Array Solutions Bandmaster III User manual

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ARRAY SOLUTIONS
2611 N Belt Line Road
Suite # 109
Sunnyvale, TX 75182
USA
[phone] tel
[phone] fax
[email protected]
www.arraysolutions.com
Bandmaster III
Universal Band Decoder
Using USB (RS232) or band data (BCD) information, the Bandmaster III
converts that frequency/band data to allow meaningful automated control
of your station.

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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................... 3
1 Physical description .................................................................................................... 4
2 Bandmaster Hardware Configuration ......................................................................... 5
2.1 Radio configuration ............................................................................................ 5
2.1.1 ICOM .......................................................................................................... 7
2.1.2 KENWOOD................................................................................................ 7
2.1.3 YAESU ....................................................................................................... 8
2.1.4 ORION........................................................................................................ 8
2.2 Baud Rate............................................................................................................ 8
2.3 Interface type ...................................................................................................... 9
3 Connections............................................................................................................... 10
3.1 Computer interface............................................................................................ 10
3.2 Radio interface .................................................................................................. 10
3.2.1 ICOM ........................................................................................................ 11
3.2.2 RS-232 connections .................................................................................. 12
3.2.3 TTL connection......................................................................................... 13
3.2.4 YAESU BCD band selector...................................................................... 13
3.3 Bandmaster Output ......................................................................................... 14
4 Hook up..................................................................................................................... 15
5 Operations ................................................................................................................. 15
6 Bandmaster Configuration Software......................................................................... 16

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Introduction
The Bandmaster III universal band decoder is a highly integrated unit that not only decodes band
information using YAESU “band data” (note 1), but can sense band information for all bands from
160M through 6M, including 160M, separate 80M and 75M, 60M, WARC bands and 6M by
monitoring CAT (note 2) data going to and from the radio. The Bandmaster III also contains all
circuitry for level conversion thus eliminating the need for a separate CAT radio interface (note 3).
It supports radios from ICOM, KENWOOD, YAESU as well as other radios like the Elecraft K3 or
TENTEC ORION using CAT protocols from these manufacturers (note 4). You can even use the
decoder as a stand-alone unit where it will monitor the CAT commands, YAESU “band data” (note
1) or ICOM CI-V data from the radio and automatically switch to the band being used at that time
by the radio and this without any computers attached to the Bandmaster III or the radio! Or it
can be connected to your computer and used with your favorite logging or radio control program
as your CAT interface or level converter, thus replacing your existing converter (note 3) and
antenna selector.
Using the Bandmaster III software you will also have the ability to configure the radio interface
and set the frequency limits for each band, thus providing even a great deal more flexibility. The
Bandmaster III gives you two separate relay contact outputs for each band. One set of contacts
(The B contacts) switch to ground when activated and the other set (A) is switched to a
"Common" pin(13). This "Common" pin may be connected to ground or any voltage source you
desire.
Note 1: YAESU BCD Band Data information does not support 75M and 60M.
Note 2: CAT = Computer Aided Transceiver, CAT is used to control your radio via computer based software, these are
often stand alone software or can be integrated into logging software and/or satellite control software.
Note 3: ICOM CT-17 or YAESU FIF-232 or the KENWOOD IF10a/IF-232C.
Note 4: The K2 uses KENWOOD protocol and some of the TENTEC emulates an ICOM IC-735, the K3 produces Yaesu
Band-data.

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1 Physical description
The Bandmaster III is a fairly simple device. The front panel has a power LED and 12 LEDs
indicating the currently selected band. The back of the Bandmaster III has five connectors (figure
1 below) used for the various connections;
1. The Relay Output is a 25-pin D-sub connector used to connect the Bandmaster III to other
devices. A mating connector and shell are supplied with the unit.
2. The USB connector is used to connect the Bandmaster III to your computer.
3. The CI-V connector is a 1/8” phone jack used for Icom radios. When using any radio type
except Icom this connector will transmit a CI-V frequency data stream to allow automatic
band switching of Icom amplifiers (exception: The PW-1 will not work) and other Icom
accessories with non-Icom radios.
4. The Radio connector is a 9-pin D-sub male connector used to connect the Bandmaster III to
your radio (RS-232, TTL, BCD Band Data, etc).
5. The network connector is used to supply power to the Bandmaster III and the 4-Wireantenna
control network. The connector block has screw terminals for easy connection and is supplied
with the unit.
Figure 1 - Rear View

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2 Bandmaster III Hardware Configuration
In this section we will look at the different ways of configuring the Bandmaster III hardware.
The unit may (should) be configured via the Bandmaster III software (preferred method) or by
DIP switch settings on the Bandmaster III circuit board.
Note: When using the decoder with the optional 4-Wire Network control system you *must*
use the software configuration option.
Band Data: Yaesu / Elecraft Band Data users will configure the Bandmaster III for “Band Data”
as the Radio Model as shown in the following image (i.e.; Band Data should be chosen instead of
the radio model):
The interface type is automatically determined from the radio type. Switch settings are dependent
on which configuration mode you select, manual or software. A ‘0’ in the tables indicate OFF and
‘1’ indicates ON. Switch settings are:

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Software mode
When configuring the Bandmaster III via software switches 1-4 set the 4-Wirenetwork address
of the unit. Each Bandmaster III on the network must have a different address. Switches 5-8 must
be in the OFF position. Instructions for the Bandmaster III configuration software are located in
section 6.
Address
SW #1
SW #2
SW #3
SW #4
1 1 0 0 0
2 0 1 0 0
3 1 1 0 0
4 0 0 1 0
5 1 0 1 0
6 0 1 1 0
7 1 1 1 0
8 0 0 0 1
9 1 0 0 1
10 0 1 0 1
11 1 1 0 1
12 0 0 1 1
13 1 0 1 1
14 0 1 1 1
15 1 1 1 1

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Manual Mode
The following table shows the switch settings for manually configuring the decoder. Note that no
Icom address can be set in the manual mode. You must turn the VFO knob on Icom radios when
first powering on the decoder for the band to be detected.
Switch #7 (OPT3) must be on to enable the manual configuration. The following tables show
the switch settings to select the radio type and baud rate.
Radio
SW #1
SW #2
SW #3
SW #4
Band data 0 0 0 0
Icom 1 0 0 0
Kenwood 0 1 0 0
FT840/890 1 1 0 0
FT847 0 0 1 0
FT920 1 0 1 0
FT1000MP 0 1 1 0
FT2000 1 1 1 0
Orion 0 0 0 1
Baud
SW #5
SW #6
1200 0 0
4800 1 0
9600 0 1
57600 1 1
Switch #8 – Program mode (Must be OFF)

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3 Connections and cable configurations
Using the Bandmaster III via the CAT interface by far gives you the most out of your
Bandmaster III. But if for different reasons you cannot, the Bandmaster III gives you the
flexibility of monitoring YAESU BCD “band data” from the radio. In this section we will look at
different ways of connecting your Bandmaster III and how to make the cables to connect your
radio to the decoder.
3.1 USB interface
A computer is not required for operation of the Bandmaster III, but the decoder is compatible
with most logging/control software. Connecting the Bandmaster III to a computer increases its
flexibility. To do so, simply connect a standard USB cable between the Bandmaster III USB
connector and a USB port on your computer. The USB interface in the Bandmaster III emulates
a standard COM port and you must configure the radio control in your logging software to use this
emulated COM port and set the baud rate to 9600 regardless of the radio baud rate. Any
required baud rate conversions are done automatically in the decoder. No other special settings
are required as the Bandmaster III is transparent to the logging/control software.
3.2 Radio interface
The Radio connector on the
back of the Bandmaster III is
used to interface the decoder to
the radio, thus giving the
possibility of the Bandmaster
III to be automatically controlled
by the radio. The Radio
connector is also used as the
output of the computer radio
interface toward the radio when
using the Bandmaster III as
your computer interface.
Figure 5: Radio connector pinouts

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3.2.1 ICOM CI-V
To make an ICOM CI-V connection to the Bandmaster III, simply connect a cable with 1/8”
phone plugs on each end to the Remote jack on the radio and the CI-V jack on the decoder.
When the Bandmaster III is connected to an ICOM radio via a CI-V connection it can replace the
ICOM CT-17 since the Bandmaster III contains all the required interface circuitry. The
Bandmaster III then monitors all CI-V data from the radio for frequency or band changes and
selects the appropriate band. The Bandmaster III can be used autonomously without any
computer attached to the radio. In this case, the radio still sends out commands indicating the
frequency whenever you turn the VFO knob or change bands.
3.2.2 RS-232 connections
Manufacturers using direct RS232c DB9 connections can be attached to the Bandmaster via the
J5 connector and a specially designed cable.
3.2.3 TTL connections
Some older radios, such as FT840 and FT890, use TTL signal levels (0-5V) instead of the
standard bipolar RS-232 voltages. Both types of interfaces are supported by the Bandmaster III.
Note: The pin out of the connector at the radio end may vary, check your radio reference manual
for proper hook up.
Bandmaster III
J5 pin out
Pin 2 Send Data
Pin 3 Receive Data
Pin 5 CTS (Optional)
Pin 7 Ground
Table 2: RS232 cable configuration for Radio connector

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3.2.4 YAESU BCD band selector
YAESU also offers BCD band data outputs on most models that can be used to control external
devices. The Bandmaster III can, via the Radio connector and a specially designed cable,
decode this information. The pins used on the Radio connector for this are;
Bandmaster
Radio pin out
Pin 1 Band Data A
Pin 6 Band Data B
Pin 8 Band Data C
Pin 4 Band Data D
Table 4: YAESU BCD input connections on J1
Table 5 below shows the YAESU band data selection in BCD mode, note that in this mode 75M
and 60M are not supported
Band
Co
de
160m 0001
80m 0010
40m 0011
30m 0100
20m 0101
17m 0110
15m 0111
12m 1000
10m 1001
6m 1010
Table 5; YAESU BCD band selection.

