N0TDL
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Hi i was given a new BC780xlt , I have downloaded proscan , but i am having a comport issue , Not sure what i am doing wrong ? any suggestions would be great
Help , Proscan Windows 8.1 BC780xlt
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N0TDL
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116 views and no help ?
Try and explain your comport issue in greater detail. IE, is it a USB to Serial adapter? Is your Win 8 64 or 32 bit etc. What have you tried and what error messages do you get, anything in Device Manager showing a device with trouble?
It's kind of hard to diagnose a comport issue with no details to start with!
N0TDL
Member
Windows 8.1 64 bit , Yellow triangle in device Mgr over com port 3 , RS232 with USB
From your description, you don't have a ProScan issue. You have an RS-232 to USB converter issue.
What brand of converter are you using? What chipset does it use?
There are two brands of chipsets typically used in these converters: FTDI and Prolific. The FTDI chipset and drivers are very reliable and generally work pretty well with most Windows operating system versions from XP to 8.1. The Prolific chipset is very dependent on having the correct driver for your operating system. You may have to visit Prolific's web site to find the correct driver and then install it. However, that may not solve your problem. The Chinese chip manufacturers cloned the Prolific chipset and started making knock-off converters. Prolific countered this by writing drivers that will not work with the cloned chipsets. Your computer sees what it thinks is a Prolific chipset, so it installs the Prolific driver, but that won't work with the chipset.
You can buy RS-232 to USB converters that have the FTDI chipset. Listed below is a web site that talks about the converter problems with links to sources for reliable converters:
USB-to-Serial Cables for Ham App
For the record, ProScan support is provided in this thread: http://forums.radioreference.com/sc...e/95044-official-proscan-software-thread.html
What brand of converter are you using? What chipset does it use?
There are two brands of chipsets typically used in these converters: FTDI and Prolific. The FTDI chipset and drivers are very reliable and generally work pretty well with most Windows operating system versions from XP to 8.1. The Prolific chipset is very dependent on having the correct driver for your operating system. You may have to visit Prolific's web site to find the correct driver and then install it. However, that may not solve your problem. The Chinese chip manufacturers cloned the Prolific chipset and started making knock-off converters. Prolific countered this by writing drivers that will not work with the cloned chipsets. Your computer sees what it thinks is a Prolific chipset, so it installs the Prolific driver, but that won't work with the chipset.
You can buy RS-232 to USB converters that have the FTDI chipset. Listed below is a web site that talks about the converter problems with links to sources for reliable converters:
USB-to-Serial Cables for Ham App
For the record, ProScan support is provided in this thread: http://forums.radioreference.com/sc...e/95044-official-proscan-software-thread.html
N0TDL
Member
This is a not known on the brand of cable it is a USB to RS232 , It's Blue on the RS232 side and then silver with a clear coated cable , I have looked on line byt i cannot find out any info , I am sure it's not a proscan issue and more than likely do not have the correct driver and or cable , but it did work on my neighbors window 7 machine , and he is moving today
Follow W9BU's advice. Pretty much what I was going to suggest.
The problem mentioned with the conterfit Prolific chipsets is very real and very common especially when buying cheap usb to serial adapters from eBay.
FTDI based adapters have never given me a lick of trouble so that is all I use for my USB to Serial adapters today unless the adapter is built into the radio in which case you can only hope the manufacturer makes 64 bit drivers.
I also use Oxford Semi chipset based PCIe cards that have from 4 to 8 true serial ports on them. Those even work better as you are removing the USB layer from the equation. For your needs though, a USB to Serial adapter should do what you need and hopefully just by finding the correct 64 bit driver.
If you cannot figure out the chipset maker, right click and select properties on the device with the triangle error. Then look under the details tab for a line that shows something containing PID and VID values. There are several lines of info that you can select line by line under the details tab so you may need to search through them one at a time until you find the one showing the PID and VID values. Copy what is listed there and someone here can lookup the vendor for you usually by just the PID alone but the VID will also tell the version or more details about the chipset.
The problem mentioned with the conterfit Prolific chipsets is very real and very common especially when buying cheap usb to serial adapters from eBay.
FTDI based adapters have never given me a lick of trouble so that is all I use for my USB to Serial adapters today unless the adapter is built into the radio in which case you can only hope the manufacturer makes 64 bit drivers.
I also use Oxford Semi chipset based PCIe cards that have from 4 to 8 true serial ports on them. Those even work better as you are removing the USB layer from the equation. For your needs though, a USB to Serial adapter should do what you need and hopefully just by finding the correct 64 bit driver.
If you cannot figure out the chipset maker, right click and select properties on the device with the triangle error. Then look under the details tab for a line that shows something containing PID and VID values. There are several lines of info that you can select line by line under the details tab so you may need to search through them one at a time until you find the one showing the PID and VID values. Copy what is listed there and someone here can lookup the vendor for you usually by just the PID alone but the VID will also tell the version or more details about the chipset.
