Interoperating with a Software-Defined Radio Console Using a microHAM Interface with CAT Control
Via its primary CAT port, Commander can control a Software-Defined Radio (SDR) Console application that accepts CAT commands like a classic transceiver; since an SDR Console is implemented in software rather than hardware, a connected pair of virtual serial ports is required:
However, SDR Consoles like SpectraVue and BobCAT are designed to interoperate with a traditional transceiver instead of a transceiver control application like Commander:
In the above configuration, the SDR Console controls the transceiver's frequency and mode as well as the SDR's frequency and mode, serving as a panadaptor. Because the transceiver's CAT port is exclusively used by the SDR Console, this configuration precludes traditional transceiver control -- and its interoperation with logging, spotting, digital mode, and propagation prediction/monitoring applications.
If you're using a microHAMCW Keyer™, DigiKeyer, microKeyer, microKeyer II, MKR2, or MK2R+, the microHAM router's second CAT port can be configured to convey CAT commands from the SDR Console to the transceiver; this configuration provides simultaneous panadaptor and transceiver control functionality:
For simultaneous panadaptor and transceiver control functionality with SDR Consoles like SpectraVue, BobCAT, or CW Skimmer,
configure Commander, the microHAM Router and your transceiver for normal operation using the Router's virtual CAT port (shown as X in the diagram above)
configure the microHAM router to create and assign a new virtual port to the Router's second virtual CAT port (shown as Y in the diagram above)
- configure the SDR Console
set its CAT serial port to Y, and set the parameters for this port -- baud, word, stop, parity -- to match those specified in the Primary CAT Serial Port panel on the Ports tab of Commander's Config window
set its CAT protocol to Elecraft, Kenwood or Icom, as specified in the SDR Console documentation
Configuring the SpectraVue SDR Console with an SDR-IQ or SDR-14