West Mountain Pro RIGblaster Pro User Manual Download

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RIGblaster Pro

Top of the line single radio interface

to a PC with Rig control

OWNER

’S MANUAL

http://www.westmountainradio.com

1020 Spring City Drive, Waukesha, WI 53186

tel 262.522.6503 fax 262.522.6504

[email protected]

2011

Summary of Contents for RIGblaster Pro

Page 1: ...Top of the line single radio interface to a PC with Rig control OWNER S MANUAL http www westmountainradio com 1020 Spring City Drive Waukesha WI 53186 tel 262 522 6503 fax 262 522 6504 sales westmountainradio com 2011 ...

Page 2: ... that is what it is all about CHOOSING A MOUNTING LOCATION The supplied microphone cable is 3 feet long and the computer cables are 6 feet long Choose a location that allows these cables to reach the radio and PC The computer cables may be extended within reason The computer should be in operating position with the radio s Do not attempt to run the RIGblaster Pro with a computer across the room es...

Page 3: ...tures functions 20 MICROPHONE JUMPER DIAGRAMS 23 8 PIN SCREW ON MICROPHONE JUMPERING 23 RJ45 MODULAR STYLE MICROPHONE JUMPERING 25 RECEIVE AUDIO AVAILABLE ON THE MIC CONNECTOR 26 MIC MODE JUMPER P6 27 COM PORT RIG CONTROL JUMPER DIAGRAMS P16 28 PTT LOOP JUMPER P5 30 RECEIVE AUDIO CONNECTION OPTIONS 30 RIGblaster Pro TROUBLESHOOTING TIPS 32 INDEX 34 PLEASE NOTE This manual will refer to the sound d...

Page 4: ...e RJ45 to 8 pin screw on 1 DB9M to DB9F Serial Cable 1 USB Interface Cable 6 Stereo Audio 6ft Patch Cord 1 8 inch 3 5mm Mini Plug 1 Set of Instant Set up Connectors 1 Owners Manual not pictured 1 Patch Cord Label Set 1 Accessories Kit that contains 11 White Wire Jumpers 6 Blue Shunt Jumpers 1 Adapter 1 8 inch 3 5mm Mini female to 1 4 inch Plug 4 3M Adhesive Pads not pictured ...

Page 5: ...this LED is on the direct microphone path to the radio is disconnected mic LED A Green LED when on indicates the microphone is available to the radio See STEP 9 ADVANCED AUDIO PROCESSING CONSIDERATIONS later in this manual for more information process LED A Yellow LED indicating that the RIGblaster Pro is in Process Mode This LED will turn on only when the Process Switch is on and PTT is pressed o...

Page 6: ...EL POWER INPUT 12 VDC Input connects the Supplied Power Supply to the RIGblaster Pro COMPUTER SERIAL CONTROL SERIAL COM RS232 IN OUT B DB9 For connection to a second available PC serial port or USB Interface Cable This is the secondary jack and depending on the software you wish to run this may be used for ONLY ONE of the following functions FSK keying if SERIAL COM RS232 IN OUT A is being used fo...

Page 7: ... computer sound Mic In This output must be activated with the jumper on the P6 jumper block See the section titled MIC MODE JUMPER P6 later in this manual SPKR OUT 1 8 MINI JACK Plug PC speakers into this jack LINE IN 1 8 MINI JACK for connection to the computer sound Line Out Speaker Out for un amplified computer speakers headphone out for a LapTop LINE OUT 1 8 MINI JACK for connection to the com...

Page 8: ...g Start Programs and select to execute that program Using one of the supplied mini plug cables referred to throughout this manual as Patch Cord connect the speaker output of the radio to the Line In Mic In on a laptop to the PC There are three other receive audio connection options that will be described later in this manual Tune in an appropriate signal for the mode selected On the CD is a chart ...

Page 9: ...ect the end with the RJ45 connector to Mic Connector on the radio Connect the other end to the to MICROPHONE CONNECTOR F1 on the front panel of the RIGblaster Pro Then plug the radio microphone into MIC OUT R15 on the rear of the RIGblaster Pro Make sure the RIGblaster Pro Power Switch F14 is turned off Now plug the wire from the Power Supply into the Power Jack R1 on the rear panel of the RIGblas...

Page 10: ...the rear of the RIGblaster Pro Additional DB9 to DB9 Serial Cables can be purchased from West Mountain Radio at www westmountainradio com Turn on the RIGblaster Pro Power Switch The Green Power LED and the Green mic LED should come on The Green level LED F6 will come on briefly then will go off At this time no other LED should light Turn on the PC During the boot up process the PTT LED F11 will bl...

Page 11: ...end of a patch cord to the headphone jack of the laptop computer and plug the other end of that patch cord to LINE IN R9 on the rear of the RIGblaster Pro ROUTING RECEIVE RADIO AUDIO RIGblaster Pro Computer Sound Line In Three methods are available for obtaining audio from the radio to a PC The method to choose will primarily depend on the options available on each radio If a radio has the provisi...

