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.