VX-10 UHF handheld computer programming

[guardman]

Hey all, Iam getting a VX-10 with the 102 channel option
anways iam also getting the programming cable and software
, anyone know if I can program it with a 700Mhz computer or with a 2.4Ghz computer, i was told a 486 is better to use, but I dont have a 486, so if anyone knows if a 700Mhz computer would work or not?

Thanks
Justin

[guardman]

ANYONE?

[rkawakami]

My understanding is that the CE-14 program is meant to be used under
MS-DOS on a slow computer. I am using a home-brew 486DX4-100
(100Mhz) and my VX-10s all seem to handle it very well. If you try your
700Mhz 'speed demon' of a computer, I can only suggest that you
create an MS-DOS boot disk and totally bypass Windows. You may also
have to adjust the speed of the serial port using the MS-DOS 'mode'
command. It's not something that I have to do with my computer, but
I've read on the net that the serial port speed and/or the buffer (FIFO)
plays an important role in getting the radio to program correctly.

Ray

Hey all, Iam getting a VX-10 with the 102 channel option
anways iam also getting the programming cable and software
, anyone know if I can program it with a 700Mhz computer or with a 2.4Ghz computer, i was told a 486 is better to use, but I dont have a 486, so if anyone knows if a 700Mhz computer would work or not?

Thanks
Justin

[K4RXR]

I can only suggest that you create an MS-DOS boot disk and totally bypass Windows.

Agreed.

I'm using an IBM ThinkPad T22 which is a fairly modern 1GHz PIII computer. I've created an MS-DOS boot floppy and boot the computer from that floppy when I want to run CE-14. Works great. I have never had any success running CE-14 in a DOS window under Windows.

In fact, I just put CE-14 on that floppy and run it from there. That way, I can use just about any computer I can get my hands on as long as it has a floppy drive that I can boot from.

Bob...

[Muggsy09]

I use an old compaq with windows 3.1 and DOS works great, you can pick one up pretty cheap on ebay or at a used computer shop. The older, and the slower the computer the better the software will work. If you do have a fast computer make sure you restart in DOS not DOS promt. Windows has to be shut down or the radio won't read.

Muggsy

[guardman]

Ok, Iam not familair with DOS, but if I make a boot up disk, and once in DOS, then insert the CE-14 disk will that work as well, or do I have to put the C-14 program also on the boot up disk too?

and I do have windows XP Pro on the 700Mhz computer, does anyone know if you can get into dos on windows XP?

and if so, what are the commands to use after I get booted into DOS from the boot up disk?

Also to get the computer to boot from the floppy drive I know I have to go into the BIOS and change the startup config, which I dont have a problem doing, Iam familair with that.

I want to try and get this done tomarow on my day off from work, so all replys would be appreciated, I knows its a lot of questions but Iam not familair with DOS at all, and if someone could lend some knowledge to me on this it would be greatly appreciated,

Thanks All

[rkawakami]

Ok, Iam not familair with DOS, but if I make a boot up disk, and once in DOS, then insert the CE-14 disk will that work as well, or do
I have to put the C-14 program also on the boot up disk too?

snip

The hardest part in answering your questions was to find out how to create a bootable floppy disk using WinXP (I am using Win98 for my programming chores...) Anyway, here's the procedure to use Windows XP to create an MS-DOS boot disk, put the CE-14 programming software on the floppy and then run the program:

1) Before creating the boot disk, place your CE-14 floppy into your drive and transfer the entire contents into a temporary folder on your hard drive. At minimum, your CE-14 disk should have the following files:

CE14.cfg
CE14.exe
CE14.hdx
CE14.hlp
any .V10 files you have previously created

These files should take up around 250kb of disk space. It's probably easiest if you open up your "My Documents" folder, use the "Make a new folder" option to create the temporary folder and then double-click on the temp folder. Once inside the temp folder, click on the "My Computer" icon on the left side of the folder window, double-click on your floppy drive, mostly likely A:, and then select all of the files you want to copy. Click on "Edit/Copy" in the toolbar, back up to your temporary folder and then "Edit/Paste". You should then see all of the files listed in your temp folder. Once you are satisfied that all of the CE-14 files are there, remove the CE-14 floppy from the drive.

