Tuesday 31 December 2019

Corrupt copy on screen

NOTE..... THIS IS NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH SEEING TTT T TTT   TTTTTT TT   when you are first keying .... see PAGE 3 - SETTINGS AND CONFIGURATIONS regarding the TRANSMIT speed settings.



A new user reported to me that he was having problems with the decoding of his transmissions, on the screen, and replies received.  The corruption seemed to take the form of missing a letter in a word, then moving on and then missing several words before coming back again into print.
 

If this happens on the receive only side, then it would be assumed that the internet connection at either operator`s end, could be breaking down... however, as it also appears in the "local" screen on the "local" transmit, it may be due to a corrupt copy of CWCOM.

You can try to uninstall it.... in the usual way...depending on your operating system, ( in the case above, it was on Windows 7 ).

Once uninstalled, on a windows system, you can try using CCleaner, as a "Registry Cleaner" to clear away the loose ends.

After doing that a couple of times.... 

download a new copy of CWCOM from this instruction.... 




https://archive.org/details/cwcom
 
 Scroll down the page a bit,on the right hand side, 
 is a small window        "WINDOWS EXECUTABLE FILES"
 
    Click on the          Windows Executable   2 files,
 
 and then choose   1.5 ( latest & last version )
                or 1.47 (the earlier version.) 
 
 
 re-install it, and go through the configuration FIRST RUN settings on this page....
 
https://morsepower.blogspot.com/2016/08/cwcom-configurations.html 

hopefully, after all that... everything will be good to go again....

If you are still having problems of corruption ( apart from badly formed keying ! ! ) ... then there may be some hidden files still on the hard drive. and these must be removed..... 

at this stage  the uninstall and CCleaner Reg Cleaner has failed... so you need to be a bit bold... and try this...

This is from David / K2JVB   who found the problem ! ! .. 


CCleaner did not remove them.
 
       Using the CWCom installer Remove feature did not remove them. 
 
             Deleting the Folder MRX in the Programs (x86) folder did not remove them
                 Doing a search (of the hard drive from the command box above "START" ) ..did not locate them!


What I had to do was to go to an 
Administrator Command Prompt,
 go to the 
Root directory and do a search for    dir morse*.* /a/s.
 
These are the files and their location on my computer:

C:\Users\dpenner\AppData\Local\VirtualStore\Program Files (x86)\MRX 
Software\CWCom>dir /a

 Volume in drive C has no label.

 Volume Serial Number is 8A87-D106


 Directory of C:\Users\dpenner\AppData\Local\VirtualStore\Program Files 
(x86)\MRX Software\CWCom


12/31/2019  07:39 AM    <DIR>          .

12/31/2019  07:39 AM    <DIR>          ..

12/31/2019  07:39 AM             1,621 CWCOM.CFG

12/30/2019  09:41 AM           214,354 Morse-001.lib

12/26/2019  09:03 PM           214,354 Morse-Original.lib

12/31/2019  07:05 AM           214,354 Morse.lib

               4 File(s)        644,683 bytes

               2 Dir(s)  108,278,972,416 bytes free


C:\Users\dpenner\AppData\Local\VirtualStore\Program Files (x86)\MRX 
Software\CWCom>
 
Once you have found them,... you need to delete them... or, if you have an "erase" program that will overwrite the files... even better.. ! Erase them . 
 
Then it is back to basics... download a new copy of CWCOM as instructed above, and start again ! ..
 
Good Luck.. 
  

 
 

Thursday 9 May 2019

Linux UBUNTU (& Linux MINT ) instructions to install cwcom


How to install & run CWCOM on Linux.


This instructable was written for Linux Mint 19 , however, it should also work on other distro`s of Linux, the main problem is getting WINE installed on your version of Linux.


A new way to install Windows .exe files  as from Linux Mint 21 ( Sept 2022) 


LINUX MINT 21 and some other Linux versions.


( check Google search for “how to install WINE on LINUX MINT 21” ) or whatever version you have, because the install procedure varies according to the version of Linux you are running.


Once installed.

REBOOT YOUR COMPUTER 

(this enables the WINE icon on the Menu listing)

There seems to have been some changes in the way that windows .exe files are executed on WINE.


