Using ComTekk 2-Tone Decoder II
Ver. 2.02
1. Running ComTekk 2-Tone Decoder
First-time users must enter their user registration information to enable the software. This will be sent via email after purchase is made. Due to it's nature, there is no free trial period available.
Once ComTekk 2-Tone has been successfully installed, you may simply double-click the CT2Tone desktop icon or Click the Windows Start menu, then Programs, choose the ComTekk folder, then CT2Tone.
To control CT2Tone:
- To run the program, click the desktop icon or go to Start->Programs->ComTekk->CT2Tone .
- The top dot-matrix display indicates the current program status. A green "Ready" shows the decoder is running and listening for tones.
- Click the "POWER" button or "X" button in the upper-right corner of the window to close the application completely.
Please note that if you have more than one audio device installed, CT2Tone will only use the system's default sound device.
Continue on to Section 2 below for detailed description of the buttons and screens.
2. The CT2Tone User Interface
Controls:
1. POWER - Close / Exit the program
2. Hold - Stops the decoder and freezes the current display(s), allowing time to write down frequencies before another tone-out is decoded.
3. Clear - Clears the display(s)
4. Replay - If enabled, this button will replay the last recorded tone-out. WAV recording must be enabled in Settings. Button will be enabled after the first recording is complete.
5. Stop - Stops playback.
6. Squelch - sets the relative signal level detection threshold, so background noise or weak signals can be rejected. The default setting should work for most applications.
7. Setup - Opens the program Settings window (preferences).
8. 
Help - opens the user manual
9. 
About -Opens the program information screen, and Product Registration.
10. View Log - Opens the current log file for viewing using the Windows default viewer. CSV Log File must be enabled in Settings.
Indicators:
1. VU Meter - Analog meter display gives an easy-to-read indication of relative audio input level. This is handy for setting receiver and software volume controls. The level should be somewhere in the mid-range when radio traffic is being received.
If there is no indication on the VU meter, it is likely the wrong input is selected, or level is too low. See Setup section below.
2. Mode Display - The top-most dot-matrix display gives the current program status, such as "Ready", "Calibrating", "Decoding".
3. Data Displays - The two lower dot-matrix displays give the actual tone frequencies decoded and calibration details. Control these with the "Hold" and "Clear" buttons. The bottom display is for the 2nd tone.
4. Status Bar - Located at the very bottom of the program window, gives additional information such as file names, recording & logging status, etc.
3. Settings Window
Audio Tab :
1. Audio Input Device - Select the input (capture) device [Windows Vista/7], or sound card [XP, NT, 2000, 98] to be used as the audio source. Click the button at right to modify this setting
3. Mixer - Opens the Windows Recording Control [XP, NT, 2000, 98], or Recording Device properties [Vista/7] to set the default recording device and input level.
Decoder:
1. 2-Tone Trigger Time up/down - Sets the minimum tone duration to be decoded. Enables filtering of unwanted short duration tones, such as voice, ANI or FSK signals.
The most common 2-tone format is 1.0 seconds for the 1st tone, and 3.0 seconds for the 2nd tone. A trigger time of 600 mS is ideal for this format. If using a scanning radio, set the unit on MANUAL. When in SCAN mode, the first part of a transmission is often cut off, preventing the decoder from capturing the first tone.
2. Enable Single-Tone Decoding - When checked, allows recording and logging of single-tone alerts and group calls as well as 2-tone alerts.
3. Single-Tone Trigger Time up/down - Sets the minimum tone duration to be decoded [in seconds]. Single-tone alerts are typically 5-8 seconds in duration.
4. Restore Defaults - resets decoder duration times to default settings (recommended).
Dispatch Logging:
1. CSV Log File - Name of the log file, stored in "Comma-Separated Values" format, which is compatible with Microsoft Excel, and others. Click the checkbox to enable or disable logging.
2. Log/WAV Folder - Destination folder where log files and audio recordings will be stored. A dedicated folder is highly recommended.
2. WAV Recording - When box is checked, enables audio recording of decoded radio calls.
3. Record Time - Duration of audio recording [in seconds], starts immediately after the last tone is decoded.
4. Delay between recordings - Prevents recording duplicate or repeat tone-outs, which are often sent twice as a policy.
Calibration:
1. Auto-Calibrate - While not required, it is recommended that the software be calibrated to your sound card on first use. This step need only be performed once, unless you change to a different sound card. See calibration section below.
2. Cal Factor - Resulting time-base correction multiplier after calibration is complete. A value of 1.0 is default, uncalibrated.
3. Reset - Returns calibration to the default uncalibrated state
Relay Control (OPTIONAL):
The "Relay Ctrl" tab will appear only if this option has been purchased. This feature may be used to activate a light, bell, door or other electrical device whenever ANY tones are decoded. It may also used in conjuction with ComTekk Radio Interface to act as a repeater, retransmitting audio when a tone-out is decoded.
An external serial (RS-232) or USB relay adaptor is required to utilize this feature.
1. Control Port - feature is enabled when a valid serial port is selected (COM1 ~ COM64 supported). If selected port is not available, drop-down will return to the <OFF> position.
2. Control Pin - Select DTR (pin-4) or RTS (pin-7) control pin.
Standard DB-9 serial connections as seen on the back of a computer
3. Active State - determines whether the pin's voltage when activated by the decoder. Select High for positive voltage (+) or Low for negative (-).
