Ubuntu Manpage: grig - graphical user interface for the Ham Radio Control Libraries (hamlib)

NAME

       grig - graphical user interface for the Ham Radio Control Libraries (hamlib)

SYNOPSIS

       grig [OPTION]...

DESCRIPTION

       Grig is a simple Ham Radio control (CAT) program based on the Ham Radio Control Libraries. It is intended
       to be highly generic presenting the user to the same graphical user interface regardless of  which  radio
       is being controlled.

       Grig does not store any radio configuration, instead it takes a number of command line options.

       -m, --model=ID
              select radio model number; see --list

       -r, --rig-file=DEVICE
              set device of the radio, eg. /dev/ttyS0

       -s, --speed=BAUD
              set transfer rate (serial port only)

       -c, --civ-addr=ID
              set CI-V address (decimal, ICOM only)

       -C, --set-conf=par=val[,par2=val2]
              set additiional configuration parameters

       -d, --debug=LEVEL
              set hamlib debug level (0..5)

       -D, --delay=VALUE
              set delay between commands in msec (see below)

       -n, --nothread
              use timeout calls instead of thread (see below)

       -l, --list
              list supported radios and exit

       -p, --enable-ptt
              enable ptt control

       -P, --enable-pwr
              enable power status control

       -h, --help
              show a brief help message and exit

       -v, --version
              show version information and exit

       Example:  Start  grig  using  YAESU  FT-990 connected to the first serial port, using 4800 baud and debug
       level set to warning:

            grig -m 116 -r /dev/ttyS0 -s 4800 -d 3

       or if you prefer the long options:

            grig --model=116 --rig-file=/dev/ttyS0 --speed=4800 --debug=3

       It is usually enough to specify the model ID and the DEVICE.

       If you start grig without any options it will use the  Dummy  backend  and  set  the  debug  level  to  0
       (RIG_DEBUG_NONE).  If  you do not specify the transfer rate for the serial port, the default serial speed
       will be used by the backend and even if you specify a value, it can be overridden by the backend. If  you
       omit the radio device (port) grig will use /dev/ttyS0 or localhost if the selected radio is RPC-rig.

DEBUG LEVELS

       0    No debug, keep quiet.
       1    Serious bug.
       2    Error case (e.g. protocol, memory allocation).
       3    Warnings.
       4    Verbose information.
       5    Trace.

       Grig  has  its  own  debug message handler, which will manage messages from hamlib too.  The messages are
       printed to STDERR by default but they can be redirected to  a  file.   In  bash  shell  you  would  write
       something like:

            grig [options] 2> grig.log

       You  can  then use the Message Window in the View menu to view these messages. The debug messages printed
       by grig a formatted in a structured way with each line containing both time,  source  and  level  of  the
       message.  Each  field  is  separated  with ;; so you can also import the log file into a spread sheet for
       further analysis.

FEATURES

       Grig 0.8.1 supports the most commonly used CAT command implemented by hamlib.  These  include  frequency,
       mode,  filter  and  various level settings. Please note that not all features have been thoroughly tested
       since I don't have access to any modern high-end radios. Therefore, comments regarding success or failure
       in using grig will be highly appreciated.

KNOWN BUGS AND LIMITATIONS

Buffer Overflow in Radio
By default, grig tries to execute rig commands as fast as possible in order to achieve an almost
real-time remote control experience. This strategy has turned out to cause problems with some
radios, probably because these radios acknowledge the reception of a command before executing
them, whereby the next command will be sent before the previous one has terminated. To avoid any
possible buffer overflow in these situations, one can try to experiment with the -D or --delay
command line argument, which will put the specified delay in between each executed command. The
default value is 10 milliseconds and the smallest possible value is 1 millisecond (if one
specifies 0 millisecond on the command line, the default value will be
used). If you find a value which is better for your radio than the default value, please let us
know about it.

Daemon Never Starts on FreeBSD
There have been reports on that the new, thread-based daemon process is never started on FreeBSD,
while the old, timeout-based daemon worked fine. It is therefore possible to choose the two ways
to run the daemon process. The default is the new thread based daemon, but if you use FreeBSD and
nothing seems to work after start-up you can select the timout-based daemon with the -n or
--nothread command line option.

Connection Settings
Once you have started grig you can not change the radio settings (model, device, speed). You will
have to restart the program if you want to change any of these settings.

Multiple Radios
Grig can control only one radio at the time. There are, however, no problems in starting several
instances of grig as long as they do not try to control the same radio. An exception to this is
the RPC-rig backend in which case the rpc rig daemon will act as a server while grig or any other
hamlib frontends will act as a clients.

Power OFF State
On some radios, grig does not cope very well with the power off state. It is yet not known whether
this is a bug in the hamlib backend or in grig and we will definitely appreciate your input. The
situation gets even more complicated due to the fact that different radios behave in a different
ways when they are powered OFF; some of them will continue to respond to remote commands, while
others will not. Even the same radio, like the FT-817, can behave differently depending on whether
it is powered from internal batteries or external power supply. Grig tries to handle this mess by
suspending all rig commands while in power OFF state. Only the power ON command will be sent to
the rig. By default, the power status control is disabled and must explicitly be enabled using
the -P or --enable-pwr command line switch.

PTT Control
Similar to the power state, the PTT has caused strange behaviour on some radios. Consequently, it
has been disabled by default but can be enabled using the -p or --enable-ptt command line
arguments.

AUTHOR

       Written by Alexandru Csete, OZ9AEC.

REPORTING BUGS

       Report bugs to <groundstation-developer@lists.sourcforge.net>.
       Bugs    related    to    hamlib   should   be   reported   directly   to   the   hamlib   developers   at
       <hamlib-developer@lists.sourceforge.net>.

COPYRIGHT

       Copyright © 2001-2006 Alexandru Csete.
       This is free software; see the source for copying  conditions.   There  is  NO  warranty;  not  even  for
       MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.