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Support for 1000-3000 Series Receivers |
If you have a problem with installation or performance of your 1000-3000 Series WiNRADiO receiver, please follow these steps first: 1. Installation problems (software reports "Can't find receiver") 2. Performance problems (upon successful installation) 3. Contact us (if everything else fails)
1. Make sure the card is properly seated in the motherboard slot. Make sure you have the latest application software by checking the software download page. Verify that the software is installed correctly using the WiNRADiO Diagnostic Tool. 2. Go to the Windows Control Panel (Start | Settings | Control Panel), then click on the WiNRADiO icon to get to the WiNRADiO Control Panel. Make sure that the setting in the Control Panel corresponds to the receiver type (ISA card). Set the I/O port address to the default addres (180h). 3. If the card is still not detected, switch the PC off, remove the card and change the I/O port jumper setting from the default address to another of the total 8 available addresses, then go to the WiNRADiO Control Panel again. Change the I/O port setting according to the new jumper setting on the card. Remember that the I/O jumper setting on the card must be equivalent to the software setting in the WiNRADiO Control Panel.
1.2. External receivers connected via serial interface 1.2.1. Serial interface under Windows 95/98 or ME 1. Make sure the receiver is switched on, and the serial cable is connected to the serial port. Make sure you have the latest application software by checking the software download page. Verify that the software is installed correctly using the WiNRADiO Diagnostic Tool. 2. Go to the Windows Control Panel (Start | Settings | Control Panel), then click on the WiNRADiO icon to get to the WiNRADiO Control Panel. Make sure that the setting in the Control Panel corresponds to the receiver type (Serial). Set the Com port address to the address of your serial port (typically Com1 or Com2). 3. If the receiver is not found, go to the WiNRADiO Control Panel again and change the setting of 'Let Windows choose comms driver' under the Serial tab. If the receiver is still not found, open the Windows Control Panel, double-click on 'System', select the 'Device Manager' tab and double-click on the Ports icon. This will identify available ports that can be used. 4. If none are available (or only one is available and you are using a serial mouse), check to see how many ports exist in your computer, you may have to check your CMOS (BIOS) settings to enable or re-configure any other serial ports (in particular, check all ports are enabled, and configured to the RS232 port and not an IR port). For older I/O boards, you will have to check jumper settings. 5. Alternatively, install additional serial port(s) by adding a serial I/O board. 6. If ports do exist, check that no other software is running on your computer (especially terminal programs, fax software and dial-up server software) that uses the port(s). 7. Also check for interrupt conflicts with other active ports (for example, WiNRADiO is on COM3 and the mouse is on COM1 and both ports use IRQ 4). If there is a conflict, change the interrupts or port if possible (see Step 3). 8. If you have a PCMCIA adapter, make sure it is not connected at the same time as the serial cable (the receiver sees the PCMCIA adapter and will not use the serial port). If you disconnect the PCMCIA adapter, reset the receiver by switching it off then on. 9. Switching off and on the receiver resets the unit and may fix up any initialization problems. 1.2.2. Serial interface under Windows 2000 or NT 4 1. Make sure the receiver is switched on, and the serial cable is connected to the serial port. Make sure you have the latest application software by checking the software download page. Verify that the software is installed correctly using the WiNRADiO Diagnostic Tool.
