Ports tab

• Primary CAT Serial Port panel

  • Port# selector: specifies the PC serial port to which the radio is connected
    

  • Baud Rate selector: specifies the baud rate that the radio is using (hardwired in some radios, menu-configurable in others; consult the radio's manual) 
    

  • Parity selector: specifies whether parity is enabled (hardwired in some radios, menu-configurable in others; consult the radio's manual) 
    

  • Word Length selector: specifies the number of data bits that  the radio is using (hardwired in some radios, menu-configurable in others; consult the radio's manual) 
    

  • Stop Bits selector: specifies the number of stop bits that the radio is using (hardwired in some radios, menu-configurable in others; consult the radio's manual) 
    

  • DTR selector: specifies the behavior of the Data Terminal Ready modem control signal of the selected port
    

    Off	DTR is never asserted
    On	DTR is always asserted (required if an external interface that derives its power from DTR is in use)
    TX	DTR is asserted when Commander is directed by another application to transmit, or when TX is clicked until RX is clicked

     

• RTS selector: specifies the behavior of the Request To Send modem control signal of the selected port
  

  Off	RTS is never asserted
  On	RTS is always asserted (required if an external interface that derives its power from RTS is in use)
  TX	RTS is asserted when Commander is directed by a client application to key the radio, or when the PTT On button is clicked until the PTT Off button is clicked
  Flow	RTS is asserted when Commander has data to send to the radio via the serial port; this data will not be sent until the radio responds by asserting the incoming modem control signal Clear To Send (CTS)

   

• Secondary CAT Serial Port panel
  

  • Enable: when checked, Commander will control the radio, device, or application attached to the Secondary CAT Port as specified by the Behavior options and using the specified CAT protocol

  • Behavior options

    • Follow Primary: when selected, Commander will direct the radio, device, or application connected to the secondary port to track changes in the primary radio's  frequency and mode, and provides the Update every 200 ms option (not available when the Radio Model is set to SatPC32 or S.A.T.)

    • Lead Primary: when selected, Commander and the primary radio will track the frequency and mode of the radio, device, or application connected to the Secondary CAT Port (not available when the Radio Model is set to SatPC32 or S.A.T.)

    • Follow & Lead Primary: when selected, Commander, the primary radio and the radio, device, or application connected to the Secondary CAT Port will track each other's frequency and mode (not available when the Radio Model is set to SatPC32 or S.A.T.)

    • Follow uplink: when selected, Commander will direct the radio, device, or application connected to the secondary port to track changes in the primary radio's  uplink frequency, and provides the Update every 200 ms option (only available when the Radio Model is set to SatPC32 or S.A.T.)

    • Follow downlink: when selected, Commander will direct the radio, device, or application connected to the secondary port to track changes in the primary radio's  downlink frequency, and provides the Update every 200 ms option (only available when the Radio Model is set to SatPC32 or S.A.T.)

    • Update every 200 ms: when checked, Commander will update the radio, device, or application connected to the Secondary CAT Port to track primary radio's  frequency and mode every 200 milliseconds; enabling this option will convey the primary radio's frequency and mode to a radio, device, or application connected to the Secondary CAT Port that is powered up or started after Commander is already running

    • Follow Alternate VFO when Split: when checked and Commander's Split box is checked, the radio, device, or application connected to the secondary port  will follow the primary transceiver's alternate VFO

    • Follow & Lead Alternate VFO when Split: when checked and Commander's Split box is checked, the radio, device, or application connected to the secondary port  will follow the primary transceiver's alternate VFO, and the primary radio's alternate VFO will track frequency changes from the radio, device, or application connected to the secondary port

  • CAT protocol selector: specifies the CAT protocol to be used for interaction with the device connected to the Secondary CAT Port:
    

