SS-9000 Control software

[Bob And Bettina Groh]

I will contribute what little I can to this topic but I'm afraid it 
isn't much. Despite the fact that I was Project Leader for the SS-9000 
project, I left Heathkit just before the unit shipped so I have neither 
one of the units (darn! and double darn!) nor any of the documentation.  
What I do remember of the protocol used to talk with the SS-9000 is that 
it was an simple character-based (ASCII) aynchronous serial RS-232 
protocol - pretty low speed (300 or 1200 baud - maybe more). We used an 
H-89 to talk to the SS-9000. You could control the SS-9000 (change 
bands, frequencies, etc) and query the SS-9000 relative to it's 
frequency, etc.  Again all done with a simple set of ASCII based queries 
and responses.  I believe the protocol was outlined in the operating 
manual and an example program written in MBASIC was provided.  I think. 

I also vaguely remembering some conversation on this list a couple of 
years ago about the subject. Terry Perdue is lurking somewhere and he 
was heavily involved in the digital side of the SS-9000 so maybe he (or 
some of the other Heathkit guys) can chip in some info.
I have always wished I had one of those radio's - I was always proud of 
it.  Lot of my blood, sweat and tears in the design (as well as many of 
the other guys at Heathkit, of course). Ah, nostalgia!

Bottom line - I think there is info on the protocol along with a list of 
the commands and responses out there (quite possibly in the manual). 
Should be a simple job to write some programs to talk to it and to 
display the responses. Seems I remember using a H-19 terminal for 
debugging so I think it is quite easy to do.  Sorry I can't offer more.

73 de WA2CKY
Bob Groh
Heathkit Engineer from 1977 to 1981

-----------------------------------------------------------
Products bought, sold or traded here is the responsibility of the
parties involved.  This list and the City of Tempe are not responsible
for losses or misrepresentations of any kind.  Buyer beware!

-----------------------------------------------------------
This list is a public service of the City of Tempe, Arizona
-----------------------------------------------------------

Subscription control - http://www.tempe.gov/lists/control.asp?list=HEATH
To post - HEATH at LISTSERV.TEMPE.GOV
Archives - http://listserv.tempe.gov/archives/HEATH.html