Page 12: ...is supplied to the RIGblaster Pro through the Mic Cable previously installed in Step 1 On some radios output audio is available on a radio mic connector pin This can be utilized on the P1 jumper block inside the RIGblaster Pro See the example under MICROPHONE PIN ASSIGNMENTS example later in this manual Consult the microphone pin assignment diagram in the Owners manual of the radio to determine wh...

Page 13: ...eceive Turn ON the radio for the remainder of this procedure Use your normal mic gain setting for SSB radios Turn OFF the speech compressor and set the transmitter RF drive power control all the way up Start with a dummy load for this procedure If using PSK software make sure that the transmit audio is between 500Hz and 2500 Hz otherwise it may be outside the limits of the response of the radio ca...

Page 14: ... this capability FSK wiring is unique to each Amateur Radio transceiver manufacturer Therefore consult the specific radio Owners Manual for information for how to connect to the FSK input For many radios the FSK connection is via an accessory connection on the rear panel of the transceiver West Mountain Radio has a ready made cable for a connection between the RIGblaster Pro and the FSK input of m...

Page 15: ...ent models Older Yaesu radios require the rig control TTL 5 volt to RS232 level converter built into the RIGblaster Pro See below for additional information that applies specifically to the Yaesu FT 990 FT 1000D Older Yaesu CAT systems require that the RIGblaster Pro rig control jumper P16 be set to Yaesu The patch cord plug must be changed to match the Yaesu DIN jack Be sure that the tip of the p...

Page 16: ...is necessary to fool the radio into thinking it sees Clear To Send CTS in response to it raising Request To Send RTS These lines are not passed through the RIGblaster Pro as they are used for other functions within the RIGblaster Pro Note not all programs will do rig control on the same serial port that does PTT and CW Yaesu FT 990 FT 1000D with TTL CAT ports use an emitter follower with a high im...

Page 17: ...d then the sound card playback control panel to send the audio back in to the radio through the RIGblaster Pro Note that this is a different sound card setup than is used by digital mode sound card programs Also note that if the sound card is set incorrectly there could be feedback and or echo conditions Voice is not heard coming from the PC speakers as they are muted on transmit in the process mo...

Page 18: ...STATION HOOKUP DIAGRAM basic sound card function See next page for a description of each numbered wire on this diagram ...

Page 19: ...ack on the rear of the RIGblaster Pro The other end remains as it was before that is connected to the Computer Speakers This is a mini plug Patch Cord that connects the Computer Sound Card Line Out to the RIGblaster Pro One end plugs into the LINE IN R9 jack on the rear of the RIGblaster Pro The other end plugs into the Line Out jack on the Computer Sound Card This is a mini plug Patch Cord that c...

Page 20: ...J45 connector plugs into the MIC OUT R15 jack on the rear of the RIGblaster Pro The end with the standard 8 pin Screw on Mic Connector plugs into the MICROPHONE CONNECTOR on the transceiver This wire from the Power Supply supplied with the RIGblaster Pro provides power for the RIGblaster Pro It plugs into the POWER 12VDC R1 jack on the rear of the RIGblaster Pro ...

Page 21: ...s See next page for a description of each numbered wire on this diagram The diagram on the preceding page shows a RIGblaster Pro integrated into an Amateur Radio Station consisting of a Professional Quality Transceiver and a Desktop Computer with ...

Page 22: ... Control CW Keying and FSK Keying This is a mini plug Patch Cord that is used to interface the RIGblaster Pro to the Radio for Rig Control One end plugs into the CTL IN OUT R4 jack on the rear of the RIGblaster Pro The other end plugs into the CI V REMOTE CONTROL jack on the rear of the transceiver For CAT control with a Yaesu TTL jack it is neccesary to supply the plug on the other end and change...

Page 23: ...o from the Radio to the RIGblaster Pro It provides half the path for DC isolated audio from the radio to the computer One end plugs into the AUDIO IN R11 jack on the rear of the RIGblaster Pro The other end plugs into the EXTERNAL SPEAKER JACK EXT SP on the transceiver This wire connects the Radio External Speaker to the RIGblaster Pro One end plugs into the SPKR OUT R12 jack on the rear of the RI...

Page 24: ...n 1 White Jumper to MIC OUTPUT Side 2 White Jumper to PTT OUTPUT Side 7 White Jumper to MIC GND OUTPUT Side 8 White Jumper to PTT GND OUTPUT Side ICOM with 8 Pin Screw on Microphone Connectors INPUT SIDE Pin 1 White Jumper to MIC INPUT Side 2 Blue Shunt Jumper to Pin 2 OUTPUT Side 3 Blue Shunt Jumper to Pin 3 OUTPUT Side 4 Blue Shunt Jumper to Pin 4 OUTPUT Side 5 White Jumper to PTT INPUT Side 6 W...

