MATLAB: When using the BINBLOCKREAD function from the Instrument Control Toolbox 2.2 (R14SP2), why do I receive the message “Warning: A binblock is not available to be read”

Question

I am using a GPIB card to interface with my Tektronix oscilloscope. I am able to successfully open a GPIB connection to my device from MATLAB using the Instrument Control Toolbox. However, when I send a command to my device and attempt to read the reply with BINBLOCKREAD, I receive the following warning:

 Warning: A binblock is not available to be read.

Answer 1

This bug has been fixed in Release 2006a (R2006a). For previous product releases, read below for any possible workarounds:

This warning can occur when the Tektronics oscilloscope is configued to prefix additional header data onto the binary block; this additional data is not anticipated by the BINBLOCKREAD function.

To work around this issue, send the following command to the Tektronix oscilloscope before issuing any commands that are expected to return data:

fprintf(g, 'HEADER OFF')

where "g" is the GPIB interface object connected to the scope.