CTR2-Micro (herein referred to as the Micro) is a fourth generation CTR2 radio controller. In this iteration every effort has been made to reduce the size, complexity, and cost of the unit. The end result is a small controller that almost anyone can afford, fits in your pocket, and includes more features than CTR2-Mini. The Micro supports all of the radios (including the Flex 6000 series radios) found in the Mini for not much more than the Seeed Studios Wio Terminal that is used on the CTR2-Mini.

The Micro supports several accessibility options for blind and sight limited radio operators including a line item text report to a terminal display for screen readers and support for CTR2-Voice, a new standalone voice synthesizer that allows anyone to control the Micro and their radio without a display.

The Micro is available in two forms.

1. Kit: A complete kit of components to build your Micro. The kit includes everything you need to assemble the unit including a CNC machined enclosure, labels, and a nice aluminum knob with a finger dimple. The Micro is extremely easy to build and would make a great club build project.

2. Fully assembled: If you don’t want to, or can’t build a kit I can build it for you for a reasonable cost.

Legal Notice

What would a manual be without a legal notice? Here goes…

· This is a hobby endeavor, not a commercial enterprise. Nothing is guaranteed! Use this device at your own risk!

· I will do my best to make sure you receive functioning hardware if you buy the assembled unit and will work with you if there is a problem with your unit on arrival.

· I cannot guarantee or warranty the hardware supplied in the kit.

· I make no warranty that the firmware provided for the Micro will perform up to your expectations or be suitable for your application. Software bugs are a fact of life and I try to find and correct all bug reports to the best of my ability ASAP.

· Many of the features in the firmware are experimental. If you find a problem with any of them let me know.

· International shipping can be risky. I use USPS to ship because it is 75% cheaper than Fed Ex or UPS. USPS International First Class doesn’t provide package tracking once it leaves the US and I have had a couple of shipments disappear, never to seen again.

How to use this manual

This manual should be used as a reference manual. An expanded Help system if you will. Items in the Table of Contents link to their write up in the manual. The main categories have short write ups describing the functions available in that section. I’ve tried to group things logically and have added hyperlinks so you can quickly jump to other sections.

As this document evolves, sections that have changed since the last update will be highlighted in yellow.

The version number of this manual will follow the latest released version number of the firmware.

Feel free to contact me if you have question about a certain feature or have ideas for future improvements. I love to get feedback on my work. My email address is good on QRZ.com.

Change Log

v1.06.02 – October 7, 2024

· Fixed the NET rigCtl protocol so it works with sBitx radios now.

· Fixed timing in keyer Iambic-B mode – wasn’t inserting extra element properly

· Debugged Thetis and piHDR protocols

· Don’t turn Tx Enable off when switching between slices or in Split mode on Flex

· Added some minor enhancements for CTR2-Voice support

v1.06.01 – April 24, 2024

· Fixed bug that blocked changing how CTR2-Voice pronounces numbers until a power cycle

· Reformatted Help text so it appears properly on Putty terminal sessions

· Added the Operation with N1MM Logger+ section

v1.06.00 – April 9, 2024

· Added Appendix I describing how to connect to other programs such as Thetis, piHPSDR, and wfview

v1.06.00 – April 8, 2024

· Added the Thetis and piHPSDR protocols

· Re-ordered the CAT menu into alphabetical order

· Renamed the Yaesu FTdx CAT protocol to Yaesu FT since this protocol supports many of the FT models such as the FT-450, FT-710, and FT-991.

· Changed how the Report MFB works

o If a Report Type is selected and Report is muted pressing this button unmutes the report and reports the frequency and mode

§ The Report stays unmuted until you press Report again.

o If Report is unmuted with long-press on encoder or in the Configure -> Report menu this button plays the short report (freq, mode, tuning digit, Tx Enable status, and S-meter) and does not mute the report.

Changes to previous versions can be found in Appendix K.

The Micro Environment

The Micro is the newest member of the CTR2 radio control ecosystem.

Its primary design goals were to reduce the size, complexity, and cost of CTR2-Mini while providing an enhanced feature set.

The Micro gives up the built-in display of the Mini but in return it offers an extremely small (60x60x20mm) multi-function control that can serve multiple needs.

This drawing shows how the Micro interfaces to your station. It is powered by a USB-C connection to a USB port on your computer (or any other USB power source). A serial terminal program runs on the station computer and provides a display to configure the Micro for your needs. Once the WiFi link is configured you can use a network based Telnet terminal program or a web browser on your cell phone or tablet to view and control the Micro.

The Micro features a built-in keyer so your paddles plug into the left 3.5mm (1/8”) jack on the Micro. The right 3.5mm jack interfaces to the Key and PTT inputs of your radio. The Paddle PTT option in the Keyer menu allows you to use your paddles or a straight key to key PTT on your radio when using voice modes.

The center 3.5mm jack on the Micro connects to your radio’s serial CAT port. An external DIP switch or an internal jumper header is used to configure the CAT signal polarity.

The Micro was designed to run in standalone mode. It can provide frequency and mode updates in addition to menu navigation updates using Morse code or it can send unformatted text to a terminal program for a screen reader to announce. You can also use CTR2-Voice and CTR2-Display when operating standalone and CTR2-Voice can be setup as an access point so no external router is needed.

You can find more information about report modes in the Configure – Report Menu section. A full description of the menu system can be found in Appendix G: Menu Structure.

A full text description of the Micro’s hardware can be found in Appendix H: Accessibility.

The Micro’s small size and ruggedness means you can find a place for it on the busiest operator desk and easily take it with you for POTA operations.

Works with Flex

Using the Micro on a Flex radio couldn’t be easier. The Micro supports the Flex Network API for radio control (CAT). It primarily functions is a physical tuning knob but has the ability to send Key and PTT over the network so it makes and ideal companion for SmartSDR for Windows or iOS on an Apple device.

You can even deploy multiple Micros on your Flex with each controlling a different slice receiver, or each having a dedicated function like volume, AGC-T, Power Out, NR, etc.

If you have another radio that uses serial CAT you can create separate Radio Profiles for each radio and instantly switch between the Flex and the other radio. You can even create a profile for each slice on your Flex radio.

Remote Flex Operation

Many users control their remote Flex radio with the Micro. While the Micro doesn’t support SmartLink you can forward port 4992 through your station’s router to connect to your radio from the internet. The Micro supports network control of both PTT and Key functions on your radio so you can use the Micro and a set of paddles for CW and for keying PTT when the Keyer->Paddle PTT option is enabled.

This is a security risk because port 4992 is open to anyone that wants to use it. To minimize this risk it is recommended that you only forward this port when you want to connect to your radio. This can be achieve by using a VPN to access your router remotely or by using a program such as SplashTop to connect a remote computer to your station’s computer. Running SmartSDR on your station’s computer and accessing it remotely has the added benefit of not requiring SmartLink to operate remotely.

Another option is to use an internet power switch to power down your radio when you aren’t using it. This eliminates any security risk of having port 4992 forwarded through your router because there’s not device to connect to.

One Controller, Many Radios

The Micro supports up to 10 radio profiles. You can create a profile for every radio in your shack and use the Micro to control each of them. With serial based CAT controlled radios, I recommend ordering OPTION2B, the external DIP switch for CAT polarity configuration shown in the diagram below. This allows you to change the CAT polarity without opening the case when changing radios. This diagram shows how to use 4-port 3.5mm (1/8”) stereo switch boxes to route the CAT and PTT/Key signals to each radio. Blue cables are CAT cables and green cables are PTT/Key cables. Cables are identified by part #. You can build them yourself or order them from the Radio Interface Cables page.

Micro Hardware

The Micro is based on the Seeed Studios Xiao ESP32C3 microcontroller. This tiny processor supports all of the Micro’s I/O and includes WiFi. The Micro includes a radio I/O circuit that supports TTL (Normal), Inverted (RS232), and Icom CI-V CAT levels. Three 3.5mm (1/8”) stereo jacks across the top of the Micro provide connections for your paddles, radio CAT I/O, and Key/PTT. The WiFi antenna is under the PCB. Even though it’s compact, it’s easy to build because all for the SMT components are pre-installed and the through-hole components all mount on the top of the PCB.

Operator controls include a rotary encoder and three small pushbuttons. These are programmable multi-function buttons and they are referred to as MFB1, MFB2, and MFB3. MFB1 and MFB2 are grouped together at the bottom left and MFB3 is by itself at the top left. The sidetone volume can be changed by inserting a small screwdriver into the hole in the bottom right corner of the unit.

If you ordered the external DIP switch option the DIP switch is found on the bottom edge of the unit next to the volume control. Instructions for setting the DIP switches (or internal CAT strapping) can be found here.

For those that has limited sight, a full description of the Micro can be found in Appendix H.

An LED provides a visual indication of Micro’s state as shown in the table below.

Flash Sequence		Meaning
Single flash – WiFi is Off	2 second rate	Tx interlock DISABLED
	1 second rate	Tx interlock ENABLED
	.25 second rate	Radio is KEYED
Double flash – WiFi is On	2 second rate	Tx interlock DISABLED
	1 second rate	Tx interlock is ENABLED
	.25 second rate	Radio is KEYED

You’ll need interface cables to connect the CAT I/O and Key/PTT outputs to your radio. You can either build your own or I can supply them. My blog has the information you’ll need on cable options. Cable diagrams can be found in Appendix J.

Where’s the Display?

There is no display on the Micro. This saves a lot of money and allows the unit to be much smaller. It also makes the Micro pretty rugged. The entire controller fits in an inexpensive 60mm x 60mm x 20mm (2-3/8” x 2-3/8” x 7/8”) snap together Hammond enclosure.

There are several methods for interacting with the Micro including terminal mode, web page, or Code, Voice, or Print reports. To initially configure the Micro you’ll need to connect it to your computer’s USB port and use a serial terminal program such as Tera Term or Putty. See Appendix D for information on Tera Term and Appendix E for information on Putty. Once you have the WiFi port configured you can use Putty or a web browser to connect to the Micro over the network with your cell phone or tablet. Better yet, redeploy that old cell phone that’s been sitting in your sock drawer since your last phone upgrade as a permanent display.

Morse to the Rescue!

Once configured, a display isn’t required for the Micro for simple functions like tuning your radio, setting the tuning step, or adjusting the keyer’s speed. For more advanced functions the Micro has the unique ability to communicate with you using Morse code. There are several levels of code reporting that can be enabled that send frequency, tuning step, radio mode, menu, and setting information. Even if you’re not currently proficient with code, you’ll find this is a great incentive to improve your code skills. Because the code report runs at a minimum of 15 wpm (with adjustable spacing down to 5 wpm) you’ll quickly increase your code speed and proficiency. Besides, what could be more ‘ham radio’ than a radio interface that you can build yourself and talks to you in code!

Screen Reader Support

Blind and limited sight operators typically rely on screen readers such a Microsoft Navigator or NVDA to read the text on the display. While these work well, they can be a problem on busy displays or on displays that update frequently. The Micro provides a Text Report mode that sends a single line of text to the terminal to optimize screen reader output. For example, when you change the frequency on your radio with either the Micro’s encoder or the radio’s dial, the new frequency will be sent to the terminal for the screen reader to announce. In this mode, when you open a menu the entire menu is not displayed, only the menu’s name and the selected menu item will be sent to the terminal. The new line appears at the bottom of the terminal window and previous lines move up the page, similar to how a command line interface works.

NOTE: While in Text Report mode think of your screen reader as just a speech synthesizer. There is no need to navigate around the screen. Just keep the terminal program in focus.

Once you understand the menu structure of the Micro you’ll be able to easily navigate around the program using the screen reader. A complete listing of all the Micro’s menus can be found in Appendix G: Menu Structure.

If you get lost at any time just press the [F1] key and a help screen will be displayed with a description of the current state of the program.

Voice Synthesizer and Remote Display Support

CTR2-Voice and CTR2-Display have recently been added to the CTR2 product line. CTR2-Voice can be used instead of using a screen reader. CTR2-Voice announces radio parameters as they change and selected menu items when you have a menu open. CTR2-Voice could be used in a mobile situation where you need to keep your eyes on the road. CTR2-Display is a software solution that runs on a Seeed Studios Wio Terminal. It simply displays the text that would be sent to CTR2-Voice. Both units connect to the Micro using WiFi UDP and can be used at the same time by selecting Display+Voice in the Configure -> Report -> Report Type menu.

See Appendix H for more information on accessibility.

Options

There are four options that allow you to personalize your Micro to fit your needs.

Rotary Encoder Options (OPTION1A or OPTION1B)

Rotary encoders come in two styles, smooth and with detents. Most prefer smooth encoders for tuning radios and detent encoders for volume controls and the like. The Micro does both, so you can order either style. I recommend going with Option1A, the detent encoder, especially if you plan on using the Micro without a display (i.e. in Morse reporting modes). When running without a display you’ll get very familiar with the menu structure and a detent encoder makes it much easier to ‘count’ the tuning steps or menu items using the ‘detent bumps’ in the encoder.

A smooth encoder (no-detents) will be supplied if you order Option1B. With the smooth encoder you’ll need to change the Encoder Type to No-Detent (slow) in the
Config->Calibrations menu. This change slows the encoder down by ½ while you’re in the menu system so it’s easier to select a menu. The smooth encoder is great if you plan on using a display with your Micro.

Some have asked why an optical encoder isn’t offered as an option. Quite simply, it is due to the cost of the optical encoder. You can easily spend more for the encoder that you pay for the Micro kit so it just doesn’t make sense for this device.

CAT Polarity Strapping Options (OPTION2A or OPTION2B)

Option2A specifies an internal 16-pin dual-row header with jumpers to configure the serial CAT polarity. This provides the cleanest exterior but requires the Micro to be disassembled to change the jumpers.

Option2B, shown here, replaces this header with an externally accessible 8-position DIP switch. The DIP switch allows you to change the CAT polarity without opening the Micro’s case. I recommend ordering the DIP switch option if you have several radios that use different CAT configurations and you want to use Radio Profiles as shown here. If you’re a Flex user, have only one radio, or all of your radios use the same CAT configuration you don’t need the DIP switch option.

Instructions for setting the DIP switches, or internal headers, for the proper CAT polarity can be found in the CAT Polarity Jumpers/DIP Switch Settings section.

NOTE: Regardless of which jumper option you choose you should always configure the serial CAT port jumpers/switches for one of the polarity options to provide the required pull-up voltages to the processor’s input pins.

Micro Features

Even though it’s called a Micro, there is nothing small about its feature set. At its core, the Micro is a radio controller with an integrated keyer. It does almost everything its larger sibling, CTR2-Mini, does but at a greatly reduce price.

If all you want is a remote tuning knob for your radio (especially if you have a Flex radio or other SDR radio), or a memory keyer, just configure the Micro once, set it on your desk, and just use it without a display. See the Standalone Configurations section for a few suggestions.

But if that’s all you use your Micro for, you’re missing the fun! The Micro offers many other features including:

· It can control a wide variety of radios using serial or IP CAT including Flex, Anan or Hermes Lite 2 (using Thetis or phHPSDR protocols), most Icoms, Kenwoods, newer model Yaesu radios in the FTdx line (and other Yaesu models running the Kenwood protocol), Yaesu FT-817 and FT-100, Elecraft, Xiegu, QCX, and even the trusty old Icom PCR1000.

· Flex users can use one Micro for each slice on their radio , each with its own settings and favorite frequency list – even for SmartSDR v2 users

· The Code Report sends radio settings changes, and menu item text in code for standalone operation – great for blind or limited sight operators or those wishing to increase their code proficiency

· The Text Report leverages the Code Report features to provide enhanced support for screen readers

· The Voice Report sends program status and radio parameters to CTR2-Voice, a WiFi speech synthesizer, allowing blind and sight limited users to control the Micro and their radios

· Easy frequency tuning resolution setting – just press and hold then turn the encoder to change

· Two VFOs even on radios with only one VFO (like the Flex) or on dual-receivers (like the FTdx101)

· Control A VFO and B VFO on your radio with the Micro’s VFO-A and VFO-B. Instantly switch between the two, or use both of the Micro’s VFO’s on your radio’s A VFO.

· 10 radio profiles allow you to save settings for different radios and instantly recall them.

· 100 favorite frequencies/mode settings for each VFO and MFB settings are saved in each radio profile

· A shared frequency/mode database that is accessible from any radio profile.

· Memory tuning makes it easy to check the frequencies in your favorite frequency list

· Range tuning allows you to stay within the contest or satellite transponder range

· The last 25 frequencies/modes you visited can be instantly recalled. You can also lock previously visited frequencies so they remain on the Previous Frequency list.

· Zeroing the digits below the tuning digit makes it easy to get on an exact frequency

· Receive Incremental Tuning (RIT) on radios that support it

· Easy access to many radio functions – assign them to the FKeys on your keyboard or the MFBs

· Commonly used menus and features are assigned to Shortcut keys for easy access

· External tuner mode (automatically sets power and mode for an external tuner then resets it when you’re done)

· Fourteen 75 character CW messages with prosigns for inserting your call, contact serial #, contest exchange, a long ‘T’ for 0, or temporarily increasing speed 50% for those 599 reports. 10 messages are permanently assigned to the terminal keyboard’s FKeys, 5 messages can be assigned to the MFBs on the Micro.

· Prosigns based on the K1EL v3.0 standard

· Code Practice mode sends random character groups, calls, and Q-signals using the Koch method

· Control of your radio over the internet from your PC, cell phone, tablet, a CTR2-Mini, or another Micro

· 3^rd party programs are supported (WSJT-X, logging programs, etc) – the Micro emulates the Kenwood TS-2000 on its USB serial port. CAT PTT is supported so there is no need for another keying interface.

· Control your radio remotely using a terminal program or a web browser on your cell phone or tablet, or use another Micro or a CTR2-Mini connected to the CTR2-Micro in your shack

· Beacon control mode allows the Micro to be used as a browser enabled beacon controller when you’re not using it.

· Use the Paddle Input jack for a remote PTT switch in voice modes

· Use the Micro with CTR2-Display and/or CTR2-Voice for standalone operation

See Appendix A for an exhaustive list of features.

Out of the Box

When you receive your Micro you’ll need to provide a USB-A to USB-C cable to connect it to your PC. Some USB cables only support power and not data. Make sure you are using a data cable. If a new virtual serial port isn’t created on your PC when you plug the Micro in for the first time, you’re probably using a power-only USB cable.

Since the USB-C connector is on the side of the Micro consider using a cable with a 90 degree USB-C connector so the USB cable follows the same route as the other cables plugged into the Micro.

Assembled units and kits ordered after December 1, 2023 will have firmware pre-loaded on the processor. You should check for updated firmware here and periodically update your Micro so you can get the latest feature enhancements and bug fixes. Instructions for programming your Micro can be found in Appendix B: Updating the Firmware.

When you first connect your Micro you’ll need to initialize it. Instructions for this are contained in the Appendix C: First Time Configuration section.

Quick Start Guide

You’re probably eager to start using your Micro running after you’ve completed the First Time Configuration. This section will give you the basic methods of operation so you can start exploring the Micro’s features.

The Encoder Rules!

The Micro was designed to be operated with just the encoder. The multi-function buttons (described next) were added to give you quick access to the features you use the most. You’ll need to connect a Telnet terminal or web browser to you Micro in order to see the menus. You can find detailed information on doing this in Appendix C, D, and E. The web server is described in Appendix F.

The encoder was chosen as the main control for the Micro so you don’t have to have the Telnet terminal or web browser “in focus” on the PC in order to control your radio with the Micro. You can do everything you need to with just the encoder even while the terminal or web page is out of focus. You only need to bring the terminal or browser “in focus” to use the keyboard keyer or use the controls on the web page.

The encoder is used to change frequency, select the tuning digit, navigate the menu system, and edit text and numerical parameters. To change frequency, just turn the encoder. To change the tuning digit, just press and hold the encoder then turn it.

To open the menu system, quickly press and release the encoder (known as a “short-press”). Once the menu is open, turn the encoder to scroll the selection bar. Press the encoder to select an item on the menu or press and turn the encoder to the left to exit the menu.

