West Mountain Radio RIGblaster Advantage User manual

www.westmountainradio.com
1020 Spring City Drive
Waukesha, WI 53186
262-522-6503
[email protected]
©2015 West Mountain Radio, All rights reserved. All trademarks are
the property of their respective owners.
RIGblaster
Advantage

Table of Contents
Introduction
About the RIGblaster Advantage.................... 4
About the RIGblaster DVD ........................ 5
Digital-Mode Operating ........................... 5
Package Contents ................................. 6
Controls, Connections and Features
Choosing the Correct ISC ......................... 8
Software Driver Installation ........................10
Windows, Linux & Mac Drivers .....................10
How to Renumber the RIGblaster Advantage COM port..14
Transceiver Connections..........................15
Required Connections............................15
Optional Connections ............................15
RIGblaster Settings
Audio Levels ...................................16
PTT (Keying your radio) ..........................18
Morse (CW) Operation ...........................18
RTTY (FSK) Operation ...........................19
CAT ..........................................20
Transceiver Settings
Operation Mode.................................21
Recieve Settings ................................21
Transmit Settings................................22
Software Conguration
FLDigi (Multiple Digital Modes) .....................23
Airlink Express (PSK31, RTTY & MFSK-16) ...........26
MMTTY (RTTY FSK).............................29
MRP40 (Morse Code) ............................32
JT65-HF: (JT Modes) ............................34
Winlink 2000 with RMS Express (WinMOR) ...........37
UZ7HO Sound Modem (Packet Radio) ...............40
MMSSTV (Analog SSTV) .........................44
Easy Pal (Digital SSTV) ..........................46
FreeDV (Digital HF Voice) .........................49
Ham Radio Deluxe & DM-780 ......................53

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West Mountain Radio Operating Manual
Reference
RIGblaster Advantage Connection Diagrams ..........58
Icom CI-V CAT Cable Schematic ...................58
ISC & Jumper Wiring.............................59
Using the RIGblaster Advantage as a Microphone Patch Box ..63
Using the West Mountain Radio COM Port Splitter......64
P2 Jumper .....................................64
Digital-Modes, Software and Frequencies ............65
Troubleshooting.................................66
Radio Hook-up Diagrams .........................69

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West Mountain Radio Operating Manual
Introduction
About The RIGblaster Advantage
We understand you have a choice when buying Amateur Radio products
and we would like to take a moment to thank you for choosing West
Mountain Radio. The RIGblaster Advantage has been designed with
you, the digital-mode operator in mind. It has many outstanding features
which will at the same time enhance and simplify your operating. Some
of the features of the RIGblaster Advantage which put it ahead of the
competition include;
• COM port push-to-talk (PTT) keying.
• A high-quality built-in USB sound card with level controls (both RX
& TX) on the front panel.
• Pre-wired Instant Setup Connectors – no more complex jumper
wiring!
• Rig-control (CAT/CI-V).*
• FSK jack for operating FSK RTTY.**
• CW keying jack for operating Morse Code.
• Digital VOX with adjustable delay.
• Separate audio jacks for received and transmitted audio.
• Foot-switch PTT input.
• USB virtual serial port with RS-232C externalization
• TX inhibit switch.
Connection to your computer is made very simple with the supplied USB
cable. We will go into connecting up your RIGblaster Advantage in the
rst chapter so do not hook it up right away.
Please read through this manual rst (especially the driver installation
section) and you will nd the RIGblaster Advantage will provide you with
many years of reliable service and enjoyment.
* Rig control is only available on certain transceivers.
** FSK requires the transceiver to have a dedicated RTTY mode, an optional
FSK cable and the software must support serial FSK.

