Connecting a Yaesu Transceiver to your PC
PC control of an Yaesu transceiver requires either an level-conversion interface or a RS232 cable, as a function of the model:
Model |
Interface |
FT-100 |
Yaesu CT-62 level-converting cable (see note below) |
FT-450 |
straight-through female 9-pin RS232 to female RS232 cable or Yaesu SCU-17 |
FT-736 |
Yaesu FIF-232 and RS232 cable; see note below |
FT-747 |
Yaesu FIF-232 and RS232 cable; see note below |
FT-757GXII |
Yaesu FIF-232 and RS232 cable; see note below |
FT-767 |
Yaesu FIF-232 and RS232 cable; see note below |
FT-817 |
Yaesu CT-62 level-converting cable (see note below) or Yaesu SCU-17 |
FT-840 |
Yaesu FIF-232 and RS232 cable; see note below |
FT-847 |
null modem female 9-pin RS232 to female RS232 cable |
FT-857 |
Yaesu CT-62 level-converting cable (see note below) or Yaesu SCU-17 |
FT-890 |
Yaesu FIF-232 and RS232 cable; see note below |
FT-891 |
|
|
- set Menu item 05-06 CAT RATE to 38400 |
|
- set Menu item 05-07 CAT TOT to 1000 msec |
|
- set Menu item 05-08 CAT RTS to ENABLE |
FT-897 |
Yaesu CT-62 level-converting cable (see note below) or Yaesu SCU-17 |
FT-900 |
Yaesu FIF-232 and RS232 cable; see note below |
FT-920 |
male 9-pin RS232 to female RS232 cable |
FT-950 |
straight-through female 9-pin RS232 to female RS232 cable or Yaesu SCU-17 |
FT-990 |
Yaesu FIF-232 and RS232 cable; see note below |
FT-991 |
|
|
- set Menu item 031 CAT RATE to 38400 |
|
- set Menu item 032 CAT TOT to 1000 msec |
|
- set Menu item 033 CAT RTS to ENABLE |
FT-1000, FT-1000D |
Yaesu FIF-232 and RS232 cable; see note below |
FT-1000MP |
straight-through female 9-pin RS232 to female RS232 cable |
FT-1000MP Mark-V |
straight-through female 9-pin RS232 to female RS232 cable |
FT-2000 |
straight-through female 9-pin RS232 to female RS232 cable or Yaesu SCU-17 |
FTDX10 |
|
|
- set Menu CAT SELECT to USB |
|
- set Menu CAT RATE to 38400 |
|
- set Menu CAT TOT to 1000 msec |
|
- set Menu CAT RTS to ON |
FTDX101 |
|
|
- set Menu CAT SELECT to USB |
|
- set Menu CAT RATE to 38400 |
|
- set Menu CAT TOT to 1000 msec |
|
- set Menu CAT RTS to ENABLE |
FTDX-1200 |
straight-through female 9-pin RS232 to female RS232 cable or Yaesu SCU-17 |
FTDX-3000 |
|
|
- set Menu item 037 CAT SELECT to USB |
|
- set Menu item 038 CAT RATE to 38400 |
|
- set Menu item 039 CAT TOT to 1000 msec |
|
- set Menu item 040 CAT RTS to ENABLE |
FTDX-5000 |
straight-through female 9-pin RS232 to female RS232 cable or Yaesu SCU-17 |
FTDX-9000 |
straight-through female 9-pin RS232 to female RS232 cable or Yaesu SCU-17 |
Note: older Yaesu transceivers designed to use the FIF-232 may not have a true TTL-compatible serial output: their SO (serial out) signal is "open emitter", which sources +5V for logic high and is open circuit (0V, high impedance) for logic low. This is not compatible with many of the RS-232 (or USB) to TTL converters that require a low impedance connection ("pull down") to ground for logic low. Typically, adding a 1.2 - 1.5K resistor between the SO signal and common ("ground") will enable operation.
If your PC has no free RS232 serial ports, you can use an USB-to-serial-port adaptor (e.g. from Belkin or ByteRunner), or you can choose an alternative interface that uses a USB interface rather than a serial port interface.
note: some CT-62 replacement cables from suppliers other than Yaesu use modem control signals for power; configure Commander accordingly
If you use one of your PC's USB ports, configure Windows to not automatically power down this port.
Commercial Interfaces
Arduino Serial USB board (foundation of a homebrew USB interface)
ZLP Electronics FIF-232 and CT-62 replacements (CT-62 replacement uses modem control signals for power; configure Commander accordingly)
Yaesu SCU-17 USB interface (included in FT-991 and FTDX-3000)
Interfaces known to work with 32-bit and 64-bit flavors of Windows 7 and Vista
You'll find product reviews of the above, along with more alternatives at http://www.eham.net/reviews/products/53