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3.3 Relay Outputs
The Bandmaster III Relay connector
(See figure 1 on page 4) is a Female
DB25, where pins 1 through 12 are used
for Outputs A (160M to 6M) and pin 13 is
used as the COMMON for Output A.
The COMMON (Pin 13) for Output A may
connected to ground or any voltage
source you desire. (Sourcing or Sinking)
Pins 14 through 25 are used for Output B
(160M to 6M) The output B switches to
ground when activated. (Sinking)
The pinout of J8 is shown in figure 7. The
connector is shown looking at the rear
panel of the unit.
All of the outputs of the Bandmaster III
are isolated relay contacts, so no diodes
are necessary, for example, to connect
the control wire for a tribander
(20,15,10m) to three pins (#7, 9, and 11)
all in parallel. This will select the same
antenna regardless of whether you’re on
20, 15 or 10m.

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4 Hooking up your Bandmaster III.
1 Verify your radio configuration as per your manufacturer’s reference manual.
2 Configure the Bandmaster III according to your radio as per section 2.
3 Make our cable for your radio as per section 3.
4 Connect your Bandmaster III to your radio using the Radio connector (DB9M) according
to the connection option you selected in section 3.2.
5 Connect your Bandmaster III to your computer using the USB connector using a
standard USB cable (optional).
6 Connect Bandmaster III to the device(s) to be controlled (antenna switch, BPF, SixPak,
etc…) via the Relay connector.
7 Connect Bandmaster III to the 4-wire network for control of devices such as 8-Pak,
FilterMax III, etc.
8 Connect the 12 Volt DC power to the 4-wire connector on the Bandmaster III.
9 And you are done.
5 Operations
Once your radio is cabled correctly, apply power to the Bandmaster III. As you switch bands on
your radio or logging/control software, the Bandmaster will switch to your band of choice within
.25 to .5 seconds. This delay ignores transients and false signals from the radio which can cause
unwanted problems.
If using computer logging/control programs, the application should be configured to the computer
emulated COM port where the Bandmaster III is connected and be sure the radio baud rate is
set to 9600. The Logging/control programs will use the Bandmaster III as the CAT level
converter interface thus making the Bandmaster III transparent to the application.
Note: you can not run the Bandmaster III configuration application at the same time as a
logging/control program because you can not have two applications grabbing the same serial
port. Thus make certain your Bandmaster III configuration application if closed before running
any other application using your Bandmaster III.

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6 Bandmaster C onfiguration Software
The Bandmaster III also includes a software utility that can be used to customize the band
segments, set the radio type, interface type, baud rate and radio number.
Run the software utility and select the proper COM port. You may now customize the band
segments by clicking on the band you wish to change. The radio configuration is set by selecting
the desired entries in the radio fields. Click on the Set button to save your changes to the
Bandmaster III.
Establish Communications
It is recommended that you unplug the USB cable from the
decoder before running the configuration software. This makes
it a simple process to identify which COM port the USB driver
assigns to the decoder. Apply power to the decoder and run
the configuration software. Click on the Set COM Port button
to open the Com Ports window. Now plug the USB cable into
the decoder and the assigned COM port should appear in the
COM Port block. If it does not, you may click on the Manual
button and enter the port number. Click on the appropriate port
to select it and then click on the OK button. Select the 4-wire
network address of the decoder. This is #1 for most users.
Now click on the Connect button. If successful, the current
configuration will be loaded and the Communicatinos indicator
will show Ready. You are now ready to begin the configuration
process.

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Radio Configuration
Select your radio model* from the drop-down list
and the default baud rate and interface type will be
automatically selected. If these are not correct you
may change them after selecting the radio model. If
you are using an Icom radio you must enter the CI-V
address also. You can find this number in the radio
manual or from the radio's menus. When using more
than one radio on the 4-Wire network you will need to
set the Radio ID accordingly. When finished, click on
the Set Radio button. The link status indicator will
show Updating and return to Ready when complete.
You may now connect your radio to the decoder and
verify that the proper bands are being selected. This
will complete the configuration process for most
users. If you wish to enter custom band segments or
have more than one antenna on a band continue to
the next steps.
*Note: If you are using band data, select Band Data
as your radio model.
Band Limits (Optional)
For most users the default band segments will work
just fine. If you wish to change any of the band
segments, such as the border frequency between
80M and 75M, click on the frequencies you wish to
change and enter the upper frequency limit when
prompted. To change the lower frequency limit you
must change the upper frequency of the preceding
band. The only limit on how you configure the band
segments is they must go in ascending order. The
new settings are automatically saved when you enter
the new upper frequency.

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Default Antennas (Optional)
If you have more than one antenna on a
band the decoder gives you the ability to select
which antenna will be selected by default when
the 4-Wire Control Center software is not
running. Simply select which antenna you wish
as the default for that band. If only a single
antenna is available for a band leave the
setting at 1. Click on the Set button when
finished and the new settings will be stored in
the decoder.
This completes the configuration process. You may now close the decoder software
and start your logging program and connect to your radio.
Note: you can not run the Bandmaster III configuration application at the same time as a
logging/control program because you can not have two applications grabbing the same serial
port. Thus make certain your Bandmaster III configuration application if closed before running
any other application using your Bandmaster III.