User Evaluation of USB to Serial I/O Interface Devices for use with N1MM Logger

First, a cautionary note, courtesy of Bob, W5OV:

This is a good reference, but potential users should not get a false sense of security because someone else may have had success with a particular device. In other words, it's more than just the hardware; the success rate is also closely tied to what operating system you have, what revision of the driver you are installing for the device you are trying to use, and what other drivers you have installed previously (which could have been for something you no longer use or no longer have connected to the computer), and your computer's particular configuration in general.

Drivers: One key thing to never do is to allow Windows to tell you that it already has the driver for a particular device - you should always install the driver that comes with your interface. Windows can misidentify these devices when you plug them in and Windows will let you fail by using the driver it thinks is correct - and most often Windows is dead wrong.

Generally speaking, with XP you can use most any USB to serial device (Prolific or FTDI chipsets) as long as you do not have a conflict. When it comes to Vista or Windows 7, FTDI seems to be the only game in town for close to sure results (Editor's note - not all users agree with this characterization. See the table below.)

Even with all of this, depending on what you have done with your computer previously, you may have problems. And again, the point of all of this is that the problems may have nothing to do with what hardware you are trying to use. It could be something left over by some earlier activity on your computer. That said, most installations of these devices goes well right from the start. When they do not, it can be very frustrating.

A further technical note, posted on the N1MM Logger reflector by Joe, W4TV, concerns an easy way to tell whether a given adapter can handle 45.5 baud RTTY:

Windows serial drivers set the data rate (baud rate divisor) with 14 bits of a "double word." That limits the max/min range of the driver/UART to 2¹⁴:1 ... and any maximum rate higher than 512K will preclude operation at 45.45 bps.

The lower rates are not a 100% guarantee of compatibility but the higher rate is a certain sign that EXTFSK or AFSK will be required for RTTY.

Be sure to look at the numbered notes for each device - that's where you will find specific issues discussed. Also, please remember that this table is based on N1MM user comments, and we have no additional information. Please contact the evaluator for any further details.

Device	Vendor	Type	Submitted by	CAT	CW/PTT	RTTY	Win	Win	Win
(Name or model of Device)	(Company Name)		(E-mail Address)	(RS-232 rig control)	(DTR/RTS works)	(5 Bit 45 baud)	XP	Vista	7
USB to RS232 with FTDI Chipset (note 1)	? From UK	USB to SIO	q.g.collier@btinternet.com	Y	Y	?	Y	Y	?
UC232A (note 2)	ATEN	USB to SIO	paul@w8aef.com	Y	?	?	Y	Y	?
USB to Serial Cable (note 3)	Belkin	USB to SIO	pgerhardt@hotmail.com	?	?	?	?	?	?
USB2-4COM-M (note 4)	ByteRunner	USB to SIO	dave.n3rd@verizon.net	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y
USB-COM-CBL (note 5)	ByteRunner	USB to SIO	wc0v10@embarqmail.com	Y	Y	?	Y	Y	Y
Edgeport/4 - 4 RS-232 serial DB-9 (note 6)	Digi International	USB to SIO	yungthor@ca.rr.com	Y	Y	Y?	Y	Y?	?
USB-COM-PL (note 7)	EasySync Ltd.	USB to SIO	garyhess999@hotmail.com	Y	?	?	Y	?	?
2U 4S Hub (note 8)	Entrega	USB to SIO	n3tl@bellsouth.net	?	?	?	?	?	?
USB-RS232 Adapter (note 9)	HoseNose	USB to SIO	cx6vm.jorge@adinet.com.uy	Y	?	?	Y	Y	Y
USB to 2 port serial converter (note 10)	IOgear 2	USB to SIO	lew@paceley.com	Y	?	?	Y	N	?
FT232BM (note 11)	PI Manufacturing	USB to SIO	W1TR@ARRL.net	Y	?	?	Y	?	?
Gigaware 6-ft. USB-A to Serial Cable (note 12)	Radio Shack	USB to SIO	pgerhardt@hotmail.com	Y	?	?	Y	?	?
TU-S9 (note 13)	Trendnet	USB to SIO	lew@paceley.com	N	?	?
Keyspan USA-19HS (note 14)	Tripp Lite	USB to SIO	rojomn@charter.net	Y	?	?	Y	Y	Y
USB Interface Cable (note 15)	West Mountain Radio	USB to SIO	jeffnjr484@yahoo.com	Y	Y	Y?	?	?	?
Edgeport /8 - 8 RS-232 serial DB-9 (note 16)	Digi International	USB to SIO	david_yahoo@levinecentral.com	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Valley Enterprises CT-62 (note 17)	Valley Enterprises	USB to SIO	N4JIK kd4lcr@gmail.com	Y	?	?	?	Y	?

Note 1: I have used these with both Vista and XP machines, both of which were able to find the appropriate drivers. The applications in question were the N1MM and SD logging programs, and I have also used the adapters with the original (pre USB) Winkey device, again with good results. http://www.usbnow.co.uk/p48/USB_to_RS232_with_FTDI_Chipset_(1.8M_Cable)/product_info.html. Note: W4TV says that no current FTDI device will do 45.5 baud RTTY without EXTFSK because no current FTDI chipset will handle data below 300 baud.