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West Mountain Radio Operating Manual
About the RIGblaster DVD
The supplied DVD is mostly a collection of various digital-mode software
programs for use with sound card interfaces like the RIGblaster
Advantage.
The programs contained on the disc were not written by West Mountain
Radio. Some are completely free while others are commercial. We have
however tested our products on the majority of them.
Amateur radio software is constantly evolving and we encourage you to
visit the various authors websites to check for updates for software you
wish to use.
We maintain a list of website addresses for the software we place onto
the DVD (as best we can) and you can access this page from:
http://www.westmountainradio.com/content.php?page=links
Introduction To Digital-Mode Operating
Most modern digital-modes can be operated on the RIGblaster
Advantage. Some of these may already be familiar to you. For instance
PSK31, JT65 & RTTY are very commonly heard on the bands.
If you have the ability try tuning to 14.070MHz (USB) and chances
are you will hear multiple PSK31 QSOs taking place. Moving up to
14.073MHz you may hear the tones of the MFSK modes such as Olivia,
Contestia, Thor and MFSK-16. You will also nd the “cricket-like” chirping
of Feld Hell.
Tune to 14.073MHz you may hear the tones of the MFSK modes such as
Olivia, Contestia, Thor and MFSK-16. You will also nd the “cricket-like”
chirping of Feld Hell.
Tune to 14.076MHz and you will hear JT65 signals. Going up another
10KHz lands you right in a very popular RTTY segment. Moving up
through 14.100MHz you should hear packet networks, WinMOR and
the wider band digital modes signals such as MT63, ALE and Pactor.
14.230MHz (USB) yields a very active SSTV (Slow Scan TV) frequency.
This is traditional analog SSTV. Another 3KHz up (14.233MHz) is the
main watering-hole of digital SSTV enthusiasts
14.230MHz (usb) yields a very active SSTV (Slow Scan TV) frequency.
This is traditional analog SSTV. Another 3KHz up (14.233MHz) is the
main watering-hole of digital SSTV enthusiasts.14.236MHz is currently
very popular with the digital voice experimenters using FreeDV software.
It is worth noting there are some modes in use which cannot be used
with the RIGblaster Advantage (nor any sound-card based interface).

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West Mountain Radio Operating Manual
These are the arq modes Pactor, G-TOR, Amtor and Clover.
These modes require very precise timing cycles which Windows is unable
to deliver. Amtor, G-TOR and Clover are very seldom used these days but
Pactor is commonly employed for mail messaging using the Winlink 2000
system.
In practice this is not much of a limitation as the RMS Express software
(using WinMOR) makes mail/e-mail messaging simple using the RIGblaster
Advantage.
Many digital-modes (such as PSK31) will work far down into the noise
level. It is not uncommon to see copy on your screen even when you have
difculty hearing the signal on your speaker.
This also implies you do not need to run high power levels during normal
conditions and for most digital-modes you will nd 20-40W ample. In fact,
running close to maximum output on your radio is self-defeating. In this
case you stand a very good chance of having a spread-out badly distorted
signal (think QRM!) and you may even damage your rig on long overs as
many transceivers are not designed to run high duty-cycle transmissions for
extended periods.
At the back of this manual you will nd a simple chart of digital-modes,
software and frequencies to try. These are just suggestions but will help you
get started navigating the world of HF digital-modes.
Package Contents
The following is a list of the contents for the RIGblaster Advantage. Verify
that all the following items were included:
*The RIGblaster Advantage cover is loose so you may easily remove it to
install jumpers.
QTY ITEM
1RIGblaster Advantage
1 Owner’s Manual
7 Instant Setup Connectors
8 Single Pin White Jumpers
5 Mini Blue Shunt Jumpers
4 #6 Black Metal Screws (*for cover)
4 Adhesive Pads and Rubber Feet
1 Microphone Cable (RJ-45 to 8 Pin Screw-On
11/8” Stereo Mini Plug Cable
1 USB (A/B) Cable
1 DVD

