This won't be an issue for radios with built-in USB-to-serial, but for RS232 radios, there are two "types" of connectors (DTE and DCE), and need to be opposite in order to work. If so, it will be listed in the manual for the radio Check serial word length/parity settings - these are usually 8N1, but may differ.Ensure that the baud rate is correct for the radio.If it does not work, troubleshooting steps include: With rigctl started, commands can be issued to the radio and will return a result, provided that the connection is correct. If your rig is among the supported transceivers (hamlib has very comprehensive support, but you never know), then rigctl is a very useful tool to do quick tests of CAT and PTT (The Hamlib FAQ has more examples of using rigctl).įor example, the following command connects to a Yaesu FT-450 (hamlib model ID 127) on /dev/ttyACM0, a common name for the first USB-to-serial adapter plugged into a system. This utility can be used to list the supported transceivers: The easiest way to validate the connection is with the hamlib utility rigctl. Additionally, a radio with built-in USB-to-serial is more likely to initialize to connect, compatible settings. In this case, the command dmesg can be run after connecting the (powered-on) radio to the computer, and the last few lines of the dmesg output should point to the correct TTY device. Some transceivers will instead use a USB-to-serial adapter, and simply connect to the computer over USB. When using an adapter, dmesg will come in handy to find the TTY device node (see below). It is possible that the radio itself may be tolerant of this, but research ahead of time may save confusion (or worse) later. Certain adapters, in particular those intended for use with Ethernet switches, may use a DB-9 connector, but with 5v voltage levels. These can be obtained from many different vendors for a very low price, but ensure that it is voltage-compatible with your radio - standard RS232 is actually a 12v signaling system. However, due to the rising omission of RS232 serial ports on modern computers, it may be necessary to use a USB-to-Serial adapter. Many transceivers, even modern rigs, use a standard DB-9 serial connectors. CAT setup essentially consists of connecting the radio to a serial port on the computer, finding out which port it is on and configuring the speed (depending on the radio, this can be fixed to one or just a few baud rates, or it may be in a menu on the radio with quite a few options), then finding and configuring host-side support for the particular transceiver. Overall, there are no real special concerns when connecting a radio transceiver compared to connecting any other serial device.ĬAT operates using a proprietary (though almost always well-documented, and often quite similar between manufacturers) protocol over a standard asynchronous serial connection. However, for a quick-and-dirty digital modes setup, it isn't strictly necessary. NOTE: CAT is very convenient, and as mentioned later, many transceivers work quite well when using CAT for PTT.
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