XPost: rec.radio.amateur.moderated
WB4SON
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Trouble Setting up RMS Express with CF-31 Toughbook
Posted: 31 May 2021 09:52 AM PDT
https://wb4son.com/wpblog/?p=4412
After having a gloriously easy time setting up my Kenwood TM-D710G and
DRA-50 the other day with both the RMS Express Client, and eventually the
RMS Packet software to get my VARA FM gateway up and running, I ran into a puzzling snag trying to get my IC-9700 working with RMS Express + VARA FM
on my CF-31 Toughbook.
Normally my IC-9700 and Toughbook are dedicated to satellite radio, but I really wanted an alternative radio setup for VARA FM that I could use to
check my RMS Packet gateway was functional. I figured it would be a no brainer install VARA FM/RMS Express and use that setup.
Unfortunately, I ran into two problems. The first was very minor VARA FM only supports baud rates up to 19K. The IC-9700 was set to 112K (Satellite guys like a higher baud rate because of Doppler corrections). That was an easy change to drop the IC-9700 baud rate down to 19K. As soon as that happened, I had PTT access.
The next problem was not as intuitive. While the rig PTT was working, no modulation was produced, despite being in FM D digital mode and having the
DATA MOD set to USB. I could tell VARA FM was producing the sound output, because I could swap the output to the Toughbook speakers and hear the modulation.
I ultimately fixed the issue by opening up Windows Sound Mixer and
discovering that the internal IC-9700 sound device USB Audio CODEC was
MUTED. Why, I dont know, thats not something I would have done. But I had never used the sound interface in the IC-9700 before, and apparently when Windows recognized that device, it muted it.
Nothing was wrong with VARA-FM or RMS Express at all. It was entirely an issue between Windows 10 and the CF-31 Toughbook.
--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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