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West Mountain Radio Operating Manual
Controls, Connections And Features
Microphone output for 8 pin round mic:used with cable (Mic input with RJ45 connec- tor radio
PTT in/out RCA Connector (used with foot- switch or other PTT switch or connection.
Audio line input (outgoing audio from your radio connects here
Radio transmitted audio (allows you to monitor audio received by radio)
Computer transmitted audio allows you to monitor transit audio from PC
CW/FSK keying output (con- nects to radio keying input
CAT RIG Control at RS232 Levels
CAT/CI-V rig control (Connects to radio with accessory cable)
USB to interface (Read driver install before connecting.
PTT Software Con g COM: RTS Control PTT DTGR Controls CW/FSK off: com- puter can never activate PTT or CW/ FSK VOX: PTT and CW/FSK activated automatically by audio.
USB LED (lights when unit is pow- ered. Will blink when software is receiving or transmitting audio
PTT LED (lights when software activates transmits)
Microphone input for 8 pin round mic (Mic output with RJ45 connector radio)
Transmit audio level (Use in conjunction with computer volume level Receive audio level (Use in conjunction with computer audio level
If VOX enabled, controls length of time transmit is active
FSK/CW LED (lights when software accesses serial DTR line for FSK/CW keying. Also lights in VOX mode and indicates signal level)

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West Mountain Radio Operating Manual
Choosing the Correct ISC
Conguring the RIGblaster Advantage with a transceiver is very simple
by use of the Instant Setup Connectors (ISC). These take the place of
jumper wiring for many common radios.
Each ISC is respectively identied: Icom Round Metal, Icom RJ45
Modular, Yaesu Round Metal, Yaesu Round Metel – Isolated, Yaesu
RJ45 Modular, Kenwood Round Metal and Kenwood RJ45 Modular.
Depending on the transceiver in use, one of these ISCs will need to be
installed inside the RIGblaster Advantage before use. They take care
of all the microphone connection wiring that previously was done by
installing jumper wires and shunts. If using a non-standard microphone
wiring, jumper wires and and blue shunts have been provided in the
package contents.
The ISCs cover most popular brands and models of radios.
Observe the microphone connector on the radio. Typically it will be one of
two types – either an 8-pin round metal connector or an RJ- 45 “square”
modular jack. The RIGblaster Advantage is designed to interface the
transceiver through the microphone jack. Be sure to select the ISC that
matches the connector on the radio.
Chart of ISCs For Some Common Radios:
Manufacturer Model ISC
Icom All 8 pin round mic jack radios (e.g., IC-746, IC-756/
Pro/III,IC-7600)
Icom 8 Pin Round
Icom All RJ-45 modular mic jack radios (e.g., IC-706, IC-
7000)
Icom RJ-45 Modular
Yaesu All older 8 pin round mic jack radios (e.g., FT-840, FT-
757, FT-920)
Yaesu 8 Pin Round
Yaesu All newer 8 pin round mic jack radios (e.g., FT-950, FT-
2000, FTDX-3000, FTDX-5000, FTDX-9000)
Yaesu 8 Pin Round- Isolated
Yaesu All RJ-45 modular mic jack radios (e.g., FT-817, FT-
857, FT-897, FT-450)
Yaesu RJ-45 Mdular
Kenwood All 8 pin round mic jack radios (e.g. TS-570, TS-2000,
TS-590S, TS-990S)
Kenwood 8 Pin Round
Kenwood Most RJ-45 modular mic jack radios (e.g. TM-V71) Kenwood RJ-45 Modular
Elecraft K3 & K2 use the same mic jack as Kenwood Kenwood 8 Pin Round
Ten Tec Omni VII & Orion II use the same mic jack as newer
Yaesu radios
Yaesu 8 Pin Round – Isolated
Flex Flex 1500 and 3000 use the same mic jack as Yaesu
RJ-45 radios
Yaesu RJ-45 Modular
Flex Flex 5000 and 6000 series use the same mic jack as
newer Yaesu radios
Yaesu 8 Pin Round - Isolated

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West Mountain Radio Operating Manual
Locate the correct ISC for the radio and install it on the ISC header (2
rows of 13 pins) located inside the RIGblaster Advantage ensuring pin 1
on the ISC matches pin 1 on the header.
Example: Installation of a Kenwood RJ45 Modular ISC inside the
RIGblaster Advantage. Notice the orientation of the ISC
and the location of pin 1.
Some radios use a 4-pin round microphone connector, these include
older Kenwood and Yaesu transceivers and some Ten-Tec radios. An
adapter will be needed to use the RIGblaster Advantage with these
radios. The correct adapter is SKU 58136-1000 and available online for
purchase.
Radios with 6 pin microphone connectors such as the Yaesu FT-100D
will require our optional “Yaesu Modular 6” cable (SKU 58118-982). This
cable comes with a jumper diagram and a resistor for correct operation.

