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<font size="2"><font face="Arial,sans-serif">The Eltima Software
"Serial Port Splitter" allows data received from a single serial COM
port to be shared with multiple application at the same time. This
program answers a need that frequently comes up in APRS operations:
using data from a GPS receiver or TNC in several different programs at
the same time. The utility, which only works with Windows NT4, 2K
and XP (no Win 98) installs about 1MB of software that then shows up as
a device driver in the Windows device manager. <br>
<br>
When you first start the program, a typical Windows graphical
configuration dialog prompts you to select a physical serial port to
intercept. You associate any number of simulated (virtual) com ports
from COM1 to COM255 with this physical port. In operation, data
received by the physical port is echoed out all the virtual ports
simultanously. You then configure each application to use a different
virtual port.<br>
<br>
Any com numbers already in use by real devices are automatically
excluded from the pick list. In my case, this meant COM1 (real serial
port), COM2 (USB-to-serial converter cable) and COM3 (built-in modem)
were unavailable to be assigned as virtual ports. One virtual port
is selectable as being bi-directional; it can talk and listen just like
a "real" serial port while all others are listen-only. You can remap
more than one physical port; i.e. you could remap one physical port
with a TNC on it, and another physical port with a GPS on it to share
both devices with multple APRS applications. <br>
<br>
My "torture test" consisted of running this utility on a 1500 MHz
Centrino Pentium-M laptop running Windows 2000 SP4 in 512 MB RAM. On
this platform I SIMULTANEOUSLY supplied 4800 baud GPS data arriving at
the COM1 physical port to:<br>
<br>
Visual GPS 3.03 on virtual COM4<br>
UI-View 2.03 on virtual COM5<br>
Street Atlas Ver 9.0 on COM7<br>
Precision Mapping 7.0 on COM8<br>
TopoUSA 3.0 on COM10<br>
Microsoft Streets & Trips 2005 on COM11<br>
APRSplus 2.14 on COM12<br>
<br>
The assigment of ports to various programs can be quite tricky since
not all programs allow you to use any com number:<br>
Visual GPS only allows the selection of the "classic" first 4 com
ports.<br>
UI-View only allows you to select COM ports up to COM8<br>
Street Atlas 9.0 allows you to select only up to COM 7<br>
Precision Mapping only allows you to select up to COM9 (odd for
something using 8-bit bytes??)<br>
APRSplus will only go up to COM16<br>
Streets & Trips and Topo USA 3.0 appear to offer in their select
lists, ANY port (real or virtual) active in the system.<br>
<br>
Because of the need for a large number of ports at COM8 and below, I
de-activated a Mix Serial Port bridge (simulated back-to-back serial
porrts; i.e. virtual null-modem cable) that had been occupying COM4 and
COM5.<br>
<br>
After running in my car for 24 hours, this whole mess was still
running! <br>
<br>
The program is a bit pricey ($112 USD or 99 Euro) but fills a real
need (to run APRS and non-APRS programs from the same GPS at the same
time) in many systems. The program is freely downloadable as
"trialware"; it will run for two or three weeks before requiring
purchased registration.<br>
<br>
More information at the publisher's web site:<br>
Eltima Software Home Page: <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.eltima.com">http://www.eltima.com</a> <br>
Serial Port Splitter Page:
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.eltima.com/products/serialsplitter/">http://www.eltima.com/products/serialsplitter/</a><br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
Stephen H. Smith wa8lmf (at) aol.com<br>
<br>
Home Page: <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://wa8lmf.com">http://wa8lmf.com</a><br>
<br>
New/Updated Symbols for <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://members.aol.com/wa8lmf/ham">http://members.aol.com/wa8lmf/ham</a><br>
UI-View and APRSplus:<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
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