2) Click on the My Computer icon again. Right-click on the floppy drive and select "Format...". In the box that opens, check the box "Create an MS-DOS startup disk" and make sure the "Quick format" box is NOT checked. Place a (soon to be) blank floppy into your drive. Make sure that your original CE-14 has been removed! Click "Start" to begin formatting the floppy. When formatting is done, close the Format window.

3) Navigate back to your temporary folder where the CE-14 software has been placed and then select all of the files. "Edit/Copy" again, go to the floppy drive and "Edit/Paste". You should now have a bootable MS-DOS floppy with all of the necessary CE-14 programming software on it.

4) Shutdown Windows XP and re-start your computer. Change your BIOS settings to boot from floppy before hard drive. Save the new settings.

5) Put the MS-DOS/CE-14 floppy in the drive and start the computer. You should then see a message saying "Windows Millennium" is running, followed by a simple A:\> prompt. Enter a DIR command and it will list the files on the floppy. You should see the boot files along with the CE-14 software. To run the CE-14 program, simply enter CE14.

That should be it. If you have any problems or questions, post back here. I have been using a identical Win98 boot disk with the CE-14 program on my 1.7Ghz Gateway laptop without any problems. The only thing I notice that is different is that my CPU fan turns on more often when the CE-14 program is running.

Ray

[guardman]

Thank you soo much,

[guardman]

Thanks again for the information, I did jsut what you told me, and also figured out the programming application, however when I try to upload after I have entered my frequencies in and have changed the former file that had downloaded from the radio, it says ERR 1 on the radio

i changed different com ports, also reset the wiring to the port from the radio and still same thing,

What the problem is I think, is my battery for this VX-10 is pretty drained. the radio will work and always has transmitted for me, but the low battery light would come on the screen. So what I was thinking is if i use a battery elimantor and hook that battery elimantor into a power supply that that might take care of the problem,

I was reading in the help file that low batterys may cause that problem.
anyone else have any suggestions?

Also the battery I have will not fully charge ever since I have owned this radio, battery came with the radio, i bought radio from a guy used and he said he never had a problem programming it, he even supplied the 9 pin connecter and software and everything is in great shape.

however when trying to download computer to radio it will get to 48% and then says it cannot continue, radio LCD screen says saving though, and then i get a err1 error code/.

[rkawakami]

Thanks again for the information, I did jsut what you told me, and also figured out the programming application, however when I try to upload after I have entered my frequencies in and have changed the former file that had downloaded from the radio, it says ERR 1 on the radio

snip

Hhhmm... I'm not exactly sure what "ERR 1" code means, but I believe that I have received an "ERR 3" when powering up a radio with an expanded channel keypad mod. In my case it was caused by improper programming in the newly created channel memory. Your problem may be somewhat similar.

Basic questions:

1) What model of VX-10 do you have? There are two VHF and three UHF models, each covering a different band. If you are trying to program a frequency outside the normal range of the radio, you will get an error. Although normally, this sort of error occurs when you power up the radio and not when you are trying to program it.

2) You mentioned that you have a 102 channel radio. I assume that you have what is known as the FTT-15 keypad. It's got 16 keys arranged in the standard telephone touch-tone configuration, with 4 extra keys on the right labeled A to D. Was the radio already programmed with more than the normal 40 channels? If you have a defective FTT-15 keypad, that can also cause problems when programming (the additional 62 channels are stored in a chip on the keypad board).

