West Mountain Radio RIGblaster Advantage User manual

www.westmountainradio.com
1020 Spring City Drive
Waukesha, WI 53186
262-522-6503
[email protected]
©2012 West Mountain Radio, All rights reserved. All trademarks are
the property of their respective owners.
RIGblaster
Advantage

Table of Contents
Introduction
RIGblaster Advantage Introduction .................. 3
Introduction to Digital-Mode Operating ............... 4
Package Contents ................................. 5
Controls, Connections and Features.................. 6
Software Driver Installation
Linux, Mac and Windows Drivers ................... 7
How to Renumber the RIGblaster Advantage COM port.. 9
Transceiver Connections ...........................10
Choosing the Correct ISC .........................11
Required Connections............................12
Optional Connections ............................12
Setting Audio Levels
Windows XP Audio Levels.........................15
Windows 7 Audio Levels ..........................17
Digital-Mode Operating
Multi-Mode: FLDigi ..............................18
Rig Control: Ham Radio Deluxe ....................21
 RTTY:ConguringMMTTYforFSK .................24
CW: Using MRP40 for CW ........................27
 JT65:ConguringJT65-HF .......................29
WinMOR: Using RMS Express/Winlink 2000 ..........31
 Packet/APRS:ConguringAGWPacketEngine .......33
SSTV: Using MMSSTV for Analog SSTV.............38
SSTV: Using EasyPal for Digital SSTV ..............40
Reference
RIGblaster Advantage Connection Diagram ...........43
ISC & Jumper Wiring.............................45
Digital-Modes, Software and Frequencies ............48
Troubleshooting.................................49
Warranty Information on back

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West Mountain Radio Operating Manual
Introduction To 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 real RS-232C DB9.
• 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 with FSK input and the software must
support COM port FSK.

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West Mountain Radio Operating Manual
Introduction To Digital-Mode Operating
The DVD is a collection of various digital-mode software programs for
use with the RIGblaster Advantage. The software is all Third-Party
software programs, however, we have tested our products on the
majority of them. Amateur radio software is constantly evolving and
we encourage you to visit the author’s website to check for updates for
software you wish to use.
Most modern digital-modes can be operated on the RIGblaster
Advantage.Someofthesemaybefamiliartoyou.ForinstancePSK31,
JT65 & RTTY are very commonly heard on the bands.
Try tuning to 14.070MHz (usb) and chances are you will hear multiple
PSK31QSOstakingplace.Tuneto14.076MHzandyouwilloften
hearJT65signals.Goingupanother10KHzlandsyourightinavery
popular RTTY segment. Other modes that will work with the RIGblaster
Advantage include, but not limited to, Olivia, Hellschreiber, WinMOR,
DominoEX, SSTV, Packet and ALE.
It is worth noting there are some modes in use which cannot be used
with the RIGblaster Advantage in Windows (nor any sound-card based
interface).ThesearetheARQmodesPactor-I/II/IIIandAmtor.These
modes require very precise timing cycles which Windows is unable to
deliver. Amtor is very rarely 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
(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.

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West Mountain Radio Operating Manual
Package Contents
The following is a list of the contents for the RIGblaster Advantage.
Verify that all the following items were included:
1 — RIGblaster Advantage Unit
Note: Cover is loose so you may easily remove it to
install jumpers)
1 — Accessory ZipLock® bag. Contains the following:
8 — Single pin jumper wires
5 — Mini blue shunts
4 — #6 black sheet metal screws (for cover)
4 — Adhesive pads and Rubber Feet
1 — Baggie of Instant Setup Connectors
1 — Microphone cable (RJ-45 to 8 pin screw-on)
1 — 1/8 inch stereo mini plug cable
1 — USB A-B cable
1 — RIGblaster & RIGtalk DVD
1 — Owner’s manual

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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
Software Driver Installation
The RIGblaster Advantage when properly installed in Windows, Linux
or Macintosh operating systems will provide two new hardware devices;
a serial COM port and a sound-device.
Linux Installation
The RIGblaster Advantage was sucessfully tested with Ubuntu. Drivers
and instructions are available online:
http://www.westmountainradio.com/adv/drv/linux
Macintosh OS X 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
The RIGblaster Advantage has been tested on Windows 2000/XP/Vista
and Win 7. Drivers and instructions for Windows 2000 are available on
our website at the following location:
http://www.westmountainradio.com/adv/drv/win2k
Drivers for Windows XP and above are supplied on the DVD. They are
also available via Windows Update as they are digitally signed with
Microsoft.
To install the Advantage in Windows XP and above, connect the
supplied USB cable from the PC to the RIGblaster Advantage. This will
notify Windows that new hardware has been connected and the “Found
New Hardware” wizard will start.
Follow the prompts on the screen. When Windows asks for the
location of the drivers, point it to search the supplied DVD and/or
retrieve them from the Internet if PC is online. The online drivers are
digitally signed with Microsoft and will always be the latest version.
Afterthedriversinstallationhasnished,thegreenPWRLED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.
Note: The green PWR LED will blink when incoming or outgoing
audio is detected and remain solid when idle. This LED will only be
illuminated if the driver installation was successful.

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West Mountain Radio Operating Manual
After successful installation a good idea is to check Windows Device
Manager and verify there is a new COM port and audio device (see
Figure 1).
How to verify 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”.
How to verify 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”
A window similar to the one shown in Figure 1 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.
Fig 1 - Windows XP Device Manager

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West Mountain Radio Operating Manual
Look for the entry West Mountain Radio RIGblaster Advantage. Im-
mediately 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 software to use this COM port later.
When expanding the section marked “Sound, video and game control-
lers”, notice the new entry labeled USB Audio Device (or RIGblaster
Advantage Audio in Win 7).
Note: 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 re-
number the RIGblaster Advantage COM port to a value lower than 5.
Note: Some digital mode software, especially older software, may not
allow a COM port greater than 8. In which case, renumber the COM port
to a value within the range 5-8.
How to renumber the RIGblaster Advantage COM port.
If needing to renumber the RIGblaster Advantage COM port in Windows,
refer to Figure 2.
Bring up the Windows Device Manager and highlight (single left-click of
the mouse) on the West Mountain Radio RIGblaster Advantage entry
under the Ports (COM & LPT) section.
Next, select the Action menu at the top of this window and select
Properties. A new window titled West Mountain Radio RIGblaster
Advantage Properties will appear.
Select the Port Settings tab and then click the Advanced button. A new
window named Advanced Settings will appear. On the drop-down list
near the bottom of this window with the current RIGblaster Advantage
COM port selected, click on the little down-arrow to the right and select a
new COM port.
AfterselectingthenewCOMport,click‘OK’onthiswindowandonthe
Properties window. Continue running the Device Manager, disconnect
and reconnect the RIGblaster Advantage USB cable. The Device
Manager window will refresh with the new COM port setting.
Sometimes Windows may show that a COM port is in-use. It is safe to
use this COM port number as long as the device to which it refers is not
physically connected at the same time as the RIGblaster Advantage.

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West Mountain Radio Operating Manual
Fig 2 - Renumbering COM Port
Transceiver Connections
ConguringtheRIGblasterAdvantagewithatransceiverisverysimple
by use of the Instant Setup Connectors (ISC). The baggie included
in the package contents has six small printed circuit boards. Each
ISCisrespectivelyidentied:IcomRoundMetal,IcomRJ45Modular,
YaesuRoundMetal,YaesuRJ45Modular,KenwoodRoundMetaland
KenwoodRJ45Modular.