    Argonaut V, Argonaut VI	a TenTec Argonaut V or Argonaut VI transceiver
    BobCAT	the BobCAT SDR Console using the ICOM CI-V protocol via a connected virtual serial port pair
    CW Skimmer	CW Skimmer using the Kenwood protocol via a connected virtual serial port pair
    Eagle	a TenTec Eagle transceiver
    Elecraft	an Elecraft K3 or K4 (via serial port)
    FlexRadio	a FlexRadio SDR via a connected virtual serial port pair
    FT-450, FT-817, FT-818, FT-857, FT-857D, FT-891, FT-897, FT-950, FT-991, FT-2000, FT-5000, FT-9000, FT-1000MP	a Yeasu transceiver or an application that emulates the Yaesu protocol used by these transceivers
    ICOM	an Icom transceiver, or an application that emulates the Icom CI-V protocol
    Jupiter	a Tentec Jupiter transceiver
    Kenwood	a Kenwood transceiver, or an application that emulates the Kenwood protocol
    Omni VI, Omni VII	a TenTec Omni VI or Omni VII transceiver
    Orion	a TenTec Orion transceiver
    Perseus	a Microtelecom Perseus via a connected virtual serial port pair to the virtual serial port created by the radio's USB interface communications employs the Icom CI-V protocol CI-V commands will be sent to mute and un-mute the Perseus' audio when the primary transceiver switches from RX to TX and from TX to RX respectively
    PW1	an Icom IC-PW1 amplifier (Commander will send alternating frequency and mode updates every 2.5 seconds to prevent CI-V bus collisions) Note: Commander will display a PW1 alert indicator above the CAT Protocol selector when a CI-V message is received from the PW1, and will display a PW1 indicator to the left of the Main window's Help button. This is normal when powering up a connected Icom transceiver or when powering up the PW1, and should be reset by clicking either indicator. If either PW1 indicator appears after power-up, CI-V bus collisions could be compromising frequency tracking; do not operate the PW1 with automatic frequency tracking until this situation is corrected!
    SteppIR	a SteppIR antenna controller using Icom CI-V instructions (sends frequency updates every 2.5 seconds)

    
    
  • CI-V-Addr box: if the CAT protocol is Icom or PW1 or SteppIR, specifies the CI-V Address in hexadecimal
    
  • Interrogate selector: if the CAT protocol is Icom or Kenwood, determines whether and at what rate to request frequency and mode reports.
    
    
    • when the CAT protocol is set to Kenwood, Commander issues an AI1, or AI2; command that directs the connected device or application to automatically report frequency or mode changes, making polling unnecessary. Because some applications do not correctly respond to AI1; or AI2; commands, Commander provides the polling option. If the device or application connected to the Secondary CAT port responds to AI1; or AI2; commands by automatically reporting frequency and mode changes, the Interrogate selector should be set to Off; this can be determined by monitoring the secondary CAT port using Commander's Messages window.
    
    
  • Port# selector: specifies the PC serial port; if the specified port is assigned to an enabled transceiver on the Configuration window's MultiRadio tab, that transceiver's Main window selection button will be disabled ("grayed out")
    
  • Baud Rate selector: specifies the baud rate
    
  • Parity selector: specifies whether parity checking is enabled
    
  • Word Length selector: specifies the number of data bits
    
  • Stop Bits selector: specifies the number of stop bits
    
  • DTR selector: specifies the behavior of the Data Terminal Ready modem control signal 
    

    Off	DTR is never asserted
    On	DTR is always asserted (required if an external interface that derives its power from DTR is in use)

  
  
  • RTS selector: specifies the behavior of the Request To Send modem control signal
    

    Off	RTS is never asserted
    On	RTS is always asserted (required if an external interface that derives its power from RTS is in use)
    Flow	RTS is asserted when Commander has data to send via this serial port; the data will not be sent until the connected device responds by asserting the incoming modem control signal Clear To Send (CTS)

• SO2R Serial Port panel
  
  • SO2R protocol selector: specifies the SO2R protocol to be used (microHam or OTRSP)
    
  • Enable: select to send commands to an attached SO2R device using the specified protocol to convey radio selection changes, band changes (OTRSP protocol only), and ACC/Auxiliary Output changes as a function of the current transceiver's frequency; no commands will be sent unless multi-radio support is enabled and a radio is selected.
    

  • ACC/Auxiliary Outputs panel: displays the last ACC/Auxiliary Output command sent to the SO2R device

    Enable	when checked, the integer value of the selected Device Control is placed onto the specified ACC or Auxiliary outputs
    Device	specifies the frequency-dependent device whose Control value is placed onto the specified ACC or Auxiliary outputs
    Control	specifies the frequency-dependent device's Control whose value is placed onto the specified ACC or Auxiliary outputs

    • note: if the SO2R protocol selector is set to microHam, the selected frequency-dependent device's Control must specify the band with two digits, e.g. 01 for 160m, or 11 for 6 meters.

