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Reviews For: Commander VX7R

Category: Ham Software/Apps - Other than logging

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Review Summary For : Commander VX7R
Reviews: 33MSRP: donation
Description:
Programmer for the VX7 and VX7R
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.icongrp.com/~sllewd/vx7rmain.htm
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00334.6
KVOQVX Rating: 2008-09-10
WILL NOT DOWNLOAD ON PC WITH VISTA Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Unless changes have been made recently, the program will not download to PC with Vista operating system.
N6DGY Rating: 2008-05-25
Kept Getting Cloning Errors Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I have both pieces of software - The RT Systems software for the VX-7 as well as the VX-7 Commander. I purchased my VX-7 at the Dayton Hamvention '08 upon recommendation of several friends. Working for years in commercial land-mobile radio, I understand how software programming simplifies things, and downloaded the VX7 commander after reading this thread. The Commander software would read the radio most of the time, but would error consistently while writing, thereby corrupting any manually entered data. In frustration, I opted for a digital download following purchase of the RT Systems software. (Software only - I didn't need any cables.) The RT Systems works flawlessly every time. Perhaps Yaesu changed something in the late model radio I have that makes it incompatible with Commander VX7R, despite downloading the latest patch for Commander. I really wanted Commander to work for me, as I like the look of its interface. I'm only passing along what I experienced. Commander was unreliable while RT worked perfectly. If someone can offer a suggestion, I'm certainly willing to try again.
G8ITB Rating: 2008-03-24
Excellent - Even on a US model used in the UK! Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Excellent piece of software - far better than the commercial alternative [RT Systems]! I have used 'Commander' to enter UK frequencies into a VX-7R bought from AES when last in Las Vegas. Just have to note to go into "Advanced" and click on the "Mods" tab for this sort of work, as the CPU is shown as 'US' and not 'UK'.
Missed that the first time round and had an 'error' message.
I am now able to have separate files for UK, Spanish & Canada/USA travel.
It also makes for a nice Short Wave receiver on holidays - lets the wife listen to the 'sports programmes' on what's left of the BBC World Service!
Do drop Jim a small sum via his website - he has put in some hours work into these programs!
KI4GST Rating: 2008-02-16
works like a champ Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I finally got my programing cable for my VX-7R a week after I got the radio. I have spent the day messing around with the software seeing what it would do and I will just say it dose every thing it says and with such ease.
It really helps me since I have very bad eyesight (20/800) to be able to program the radio from the computer. Now if I can only find a cable and a way to program the Kenwood TM-V7A I have in the bedroom that is my main rig I really would be set.
KQ4KK Rating: 2007-06-23
Great program for older VX7Rs Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I bought 2 VX7r when they first came out. And started using Commander software. It does all the mods as advertised, no soldering required. It still uploads and downloads all the memories, does setup for sat. work great.

I've read recent blog messages that Yeasue has change the code in the chip, and Commander doen't do all the stuff it does to older VX7rs. Another reason to hold onto my current two.

----------------------
Earlier 5-star review posted by KQ4KK on 2003-07-01

Don't ever program your Yaesu VX7R by hand. Use this program. Much better than the Yaesu RT systems ADMS-1G program. This one will let you do software MODS. No soldering required!

