Connecting your Yaesu Transceiver to your PC using the Yaesu SCU-17 Interface

Connecting your Yaesu FTDX-3000 to your PC

Connecting your Yaesu FT-991 to your PC

de Tom K8WDX and Joe W4TV

Yaesu SCU-17 is a standalone interface that when connected to your PC via a standard USB A-B cable, creates

• two virtual COM ports: a standard port that generates signals for PTT (RX-TX switching) and FSK, and an enhanced port that supports transceiver control (CAT)

• a virtual soundcard with two devices: Microphone (USB Audio CODEC) and Speakers (USB Audio CODEC)

The SCU-17 can be used with these Yaesu transceivers:

• FTDX-1200
• FTDX-5000
• FTDX-9000
• FT-450
• FT-950
• FT-2000
• FT-817ND
• FT-857D
• FT-897D

The Yaesu FTDX-3000 and FT-991 effectively have a built-in SCU-17.

SCU-17 Setup

Follow the instructions in this section if you're not using an FTDX-3000 or FT-991.

1. Install the Virtual COM Port Driver and Virtual Soundcard Driver by following these instructions (do this before you connect the SCU-17 to your transceiver!)

2. Configure Windows to not automatically power down the ''standard'' or ''enhanced'' COM ports installed by the Virtual COM Port Driver.

3. Connect the SCU-17 to your Yaesu transceiver by following these instructions

   • the instructions below assume that the SCU-17's switch S1001 is configured so that PTT is controlled by the RTS signal and FSK is controlled by the DTR signal, as shown on page 13 of the SCU-17 instruction manual.

4. Proceed to the Tranceiver Control and mode-specific instructions below

FTDX-3000 Setup

1. Install the Virtual COM Port Driver and Virtual Soundcard Driver by following these instructions

2. Configure Windows to not automatically power down the ''standard'' or ''enhanced'' COM ports installed by the Virtual COM Port Driver.

3. set the FTDX-3000's menu item 037 CAT SELECT to USB

4. set the FTDX-3000's menu item 065 PC KEYING to DTR

5. set the FTDX-3000's menu item 075 DATA IN SELECT to USB

6. set the FTDX-3000's menu item 077 DATA OUT LEVEL to 10 (may require subsequent adjustment to produce sufficient output level)

7. set the FTDX-3000's menu item 096 RTTY OUT LEVEL to 10 (may require subsequent adjustment to produce sufficient output level)

8. Proceed to the Tranceiver Control and mode-specific instructions below

FT-991 Setup

1. Install the Virtual COM Port Driver and Virtual Soundcard Driver by following these instructions

2. Configure Windows to not automatically power down the ''standard'' or ''enhanced'' COM ports installed by the Virtual COM Port Driver.

3. set the FT-991's menu item 060 PC KEYING to DTR

4. set the FT-991's menu item 070 DATA IN SELECT to REAR

5. set the FT-991's menu item 071 DATA PTT SELECT to RTS

6. set the FT-991's menu item 072 DATA PORT SELECT to USB

7. set the FT-991's menu item 073 DATA OUT LEVEL to 50 (may require subsequent adjustment to produce sufficient output level)

8. set the FT-991's menu item 098 RTTY SHIFT PORT to DTR

9. set the FT-991's menu item 101 RTTY OUT LEVEL to 50 (may require subsequent adjustment to produce sufficient output level)

10. Proceed to the Tranceiver Control and mode-specific instructions below

Transceiver Control (CAT)

1. if your transceiver's user manual indicates the presence of a CAT TOT (Computer Aided Transceiver Time Out Time) item in its Menu system, set this item to 1000

2. run Commander, and click the Config button on its Main window to open its Configuration window

3. in Commander's Configuration window, select the General tab and then set the Radio panel's Model selector to your transceiver model, e.g. FTDX-1200

4. in Commander's Configuration window select the Ports tab, and in the Primary CAT Serial Port panel

   1. set the Port# selector to the enhanced port created by the Virtual COM Port Driver

   2. select the baud rate, parity, word length, and stop bits that match your radio's settings

