26FB113
Freebander
Registered: 03-2009
Location: Worcestershire UK.
Posts: 45
Karma: -1 (+0/-1)
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CAT / Remote control radio operation.
Hi,
I’ve been asked by a few FB members [Simon FB204 included] about CAT control, or remote radio control. Its something I’ve been thinking about for a while too so over the past few weeks I’ve been doing a bit of reading up & testing basic elements of a set-up. The best, easiest & cheapest way I can see of doing it is...
2x windows computers using Remote Desktop over your local network [LAN], or using something like www.logmein.com/ over the internet [WAN]. Both are free, the only thing is you’ll need an internet or network connection at both computers.
2x Skype accounts for the audio RX/TX, one logged in on each computer.
I’ve tested the set-up using Remote Desktop & LogMeIn to access skype on the remote computer & heard the radio RX down skype back to the other computer, it works. Thats as far as I’ve got. The next thing for me to do is load some remote control software onto the remote computer for the TS-50 & then buy a RS232 to TTL controller off ebay & wire this into the TS-50 & connect it to the computer via a COM port.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MAX232-RS232-Serial-To-TTL-Output-Converter-Board-RXD-TXD-RTS-CTS-F-PIC-Atmel-/290712442058?pt=UK_BOI_Electrical_Components_Supplies_ET&hash=item43afcfd4ca
Of cause with using Skype you could set-up a webcam at the radio shack end to view the radio too. However setting up Remote Desktop can be a pain in itself, I had a number of issues including the ‘Black screen’ login problem. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555840
Don’t forget bandwidth, the more you push your network / internet with web cams etc , the more chance you’ll get glitches or latency in the audio path.
So depending on how knowledgeable you are with computers/networks, remote desktop could be easy or a pain-in-the-ass, then again its windows! Make sure you know the ‘Name’ of each of your computers [make sure they have different names] right click on My Computer icon, name shown here, and your windows user login & password in order to use Remote Desktop. Also make sure that Remote Desktop is active on both computers, [right click on My Computer icon, go to Remote Tab, tick the Remote Desktop tick box]. And to make it easier I made both my computers part of the same Workgroup.
Quite a bit of radio remote software can be found at http://www.dxzone.com/catalog/Software/Radio_Control/
This is what I’ll be doing with the TS-50, http://pages.infinit.net/ve2hls/Projets/CAT/cat_ang.htm
If you don’t have a serial port on your [modern] computer :-) then you can get a USB to Serial adaptor, make sure you get one with the drivers included or a link to the drivers at the very least. E.g.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/USB-2-0-to-9-pin-RS232-COM-Port-Serial-Convert-Adapter-/130707113497?pt=UK_Computing_Parallel_Serial_PS_2&hash=item1e6ec04619
I’ll post further updates depending on work, time, family etc, you know how it is.
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73's Ken 26FB113.
Home QTH - Kenwood TS430S - Homemade 11m Slim Jim, Full size G5RV for lower HF.
Campervan - Kenwood TS50 - Inverted V wire dipole for lower HF.
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25/Jun/2012, 1:44 pm
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