  • Port# selector: specifies the PC serial port
    
  • Baud Rate selector: specifies the baud rate
    
  • Parity selector: specifies whether parity checking is enabled
    
  • Word Length selector: specifies the number of data bits
    
  • Stop Bits selector: specifies the number of stop bits
    
  • DTR selector: specifies the behavior of the Data Terminal Ready modem control signal 
    

    Off	DTR is never asserted
    On	DTR is always asserted (required if an external interface that derives its power from DTR is in use)

  
  
  • RTS selector: specifies the behavior of the Request To Send modem control signal 
    

    Off	RTS is never asserted
    On	RTS is always asserted (required if an external interface that derives its power from RTS is in use)
    Flow	RTS is asserted when Commander has data to send via this serial port; the data will not be sent until the connected device responds by asserting the incoming modem control signal Clear To Send (CTS)

• Parallel Port panel
  

  • Enable Radio & PTT: if this box is checked, Commander encodes the currently-selected radio on pins 16 and 14 of the specified parallel Port Address, and asserts pin 17 when Commander is directing the transceiver to transmit.

    Radio	Parallel port pin 16	Parallel port pin 14
    1	0	0
    2	0	1
    3	1	0
    4	1	1

  
  

  • Port selector: chooses one of four standard parallel port addresses 

  • Port Address: selects a parallel port

  • Data Signals panel: if the Enable box is checked, Commander places the integer value of the selected Device Control onto data bits 7 (most significant bit, pin 9) though 0 (least significant bit, pin 2) of the specified parallel port

    Enable	when checked, the integer value of the selected Device Control is placed onto the specified parallel port's data bits
    Device	specifies the frequency-dependent device whose Control value is placed onto the specified parallel port's data bits
    Control	specifies the frequency-dependent device's Control whose value is placed onto the specified parallel port's data bits

  
  
  
  

• Modem Command panel

  Command	if Commander is controlling a remote transceiver via a serial port connected to a modem, use this textbox to specify the modem initialization and dialing commands to be sent when the Send button is activated; if a command is specified, Continuous Frequency and Mode Interrogation is disabled on startup
  Send button	when clicked, sends the Command to the modem via the serial port

Frequency-dependent Device tabs

Devices like antenna tuners and linear amplifiers have controls whose settings are frequency-dependent. While high-end units do this automatically, most require the operator to manually set the controls whenever the operating frequency changes. Commander enables you to specify tables for such devices; it then performs a table lookup based on the transceiver's current frequency and displays the correct settings, eliminating the need for paper tables taped to the front-panel. Up to four different frequency-dependent devices are supported, each with up to three controls. 

• You can optionally place the settings from one control of one device onto a parallel port's data bits; this permits the direct control of external devices like antenna switches.

• You can optionally use a control's settings to set the value of one a command-generating slider; this could be used, for example, to automatically control your transceiver's power output as a function of frequency

The right side of Commander's Main window is shared by  frequency-dependent device readouts, receiver filter controls, and eight banks of ten memories. If the frequently-dependent device panels are not visible, clicking the Main window's Filters & Devices button will make them and the receiver filter controls appear in place of the memory banks.

Initially, Commander refers to the four frequency-dependent devices as Device 0, Device 1, Device 2, and Device 3; as part of the setup procedure, you can replace these generic names with more meaningful names like Amplifier, or Tuner.

To setup a frequency-dependent device, use the following procedure:

