Controlling 2 COMs via Serial

cjpitre

I love flying!
Joined
Nov 25, 2016
Messages
4
I've got an HDX with 2 COM radios (GTR 200 and MGL V16). I also have an MGL N16 which is pair with the V16 through a Razor head. The Razor emulates an SL30 so I can use it as a NAV source. What I'd like to do is be able to select which radio I am pushing frequencies to from the HDX. What I've done is connect Serial Port 3 to the center posts of a DPDT On-On toggle switch and each radio to one side of that switch. I've set the Serial port on the HDX to Garmin/Apollo SL30. Works great sending frequencies from the radios, switches in about a second. Also receiving NAV data when the Razor/V16/N16 is selected. Problem is the other direction, not only does it not push the HDX frequencies, I can't set or swap frequencies on the HDX at all. If I try is simply reverts back to what it was before.

I'm sure this is not at all a supported approach, but is there something I did wrong?

Also, I'm adding a GPS175 shortly and will be able to free up a serial port on the HDX by using the GPS175 to feed my transponder and my ELT. If I wire each radio to a separate serial port, which one will the HDX push to/pull from?
 

Dynon

Dynon Staff
Staff member
Joined
Jan 14, 2013
Messages
14,232
Location
Woodinville, WA
Soooo.... the basic flow:

The radio/serial port that's designated as the primary COM in SkyView is the recipient of any pushed frequencies, and the top bar will reflect the status from that radio.

Anything coming from that COM radio will be reflected in the top bar.

So, if you switched both sides of the serial port, and only used one port, and that one is primary, and they used the same format, it should work.
 

cjpitre

I love flying!
Joined
Nov 25, 2016
Messages
4
Soooo.... the basic flow:

The radio/serial port that's designated as the primary COM in SkyView is the recipient of any pushed frequencies, and the top bar will reflect the status from that radio.

Anything coming from that COM radio will be reflected in the top bar.

So, if you switched both sides of the serial port, and only used one port, and that one is primary, and they used the same format, it should work.
Thank you for this, it helps a lot.

I found and fixed my problem. I had a bad crimp connection on the SkyView TX at the toggle switch. Fixing that resolved the inability to change frequencies on the HDX and it works completely as expected. I'm going to like this flexibility - the HDX picks up the radio swap immediately and I'll be able to use it to tune either the COM1 or COM2/NAV1 radio as well as use the NAV1 radio as an HSI source.

I'm not going to bother moving my ELT off of the SV serial port as putting the second radio on that port would eliminate the convenience that this toggle switch brings.
 
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