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RIG CONTROL CAT/CIV, INSTALLATION AND SETUP
(READ CAREFULLY; PROCEED IN ORDER, STEP BY STEP!)
Step 1b: Connecting a CAT or CIV interface
The RIGblaster plug & play has a built in USB to Serial converter with TTL (5 volt logic)
output. It may be used with any radio that requires an RS232 to TTL level converter.
This includes most Icom, Ten Tec and certain Yaesu radios. If your radio has a DB9
RS232 control jack on the back, you DO NOT need nor can you use the RIG CONTROL
interface inside the RIGblaster plug & play.
You may order a pre-wired cable from West Mountain Radio for rig control via the
RIGblaster plug & play’s interface. If you wish to make your own cable you may look on
our support page for instructions.
Assuming you have a correctly wired cable connect it between the RIGblaster’s
“RADIO” “RIG CONTROL” jack and the radio’s jack.
Caution: When interfacing electronics between various products that are connected to
the outside world you must be careful to avoid damage due to ground loops. A
computer with a case grounded through its line cord and a radio grounded to an
antenna system can have tremendous AC leakage between these two grounds. During
a thunderstorm with a near by lightning strike, not a direct hit, several thousand volts
can be induced into the loop antenna formed by this type of ground loop. It is important
that every piece of equipment in your ham station is connected with a star ground
system to a SINGLE POINT GROUND (NO LOOPS).
Step 2b: Setting up the radio for rig control
Most radios have settings for the rig control communications interface, which may
include baud rate, parity, stop bits and CI-V addresses.
It is best to double check that the radio has all of these are set to the default or standard
settings. Consult the owner’s manual for your radio to be sure it is set correctly to the
defaults and make a note of what these settings are.
Step 3b: Setting up rig control software for rig control
Since radios have settings for the rig control communications it makes sense that the
software MUST be set to match those settings EXACTLY. Most rig control programs
will use the radio default settings when you select the exact model radio. Be aware, for
example, that if you have an IC706MKIIG and you set your software to an IC706MKII
(NO “G”) the rig control will not work, at all! This is true of other series of radio models
also.