• Step	Directions
  1	on Commander's Main window, click the Config button
  2	on Commander's Main window, click the Filters & Devices button if its visible
  3	on Commander's Configuration window, select the Device 0 tab (you can use the Device 1, Device 2, and Device 3 tabs to setup a second, third, and fourth frequency-dependent device, if desired)
  4	check the Device 0 tab's Enabled box; in the Main window, you'll see a Device 0 panel appear (the contents of this panel will be updated as you complete this procedure)
  5	enter the name of the device in the Device Name box; the name of the tab will change from Device 0 to the name you specify
  6	enter the number of controls associated with this device in the # Controls box; accepted values are 1, 2, or 3.
  7	enter the name of the first control in the Control 1 box; if there's a second control, enter its name in the Control 2 box  and if there's a third control, enter its name in the Control 3 box. to drive a command-generating slider with a control, set the control's name to <Sn> where n is a number from 1 to 8 that identifies the slider being driven
  8	scroll the Device Table to the frequencies of interest, and enter the control values for each such frequency; after entering each value, strike the Enter key to modify an existing device table entry, select the information you wish to change by clicking it with the left mouse button, and then type in the new information to add a new entry to a device table, scroll to its bottom, where you will find a blank line with an asterisk in the grey left-most column. Key in the entry's frequency in kilohertz,  and then strike the Enter key. Commander automatically sorts the Device Table in ascending frequency order, so the new entry may disappear from view. If you're planning to add several entries, it is more efficient to first create the entries, and then scroll through the Device Table entering control values for the newly-created entries. to delete an entry in the device table, select it by clicking in the grey left-most column; then strike the Delete key. it is not necessary to enter control values for every frequency in the table depressing the CTRL key while clicking on a Device Table entry will QSY your transceiver to that entry's frequency,  making it easy to determine or verify settings
  9	enter a percentage in the Tolerance box  (2% is a reasonable default) the percentage difference between the frequency of  the Device Table entry closest to your radio's current frequency and your radio's current frequency must be less than or equal to the specified Tolerance for that entry's control settings to be displayed if there is no Device Table entry within the specified Tolerance, the Device's control settings will be blanked
  10	click the Save button and specify a destination filename into which the Device data just specified will be saved for use in subsequent Commander sessions.

.

If Commander is terminated and later restarted, saved device data will automatically be reloaded for each Device that was enabled when Commander was terminated. 

You can use the above procedure to record data for an alternate device -- e.g. a backup amplifier -- in a separate file. The Select button allows you to choose the file from which the Device data will be loaded. The ReLoad button restores the Device data to the values contained in the most recently-loaded file. 

You can specify the colors used to display a Device's settings on the right side of Commander's Main window via buttons in the Setting Readout Colors panel: 

• Font - click this button specify the font color for this device's settings displayed in the Main window

• Background - click to specify the background color for this device's settings displayed in the Main window

• Default - click to use "factory default" colors for this device's settings displayed in the Main window: cyan font, and black background

You can select one control of one frequency-dependent device whose integer value will be placed on data bits 7 through 0 of a specified parallel port. This can be used to control an antenna switch, for example.

Filter Groups tab

A Filter Group is a named configuration of one or more receiver bandwidth settings. If Filter Groups are supported for a particular radio Model, Commander remembers the Filter Group last used in each mode. Checking the restore Filter Group on mode change  box directs Commander to automatically restore the last used Filter Group whenever a new mode is selected.

If the radio Model is an Icom, the Filter Groups tab displays the Icom Filter Group Names panel, which lets you assign names to the each Filter Group. Early Icom transceivers provides two Filter Groups whose functions are hardwired: group 1 provides a wide bandwidth filter, and group 2 provides a narrow bandwidth filter. Later Icom transceivers allow the user to reconfigure one or both filter groups for different bandwidth (by physical replacement or in high-end transceivers via menu selection), and some include a third group ambiguously referred to as normal. The Icom Filter Group Names panel lets you assign names to each group that are meaningful given the actual filter configuration of your transceiver; these names appear in the Group selector in the Main window's Filters panel, enabling you to change bandwidth with a mouse click.

If the radio Model is set to MP1000 or MP1000MKV, the Filter Groups tab displays the Yaesu FT1000MP and Mark V panel which contains a table, each of whose rows is comprised of cells that define a Filter Group; a Data File panel is also display, enabling you to specify the file into which Filter Groups are saved.

If the radio Model is set to Argonaut VI, the Filter Groups tab displays a Argonaut VI default bandwidth by mode panel that provides the option to set the default bandwidth to a specified value when the transceiver's mode changes.

If the radio Model is set to Eagle, the Filter Groups tab displays a Eagle default bandwidth by mode panel that provides the option to set the default bandwidth to a specified value when the transceiver's mode changes.

If the radio Model is set to a Flex Signature Series model, the Filter Groups tab displays a Flex Signature Series panel that provides

• the ability to specify Low-cut and High-cut frequencies for Wide, Normal, and Narrow filter groups for each mode: SSB, CW, DIGL, DIGU, RTTY, and AM

• a show each mode's Filter Group option that when enabled appends each mode with its associated Filter Group in the Mode panel on Commander's Main window

If the radio Model is set to FTDX10, the Filter Groups tab displays a Yaesu default bandwidth by mode panel that provides the option to set the default Width and Shift to specified values when the transceiver's mode changes.

