SR20cntrl,
receiver control software, ver. 0.6
The SR20cntrl
software allows to control a subset of
the AOR-SR2000A receiver
functions from a MS-Windows based pc. I am
trying to install it under MacOSX but I am having some problems with
the serial communication subsystem (that I hope to solve). Installing
the software on Linux should also be possible provided that the serial
communication works properly (I hope to probe it under Ubuntu soon).
For
the
moment,
only
a
part
of
the
AOR-SR2000A
receiver
functions
are
supported,
but
I
expect
to
extend
the
software
funcionality in the near
future. Some functions still not supported are: memory management,
search & scan, priority channels, and waterfall spectrum plots
New to the 0.6 version:
- now it is possible to save a
(jpg) copy of the spectrum window into a file. For doing so, click
inside the spectrum window with the right
button of the mouse. The jpg file will be saved inside the image directory. When it is
generated, each jpg spectrum
file is named with the current system date and time.
- inside the config/APPCONS.ini file there are some
parameters for configuring the application (receiver type, refresh
spectrum delays, demo mode, quick start).
- the refresh rate for the
spectrum window has been improved.
- the application will remember
now the windows that were opened.
Installation
instructions (WINDOWS)
Installation
requirements:
This
software
has
been
developed
for
the
AOR-SR2000A
receiver
(it
could
also
work
with
other
AOR
receivers,
particularly
with
the
AOR-SR2000, at this moment there are
some users that are trying to use the software with this last receiver,
and I will try to maximize the compatibility of the soft., but I am not
able to test all on a SR2000 as I do not have access to one of these
receivers).
- As the software is
programmed in Java, it it
is necessary to have installed
in the system a recent version of Java
(it is sufficient to have only installed the runtime part of the Java
environment, called jre, or the complete developper kit version, called
sdk). The receiver control software has been tested with the Java-6
version.
- The connexion with
the SR2000A must be done through a serial
RS232
port; that is, the DATA LINE operation parameter in the
receiver must be set to REMOTE2
(RS232). A USB to serial conversor
could be used for connecting the computer to the receiver. As a matter
of fact, I use one of these conversors (a Belkin USB - serial adapter)
and the communication with the computer works perfectly. Sadly, using
the USB port in the receiver (REMOTE1) does not work properly with the
control software (at least with the firmware version installed in my
SR2000A -ver. 808A-).
Installation:
The
SR20cntrl
receiver
control
software
is
distributed
as
a
set
of
files
and
directories
packed
in
an
unique
zip
file
(SR20cntrl_vxx.zip).
The
result
of
unzipping
the
previous
file
will
be
the
directory:
SR20cntrl_vxx,
inside
it
the
following
files can be found:
-
SR20cntrl_vxx.jar (the
application java file)
-
rxtxSerial.dll (dll
library needed for serial
communication)
-
conf (directory including
configuration files such as for language, etc.)
-
help (directory including
help files, even this one)
- images (directory where spectrum jpg
images will be saved)
-
log.txt (application log
file, with a list of changes)
Tick
two
times
the
file
SR20cntrl_vxx.jar
for executing the software. It is also possible to execute the software
using the command line in the Windows System window (via a java -jar SR20cntrl_vxx.jar command).
Also,
it
is
possible
to
create
a
link
to
the
SR20cntrl_vxx.jar
file and execute the
application through it.
When
initiated
the
first
time,
you
should
configure
the
serial
communication.
For
a
SR2000A
it
will be sufficient to configure
the
serial
port to which the receiver is connected and the
databit speed transfer. The software
recognize the serial ports in
your system and lets you try one of them. For other receivers,
particularly the SR2000, you will also need to
configure other RS232 comm. parameters, such as parity, stopbits or
flow control.
Obviously,
the
communication
configuration
should
be
the
same
for
the
receiver
as
for
the
control
software.
The
receiver
shoud
be
switched on and
connected to the computer. In my configuration, I currently use
115 kbits databits speed and the communication works flawlessly. I have
also tested all the other databit transmission speeds without any
communication problem.
Once
the
transmission
parameters
are
configured,
the
control
of
the
receiver
should
be
innitiated
using
the
menu
item:
Application/Connect
&
GO
If
all
is
ok,
the
aplication
terminal
window
will
show
a
message
about
the
status
of
the
connection
and
the
three vfos windows should appear in
the desktop. From this point on, the use of the software should be
evident. Please note that ticking with the mouse one of the spectrum
lines in the spectrum window tunes the current vfo to the new frequency
immediantly.
If
something
is
wrong,
the
aplication
terminal
window
will
probably
show
some
kind
of
error,
and
you
will
not
able
to continue. Try
reconfiguring the communications parameters and double check
connections between computer and receiver. Also try to stop and
relaunch the application.
Configuring the
language and help:
It
is
possible
(and
easy)
to
configure
the
language
of
the
application
(menus,
buttons,
messaages,
etc).
For
doing
so,
it
is necessary that
the LANG_FILENAME option in
the file FILECONS.ini (in the conf directory), points to the
corresponding language file. For example, for configuring the
application in Spanish you should change the following line of
FILECONS.ini :
LANG_FILENAME
=
"./conf/lng_english.ini"
for
the
new
one:
LANG_FILENAME
=
"./conf/lng_spanish.ini"
Moreover,
it
is
easy
to
prepare
a
language
configuration
file
for
other
language;
for
doing
so,
it
is
sufficient
to
copy one of the already existent
language files and substitute all the translations for the terms on the
left side for the desired terms (translations go between
quotations marks) on the right; once done, save the file with a new
name and subtitute the corresponding reference in the FILECONS.ini for
letting the application know where it is the new language file.
It
is
also
possible
to
configure
the
help
file
that
will
be
used
in
the
application
(changing
the
corresponding
line
in FILECONS.ini).
About the software:
When
I
purchased
the
SR2000A
some
months
ago
from
the
UK
distributor
(AOR-UK),
I
was
a
bit
shocked
when
I
realized
that
remote control software for it simply did not exist. The
main objective of the SR20cntrl
software is to let the user gain
the best possible control of the radio. The multitasking environment,
remote connexion programming possibilities together with a nice user
graph interface implicit in the Java language environment, let me think
that the application could be (easily) programmed using this language.
For the moment, I am having a lot of fun doing so.
Licence:
The
software
is
free
and
it
will
remain
free.
It
is possible that the source code will
be published in the future under some kind of free software licence
(perhaps GPL).
In
any
doubt,
don't
hesitate
to
drop
me
some
lines,
I
will
try
to
answer
you
as
soon
as
possible.
Regards,
> quito at enredant dot
com - www.enredant.com -