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West Mountain Radio Operating Manual
Software Driver Installation
The RIGblaster Advantage when properly installed in Windows, Linux
or Macintosh operating systems will provide two new hardware devices;
a serial port and a sound-device.
After the drivers installation has nished, the green led marked “USB”
on the front of the RIGblaster Advantage will be illuminated. During
installation, the red “XMIT” led may icker a few times. This is normal
and does not indicate a problem.
The green “USB” led will blink when the Advantage sound card is
in use and remain solid when idle. Blinking does not indicate any
fault!
Linux Installation
West Mountain Radio drivers have been included in the Linux kernel
since version 3.8.4. Most recent distributions should have no problem
automatically recognizing the RIGblaster Advantage.
The following notes are for Ubuntu but may also apply to derived
distributions.
You can nd the assigned serial device by opening a terminal and
typing:
ls -l /dev/ttyUSB*
This should return a display similar to the one below:
crw-rw---- 1 root dialout 188, 0 Sep 30 13:49 /dev/ttyUSB0
If the group “dialout” is not listed in the output you will need to add your
username to that group. This is the most common reason why rig-
control or PTT won’t function!
Use the following command:
sudo usermod -a -G dialout <username>
where <username> is your linux user name.
Then log off and log back on for the changes to take effect.

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West Mountain Radio Operating Manual
If you have more than one USB serial device on your system you can
use the following command to determine which ttyUSB device number is
assigned to the RIGblaster:
ls -l /dev/serial/by-id | grep ‘RIGblaster’
This will return a display similar to:
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 13 Oct 7 05:42 USB-Silicon_Labs_West_
Mountain_Radio_RIGblaster_Advantage_d5b25d6b-if00-port0 ->../../
ttyUSB0
In this case ttyUSB0 is assigned to the RIGblaster.
To nd the RIGblaster Advantage sound card playback device type the
following: aplay -l | grep ‘RIGblaster’
To nd the RIGblaster Advantage sound card recording device use this:
arecord -l | grep ‘RIGblaster’
For older distributions and troubleshooting visit the following support
page: http://www.westmountainradio.com/adv/drv/linux
Macintosh Installation
The RIGblaster Advantage will work with OS X 10.5 and above. Drivers
and instructions are available online:
http://www.westmountainradio.com/adv/drv/macosx
Windows Installation
You have two choices of automatic installation on Windows systems.
Quick Method (For advanced Windows users running Vista,
Windows 7 or Windows 8)
As long as your computer is on-line, you can simply plug in the USB
cable to your computer and the RIGblaster Advantage. This will trigger
the “Found New Hardware Wizard” and you will be asked if you want to
do an automatic install. Answer yes and allow Windows to connect to
Microsoft Update to retrieve the signed drivers.
You will be notied when the process is complete. This can take a few
minutes so be patient.
This method may not work on Windows XP or earlier versions of Win-
dows. In this case you are advised to use the standard method of instal-
lation detailed below.

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West Mountain Radio Operating Manual
Standard Method (Recommended for most users)
Do not attach the RIGblaster Advantage.
Insert the DVD into your computer which should autoplay. You will be
prompted the rst time you insert this disk if you want to install the RIG-
blaster Survey/Diagnostic Program. Answer yes to all steps and this will
pre-load all West Mountain Radio drivers for you. After it has installed
you may attach the RIGblaster Advantage.
Manual Installation
For those still using Windows 2000 or Windows 98 you will nd a driver
package available from http://www.westmountainradio.com/adv/drv/win2k
In the case of Windows 98 it must be Windows 98SE and have all the
Microsoft issued USB updates applied before it will work.
After successful installation a good idea is to check Windows Device
Manager and verify there is a new COM port and audio device.