If your version of CWCOM, or any other Windows .exe file does not install and start in the usual way.

 Go to Menu > Wine > Uninstall Wine Software

In the top part of the grey window, (Add/Remove Programs)


Applications ….. there is a button “Install”... click on that, and you will get a window with

Files of Type: Installation Programs... click on the down arrow at the end of that box, and you will get Programs (*.exe) and All files (*.*) If you want you can use All files.

Click on your Downloads folder and locate your windows program.... and select it... then click on the “Open” button.


This should start the “Normal” windows install procedure for the program.






There are several different ways to install WINE on Linux.

You can use the “Software Manager” or you can use the Package Manager,

but I have found, through trying those two,


that the best way is to “Google”

 < How to install Wine on Linux XXX >

Where XXX is the distro version of which Linux you are using.


The actual install instructions DO VARY from version to version of the same distro, Hence my recommendation to Google the question.


Currently (DEC 2023) the latest version of WINE is 8.0.2 .. however,... CWCOM was written for Windows 95, and can be run on earlier versions of WINE.


Once you have installed WINE.


To check which version of wine you have installed run 

 wine -–version 

  in the terminal,...


It is a good idea to restart your computer before trying to use WINE. This will ensure that you get the correct “install with..... wine program loader” instruction with Windows .exe type files.

************************************************************************************

The next step is to download CWCOM ( if not already done so )... and then go through the install procedure for CWCOM. 

 

 ….. read on, …..


The best place to find a good copy of CWCOM is


https://archive.org/details/cwcom


Scroll down the page a little, and you will see two versions listed

CWcom version 1.5

Cwcom version 1.47


Version 1.5 is the last, and latest version ..

( there is only a minor internal difference between both versions which does not affect the user) .

 

Installing CWCOM on WINE..... (prior to SEPT 2022 and MINT 21 )



Once downloaded..... go to your Downloads folder/directory > open it.... Right click on the cwcom_inst.exe ( or maybe cwcom.exe ) file. Then “Open With....” Wine Program loader.”


You will get a small message window

         Wine is updating... 

 

followed by another one, 

            Wine Mono Installer

            needs to add new software... 

( click “install” ) .

then another update message windows Wine Gecko …. again … click “Install”


Allow all installs for updating Wine during this operation..

On completion, the windows will disappear, and CWCOM ( may ) start the normal “install” procedure. Again... allow all instructions to run.

If CWCOM fails to self install, then go to your Downloads directory, and double click the CWCOM.EXE file, to start the install.(But see the first paragraph at the top of this page, regarding "new way of installing .exe files if installing on later versions of UBUNTU and MINT 21)


On completion of the install... it will be located on Drive C: under the folder/directory MRX Software.

 

 

But... there is still a couple of things that need to be actioned, before, CWCOM is fully operational....


The first is to get the “COMport” recognised, 

if you are going to use any kind of external morse key... ( straight or paddle) .


Setting up the COMPORT number.... you need to run wine regedit.

 

Open a Terminal and enter


wine regedit


When the editor window appears on screen... open the nodes and go to.




  
When the editor appears, open the nodes and go to 

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE 
    Software 
        Wine 
            Ports




                     

Right Click on "Ports" folder ..... 



                      context menu . > New










 

mouse pointer on "new"  >  
                     pop out menu >

 String value

 where ‘New Value`     is. ( in the right hand pane ) ...









. replace that with COM4     and press enter



 

Right click  or  double click on it    
Pop out menu  click "Modify"....and enter the value 


 


    /dev/ttyUSB0  

                             in the pop out box  "Value Data"





 

                                           then click OK 

Close the Regeditor..... (click X top right) 
then do the finalising part.......
------------------------------------------------------------- IMPORTANT....

To Finalize....


Having added the new key to the registry,..... go back to the terminal, where you started editing... regedit... and enter

 wineserver -k   

 

  There is a space after wineserver    before the -k

close the registry window with the X in top right corner,

Wait for a few seconds  and  then close the Terminal 


**********************************************************************
 
 

You now need to give CWCOM access to the outside world... in the way of DIAL OUT permission..



in the terminal window type

sudo usermod -a -G dialout zxywv    

 ( zxywv your user name )   (no brackets, just your username).
   then press  Enter key…
 
 may be requested. 

    
most important.......
 
