Planning tag improvements: radio programming and interfacing

Question

We got a question about “programming radios” (that is, bulk entering frequency memories and configuration, from a computer or other radio) that was tagged programming (which says it is for software development); I believe this has happened before. I noticed that we don't actually have a good tag for that concept, and I used equipment-operation as the closest relative, but it's a poor fit because questions on the subject involve things like making custom cables.

I've also noticed that we have no tag that well fits questions about “CAT” (controlling a transceiver in normal operation from a computer), other than remote-control (and many uses of CAT are not remote).

I'm thinking that these are related gaps, but I am uncertain of what to do. Here are some ideas (neither all compatible nor all mutually exclusive). I'd like some input on good naming and whether these tags should exist.

• Create radio-programming.

• Rename programming to computer-programming or software-development or some such name. (Ideally both this and the radio programming tag would contain the word 'programming' so that people typing into the autocompleting tag box get cued to disambiguate, but it should also not be long/clunky.)

• Create cat or computer-control.

• Create something like equipment-interfacing, which covers radio programming, CAT, and even audio wiring (but excluding antenna-system and dc-power matters). Either instead of or in addition to the above specific ones.

Answer 1

If you use equipment-interfacing you should be consistent and use equipment-programming in stead of radio-programming, so I would suggest the following:

• radio-programming --> equipment-programming
• programming --> software-development
• cat or computer-control --> computer-control as you may have equipment which can be controlled other than CAT interface, example: WiFi, Ethernet.
• equipment-interfacing --> agree for those instances where you connect two devices together for purpose other than equipment-programming and other than computer-control

[Edit:2016-10-17, based on comments]

I don't believe equipment-programming is "peculiar", hence I cannot answer to why someone would. And I would not change any other equipment-something for that matter. radio-programming is fine if the majority agrees.

in regards to "CAT" interface, the reason that I suggest computer-control is that many people (as I have experienced) identify "CAT" with a physical interface on their equipment, not like Ethernet. Hence computer-control may be more appropriate than cat or cat-control. However we can leave cat to indicate posts which really have to do with CAT interfaces.

Answer 2

Regarding the proposed cat,I'm under the impression that CAT refers to a specific plug and jack on certain Yaesu, Icom, and Kenwood radios. I have an Elecraft K2, and Elecraft never refers to its computer control capability as "CAT" in the manuals. Because CAT seems to be brand-specific, I think computer-control would be better than cat. I'd say that we shouldn't create cat for interfaces actually labeled CAT, because most people would think it's a synonym for computer-control. equipment-interfacing just sounds too vague to cover the serial interface used to control a radio, in my opinion.

I think there is definitely a need for radio-programming or equipment-programming. I think people would be more likely to find radio-programming, but in my opinion there would be no harm in creating both tags as synonyms.

If programming has been misused, then in my opinion it needs to be changed. Either computer-programming, or software-development, or both as synonyms would be fine by me.

Answer 3

Here is what I have now actually done, which is not quite the same as the plan I laid out above:

• Created computer-control and made cat a synonym of it.
• Created radio-programming.
• Created audio-interface, for headphones/speakers, microphones, sound card interfaces, etc., and eliminated audio as not having a clearly different use. (Some questions specific to microphones, mostly “is this mic compatible with this rig”, I left as microphone only.)
• Renamed programming to software-development, and created the synonym computer-programming to help autocomplete.

In particular, I did not create the broad tag equipment-interfacing even though it would suit some questions that almost-fit several of the above tags (e.g. Looking for a UHF / VHF transceiver for PC.` and any TNC-related questions) or even ones that don't fit any of them (e.g. Using a flip-phones GPS NMEA data for the GPS in an APRS station), because I think it's not something that people would think of using consistently, whereas the above all have names that are very straightforwardly related to the question.