Note 2: I have a pair of Aten and one Prolific PL-2303 USB to serial port adapters. Currently I am using one of the Aten adapters with PL-2303 a driver.All adapters work fine on Vista64 http://www.aten.com/products/productItem.php?pcid=2005010513171002&psid=20070130144911002&pid=2005022316346005&layerid=subClass7

Note 3: No Joy. Driver by MFG CD-Rom was VERY difficult to install and also tried to find and use a newer one from the mfg website w/o success. Got the lights to flash on the device like it was trying but was not making the handshake and would time out the attempt to connect. http://www.belkin.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Product_Id=281230

Note 4: Tested with Green Heron Everywhere software for control of their RT-20/21 rotator control boxes. Uses the FTDI chip set. Dave N3RD

Note 5: Works fine with Vista and Win 7 64 bit. Be sure to avoid the Prolific chipset adapters. those either don't work or crash the OS. http://www.byterunner.com/byterunner/product_name=USB-COM-CBL/user-id=/password=/exchange=/exact_match=exact. I downloaded the Win 7 drivers. It seems to be functioning OK. Tom - W4BQF

Note 6: I can get mine to work fine on XP Pro but wile it installs in Vista and is recognized it will not set up serial ports without crashing the system. I use the Edgeport 4 port USB to serial and it works fine for FSK and rig control of a 765. Geo N4UA http://www.digi.com/products/model.jsp?lid=EN&pgid=38&pfid=25&mtid=215&amtid=215&pm=Y

Note 7: I had trouble with my first adapter (Prolific). Then I ordered an FTDI device from EasySync in the UK and it worked immediately. http://www.easysync.co.uk/

Note 8: It requires a power source which is unmarked I have no specs and need all the help I can get (N3TL) www.entrega.com? Note 9: This adapter can also be plugged directly into any rig that has a 9-pin female serial port for interfacing, such as the Elecraft K3 or Yaesu FT-920. Compatible with 32 and 64-bit versions of: Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows 2003, and Windows XP. http://hosenose.com/interfaces.asp#USB-RS232

Note 10: Wasn't recognized by Vista. Purchased on Frys.com. Did work for Rig Control of FT1000MP under N1MM/Vista32 with K1EL USB Winkeyer. http://www.iogear.com/product/GUC2322/

Note 11: Vintage 2003, http://www.pimfg.com/product_detail.asp?part=UN8BE&child=N&kwid2=2418 USB Devices&keywordx=5744 USB Converter

Note 12: Worked fine with N1MM, http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3120513#

Note 13: Did NOT Work for Rig Control of FT1000MP under N1MM/Vista32 or with K1ELUSB Winkeyer. Prolific 2302 chipset. Purchased on Amazon.com. http://trendnet.com/products/proddetail.asp?prod=150_TU-S9&cat=49

Note 14: Get the Keyspan USB-19 or other Keyspan with same chip and your problems will all be solved. It was not worth trying to avoid spending $28 with shipping to get two reliable devices. Available at a very good price at Amazon and quick ship. http://www.tripplite.com/en/products/model.cfm?txtSeriesID=518&EID=13384&txtModelID=3914

Note 15: I've used the adapter from West Mountain Radio with great success on PTT and RTTY and it works for me. Web page states that FSK RTTY support requires MMTTY and EXTFSK software. (W1TR)http://www.westmountainradio.com/Image/StoreConfigs/usb2serial.htm. W4TV says that based on study of the driver .inf file, he believes that this device may not function properly for radio control.

Note 16: After installing MMTTY and N1MM on the new Win7 notebook, I plugged in the EdgePort/8 and crossed my fingers. Windows recognized the device was connected and then went to Windows Update online and found the driver. It installed without issue and worked immediately with N1MM and MMTTY. It has a small but nice program that easily allows you to adjust which COMx maps to which of the physical ports on the device. I have the actual Com port selected in MMTTY's TX tab and not EXTFSK.

Though I grabbed the /8 I would hope the /4 installs and works just as well, providing 4 serial connections. I participated in the Mexico RTTY contest this past weekend and the rig control via 1 serial port to my Kenwood TS-2000 worked perfectly. The 2nd serial port is used for a RTTY FSK/CW connection to the ACC2 port on the Kenwood TS-2000 and that worked perfectly as well. - K2DSL

Note 17: Per N4JIK, the CT-62 cable from Valley Enterprises Intl. http://www.valley-ent.com would not work with the latest Prolific drivers from the company's website, but worked fine with a Yaesu 8x7 series radio and a driver downloaded from Valley's web site. See note 2 for another success story using an adapter with the Prolific PL-2303 chipset. N4ZR spoke with Valley Enterprises, who advised that they obtained the driver from G4HFQ, a CAT software writer and hardware vendor in the UK.

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