 REBOOT YOUR COMPUTER FOR THIS CHANGE TO TAKE EFFECT..... 
 
 
 ***********************************************************

 
****************************************************************
 
NOW IS THE TIME ! ! ! ....
 
 

Right click on the CWCOM icon ( this may be a "document" type icon) 
on the desktop....(Once opened it becomes a proper icon) .
 
You may get a message saying it could be "unsafe"... 
but click ok anyway...  click  Open... 

CWCOM screen appears.....
 
click on the configurations icon  (Between the A and the speaker icon)
 
 If you have already managed to get an external key, 
straight or paddle connected
 
 select the comport number  (in the window showing 1 )
by the up/down arrow to 4 

select the COM port  by clicking on the "hole" 
and a black dot should appear....
If you have no key connected.. you can use the down arrow as a straight key,
make sure you have "Keyboard" selected with a black dot! 
Follow the instructions on Page 4 "how to connect an external morse key"
 
 Then, You can now use your external key connected to your computer.
 .
 IMPORTANT...
.
See page 4 on this blog, for all the settings and configurations 
well worth doing. as it improves the user feelgood factor ! ! ! ..

ENJOY...
 
 Any problems... contact me G3MS on channel 1000 OR......
 use the contact me email address on the blog header.
 
 

Sunday 21 April 2019

Linux (MINT) 18.3 Users.... ( and earlier versions of Mint )




This instruction is for ........

        LINUX MINT 18.3 and previous versions -


I am not a linux user... so if anyone can spot mistakes,  please contact me on 





with the corrected procedure laid out so I can copy and paste it on here... with an acknowledgement to yourself, if you wish! .

Download CWCOM according to the instructions on this page......

https://morsepower.blogspot.com/2016/08/introducing-morsepower-blog-about-morse.html
 




INSTALL WINE 4.0 


Install WINE....... There are two ways..... The Easy way...  ( and the hard way )

The easy way... ( works for Mint19.1 !!! .)  

Open a terminal and type in ( or copy and paste from here ) ..

sudo apt install --install recommends wine-installer

click your Enter key... add your password... 
make some coffee....( tea .. sandwiches  )..
answer  Y and click the enter key when asked..

drink some more coffee or tea....

answer  Y and click the enter key when asked...

drink some more coffee or tea...

install will take about 25 to 30 minutes... on completion....

to check it is installed....go back to the terminal and enter 

wine --version   ( click your enter key) 

response should be 

wine-4.0

Job done..... 



 

OR THE HARD WAY..... 



and the Hard way... in accordance with the instructions on this page...

 ( it takes about 25 mins to complete ) 

 https://tecadmin.net/install-wine-on-ubuntu/


Make sure you use the correct  commands to enable Wine apt repository in your system based on your operating system and version.

Also note.... after about 20 minutes of terminal stuff... you may be confonted with a message 

cryptservice..............>>>>>....>.>..>....>>.



 and the cursor seems to "hang".... 

Have patience....  eventually it will resume, and you will be presented with your terminal again.......

verify you have now got WINE installed,.... in the Terminal window... type 

wine --version      
it should return.   
 wine-4.0  



LINUX MINT 18.3 AND PREVIOUS VERSIONS.... START HERE ... 




 



************************************************************************
THIS IS THE "TERMINAL VERSION" FOR MINT 18.3 AND PREVIOUS MINT VERSIONS
*******************************************************


PLUG IN YOUR USB TO SERIAL CONVERTER...TO THE USB PORT.......

       open a terminal window and type dmesg 

 or 

 dmesg | grep 2303  (which will give a shorter version)

near the end of the run, you should  see something like this...

[263637641] usb2-1 New USB device found, idVendor=0x067b.idProduct=0x3203

then a few lines further down.....

[263678102] usb 2-1:pl2303 converter now attached to ttyUSB0
 
CLICK ON THE PICS TO ENLARGE.



 (click on pics to enlarge)

we now need to find the Bus number and the ID of the device  so in the terminal window, type

lsusb        (then press Enter key)  (that is lower case l not figure 1)

near the end of the list you should see something like this.....