2. Go to the Windows Control Panel (Start | Settings | Control Panel), then click on the WiNRADiO icon to get to the WiNRADiO Control Panel. Make sure that the setting in the Control Panel corresponds to the receiver type (Serial). Set the Com port address to the address of your serial port (typically Com1 or Com2). 3. Make sure the WiNRADiO receiver is not connected and/or switched on when Windows starts (its auto-detection routines identifies the WiNRADiO receiver as a Logitech mouse and blocks the serial port it is connected to). This is not a problem in Windows 95/98 and ME. 4. If the receiver is not found, go to the WiNRADiO Control Panel again and change the setting of 'Let Windows choose comms driver' under the Serial tab. If the receiver is still not found, open the Control Panel and double-click on Ports icon. This will identify available ports that can be used. 5. If none are available (or only one is available and you are using a serial mouse), check to see how many ports exist in your computer, you may have to check your CMOS (BIOS) settings to enable or re-configure any other serial ports (in particular, check all ports are enabled, and configured to the RS232 port and not an IR port). For older I/O boards, you will have to check jumper settings. 6. Alternatively, install additional serial port(s) by adding a serial I/O board. 7. If ports do exist, check that no other software is running on your computer (especially terminal programs, fax software and dial-up server software) that uses the port(s). 8. Also check for interrupt conflicts with other active ports (for example, WiNRADiO is on COM3 and the mouse is on COM1 and both ports use IRQ 4). If there is a conflict, change the interrupts or port if possible (see Step 2). In laptops, check also for IR ports, as these have been known to cause problems. 9. If you have a PCMCIA adapter, make sure it is not connected (the receiver sees the PCMCIA adapter and will not use the serial port). If you disconnect the PCMCIA adapter, reset the receiver by switching it off then on. 10. Check the WiNRADiO configuration in Control Panel: Make sure that a serial port is selected under 'Location' for 'Rcvr1'. Clicking on auto-detect will find serially-connected WiNRADiO receivers if they are connected to spare serial ports and switched on. 11. Switching off and on the receiver resets the unit and may fix up any initialization problems.
1.3. External receivers connected via PCMCIA interface Note: If you are uncertain which version of Windows 95 you are using, right-mouse click on 'My Computer' and select 'Properties'. On the right under 'System:' there should be a number on the second line. If it is '4.00.950a' then use the 'Windows 95' instructions, otherwise if it is '4.00.950 B' then use the OSR 2 instructions. 1.3.1. PCMCIA interface under Windows 95 1. Make sure you have the latest application software by checking the software download page. Verify that the software is installed correctly using the WiNRADiO Diagnostic Tool.
2. When the computer has restarted, insert the PCMCIA card. 3. Windows will detect the new card and ask for drivers. 4. Select 'Driver from disk provided by hardware manufacturer' and click on OK. 5. When prompted for a folder, enter c:\windows\inf and click on OK. 6. Windows performs a search which will take about a minute. 7. A list of manufacturers and drivers will appear, select 'WiNRADiO Communications' from the manufacturers list and then click on OK. 8. Windows should then recognise the PCMCIA card (typically signified by a beep from the slot). 9. Double-click on the WiNRADiO icon to operate the receiver. 1.3.2. PCMCIA interface under Windows 95 OSR 2 1. Make sure you have the latest application software by checking the software download page. Verify that the software is installed correctly using the WiNRADiO Diagnostic Tool. 2. When the computer has restarted, insert the PCMCIA card. 3. Windows should build the driver information database and automatically recognise the PCMCIA card. 4. When this has completed, double-click on the WiNRADiO icon to operate the receiver. 1.3.3. PCMCIA interface under Windows 98 1. Make sure you have the latest application software by checking the software download page. Verify that the software is installed correctly using the WiNRADiO Diagnostic Tool. 2. When the computer has restarted, insert the PCMCIA card. 3. Windows should build the driver information database and automatically recognise the PCMCIA card. 4. When this has completed, double-click on the WiNRADiO icon to operate the receiver. 1.3.4. PCMCIA interface under Windows 2000 and NT 4 1. Make sure you have the latest application software by checking the software download page. Verify that the software is installed correctly using the WiNRADiO Diagnostic Tool. 2. Shut-down and turn off the computer. 3. Insert the PCMCIA card. 4. Restart the computer. 5. Double-click on the WiNRADiO icon to operate the receiver.