3) Assuming that you are trying to program valid frequencies for your radio, double-check ALL of the 102 channels in the CE-14 program. Your message seems to indicate that you have no problems with reading the data from the radio, only when you try to re-program the radio do you receive an error. Upload the contents of the radio into the computer and then use an "Alt-A" keystroke to select the Channel menu. Select the "Channel Allocations" option and take a look at your group assignments. If the CE-14 program has recognized that the radio has 102 channels, your totals in all of the groups and whatever is left over, should add up to 102. Make sure that you assign all of the 102 available channels into one or more groups and then check EACH channel for proper frequencies. Only then would I try downloading the channel setup into the radio.

4) If everything looks okay so far and you are still getting errors, then the only other course of action that I can suggest is to try to use another computer. There may be a problem with the serial port which is causing the radio to not accept programming. Since you have only one cable, you will have to assume for the moment that it's not your problem.

Good luck!

Ray

[guardman]

I have the VX-10 (4X) UHF
FCC ID K66VX-10U
all the frequencies iam programming in are all within the freq range of this radio. This radio does have the full DTMF keypad.

Previous owner only had 5 banks on the radio with about 50-60 frequencys stored on the whole radio itself

Thanks

[guardman]

Ok, Iam trying to program today and one time when downloading to radio , on the computer screen it will only go to 48% then stop, then the radio screen said sending, then the computer screen went to 100% and the computer screen went back to the main page with the frequencys in the bank.

But on the radio, it is still the same stuff, nothing changed at all
I then went and deleted all the banks except bank 1 and still same thing but now, when downloading it will get to 48% then stop and flash a screen that says no response from radio, and now that is what keeps happening everytime.

On the help section is does say if your radio battery is drained that it will cause this problem. I get an ERR 1 message on the radio screen. The battery that I have will not fully charge and everytime I transmit the low batt message flashes on radio. So i have been trying to download the radio when it is sitting in the charger hoping that will give it wnough power to rewrite the radio. However when i have used this radio it has never ever shut down on me at all, just the low batt message flashes, and the radio transmits and receives fine. so i think i will try to use the battery elimantor hooked up to a power supply, so that should give it wnough power hopefully.

Any other suggestions?
But once radio has downloaded from the computer what do i do next, just turn radio off then back on and then it should be the way i want it with the frequencies i put in it?
Thanks

[rkawakami]

Ok, Iam trying to program today and one time when downloading to radio , on the computer screen it will only go to 48% then stop, then the radio screen said sending, then the computer screen went to 100% and the computer screen went back to the main page with the frequencys in the bank.

snip

Okay, another sanity check question...

The proper cable to program the VX-10 ends with a FOUR conductor, 1/8" (3.5mm) minature plug. The commercial cables that I have seen and used have the RS-232 (serial) computer plug on one end and a THREE conductor plug on the opposite end. For the VX-10 radios, you also need an adaptor which converts the three conductor plug to four. You can identify the difference between the two plugs by looking at the black (usually) rings that are on the plug. If you only see TWO black rings, then you have the THREE conductor plug. If you see THREE black rings, then you have the proper FOUR conductor plug.

I'm not sure about the low battery causing a problem with programming. Typically, the radio will consume more than 1 amp of current if you are transmitting at the FULL 5 watts. If you are transmitting at a reduced output power, then of course that would require less current. Programming the radio should not require any more than a few hundred milliamps. I would say that as long as you have enough power in the receive mode, then there shouldn't be any problems with programming.

It's beginning to look like you may have a problem with the cable, or possibly a radio that cannot be programmed. Have you tried using more than one computer?

[guardman]

Well the cable iam using came with the radio, the cable plugs into the vx10 mic jack, and then it has a 9 pin connecter that plugs into my com port, fits perfectly

I have not tried it from a different computer though

[guardman]

Well the computer will upload all of the radio frequencys that are already stored in it.

Now using that same screen, I have been changing the frequencys and the alpha numeric screen to what I want. also though leaving some frequencys alone that were already on the radio then i have been downloading it to the radio from the computer. Maybe iam doing it wrong?