If the radio Model is set to Orion, the Filter Groups tab displays an Orion default bandwidth by mode panel that provides the option to set the default bandwidth to a specified value when the transceiver's mode changes.

Memories tab

Textboxes in this tab's Memory panel allow you to establish a title for each memory bank; this title serves as the caption for the Main window panel that displays the currently-selected memory bank.

• When checked, the Disable Save Buttons box disables (grays out) the Save buttons in the Main window's Memory Bank panel; clicking the word Save in the Main window's Memory Bank panel will display the Config window's Memories tab

• The Export Memories button saves the information associated with all memories that contain at least a frequency and mode to a specified file.

• The Import Memories button loads memories from information contained in a specified file. Any errors are placed in an error file that's displayed after the operation completes.

• The Clear Memories button erases the contents of all memories in the current memory bank

• The User-defined Sequence after Memory Select option lets you specify the name of a User-defined Command Sequence to automatically be executed when a Memory Bank panel's Sel button is clicked after a Delay specified in milliseconds (up to a maximum of 10,000).  If no name is specified, no sequence will be executed; if no delay is specified, the named sequence will be executed immediately.

Multi Radio tab

Using the controls on this tab, you can configure Commander to support rapid switching among up to four radios. Switching can be manual, via a set of buttons on the VFO panel on Commander's Main window, or automatic as a function of amateur band.

Controls on this tab's Control panel let you specify a transceiver model, a CI-V Address (for Icom and TenTec radios), the need for continuous frequency and mode interrogation, and the interval (in milliseconds) between command groups for up to four radios; these controls are identical in function to the controls on the General tab. The interrogate boxes are automatically checked at startup, as interrogation is required for correct operation. You can specify a unique name for each radio, which is used to identify the radio for both manual and automatic switching; if you have a pair of Icom 756 Pro radios, for example, with one dedicated to HF operation and the other to VHF operation, you might name the first HF 756Pro and the second VHF 756Pro.  The Enable boxes in this panel let you designate which radios are active. If you are switching between radios 1 and 2, enable them both, and uncheck the enable boxes associated with radios 3 and 4.

• If the Model selector is set to K4, clicking the provided Select button displays a small window that

  • provides a Communicate via TCP box that if checked means that the K4 is connected to the local area network, and that Commander should communicate with it via TCP (as opposed to via a serial port)

  • provides an IP Address box that specifies the IP address to use if the  Communicate via TCP box is checked

  • provides an IP Port box that is not used, and can be left empty

• If the Model selector is set to Kachina, clicking the provided Select button enables you to choose a Control Filename for the radio

• If the Model selector is set to Pegasus, clicking the provided Select button enables you to choose a Control Folder for the radio

• If the Model selector is set to SDR-6300, SDR-6400, SDR-6500, SDR-6600, or SDR-6700,
  • clicking the provided Select button enables you to specify the radio's Serial Number, or its IP Address and IP Port
  • the Interrogate checkbox controls the Monitor Connection setting

Controls on the Serial port panel let you specify serial communication port settings for each of four radios. These controls are identical in function to those on the Ports tab's Primary CAT Serial Port panel. If you are controlling multiple Icom or TenTec radios on the same CI-V bus, assign identical serial port parameters to these radios. Due to space compression, the Serial Port control uses a hyphen to mean "none", and the Parity, DTR, and RTS controls use single letter abbreviations:

• Parity Abbreviation	Meaning
  N	No parity
  O	Odd parity
  E	Even parity
  M	Mark parity
  S	Space parity

   

  DTR and RTS  Abbreviation	Meaning
  N	Always off
  Y	Always on while this radio is selected
  X	On to transmit
  F	Flow control (RTS only)

Note that  each transceiver's Enable box will remain disabled (grayed out) until all of its items have been selected. If your transceiver doesn't need DTR or RTS, for example, set those selectors to N rather than leave the blank.

If the port assigned to an enabled transceiver is currently specified as the Secondary CAT Serial Port panel, the transceiver's Main window selection button will be disabled ("grayed out").

Clicking a radio's Update button will update that radio's Multi Radio serial port settings from the settings specified  on the Ports tab's Primary CAT Serial Port panel. Thus once you have the settings on the Primary CAT Serial Port panel properly configured to enable Commander to control a transceiver, you can "transfer" those settings to the Multi Radio tab's CAT Serial Port panel by clicking the appropriate Update button.