4. Hold Time - the time in seconds that the serial pin will remain active. If set to 10 seconds and relay is connected to a bell, the bell will ring for 10 seconds every time tones are successfully decoded.
5. Test button - Click and hold to cause selected serial port/pin to be activated. Release mouse button to deactivate.
NOTE: Always use an isolated external circuit to protect computer from possible damage.
4. Windows Mixer Controls
Windows Volume Control (Output): [Windows 95, 98, NT, XP, 2000, ME] - scroll down for Vista.
This screen controls the sound card OUTPUTS and will generally have no effect on the decoder, since it uses the sound card INPUTS, which are controlled by the Recording Control (see next section below).
Windows Vista/7 playback [output] settings, accessible from Windows Control Panel
Click "Properties" then select the "Levels" tab for output mixer controls. Again, these controls will have NO effect on the decoder's operation:
The Windows Recording Control [Windows 95, 98, NT, XP, 2000, ME] - affects sound device INPUTS, such as LINE , AUX, Wave, or Microphone. Vista users, scroll down.
To access Recording controls, click the Mixer button in the Settings window, or with a double-click on the speaker icon in your system tray. Select "Options" from the menu, then "Properties." Click the "Recording" radio button. Be sure the appropriate input item is checked. Settings will be saved on closing this window.
It is very important to have the correct input device enabled, otherwise the decoder will not function.
For Windows Vista/7 users, click the Mixer button in the Settings window. Line In is selected in the example below.
Click "Properties" then select the "Levels" tab for Line In level control. This sets the audio level sent to the Tone Decoder. Adjust this level while there is activity on the receiver. Monitor the decoder's VU meter, and set for a mid-range indication.
Additionally, the program may be given exclusive control of the selected device by checking the box below. This prevents the user from accidentally changing settings for this device. While not required, this option may be helpful in some situations.
5. Calibration
NOTE: Calibration is NOT required, but may improve results in some cases
Computer sound cards vary greatly in quality and design. They have their own time-base which controls the A/D and D/A sampling rate, which in turn directly affects the frequency. The calibration routine allows for compensation for timebase error, thus allowing more accurate frequency decoding.
ComTekk 2-Tone includes auto-calibration, which does not require any specialized equipment. However, a FULL-DUPLEX sound card is required. This means the card has the ability to play and record simultaneously. Virtually all modern sound cards are full duplex.
NOTE: Calibration need only be performed once for a particular sound card.
CALIBRATION INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Loop the sound card OUTPUT back to its INPUT. Three different ways to do this are presented below:
Option1: [above] Use a 1/8" stereo cable to connect
Line/Speaker OUT to
Line/Aux/Mic IN.
Option 2: Click the "Vol" button to open the Windows Recording Control. Select the "Wave Out Mix" (or similar) checkbox to create an internal loopback. Not all sound card drivers have this option. If available, it negates the need for an external connection.
Option 3: Audio pickup - If you have a microphone connected to (or internal to) your computer, Click the "Vol" button to open the Windows Recording Control. Select the "Microphone" checkbox to enable the MIC input. Place the microphone directly in front of a computer speaker so it will pick up the sound from the tone generator. Take care not to get it too close which will generate feedback, voiding the calibration.
2. Once the loopback is established using one of the methods described above, Click the "Calibrate" button to begin.
If using speakers and loopback is working, you should hear a very short tone. The Status will change to "Calibrated" and the frequency and calibration factor will be displayed. The VU meter will indicate relative INPUT level. It may be necessary to adjust input or output levels, or the microphone position if using Option 3 for loopback.
The measured frequency should be somewhere close to 1,000 Hz. If it is closer to 2,000 Hz, the volume and/or input level is most likely too high.
If the calibration tone was not detected, this will be indicated on the "Status" line. Make adjustments and click "Calibrate" to try again. It may be necessary to attempt a different loopback method if you can't get it to work after several tries.
6. Log File
To enable the text log feature, click the "Log File" checkbox. The Open File dialog will pop up - select a new file name and folder, OR select an existing file to append a previous log. You will be prompted whether to append the file.
To stop/disable logging, just click to un-check the "Log File" checkbox. For convenience, the last folder used is saved upon closing the program.
The log file is a text file, saved in .CSV (Comma Separated Value) format, which can easily be viewed and edited with Microsoft Excel, or any text editor, such as Notepad or WordPad.
Tip: If you don't have MS Excel, CSView is available as a free download.
Each decoded tone or pair is saved with a date, time, and tone frequencies in Hertz (Hz). If logging single-tone entries, the "Tone2" field will contain a zero "0" value. The last field contains the WAV file name/path if audio recording has been enabled.
To view the log file while running CT2Tone, simply click the "View Log" button. The CSV file type must be registered for this feature to function.
It is possible to hear the recordings simply by clicking on the wave file name in MS Excel after performing the following steps.
1. Click on the cell containing the file name.
2. Press the F2 key, then press Enter.
3. Repeat for each file name cell.
4. To keep your changes, save the log file in .XLS format using the "Save As" command from the File menu.
IMPORTANT NOTE: When the log file is open for viewing by another program such as Excel, CT2Tone cannot update the file. Therefore, if tones are decoded and an attempt is made by the program to update the log file, an error will result, and logging will be automatically disabled.