These encoder functions can also be performed using the keyboard if you’ve connected your computer to the Micro with a Telnet terminal such as Tera Term or Putty. To change frequency, press the [Up] and [Down] cursor control keys. To change the frequency step, press the [Left] and [Right] cursor control keys. To open the menus just press the [Enter] key.

There are a host of shortcut keys and other keyboard function you can use in a terminal session. These are described in the Terminal Keyboard Controls section.

Other Features You Will Want to Know About

There are a few features you’ll want to access right away. They will be described here.

Menu Timeout

By default the Micro’s menus (with the exception of the Radio and Practice menus) timeout and return to the Home page after 10 seconds. This helps keep you from getting lost in the menus. You may want to disable this while you’re learning the Micro’s menu structure. Disable it in the Config->Calibration->Menu Timeout menu item.

Radio CAT, Baud Rate, and CAT Polarity

You need to tell the Micro which radio you will be using it with. This is done in the Config->CAT menu. If your radio uses serial CAT control do the following:

· Open the Config->Connection menu and select the baud rate your radio is set up to use.

· Verify the CAT polarity strapping is correct on your Micro. If you ordered the external DIP switch, set the DIP switches to match the polarity your radio uses. You can select Normal (TTL) levels (switches 1, 2, and 3 ON/Up), Inverted (RS232) levels (switches 4, 5, 6, and 7 ON/Up), or Icom CI-V (switches 1, 2, 3, and 8 ON/Up). Switches are numbered from the left. If you didn’t order the external DIP switch option you’ll need to open the Micro’s case and change the internal straps. I generally set the internal straps on assembled units to Inverted (RS232) unless you specify another setting. Strapping should be marked on the white label on the bottom.

· Connect the appropriate CAT cable to the CAT I/O jack (center 3.5mm (1/8”) jack) on the top edge of the Micro.

NOTE: Even if you don’t plan on using serial CAT to connect to your radio the CAT the polarity jumpers must be set to one of the polarities shown on the bottom sticker in order to provide the proper pull-ups for the microprocessor’s input pins.

WiFi Setup

If you’ll be using the Micro with an IP based radio like the Flex, you’ll want to get the Micro connected to your WiFi network.

· Select the Flex radio protocol at Config->CAT->Flex

· Set the address of your radio in the Config->Connection->IP Adrs menu. Your radio’s IP address can be found in SmartSDR on the Settings…->Radio Setup->Network tab.

· Set the IP port # for your radio in the Config->Connection->IP Port menu. The default IP port for the Flex is 4992.

· Open the Config->WiFi menu and enter your router’s SSID and password then select Connect WiFi. After about 5 seconds you should be connected to your radio.

· You can connect to other radios or programs (like Thetis) that support IP CAT control. Just enter the correct IP address and IP port # in the Config->Connection menu.

Multi-Function Buttons

The terminal’s FKeys and the Micro’s MFBs are initialized with the settings found in the Terminal Keyboard Controls and Multi-Function Buttons sections. You can modify these settings in the Quick Key->Configure menu.

Each MFB supports two functions. These are accessed using a short-press (< 1 second) for the first function and a long-press (> 1 second) for the second function.

With the default settings applied to the MFBs, the Micro can be used in standalone mode out of the box as shown in the table below. (The buttons are listed as they are laid out on the Micro.) You will need to open a terminal session or web browser to change the MFB functions (long-press MFB1).

Button	Short-press Function	Long-Press Function
MFB3	Zero the digits below the Tuning Digit	Toggle the Tx Interlock

MFB2	S-meter report	Open Previous Frequency list
MFB1	Report – see note below	Help (same as F1 on terminal keyboard) Plays the Full Report when on the Home page and the report is unmuted. Short-press MFB1 to cancel.

NOTE: The Report MFB functions as follows:

· If a Report Type has been selected and the report is Muted, pressing Report will temporarily unmute the report and output the short report. The report stays unmuted until you press the Report MFB again, or mute it by long-pressing the encoder.

· If the report is Unmuted pressing the Report MFB just outputs the short report.

Display Options

The primary method of interacting with the Micro is with the encoder and three multi-function buttons (MFBs). To ‘see’ what you’re changing with these controls you need to connect the Micro to a terminal program or a web browser to display the various screens the Micro generates.

I use Putty and Tera Term for Windows for the Telnet terminal. Putty is available for Linux and Mac. For iOS and Android, use Google to find one that works for you. The Micro contains a web server so most browsers can connect to it. When using the Telnet terminal you’ll want to set the baud rate to at least 115.2k.

Instructions for connecting to the Micro to a Telnet terminal program can be found in Appendix D and E. Once you’re connected, you will be presented with a title page. Press any key to open the Home page.

When using a web browser, connect your Micro to your network using WiFi then enter the Micro’s IP address in the browser’s address bar. You may need to preface it with HTTP:// if your browser tries to find a secure address (HTTPS://). The web server in the Micro does not use encryption.

Standalone Configurations

Most Micro users (especially Flex users) will probably just want to use the Micro as a remote tuning knob for their radio with no display. While the Micro can do much more than this, it will be perfectly happy to serve in this roll. But there’s no reason you can’t set the multi-function buttons (MFBs) to add additional functionality to your remote knob.

I’ve put together a few configuration examples to get you started. These should give you a feel for what’s available. You’ll need to use a terminal program to map Function Button Options to the three MFBs on the Micro. You can map three short-press functions and two long-press functions. Explore the Micro’s options and come up with settings that work for you. Let me know what combinations you find most useful and I’ll add them here.

FKey and MFB configurations are stored in the Radio Profile. There’s no reason you can’t have several profiles set up for the same radio with different FKey and MFB settings for each profile.

CW Speedster

For CW operators that just want their Micro to be a memory keyer. Edit each transmit message for your needs then assign them to the MFBs

· Set MFB1 short-press to Speed

· Set MFB2 short-press to RIT (if your radio supports it)

· Set MFB3 short-press to TxMsg2 to send buffer #2

· Set MFB1 long-press to Help

· Set MFB2 long-press to TxMsg3 to send buffer #3

· Set MFB3 long-press to TxMsg4 to send buffer #4

FT Deluxe

For Yaesu FT owners that hate digging into the menu system to find controls they use all the time:

· Set MFB1 short-press to Tx Power

· Set MFB2 short-press to Pan Level (adjusts panadapter gain)

· Set MFB3 short-press to External Tuner (if you use an external tuner)

· Set MFB2 long-press to Swap A/B to swap the Micro’s A/B VFOs

· Set MFB3 long-press to RX M/S to toggle control to the Main or Sub receiver

PCR1000 Deluxe

For Icom PCR-1000 owners that just want a basic controller for their blank faced radio:

· Set MFB1 short-press to Volume

· Set MFB2 short-press to Squelch

· Set MFB3 short-press to NR (Noise Reduction)

· Set MFB3 long-press to toggle Tx Enable – this is the power control on the radio

Flex-ible Options

Here are a couple of options for Flex users. You can connect two Micros to your Flex at the same time and have one set up for Flex Deluxe 1 and one setup for Flex Deluxe 2 on one slice. Or have one Micro setup to control Slice A and one to control Slice B. If you have a radio with 8 slices you could have a Micro connected to each slice (at least in theory – I don’t have 6600 or 6700 so I’ve never tried it!) You can choose from any of the available function options for the Flex radio. Experiment with your options and see what works best for you.

Flex Deluxe 1

· Set MFB1 short-press to Volume

· Set MFB2 short-press to ACG-T

· Set MFB3 short-press to Gain (RF)

· Set MFB2 long-press to ATU if you have an internal tuner

· Set MFB3 long-press to xTune if you have an external tuner

Flex Deluxe 2

· Set MFB1 short-press to NR Level (Noise Reduction)

· Set MFB2 short-press to ANF/APF (Automatic Notch Filter for SSB, Automatic Peaking Filter for CW)

· Set MFB3 short-press to AGC-T, AGC Threshold

· Set MFB2 long-press to NB, Noise Blanker

· Set MFB3 long-press to Gain to control the RF gain

Power Up Options

You can set any function option as the Power Up option. When Power Up is set the Micro goes directly to that mode when you apply power. For instance, if you select Volume as the power up mode, the Micro will boot with the volume setting of your radio in the value editor. Just turn the encoder to change your radio’s volume

You should also set the same setting in one of the MFB short-press events.

Home Page – Telnet Terminal

When connected with a terminal program, the Home page is the base operating location for the Micro. Think of it as the radio control panel. Here, turning the encoder changes the radio’s frequency by the selected frequency step (i.e. the highlighted digits in the frequency display). To change the frequency step, press and hold the encoder then turn it. One highlighted digit means that the encoder changes that digit. Two highlighted digits means that the encoder tunes ½ of the left digit. For example, if the 1 KHz and 100 Hz digits are highlighted the tuning step is 500 Hz.

If your radio supports reading the S-meter over CAT an S-meter graph will be displayed on the second line of the Home page. In this example the S-meter is reading 10dB over S9. The S-meter is not supported in the browser.

To change other parameters on the radio or in the Micro configuration, press the encoder or the [Enter] key to open the Micro’s menu system. It will begin at the Main menu. You can also press and hold the Ctrl key then press the first letter if any of the menus in the Main menu to jump directly to that menu.

NOTE: The Micro will reboot when the terminal connection is shut down. If you want WiFi active in standalone mode (no terminal connected) enable Auto Connect in the WiFi menu.

The terminal displays will be used throughout this manual. The browser displays are similar and mostly have the same functions.

Home Page – Web Browser

As of v1.02.00 the Micro includes a built-in web server that is described in Appendix F. The Home page on the server has more controls and detail than the Home page on the terminal program. These controls give you instant access to many of the Micro’s and radio’s features.

To use the browser interface, first connect your Micro to your network with WiFi. Next, enter your Micro’s IP address in your browser’s address bar. The Micro’s IP address can be found on the WiFi menu or in the Main->About… menu.

The current version of the web server is fully functional and works just like the terminal program, but it has one limitation: There is no support for menu hotkeys.

Common Controls

Terminal Keyboard Controls

When the Home page is displayed you can use the Micro as a keyboard keyer if it is enabled. Just start typing characters on the keyboard and press [Enter] to send them. You can create another string of characters as the Micro sends the current string. Enable the transmitter interlock (press [Home] to toggle) if you want to transmit over the air, or disable it to use the Micro for code practice.

NOTE: In order to use the keyboard keyer feature, or control the Micro using the terminal keyboard, the terminal program must be in focus on your PC (i.e. it must be the active window). You can control the Micro using the encoder and MFBs while the terminal is not in focus on your PC.

Terminal Key Functions

The following functions are only available on the terminal interface.

Key	Page	Function
Enter	All	Home page: opens the Menu system, other pages: execute the selected item. Pressing the encoder does the same.
Esc	All	Home page: deletes the Tx message being sent. Menus: Exits the current menu and returns to the Home page. Editors: Returns to the calling menu or to the Home page.
Up Arrow	Home	Increments frequency by the tuning digit
	Menu	Moves up to the next menu item
	Text Editor	Increments the current character
	Value Editor	Increments the current value by 1
Down Arrow	Home	Decrements frequency by the tuning digit
	Menu	Moves down to the next menu item
	Text Editor	Decrements the current character
	Value Editor	Decrements the current value by 1
Left Arrow	Home	Increments the tuning digit
	Menu	Return to the previous menu
	Text Editor	Move to the previous character
	Value Editor	Increments the current value by 1
Right Arrow	Home	Decrements the tuning digit
	Menu	Move to the sub menu if there is one – same as pressing [Enter]
	Text Editor	Move to the next character
	Value Editor	Decrements the current value by 1
F1	All	Opens the Help page for the selected item
F2-F7	Home	Executes the function programmed for these keys. See the Quick Key Configuration topic.

F8	Home	Sends the #1 Tx message – this buffer always holds the last message buffer sent
F9	Home	Sends the #2 Tx message
F10	Home	Sends your call sign (if it is set in the Keyer menu)
F11	Home	Sends and increments the Contact Serial Number
F12	Home	Sends the Contest Exchange (if it is set in the Keyer menu)
Key	Page	Function
Shift+F3 to Shift+F10	Home	Sends Tx message buffers #3 to #10
Insert	Home	Pause the Tx message if active
Delete	Home	Stop and delete the Tx message
Home	Home	Toggle Tx Enable (transmit interlock)
End	Home	Zero the digits below the tuning digit
Page Up	Home	Direct Frequency Entry
Page Up	Load/Save/ Rename Memory	Move to the previous page of memories
Page Down	Home	Toggle Key (in CW or CW-R mode) or PTT (in all other modes)
Page Down	Load/Save/ Rename Memory	Move to the next page of memories

Terminal Shortcut Keys

Many menus and features can be accessed directly from the Home page by using control keys when operating the Micro with a terminal program connected. To access these items, press and hold the Ctrl key then press the designated key. Most of the keys are mapped to the first character of the function they control so they’re easy to remember. The exceptions are Ctrl+a, Ctrl+o, and Ctrl+u. Shortcut keys are not available in the browser interface.

Ctrl+Key	Function
a	Swaps VFO-A and VFO-B
b	Opens the Band menu
c	Opens the Configuration menu
d	Opens the Direct Frequency Entry window
e	Opens the Edit Tx Message menu
f	Opens the Frequency menu
g	Plays the S-Meter Report if the Report is unmuted
i	Plays the Frequency, mode, tuning resolution, and transmit interlock Report
k	Opens the Keyer menu
l	Opens the Load from Memory menu
m	Opens the Main menu (same as [Enter])
o	Opens the Mode menu
p	Opens the Previous Frequency/Mode menu
q	Opens the Quick Key menu
r	Opens the Radio menu (if the selected radio supports it)
s	Opens the Save to Memory menu
t	Opens the Tx Message menu
u	Opens the Keyer Speed window
v	Opens the VFO menu
w	Opens the WiFi menu
z	Zero’s the digits below the tuning digit

HINT: You can use the control keys above and the menu hotkeys to quickly navigate to menu items. For example, pressing [Ctrl + k] [a] opens the Keyer Speed window. Pressing [Ctrl + d] [c] sets the radio’s mode to LSB. Once you are familiar with the Micro’s menu structure you’ll be able to easily manage the Micro and your radio from your keyboard.

Multi-Function Buttons

The three multi-function buttons (MFBs) to the left of the encoder have different functions depending on the Micro’s operating mode. They have programmable functions in the Home page and preset functions when a menu, text editor, or value editor is being displayed. Programmable functions can be set in the Quick Key Configuration menu.

Button Short-Press and Long-Press

A button ‘short-press’ is a button press and release within 1.5 seconds. A button ‘long-press’ is a button press and release after 1.5 seconds but before 5 seconds.

MFB Audio Feedback

When you press an MFB the buzzer will sound beeps correlating to the MFB #. One beep for MFB1, two for MFB2, and 3 for MFB3. Release the button when you hear the beep(s). If you hold the button past the short-press time period an additional longer beep will be sounded to indicate a long-press function will be executed on release. If you continue to hold the button for longer than 5 seconds another longer beep will be sounded to inform you that no function will be executed.

Btn	Home-Short Press	Home-Long Press	Menu-Short Press	Menu-Long Press
MFB3	Default: Zero Digits below Tuning Digi	Default: Toggle Tx Interlock	Play the current Menu Item if the Report is unmuted	Play the current Menu Item if the Report is unmuted

MFB2	Default: Report the S-meter value if reporting is unmuted.	Default: Open the Previous Frequency menu	Return to the previous menu*	Return to the Home page
MFB1	Default: Play the short report if reporting is unmuted	Default: Opens the Help window. Plays the Full Report in the Home page if reporting is unmuted	Return to the previous menu	Return to the Home page

NOTE: Buttons in the table above are listed the way they are laid out on the Micro with MFB3 on top.

* Toggles Tx Interlock when in the Radio menu

Standalone Menu Block

When the Micro is used without a display (no terminal or browser connected) access to the menu system is blocked unless a Report is unmuted and one of the menu report options are active. This prevents the operator from inadvertently changing menu settings without knowing it.

Pressing the encoder to open the main menu or a pressing an MFB that opens a menu will cause an error beep (the LED flashes and the buzzer sounds 8 fast Dits) to indicate the blockage. This occurs after the encoder or button is released.

To override the block and access the menu toggle the Code Report mute off by long-pressing the encoder (>2 seconds). This allows you to navigate the menu with code. Once you are finished using the menu, long-press the encoder again to mute the Code Report.

A couple of notes about menu blocking:

· This block is also applied to any multi-function button (MFB) that has been programmed to open a menu.

· Many functions do not open a menu when called from the MFB but they will try to bring a menu up after you’ve set the parameter’s value. This will cause an error beep mentioned above even though the function succeeded because the menu is ignored and the program returns to the Home page. This is normal.

Menu System

The Micro uses a menu structure very similar to the one employed in CTR2-Mini. The menu system provides a convenient way to interact with the Micro using either the encoder or the terminal keyboard. All configuration settings and many radio settings are done using the menus.

Accessing the Menu System

Accessing the menu system can be done in several ways. The two main methods are to press and release the encoder or press the [Enter] key in the terminal program. You can also jump straight to one of the menus on the Main Menu from the Home page by pressing and holding the [Ctrl] key then pressing the first letter of the desired menu. For instance, to open the Keyer menu, press Ctrl+k. Press Ctrl+c for the Config menu, etc. A complete list of short-keys can be found in the Shortcut Keys section. The full menu structure can be found in Appendix G: Menu Structure.

Menu Timeout

A menu timeout option can be enabled in the Config->Calibrations->Menu Timeout menu. The timeout timer helps if you get lost in a menu or forget to go ‘Home’, especially if you’re running the Micro without a display. To return to the Home page from any location press and hold the encoder and turn it LEFT. The text and value editors always stay active until you close them. This allows you to open a parameter and leave it open.

Menu Navigation

Once the menu is open use the encoder or [Up] and [Down] cursor keys on the keyboard to scroll the menu selection. Press the encoder or [Enter] to execute the selected item. You can also press the highlighted hotkey on the left of each entry to execute a menu item directly.

If these aren’t enough options, enable Keyer->Nav/Edit and you can use your paddles to key in the hotkey character to execute that item. With Reporting enabled you actually control the Micro (and your radio) with no display using just your paddles.

NOTE: To silence a running code report, quickly tap the Dah paddle or turn the encoder.

Some items will open a submenu. Others will open a text editor that allows you to edit a text field. Still others will open a value editor where you can change a value. Finally, some items just toggle the selected setting.

Text Editor

When a parameter is text base (i.e. the radio profile name, tag line, message buffers, etc) a simple text editor will open where you can edit that parameter. There are several ways to edit the text string. The easiest of course is with the terminal keyboard or browser interface. Just type in the new text or use the cursor left or right keys to move the character selection left or right. You can also use the encoder to edit characters. Press and turn the encoder to move the selection cursor to the left or right. Release the encoder then turn it to change the selected character. You can even use your paddles to enter text. To do this you must enable the Edit mode in the Keyer->Nav/Edit menu. There are special rules for using your paddle. They can be found here.

Moving to the left of the first character with the left cursor control key or the encoder in the terminal interface will exit the text editor without making any changes. This is the same as pressing the [Esc] key.

In the browser interface, edit text as you would in any web site. Your phone and tablet will display a virtual keyboard when you click on the text box. The edit cursor used in the terminal interface is not shown in the browser interface but turning the encoder will change the first letter of the text.

NOTE: Frequencies are entered in MHz. Enter only one period! When editing a frequency the available digits are limited to 0 to 9, period, and Space. Inserting [Space] for a digit truncates the frequency at that digit. If you don’t insert a [Space] all digits past the selected digit will be returned intact. This allows you to change just one or two digits in the frequency.

NOTE: When editing a frequency enter only one period to denote the MHz location.

Value Editor

When a parameter is numerical (i.e. keyer speed, sidetone frequency, etc.) the value editor will be displayed. The value in the editor is changed by either rotating the encoder or by using the cursor control keys on the terminal keyboard. You can also use your paddles to increment or decrement the value. To do this you have to enable the Edit mode in the Keyer->Nav/Edit menu. Like the text editor, there are special rules for using your paddle. They can be found here.