Page 25: ...e Jumper to PTT OUTPUT Side 7 White Jumper to PTT GND OUTPUT Side 8 White Jumper to MIC OUTPUT Side YAESU with 8 Pin Screw on Microphone Connectors This jumpering is for newer Yaesu radios that have Microphones with isolated PTT audio grounds JRC JST245 with 8 Pin Screw on Microphone Connectors INPUT SIDE Pin 1 Blue Shunt Jumper to Pin 1 OUTPUT Side 2 Blue Shunt Jumper to Pin 2 OUTPUT Side 3 Blue ...

Page 26: ...ide 5 White Jumper to PTT OUTPUT Side 6 Blue Shunt Jumper to Pin 6 OUTPUT Side 7 Blue Shunt Jumper to Pin 7 OUTPUT Side 8 Blue Shunt Jumper to Pin 8 OUTPUT Side OUTPUT SIDE Pin 2 White Jumper to PTT GND OUTPUT Side 3 White Jumper to MIC INPUT Side 4 White Jumper to MIC GND OUTPUT Side 5 White Jumper to PTT INPUT Side KENWOOD with RJ45 Microphone Connectors and most but not all Kenwood FM rigs INPU...

Page 27: ... White Jumper to PTT INPUT Side 4 White Jumper to MIC INPUT Side 5 White Jumper to MIC GND OUTPUT Side Crisscrossed White Jumper RECEIVE AUDIO AVAILABLE ON THE MIC CONNECTOR On some radios output audio is available on a mic connector pin and therefore can be obtained with jumpering on the P1 jumper block inside the RIGblaster Pro Consult the microphone pin assignment diagram in the radio Owners ma...

Page 28: ...his jumper set to disable Radio mic out to computer mic in There are three possible settings for this jumper as follows When the mic LED is on the microphone is connected to both the radio and the PC Depending on the design of the microphone the input impedance of the radio and PC inputs there may be a slight bass roll off making the audio sharper and better for DXing This is because some micropho...

Page 29: ...L COM RS232 IN OUT B Control of PTT and CW are not selectable and will be always be done through SERIAL COM RS232 IN OUT A with PTT being controlled by serial port line RTS and CW being controlled by serial port line DTR Ensure when configuring the software to observe this convention By default the RIGblaster Pro is jumpered from the factory to enable Rig Control on SERIAL COM RS232 IN OUT A and n...

Page 30: ......

Page 31: ...audio is taken from the External Speaker jack of the radio routed to the RIGblaster Pro then onto both the PC and the Radio External Speaker The only downside to this method is that the audio level is dependent on the AF Gain setting and thus may require adjustment each time during operation Method 2 In this example fixed level audio unaffected by the setting of the AF Gain setting is taken from t...

Page 32: ... cable therefore pushes the audio to the RIGblaster Pro Once inside the RIGblaster Pro audio is routed to the circuitry that goes onto the computer Sound Card via additional jumpers on the P1 jumper block In this illustration two additional white jumpers to the P1 jumper block are added to achieve this routing As in method 1 the only downside is that output varies with AF and thus may require adju...

Page 33: ...er installation 1 Right click the My Computer icon and then left click Properties 2 Select the Hardware tab and then select Device Manager 3 Scroll down and click the symbol next to Ports COM LPT 4 Check for the item Prolific USB to Serial Comm Port COMx IMPORTANT Make a note of what the COM number is x in COMx That number is needed to setup the Amateur Radio program to do PTT If this step is OK i...

Page 34: ...pport Your microphone does not work properly Verify the jumpers match the radio and microphone as diagramed in this manual It is recommended to extract the jumpers and replace them When keying CW from your keyboard the wrong characters are sent Verify the RIGblaster Pro CW keying output CW OUT R5 is wired to a straight key jack not a paddle jack or that the radio is programmed for straight keying ...

Page 35: ...crophone Cable 3 MICROPHONE CONNECTOR 4 8 P1 11 26 P1 jumper block 11 26 P16 jumper block 6 13 14 28 P5 jumper block 30 P6 16 P6 jumper block 27 Patch Cord 3 Patch Cord Labels 3 POWER INPUT 5 power LED 5 Power Supply 3 power SWITCH 5 process LED 4 process Switch 4 PTT IN 6 PTT OUT 6 ptt LED 4 PTT LOOP JUMPER 30 RCV AUD 11 26 REAR PANEL 5 Rig Control 5 28 Serial Cable 3 SERIAL COM RS232 IN OUT A 5 ...

Page 36: ... Collection is excluded from any and all warranties by West Mountain Radio Note that the programs have been provided as shareware or freeware by the software authors to the amateur radio community for their use and enjoyment The CD ROM is to be used at your own risk West Mountain Radio shall have no liability or responsibility to customer or any other person or entity with respect to any liability...

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