User-defined Control Set Configuration window

• an Initial Command to be executed when Commander starts, or when a new radio model is selected

• the pathname of a file that specifies an Initial Command Sequence to be executed when Commander starts, or when a new radio mode is selected (after executing the initial CAT command, if one is specified)

• the pathnames of up to 32 files, each specifying a Command Sequence

• the pathnames of up to 16 files, each specifying a Command-generating Slider

The 32 Sequence pathnames and 16 Slider pathnames are organized into two banks, each specifying two rows of 8 Sequence pathnames and 4 slider pathnames; use the Second row and Alt bank checkboxes to select the bank and row whose pathnames you wish to view or modify.

If a Control Set for this radio has already been defined, clicking the User-defined Control Sets panel's Edit button populates the  User-defined Control Set Configuration window with the Initial Command, Initial Command Sequence, Command Sequence selections, and Command-generating Slider selections from that Control Set.

Selecting a radio for which a Control Set is specified

• directs the transceiver to execute the CAT command specified in the Control Set's Initial Command

• directs the transceiver to execute the Control Set's Initial Command Sequence

• loads the 32 Command Sequences from the pathnames specified in the Control Set

• loads the 16 Sliders from the pathnames specified in the Control Set

By default, switching between radios is manual, effected by clicking the radio selection buttons on the Main window's VFO panel. To enable automatic radio switching, use the Selection by band panel to choose a radio for each amateur band, and then check the Auto box.

You can configure Commander to identify the currently-selected radio via a binary encoding on pins 16 and 14 of a specified parallel port.

Bandspread tab

The controls on this tab influence the behavior of the Bandspread window's slide rule dial, its Band Stack, and its presentation of DX Spots. Controls in this tab's DX Spot panel also govern the handling of active callsigns in the Spectrum-Waterfall window's DX Callsign Section, and the handling of callsigns displayed on SmartSDR's panadaptor.

The always on top box, when checked, ensures that the Bandspread window will not be obscured by any other application window except one similarly configured.

If the color-code frequency pointer box is checked, the current frequency indicator on the Bandspread window's slide rule dial will be rendered in the specified in-band color if the transceiver's frequency is in-band, or in the specified out-of-band color if the transceiver's frequency is out-of-band. If the box is unchecked, the current frequency indicator will be rendered in red, independent of transceiver frequency.

The Spectrum-Waterfall window box is enabled if Commander is controlling

• an Icom IC-7300, IC-7610, IC-7850, IC-7851, or IC-9700 with the Primary CAT Port baud rate is set to 115,200

• an Elecraft K4 connected via IP, e.g. ethernet

Checking this box will display Commander's Spectrum-Waterfall window, which horizontally displays realtime spectrum data, a waterfall, and the callsigns of active DX stations. Note that Icom radios will only report spectrum data if they are directly connected to a computer via USB.

The Display calls on panadaptor box is enabled if Commander is controlling a Flex Signature radio. Checking this box display active callsigns on SmartSDR's panadaptor,

• the PSK mode if no DMA, K1JT mode if no SpotCollector subpanel specifies the mode to which the selected primary transceiver should be set when you select an active DX callsign on the Bandspread window or in the Spectrum-Waterfall window's DX Callsign Section that is operating in PSK31, PSK63, PSK125 but the specified Digital Mode Application is not running, or when you select an active DX callsign on the Bandspread window or in the Spectrum-Waterfall window's DX Callsign Section that is operating in a K1JT mode like FT8 but SpotCollector (version 9.8.3 or later) is not running and connected to an instance of WJST-X; the options present in this subpanel vary as a function of the primary transceiver

  USB	set the transceiver to USB mode
  LSB	set the transceiver to LSB mode
  PKT	set the transceiver to PKT mode
  PKT-R	set the transceiver to PKT-R mode
  Data-L	set the transceiver to Data-L mode
  Data-U	set the transceiver to Data-U mode
  DIGL	set the transceiver to DIGL mode
  DIGU	set the transceiver to DIGU mode

   

• the RTTY Mode if no Digital Mode Application subpanel specifies the mode to which the selected primary transceiver should be set when you select an active DX callsign on the Bandspread window or in the Spectrum-Waterfall window's DX Callsign Section that is operating in RTTY, but the specified Digital Mode Application is not running; the options present in this subpanel vary as a function of the primary transceiver