NOTE: The value editor in the terminal interface does not accept numerical keys from your keyboard. It was designed to use the encoder to change values.

NOTE: When using the browser interface edit the number as normal. Phone and tablet browsers will display a virtual keyboard when you click on the text box. You can turn the encoder to change the value displayed.

Menu Code Reports

When using the Code Report feature, the first five letters of the menu title are sent followed by a comma (,) when you first open a menu. This is followed by the hotkey then 1 to 4 characters, or all of the select menu item’s description. After the initial report only the hotkey and menu item is reported when you scroll the menu. This allows you to quickly identify which menu and menu item is selected when not using a display. Once you get use to the menus and their hotkeys you’ll be able to navigate quickly by listening for just the hotkey.

Context Sensitive Help

Context sensitive help is available for every menu item. Just select an item and press [F1]. Press [Esc] or turn the encoder to close the help window. By default, Help is assigned to long-press MFB1.

Main Menu

The Main Menu is the base menu. From here you can access the other menus that control the Micro.

As discussed in Menu Navigation there are various ways to access the items on menus. If you’re using a terminal program to display the menu you’ll need to have that program in focus on your PC for key strokes to be recognized by the Micro. This is also true if you want to use the keyboard keyer function.

You can access these menus directly from the Home page by using the Short cut keys. Short cut keys are not available on the web browser interface.

Each menu is described in this manual. You can jump to that section by clicking one of the names below.

Quick Keys Frequency VFO Band Mode Tx Msg Edit Tx Msg Keyer Config Radio

Quick Key Menu

This menu allows you to access the functions assigned to the terminal’s FKeys (F2 through F7) and the MFB short and long press functions. MFBs starting with `s’ are short-press functions. Those starting with `l’ are long-press functions.

Power Up Function

In addition, you can define a function that will run when you first power up the Micro. For instance you can set Power Up to Radio and the Micro will start in the Radio menu when booted up. With Code Reporting enabled you can run the Micro without a terminal display.

Selecting Configure opens the Quick Key Configuration Menu where you can change these settings.

Quick Key Configuration Menu

This menu is accessed from the Quick Key Menu above by selecting the Configure item.

To change a function assigned to one of these controls simply select it by pressing its hotkey or by scrolling to it and pressing the encoder or [Enter]. This will open one of the Function Options Menus.

NOTE: This menu looks like the Quick Key menu above. The only difference is there is no p Configure option.

Function Buttons Option Menus

There are two menus that contain functions available to the FKeys, MFBs, and Power Up. PG1 Function Option Menu contains functions that are available regardless of the radio you are controlling.

Press the F1 key or the MFB assigned to Help to open a help window describing the selected option.

The following functions are available when the report is unmuted.

· Report announces the current frequency, mode, tuning resolution, transmit interlock status, and S-meter.

· S-Mtr announces the current s-meter reading. It can also be used to cancel a running report.

· Help when pressed in the Home page plays the Full Report, in essence, it report the contents of the Home page. When Help is pressed in a menu it displays (or announces) the help screen for that menu item.

Report features are useful for blind or limited sight operators that have difficulty reading their radio’s displays or when operating the Micro in standalone mode with CTR2-Voice.

To navigate to Pg2 Function Option menu, press the Y hotkey or select More >. To exit this page without making changes, press Z, select Exit >, or just press MFB1. This will return you to the Quick Key Configuration Menu. Pressing [Esc] will return you to the Home page.

NOTE: Not all functions make sense for Power Up. For example, a function that toggles a parameter on and off like TxEnable, PTT, Key, etc. shouldn’t be used.

The left column of the Pg2 Function Option menu contains radio specific functions that vary depending on the selected radio and shortcuts to various menus. Hotkeys Y and Z, and [Esc] provide the same functionality as they do on Page 1.

The right column from hotkey q to x are used to set an FKey or MFB to open one of these menus.

Frequency Menu

The Frequency Menu provides access to the frequency options available on the Micro. These include direct frequency entry, zeroing the digits below the tuning digit, opening the Previous Freq/Mode menu, opening the RIT value editor, toggling the favorite frequency database, loading and saving VFO-A and VFO-B from/to memory, renaming or erasing a memory slot.

Many functions can be accessed using Ctrl+ keys. These are shown on the menu in the brackets [^_]

This menu can be accessed by pressing Ctrl+f in the Home page and it can be assigned to an FKey or MFB in the Quick Key Function Option menu using the Freq option.

Direct Frequency Entry

Selecting his item allows you to enter a frequency directly from the keyboard or by using the encoder to set each digit.

This option can be assigned to an FKey or MFB in the Quick Key Function Option menu using the Direct option. Ctrl+d is the shortcut for this function.

Zero Low Digits

Selecting this item zeros the digits below the tuning digit. This is helpful when you want to set an exact frequency.

This option can be assigned to an FKey or MFB in the Quick Key Function Option menu using the Zero option. Ctrl+z is the shortcut for this function.

Previous Frequency/Mode Menu

Selecting this option opens the Previous Freq/Mode menu. This menu displays the current frequency plus the last 25 frequencies you have visited. If you remain on a frequency for longer than 15 seconds it will be added to this list. This list is maintained through power cycles.

Scrolling to one of the entries on this list temporarily sets your radio to that frequency and mode. To stay on that frequency and mode press the encoder or [Enter]. Pressing MFB1 or [Esc] returns you to the original frequency and mode (as does hotkey A).

Pressing the hotkey for an entry on the list instantly takes you to that frequency and mode.

This menu can be assigned to an FKey or MFB in the Quick Key Function Option menu using the Prev option. Ctrl+p is the shortcut for this menu.

Lock Mode

You can lock one or more entries to keep them on the top of the list so they don’t scroll off. In effect, this becomes your quick list of favorite frequencies. To toggle the lock on an entry, press the MFB2 button on the Micro or the [Right] cursor control key on the terminal keyboard.

Locked frequencies have an asterisk next to the mode.

RIT

Selecting this item allows you to set the Receiver Increment Tuning (RIT) offset on your radio. To return to 0 Hz offset change the frequency of the radio or long-press the encoder when setting this value.

RIT xxxx will be displayed to the right of the frequency in the Home page when RIT is enabled.

NOTE: If your radio’s protocol doesn’t support RIT this option will not be visible.

This option can be assigned to an FKey or MFB in the Quick Key Function Option menu using the RIT option.

Database

This option allows you to choose between the selected Radio profile’s favorite frequency database and the Shared database.

The shared database is available to all radio profiles.

Load from Memory Menu

This option opens the favorite frequency list for the current active VFO. The list will contain entries from the selected database. You can select either the selected profile’s database or the shared database by changing the Database option.

Up to 100 frequencies can be saved to this list for each VFO.

Each memory slot holds the name of that memory, frequency, and mode. The memory name is displayed under the frequency on the Home page when you are tuned to that frequency.

Use the [Up] and [Down] arrow keys or the encoder to scroll to a memory slot. The [PgUp] and [PgDown] keys move to the next page. Press the encoder or [Enter] to load the selected memory into the active VFO and return to the Home page.

Both the A and B memory frequencies are displayed at the bottom of the list. The active VFO is highlighted. Press MFB2, the [Right] arrow key, or press and hold the encoder then turn it to the RIGHT to switch the active VFO.

This menu can be assigned to an FKey or MFB in the Quick Key Function Option menu using the M->V option. Ctrl+l is the shortcut for this function.

Save to Memory Menu

This option allows you to save the active VFO’s frequency and mode to the favorite frequency list in the selected Database. Navigation is the same as described above.

The frequencies in the active VFO’s list are displayed. To change the active VFO press MFB2, the [Right] arrow key, or press and hold the encoder then turn it to the RIGHT.

Once you save the frequency a text editor will open where you can edit or add a label for this memory slot.

This menu can be assigned to an FKey or MFB in the Quick Key Function Option menu using the V->M option. Ctrl+s is the shortcut for this function.

Rename/Erase Memory Menu

This option allows you to rename or erase a memory slot in the selected Database. The frequencies in the active VFO’s list are displayed. To change the active VFO press the [Right] cursor key or press and hold the encoder then turn it to the RIGHT.

To rename a memory slot just select it and press [Enter] or the encoder to edit it.

To erase (delete) a memory slot open it in the text editor then enter a [Space] character as the first character in the name. Erasing it will clear the name, frequency, and mode.

Report Frequency/Mode

This option reports the current VFO, frequency, mode, tuning resolution, transmit interlock state, and s-meter value when using the selected Report , This function can be programmed to one of the MFB functions.

VFO Menu

The VFO Mode and Options Menu gives you access to the five VFO modes and several options the Micro supports.

This menu can be accessed by pressing Ctrl+v in the Home page and it can be assigned to an FKey or MFB in the Quick Key Function Option menu using the VFO option.

VFO-A/VFO-B

The Micro supports two VFOs. They will be independent of the VFOs on the radio if the Ctrl VFO option is set to A. Select Ctrl VFO = A&B if you want the Micro’s VFO-B to control the B VFO on the radio.

Memory Tuning

This mode allows you to tune through the memories saved on the Micro using the encoder or cursor [Up] and [Down] keys. This is great if you’re looking for activity on a certain set of frequencies.

NOTE: The active VFO will be used as the memory source for Memory Tuning.

Range Tuning

This mode allows you to define a low and high frequency range tuning band. This is handy if you’re in a contest where you need to stay within a certain bandwidth, or if you’re tuning linear transponders on a satellite. To set the range, program a memory slot with the low frequency in VFO-A and the high frequency in VFO-B. Once you’d done this, simply select that memory location and enter Range Tuning mode.

The tuning range defaults to the selected band when a low/high range hasn’t been defined.

The following Options are available in the VFO menu:

Ctrl VFO

The Micro normally controls only the A VFO on your radio. This allows you to use the Micro’s two VFOs on radios that only have one, such as the Flex or dual-receiver radios like the FTdx101. Select VFO-A or VFO-B in the Micro’s VFO menu to switch which Micro VFO controls the radio’s A VFO.

You can override this by setting Ctrl VFO=A&B instead of Ctrl VFO=A. In this mode, selecting VFO-B on the Micro switches the radio to its B VFO. The Micro’s VFO-A still controls the radio’s A VFO. This is useful when operating your radio in split mode. The Micro automatically returns the radio to its A VFO when you return to Ctrl VFO=A.

This option can be assigned to an FKey or MFB in the Quick Key Function Option menu using the RVFO option.

NOTE: Not all radio protocols support controlling the A and B VFOs on the radio and some don’t switch the active VFO to the main display. The A&B mode isn’t available on dual-receiver radios. These receivers are controlled by selecting the Main or Sub receiver in the Radio menu, which can also be assigned to an FKey or MFB. You can use the Micro’s VFO-A and B on dual-receiver radios and Flex slices.

NOTE: The Icom and Xiegu CAT protocols don’t steer frequency commands to a specific VFO on the radio (like the Kenwood FA and FB commands do). Therefore, on these radios when the Micro is powered up it will force the radio’s VFO to the last radio VFO that was selected on the Micro before power down. This may override the VFO you may have selected manually.

VFO Lock

This option toggles the frequency/mode lock on the Micro. When locked, you can’t change either with the encoder or keyboard, but you CAN change them on the radio.

This option can be assigned to an FKey or MFB in the Quick Key Function Option menu using the Lock option.

Start Scan

Selecting this option starts scanning at the current frequency. The frequency increment is determined by the tuning digit. You can change the tuning digit during scan by pressing and turning the encoder. You can also change the direction of the scan by just turning the encoder to the left or right during scan. Clicking the encoder or any key on the terminal keyboard stops the scan.

This option can be assigned to an FKey or MFB in the Quick Key Function Option menu using the Scan option.

A to B

This option copies the Micro’s VFO-A frequency and mode to VFO-B. To reverse this action, select VFO-B then reload its original frequency from the Frequency->Previous Freq/Mode menu.

B to A

This option copies the Micro’s VFO-B frequency and mode to VFO-A. If VFO-B is open (i.e. not set), VFO-A frequency and mode will be copied to VFO-B. To reverse this action, select VFO-A then reload its original frequency from the Frequency->Previous Freq/Mode menu.

Swap A/B

This option switches the active VFO.

This option can be assigned to an FKey or MFB in the Quick Key Function Option menu using the SwapAB option. Ctrl+a is the shortcut for this function.

Band Menu

The Band Menu allows you to instantly jump to a band. The last frequency and mode on the previous band are saved in the band stacking register and will be restored when you return to that band.

This menu can be accessed by pressing Ctrl+b in the Home page and it can be assigned to an FKey or MFB in the Quick Key Function Option menu using the Band option.

Mode Menu

The Mode Menu allows you to select a mode for your radio.

NOTE: DigL and DigH modes are specific to the selected radio and may not map in the Micro correctly.

This menu can be accessed by pressing Ctrl+o in the Home page and it can be assigned to an FKey or MFB in the Quick Key Function Option menu using the Mode option.

The Other mode is displayed when you select an advanced mode on the radio that is not supported in the Micro.

There are also two special modes in this menu.

Tx Enable (Transmitter Interlock)

This option controls the transmitter interlock. When Tx Enable is OFF the PTT and KEY outputs on the Micro are disabled. This prevents inadvertent keying of your radio and allows you to use the Micro for code practice.

When using the Micro as a beacon controller, disabling Tx Enable (i.e. Tx Off) pauses the beacon. Re-enabling Tx Enable will cause the beacon to restart.

This option can be assigned to an FKey or MFB in the Quick Key Function Option menu using the TxEnable option.

External Tuner Mode

When you enter External Tuner mode the Micro saves the current power and mode on your radio then resets them to the power and mode you have chosen to tune your external tuner. Key the radio using the [Pg Down] key on the keyboard or by short-pressing MFB3 to toggle the Key latch. When you exit this mode the Micro restores your radio back to the original settings.

This option can be assigned to an FKey or MFB in the Quick Key Function Option menu using the xTuner option.

The following buttons and keys can be used to control External Tuner mode:

Key or MFB	Function
MFB3 or [Pg Down]	Latching output - Keys the radio on the first press, unkeys it on the second press. You can also touch the Dit paddle to unlatch the output. If CW is selected, KEY Out is active. If AM or FMn is selected, PTT Out is active. If any other mode is selected, mode switches to CW before key up.
MFB2 or [Home]	Toggles the transmit interlock
MFB1 or [Esc]	Restores normal operation and returns to the Home page
Dit Paddle	Non-latching – It acts like a straight key in that it keys KEY Out to the radio while held and unkeys when released. It also resets the Key or PTT latched output from MFB3 or [Pg Down] if it is active.

Key or MFB	Function
Up/Down Cursor Control keys	Increments or decrements the Tx Output Power
Left/Right Cursor Control keys	Decrement or increment the radio’s mode

NOTE: Your radio must support Tx power control via CAT for the power setting to work. If it doesn’t, you’ll need to manually adjust the power on your radio for your external tuner.

Tx Message Menu

The Tx Msg Menu allows you to select one of fourteen 75 character messages. Messages start transmitting immediately after selection. From the Home page you can easily send any message by pressing Ctrl+t to open this menu then press the hotkey of the message you want to send.

Only buffers that contain text will be displayed.

The first buffer always holds the last message sent. This allows you to repeat a contest exchange without incrementing the contact serial number.

You can embed CW prosigns in the buffer text. The information represented by the prosign will be sent when the keyer encounters the prosign.

This menu can be accessed by pressing Ctrl+t in the Home page and it can be assigned to an FKey or MFB in the Quick Key Function Option menu using the Tx Msg option.

NOTE: The transmit interlock must be enabled for messages to be transmitted by the radio.

Edit Tx Message Menu

The Edit Tx Message Menu allows you to edit each message buffer.

NOTE: The first message is the repeat buffer and always holds the last message sent. You can edit it here, but it will be overwritten by the next message.

This menu can be accessed by pressing Ctrl+e in the Home page and it can be assigned to an FKey or MFB in the Quick Key Function Option menu using the EdtMsg option.

Message Prosigns

Prosigns follow the K1EL keyer 3.0 standard and can be embedded in each message buffer. There are four special prosigns that send your call [^], Contact Serial Number [#], Contest Exchange [%], and toggle sending speed by 150% [*]. Your call, contact SN, and exchange can be edited in the Keyer menu. A “long-DAH” can be sent with the underscore character [_]. The table below contains the available prosigns and their Morse equivalents.

Prosign	Morse	Prosign	Morse	Prosign	Morse	Prosign	Morse
^	{Ur Call}	\	DN	[	AS	@	AC
#	{Serial#}	=	BT	( : ]	KN	“	RR
%	{Exchange}	-	DU	$	SX	‘	WG
*	{Speed}	+ <	AR	;	AA
_	Long DAH	>	SK	)	KK

Keyer Menu

The Keyer Menu gives you access to the various keyer settings and modes.

This menu can be accessed by pressing Ctrl+k in the Home page.

Speed

Adjust the keyer’s speed here. The spacing will match the speed as it’s changed.

This option can be assigned to an FKey or MFB in the Quick Key Function Option menu using the Speed option. Ctrl+u is the shortcut for this option.

Spacing

Use this control to adjust the Farnsworth spacing (distance in wpm) between characters when sending a Tx message buffer. You control the character spacing when sending with the paddles.

KeySTone (Key Out Sidetone)

This option determines the sidetone source when keying the radio. When set to Micro the buzzer on the Micro is active when the radio is transmitting. Select the Radio option to mute the Micro’s buzzer if you want to use the radio’s sidetone.

NOTE: The Micro’s buzzer is used for all code reports and when keying the Micro with the transmitter interlock disabled (i.e. when not keying the radio).

NOTE: When keying the Flex radio using the CW= Net option (network keying) set the Key Sidetone to Micro as the radio will not generate sidetone when keyed over the network.

Sidetone (Frequency)

This option allows you to adjust the frequency of the Micro’s sidetone buzzer. The buzzer used in the Micro doesn’t have a linear frequency response so you’ll probably want to adjust the frequency to find a pitch that sounds the best for you.

NOTE: The sidetone range is 120 Hz to 1200 Hz. Changing the frequency to 0 Hz mutes the sidetone for both keying and the Code Report.

NOTE: You can also adjust the volume control on the Micro down to mute the sidetone.

Type

The (Keyer) Type menu allows you to select the keyer type you prefer.

None

This option turns off the paddle input.

Straight

Use this option if you want to plug a straight key into the Micro. Wire it to the TIP of the 3.5mm (1/8”) stereo plug.

Passthru

This is a special mode that forwards the Dit and Dah paddle inputs directly to the Key/PTT output jack on the Micro. The Dit paddle controls the Key output and the Dah paddle controls the PTT output. This allows you to connect the Key/PTT jack on the Micro to either your radio’s paddle input jack, or to an external keyer if you prefer to use them. This isn’t as important on the Micro as it was with the Mini because the Mini can connect to many different radios through an RS232 switch but I included it in case it’s something useful.

Iambic A and Iambic B

These modes interleave Dit and Dah when both paddles are pressed at the same time. You need to use an Iambic (dual paddle) key to use these modes. The modes are similar with just a subtle difference on how the keyer reacts to the paddle timing at the end of a character. I prefer the A mode but if you’re use to the B mode, use it.

NOTE: Iambic-B didn’t work properly in firmware versions before v1.06.02. If you use Iambic-B mode you should update your firmware to the latest version.

Ultimatic

This mode is similar to Iambic in that it requires a dual-paddle key. The only difference is that the keyer repeats the last element pressed. For example if you press Dit first, then Dah, and hold them closed the keyer sends one Dit then a stream of Dahs. A dual-paddle bug if you will. Some operators prefer this mode so I’ve included it.

Bug

This mode simulates the old bug keys where only the Dit input repeats. Pressing the Dah paddle is the same as using a straight key.

Paddles (Reverse)

This option allows you to swap the Dit and Dah wiring on your paddles. This is handy if you have more than one set of paddles with different wiring.

