TK-7180 Serial Data

[nickwilson159]

A friend & I have been trying to read Fleetsync serial data from a TK-7180 using the mic port (COM0) with a known good working programming cable. While this concept has been demonstrated repeatedly using the rear DB25 connector, Kenwood's manuals indicate that COM0, COM1, or COM2 can all output this data by simply selecting the respective port in the programming software. However, despite several days of trying everything we could find on the subject in the RadioReference forums and other sources, we cannot get the TK-7180 to transmit any serial data through the mic port.

Is the Kenwood literature wrong and the mic port simply will not work - does it HAVE to be the rear DB25 port? If so, as we are also using these as Broadcastify feed radios and using line level audio from the DB25 connector, this would require all new custom-made cables for the DB25 port instead of using readily available programming cables - which is a situation we would like to avoid if possible. As it stands right now though, we cannot get serial data to output via the mic port, so we may not have a choice.

Does anyone have any insight on this, or the ability to try this themselves? We've tried using PuTTY, HyperTerminal, and various other programs using a multitude of connection settings in both these programs and the radio's codeplug to no avail.

Thanks in advance!

 

[mmckenna]

I believe you can only use COM1 or COM2 ports, both of which are on the DB25 for this.

The document that covers this is the TK-2180_7180_MOD guide. It has the information you need to get the FleetSync data out of the serial ports.

 

[ramal121]

COM 0 is TTL logic. Serial works with the programming cable as this will convert RS-232 to TTL.

 

[nickwilson159]

I believe you can only use COM1 or COM2 ports, both of which are on the DB25 for this.

The document that covers this is the TK-2180_7180_MOD guide. It has the information you need to get the FleetSync data out of the serial ports.

The Function Reference Guide makes it seem like any of the three can be used in this capacity:




The Field Programming Manual seems to agree:

 

[mmckenna]

The Function Reference Guide makes it seem like any of the three can be used in this capacity:

Did you read Ramal121's post?

Maybe there's a way around that, but every time I've done RS232 data on the NX series (similar structure), I've had to use Comm 1 for a direct connection.

If you read the manual on these radios, the KDS-100 is designed to plug into the DB-25 and handle FleetSync data. Maybe you would like to do it differently, but the easy way is to use the 25 pin.

 

[nickwilson159]

Did you read Ramal121's post?

Maybe there's a way around that, but every time I've done RS232 data on the NX series (similar structure), I've had to use Comm 1 for a direct connection.

If you read the manual on these radios, the KDS-100 is designed to plug into the DB-25 and handle FleetSync data. Maybe you would like to do it differently, but the easy way is to use the 25 pin.

I saw it and was going through the manuals again. Indeed he is correct, looks like it's TTL (or 'C MOS' as stated in the Modification Guide) on mic port while it's RS-232C on the rear DB-25 connector.

Unfortunately, it doesn't look like there's a software-based solution to overcome this and use the mic port, so it's off to make a custom cable for the DB-25 port.

Was hoping it might be easy, but it never is. Thank you all for the replies!

 

[mmckenna]

Was hoping it might be easy, but it never is. Thank you all for the replies!

Double check the documents, but you should be able to plug a standard 25 pin RS-232 cable into the back of the radio and it should work. I use an NX-900 (800MHz NXDN) radio for over the air programming, and I use a standard off the shelf RS-232 cable to the programming PC.