¿ªÔÆÌåÓý

ctrl + shift + ? for shortcuts
© 2025 Groups.io
  1. QRPLabs
  2. Topics

QMX Feature Request - On Board CAT/serial monitor tool

 

What it does: use the LCD to display characters received on the CAT serial port and characters transmitted over the serial port.
?
The RX data could appear on the top line and the TX data on the bottom line. Perhaps an indicator of some sort that shows that data is being received by the QMX. even if the data can't be decoded as printable ascii characters. Perhaps, when the CAT/serial monitor is active then disable the terminal applications mode so that a newline character on the serial port doesn't take over the port for terminal applications.
?
Why? I've been developing? microcontroller code to read VFO A on the QMX and display frequency and band info on a remote LCD. I first wrote a QMX CAT simulator program so that I could test and debug the microcontroller code easily. Also I have verified with PuTTY that the QMX responds correctly to incoming CAT commands. When I connect the microcontroller via USB to the QMX I am unable to establish that the two are communicating. This CAT/serial monitor diagnostic tool would help me answer the questions:
  • Is the QMX receiving serial data on the CAT com port?
  • What data CAT commands/data is received?
  • What is being sent by the QMX over the com port.
This little rabbit hole opened up with this thread: /g/QRPLabs/topic/scripting_language/112779657 ?In which I suggest the OM use a microcontroller to speak CAT to the QMX. But then I asked myself if I could actually accomplish what I suggested and, here we are. I am aware of 8.7.3 CAT command test and 8.7.4? CAT monitor in the manual but it's not clear to me how to connect both a terminal and microcontroller to the QMX over the single USB-C port. It would be very helpful if the QMX itself could tell me on the LCD what is happening on the serial port.
?
Thanks and 73,
Matt
 

Hello Matt

I can implement that yes. No problem. I'll add it to my list.?

QMX has 1, 2 or 3 Virtual COM Serial ports according to how you configure it in the System configurarion menu.?

Currently no UART interface is available on the QMX. I will also enable that soon, so it can function as a terminal or CAT interface.?

Generally with a USB Virtual COM Serial port, or a UART port, these are one-to-one connections. You can't (and shouldn't try) to get multiple hosts or devices connected. It won't work. But anyway you shouldn't need to do this since QMX already supports multiple USB Virtual COM ports and soon also UART.?

The way the serial ports on QMX work is that by default they are operating as a CAT interface. To change to terminal mode you press the return key which sends a carriage return (ASCII 13) character to QMX. Then it knows you want the terminal, since no CAT commands ever contain a carriage return character. If you want the port to go back to CAT mode you choose the "Exit" option from the top-level menu. Or power cycle.

73 Hans G0UPL


On Mon, May 19, 2025, 19:19 Matt - W6CSN via <w6csn=[email protected]> wrote:
What it does: use the LCD to display characters received on the CAT serial port and characters transmitted over the serial port.
?
The RX data could appear on the top line and the TX data on the bottom line. Perhaps an indicator of some sort that shows that data is being received by the QMX. even if the data can't be decoded as printable ascii characters. Perhaps, when the CAT/serial monitor is active then disable the terminal applications mode so that a newline character on the serial port doesn't take over the port for terminal applications.
?
Why? I've been developing? microcontroller code to read VFO A on the QMX and display frequency and band info on a remote LCD. I first wrote a QMX CAT simulator program so that I could test and debug the microcontroller code easily. Also I have verified with PuTTY that the QMX responds correctly to incoming CAT commands. When I connect the microcontroller via USB to the QMX I am unable to establish that the two are communicating. This CAT/serial monitor diagnostic tool would help me answer the questions:
  • Is the QMX receiving serial data on the CAT com port?
  • What data CAT commands/data is received?
  • What is being sent by the QMX over the com port.
This little rabbit hole opened up with this thread: /g/QRPLabs/topic/scripting_language/112779657 ?In which I suggest the OM use a microcontroller to speak CAT to the QMX. But then I asked myself if I could actually accomplish what I suggested and, here we are. I am aware of 8.7.3 CAT command test and 8.7.4? CAT monitor in the manual but it's not clear to me how to connect both a terminal and microcontroller to the QMX over the single USB-C port. It would be very helpful if the QMX itself could tell me on the LCD what is happening on the serial port.
?
Thanks and 73,
Matt

1 - 2 of 2