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West Mountain Radio Operating Manual
Finding Device Manager in Windows XP:
1. Open the Windows Control Panel (Start->Settings->Control Panel)
2. Look for the System icon and double-click it.
3. Choose the “Hardware” tab at the top and click the button marked
“Device Manager”.
Finding Device Manager in Windows 7:
1. Open the Windows Control Panel (Start->Settings->Control Panel)
2. Change Control Panel to “View By Small Icons”
3. Click on the icon labeled “System”
4. Click on the icon labeled “Device Manager”
Finding Device Manager in Windows 8.1:
1. Right-click on the “Windows button” (start menu) and choose “Device
Manager” from the list.
A window similar to the one shown here should appear. There will be a
section called “Ports (COM & LPT)” which can be expanded to view by
clicking on the + symbol to the left.
Look for the entry West Mountain Radio RIGblaster Advantage. Imme-
diately after this text, look for the COM port number in parenthesis (e.g.
COM5).
Make a note of this as it will be needed to congure digital mode soft-
ware to use this COM port later.
When expanding the section marked “Sound, video and game control-
lers”, notice the new entry labeled RIGblaster Advantage Audio (May be
shown as USB Audio Device in Win XP or earlier).
Windows may assign any number for the COM port. Windows typically
treats COM1 to COM4 as special and does not normally use them for
USB serial devices.
Therefore, it is not recommended to renumber the RIGblaster Advantage
COM port to a value lower than 5 unless you have to.lers”, notice the
new entry labeled RIGblaster Advantage Audio (Shown as USB Audio
Device in Win XP or earlier).

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West Mountain Radio Operating Manual
How To Renumber The RIGblaster Advantage COM port
If you nd it necessary to renumber the RIGblaster Advantage COM port,
e.g., for use with older software which requires a lower COM port number
we have created an application to allow you to do this easily. It is part of
the West Mountain Radio Diagnostic program “WMRDiagnostics” which
is available on the supplied DVD. You may already have it installed if you
followed the standard installation.
Click the WMR icon on your system tray – it looks like this:
A window will appear listing your computer serial ports and West Moun-
tain Radio RIGblasters.
Right-click over the RIGblaster Advantage entry and choose “Change
Port #”.
A new window will appear allowing you to enter a new COM port number.
Make sure you choose one that isn’t already in use!

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West Mountain Radio Operating Manual
Transceiver Connections
Now hook up the RIGblaster Advantage to the radio. Follow the steps
in the next section and refer to the connection diagrams if necessary
(located in the back of this manual).
Required Connections
1. Disconnect the microphone from the transceiver.
2. Reconnect the microphone to the RIGblaster Advantage. Note: There
will be only one connector on the Advantage that will mate with the
microphone plug; either the 8-pin round metal socket mating to the front
panel or the square RJ-45 connector mating to the rear panel.
3. Connect the 8-pin (round) to RJ-45 (square) microphone cable,
included in the package contents, to the transceiver’s microphone input
socket. There will be only one end that will mate with the transceiver’s
microphone socket.
4. Connect the other end of the microphone cable to the RIGblaster
Advantage.
5. Take the 1/8” inch stereo patch cable and connect one end to the
transceiver’s speaker out (or headphone) jack. Note: If the transceiver
uses a 1/4” jack, it will require use of 1/8” inch to 1/4” stereo adapter.
6. The other end of the patch cable should be connected to the jack
labeled LINE IN on the rear of the RIGblaster Advantage.If you have our
optional FSK cable then you would not perform steps 5 and 6 above.
Connect the ying lead marked “Audio” to the LINE IN jack.
Optional Connections
Additional jacks are provided on the rear of the RIGblaster Advantage for
operation enhancement:
1. Serial DB-9. This connector can be used to interface some
transceivers that require RS-232C level CAT. Note: This serial connector
is a hardware extension of the USB virtual serial port. All lines are
connected but take note that some control lines are used by the
RIGblaster Advantage for PTT & CW/FSK.
2. CTL IN/OUT. This is a TTL level jack providing CI-V/CAT rig control.
Many radios can be interfaced to this jack with a low-cost cable for
complete rig control with suitable software.

