On 1/22/2024 4:50 PM, wa5luy wrote:
Stephen,
When you say "I am using a stack of components from "VSPE" (Virtual Serial Ports Emulator) to create a serial-to-TCPIP bridge to connect the serial-only KISS output of UIview to the network (TCP/IP) KISS connection provided in the VARA soft-modem."
I am confused. Does that mean you are using UIview, the VSPE software program, and VARA only or is there something in addition.
I am interested in trying APRS with VARA and UIview but I am not a real software proficient person.
If you could provide or publish some instructions on how to set this up it would really be appreciated
Wayne
WA5LUY
"VSPE" (Virtual Serial Ports Emulator) is an incredibly versatile tool for dealing with serial ports.? The program is available in separate versions for both 32-bit and 64-bit Windows systems
It can split one incoming physical (or virtual) serial port into multiple virtual serial outputs. For example,? a GPS receiver connected to the input serial port can be shared with multiple applications at the same time. I have had the UIview APRS program, the PinPoint APRS program, Microsoft MapPoint, Precision Mapping, and Delorme Topo North America all using one GPS at the same time. Uniquely among serial port utilities, it can output the SAME com number to multiple apps at the same time!?? In my GPS setup, the hardware GPS input is on COM4.. ALL the using apps are connecting to COM5 - you don't have to assign (and remember) a different COM number to each program.
It can create virtual null modems - two virtual COM ports connected back-to-back. I use this to feed a GPS emulator program outputting to a COM port into an APRS application using a differently-numbered COM port for testing and experimentation without a real GPS device present.
???? In the past, one would have used two physical COM ports on the machine with a cross-over null-modem cable interconnecting them. Now you can do this with just "smoke, mirrors and software".
It can do all manner of? serial-to-IP and IP-to-serial conversions. I use this in my "Studio B" radio trailer to take the virtual serial output of a GPS receiver and share it with 3 apps at the same time on a laptop.? And then, at the same time, share the GPS data with a second computer in the trailer using serial-to-IP and IP-to-serial over WiFi.
It can create a monitor "tap" of an existing serial connection to analyze the data flow between the existing serial ports.
Once configured, you can save multiple configurations into a .VSPE file (actually an XML file ) that can then launch VSPE setups in one click (or be launched by batch files or the Windows Startup group).?? You can trial-and-error change configurations on-the-fly without having to shut down VSPE or reboot the computer.
The program seems to be "bullet-proof" and "just works".? In over a year of using this complex driver-like program, I have NEVER had it lockup or crash!
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Stephen H. Smith??? wa8lmf (at) aol.com
Skype:??????? WA8LMF
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wa5luy