Pdl PTT (Use Paddle In Jack for PTT)

Enabling this option allows you to use the Paddle In jack on the Micro as a remote PTT switch input when the radio is in a voice mode (LSB, USB, AM, FM, DigH, DigL).

The Dit paddle input controls Latching PTT. Press once to key PTT, press again to unkey PTT. The Dah paddle input controls Momentary PTT. Press and hold to key PTT, release to unkey PTT. This will also unkey PTT if the latching PTT is enabled.

You can swap the functions of the paddles by setting Paddles= REV.

When this mode is disabled the Paddle In jack controls the keyer in every mode.

NOTE: When Pdl PTT is enabled the Micro’s PTT Output is only active when the radio is in a voice mode, one of the paddle inputs is active, and the Tx Interlock is enabled. When the Tx Interlock is disabled the paddles can be used for code practice in any mode.

Kybd Kyr (Keyboard Keyer)

This option allows you to enable or disable the keyboard keyer function. When enabled and your radio is in CW mode you can use your keyboard to transmit CW.

When enabled when using the Telnet terminal interface go to the Home page and simply key in the text you want to transmit. The text you entered will be displayed at the bottom of the page. Press the [Enter] key to send it. The transmitting text will be displayed at the bottom of the page. Press [Ins] to pause transmission or [Del] to stop.

When using the browser (web) interface you need to select the Keyboard Keyer text box at the bottom of the page and enter text to transmit there. Press [Enter] to send the text. Once transmission starts the text you entered will be displayed in the title area of the keyer text box. Press the Pause or Stop buttons under the text box to control the transmission.

Once transmission starts you can add additional text add to what’s already being sent by just typing (in the terminal) or entering more text in the Keyboard Keyer text box on the browser.

Beacon Mode

Beacon mode was added in v1.03.00. This mode allows you to use the Micro as a beacon controller. Use this menu to configure the beacon and enable or disable it.

When beacon mode is enabled its status will be displayed in the Tx Interlock status field. You can pause the beacon by toggling the Tx Interlock to Tx Off with the [Home] key on the terminal or by selecting it in the web interface. You can also program an MFB to control the Tx Interlock. Toggling it again will restart the beacon.

To quickly turn beacon mode off press the [Esc] key in the terminal or Stop Beacon in the web interface.

When the Micro is operating in standalone beacon mode (no terminal or browser connected) the LED will flash at ½ second intervals while the Micro is keying the radio.

You can monitor the status of the beacon on the Home page. The Tx Interlock will display << TX CW >> when the beacon is transmitting and Beacon Enab when it is not. The red bar across the middle of the page indicates whether the beacon is active or paused. The beacon’s CW speed is displayed directly below the bar along with a hint to press [Esc] to stop. The text being sent will be displayed at the bottom of the page.

NOTE: To mute the Micro’s sidetone either turn the volume down or select Key Sidetone= Radio in the Keyer menu.

Enable

This option toggles the beacon on and off. Before you can enable it you must set the interval, frequency, and call. You’ll also want to include your transmitter’s Maidenhead grid coordinate for others monitoring your beacon. When you enable the beacon the radio’s mode will automatically be set to CW and the 1^st Power Out level will be set. If you haven’t set the 1^st Power Out level, or your radio doesn’t support CAT power control, the beacon will transmit at the power level set on the radio.

Interval

This option sets the interval between transmissions in seconds.

Frequency

This option sets the frequency the beacon will transmit on. The frequency will default to the current frequency on the Micro the first time you configure the beacon. If you change the frequency of the radio while the beacon is paused it will reset the radio to this frequency before it transmits again.

NOTE: Enter frequency in MHz. If you enter the frequency to the Hz, the Hz digit will be rounded up due to floating point rounding errors – example: 28.150001 will round up to 28.150002. It’s best to just enter frequency to the 10 Hz.

NOTE: To set the beacon to the current frequency on the radio, edit this field and enter a single [Space] as the first character to delete the stored frequency.

Call (up to 12 characters)

Enter the call sign you wish to use on your beacon in this field. It will default to the Call setting in the Keyer menu the first time you configure the beacon. You can add additional text to the call such as ‘v v v de’ if you want.

NOTE: /B will be automatically appended to the call sign entered here.

Location (up to 24 characters)

Enter your transmitter’s Maidenhead grid coordinate in this field. You can find you grid using many tools available on the internet. Most beacons use just the first four digits of the Maidenhead grid descriptor. You can find your Maidenhead here: https://www.karhukoti.com/Maidenhead-Grid-Square-Locator/

Additional Text (up to 70 characters)

This field allows you to add addition text to your beacon’s message. It is added to the end of the Call and Location message.

Power Out

The last four fields allow you to define four different power output settings on your radio. This helps the listener determine the receive signal strength at each power setting. When just the first power output is defined the Micro will send the entire beacon message and end with sending the power followed by “w” using the first power output setting. If two or more power levels are defined the Micro will send the beacon message at the first power level as described above. It will then wait one second then set the radio to the second power level and send that power level followed with a “w”. If the third and/or forth power levels are set the Micro changes the radio’s power level again then sends those power levels followed by “w”.

NOTE: You must set the power out settings in sequence (1, 2, 3, and then 4). The sequence resets after all four have been sent or the Micro finds the next power out setting set to 0 (off).

NOTE: Your radio must support CAT power settings for the power level options to work.

After the power out sequence completes the beacon waits for the Interval time period and then starts the process over again.

Navigation/Edit (Paddles)

The Navigation/Edit option allows you to select whether or not you want to use the paddles for menu navigation and/or for editing text or values. You might want to enable navigation, editing, or both if you are using the Micro for code practice. The Micro makes a great code practice buddy.

NOTE: Hotkeys are not available in the browser interface. They are only displayed and accessible from the paddles if the paddle Navigation mode is enabled.

OFF

This is the default. In this mode the paddles will key the radio in both the menus and the text and value editors if the transmit interlock is enabled.

NAV ON

When NAV is ON the paddles can be used to select menu items by keying in the hotkey for the desired menu item.

NOTE: The Micro’s keyer won’t key the radio in menu mode if this option is enabled.

EDIT ON

When EDIT is ON the paddles can be used to enter text or values using the Paddle Input Rules.

NOTE: The Micro’s keyer won’t key the radio in the text or value editor if this option is enabled.

NAV & EDIT ON

When NAV and EDIT are ON the paddles can be used for both navigation and edition. This makes a great way to practice code.

Paddle Input Rules

When using your paddles to edit text or values the Keyer Type temporarily switches to Iambic B mode and the following rules apply. It switches back to the mode you had set when you exit the editor.

Text Input (direct frequency input, Tx message buffers, call sign, etc)

· Send a character using the paddles – it will overwrite the current character at that position and increment to next character

· Send 8 Dits to backspace – this deletes the current character and moves left to the previous character. If you backspace to the first character and send 8 Dits again you will exit the field without modifying it (same as pressing [Esc]).

· Send 8 Dahs to move to the next character to the right. To insert a space send two 8 Dah sequences to move past the current character, leaving a space.

· Capital letters cannot be added using the paddles

· Press the encoder to accept the current field and exit

· Characters starting at and past the current selection will be deleted

· Start the string with a [Space] to delete the entire string

NOTE: When editing a frequency inserting a [Space] in the frequency truncates the frequency returned from the [Space] on. If you don’t enter a [Space] the entire frequency will be returned. This allows you to edit an individual digit.

Value Entry (numerical values for keyer speed, sidetone freq, etc) is slightly different.

· Press the Dah key to increment the value. One Dah (‘t’) increments by 1, two Dahs (‘m’) increments by 2, up to five Dahs (‘0’) to increment by 5.

· Press the Dit key to decrement the value. One Dit (‘e’) decrements by 1, two Dits (‘I’) decrements by 2, up to 5 Dits (‘5’) to decrement by 5.

· Send 8 Dits or 8 Dahs to exit the value window. Values are saved as you change them.

Navigation (selecting menu items)

· Key in the hotkey character to select and execute that entry

· Key in 8 Dahs for Ok (same as entering the hotkey)

· Key in 8 Dits for Esc

Practice Menu

Practice mode is not a full featured code practice system. It’s just a simple, easy to use way to practice Morse code. If you really want to find a full featured Morse trying system checkout Kurt Zoglmann’s site at https://morsecode.ninja

(Practice) MODE

There are three practice modes.

· Send Continuously

· Send 1 Chr and Wait

· Send Group and Wait

Send Continuously sends groups of characters based on the selected session without stopping. This mode is best when you are recording what you are copying. Run the session then check your copy against the Micro’s display.

Send 1 Chr and Wait sends a single random character then waits for you to enter it on the keyboard. This mode works well if you want to improve your decoding skills using a keyboard. This mode includes a character counter, a % of Good keystrokes, a % of Errors keystrokes, and an average of time from the end of the character until you press a key. It doesn’t matter which session you choose, this mode always sends a single random character.

Press [Enter] to pause and reset the counters or [Space] to repeat the last character.

Send Group and Wait sends the selected session group of characters and waits for you to enter that group on the keyboard. This mode works well for training you to decode the code in your head then enter that data into the computer, similar to what you would do in a contest. If you make a mistake the original text and what you entered will be displayed and another group will be sent.

Press [Enter] to pause and reset the counters or [Space] to repeat the last group.

NOTE: The Send and Wait modes are not available in the web server (browser interface) because the keyboard isn’t active in that mode.

Practice Sessions

There are four practice sessions that help mix your code practice up.

Fixed length sends random five character groups from the selected character pool.
Random length varies the number of characters sent in each group between 1 and 10 characters.
Call Signs sends randomly generated callsigns using a combination of the letters in the character pool and number 0 to 9. Formats vary from a#aa to aa##aaa.
Q-Signals sends real Q-signals in a random order.

Character Groups

The Micro uses the Koch method, a proven method of learning Morse code. If you’ve never heard of this method there are many links in Google for it. These web resources explain its virtues (and some say vices). Basically, it involves learning the code at ‘full speed’, or at least 15 wpm, from day one. This helps overcome the tendency of new learners to ‘count the Dits and Dahs’. You start with the basic characters with one or two elements, e, t, m, etc. Once you’ve become 90% proficient in copying them, add more complex characters to the mix.

The Micro allows you to select from several groups of increasing complexity. You can also practice numbers or punctuation groups. The All Letters option creates a character pool using all of the letters. All Groups puts all of the letters, numbers, and punctuation in the pool. Selecting a group replaces the current characters in the character pool with the new group. You can also select Edit Pool and create your own group of characters to practice.

The selected group will be marked with ‘<----SELECTED’ on the menu. If you edit the character pool the selected mark will move to the Edit Pool menu item. The selected group will be saved when you power down the Micro.

Practice Session – Continuous Mode

When you select one of the practice modes a code practice session opens. To start the session, press the [Enter] or the encoder. To pause it and check your work, press [Enter] or the encoder again. To erase the current practice session and return to the Practice Menu press [Esc], MFB1, or MFB2.

This screen shot is of a fixed length session using Group 1 characters.

To change the speed of the practice code, turn the encoder. To change the Farnsworth spacing (space between characters in wpm), press and hold the encoder then turn it.

The bottom line will show the state of the transmitter interlock, speed, and Farnsworth spacing.

Practice Session – Send and Wait Modes

When you select one of the Send and Wait modes only the # of characters sent, % of Good, % of Errors, and your Average Response time is displayed.

When you hear the character or group being sent, enter it on the keyboard as quickly as possible. The lower your response time the better.

If you enter the wrong character or group the Micro will send a error (8 Dits) then resend that character or group. If you still enter the wrong character or group the Micro will increment the Error % and move to the next character.

Press [Space] to repeat the last character or group (without penalty).

Press [Enter] to toggle Run and Pause mode. This also resets the counters.

WARNING!
If the transmitter interlock is enabled, the practice session will be sent to the Micro’s Key Out jack and your radio can broadcast your practice session.

One other thing…
The random character generator doesn’t filter the words it generates! This opens the possibility that inappropriate words may be generated. Sometimes this might add some spice to your practice session!

If this offends you in any way, please DO NOT USE Practice Mode in the Micro.

Call

Enter your call sign here. This field will be used to populate the Tx message buffer with your call when you insert the call prosign [^] in the buffer. This is useful for CQ messages, contest exchanges, etc.

NOTE: Your call also serves as the Telnet unlock key when you enable Telnet Login in the WiFi menu. With the Telnet login option enabled you must enter your call to enable a Telnet session. This helps prevent unauthorized access to your Micro and radio by bad actors if you forward the Micro’s Telnet port (IP Port 7950) through your router for internet access. More information on this option can be found in the WiFi Menu section.

Serial Number

This field holds the current contact serial number for the contest keyer. You can edit it here as needed. You can insert the current contact serial number into a Tx message buffer by entering the SN prosign, [#]. The current serial number will be inserted into that message in place of the prosign when that message buffer is sent. To repeat a contest message without incrementing the SN send Tx message #1 (the repeat buffer).

Exchange

This field holds the contest exchange. Edit it here as needed. You can insert the contest exchange into a Tx message buffer by entering the Exchange prosign, [%]. The exchange field will be inserted into that message in place of the prosign when that message buffer is sent.

Configuration Menu

The Configuration Menu provides easy access to the Micro’s settings.

From here you can manage the Micro’s WiFi system, change profiles, change the selected profiles name, select the type of radio connected to the Micro, define the CAT connection type, change the tag line for the Home page, recalibrate several interfaces, change the Code Report options, and manage the configuration files that are saved in non-volatile RAM on the Micro.

This option can be accessed by pressing Ctrl+c in the Home page assigned to an FKey or MFB in the Quick Key Function Option menu using the Config option.

WiFi Menu

The WiFi Menu allows you to manage the WiFi network connection on your Micro.

This menu can be accessed by pressing Ctrl+w in the Home page.

Connect/Disconnect WiFi

This option allows you to toggle the connection status. You must have the SSID and Password for your router set before you can connect.

Reset IP Connection

This option is available when the Micro is connected to your WiFi network. It allows you to reset the TCP connection without disconnecting the WiFi connection. This is handy to cycle the connection to your Flex or browser if they’re not paying attention to the Micro.

SSID

Enter your router’s SSID here. The SSID is may be case sensitive so enter it exactly as shown on your router just to make sure.

NOTE: If using CTR2-Voice as an access point, enter its SSID, CTR2-Voice, here.

Password

This is sometimes referred to as the Passkey. Enter your router’s password here. This field is always case sensitive. The text if blocked with 11 asterisks on this page. The actual password will be visible in the text editor. The Micro supports WPA/WPA2 Personal and WPA3 encryption.

NOTE: If using CTR2-Voice as an access point, enter its password, ctr2-voice, in all lower case characters, here.

Auto Connect

This option allows you to set the Micro so that it connects to WiFi when it powers up. This is great if you’re running a Flex radio or any other IP CAT controlled radio. If you’re running SmartSDR v2.xx make sure it is running before you power the Micro up or the Micro connection will block SmartSDR from opening.

NOTE: You can override the Auto Connect feature by pressing and holding MFB1 during power up.

NOTE: When a terminal program is connected to the Micro’s USB serial port, the Micro will reboot when the terminal program disconnects. If you want the WiFi to reconnect after this reboot, set Auto Connect=ON.

Server Lock/Unlock

In a perfect world all web browsers would work the same way. Unfortunately they don’t. Desktop browsers and mobile browsers are completely different. Some browsers will accept frequency updates from the Micro on a connection that has been closed. Others won’t. To help the Micro’s server work with the greatest number of browsers I added the Server Lock/Unlock option. The Lock option tells the Micro to keep the client/server connection open continually after the browser initiates the first connection. The Unlock options allows the Micro to stop the connection to the client after it sends the response and then send frequency updates to the browser on the closed connection.

The option defaults to Unlocked. If you have problems with your browser updating the frequency toggle it to Locked.

See the Browser Issues section for helpful hints if you run into problems on your browser.

Telnet Login

This option allows you to enable a basic login scheme on the Micro. This helps protect the Micro and your radio against unauthorized activity by internet bad actors. The login IS NOT a true Telnet login. Instead, when you connect a terminal program to the Micro’s address and IP port the Micro will not respond to the connection. It will wait until the correct password is entered by the connecting computer. In this scheme, your call sign is password if you’ve set it, or the word micro if your call sign hasn’t been set. The password is case sensitive. Once you enter the correct password the port will unlock until the power is cycled on the Micro.

NOTE: You will be given three tries in two minutes to enter the correct password. If the wrong password is entered the Micro disconnects. Reconnect and try again. After three tries the Micro will lock out the connection for two minutes and the cycle repeats. A note will be placed at the bottom of the Home page if logins fail.

Station Address and Telnet Port #

These will be populated when the Micro is connected to a network. This is the IP address and IP port # it uses for IP Telnet connections (7950) to the Micro. Enter the IP address and port # into your Telnet terminal program to connect to the Micro.

NOTE: The Micro doesn’t use the standard Telnet port. Refer to IP Session in Appendix E for more information.

Radio Profile Menu

The Micro supports up to 10 radio profiles. These are similar to the Radio Ports in the Mini but on the Micro serial CAT polarity strapping changes must be done manually.

Flex radio users can create a profile for different slices then easily switch between them using this menu.

Edit the name associated with a profile in the Name menu.

Each profile contains all of the settings for that radio in addition to a favorite frequency list for that radio. You can share a common favorite frequency list among all of the radios on this list by selecting Shared Database in the Frequency menu.

Radio profiles also include the WiFi and Report settings. This allows you to setup different profiles for various operating scenarios.

Here are two examples:

1) When you use the Micro and CTR2-Voice at home, save one profile with the WiFi credentials for your station’s WiFi router and the IP address of CTR2-Voice when it’s connected as a WiFi Station to your station router.

2) When you use the Micro and CTR2-Voice in a portable scenario, save another profile with the WiFi credentials for the CTR2-Voice in access point mode (SSID=CTR2-Voice, password=ctr2-voice) and the IP address of CTR2-Voice in this mode (192.168.4.1).

Name (Radio Profile)

This option allows you to edit the name used to identify the selected radio profile. The name is displayed in the top-left corner of the Home page in the terminal interface and as the top header in the browser interface to help you keep track of which profile you have selected.

CAT Menu

The CAT item opens the CAT Menu where you select the radio model the Micro is connected to. CAT is an acronym for ‘Computer Aided Transceiver’. Some manufactures have different names for this such as ‘Control Port’, or Icom’s ‘CI-V’. They all mean the same thing.

The Micro supports a wide range of modern transceivers. If your radio isn’t on the list it may still be supported. You can contact me and I’ll check your radio’s protocol and let you know if the Micro will work with it.

Bridge

Bridge is a special mode allows you use the Micro as a WiFi/Serial interface. Data coming into the Micro’s WiFi UDP port is forwarded to the serial CAT port and data coming from the radio’s serial CAT port is forwarded to the UDP port and on the remote PC. No formatting is done on the data. When Bridge mode is selected most of the Micro’s options are turned off.

This is similar to using an RS-232 IP/Serial Terminal interface however the Micro supports several serial interfaces.

If you are connecting to your radio using serial CAT control you will also need to set the CAT polarity jumpers or DIP switch settings for that radio. More information on this can be found in the CAT Polarity Jumpers/DIP Switch Settings section in Appendix C.

Connection Menu

The Connection Menu allows you to select either the baud rate for the serial CAT port or the IP address and IP Port # if using WiFi to connect to your radio (i.e. Flex radio, K4, etc).

Baud Rate

The first eight items in this menu set the baud rate from 1200 to 115200 baud for the serial CAT port on the Micro (i.e. the CAT I/O jack on the back of the unit). The Micro’s baud rate must match the baud setting on your radio and you must strap the Micro’s CAT polarity to match your radio’s CAT interface.

IP Address, IP Port #, Port Type

If you’re connecting to an IP based radio like the Flex, K4, Thetis, or piHPSDR, enter its IP address and IP port here. The Micro will insert the default TCP port # for the selected radio. You can change the port # if you have changed the default port on your radio. You can also change the IP port type between TCP and UDP if your radio uses the UDP port type instead of TCP.

