December 2, 2023: v1.03.03
- Optimized the network CW timing code for the Flex radio to eliminate random delays
- Added a Tx Monitor Level option to the Kenwood, Elecraft, and FTdx Radio menus
- Fixed a few more minor bugs
Instructions for installing this version can be found in the Operation Manual under the Update Firmware section.
Older versions of the firmware can be found in the Release Notes at the bottom of this page.
Download the latest CTR2-Micro firmware here. Older versions can be found below in the Revisions section.
NOTE: If the Download button doesn’t appear, click the hyperlinked file name to download the zip file.
The latest firmware for CTR2-Micro is posted here. Click the link to download it then follow the instructions in the Updating Firmware in the CTR2-Micro Operation Manual to upload it to your Micro.
If you’re a Windows user you can download the Flash Downloader program referenced in the Updating Firmware section of the manual for Windows users to update your Micro’s firmware.
If you’re a Linux or Mac user, download the following script and follow the instructions in the Updating Firmware section for Linux and Mac users. I’d like to thank Lou, KI5FTY, for creating this script.
NOTE: This script is now included in the firmware update zip file above.
Change Log
v1.03.03: December 2, 2023 – Improved Flex Network CW timing & Tx Monitor Level
- Optimized the network CW timing code for the Flex radio to eliminate random delays
- Added a Tx Monitor Level option to the Kenwood, Elecraft, and FTdx Radio menus
- Fixed a few more minor bugs
v1.03.02: November 30, 2023 – Improved web server and serial CAT polling
- Optimized the web server and blocked browser caching as much as possible – pages now update faster and stale pages are updated with current data
- Optimized serial CAT polling – commands that don’t respond are now hidden on the Radio menu
- Added new section to the manual describing the setup for using Flex network keying
- Fixed a bug that was resetting the keyer type to Iambic-B when you edited a text field
- Added an expanded NET rigCtl menu and optimized rigCtl support
v1.03.01: November 24, 2023 – Critical Bug Fix – Recommended for all users
All versions of CTR2-Micro firmware prior to this release have a critical bug that allows the Code Report to key the radio if Tx is Enabled and the Code Report is enabled. It is highly recommended that all users upgrade to this version if you are using the Code Report option.
This version also streamlines many of the coder reports per suggestions from users.
- ‘T’ is used in place of ‘long-T’ to report 0’s in frequency code reports
- ‘R’ is used in place of ‘.’ in frequency code reports
- ‘BT’ is used in place of comma ‘,’ to separate terms in the code reports
v1.03.00: November 18, 2023 – New Beacon mode
This update adds a new Beacon mode to the Keyer menu. This mode allows you to use the Micro as a beacon controller when you’re not using it. Enter the frequency you want your beacon to operate on, the repeat interval, set you call and Maidenhead grid location, and up to four power levels to send.
I’ve also decide to move away from the “Release Candidate” notation. From here on out, the version # will consist of Major, Minor, and Sub version numbers.
- The Major number will stay at 1 unless I totally overhaul the firmware (unlikely)
- The Minor number will increment when I add a new feature or change functionality
- The Sub number will increment as bugs are fixed and small feature changes are made
I think this will give users a better understanding of the changes incorporated into each new version.
v1.02.00 RC3: November 10, 2023 – Web browser improvements and Kenwood protocol upgrades
This update provides an improved browser Home page along with new input forms for text and numerical data. You can now edit all of the parameters in the Micro from the browser.
Also, a new Keyboard Keyer option has been added to the browser Home page allowing you to input text strings to be transmitted by the Micro’s keyer. The Keyboard Keyer can be enabled or disabled using the Keyboard Kyr= option in the Keyer menu.
Finally, improvements have been made to the Kenwood protocol that allow it to now work with ANAN SDR radios from Apache Labs running in Kenwood mode.
v1.02.00 RC2: November 5, 2023 – Fixed timing issues in Tx message buffers
This update fixes the Tx message buffer timing issue introduced in v1.02.00 RC1. It also adds a new Server Lock/Unlock control in the WiFi menu that helps the web server in the Micro work with a wide range of browsers.
v1.02.00 RC1: November 4, 2023 – new web server, feature additions, and bug fixes
This update add a new web server to the Micro in addition to few new features and bug fixes
- The web server provides one-touch access to many of the Micro’s and your radio’s features. Just connect your Micro to your WiFi network and point your browser to the Micro’s IP address. The server works well with most browsers even the ones in older retired cell phones.