6/12/03 - VX7 Commander Version 1.3.2 Released
Features:
Import for TravelPlus Version 7 files
Dialog for priority channel set
SUB priority channel setting
Memory search to allow input of decimal
DELETE completely deletes selected rows, and shifts others up
CLEAR button, that functions like the old DELETE button
INSERT can insert multiple rows (as many as highlighted)
"Insert Cut/Copied Rows" when cutting/copying and pasting rows ONLY.
Free selection of blocks of cells for copy, using a right-click Copy/Paste menu in grid. (Paste always starts at the same column copied from!) e.
Highlight cells and use the right-click menu do do mass setting changes (for most settings)
"Single Click Editing" feature (Settings Menu). This brings up the proper edit box in the grid with one click instead of a double-click (but makes it difficult to select cell ranges). Setting "Insert Fills Empty Rows". If this is unchecked, the whole grid shifts down on insert (even blank channels). If checked, blank memories are filled first.
Blank channels are ignored for paste etc, unless freq is pasted in. Also, freq must now be entered first into a blank channel, before editing anything else is enabled.
Dialog for "Write Delay" (instead of editing the registry), for those that need to edit this for the write to work properly.
Sort Channels
Do Software Mods
Sets up space mode easy!
M3OCX Rating: 2007-06-23
mars/cap warning Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Found this program works great with Unmodified VX-7R. Software mods contained within program do not work at all. My VX-7R was modded for mars/cap only, not freeband. Once it was reset i went about reinstalling the memory data stored on pc through Commander VX-7R, to my distaste i find it will not send any data to VX-7R, it will retrieve data but thats no good at all. Pc shows communication between pc and handie but no information is sent, therefore all memories and settings had to be input by hand. So think hard first.
KA1OS Rating: 2007-03-11
Excellent series of memory management programs Time Owned: more than 12 months.
This program is the best of its class for managing the memories of the Yaesu VX-7R transceiver via a PC running Windows. With this software you can back up your HT's memories *and* configuration settings, including:
All channel memories (also, Home settings for all bands, all pairs of upper and lower scan-limits, VFO frequencies for all bands & the 'One-touch' memories *plus* all alpha tags).
Memory groups.
Hyper-memory configurations.
DTMF and Echolink/IRLP tone memories
Rig settings such as repeater shifts, tones, squelch levels, ARTS, sensor choices, led colors and custom fonts & icons.
...& practically all other settings that you would otherwise have to manually configure.

The program also allows you to import data from Excel or any text editor (as .csv files), and config files from Jim's other VX-Commander programs for rigs like the VX-2R and VX-5R. This makes it easy to rapidly create & maintain custom repeater lists and keep the frequency memories for multiple rigs in sync. In many of the Yahoo groups, people post repeater files for various cities and data can be easily uploaded into the VX-7R. It's also very handy for managing groups of memories in emergency work.

Just this evening, I uploaded all the 2m and 70cm repeaters listed by the ARRL for Massachusetts (Plenty of space remaining for the 6m repeaters). These went into the VX-7R sorted by region and listed by city name. I also created set of memory groups that clustered repeaters by travel routes. With a map in hand and taking some time to group repeaters by travel regions, the whole process took less than an hour. This would have been extremely tedious to key in by hand.

A couple interface hints for newbies: 1) Double click the fields to manually edit the contents. 2) Note that the cutting and pasting of data does not work the same way as you'd find in a spreadsheet.

Also: If you try this software and find that you like it, please send a donation to its author. He has spent a lot of time reverse-engineering Yaesu's file structures and has created a very useful program that actually works better in most cases than the commercial options.
KC0UXC Rating: 2006-04-09
Works great for satellite setup Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I use this software for general repeaters and satellite setup with the split freq's and using memories for the doppler shift. Nice and easy to understand. Very straight forward. No problems with XP Pro.
M1RAL Rating: 2006-03-02
Be aware when Freebanding! Time Owned: more than 12 months.

I'll be spending a fair amount of time in Florida this year on business and I thought I'd try the Freeband software fix in Commander. Sure enough it activated in software what may have been an otherwise tricky hardware mod, and all seemed fine until I tried to reset the radio and reload my UK home QTH requencies file back into the radio. After performing a full processor reset I repeatedly got a "Clone Error" message on the radio when I tried to reload my home QTH file using Commander. Only after resorting to the ADMS software did I successfully manage to reload my UK QTH file into the radio and all was well again.

So, while I eventually achieved the aim of the exercise it was not under Commander control as I had hoped, but by using a combination of the two software packages. Switching between the European factory preset settings and the Freeband settings may not be something that the majority of users will want to do on a routine basis, but for those that do please be aware of the limitation.

Otherwise an good software package.

73,

Rick M1RAL
http://www.m1ral.info
SM3WEO Rating: 2005-06-19
Simply the best! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Now on my 2'nd VX-7, i'm still using this great piece of software.
Wouldn't wanna be without it.
It makes owning a Yaesu HT just that much sweeter!