				Generic Icom Addendum.  


This program (ICOM.EXE) is based on the ICOM 706 control program
described below.  It has been changed to allow you to specify 
a different baud rate and radio address than are used with the 
706 so that the program will be useful with other radios as well.
The first time you run the program you can specify the the baud
rate and type of radio that you use.  To do this, first set up
the radio for the baud rate/address you want to use (if it is 
adjustable).  Then hook up the radio to serial port you wish to 
use and turn the radio on.  Run the program, specifying the 
serial port, speed and radio address you want to use.  

Note:  The program has features which are specifically designed
for rapid data transfer between the radio and the computer.  It
will work best if the baud rate is set at 4800 or faster.  Set
the system up for the fastest baud rate your radio can handle.
In particular, the radio has trouble keeping up when the baud
rate is set to 1200 baud.  Avoid this setting if you can.



				Icom 706 Control Program

	The Icom 706 is a revolutionary radio that provides HF through 2 
meter coverage in an extremely compact package suitable for mobile 
operation.  However, I found that when I used the radio at home, it 
lacked many of the features that I had come to expect from an HF or VHF 
transceiver.  IC-706 was written to restore most of these features and 
add a number of others.  It includes fully computerized radio control 
with the following major features.

1.  Direct frequency entry.
2.  Ability to skip directly to any memory in the radio.
3.  Addition of an unlimited number of other memories identified by
         name.
4.  Automatic repeater offset. 
5.  Ability to tune repeater output frequencies and have the input
 	frequency track.
6.  Ability to easily listen on the input.
7.  Ability to monitor the transmit frequency when operating split on HF 
	(the equivalent of a Kenwood TF-SET button).
8.  A wide range of tuning steps (including those most appropriate for 
	repeater work).
9.  Rudimentary frequency tracking functions for working mode A and 
	mode K satellites.
10. Extremely close tracking between the tuning knob on the radio and 
the display on the computer screen.
11. Automatic selection of any serial port from Com1 through Com8.

	At this point, the program will only run under either Windows 95 
or Windows NT.  It makes use of the multiple threading capabilities of 
these 32 bit operating systems and will not run under Windows 3.1 even 
if win32s is installed.  If you have questions, you can contact the 
author at:

hansen@fredonia.edu


*********************************************************************
				SHAREWARE NOTICE

This program is not in the public domain.  It is being distributed as 
shareware.  Please feel free to try this program out for a week or two
to determine whether it suits your needs.  If it does, you may buy it by 
sending US $20 (or the equivalent) to:

John Hansen WA0PTV
49 Maple Avenue
Fredonia, New York  14063
USA

I have intentionally tried to keep the keep the cost of this program 
well below that of alternative radio control programs.  However, I have 
many, many hours of time committed to this project.  In order to 
continue to have high quality software developed for the amateur community, 
it is important to support those who are currently doing software 
development.  Thanks!

**********************************************************************

Installation:

Create a directory for this program and copy the IC-706.EXE and 
freqs.txt files into it.  There are also two .DLL files distributed with 
this program:

MFC40D.DLL
MSVCR40D.DLL

These should be copied into your the SYSTEM subdirectory within the 
directory in which you have windows installed (typically 
C:WINDOWS\SYSTEM or C:\WIN95\SYSTEM).

If you have more recent files by these names, use the more 
recent ones.

You will need a hardware interface to connect your radio to your 
computer.  You can buy Icom's interface, buy one from a third party 
(for example MFJ #5383I) or you build your own based on any one of 
a number of published designs.  

You can plug the serial cable into any spare Com port on your 
computer.  Turn your radio on and then run the program.  It will 
automatically detect which port the radio is connected to and 
configure the program for that port.

Operation:

When the program starts, if it is cabled properly to your computer 
you should see a display with current frequency displayed in the main
frequency window.  To change the frequency you can use the up/down 
control to the right of the frequency display, or you can enter the 
desired frequency directly in the main tuning window.  The best 
strategy here is double click on the frequency in the box to highlight the 
whole thing and then what you type will replace the current frequency.
You can enter the frequency in either MHz or kHz, the program is 
generally smart enough to figure out which you meant.  You may also 
tune the radio and the frequency should change on the computer screen as 
well.  The tuning step on the computer can be adjusted with the pull 
down box to the right of the main tuning window.  

You can use the memory control to the far right to directly enter any 
memory that you have set up in the radio.  You can also use the up/down
buttons to adjust the memory in use.  If you select a memory that is 
blank, the frequency will not change when you select the memory.

The buttons on the left side of the screen allow you to set the mode 
on the radio and also specify a narrow filter, if you have one installed.  
The narrow filter button will function in the AM mode
even if you have not installed any optional filters in the radio.