- A new Ctrl VFO feature has been added. When set to Ctrl VFO=A the two VFOs in the Micro work with your radio’s A VFO (as before). Set it to Ctrl VFO=A&B the Micro’s VFO-A still controls the radio’s VFO-A but VFO-B on the Micro now controls the radio’s B VFO.
- Added a new Menu Timeout Enable/Disable feature to the Calibrations menu. When Disabled the menus on the Micro won’t time out after 10 seconds and return to the Home page.
- Added a CW Tuning option to the Kenwood and Yaesu FTdx menus.
- Added additional radio Function Option slots increasing the number of programmable radio option slots (that can be programmed to the FKeys and MFBs from 13 to 16.
v1.01.00 RC3: October 23, 2023 – bug fixes and new features
This updates fixed a couple of Flex radio bugs and added an About… menu item. It also provides a sneak-peak at the new web server I’m working on.
- Bug: Not controlling CW BREAKIN on the Flex radio when the Transmit Inhibit is toggled. BREAKIN now follows the state of the transmit inhibit setting.
- Bug: Network keying on the Flex radio was poorly timed and intermittent. Reworked the code to resolve timing issues. Timing is much better now but is still sensitive to network delays.
- Bug: Erasing a Tx Message leaves a space in that buffer. This was being seen by the Tx Msg menu as a valid message.
- Added a new About… menu item to the Main menu to display the firmware version and helpful web sites.
- Started working on a web server. You can try it by connecting to your browser to the Micro’s IP address using HTTP:// (it will not be a secure server). Only the frequency and mode are currently tracked. I’ll be refining this feature over the next month or so.
v1.01.00 RC2: October 20, 2023 – bug fixes and other improvements
This update fixes a couple of major bugs that were in v1.01.00 RC1 and adds a few more features.
- A bug that blocked editing empty Tx Message buffers has been fixed.
- A bug that prevented controlling the B VFO on Kenwood radios has been fixed. Also, many improvements have been made in how the program handles Main and Sub receivers and controlling the A and B VFOs on the radio. The Radio->RX=Main/Sub and VFO->Ctrl VFO A/A&B features are now mutually exclusive.
- The Micro has been tested on the Anan radios and it is now functional. Set your Anan to use the Kenwood protocol and use the VFO->Ctrl VFO A & B setting to control each VFO. Do not use the Radio->RX=SUB option.
- Added many shortcut keys to control commonly used features. Example, Ctrl+a now toggles the VFOs, Ctrl+z zeros the digits below the tuning digit, Ctrl+p opens the Previous Freq/Mode menu. For a list of all shortcut keys see the Shortcut Keys section in the Operations Manual.
- Added a VOX control to the Flex radio menu.
- Removed the Rx Ant and Tx Ant options from the Flex function button option list and replaced them with Slice and VOX.
v1.01.00 RC1: October 14, 2023 – new features and UI improvements
- Removed Split from the VFO options and added a new VFO Control option that allows you to control the radio’s B VFO with the Micro’s B VFO. Normally both VFOs on the Micro control the radio’s A VFO.
- Added a new Radio Profile option. You can now create profiles for up to 10 radios. Each profile contains all of the settings for that radio including the favorite frequency list. Multiple profiles can be used with the same radio.
- Added a Shared Database that contains a favorite frequency list that is accessible from any Radio Profile.
- Added short beeps to multi-function button presses that notify you which button is pressed and when the long-press function is activated.
- Blocked access to the menu system if the Micro is operating standalone with no terminal display and the Code Report is muted. This is indicated by flashing the LED and sounding 8 fast Dits. This keeps you from changing menu items without know it. You can override this block by long-pressing the encoder to enable the Code Report.
- Added the ability to lock a previous frequency to keep it at the top of the Previous Freq/Mode list.
- Changed the way the text editor works. It now deletes any text past the edit cursor.
- Reworked the Flex initialization code. The Micro won’t automatically create a new panadapter if none exist. You need to either create a panadapter using SmartSDR or set Pan=CREATE in the Flex menu before selecting the slice. New slices will automatically be added to the existing panadapter unless you’ve set Pan=CREATE before creating them.
v1.00.01 – October 6, 2023: Function option changes
- Added TxMsg1 to TxMsg5 to the Function Options so you can program the MFBs for these functions.
- Fixed timing issues with the MFBs – they respond faster now
v1.00.00 – September 30, 2023: Initial Release
This is the initial CTR2-Micro firmware release. It was in installed on all assembled units in the first production run.