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N0TDL
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Thank you so much to the both of you and your time , I will try to research this ..
N0TDL
Member
This is what the error say's :Windows cannot determine the settings for this device. Consult the documentation that came with this device and use the Resource tab to set the configuration. (Code 34)
That's something I forgot. You don't by chance have another device using Com3 do you? If so, go into the advanced tab under properties for the USB to Serial adapter and change the port setting to something other than Com3 that is not already in use.
It still sounds like a driver issue though as setting resources is something from the past and is rarely needed today. It's usually a sign of incorrect drivers. The drivers should figure that all out automatically but I have seen drivers not detect existing com ports before and try and assign a new device to an existing com port.
N0TDL
Member
No i don't , this is in stock at my local rat shack , would this work ? Gigaware USB to Serial Cable : Cables, filters & adapters | RadioShack.com
I'd say it would being as it says it's compatible with Win 7 and 8 but it does not mention 64 bit support. Chances are that it will support 64 bit though. I'd try it. RS has a decent return policy should it not work.
N0TDL
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Thanks off to the Rat shack lol ! thanks for your time , Oh and watch the Weather tomorrow it's going to be bad towards you and I , you can follow my Facebook page in my sig , I am a Skywarn Net control for the NWS in Springfield !!
If you have not left yet, you may need a NULL modem adapter and possibly a female to female DB9 adapter unless they sell a female to female null cable at rat shack. My 780 is buried and hard to get at the rear so I can't tell if I needed the NULL stuff or not.
oracavon
Member
I'm running ProScan 7.0 on Win 8.1 Pro 64-bit using a Trendnet TU-S9 USB to RS-232 adapter (no null modem) as Com 3. It works on my 780XLT with no problem. The TU-S9 uses a Prolific chip set, and I have Prolific driver version 3.4.62.293. So I can confirm that ProScan 7.0 works fine on this OS if you have a good adapter.
As others have mentioned, there are some bad Prolific-based adapters out there which exhibit the symptoms you described. I've had some in the past which would work for a while, then stop working for no apparent reason. There are, in fact, multiple Prolific chip set versions out there as well. Some are more problematic than others. However, I've never had any problems with my Trendnet adapter, even though it uses a Prolific chip set.
From what I could find online, it looks like that RS cable uses one of the Prolific chip sets.
So if you still have a problem with the new cable, I would suggest the following steps:
1. Try a null modem, since that's the easiest thing to do.
2. If that doesn't do it, verify that you have the same Prolific driver version that I am using, since we have the same OS. If not, get then remove your drivers and install the version I am using.
3. If that doesn't solve your problem, it's likely a USB to RS-232 adapter compatibility issue. Return your new cable to RS and get one that uses the FTDI chipset.
As others have mentioned, there are some bad Prolific-based adapters out there which exhibit the symptoms you described. I've had some in the past which would work for a while, then stop working for no apparent reason. There are, in fact, multiple Prolific chip set versions out there as well. Some are more problematic than others. However, I've never had any problems with my Trendnet adapter, even though it uses a Prolific chip set.
From what I could find online, it looks like that RS cable uses one of the Prolific chip sets.
So if you still have a problem with the new cable, I would suggest the following steps:
1. Try a null modem, since that's the easiest thing to do.
2. If that doesn't do it, verify that you have the same Prolific driver version that I am using, since we have the same OS. If not, get then remove your drivers and install the version I am using.
3. If that doesn't solve your problem, it's likely a USB to RS-232 adapter compatibility issue. Return your new cable to RS and get one that uses the FTDI chipset.
Thanks for verifying the fact that a null cable or adapter is not needed.
I did not think it was but it has been years since I'd hooked my 780 to a com port and now it is buried deep so almost impossible to get at and disconnect the cable and look!
Plus, it is usually the models that offered GPS control or input that had the rear port reversed and also setup to need a null adapter.
I'm going to assume the OP got it going though being as they never returned.
What I often find is that adapters that are sold by a fairly well known manufacturer or vendor (Trendnet for example) will work on 64 bit versions of Win8 and 7 as long as they are marked to do such. It's usually the cheap "no-name" Chinese adapters that can be found on eBay for a few bucks that have the counterfit Prolific chipset.
I've owned three different versions of the cable the OP was running to purchase at RS. All three had the same RS SKU or part number but all three used a different Prolific chipset!
None were counterfit but the oldest was simply too old for a 64 bit OS as drivers were never made. The second would work in 32 bit version of Win7 and below but not 64 bit and the newest has worked in all.
The first two looked identical in shape and color so I marked them with a Sharpie as to what OS they would work. The latest one was visually different but was only marked to work with Win7 and below. Win8 had not been released yet. It does work in Win 8 32 & 64 bit though.
N0TDL
Member
Sorry in the late reply , the cable worked great ! .
Ha, I figured it must have due to your other thread with the system problems you are having with Greene County!
Glad the cable worked though as that's half the battle.
Actually, that's probably most of the battle!
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