By entering the IP address of a remote Mini or Micro, and using UDP port 7951 you can create an ad hoc network to connect two devices together for remote operation. This allows you have a Micro in your shack connected to your radio’s serial CAT port and control it remotely with a Mini or another Micro. You can even have two or more devices located in your shack with one device (or more) dedicated to a certain function like Speed, Volume, or RIT. This allows you to use one device to tune the radio and the other to change keyer speed, RIT, volume, etc.) The Expanded Options section explains these configurations in more detail.

NOTE: You can’t use the hotspot on your tablet or cell phone to create a remote ad hoc network because these hotspots use Carrier Grade Network Address Translation (CGNAT) which doesn’t allow port forwarding or UDP traffic.

Reset IP

The Reset IP option on this page quickly resets the IP connection without going through a full disconnect sequence. This is useful if you need to get the attention of an IP radio. This option is also included in the WiFi Menu.

Settings Menu

The Settings Menu allows you to change several settings on the Micro.

Tag Line

Edit this field to change the tag line displayed at the bottom of the terminal display.

S-Meter Calibration

This option allows you to calibrate the S-meter on the Micro’s Home page to match the radio’s meter. The calibration value represents a ratio between the received meter value and the value displayed on the screen. This is a floating point number so fractional values are acceptable. Adjust this as needed.

NOTE: Set the S-meter calibration to 0 to disable the S-meter.

Encoder Type

There are two encoders available for the Micro. A detent encoder has feedback as you turn the dial (i.e. small ‘bumps’). A no-detent encoder is smooth, with no feedback. You can choose the one that fits your preference when you order your Micro, but I recommend that you go with the detent encoder if you will be using the Micro in Code Report mode with no display or with the browser interface. This is because it gives you feedback as you move between the menus. Another advantage is that inadvertently bumping the knob on the detent encoder doesn’t change your radio’s frequency.

When set to the No-Detent (slow) option the encoder slows to ½ speed when navigating menus.

Encoder Direction

The Encoder Direction allows you to reverse the encoder.

The Micro’s design allows the encoder and pushbuttons to be mounted on the back of the PCB. This configuration allows you to mount the Micro to a panel or in another device in your shack. If you mount the Micro this way, Reverse the encoder’s direction here.

Menu Timeout

This option allows you to disable the 10 second menu timeout feature if you’re using a screen reader or other assisted method to run your Micro. I suggest leaving it enabled if you run your Micro in standalone mode so the Micro will exit most menus if you get lost.

LED State

This option allows you to stop the LED from flashing the program’s state. Some may find the flashing distracting. When flashing is OFF press MFB1 to check for power (LED will light if unit is on). NOTE: This will also activate the function assigned the MBF1.

Multi-Function Button Calibration

The Micro uses a resistive ladder to read the state of the multi-function buttons (MFBs). The range is narrow because the buttons share the same input as the LED output.

The buttons where calibrated during the initial startup of the Micro. This menu item gives you to opportunity to repeat that process if you find the first calibration isn’t responding properly.

Report Menu

Since the Micro doesn’t have a built-in user interface several alternative interfaces are provided. When a computer is available the terminal and web browser user interfaces are available. For standalone operation, or when the operator is blind or sight-limited, the Report menu provides additional ways to interact with the Micro.

The following reports are available. They can be used in conjunction with the terminal and browser interfaces.

· The Code report sends program changes to the Micro’s keyer where they are sent in Morse code. The menu allows you to change different settings that are specific to the Code report.

· The Text report is optimized for the screen readers used by blind and sight-limited hams. This mode sends unformatted lines of text to the terminal.

· The Voice report works with CTR2-Voice. This report is similar to the Text report in that it sends optimized text to the CTR2-Voice speech synthesizer via WiFi. No terminal program or screen reader is required.

· The Display report is also similar to the Text report. This mode works with CTR2-Display firmware running on a Seeed Studios Wio Terminal. The Wio Terminal becomes a simple WiFi connected display for the Micro.

NOTE: CTR2-Voice and CTR2-Display can be used together and multiple Micros can share these interfaces at the same time.

There are several MFB functions you can use with the Report mode. Use the Quick Key Function Option menu to assign these functions to an MFB.

· Report plays the short report consisting of the selected VFO and its frequency, RIT offset (if on) and mode. In addition, the tuning resolution, Tx interlock state, and S-meter value. It normally reports just items that have changed state since the last report, like the S-meter value. Press the MFB again within 10 seconds to hear the entire report. By default this is assigned to short-press MFB1.

· Full Rpt (Full Report) plays the settings on the Home page including the Radio Profile name, selected CAT protocol and connection (baud or IP address), Tx interlock, WiFi state (off or RSSI), active VFO and its frequency, RIT offset, mode, tuning resolution, Tx interlock state, S-meter value, offline VFO and its frequency, and the radio parameters listed above the FKey labels. By default this is assigned to long-press MFB2.

· Repeat replays the last report. This is handy in case you missed something. By default this is assigned to short-press MFB2.

· Help plays the currently selected item’s Help page. This is handy if you’re not sure where you are in the menu system. You can also press and hold the encoder then turn it to the left to return to the Home page. By default, Help is assigned to long-press MFB1.

NOTE: Short-press Report MFB within 5 seconds of starting a Voice report to cancel it.

There are several items in the Report menu. Available options change depending on the Report Type selected.

Report On/Mute

This item enables or disables the selected report. When unmuted the report type will be displayed in bold text on the Home page next to the WiFi status.

HINT: Long press (> 2 seconds) the encoder in the Home page to toggle Report Mute on and off.

Report Type

Press the encoder or [Enter] to step through the report types available. Options include None, Code, Text, Display, Voice, Display+Voice. Additional options may appear on the menu depending on the selected report type.

NOTE: Changing the report type will mute the report.

Include Hotkeys

This option allows you to choose whether or not you want the menu hotkeys added to the report output.

For the Code Report, the following options are also available:

Freq/Mode On/Off

When this mode is ON the Micro will report frequency, tuning digit, and radio mode changes in code when they change. This is helpful for visually impaired hams that may have trouble seeing their radio’s display, or when operating the Micro without a display.

Number of Characters

You can choose from 1 to all menu characters to be reported when you change a menu selection. You may want to start with reporting all characters then reduce it down as you get to know the Micro’s menu structure.

NOTE: Setting the number of characters to 0 disables menu reports. Setting it to 10 will enable reporting all menu item characters.

Report Speed and Spacing

Report CW speed and spacing are separate from the keyer’s normal speed and spacing. The Code report’s minimum speed is set to 15 wpm. This allows you to learn the code as a string of sounds instead of counting individual Dits and Dahs. The spacing can be set down to 5 wpm.

There are no additional options for Text Report.

For the Display Report the CTR2-Display IP field allows you to enter the IP address of the Wio Terminal running the CTR2-Display firmware. Report text will be sent to this address using UDP packets. This allows multiple Micros to use the same display unit.

For the Voice Report, the following options are also available:

CTR2-Voice IP

This field allows you to enter the IP address of your CTR2-Voice unit. It will announce its IP address when it boots. Report text will be sent to this unit using UDP packets. This allows multiple Micros to use the same voice unit.

Voice Settings

This option opens the Voice Settings menu where you can make the following changes to the settings on CTR2-Voice:

Volume adjusts the output volume. The range is 0 to 9, default is 5.

Tone adjusts the tone of the voice. Then range is 0 to 9, default is 3.

Speed adjusts the speed of the voice. The range is 0 to 9, default is 9.

Numbers allows you to choose how numbers are pronounced.

· Digits - Individual digits are pronounced. Example: 14.150040 is pronounced as “One Four dot One Five Zero Zero Four Zero”.

· Numerical – Numbers are pronounced numerically. Example: 14.150040 is pronounced as “Fourteen dot One Hundred Fifty Thousand Forty”.

PTT Monitor provides several options for monitoring the state of PTT on the Micro. This allows blind and sight-limited users to confirm when PTT is activated and deactivated.

· None – no PTT monitoring

· Tone on Change – A short high-pitched tone is emitted when PTT is keyed. A short low-pitched tone is emitted when PTT is released.

· Voice on Change – “PTT On” is pronounced when PTT is keyed. “PTT Off” is pronounced when PTT is released.

Delay allows you to adjust the amount of time before changes are sent to CTR2-Voice. If you find the voice starts sooner than you would like you can increase this time.

NOTE: This delay is in addition to the 700 milliseconds the speech processor takes to convert text to speech.

Station/Access Point Mode

CTR2-Voice can be configured as either a WiFi Station (to connect to your station’s WiFi router) or as a WiFi Access Point (to provide its own WiFi network). To change the unit’s WiFi mode you must connect to its virtual USB serial port with a terminal program. More information on these options can be found in the CTR2-Voice Operation Manual.

Manage Files

This option opens a menu where you can select various file management options.

Backup Files

This option backs up all of the Micro’s configuration files for the selected Radio Profile. This allows you to restore the Micro to a previous configuration if for some reason the file system misbehaves. I recommend backing up your files after you have set up your Micro’s configuration.

Restore Files

This option restores you Micro back to the configuration it had the last time you backed up your files. You may wish to make temporary changes in your configuration to try them out. Restoring your files will remove those changes if you didn’t back them up.

This option will not be visible in the menu until you execute Backup Files.

Reset to Factory

This is the ‘if all else fails’ option. If something happens to your configuration that can’t be undone for some reason, or you just want to start over with default settings, this is the option you’re looking for.

This option deletes the common initialization file and all files associated with the selected Radio Profile. Other radio profiles will not be deleted.

Radio Menus

Like the CTR2-Mini the Micro offers expanded control for many radio models. Others may be added in the future as time and need dictate. I’ll update this manual as changes are made.

When selecting one of the Radio CAT protocol that support enhanced control, a menu for that radio appears as the second to last item on the Main menu (above the About… item). Opening that menu gives you access to the various functions I’ve included for these radios.

This menu will remain active until you press [Esc], press and turn the encoder LEFT, or long-press the encoder to exit it.

This menu can be accessed by pressing Ctrl+r in the Home page and it can be assigned to an FKey or MFB in the Quick Key Function Option menu using the Radio option.

Radio Menu Special Features

To use the keyer to key your radio while you are in the Radio menu the Paddle Navigation and Edit modes must be turned off.

MFB Functions in the Radio Menu

The MFB short-press functions change when you enter the Radio menu. These provide an easy way to exit the menu, change the transmit interlock, or toggle the active VFO.

· Short-press MFB1 to exit the menu

· Short-press MFB2 to toggle the transmit interlock

· Short-press MFB3 to toggle the active VFO

Quick Access to Radio Functions

The Radio menu can be assigned to an FKey or MFB in the Quick Key Function Option menu using the Radio option. In addition you can choose from 16 of the radio functions to assign to an FKey or MFB. They appear in the left column on Page 2 of the Quick Key Function Option menu.

Muting the Radio’s Rx

To quickly mute the radio’s receiver, select the Volume item. When the volume edit window opens, long-press the encoder to zero the value and mute the receiver. Long-press the encoder again to return to the original volume setting.

Elecraft Menu

The Elecraft menu is also styled after the layout used in the FTdx menu described above. Refer to that section for detailed explanations of each function.

If your radio doesn’t have two receivers, use the VFO->Ctrl VFO menu option to select which VFO the Micro controls. If you select RX=B on this menu, VFO Ctrl will be set to VFO Ctrl=A so each Micro VFO controls the correct receiver.

The Comp control allows you to adjust the Speech Compressor on the transmitter. K3 radios have a 0 to 40 dB range where K4 radios have a 0 to 30 dB range.

The Tuner option just toggles the radio’s tuner between Bypass and Auto mode.

The K4 has network CAT control built in so you can enter the radio’s IP address and TCP port 9200 in the Config->Connection menu then connect using WiFi instead of using a wired RS-232 connection between the Micro and the radio. The K4 also support a Panadapter Level control that is not shown on this screenshot.

NOTE: The Elecraft menu in this example has asterisk (*) next to many of the options because I don’t have an Elecraft radio to connect to so these are shown as off-line.

Flex 6000 Menu

The Flex menu is visible in the main menu when you select the Flex Radio Protocol. This menu gives you control over enough of the features of this radio that you can operate it without the SmartSDR software. You may want to do this if you’re monitoring a band for activity and don’t want or need SmartSDR running. Or maybe you just want to operate your Flex as a P.O.R. (Plain Old Radio).

But even with SmartSDR running the Micro adds significantly to the operation of this radio by providing a smart tuning knob for the radio and function button access to the features you use the most.

You have the option of connecting to your Flex as a GUI client or non-GUI client (hotkey u). Running as a GUI client on the Micro allows you to see the radio’s transmit and tune power settings. These aren’t updated when running non-GUI client mode without SmartSDR running.

If you’re running v1.xx or v2.xx of SmartSDR you won’t be able to connect to your radio as a GUI client if SmartSDR is running because older versions of SmartSDR don’t support multiple clients. The connection type is shown in bold text in the options line just above the FKey labels.

If you connect to your radio as a GUI client then decide to switch to a non-GUI client, use the Reset IP Connection command on the WiFi menu to release the connection and reconnect as a non-GUI client. If you’re running SmartSDR 3.xx there’s no worries because it supports multiple GUI clients.

NOTE: If a GUI client connection attempt fails the Mini will connect as a non-GUI client.

RIT is set on the slice from the Frequency menu. This menu gives you access to additional features on the radio.

Panadapter

The Pan option allows you to specify if you want to CREATE a panadapter or use the Existing panadapter when you connect to the radio with the selected Slice. You may want to create a new panadapter if you’re connecting two Micros to your radio and want the second Micro’s slice in a separate panadapter.

Slice #

Slice allows you to specify which slice you want to connect this Micro to on the radio. You can specify slice A through H depending on your radio’s capacity. In theory you can have up to eight Micros and/or Mini’s connected to one radio, each controlling one slice.

If the slice you have selected in the Flex menu doesn’t exist on the radio it will be created in the first available panadapter. If no panadapters are running, a new panadapter will be created for the new slice if you select Pan=CREATE before you select a new slice.

You can connect more than one Micro to the same slice and configure each one for separate options.

NOTE: Changing the Slice when the Micro is online with the radio will refresh the IP connection to the radio and switch the Micro to the new slice. If the Pan= option has been set to CREATE, a new panadapter will be opened for the new slice if one is available.

Rx (Antenna)

This option allows you to select ANT1, ANT2, RX A, RX B, or XVTA for this slice.

Tx (Antenna)

This option allows you to select ANT1, ANT2, or XVTA for the transmitter.

Power Out (PO)

Use this option to set the transmit power on the radio. The transmit power is common to all slices.

Tune Power Out

Use this option to set the tuning power level on the radio.

ATU (Tuner)

This option shows the status of the built-in antenna tuner if it’s installed. To start the antenna tuning sequence, select this option and press [Enter] or the encoder.

Vol

This option allows you to control the volume on the slice this Micro is controlling. A quick way to mute this slice is to long-press the encoder (>1 second). This sets the volume to 0. Long-pressing the encoder again returns you to the original setting.

NOTE: This setting only controls the analog speaker/headphone output on the rear of the radio. It does not change the volume on the DAX. To change the DAX volume, adjust it on your PC’s sound mixer.

BW (Bandwidth)

The Bandwidth option allows you to step through the available bandwidths for the current mode. Bandwidth decreases with each click of this control until you reach the lowest bandwidth setting. Clicking this control again starts over at the widest bandwidth.

Filters (WNBlnker, NBlnker, NR, ANF/APF)

The various filters on the radio can be adjusted using these options. Setting a filter to 0 disables that filter. A quick way to toggle a filter on and off is to long-press (> 1 second) the encoder.

Gain (RF Gain)

This control allows you to select the gain applied in the slice’s RF section. The available gain settings depend on the model of the radio. Older 6300 and 6500 radios offer -10, 0, 10, and 20 dB of gain. Newer 6400, 6600, and 6700 radios offer -8, 0, 8, 16, 24, and 32 dB of gain.

NOTE: Gain selection is numbered -1 to 2 for older radios and -1 to 4 for newer radios. This correlates to the gain positions. The actual gain will be shown on the menu.

AGC

This control allows you to step through the AGC settings on this slice. Options are Fast, Med, Slow, and Off.

AGC-T (Threshold)

This control allows you to adjust the AGC-Threshold level. Flex recommends setting this level after you have set the Mode, RF Gain, and AGC. Tune to a quiet spot on the band then lower the AGC-T control until you hear the noise level decrease slightly. This is the ‘knee’ of the control and means the AGC is not applying gain to the noise but signals you want to hear will be amplified. More information on this control can be found here.

VOX Level

This control allows you to enable or disable VOX on your radio. To enable VOX, set this control to any level above 0 (the range is 0 to 100). To disable VOX, set this control to 0.

NOTE: You can toggle between the set level and 0 by long-pressing the encoder while in the value editor screen. The set level will be remembered when you toggle it to 0. Long-press the encoder again to enable VOX and return to the set level.

PTT

This option allows you to select between Hardware and Network control of the radio’s PTT. Use the Hardware option if you’ve wired PTT Output on the Micro to the radio’s PTT input on the DB15 connector (or to the RCA PTT connector) on the back of the radio. Use the Network option to key the radio over the WiFi connection.

Key

Like the PTT option above this option allows you to specify Hardware or Network control of the radio’s Key input. Use the Hardware setting if you have wired the Key Output on the Micro to the Key Input on the radio. Use the Network setting to send the Micro’s keyer output over the WiFi network to the radio. This allows you to operate real CW when you’re operating your radio remotely. See Flex Network CW Keying and PTT below.

If you have selected any of the Micro’s Keyer Types with the exception of None or Passthru the Micro will automatically select Breakin on the radio’s P/CW window and disable the Iambic keyer in the radio when you enable the Tx interlock on the Micro. If you’re using the network for CW keying you’ll need to enable sidetone on the Micro so you can hear the Micro’s key output. The radio doesn’t generate sidetone when keyed from the network. Even if it did, the network delay would make it unusable. You may need to adjust the CW Delay to get good timing.

CW Delay

The final option on the Flex menu is the CW Delay. You’ll need to adjust this value to compensate for network latency when using Network Keying. Depending on your network’s latency you may need 100 to 250 milliseconds of delay to get good code across the network.

Flex Network CW Keying and PTT

The Flex radio supports CW keying and PTT over the network. This eliminates the need for a physical cable connection between the Micro’s PTT/Key Out jack and the radio. The big advantage of this is that you can take your Micro out of your shack and still operate CW or voice remotely. Many find it convenient to run SmartSDR on their iPad with the Micro’s browser interface open in a split screen as shown here.

There are, as always, some caveats to operating this way.

Connection Sequence

If you are going to use network keying, always start SmartSDR first, before powering up the Micro, even when using v3.xx SmartSDR firmware. Once SmartSDR is running, power up the Micro and connect it to WiFi. You can enable the Auto Connect option in the WiFi menu so the Micro connects to WiFi on power up. When powering down SmartSDR, always disconnect the Micro from WiFi too.

If the Micro is left connected to the radio after SmartSDR closes, the next time you open SmartSDR the Micro connection confuses the radio and it goes into a zombie state when you try to key it using network keying on the Micro. The radio will go into transmit mode, the “TX Ready” icon in the bottom-right corner of SmartSDR will turn red, the MOX button will turn red, and the power button on the front of the radio will turn red, BUT THE RADIO WILL NOT GENERATE A CW CARRIER. Other modes like SSB, AM, and FM still work, but CW is dead. The only remedy to this condition is to shut down SmartSDR, power down the Micro, then power cycle the radio.

Network Latency and Congestion

A slow or congested network is the #1 problem encountered when using network keying. This includes traffic on the normal Ethernet connections and most importantly, on the WiFi connection. In order to get reliable keying your network must pass the Flex API keying commands as quickly as possible. Any delay will cause a noticeable delay in your CW signal. If you have a lot of WiFi devices on your network you may need to install a separate Access Point router. Also, make sure that you have unique SSIDs for the 2 and 5 GHz radios in your network. The Micro only supports 2 GHz WiFi.