Firstly, please check the following: Now click on the FM-W mode button. You should hear static noise from the speaker. If so, type in a frequency of your local FM station. Can you hear it? If you still can't hear any sound despite checking the antenna and speaker connections, and making sure the squelch and volume are set to initial levels, the receiver is probably faulty. While such events are very rare, they do occasionally happen. Please accept our apologies and return the receiver to your dealer for a warranty replacement. In USA only, please refer to the product return procedure below. In general, such problems are rare. If you have a noisy reception, the first thing to check is the antenna installation. If you are confident that the antenna is not the cause of the problem, you might wish to experiment with PC noise reduction, especially if lower frequencies are affected. The supplied basic antenna is a thin coaxial cable with a length of unshielded wire at the end. This wire is the actual active element, and should be placed as far away from the PC as possible. We suggest you fix it with an adhesive tape on a window frame as close as possible to the glass. Placing the antenna outside the building walls would be best, as they will attenuate the signal considerably. Do not leave the antenna run close to the computer, or even let it lie on the floor. Some domestic appliances, such as fax machines, VCRs and TVs, can also generate interference, so it is best to place the antenna as far away from any appliances as possible. For first trials with WiNRADiO and casual listening, the supplied antenna is quite acceptable. For a much better reception, special antennas (such as discones) are recommended. While in most installations such problems are rare, sometimes you may encounter excessive PC-generated noise on lower frequencies (under 30MHz), which results in a seemingly low sensitivity on AM broadcast bands, shortwave and lower VHF bands; and intermodulation interference. WiNRADiO receivers are very sensitive, so any low sensitivity problems are due to noise induced to the antenna either by the PC or another source. This noise overloads the receiver which then responds by automatically reducing sensitivity using its AGC (Automatic Gain Control) mechanism. One effective remedy is placing ferrite cores over the antenna lead close to the receiver. The ferrite cores (beads) or toroids are placed on the lead next to the antenna connector (with as many turns of the lead as possible), and often manage to eliminate or reduce common-mode electromagnetic interference generated by the PC. Another often surprisingly effective remedy is to place an RF (radio frequency) filter between the PC mains lead and the wall power outlet. (These filters can be readily obtained from electronics stores and are not to be confused with transient suppressors which are only meant to protect equipment from power surges and spikes.) In some areas, the power supply authorities actually superimpose a range of frequencies on the mains supply for various remote control and measurement purposes. An RF mains filter can make a world of difference to reception on AM broadcast bands. If you have an internal card receiver, and these measures fail to produce the desired effect of noise reduction, you may try to reposition the receiver card inside the PC into a different slot, as far as possible from other potentially noisy cards (especially the video card) and the power supply. Video monitors are also major sources of interference, and some models can be worse than others in this respect. You can establish the noise contribution of your monitor by switching it off: if the noise diminishes substantially, check if the monitor leads have ferrite suppressor beads fitted on them (they would be of rectangular or cylindrical shape, attached on the leads). If not, this would be the first step. Otherwise, it may be worthwhile to shop around for a quieter monitor. Laptop computers with LCD screens are generally much quieter than desktops. 2.2.3. Intermodulation interference The reason why WiNRADiO receivers have been designed to be very sensitive is in order for it to work with very short antennas that are used especially in the VHF/UHF frequency ranges. In areas with strong local broadcast stations, the WiNRADiO receiver may overload. This will result in a number of "ghost" stations, two or more stations mixed with one another, appearing across many parts of the frequency spectrum, often obscuring reception of weak stations. This effect is called intermodulation interference, and is a common problem with all sensitive wide-band scanners. By pressing the Local button on the control panel, the interference will disappear. It is advisable to use the Local setting if you are operating the receiver with special outdoor antennas. If you specialize in long-distance shortwave reception (DX), you will obtain a considerable improvement by using either a tuned antenna, or a special device called a preselector. A preselector is plugged between WiNRADiO and the antenna and acts as a filter, allowing only a narrow frequency band to pass through to the receiver. The result is a much quieter and undisturbed reception of very distant stations.
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If your product is faulty and you wish to return it for repair or replacement, please refer to the information on the service page.
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