I agree with a previous comment that you will have much more success with stations working split. In this situation, you can greatly increase your chances of being heard by "tail ending" (look for references in the ARRL operating manual and recent QST article on working pileups). In a split situation using A/B vfo's, switch vfo's so that you are listening to the stations in the pileup. Try to find the station the dx station is talking to. Suppose, for example, you're on cw and you hear a station sending "R 599 TU 73". When this happens, switch vfo's and respond to the dx station's next call. Unless he immediately changes frequency, you will be transmitting on the frequency he's tuned to and have a greatly increased chance of being heard. This won't necessarily work every time (you won't be the only one doing it), but you can vastly increase your chances of being heard.

I am a fairly new ham and barely computer literate. I have recently bought a Toshiba satellite laptop running Windows XP, TRX manager software, and an Icom 756PRO. The level converter cable supplied by the vendor is set up to work with a serial port and my laptop has only USB ports. I have tried 2 USB/serial adaptors and a Socket PCMCIA card. Nothing works. I keep getting an invalid port message from the software. I have also tried a demo version of Logic 6 and tried TRX manageer and Logic 6 on an older Sony desktop which has a serial port. Nothing works. I have had numerous conversations with the vendor who supports TRX manager, Toshiba, and the hardware vendors for the adaptors. I have been walked through numerous device manager and bios screens which say everything is working ok. Unfortunately nothing works and I'm stuck. I need, at least, suggestions and preferably help dealing with the vendor.


Mike HOffman kg6ihy mikeahoffman@yahoo.com

I recently bought an Icom 756 pro intending to use TRX manager to control the rig. The software is set up to use a com port and my (new) laptop has only USB ports. I have tried 2 different USB/serial adaptors and a PCMCIA card.  Nothing works. Ican't get the software to recognize the com port on my computer. The various vendors are all pointing fingers at each other and I'm stuck. Can anyone help?

Mike Hoffman
KG6IHY
e-mail: kg6ihy@arrl.net