  RTTY	set the transceiver to normal RTTY mode
  RTTY-R	set the transceiver to reversed RTTY mode
  USB	set the transceiver to USB mode
  LSB	set the transceiver to LSB mode
  PKT	set the transceiver to PKT mode
  PKT-R	set the transceiver to PKT-R mode
  Data-L	set the transceiver to Data-L mode
  Data-U	set the transceiver to Data-U mode
  DIGL	set the transceiver to DIGL mode
  DIGU	set the transceiver to DIGU mode

• the CW Mode subpanel specifies the mode to which the selected primary transceiver should be set when you select an active DX callsign on the Bandspread window or in the Spectrum-Waterfall window's DX Callsign Section that is operating in CW mode

  CW	set the transceiver to normal CW mode
  CW-R	set the transceiver to reversed CW mode
  CW via DMA	if checked and if the specified Digital Mode Applicationis running, convey the spot information to it if not checked or if the specified Digital Mode Application isn't running, set the transceiver to normal CW mode

• the Phone Modes subpanel's checkboxes govern behavior when you select an active DX callsign on the Bandspread window or in the Spectrum-Waterfall window's DX Callsign Section that is operating in SSB, AM, or FM mode

  SSB via DMA	if checked and if the specified Digital Mode Application is running, convey the spot information to it if not checked or if checked and if the specified Digital Mode Application isn't running, set the transceiver to USB or LSB mode as a function of frequency
  AM via DMA	if checked and if the specified Digital Mode Application is running, convey the spot information to it if not checked or if the specified Digital Mode Application isn't running, set the transceiver to AM mode
  FM via DMA	if checked and if the specified Digital Mode Application is running, convey the spot information to it if not checked or if the specified Digital Mode Application isn't running, set the transceiver to FM mode

The User-defined Sequence after Band Change panel specifies the name of a User-defined Command Sequence to be automatically executed when a band button in the Bandspread window's Band panel or the Spectrum-Waterfall window's Band panel is clicked after a Delay specified in milliseconds (up to a maximum of 10,000). If no name is specified, no sequence will be executed; if no delay is specified, the named sequence will be executed immediately.

Transverters tab

A transverter is an external device that enables transmission and reception on a frequency significantly offset from that of one's transceiver. When operating with a transverter, Commander's VFO displays the transverter output frequency, and sets your transceiver to the required transceiver input frequency.

Commander supports transverters with outputs on the 6m, 4m, 2m, 1.25m, 70cm, 33cm, and 23cm bands, providing a dedicated panel on the Transverters tab that lets you specify the frequency offset (in kHz) and relationship (additive or subtractive) for each band. If, for example, your 6m transverter requires your transceiver to operate on the 10m band, then you would set the 6M transverter panel's offset setting to 22000, select the + (additive) button, and check the Enabled box; If QSYed to 50100, Commander would set your transceiver to 28100. If you have configured Commander to control more than one transceiver, each transverter panel lets you specify the transceiver connected to its associated transverter.

Spectrum-Waterfall Configuration window

To display the Spectrum-Waterfall Configuration window, click the Spectrum Config button in the Spectrum-Waterfall window's Control Section.

• The Always on top box, when checked, ensures that the Spectrum-Waterfall window is always visible.

• When controlling an Icom transceiver,

  • the Mode AutoTrack box, when checked with a Fixed range, responds to a mode change to CW, Data, or Phone by setting the range to the sub-band associated with the new mode; changing to any other mode sets the range to the entire band

  • the Frequency AutoTrack box, when checked with a Fixed range

    • responds to tuning out of the range (but still within the band) by automatically sliding the range up or down so that the transceiver frequency is visible in the range

    • if Mode AutoTrack is disabled, responds to a band change by setting the range to the lowest-frequency sub-band that contains the transceiver frequency; if the current frequency is not within any of the new band's sub-bands, the range is set to the entire band

  • the Use radio's scroll options box, when checked, enables selection of the SCROLL-C and SCROLL-F spectrum tracking modes by providing a Scroll checkbox in the Spectrum-Waterfall window's Range panel. Use radio's scroll options is automatically enabled if the radio reports its spectrum tracking mode to be SCROLL-C or SCROLL-F.

• When controlling an Elecraft K4, the Update Rate panel displays and controls the number of times the Spectrum Display is updated each second.

• The Low Pass Filter panel enables smoothing of the spectrum data displayed in the Spectrum Section.