Using the Micro with SmartSDR on the iPad

The iOS version of SmartSDR makes a great portable control console for the Flex radio. The Micro can supplement its operation by providing a physical tuning knob, a paddle interface for network keying, and a web browser control pad for quick access to the FKey and MFB functions. This setup is shown in the photo at the top of this section.

To open both SmartSDR and the browser in split screen mode, open SmartSDR first. Once the panadapter opens connect the Micro to WiFi. Next press the three dots (…) at the top of the iPad screen and select Slide Over. The iPad will prompt you to open another app. Open your browser app. It will slide to the right and SmartSDR will be displayed on the left. On the browser, enter your Micro’s IP address in the address bar to connect to the Micro’s web server.

When you finish operating, disconnect the Micro from WiFi first then close SmartSDR.

NOTE: If you will only be using the Micro with SmartSDR for iOS or MacOS for remote access you might consider purchasing a CTR2-MIDI instead. This device connects directly to the Apple device using Bluetooth-LE or USB. For remote operation, the SmartSDR app can connect to your radio using SmartLink thereby eliminating the need to open port 4992 through your station’s router to allow the Micro to control your radio directly.

Icom Menu

The functions on this menu follow the layout of the Yaesu FTdx menu and operate similar to those described above. The Icom menu doesn’t support antenna selection or panadapter scope levels since those aren’t documented in the Icom CAT protocol document. I’ll add them if and when I find the CAT descriptions for them.

If your radio doesn’t have two receivers, use the VFO->Ctrl VFO menu option to select which VFO the Micro controls. If you select RX=SUB on this menu, VFO Ctrl will be set to VFO Ctrl=A so each Micro VFO controls the correct receiver.

RX

To switch to the Sub receiver on a dual-receiver radios (7610 or 9700), select RX: A and press the encoder. The settings on this page will update to show the B receiver’s settings.

TX

To use the B receiver’s VFO for transmit on the 7610 select TX: A and press the encoder to toggle to TX: B. In this mode the radio goes into Split mode where the radio’s B VFO is used to control the transmit frequency and mode.

PTT

Select this option to toggle PTT between Hardware and CAT control.

Adrs

This option allows you to change the CI-V address assigned to this radio. Initially the address is set to 00 and the Mini determines the radio’s address when it replies to the first command. For this to happen the CAT mode in the radio must be set to Transceiver mode. You can manually enter this address.

NOTE: When you select the Icom protocol you’ll be asked for the radio’s CI-V address. If you leave it set to 0 the Micro will use the address the radio returns after the first command.

NOTES on the IC-9700
The IC-9700 has separate receivers for each band. This means that you can’t tune outside of the selected band and you can’t have the same band selected for both receivers.

Kenwood Menu

The Kenwood menu is available when you select the Kenwood1 protocol. This menu provides advanced control features for newer Kenwood radios such as the TS-480 and TS-2000. I used the TS-2000 protocol document to create this menu so not all of these features will be available on every Kenwood radio.

NOTE: Older Kenwood radios using the Kenwood2 protocol (4800 baud, 2 stop bits) only allow control of frequency, mode, and RIT therefore this menu is not available.

The options on the Kenwood menu are pretty straight forward, with a couple of oddities.

· If your radio doesn’t have a Sub receiver (such as the TS-480) the Sub Rx options obviously won’t work. Enabling the Sub Rx turns off VFO->Ctrl A & B mode if it was on.

· The Bandwidth control adjustment is shown in Hz in the Value Input window. The radio however has discrete frequencies for this mode. When you accept the new value the actual frequency the radio is using will be shown on the menu.

· The Tuner menu option opens the Tuner menu. On this menu you can choose to route the receiver and/or transmitter RF path through the tuner. Click the Tuner Status option to start or stop the tuner.

· The APO (Automatic Power Off) on your radio will not work when the Micro is connected to it because the CAT activity will keep the radio awake.

NOTE: The Kenwood menu in this example has an asterisk (*) next to most of the options because I don’t have a newer Kenwood radio to connect to so these are shown as off-line.

Hamlib NET rigCtl Menu

Some radios support Hamlib’s rigCtl IP based CAT control. This protocol allows you to control your radio over the IP network without using a serial CAT connection.

SDR radios in particular seem to favor this protocol. Generally with SDR radios, the program controlling the radio provides the rigCtl service for the radio so you would set the CAT IP address to match the host PC’s address and set the IP Port for the port the app uses.

Radios supporting NET rigCtl typically use IP port 4532 but not all radios use this port. Most radio control apps use an IP port unique to them. For instance, SparkSDR uses IP port 51111. Check your app’s specification to find the IP port it uses.

Not all radios support all of the rigCtl commands and this is a work in progress. Commands that don’t respond to polling are hidden in the Radio menu.

NOTE: Even though the piHPSDR software shows RigCtl as the protocol it uses for CAT control, it actually uses an odd combination of Kenwood TS-2000 and PowerSDR (extended Kenwood commands). There is a separate protocol option in the Configure -> CAT menu to control piHPSDR.

PCR1000 Menu

I created a special menu for the Icom PCR1000 radio mostly because I had one gathering dust. It’s not the best radio by today’s standards but it is wideband and still has value in my shack. At least one Mini user uses his PCR1000 to monitor for 1296 MHz beacons in his area.

There are a couple of differences between the PCR1000 implementation and all the other radios.

First, that the PCR1000 uses the transmit interlock to control the control the power to the radio. You can control the power from this menu, with the [Home] key on the terminal keyboard, or with an MFB that is assigned to the transmit interlock.

Second, the radio has no physical controls and doesn’t have CAT commands to read its settings. The settings on the Micro are applied to the radio when you turn it on. One of the drawbacks to this is that if you use a remote Micro to control a PCR1000 in your shack using an ad hoc network connection, the two Micros won’t stay in sync. Changes on one Micro won’t be reflected on the other Micro. This isn’t normally a problem unless you have an operator at each Micro making changes at the same time. It also means that you’ll need to set every parameter on the Micro you’re using for control to make sure they haven’t been changed.

The menu for the PCR1000 is shown here. The controls are pretty straight forward so I won’t go into detail on each one.

Frequency, band, and mode are set by the Micro just as they are on any other radio. This menu gives you control over the other parameters on the radio.

One thing to be aware of is that DSP is always enabled even if the radio doesn’t have the DSP module. I set it this way because the radio doesn’t reliably report if the DSP board is installed. The radio will just ignore it if there’s no DSP board in it.

The BW (Bandwidth) control cycles through the available bandwidths. Different modes have different bandwidths available. For instance CW, LSB, and USB are restricted to 3 and 6 kHz. AM and Narrowband FM use 3, 6, and 15 kHz, and Wideband FM uses 15, 150, and 230 kHz bandwidths.

The Pwr control toggles the power on the receiver on and off. You must have the physical power switch in the ON mode for this to work.

piHPSDR Menu

Connecting to piHPSDR

Support for piHPSDR was added in v1.06.00 firmware.

To use a serial CAT connection, configure the piHPSDR RIGCTL server (under the Menu button) to use a serial port then configure the Micro to use Normal CAT polarity (DIP switches 1, 2, and 3 = ON, all others OFF) and connect the Micro’s CAT jack to the pins on the Raspberry Pi used by the selected serial port. On the Micro’s CAT jack, TIP is transmit and RING is receive.

If you choose to use a network (IP) connection you’ll need to have the Micro on the same network as the Raspberry Pi running piHPSDR and enter the IP address of the Raspberry Pi in the Configure->Connection->IP Address menu.

In piHPSDR, select RIGCTL from the Menu and check the Rigctl Enable checkbox to start the server. Enter the Rigctl Port Number (usually 19090) in the IP port field in the Micro’s
Configure->Connection menu and select TCP as the IP Port Type.

NOTE: You may need to Reset the IP connection to start polling.

Menu Options

The options for piHPSDR allow you to control many, but not all, of the features of your radio.

Most of these options are standard. There are a couple of exceptions to note.

· Turning Split ON sets the radio to use VFO-B for transmit. To control the frequency of VFO-B you must enable Ctrl VFO=A&B in the VFO menu.

· The BW (Bandwidth) option displays the current filter selection, but does not change the filter setting when you change it on the Micro. This is a bug in the piHPSDR firmware.

· The Monitor function changes the Monitor mode on the radio but there is no indication on the piHPSDR display showing its state.

Thetis Menu

Connecting to Thetis

Support for Thetis was added in v1.06.00 firmware. This protocol requires a network connection so you’ll need to have the Micro on the same network as the computer that’s running Thetis.

On the Micro, enter the IP address of the computer running Thetis in the Configure->Connection->IP Address menu and set the IP Port # to 13013.

In Thetis, start the radio by pressing the power button in the top-left corner. Next, open the Setup menu and check Network tab. Enter the computer’s IP address and IP port number in the Bind IP Port text box in the TCP/IP CAT Server box. Finally, check the Server Running checkbox to start the server.

NOTE: You may need to Reset the IP connection to start polling.

Menu Options

The options for Thetis allow you to control many, but not all, of the features of your radio.

Most of these options are standard. There are a couple of exceptions to note.

· Setting TX VFO= B sets the radio to use VFO-B for transmit. To control the frequency of VFO-B you must enable Ctrl VFO=A&B in the VFO menu. This is the same as the Split function on other radios.

· The Pan Zoom control adjusts the span of the panadapter. Increase the value to decrease the span.

· The Zero Beat function is suppose to click the 0 Beat button on the VFO in Thetis. The command is going out as shown in the documentation but the program doesn’t execute the action. Bug?

Xiegu Menu

The Xiegu radio, according to the G90 spec published by RadioOddity supports only a small subset of the Icom CAT controls. These are shown on the menu to the right.

With the exception of the volume and Tx power, these controls are toggled by selecting them and pressing the encoder.

NOTE: These CAT controls work on the G90 but only the volume and AGC controls work on the G106. I don’t have an X5105 to try so I’m unsure on what works and what doesn’t work on that radio. The X6100 isn’t supported at the present time by the Micro.

NOTE: The radio’s display doesn’t update when you change many of these settings with the Mini. This is a Xiegu bug.

Yaesu FT Menu

The Yaesu FT provides quite a bit of control over this radio. This menu can be used with many FT models including the FTdx series, however not all radios support all of these options (i.e. the FTdx10 only has one Rx so Sub Rx options don’t work).

The VFO->Ctrl VFO menu is hidden when the FTdx101 or FTdx5000 radio is selected because these radios have two receivers. Use the RX= option to select which receiver is under the Micro’s control. The Micro’s two VFOs are available for either receiver.

RX

When your radio has two receivers use this option to select the active receiver. The other receiver controls on this menu update to show the selected receiver’s settings.

TX

This menu option toggles the transmitter between the MAIN and SUB VFO.

Ant (Antenna)

Each receiver can operate on either antenna port 1, 2, or 3. This allows you to easily setup a receiver diversity system. These menu options allow you to choose the antenna for each receiver. Not all antenna ports are available on all radios.

Power Out

This menu item allows you to set the output power of the transmitter.

Tuner

This menu item opens the Tuner menu where to can turn the internal tuner ON and OFF. When the tuner is ON you can START and STOP it from this menu.

PTT (Hw/CAT)

The FTdx radio has the ability to have PTT keyed either by a normal hardware connection or by a CAT command (TXn;). Keying the radio using the CAT command eliminates the requirement of connecting a custom cable from the Mini to your Radio’s PTT input. It also allows you to control the radio remotely if you connect it to a serial terminal server.

Vol

This control brings up a Value Edit display where you can adjust the selected receiver’s volume. This display will stay open until you press the encoder to close it. You can also long-press (> 1 second) the encoder to 0. Long-pressing the encoder again restores the volume to its previous value.

BW (Bandwidth)

This control allows you to adjust the audio filter on the selected receiver.

NB (Noise Blanker Level)

This control allows you to enable the noise blanker and set its level. To disable the noise blanker set the level to 0.

NR (Noise Reduction Level)

This control allows you to enable DSP noise reduction and set its level. To disable noise reduction set the level to 0.

Notch (Auto Notch)

Click this control to toggle the auto notch filter on and off.

Gain (RF Gain)

Use this control to adjust the RF gain on the selected receiver.

Attn (RF Attenuation)

Click the encoder to step through the RF attenuator settings on the radio. These include OFF, 6 dB, 12 dB, and 18 dB.

AGC

Click the encoder to step through the AGC settings on the selected receiver. Options are OFF, FAST, MID, SLOW, and AUTO.
NOTE: When the AGC is turned OFF the receiver’s audio is not limited. Loud signals can be hazardous to your ear’s health!

Pan Lvl

This control allows you to adjust the reference level on the active receiver’s panadapter.

CW Spot

This control enables or disables the radio’s CW Spot feature in CW mode.

Moni Lvl

This control allows you to adjust the level of the Tx Monitor. The range is 0 to 100. Setting the level to 0 turns off the Tx Monitor.

Advanced Configurations

Operation with N1MM Logger

The Micro emulates the Kenwood TS-2000 on its USB virtual serial port. This allows it to be used with N1MM Logger+. Simply configure N1MM Logger+ to connect to the Micro’s USB serial port on your computer and set it for the TS-2000 radio. The baud rate usually doesn’t matter but if you have problems connecting set it to 9600 baud.

To key your radio using N1MM’s CW keyer, follow the instructions on the N1MM Interfacing Basics webpage to build a keying interface circuit. This will require a USB serial adapter with a keying interface circuit wired to its RTS output. Connect the output of the keying interface circuit to the TIP and SHIELD of the Micro’s Paddle input jack and set the Micro’s Keyer to Straight Key. With this setup you can control your radio using the Micro or N1MM Logger+ and use keyboard keying in N1MM Logger+. Unfortunately this configuration doesn’t allow you to use the Micro’s keyer with a set of paddles.

Connecting Multiple Micros

Micros have an interesting ability to connect to each other and share information. They can also connect to a CTR2-Mini so you can use the Mini as a display instead of a terminal.

This ability opens new configuration modes that have never been possible before. For instance, you can connect one Micro to your radio in your shack and use another Micro or Mini in another part of your house (or anywhere you have an internet connection) to control it. Audio can be transported over WiFi using an audio server such as SonoBus or Mumble. The current Micro firmware does not support sending CW between units, as it does with the Flex.

Do you want to operate your radio full time this way? Probably not. There are many other full-feature options out there for remote control. The Micro gives you the opportunity to try remote control out, experiment with it, and see if it works for you.

By far the best radio for remote control is the Flex radio because it does remote out of the box. The Micro works great with it and provides a physical tuning knob if you like to run your Flex using an iPad and SmartSDR for iOS. It also provides a means to send PTT and KEY controls over the internet so you can use your paddles with the Micro and have your iPad running SmartSDR.

NOTE: You can’t use the hotspot on your tablet, cell phone, or a StarLink connection to connect your Micro to a remote Flex radio even with a VPN because these systems use Carrier Grade Network Address Translation (CGNAT) that blocks port forwarding.

Linking Micros and Minis

The Micro has the ability to link to other Micros or Minis using the UDP network protocol. The UDP protocol is a ‘connectionless’ protocol, meaning the two ends don’t form a solid connection between each other. They just listen on a pre-defined UDP port (IP port 7951 on the Micro and Mini) and respond if someone wants to talk to them. This allows multiple devices to talk to each other on a shared line.

NOTE: This is an experimental mode and hasn’t been fully vetted.

Whenever you connect your Micro to a WiFi system it starts listening to port 7951. When it receives data from this port it decodes it and sends it the radio. When the radio connected to the Micro responds the Micro forwards that data to any other units that it has heard.

This ad hoc exchange of information makes it possible for one Micro to be connected to your radio and allows other Micros or Mini to control that same radio as shown in the drawing below.

Setting up an ad hoc network

NOTE: If you are using your Micro to control a network based radio such as a Flex or Elecraft K4 the ad hoc network feature is not available. In addition, if you are using a tablet or cell phone hotspot, or a StarLink connection, you will not be able to connect the Micro to a remote radio over the network (even with a VPN) because these systems block port forwarding and UDP packets.

NOTE: Ad hoc networking is an experimental mode and hasn’t been fully vetted. I will work with you if you find issues that need to be fixed.

To enable this exchange of information you need to do the following in the Config->Connection menu:

1. Set all units in the network to the same radio CAT.

2. On the Micro (or Mini) that’s connected to the radio’s serial port (address 192.168.0.25 in the drawing), navigate to the Config->Connection menu and set it to the IP Address of one of the remote units (192.168.0.30 or 192.168.0.35) and IP Port to 7951. The port will show [Using UDP] when set to this port # and tells this unit to broadcast its address on the UDP network. Select the baud rate for the serial CAT port before you exit this menu so the unit uses the serial port for CAT.

3. On the remote Micros or Mini (addresses 192.168.0.30 and 192.168.0.35 in the drawing) navigate to the Config->Connection menu and enter the IP address of the Micro connected to the radio’s serial CAT port (IP address 192.168.0.25) and set the IP port to 7951. The Micro will show this as [Using UDP] in the menu. Do not select a baud rate. The unit will send its CAT requests over UDP to the unit connected to the radio.

NOTE: Ad hoc UDP networks are only available when one unit is connected to the radio’s serial CAT port. It is not available (or needed) for network based CAT control used on the Flex or K4 radios. With the radios, just connect all of your Micros or Minis to the radio using its IP address and TCP port. Its server will act as the hub and share its settings and control with all of the devices connected to it.

Possible Workaround for the Cell Phone Hotspot CGNAT Block

The following is provided for information purposes only. I make no claim that it should be used by anyone or that it will even work on your router!

If you’re a Flex user the first thing you’ll probably want to do is take your Micro on the road so you can use it as a physical knob and keyer for your remote radio over the internet. This should work if you connect your Micro to a normal WiFi network at the remote location using a VPN, however, it will not work if you try to connect your Micro to your cell phone’s hotspot, even with a VPN. The reason is that cell providers and other services like StarLink use Carrier Grade Network Address Translation (CGNAT) that blocks the port forwarding required by VPNs.

You can connect the Micro to your radio using your cell phone’s hotspot if you forward port 4992 from your radio to the internet. Just enter your home router’s internet address in the Micro as the radio’s IP address and set the Micro’s IP port to the forwarded port # on your router. This is highly discouraged by anyone that knows anything about internet security because port 4992 is an ‘unauthenticated port’ meaning that anyone that knows the port # you forwarded it to on your router can access and control your radio without your knowledge.

You might also consider using CTR2-MIDI with SmartSDR for iOS instead. This app can use SmartLink so there is no need to forward ports through your radio.

PCR-1000 Receiver Remote Control Oddities

If you run a remote Micro to control a Micro connected to a PCR-1000 receiver the two Micro’s won’t stay in sync. This is because the PCR-1000 receiver only acknowledges CAT commands, it doesn’t echo the new setting. For example, if you change the frequency it doesn’t return the new frequency. Therefore, the local and remote Micros won’t know what the other one is doing. This means that when you use either Micro to control the radio you’ll need to set the frequency, mode, etc. to make sure it’s operating where you want it.

CAT Oddities

Not every radio responds to CAT commands as the original designer of the CAT protocol intended. This is especially true with radios that borrow another manufacturer’s protocol. While I’ve tried to resolve these conflicts the best I can, there are some things I can’t do anything about. This section lists these issues.

Active VFO Control on Older Kenwood Radios

Older Kenwood radios use the Kenwood2 protocol in the Micro. They require 2-stop bits and usually run at 4800 baud. They do not have an extensive CAT protocol. Most of them only support changing frequency, mode, and possibly RIT. On these radios the Micro always follows the radio’s selected VFO when you select the Ctlr VFO=A&B mode. You cannot switch radio VFO’s from the Micro. If you try to switch the Micro to its offline VFO it will return to the radio’s VFO.

If you want to use the Micro’s VFOs to switch the radio’s frequency and mode use the Ctrl VFO=A mode. In this mode the Micro’s VFOs are sent only to the radio’s A VFO. This leaves the radio’s B VFO free for you to use without the Micro interacting with it.