      • most Yaesu transceivers require 2 stop bits

      • recent Yaesu transceivers -- the FT-991, FTDX-1200, FTDX-3000, FTDX-5000, and FTDX-9000 -- perform well with a baud rate of 38,400

   3. set the DTR selector to Off

   4. set the RTS selector to Flow

5. on the Configuration window's General tab,

   1. check the Continuous Frequency and Mode Interrogation box

   2. set the Continuous Frequency and Mode Interrogation interval to 200 ms

6. On Commander's Main window

   1. the VFO panel should reflect changes you make to your radio's frequency via its front panel

   2. the Mode panel should reflect changes you make to your radio's mode via its front panel

   3. Modifying the VFO panel's frequency display contents and striking the Enter key will radio's primary VFO to the specified frequency; see Changing Frequency for information about the other ways you can change transceiver frequency from the VFO panel

   4. Clicking the Mode panel's buttons should change your transceiver's mode; see Changing Mode for additional information

   5. Clicking the Bandspread button will display a Bandspread window; see Bandspread Window for additional information.

PSK operation

1. On the PTT tab of WinWarbler's Configuration window, set the Mode to Xcvr Ctrl App, and set the Port to None.

2. configure WinWarbler for PSK operation

   1. in step 1 of these instructions

      1. set the PSK & RTTY Reception panel on the Configuration window's Soundcard tab to Microphone (USB Audio CODEC)

      2. set the PSK & RTTY Transmission panel on the Configuration window's Soundcard tab to Speakers (USB Audio CODEC)

   2. for an FT-991 or FTDX-3000, in step 2e of these instructions, set the Transceiver panel's transceive mode to Data-U

3. Set the Audio Input Level for PSK operation

4. Set the Audio Output Level for PSK operation

   • with an FT-991, can also adjust menu item 073 DATA OUT LEVEL

   • with an FTDX-3000, can also adjust menu item 077 DATA OUT LEVEL

RTTY AFSK operation

1. On the PTT tab of WinWarbler's Configuration window, set the Mode to Xcvr Ctrl App, and set the Port to None.

2. configure WinWarbler for AFSK RTTY operation

   1. in step 1 of these instructions

      1. set the PSK & RTTY Reception panel on the Configuration window's Soundcard tab to Microphone (USB Audio CODEC)

      2. set the PSK & RTTY Transmission panel on the Configuration window's Soundcard tab to Speakers (USB Audio CODEC)

   2. for an FT-991 or FTDX-3000, in step 3.i.i of these instructions, set the Xcvr Mode selector to Data-L

3. Set the Audio Input Level for RTTY operation

4. set the AFSK Audio Output Level for AFSK RTTY operation

   • with an FT-991, you can also adjust menu item 101 RTTY OUT LEVEL

   • with an FTDX-3000, you can also adjust menu item 096 RTTY OUT LEVEL

RTTY FSK operation

1. configure WinWarbler for FSK RTTY operation

   1. in step 1 of these instructions

      1. set the PSK & RTTY Reception panel on the Configuration window's Soundcard tab to Microphone (USB Audio CODEC)

      2. set the PSK & RTTY Transmission panel on the Configuration window's Soundcard tab to Speakers (USB Audio CODEC)

   2. replace step 3.i of these instructions with

      1. in the Modulation and transceiver mode panel's FSK section,

         • click the LSB button

         • set the FSK Control selector to ExtFSK

      2. an EXTFSK icon will appear in the Windows Task Bar along the bottom of your monitor. Click this EXTFSK icon to open the EXTFSK window; in this window,

         • set the Port selector to the standard COM port created by the SCU-17 driver.

         • set the FSK output panel to DTR

         • set the PTT output panel to RTS

         • minimize the EXTFSK window by clicking the _ button in the window's upper-right corner

         • the EXTFSK icon will appear in the Windows Task Bar whenever you operate in soundcard RTTY mode, but it will remember the settings you've established, so subsequently opening the ESTFSK window is unnecessary.

2. Set the Audio Input Level for RTTY operation

Post a question or suggestion on the DXLab group

Getting Started with Yaesu Transceiver Control

Connecting a Yaesu Transceiver to a PC

Setting up CW, Phone, PSK, and RTTY Operation

Getting Started with DXLab