that there is no longer an "Inv. GPS" menu item, since the U1 will trigger off the correct edge by itself.?
2) DDS resolution on high frequencies: I have corrected the precision issue in the arithmetic, so now you get full accuracy shift steps at any operating frequency.?
3) Removed the upper frequency limit of approx 42.5MHz, so you can now use the full range available from the DDS
4) New mode WSPR-15 is now supported, for experimental use on LF bands (8 times slower WSPR tones, 8 times closer together). Note that I will also be providing Low Pass Filter kits for 135kHz and 475kHz (600m) bands.
5) New mode "FSK" which is a fast FSK mode for 10m beaconing, where the speed setting is interpreted in words per minute. The "FSK (Hz)" setting is now 3 digits (default "004" i.e. 4Hz) so that shift can be up to 999Hz. Note that I removed the "Inv. FSK" parameter, because I had never heard of anyone using it, and I needed desperately to create some code space.?
6) Added an indication on the display when the kit is GPS locked. Of all the enhancements and bug fixes, this one took the longest to do!
7) Added 1 digit to the baud rate setting, so that it can now handle 115kbps (this was a request for support of a particular GPS module). At the same time I removed the number of bits in the data word setting, which is the right-most digit of the "GPS Baud" parameter. I haven't heard of a GPS which uses other than 8 bit data words, so it seemed superfluous. Getting rid of it saved me some code space which I could use for other requested features. The default "GPS Baud" setting is now "009600,01,1".
8) Removed the DDS "reset" every time the frequency was updated, which caused the frequency to briefly go to zero before being updated to the new frequency. This should improve the spectral purity of the output.?
9) Put a "stop" on the cycling through characters when you are editing the Message (and other text) parameters, by holding down the right button. The character cycling now stops at Z, 9 and the Enter symbol. In order to continue cycling through, you have to release the right button and start pressing it again. This will make it easier to program the text parameters e.g. Message.
10) Moved the "Time" parameter menu to the start of the menu, when the kit is in WSPR mode. This is because the Time parameter is what you would most commonly want to adjust, when operating in WSPR mode, if you did not have a GPS to regulate it. In other modes, "Time" still comes right at the end of the menu.
11) CW, FSKCW, DFCW, QRSS and FSK modes can now contain the '/' character in the message
12) Bug fix (cosmetic only): When setting the time, the 10 minutes digit incorrectly allowed numbers >= 6. So it was possible to set a time such as 15:89.?
13) Bug fix (cosmetic only): If you went back in to the time parameter to edit it a second time immediately after finishing the first edit, the display was overwritten incorrectly, with the system clock frequency display.
14) Bug fix (cosmetic only): If using FSKCW mode an 10 second dit speed (for example), in the interval between frames the LCD display did not have space to show the seconds digit of the clock. I have now changed the "Waiting" screen so that it does not show the mode etc., it now only shows the time and the minutes to wait until. E.g. "15:43:21 >50" means 3:43pm and 21 seconds, and the kit is waiting for minute 50 to start the next frame. The "Waiting" screen also shows the GPS heartbeat if a GPS is connected and GPS lock is successful.
15) Bug fix: In FSKCW mode, the GPS frequency stabilisation operating in the waiting period between messages, only worked the first time after cycling through the menu. Subsequent waiting periods did not perform the calibration because the kit was always in key-down (transmitting the low tone between messages).?
16) I changed the default speed setting to 006 for no other reason than that I think 6 second dits are more common and useful than 3 second dits, so make a better default.
17) I have removed the mode message "CW Ident" when transmitting the CW callsign identifier, and replaced it with just the text "CW". This was purely a space-saving measure - sacrificing something unnecessary for the sake of gaining more space to include important features and fixes.?
73 Hans G0UPL