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West Mountain Radio Operating Manual
3. CW/FSK. This jack can be used for serial port CW keying or FSK shift
if your transceiver supports it.
4. AUDIO OUT. This jack provides a transmitted audio output. Connect
amplied computer speakers or a pair of mini earphones here for
transmit monitoring.
5. SPKR OUT. This jack provides a rig receive audio output. Connect an
external speaker here only if not using our optional FSK cable.
6. PTT IN/OUT. This RCA phono jack is primarily used for connection
to a foot-switch for PTT. The contacts are in parallel with the Advantage
PTT relay (rated 30 VDC 2A max.) and in parallel with the transceiver’s
microphone PTT line, and will oat at the same voltage.
RIGblaster Settings
Audio Levels
Proper audio level setting is crucial to successful digital-mode operation.
The RIGblaster Advantage transmit audio level can be set by use of the
Windows playback volume slider and the convenient front panel XMIT
LEVEL control. Receive level can be set by the Windows recording
volume slider and the front-panel RCV LEVEL control.
It is recommended to set the RIGblaster Advantage audio device levels
to 50% for both “recording” and “playback” within Windows. Fine tuning
can then be made using the XMIT & RCV level controls on the front of
the Advantage.
It is important not to set the RIGblaster Advantage as the default
Windows audio device. This will prevent any unintentional transmissions
if operating in VOX mode (Windows audio-alerts, music etc).
Note: Some older digital-mode software only uses the default sound card
in Windows for output. If using such software be careful when assigning
the default Windows sound-card to the Advantage. In this case, it is
recommended to change the Windows sound scheme to silent.
To access your Windows audio levels use the “Sound” icon in Control
Panel and refer to the images shown below.
You can also use the “Sound” program to assign which sound card is
the default device by right-clicking a device (in this case the internal
computer sound card) and choosing “Set as default device”.

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West Mountain Radio Operating Manual
Note: The RIGblaster sound card should not be set as the “default
communication device” for either record or playback.
If you nd that transmit audio is too “hot” then try reducing the playback
volume to about 10%. If that doesn’t help there is a single jumper in the
Advantage which will further attenuate transmit volume by 20dB. It is
located next to one of the audio transformers and should be shorted for
the attenuator to be active.
Setting The Playback (TX) Volume
Setting The Record (RX) Volume

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West Mountain Radio Operating Manual
PTT (Keying Your Radio)
On the front-panel of the RIGblaster Advantage there is a three position
switch labeled TX. This controls how PTT is activated (the method by
which the transceiver goes into transmit).
Position 1 – COM
The Advantage is under computer control and switches the transceiver
between transmit and receive depending on the state of the serial port
RTS control signal.
Position 2 – OFF
The Advantage is prevented from activating transmit on the transceiver.
Note: The RCA foot-switch input is still active.
Position 3 – VOX
The Advantage contains circuitry which detects the presence of an audio
transmit signal and automatically switches the transceiver into transmit.
When the signal ends the transceiver is returned to receive mode.
The VOX method of operation is suitable for many digital-modes and
often simplies software conguration. An example of this would be
running a logging program (which requires exclusive use of the serial
port to read frequency and mode) but having the ability to run a preferred
PSK31 program simultaneously. Using VOX mode allows the PSK31
software to key the rig without conicting with the logging program.
(Note: There is no need to use the transceiver VOX setting).
Morse (CW) Operation
The RIGblaster Advantage has two methods of sending Morse Code
(CW).
One method is using MCW (Modulated or Tone CW) in SSB or FM
modes. Some computer software will only produce this type of CW.
The second, and preferred, method is to use serial port keying:
Connect a stereo patch cable from the RIGblaster Advantage’s CW/ FSK
jack to the transceiver’s CW keying jack. This will permit Morse operation
when using the radio’s CW mode with suitable software.
This hardware CW keying is realized by use of the DTR control line on
the COM port. Refer to the example of setting up CW keying using the
MRP40 software shown later in this manual.

