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