  • the Enabled checkbox governs whether low pass filtering is enabled

  • in the Time constant slider, higher values produce increased smoothing

• The DX Spot Rows panel specifies the number of rows of active DX callsigns present in the DX Callsign Section. Increasing the number of rows increases the height of the DX Callsign Section, and increases the height of the Spectrum-Waterfall window; decreasing the number of rows decreases the height of the DX Callsign Section, and decreases the height of the Spectrum-Waterfall window. Any change to the number of rows is reflected in the Spectrum-Waterfall window's DX Rows panel; any change to the  Spectrum-Waterfall window's DX Rows panel setting is reflected in the Spectrum-Waterfall Configuration window's DX Spot Rows panel.

• In the DX Spot Font panel, 

  • the Name sub-panel lets you specify a large font to be used to render DX spots on the DX Callsign Section when the font size is 8 or greater, and a small font to be used when the font size is less than 8; this allows the use of fonts design to be readable at small point sizes, e.g. Small Fonts

  • The Size as function of Range sub-panel specifies the font size with which DX spots are to be rendered on the DX Callsign Section; font sizes can be specified independently for each range.

• In the Colors panel,

  • clicking the Receive Freq Marker button displays a color selector that lets you choose the color of the vertical marker used to indicate the transceiver frequency when not split, or the receive frequency when split; the currently-selected color is shown in a square to the right of the button

  • clicking the Transmit Freq Marker button displays a color selector that lets you choose the color of the vertical marker used to indicate the transmit frequency (when split); the currently-selected color is shown in a square to the right of the button

  • clicking the Frequency Labels button displays a color selector that lets you choose the color of the text used to indicate frequencies in the Frequency Axis Section; the currently-selected color is shown in a square to the right of the button

  • in the Spectrum Section sub-panel

    • clicking the Spectrum Data button displays a color selector that lets you choose the color used to display spectrum data in the Spectrum Section

    • clicking the white background button displays spectrum data against a white background

    • clicking the black background button displays spectrum data against a black background

  • in the Waterfall Section sub-panel,

    • clicking the black-to-white button displays a monochromatic waterfall where the absence of signal is rendered in black, the strongest signals are rendered in white, and signals of intermediate strength are rendered in shades of grey

    •   clicking the black-to-white button displays a polychromatic waterfall using this gradient to represent signal strength, from the absence of signal in black to the strongest signals in white:
      
      
      

    • clicking the black-to-red button displays a polychromatic waterfall using this gradient to represent signal strength, from the absence of signal in black to the strongest signals in red:
      
      
      

• The Mousewheel motion panel determines the increment by which your radio is QSYed when the Spectrum-Waterfall window is active and you rotate your mouse's wheel by one click. Increments are specified by mode, and can be specified either as a % or range or as a fixed frequency increment. These mode-specific settings make it convenient to setup a faster tuning rate for SSB operation than for CW or RTTY operation

  • If the panel's % or range option is selected, increments are specified as a percentage of the range; negative percentages can be used to reverse the meaning of mouse wheel rotation if desired.  Fractional values like 0.05 can be specified for very slow tuning rates.

  • If the panel's fixed frequency option is selected, increments are specified in hertz; negative values can be used to reverse the meaning of mouse wheel rotation if desired.
    

• When controlling an Icom transceiver, the Band Settings panel provides the following settings for each Band from 160m through 23cm:

  • Gain: a value between 1 and 2 that expands the magnitude of signals displayed in the Spectrum Section

  • parameters for each band

    • Lower: specifies the band's lower frequency; striking the Enter key will immediately update the range for the current band

    • Upper: specifies the band's upper frequency; striking the Enter key will immediately update the range for the current band

    • Ref: specifies the Reference Level to be used when the range is set to the entire band; striking the Enter key will immediately update the Reference Level for the current band

    • clicking a band's Default button sets the band's Lower and Upper frequencies from frequencies specified in the  sub-band definition file

    • clicking the Default All button is equivalent to clicking every band's Default button

  • parameters for each band's CW sub-band, Data sub-band, and Phone sub-band

    • Lower: specifies the sub-band's lower frequency; striking the Enter key will immediately update the range for the current sub-band

    • Upper: specifies the sub-band's upper frequency; striking the Enter key will immediately update the range for the current sub-band

    • Ref: specifies the Reference Level to be used when the range is set to this sub-band; striking the Enter key will immediately update the Reference Level for the current sub-band