The Repeater Offset box below the main frequency display is designed
to simplify the use of the IC-706 when using it for repeater operation.
If you select one of the offsets other than simplex in this box, it will
cause VFO B to be locked to VFO A, and at the same time it will turn on
the split function on the radio.  Thus if you want to operate a 2 meter
repeater that is on 146.94 MHz with a -600 transmit offset, all you have
to do is enter 146.94 on the main frequency dial, select FM, and click
the -600 box.  If you tune the frequency up/down buttons at this point,
you can step through the 2 meter band and the transmit frequency will
maintain the -600 split.  

If you wish to check the input frequency, you may do so in one of two
ways.  By pushing the blue "A" on the right of the screen, it will
change to a red "B", indicating that you have switched VFO's.  You can
accomplish the same purpose by right clicking your mouse anywhere on the
IC-706 screen.  You will be on the B VFO as long as you hold down the 
mouse button, but will return to A when you let up the button.

You can also use this function to operate split.  Click the split 
checkbox and you can tune the two VFO's separately.  You will receive
on the A frequency and transmit on the B frequency.  By pushing the
right mouse button, you can briefly monitor your transmit frequency.
This provides an easy way to place your transmit frequency on the same
frequency that last successfully called a DX station.  You can tune
your transmit frequency while you are listening to it by pushing the 
colored button to switch VFO or by simply holding down the right mouse
button (to change to B) and then using the left mouse button to tune
the frequency up and down on the main tuning dial.  This function is
conceptually identical to the Kenwood TF-SET button.

The large box in the middle of the screen is used to store an unlimited
number of memories.  I have included with the program a list of a number
of common shortwave frequencies to start you off.  You can immediately
go to any of the frequencies stored in the box simply by double clicking
on it.  If one of the entries in this box is highlighted, you can 
also switch to another entry in the box by quickly typing the first
few letters of the entry you want.  You can delete entries in the box by 
highlighting the entry you want to delete and pushing the delete button.  
You can add entries with the add button.  The easiest way to do this is 
to put the radio on the frequency you want to have entered, and select 
the Repeater Offset, Mode, and Filter (if any) before pushing the Add 
button.  Then all you have to do is give new entry a name and click OK 
to add it to the list.  The contents of this box are stored in the 
freqs.txt file, which you can edit with any plain text editor (such as 
notepad) if you want to add large numbers of frequencies to the 
database.

Several individuals have suggested that it might be possible to use this
radio as satellite station for operating Mode A (2 meters up - 10 
meters down) or Mode K (15 meters up - 10 or 2 meters down) for many
of the low earth orbiting satellites.  There are three problems with 
using this IC-706 for this purpose.  First, the radio will not operate
cross-band.  If you have split turned on and have VFO's A and B on 
different bands the radio will not transmit.  Second, unlike "real"
satellite radios, there is no way to get the uplink and downlink 
frequencies to track each other.  Third, the radio does not operate
full duplex, so there is no way to monitor your downlink at the time
you are transmitting.

I have serious doubts about whether the 706 will ever be useful as
as satellite radio, simply because it will not operate full duplex, 
but enough people have contacted me about wanting to try it that I 
decided to include this feature in the program.  To operate Mode A,
for example, click the "split" checkbox and put VFO B on the appropriate 
uplink frequency in the 2 meter band and VFO A on the appropriate 
frequency in the 10 meter band.  When you click the split box the 
SatTrack box below it becomes available.  When you have your transmit
and receive frequencies set, click the SatTrack button.  This does two
things.  First, it turns off the split function on the radio which will
allow you to transmit and second it locks the transmit and receive
frequencies together so that you can QSY.  If you need to touch up your
transmit frequency, simply uncheck the SatTrack button and adjust the
VFO B frequency.  Rechecking the SatTrack button will then lock the two
VFO's together again.  Conceptually this works just the way the SAT 
button works on the Yaesu FT736R.

To transmit using this approach you have to push the right mouse
button (or push the button on the screen to switch VFO's) at the same 
time you either push the PTT button, talk loud enough to trip the VOX, 
or work the CW key.  When you are finished transmitting, let up on the 
right mouse button or otherwise switch back to VFO B.

	This effectively gets around two of the three limitations in using
the 706 for the low earth orbit satellites.  There is no way to get 
around the fact that it will not operate full duplex, but if you can 
live without that, you may have a satellite radio, when used in 
conjunction with this program.

	Please send any feed back to me at:

hansen@fredonia.edu

So far two problems have been located.  First the only way to quit the 
program is to push the quit button.  You can not exit by pushing the X
in the top right of the screen.  Secondly, if you get too many programs
operating at once, the routine that receives data from the computer
appears to fall behind and fail.  I regularly run this program along 
with Netscape, Visual C++, WiSP, and a voice command interpreter running
at the same time with no problem at all, so this limitation will only 
apply to those doing a lot of multitasking.

 
