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guides › Connect a radio › HF rig with CAT

weechat-radio:$ HF rig with CAT

CAT means the computer can talk to the radio over USB: change frequency and press the transmit button. About five minutes after Hamlib is installed.

What you need

  • An HF transceiver with USB CAT IC-7300, FT-891, Xiegu, and most modern rigs.
  • Hamlib So rigctld is on your PATH (a command the computer can find).
HF rig with CAT through Hamlib Two leads join this computer and the HF radio. The CAT lead goes through Hamlib's rigctld, which reads the dial and presses the transmit button. Sound runs through the sound card, as on any other path. The radio sends on the air to another station on the same frequency, and the receipt comes back through the sound card. other station same frequency on the air this computer <G4ABC> hi [ok] > _ 7.045 MHz sound card CAT · Hamlib rigctld the computer presses transmit over CAT HF radio

The radio USB cable goes into the computer. Hamlib is the translator. WeeChat Radio never changes frequency unless you type /radio qsy.

Steps

  1. Plug in the radio

    Plug the radio USB into the computer. Leave the radio in USB, 2400 Hz filter if you have one.

  2. Find your model number

    Find your Hamlib model number:

    rigctl -l

    On Windows: rigctl.exe -l.

  3. Start CAT

    Start CAT. Replace MODEL, COM port, and baud with yours:

    rigctld -m MODEL -r COM3 -s 19200
  4. Run setup

    Run wcr setup and choose HF rig with CAT. Keep the default 127.0.0.1:4532.

  5. Pick a preset

    Pick a preset: hf-good on a clear band, hf-poor for NVIS (nearby skywave), hf-weak when signals are faint, hf-deep as a last-resort MFSK backup. Retries automatically step the modem down if ACKs do not come back.

  6. Change frequency by hand

    To change frequency, you type it. It never happens automatically:

    /radio qsy 7.045

How you know it worked

The status bar shows the frequency the radio reports. A decoded frame shows SNR. If CAT fails, run /radio ptt vox and use the VOX path until CAT is sorted.

Radio on the supported list? Pick it by name instead: no rigctld needed. Path is fading? Weak signals. Other paths: handheld + Digirig · VOX cable. Frequencies: calling.

Next: put up an antenna → HF antennas · VHF and UHF antennas