If you are an IC-PW1 owner you are probably aware of the problems with running the IC-PW1 using CI-V. This is a very well known issue clearly documented by ICOM that says NOT to operate the ICOM IC-PW1 using CI-V unless directly linked to the RADIO and ONLY the RADIO, collisions from the radio or other devices or PC on the CI-V bus causing issues with IC=PW1 not to operate properly. Instead, it is strongly recommended to use the ACC1/ACC2 ports and the band data voltage to do so with ONLY the radio link on the CI-V buss...

(See attached image)

For years the only known fix was one of two options, use the ACC1/2 Band voltage cable with the CI-V only link between the radio and the IC-PW1 as strongly recommended by ICOM or use a SIMILI CI-V router (I say SIMILI here because it ain't a real ROUTER as such, it adds latency by absorbing the data and using RELAYS  turns ON/OFF the different CI-V links and echos the data...).

Well now with there is a solution; the newer radios like the 7300 and 7610 and possibly other more high-end radios can be used without these issues, if you control your radio via the USB port and ECHO the CI-V to the CI-V Physical port (REMOTE) then the radio becomes a True Router. This way your radio can still be control by an application on your PC via CI-V and the radio control can still be linked to the IC-PW1.

Mind you there is a limitation; This approach solves the PC application needs but not the having multiple ICOM or Non-ICOM devices on the CI-V bus, since you are still limited to a single ICOM IC-PW1 on the CI-V Buss, NO OTHER devices (ICOM or Non-ICOM) since these on the CI-V bus could STILL cause possible collisions and affect the IC-PW1.

Well, I have someone looking into a REAL CI-V Router, that would manage collisions, still in the sperm level at this point, not even any foreplay! But keep in touch here, in the Blog section of WWW.VE2DX.COM or on our www.facebook.com/ve2dx Facebook page to see where we are with that... But it won't be tomorrow morning... too many other things going on...

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Follow my projects on www.facebook.com/VE2DX/

Just received some data from Dave AA6YQ, indicating that DXlab did have a software approach to this issue that I did not know of, this is great for DXLab users.

https://www.dxlabsuite.com/dxlabwiki/PW1Control

Also, it seems that the MicroHam Station Master has also addressed this issue, I will look into that but this is a bit expensive....  Mind you if you can afford an IC-PW1... :P

He also raises some caution at the approach with the IC-7300 and IC7610 approach that I brought up, and I fully agree, this should have been brought up in my original message, before doing this you should validate with ICOM, I have sent this concern to ICOM Canada Technical support and will publish here there response. 

Finally, Dave refers a  the K8UT reference documentation on this issue at http://www.k8ut.com/download/documents/Riding%20the%20CI-V%20Bus%20by%20K8UT.pdf 

Took a kick look at it and it does look very informative, will look further and give you my feedback, will also try to get more reference on this in further posts.

Thanks Dave for the GREAT info.

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Hello Gang,

here is the "Official answer" from ICOM Canada.

"...Hi Richard,

  Originally the CIV connection between PW1 and Icom Radios were designed for direct exclusive connection between each other only, not to a computer. Once a computer or multiple devices are incorporated into the mix, then missing or data collision errors/delays can occur in the CIV transfer. The CIV protocol is an older technology with few improvements and 9800 baud is the only recommended rate to be used. Using the USB port on the newer Icom radios (7600, 7300, 7610, 7850,7851, 705) eliminates the need for CIV to the computer, however the PW1 is still CIV only. The new PW2 will have provisions to have computer control via a LAN port or to other devices. Icom does not have info on this issue but I will include a couple of attached articles that I use from time to time ( not supported by Icom) which may help.

 

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+ AA6YQ comments below

here is the "Official answer" from ICOM Canada.

"...Hi Richard,

Originally the CIV connection between PW1 and Icom Radios were designed for direct exclusive connection between each other only, not to a computer. Once a computer or multiple devices are incorporated into the mix, then missing or data collision errors/delays can occur in the CIV transfer. The CIV protocol is an older technology with few improvements and 9800 baud is the only recommended rate to be used. Using the USB port on the newer Icom radios (7600, 7300, 7610, 7850,7851, 705) eliminates the need for CIV to the computer, however the PW1 is still CIV only. The new PW2 will have provisions to have computer control via a LAN port or to other devices. Icom does not have info on this issue but I will include a couple of attached articles that I use from time to time ( not supported by Icom) which may help.

+ The fact that the PW-1 collision problem is implicitly blamed on the CI-V protocol being an older technology lowers the credibility of the above response to zero. The CI-V protocol works correctly; the cause of PW-1 collisions is that the PW-1 doesn't implement the collision detection and retransmission portion of the CI-V specification!

+ If I were a PW-1 owner, I'd await an official statement from Icom Japan (so that Icom engineers will have reviewed it) stating that if the two CI-V interfaces in recent Icom transceivers are configured (via menu option) to be separated, the transceiver can be connected to both a computer USB port that issues CI-V commands and the PW-1 (via a CT-17 or equivalent) without risk of damage to the PW-1.

+ The fact that it's been years since the first Icom transceiver with dual CI-V interfaces was released without such a statement from Icom Japan -- despite multiple requests -- is likely meaningful.

73,

Dave, AA6YQ