Appendix A: Detailed List of Micro Features

The Micro makes up for its diminutive size with a long list of features.

· It can control a wide variety of radios using serial or IP CAT including Flex, Anan and Hermes Light 2 (in Thesis or piHPSDR mode), most Icoms, Kenwoods, newer model Yaesu radios in the FTdx line (and other Yaesu models running the Kenwood protocol with serial CAT ports), Yaesu FT-817 and FT-100, Elecraft, Xiegu, QCX, NET rigCtld from Ham Lib, and even the trusty old Icom PCR1000.

· USB powered from either your PC, a phone charge, battery pack, or a OTG adapter on your tablet or cell phone

· A remote frequency control knob that can be placed next to your mic or key for instant frequency changes

· User programmable power up mode – configure the Micro to power up in speed control, RIT, volume, or any other mode.

· Support for 10 radio profiles. Each profile contains all of the settings for that radio including the favorite frequency list and FKey and MFB programming.

· Share a common favorite frequency list with every radio profile

· Multiple Micros can be linked together via WiFi with each Micro can have its own power up mode – have one Micro set for keyer speed, one for RIT, one for volume, etc.

· Control it using a Telnet terminal program or from a web browser.

· User defined frequency steps. Easily change the step by pressing and tuning the encoder or pressing the left/right arrow keys on your keyboard when connected to a Telnet terminal program.

· Keyboard control of your radio from anywhere via internet Telnet

· Keyboard CW memory/contest keyer

· Bridge mode allows the Micro to be used as a IP/Serial Terminal interface with support for TTL, RS-232, and CI-V serial ports

· Six programmable keyboard function keys (F2 to F7)

· Keyboard function keys provide instant access to 10 programmable 75 character CW buffers (F8, F9, Shift+F3 to Shift+F10)

· Shortcut keys take you from the Home page directly to the menus and features you use the most when in Telnet terminal control.

· Three multi-function buttons on the Micro – assign the functions you use most to them

· The Code Report outputs the current menu item, radio parameter changes, etc. in code. This allows you to control the Micro and radio without a display. Independent report CW speed and spacing lets you set it where you’re comfortable. This is great for blind and limited sight operators or for increasing your code proficiency.

· The Text Report leverages the Code Report features to provide enhanced support for screen readers

· Supports both CTR2-Display and CTR2-Voice for additional accessibility

· Use your paddles to navigate menu items, input parameters, change frequency, etc. Have a code conversation with your radio!

· Frequency Controls

o Direct frequency entry from your keyboard

o Zero digits below the selected frequency step

o RIT

o 100 favorite frequencies/mode settings for each VFO in each Radio Profile

o Instantly return to the last 25 frequencies you visited from the Previous Freq/Mode list

o Lock previous frequencies so they don’t scroll off the Previous Freq/Mode list

o Code reporting of frequency, tuning step, and mode

o Two VFOs are managed by the Micro. In Ctrl VFO=A mode both VFOs on the Micro use VFO-A on your radio. This allows you to use your radio’s VFO-B without the Micro’s control. Switch to Ctrl VFO=A&B mode and you can individually control A VFO and B VFO on your radio with the Micro’s VFO-A and VFO-B.

o A shared frequency/mode database that is accessible from any Radio Profile

o Memory tuning makes it easy to check the frequencies in your favorite frequency list

o Range tuning allows you to define the lower and upper edges of the frequency range you want to stay within (say for a contest or a satellite transponder). Ranges are set in the frequency memory so you can have up to 100 ranges if needed.

o Band stacking registers allow you to return to the last frequency and mode used on each band

· Select the radio’s band or mode from the Micro

· Transmit interlock allows you to disable radio keying so you can use the Micro for code practice

· External Tuner mode instantly switches your radio to the mode and power you define for your external tuner then returns to the original mode and power when you leave this mode.

· Keyer options include:

o Keyer speeds from 5 to 99 wpm

o Farnsworth spacing can be used with Tx messages, CW reports, and practice modes

o Use the radio’s sidetone or the Micro’s sidetone for keying

o Adjustable sidetone frequency and volume

o Straight, Pass-thru, Iambic-A, Iambic-B, Ultimatic, and Bug modes

§ Pass-thru allows you to control Key and PTT Outputs with your paddles. Connect these to the key input on your radio or to an external keyer if you want to use those keyers.

o Use the Paddle Input jack for a remote PTT switch in voice modes

o Paddle reverse to reverse paddle wiring

o Prosigns (embed in CW buffers or press these keys on the keyboard)

§ ‘^’ sends your call

§ ‘#’ sends the current contact serial # - automatically increments after each use

§ ‘%’ sends the contest exchange

§ ‘*’ increases keying speed by 50%

§ ‘_’ sends a long DAH

§ Other K1EL v3 prosigns are supported

o Interactive Code Practice mode

· WiFi Options

o Auto Connect allows the Micro to connect to your WiFi system on power up. Great for the Flex radio

o IP Telnet Login option protects your Micro from bad actors by requiring a login password when connecting through a forwarded port on your router.

o Connect multiple Micros together to provide dedicated knobs programmed for different features on your radio

o The Micro can connect to the Mini or another Micro using an ad hoc network and either of them can control your radio. This allows you to leave the Micro in the shack connected to your radio and use the other unit as a remote control.

· Control your radio remotely using a terminal program or a web browser on your cell phone or tablet, or use another Micro or a CTR2-Mini connected to the CTR2-Micro in your shack

· A new Beacon control mode allows the Micro to be used as a browser enabled beacon controller when you’re not using it for other operations.

Appendix B: Loading and Updating the Firmware

If you build your Micro from a kit the first order of business will be to download the Micro firmware to it. Even if you ordered a fully assembled and tested unit you’ll still want to check periodically for firmware updates as new features and bug fixes happen fairly often.

NOTE: Many USB cables only provide power to the device, not data. If a new virtual serial port is not created when you plug your Micro into you PC make sure you are using a USB-A to USB-C cable that supports data.

The current version of the firmware on your Micro is displayed on the Title Page and in the Main->About… menu when you connect to the Micro with a terminal program or web browser.

You can find the latest firmware on my blog at https://ctr2.lynovation.com/ctr2-download-updates. I also post update alerts on the CTR2 group at https://groups.io/g/CTR2 . I encourage all CTR2 owners to join that group to get the latest update alerts, post bug reports, and share ideas they would like to see in CTR2 products. I keep previous versions of the firmware on my blog in case the current version doesn’t play well, or you decide you don’t need the new features it includes.

The source code for CTR2-Micro is closed source so there is no need for you to install and learn the Arduino programming environment in order to compile and update your Micro.

There are two methods you can use to download the .BIN files to the ESP32C3.

The first method uses a free Windows based flash download program from EspressIF to download new firmware to your Micro. If you’re a Linux or Mac user you can use ESPTools.py to download the files. Both methods will be covered here.

Windows Users

Download EspressIF Flash Download Tools

The download tool is available at https://www.espressif.com/en/support/download/other-tools. Click the checkbox on the Flash Download Tools item then click Download selected.

Run Flash Download Tools

Once you have downloaded the zip file, right-click on it and select Extract All… to unzip it. In the unzipped folder, navigate to the flash_download_tool_x.x.x folder (x.x.x is the current version of the program. It is 3.9.5 as of 6/12/2023). Once in this folder just double-click on the flash_download_tool_x.x.x.exe application to open the program. There is no need to install the program, just run it.

It will open a small window where you need to select the ChipType and LoadMode. Set them to ESP32-C3 and USB as shown below then click OK.

The first time you run the program it opens as shown here.

To configure it for the Micro you’ll need to add links to the firmware .BIN (binary) files I distribute and select the virtual COM port assigned by your PC to the Micro.

Leave the button settings set as shown.

Unzip the CTR2-Micro Firmware Update File

I distribute the Micro’s firmware files in a zip file. The title of the file will contain the firmware version # (i.e. CTR2-Micro_v10002.zip for version 1.00.02). There are four .BIN files in the .zip file and the name of each file will always be the same.

I highly recommend that you always extract the .BIN files from my update to the same folder on your PC every time you update so once you’ve mapped the .BIN files in the download tool you won’t need to change the mapping for the next update. I created a c:\_temp folder on my PC for these files. I also put the EspressIF Download Tool in this folder so that everything is in one place.

NOTE: Save a copy of the CTR2-Micro_v1xxxx.zip file in the same folder as the .BIN files. This way you’ll know the version # of the firmware in that folder.

Map .BIN files in the Download Tool

Once you’ve downloaded and unzipped the firmware files from my blog, populate the mapping in the Download Tool as shown here.

There are four .BIN files need to program the Micro. To map a file, click the […] button on each line and navigate to the folder where you unzipped the firmware files (I put them in the c:\_Temp\ folder on my PC). Double click on each file to add it to the Download Tool. Click on the checkbox to the left of the file name field to include it in the download.

The Download Tool needs to know the starting memory location for each file. This is entered in the field following the @ sign. This memory location is at the end of each file name. For example, CTR2-Micro.ino.bootloader_0x0.bin is installed starting at memory location 0x0, boot_app0_0xe000.bin is installed starting at memory location 0xe000, etc. Memory locations are in Hex.

Enter the memory starting location as you map each .BIN file. When you’re done the Download Tool should look like the screenshot above, but with your folder name in place of the C:\_Temp\ location I use.

Select the Micro’s COM Port

To select the Micro’s COM port, first look at the COM: list in the bottom right corner of the screen and note the COM ports your PC already has assigned. Next, plug your Micro into a USB port on your PC. It will automatically assign a virtual COM to it. This COM port will always be the same and I recommend writing it down with a permanent marker on the label on the bottom of the Micro.

Now, drop down the COM: dropdown box again. The new port on the COM: list is your Micro. Select that port.

Set the Baud: to 921600 baud for the fastest download. If the download fails try a lower baud rate.

Download the Firmware

The final step involves downloading the firmware. To do this, simply click the Start button. The download tool will show the download status and display Finish above the Start button when it’s complete.

You’ll need to cycle the power on the Micro to start the new program.

NOTE: If you want to reset the Micro to the factory settings, click the Erase button before you download the firmware. This clears the non-volatile RAM used for the Micro’s configuration files. Once the erase process completes, click the Start button to start the download. When you boot the Micro after a full erase you’ll need to go through the First Time Configuration procedure shown in Appendix C.

WARNING: Erasing the non-volatile RAM is similar to using the Set to Factory option in the Micro’s Config menu. You won’t be able to restore the configuration files until you perform another backup.

Linux and Mac Users

If you run Linux or Mac operating systems you’ll need to use ESPTools.py to download the .BIN files. To do this you must have Python3 and pip installed on your machine. It is already installed on most Linux distros. Type Python3 –V and pip –V on the command line to see if they’re installed. If it’s not, you can find them on the internet.

Download the CTR2-Micro_v1xxxx.zip file from https://ctr2.lynovation.com/download-ctr2-micro-firmware and unzip that file into a folder on your PC.

CTR2-Micro-Install_script.zip file is included in the Micro’s firmware zip file. It will unzip to the same folder you unzip the Micro’s BIN files to..

NOTE: Always unzip subsequent firmware update files to the same folder so you don’t have to edit the script file again.

Find the USB Port Assigned to the Micro

The instructions to find the serial port assigned to the Micro can be found in Appendix C below.

Make Sure You Have Privileges to the dialout Group

Linux is a very secure operating system. Sometimes it seems that it’s too secure. The dialout group is one example. Once you find the serial port the machine is using for the USB connection to the Micro you need to make sure you have permission to use that port. You’ll need this permission to download the .BIN files and to use a terminal program on this port.

On a Debian machine, use the command sudo usermod –a –G dialout $USER to add yourself to this group. Other distros and Apple macOS may use required different syntax.

Once you’ve been added to the dialout group, reboot the machine.

Edit the CTR2-Micro-Install.sh Script File

Next you’ll need to edit the script file so that it knows which serial port to use and where to find the .BIN files.

A complete copy of the install script is shown below. Change settings of the PORT= and DIR= entries to match your configuration. Color and bold text have been added here for clarity. You can edit the script with any text editor.

Make the Script Executable

In order to run the script it has to be set as an “executable” file. To do this, open the command line interface and navigate to the folder the script is in. Execute the following line:

chmod +x CTR2-Micro-Install.sh

Python Script

_____________________________________________________________________________________

# CTR2-MICRO Programmer for Linux and Mac. Should also work on MSWindows

# MUST have python3 and pip installed

# Lou Scalpati KI5FTY

PYTHON=python3

CHIP=esp32c3

#-----------------------------------------------

# Replace the PORT and DIR variables below to fit your system

#-----------------------------------------------

# Begin Edit

PORT=/dev/<YOUR-USB-DEVICE>

DIR=<DIRECTORY-CONTAINING-FILES>

# End Edit

#------------------------------------------------

pip -q install esptool

read -rsn1 -p "Hold down ENCODER and press any key to continue"

$PYTHON -m esptool --chip $CHIP --port $PORT write_flash -z 0x0 $DIR/CTR2-Micro.ino.bootloader_0x0.bin

$PYTHON -m esptool --chip $CHIP --port $PORT write_flash -z 0xe000 $DIR/boot_app0_0xe000.bin

$PYTHON -m esptool --chip $CHIP --port $PORT write_flash -z 0x8000 $DIR/CTR2-Micro.ino.partitions_0x8000.bin

$PYTHON -m esptool --chip $CHIP --port $PORT write_flash -z 0x10000 $DIR/CTR2-Micro.ino_0x10000.bin

_________________________________________________________________________________

Once you have edited the script save it. As long as you always extract the new updates into the same folder you won’t need to edit this file again.

Execute the Script

To execute the script, open the command line interface and navigate to the folder where you saved the script. To execute the script, enter the following command: ./CTR2-Micro-Install.sh

NOTE: The ‘./’ preceding the file name tells Linux to execute the file.

The script will download ESPTools.py and then prompt you to Hold down ENCODER and press any key to continue. Pressing the encoder on the Micro is the same as pressing the Boot/Flash button on the ESP32C3, which would require you to open the case.

Press any key and the download should start.

Once programming has completed cycle the power on the Micro to restart the program.

The welcome page should show the updated version #.

Appendix C: First Time Configuration

You should periodically check here for firmware updates. The procedure for updating the firmware can be found in the Appendix B: Loading and Updating Firmware section.

When you receive your Micro you must configure it for your station. This must be done using a terminal program connected to the Micro’s USB serial port.

Finding the Micro’s Serial Port in Windows

The first time you connect the Micro to your PC it will create a virtual serial port assigned to the Micro’s USB serial port. This can be found in the Windows Device Manager. An example is shown here. I’ve highlighted the Micro’s port in yellow. If you have multiple USB Serial Devices on your PC, unplug the Micro and see which device drops off this list. Plug the Micro back in and it should reappear.

Finding the Micro’s Serial Port in the Mac or Linux

Mac and Linux users require a little more effort to find the Micro.

First, list your current serial ports without the Micro plugged in.

· On the Mac open Applications/Utilities/Terminal.app. On Linux open the terminal program supplied by your distro.

· On the Mac, enter ls -l /dev/tty.usb*, on Linux, enter ls /dev/tty* This will return a list of all known serial ports.

· Next, plug the Micro into the computer’s serial port and execute the command above again. This is easily done by pressing the Up arrow key.

· Compare the new list with the old list. The Micro’s serial port will appear on just the new list. For Mac users the format will be /dev/tty.usbserial-xxxxx. Linux users will see something like /dev/ttyACMx or /dev/ttyUSBx.

NOTE: If a new virtual serial port is not created when you plug your Micro into your PC make sure you are using a USB-A to USB-C cable that supports data. Many USB cables only provide power to the remote device.

Once you know the Micro’s USB serial port#, write it on the label on the bottom of the unit using a fine-tipped permanent marker for future reference. Put a piece of transparent tape over the label to seal the ink so it doesn’t rub off (it’s not as permanent as you think). You can always remove the tape if you want to change what’s written on the label.

I recommend using Tera Term on Windows for the first connection because it’s simple and it just works. Appendix D covers downloading the program and connecting to the Micro. Once Wifi has been configured you can use an IP connection instead of the serial connection. For IP Putty works better. Appendix E covers downloading and configuring Putty for the Micro.

The Micro has a built-in web server that supports a browser interface but you will always need to connect with a serial terminal to configure it for the first time. A serial connection is faster and doesn’t require a WiFi network, so it makes sense to get a serial terminal session set up.

Calibrate the MFBs

When you connect to the Micro for the first time you will be prompted to go through the calibration routine for the multi-function buttons (MFBs). Simply press each MFB1, 2, and 3, in that order, so the Micro can record each button’s voltage.

NOTE: The MFBs are numbered from the bottom up with MFB1 being on the bottom-left.

Calibration is a one-time procedure but if you find the Micro incorrectly executing buttons you can repeat this procedure in the Config->Calibrations->Multi-Func Btn Calibration menu.

The three MFBs use a resistive ladder to present different voltage levels to the processor’s ADC when each is pressed. The processor identifies the button by reading this voltage on its analog/digital converter (ADC). Due to the small number of I/Os on the ESP32C3 the Micro shares port 0 with the LED. When the LED is idle (which it is most of the time) the Micro can detect a button press. The only problem with this scheme is that because the LED is part of the pull-up voltage for the ADC every Micro generates different voltages for their MFBs. This calibration resolves this issue.

Once calibration has been completed you’ll be taken to the Home page where you can configure the following options to set up your Micro.

Configure the Keyer

The next thing you’ll want to do is configure the keyer. Open the Keyer menu by pressing Ctrl+k on the Home page, or press [Enter] to open the main menu then press hotkey h to open the keyer menu. The Keyer section describes the options available here. At the minimum you’ll want to set the keyer speed and enter your call sign.

If you also want to use a remote PTT switch with the Micro, enable the Pdl PTT option in the Keyer menu and connect your remote PTT switch in parallel with one of the paddle contacts (either on). With Pdl PTT enabled pressing either paddle or the remote PTT switch will key PTT if the radio is in a voice mode and the Tx Interlock is enabled.

CAT Polarity Jumpers/DIP Switch Settings

You’ll need to set the CAT polarity using the internal jumpers or DIP switch even if you plan on using WiFi to connect to your radio. Setting the jumpers provides the necessary pull-up or pull-down voltages to the processor’s input to keep noise from affecting the Micro’s operation. If you’re not using serial CAT install jumpers or set DIP switch for S1, S2, and S3.

The Micro support Normal TTL levels (Mark = 5 volts, Space = 0 volts), Inverted levels (Mark = 0 volts, Space = 5 volts), and the Icom CI-V 2-wire bus that uses TTL levels on a single pair of wires. Every manufacturer determines the format of their CAT port, there is no universal standard. Check your radio’s user manual to find out which one you need.

The Inverted setting is used for radios that have RS-232 CAT ports.

To configure the Micro’s CAT port, use the following table. If your unit has the internal headers, the [X] means to install a header at that location. If your unit has the external DIP switch option, the [X] means to turn that switch ON.

Format	S1	S2	S3	S4	S5	S6	S7	S8
Normal	X	X	X
Inverted				X	X	X	X
CI-V	X	X	X					X

Select the Radio CAT Protocol

For the Micro to control your radio it must know which radio it’s connected to. This is handled in the Config->CAT menu.

Set the CAT Baud or IP Address

The Config->Connection menu allows you to determine how the Micro communicates with your radio. To use the serial CAT I/O port (center jack) on the Micro you must first set the CAT Polarity straps to match the format your radio uses and then set the baud rate of the Micro to match the baud rate of your radio in this menu.

If you will be connecting to your radio over the network (i.e. Flex or Elecraft K4), you will set the radio’s IP address and IP port # in this menu.

NOTE: If you connect to your radio using the IP network the ad hoc network sharing feature is not available.

Startup Title Page

Once you’ve completed the initial setup of the Micro you’ll be presented with a Title Page each time you connect a terminal to the Micro. The firmware version # will be listed here along with a counter that shows the number of seconds since power up.

