Welcome to LP-StepLink Help
LP-StepLink is freeware program that obtains transmit frequency from a logging program through either OLE or DDE linking and sends it to the SteppIR controller. Logging programs currently supported are TRX-Manager www.trx-manager.com and DXLabs' Commander www.qsl.net/dxlab with more to come. The program should run on all versions of Windows from Windows 95 forward. I wrote the program so that people who want to auto-tune their beam at the same time they are using a logging program could do so, without the inherent problems associated with use of a Y cable.
LP-StepLink works by emulating a Kenwood transceiver...making a com port on your computer appear to be a Kenwood radio. The SteppIR control box connects to your computer with a serial cable. Of course, you will need the SteppIR rig interface option to make this work. Your rig connects to your computer just as it normally would for use with the logging program. There are several advantages to this approach.
1. It lets your SteppIR beam track your transmit frequency even in receive, eliminating retuning between T/R when running split.
2. Increases the range of rigs you can use with SteppIR to those supported by the logging program... using one permanent cable.
3. Allows the SteppIR to follow rig selection in the logging program, a necessity with SO2R contesting, using one serial cable.
4. It can run minimized, maximized or always on top.
5. Adds hysteresis to the frequency sent to SteppIR, eliminating annoying retuning when near the middle of one of the SteppIR's 50 kHz segments.
6. It supports all SteppIR antennas.
Continue to the Installation & Operation section for more.