Yes, I've done that many times, and as a result, Chirp is only reporting the actual COM ports I have connected.

When I said, "I use COM ports w/ Chirp into the hundreds", I didn't mean that I have hundreds of COM ports (I only have sixteen);  I meant that they are numbered into the hundreds.  The numbers are (intentionally) not sequential.

For one example, when using a Prolific USB-to-serial port converter, moving the converter to another USB port also changes the COM port.  My Dell Windows 7 box came with 12 externally available USB ports.  In order to tell what USB port is connected to what COM port in Windows Device Manager, I've renumbered the COM ports to correspond to the USB port/device indexes.

As an aside, I also use Digi International's PortServer devices, that support a remote serial port (anywhere in the world) over Ethernet.  I use one in the garage to connect to my Icom IC-2820H, from my computer in the house.  Yes, I have an Ethernet connection in almost every room in my house, plus the garage.  It took a bit of crawling around in the attic about ten years ago, but it has been worth it !!!

Digi also makes wireless versions.  You can pick up the wired ones (two or four serial ports) on eBay for around $60.  An added benefit is that I can connect to my (seven) radios from any computer in the house, once I've installed Digi drivers on that computer.

Unlike some hardware manufacturers, Digi actively supports old devices with firmware upgrades and drivers for new operating systems.  My two Digi "PortServer" models were released around 2005, and the older one had a new firmware release in 2011;  the newer one, in 2012.  Both have Windows 7 64-bit driver support.

-- Dean

On 2013-02-12 13:56, Phaeton wrote:
...Those are ports still written in the registry previously used.

But they can be used again; I've done it several times.

When you change the driver com port and it says "In Use", just ignore and ok the change. 

On Feb 12, 2013, at 4:04 PM, Dean Gibson AE7Q <data@ae7q.net> wrote:


On 2013-02-08 22:21, Dean Gibson AE7Q wrote:
...

Well, I use COM ports w/ Chirp into the 100s.  I agree that enumerating or "blindly" extending the list is a bad idea.  My suggestion is to remember any valid (1-256) COM port(s) manually entered into the "COM box", and present them in future invocations.

-- Dean AE7Q