Bus 002 Device 011:ID067B;2303 Prolific Technolog, Inc. PL2303 Serial Port


(Non-Prolific versions of the usb to serial port, will give a different ID... )


 (( click the pic to enlarge ))


you may need to load up the driver for this...   so … in the terminal window type

sudo modprobe usbserial Vendor=0x067b Product=0x2303  

     (and press the Enter key )

(Non-Prolific versions of the usb to serial port, will give a different ID... )

  You will then be asked for your password... ( so type that in and press the Enter key).

********************************************************************************
You now need to "define" the COMPORT number you want to use
in "terminal"  type ( or copy and paste )  (that is lower case l not fig 1)


cd ~/.wine/dosdevices
  
then

ln -s  /dev/ttyUSB0  ~/.wine/dosdevices/com4

(that is lower case L not fig 1) 


(note... the USB number is the one that is showing on your listing ) 




 (( click the pic to enlarge ))


Note.... the repetitions are where I clicked the return key to make space between sections for the pics... ! ! 


which should be returned by the terminal
*********************************************************
If the above terminal instructions do not work... revert to the REGEDIT version below. (using a different comport number  6 or  8? ? ?
 ********************************************************

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%



FOLLOW THE NEXT INSTRUCTION TO GET



 " DIAL OUT" 




 PERMISSION FOR THE COMPORT

********************************************************************************* we now need  “DIAL OUT” permission  ( Users & Groups)
 
in the terminal window type

sudo usermod -a -G dialout zxywv    

 ( zxywv your user name )   (no brackets, just your username).

  then press  Enter keypassword may be requested.
    
REBOOT YOUR COMPUTER FOR THIS CHANGE TO TAKE EFFECT.....

(EDIT...... if the above does not work  ( i.e. when trying to get the dot to stay in the hole for "COMport number "... try again without the -a  as follows ) 

sudo usermod -G dialout zxywv
 ( no brackets , just your username) 
  and then your password will be asked for...
REBOOT LINUX TO TAKE EFFECT OF THE CHANGE....


******************************************************************************


REGEDIT VERSION....

     do it this way..........


  to set the COMport number ....as follows...

***************************************************************************



Now, you need to run the wine regedit program to set the COM port number 

Using a terminal enter 

wine regedit
 
 
 
  When the editor appears, open the nodes and go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE     Software         Wine             Ports




                     

Right Click on "Ports" folder ..... 



                      context menu . > New










 

mouse pointer on "new"  >  
                     pop out menu >

 String value

 where ‘New Value`     is. ( in the right hand pane ) ...









. replace that with COM4     and press enter



 

Right click  or  double click on it    
Pop out menu  click "Modify"....and enter the value 


 


    /dev/ttyUSB0  

                             in the pop out box  "Value Data"





 

                                           then click OK 

Close the Regeditor..... (click X top right) 
then do the finalising part.......
------------------------------------------------------------- IMPORTANT....

To Finalize....


Having added the new key to the registry,..... go back to the terminal, where you started editing... regedit... and enter

 wineserver -k    There is a space after wineserver    before the -k

close the registry window with the X in top right corner,

Wait for a few seconds  and  then close the Terminal 


**********************************************************************
 
 



If all that has worked properly,....

 then you can click on your CWCOM icon to
      open cwcom from the desktop.....

 and then the “Config” icon to the right of the letter


 and check the comport number  (4) 


it should stay selected with a black spot  ! ...



 (( click the pic to enlarge ))


 and then click on the world icon... (CONNECT window)  next to the black square..


IMPORTANT 
 
          MAKE SURE THAT YOU USE THE CORRECT  "Remote Details" on the "Connect" window ... 

the Address box should read ...... >  


[morsecode.dyndns.org ] 

         not  [mrx.ham-radio-op.net


(click on the pic to enlarge)



Put your callsign (or your name/nick-name) in the callsign box

and click on CONNECT

Start keying using your usb serial converter  !  

  NOTE.... once you have installed CWCOM.... 


you should then proceed to  PAGE 3 and do 

"CONFIGURATIONS" as listed..

 before trying to use CWCOM.


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