Connecting a radio over the network
Icom radios with built-in Ethernet or WiFi can be controlled over your network, with audio and the scope coming over the same connection. The agent connects to the radio the same way Icom's own remote software does, so the radio and the shack computer must be on the same network.
Check the supported radios list to see which radios connect over the network.
Prepare the radio
The radio needs Network Control turned on and a network user with a password. On the IC-7610:
- Connect the radio's Ethernet port to your router or switch.
- Turn on MENU › SET › Network › Network Control.
- Set a Network User1 ID and password in the same Network menu.
- Turn the radio off and on again so the change takes effect.
Other network radios have the same settings in their own network menus; see your radio's manual for the exact path.
Data modes: DATA MOD set to LAN
RTTY, SSTV and FT8 sent from the console reach the radio as audio over the network, and the radio sends them in its DATA mode. The radio's DATA MOD setting (on the IC-7300MK2, MENU › SET › Connectors › MOD Input › DATA MOD) chooses where DATA mode takes its transmit audio; it must be LAN, or those modes go out without their audio. On an IC-7300MK2 the console checks: if DATA MOD is set to anything else, the digital-mode panel says so and offers Set DATA MOD to LAN. Leave it as it is if you also run a program such as WSJT-X on a USB cable to the radio, which needs DATA MOD on USB.
If your router gives the radio a new IP address, the agent finds it again by itself: it remembers each radio's hardware address and, when a radio stops answering, looks for it on your network and reconnects at its new address, usually within a minute. Giving the radio a fixed address (in the radio's network settings, or as a reservation in your router) avoids even that short gap.
Add the radio in the agent
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Open the agent's setup page on the shack computer (see Installing the agent).
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Under 1. Connect your radios, click + Add another radio if the form isn't already open. Make sure Network is selected, not USB cable.
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The agent scans your network and lists what it finds under Radios on this network. A radio marked ready has Network Control on; one marked network control off was found but needs the setting above. Click a radio to use it. Click Scan again to look again.
To help tell several radios apart, each one shows its MAC (hardware) address, and its name on your network when your router gives it one. Radios you've already set up are listed too, marked Set up as with their name. An Icom doesn't say its model until the agent signs in to it. To be sure which radio is which, compare the MAC address with the one in the radio's network settings. Or give each radio a fixed address or a name in your router.
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If your radio isn't listed, type its address in Radio IP address.
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Optionally give it a Name, such as IC-7610 or Mobile. This is the name you'll see in the radio picker and the transmit log.
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Enter the Network user ID and Network password you set on the radio.
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Click Save & connect.
The radio's line on the setup page changes to Connecting to… and then Connected to IC-7610 · 12 ms, where the number is the round-trip time to the radio. The ID and password are stored only on the shack computer.
When you add a second network radio, the network user ID from the previous one is filled in for you.
Changing or removing a radio
Click Edit to change a radio's name, address or credentials. Leave Network password blank to keep the saved password. To remove a radio, click Remove, then Remove this radio? to confirm.
One connection at a time
A radio accepts one network remote session at a time. While the agent is connected, other remote-control programs (such as Icom's RS-BA1 or wfview) can't connect to the radio over the network, and the agent can't connect while one of them is. Close the other program if the agent reports that the radio refused the connection.
Remote power-on
Network radios can usually be switched on from your console, as long as the radio keeps its network connection while it's off. See Turning the radio on and off.