You can find the version # and IP address of the Micro in the Main->About… menu.

Press any key on the keyboard to tell the Micro you’re connected.

NOTE: For the Micro will be fully functional in standalone mode you must have a terminal session, browser session, or report enabled. If no external interfaces are operational you will be blocked from opening the Micro’s menu system and an error beep will sound so you don’t inadvertently changes settings without knowing it.

Appendix D: Configuring Tera Term

Tera Term is the simplest terminal program to get running for a serial connection.

Download it for Windows at https://ttssh2.osdn.jp/index.html.en. If that site is down, try https://download.cnet.com/tera-term/3001-2094_4-75766675.html. As far as I know, Tera Term is only available for Windows.

When you first open Tera Term you’ll be presented with the Tera Term New connection window. Simply select the Serial radio button, select the COM port Window’s assigned to your Micro when you plugged it in, and click the OK button.

Since you are connecting to a USB serial port there is no need to set the baud rate. It will run at USB speed regardless of the baud setting.

That’s it! Tera Term will open showing the Micro’s Title page. Press any key to open the Home page.

When you first open Tera Term the display will look like this.

When you first connect, open Tera Term’s Setup menu and select Terminal… Set the Terminal Size to 41 x 20. The Micro’s terminal interface was designed for this size. You can make the display wider (greater than 41) but keep the display height set to 20.

While in the Terminal… settings verify the New-line options are set to CR for both Transmit and Receive and the Terminal ID is set to VT100.

You’ll probably want to change the font size and colors. These are also changed in Tera Term’s Setup menu. Select Display to change the font and background colors to your liking. Select Font to change the font and font size. I like Courier New, Regular, and 14 point size. You’re preferences may differ.

Once you have the program configured the way you like, select the Setup->Save Setup… menu and save your configuration. If you use the default file name, TERATERM.INI the program will automatically start a Telnet session using the COM port you selected above when it opens. This provides one-click access to your Micro.

While Tera Term can connect to the Micro using a network TCP/IP connection, it doesn’t appear to support the ‘raw socket’ interface used on the Micro. It seems to be looking for Telnet or SSH handshaking which the Micro doesn’t support. If you want to connect to your Micro using IP, consider using Putty. The next section provides details on connecting using IP with Putty.

Appendix E: Configuring Putty

Putty is a terminal program that can be configured for a variety of needs. The Micro supports both serial and “raw socket” IP connections. The Micro does not support SSH or Telnet handshaking. Putty works well with the Micro. This section describes how to configure the program to interface with the Micro.

Download Putty for Windows from https://www.putty.org/. It’s also available for Linux at https://www.ssh.com/academy/ssh/putty/linux and for Mac at https://www.ssh.com/academy/ssh/putty/mac.

You’ll need to connect to the Micro using its USB serial port in order to initially configure it. Once you’ve configured it to connect to your WiFi network you can use Putty to connect to it using IP. This section describes how to configure Putty for both serial and IP connections.

Serial Session

Select Serial then set the Serial Line to the COM port you found in the Device Manager and set Speed (Baud Rate) to 115200.

NOTE: Since this is a USB serial port the Speed (baud rate) doesn’t matter. Data will be sent at USB speeds regardless of the Speed setting.

Next, select the Terminal item and set the Implicit LF in Every CR to on, and Local Echo, and Local Line Editing to Force Off.

Under the Window item, set the Columns to 41 and the Rows to 20. The number of Columns can be set above 41 but the number of Rows must be set to 20 for Micro to display pages properly. This is especially important if you use the Text Report with a screen reader.

Once this has been done, return to the Session menu item, enter a name for this session and click the Save button. This allows you to easily re-open this session with just a couple of clicks.

If you right-click on the Putty icon in the Windows toolbar the last few sessions you had open will be displayed. Just select the one you want to open it.

You can adjust the display colors on the Windows->Colours menu item. The Micro uses the Bold attribute to highlight the hotkeys and other items. I like to set the Background color to blue and the Bold color to yellow but you can find the colors that work for you. After you get a color combination you like return to the Session menu and Save the session.

IP Session

Once you have the Micro connected to your WiFi network you can connect to it using an IP session. This connection is a little slower but it’s useful if you want to power your Micro from a battery, phone charger, or from an OTG port on your phone or tablet.

Find your Micro’s IP Address

First, you need to know the IP address your router assigned to your Micro. This is found in the Micro’s WiFi menu after you have connected the Micro to your WiFi network.

Micro’s Telnet Port

The Micro always uses IP port 7950 for Telnet connections.

Configure the IP Session

Next, open Putty and Load the serial session you created above. This allows you to use the same colors and terminal settings for your IP session.

Click on the Raw radio button (the Micro uses ‘raw’ IP sockets in its terminal mode). Next, enter the Micro’s IP address found above in the Host Name field and set the Port to 7950.

Change the name of the session to whatever you want to call it and click the Save button.

Click the Open button to open this session.

Appendix F: Web Server

A web server was added to the Micro starting with v1.02.00. This web server is pretty basic and displays most of the functions of the Telnet terminal screens shown in this manual. The web browser provides single press access to many of the Micro’s and radio functions

To use the web server you must have the Micro connected to your WiFi network and a browser running on a PC, tablet, or cell phone. The web server will work with older browsers so you can use a retired cell phone from your sock drawer as a standalone display for your Micro.

NOTE: It is recommended that you enable WiFi Auto-Connect if you plan on leaving the Micro running at a remote location so that it can reconnect to your network after a power outage.

Connecting to the Web Server

Enter the Micro’s IP address in the address bar in your browser. You can find the Micro’s IP address on the WiFi page or in Main->About… after the Micro is connected to the network. The web server on the Micro is not encrypted so if your browser tries to open it using HTTPS:// it will not work. Replace HTTPS:// with HTTP:// and try again.

Home Page Description

An example of the browser’s Home page is shown here. The name of the selected Radio Profile is displayed at the top of the page. You can click on this if you want to change the profile. You can set the name of each profile to make it easier to know which radio you’re connected to.

The active VFO (VFO A: 28.502.103) is shown in green at the top of the page. The frequency changes as you turn the encoder. You can click on this frequency to edit it in the text editor.

The band (10m) and mode (CW) are shown next. They are the same color as the active VFO. The font color of the band changes to yellow in General (non-ham) mode.

The offline VFO (B: 21.058860) is shown in cyan color next to the Mode. This color will be used in the main frequency display when you change to VFO-B. Clicking on this button moves the offline VFO to the online VFO.

The state of the transmit inhibitor (Tx Enabled) is shown on the third line along with arrows that control the tuning step (< and >) and tuning digit (v and ^). They use red font like the tuning digit to signify that they control it.

Almost every element on this page is a button. Clicking on (or pressing) them executes that function. For example, pressing the active VFO label (VFO-A) opens the VFO menu. Pressing the Band button (10m) opens the Band menu, etc.

The rest of the buttons are listed below by their function followed by the label on that button in ( ). Buttons that open menus are shown in blue. Buttons that execute a function are shown in orange, and special functions are shown in yellow.

Radio Menu (FLEX-A)

This button opens the Radio menu. The label indicates the Flex menu will open and we are controlling Slice A. Other radios may have their model # listed here.

Theme

This button steps through the various color schemes built into the web server. four dark themes.

NOTE: Changing themes doesn’t always change the theme colors due to browser caching issues. Click the * button or any of the other buttons to refresh the display.

Radio CAT (Flex)

This button opens the Config-Radio CAT menu. The label contains the currently selected CAT protocol.

KEY (or PTT)

This button controls either the KEY Output or the PTT Output of the Micro depending on the radio’s mode. The label on this button changes to PTT when non-CW modes are selected.

The color of this button follows the Tx Interlock indication. Tx must be Enabled to use this button.

This is a latching function. Press once to turn it on and press again to turn it off. This action is the same as using the [PgDown] key on the terminal keyboard.

NOTE: The Keyboard Keyer, when enabled, is shown at the bottom of the Home page only when the radio is in a CW mode.

WiFi

The status of the WiFi connection and the RSSI is shown here. For the fastest page updates the RSSI should be lower than -50.

Zero

Pressing this button zeros the digits below the tuning digit.

RIT

This button opens the RIT offset window.

Lock

This button toggles the VFO/Mode Lock feature. When locked, the frequency is not displayed and this button’s text turns red. You will not be able to change the radio’s frequency or mode when locked, but you can change them on the radio.

VFO Control (Ctrl VFO A)

This button toggles the Micro’s VFO control mode. In Ctrl VFO A mode both VFO-A and VFO-B on the Micro control the radio’s A VFO. When set to Ctrl VFO A&B the Micro’s VFO-A controls the radio’s A VFO and the Micro’s VFO-B controls the radio’s B VFO.

Selected Database (DB-R)

This button toggles the selected database used for the favorite frequency list. DB-R indicates that the currently selected radio profile’s frequency database is selected. DB-S indicates that the shared favorite frequency database is selected.

VFO>M

This button opens the Freq->Save to Memory menu so you can save the active VFO to a memory slot.

M>VFO

This button opens the Freq->Load from Memory menu so you can set the active VFO from a memory slot.

This button opens the Freq->Previous Freq/Mode menu where you can select from the last 25 frequency/modes that you have tuned to.

Function Button Banks (FKey, MFB, MSG)

There are two banks of six buttons at the bottom of the Home page. These banks contain the user programmable buttons available on the Micro. To step through the available banks press the yellow button next to each six-button bank. You can choose from the FKey functions (F2 to F7), the MFB functions (short-press 1 to 3 and Long-press 1 to 3), the first six Tx Message buffers (not shown), or Off (no buttons shown). When a bank is turned off, Bank{x}-Off will appear. Press this button to rotate to the FKey bank view.

The Tgl button appears below the first bank’s label. Pressing this button toggles the current bank of buttons in the first bank with the inactive button bank (MSG in this example).

The * Button

The * button in the bottom left corner under Bank #2’s label. This button refreshes the page and makes that browser the active browser when you have two or more devices connected to the Micro’s web server. While multiple devices can connect to the server, only the last device that sent commands to the server will receive updates when you make changes on the radio. The simple web server in the Micro cannot support multiple clients simultaneously.

Keyboard Keyer

The Keyboard Keyer is shown on the Home page in this example. It’s available when it has been enabled in the Keyer menu and the radio is in CW or CW-R mode.

To use it, simply enter text in the keyer text box then press the [Enter] key. Once the transmission starts the text to be transmitted will be displayed in place of the Keyboard Keyer title. You can add additional text to the buffer while the current buffer is being sent. Just enter the additional text into the text box and press [Enter] again.

Menu Page

When you click the MENU button or click the encoder, the browser displays the Main menu. Simply click the menu item with your mouse or use the encoder to scroll down the list and press the encoder to select an item. The cursor control keys on the keyboard don’t work in the menus.

You can also use the ^ and v buttons at the bottom of the page to move the next item and press Ok to select the item. Pressing Esc exits back to the Home page and pressing Help opens a help window that describes the currently selected item.

Browser Issues

The web server is very simple and with that simplicity comes a few issues.

Keyboard Entry

The current version of the web server does not support the keyboard cursor controls keys, [Enter] or [Esc] or mouse scroll wheel to select items. Neither does it support shortcut keys. You can use the keyboard as a Keyboard Keyer and to enter text and numbers in the Text and Value editors.

On most browsers you can use the [Tab] key on the keyboard to move to each item on this page and use the [Enter] key to select the item highlighted by the [Tab] key.

NOTE: When using the [Tab] key, each item requires two key presses. The first press selects the hyperlink element and the second press highlights the button. To execute an item, press [Enter] when the button is outlined.

Keyer Navigation

You can use the Keyer->Paddle Navigation and Edit options to navigate menus and enter text and numerical data. When Paddle Navigation is enabled the hotkeys will be displayed as shown here. To select an option just input the hotkey using the paddles. Iambic B mode it automatically enabled in menus when Paddle Navigation is enabled. Hotkeys are not available on the keyboard when using the browser interface.

NOTE: The paddles will not key the radio while in the menus or editors if Paddle Navigation and/or Paddle Editing are enabled. Return to the Home page to key your radio with the paddles.

Menu Selection

To select an item in a menu click on it with the mouse, press it on the touch screen, or use the encoder to scroll down to it then press the encoder to execute it. The mouse scroll wheel and keyboard cursor control keys won’t move the selection on the menu. You can use the v and ^ and Ok button at the bottom of the menu to select and execute an item. To exit the menu press the Esc button at the bottom of the menu or press and hold the encoder then turn it to the right.

Multiple Devices Controlling the Micro

The Micro’s server can support more than one browser using it. For instance, you could have your PC browser and your cell phone browser connected at the same time. However, only the last one to issue a command will receive updates when you tune your radio. To switch between the two browsers click the * button on the one you want to use. That browser will now get tuning updates from the Micro. The other browser will not get updates. You must have Config->WiFi->Server= unlocked in order for this to work.

NOTE: You can have a Telnet terminal and a browser connected to your Micro at the same time.

Server Locked vs Server Unlocked

In order to support the greatest number of browsers possible I added a Server= Locked/Unlocked option to the WiFi menu.

In the default Unlocked mode the Micro will disconnect from the browser after it responds to a page request. It will then send unsolicited page updates (frequency changes) to the browser using the last connection settings. Most desktop and some cell phone browsers work fine this way.

If your browser doesn’t respond to frequency updates but receives pages from the server try setting the Server= mode to Locked. In this mode the Micro’s server doesn’t disconnect from the browser. This allows the frequency updates to be processed by the browser.

Frequency Updates Appending to the Bottom of the Home Page

Some browsers, particularly those running on Apple devices append frequency updates to the bottom of the Home page when you turn the encoder on the Micro and just keep on adding them to the bottom of the page.

In order to stop this action, when you first connect to the Micro’s server click the MENU button to open the Main menu then press Esc to return to the Home page. The browser will now update the frequency properly.

I don’t know why it does that and haven’t found anything online explaining this behavior. I’m 90% sure I’m not sending something it’s looking for. Eventually this might get resolved but for now, opening the menu after connecting to the Micro seems to fix the problem.

Appendix G: Menu Structure

The Micro’s menus contains list of items to control and configure the Micro and your radio. The title of each menu is located at the top of the display. Menus with 13 or less items are displayed in one column. Menus with more than 13 items are displayed in two columns, with items 1 to 13 in the left column and 14 to the end in the second column. This can be confusing when using a screen reader.

Each menu item is assigned a unique hotkey starting at “a” on the first item. Hotkeys are assigned sequentially (a, b, c, d, etc). If a menu position is blank the hotkey for that position is skipped.

Use the encoder to scroll up and down the menu items. If you have the terminal connected you can use the cursor control UP and DOWN keys to scroll the menu. When using the web interface the mouse is used to select an item. Cursor control keys and hotkeys do not work in the web interface.

When using the encoder to navigate menus, pressing it and turning to the left steps you back to the previous menu or back to Home page if you’re on the Main menu. Pressing the LEFT cursor control key on the keyboard does the same.

To execute a menu item, press and release the encoder or press the Enter key on the terminal. Click the button on the web interface to execute it.

Menu items react differently when executed depending on their function.

· Some just perform their function and return to the Home page. The Zero Low Digits in the Frequency menu is an example of this action.

· Some toggle or step through the available options. The Paddles item in the Keyer menu is an example of this. Executing this option toggles the paddle mapping between Normal and Reversed.

· Some open the Value or Text editors so you can change their numerical value or text string. The Speed item in the Keyer menu is an example of a value edit where the Call item is an example of the text edit.

· Other items will open a sub menu offering additional options. Most of the items in the Main menu open sub menus.

· Finally, some items are just for information purposes. They have no executable function. These items don’t have a hotkey assigned to them. The Station Address in the Configure – WiFi menu is an example of an information item.

Menu Lists

This section lists the menus in the Micro. They are listed sequentially instead of in columns as they are displayed in the Micro’s terminal and web displays. A hyperlink to the parent menu is listed below the menu name. You can use this hyperlink to navigate to the parent menu’s listing.

Each row starts with the hotkey. If there is a “Control Plus” shortcut key to access this function or menu directly from the Home page it will be shown in parenthesis. To use the short cut key, press and hold the Control key then press the indicated key.

The second column lists the item’s title on the menu. Items that open sub menus are linked to the table for that sub menu.

The third column describes what the item does.

Main Menu

Parent: None – returns to the Home page

Hotkey/Shortcut	Item	Description
a, (Ctrl+q)	Quick Keys	Opens the Quick Key menu where you can execute a quick key or program the function assigned to quick keys.
b, (Ctrl+f)	Frequency	Opens the Frequency menu where you can change various frequency settings and manage the favorite frequency database.
c, (Ctrl+v)	VFO	Opens the VFO menu where you can select which VFO is active in addition to other VFO settings.
d, (Ctrl+d)	Band	Opens the Band menu where you can select the operating band of the radio.
e, (Ctrl+o)	Mode	Opens the Mode menu where you can select the operating mode of the radio. You can also enable or disable the transmit interlock or open the External Tuner mode here.
f, (Ctrl+t)	Tx Msg	Opens the list of 14 transmit menu buffers. Executing a buffer will play it through the keyer and send it to the radio if the transmit interlock is enabled.
g, (Ctrl+e)	Edit Tx Msg	Opens the Edit Transmit Message menu where you can edit the CW messages.
h, (Ctrl+k)	Keyer	Opens the Keyer menu.
i, (Ctrl+c)	Configure	Opens the Configure menu. Here you can change many options and settings.
j, (Ctrl+r)	Radio	Opens the active radio’s custom menu. Each menu is specific to the selected radio.
k	About…	Opens the About window. The program’s version and IP address (if WiFi is online) are displayed here along with links to the Lynovation web site and Group IO group.

Quick Keys Menu

Parent: Main Menu

Use (Ctrl+q) to open this menu from the Home page

Hotkey	Item	Description
A	F2	Executes the function assigned to Terminal Keyboard F2
B	F3	Executes the function assigned to Terminal Keyboard F3
C	F4	Executes the function assigned to Terminal Keyboard F4
D	F5	Executes the function assigned to Terminal Keyboard F5
E	F6	Executes the function assigned to Terminal Keyboard F6
F	F7	Executes the function assigned to Terminal Keyboard F7
G	sMFB1	Executes the function assigned to short press MFB1
H	sMFB2	Executes the function assigned to short press MFB2
I	sMFB3	Executes the function assigned to short press MFB3
J	lMFB1	Executes the function assigned to long press MFB1
k	lMFB2	Executes the function assigned to long press MFB2
l	lMFB3	Executes the function assigned to long press MFB3
m	Pwr Up	Function to be executed on power up
p	Configure	Opens the Function Button Configuration menu

QKey Configure Menu

Parent: Quick Keys Menu

Executing one of these items opens the Function Key Option Menu (Page 1 or Page 2)

NOTE: This menu is identical to the Quick Key menu but has not Configure option

Hotkey	Item	Description
a	F2	Set the function assigned to Terminal Keyboard F2
b	F3	Set the function assigned to Terminal Keyboard F3
c	F4	Set the function assigned to Terminal Keyboard F4
d	F5	Set the function assigned to Terminal Keyboard F5
e	F6	Set the function assigned to Terminal Keyboard F6
f	F7	Set the function assigned to Terminal Keyboard F7
g	sMFB1	Set the function assigned to short press MFB1
h	sMFB2	Set the function assigned to short press MFB2
i	sMFB3	Set the function assigned to short press MFB3
j	lMFB1	Set the function assigned to long press MFB1
k	lMFB2	Set the function assigned to long press MFB2
l	lMFB3	Set the function assigned to long press MFB3
m	Pwr Up	Set the function to be executed on power up

Page 1 – Function Key Option Menu

Parent: QKey Configuration Menu

Hotkey	Item	Description
a	------	No function
b	TxEnable	Toggles the transmit interlock – when enabled the Micro keys the radio.
c	Speed	Opens the Keyer Speed value editor
d	Direct	Opens the Direct Frequency Input window
e	Zero	Zeroes the digits below the selected tuning digit
f