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West Mountain Radio Operating Manual
It is also possible to operate MCW in VOX mode, in which case the DTR
circuit is logically OR’ed with PTT - the result is hardware keying from
software which only has the MCW method available. Note: This is an
excellent way of producing hard CW keying from the digi software.
By using a dual 1/8th inch stereo adaptor plug (or ‘Y’ splitter cable),
connect the Morse Key in parallel with the CW jack. The output is open
collector so is safe to use with contact-closure Morse Keys and modern
“pull to ground” electronic keyers. This will allow to send computer Morse
or use the key for maximum exibility. Warning: Do not attempt this if
your radio uses grid-block keying or cathode keying - you will destroy
your Advantage!
RTTY (FSK) Operation
Similar to CW, there are two methods used to generate RTTY signals.
Method one is AFSK RTTY being used in SSB mode. This relies on the
software to generate the RTTY tones. Most digital-mode software will
use this method.
The other method, FSK RTTY, may also be used by some PC software.
Only transceivers that have an RTTY mode and FSK shift input will work
in this method. A special cable is required to interface from the CW/FSK
jack on the RIGblaster Advantage to the FSK input on the transceiver.
FSK shift input is controlled by the serial DTR line. Note: PTT is also
required and provided by serial RTS.
Refer to the MMTTY example later in this manual for an example of
conguring FSK.
FSK Cables Available From West Mountain Radio:
SKU Used On
58129-995 Icom radios with a 13 pin accessory jack
(e.g., IC-706, IC-718, IC-7000)
58129-994 Icom radios with an 8 pin accessory jack
(e.g., IC-746, IC-756/Pro/II)
58131-999 Kenwood radios with a 13 pin accessory jack
(e.g., TS-2000)
58131-998 Yaesu radios with a 4 pin ‘RTTY’ jack
(e.g., FT-1000, FT-2000, FTDX-5000)
58131-1517 Elecraft K3
58131-1501 Yaesu radios with a 6 pin mini din FSK jack
(e.g., FT-450, FT-950, FTDX-1200, FTDX-3000)

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West Mountain Radio Operating Manual
CAT Operation
The RIGblaster Advantage is equipped with TTL and RS-232C
level CAT. This makes it possible to use software for logging or
radio control in addition to digital modes all through the same
interface.
Most modern radios have a CAT jack and with very few exceptions
the RIGblaster Advantage can be connected to this via an optional
cable for full computer control.
The CAT jack on your radio is a serial interface (using TxD/RxD)
which can receive instructions and send information back to your
computer to be used with suitable software.
The serial interface on the Advantage is implemented through
same COM port we use for PTT and CW/FSK keying. It is
externalized on the RIG CTL jack (TTL) or the DB-9 (RS-232C).
Note: Both jacks cannot be in use at the same time.
Hardware ow-control should not be used unless the RIGblaster
is operating in VOX as the radio will hold RTS high and cause the
transmitter to be permanently in transmit mode.
If your radio cannot disable ow-control (e.g., Kenwood with
RS-232C) then we recommend you use our Kenwood CAT
cable (SKU 58119-1432) which will allow proper operation of the
RIGblaster in COM mode or use a separate USB to RS-232C
adapter cable for CAT.
CAT Cables Available From West Mountain Radio:
SKU Used On
58107-971 All CI-V equipped Icom radios (i.e., Icom radios
with a “remote” jack)
58108-972 Yaesu radios with an 8 pin mini din CAT jack
(e.g., FT-817, FT-857,FT-897)
58108-974 Yaesu radios with a 6 pin din CAT jack (e.g.,
FT-736, FT-747, FT-767, FT-990)
58119-1432 Kenwood radios with an RS-232C CAT jack
(e.g. TS-480, TS-570, TS-2000)