Connecting a radio by USB
Many Icom radios have a USB port that carries both CI-V control and a built-in sound card. One USB cable to the shack computer is then all the agent needs: it controls the radio over the cable's serial port and sends and receives audio through the radio's sound card. Check the supported radios list to see which radios work by USB. This article covers Icom radios; for the others see Connecting a Kenwood, Yaesu or Elecraft.
Before you start
- Use the radio's own USB port and a good USB cable straight to the computer. Avoid unpowered hubs.
- On Windows, install Icom's USB driver first. Download the driver for your radio from Icom's website. Without it, the radio's serial port doesn't appear.
- Close other programs that use the radio's port, such as logging or digital-mode software. Only one program can open a serial port at a time.
- Turn the radio on. The radio's serial port and sound card only appear while the radio is on.
Set up the radio
The agent needs two things from the radio's settings:
- CI-V over USB on its own. Set the radio's CI-V USB port to Unlink from [REMOTE], and turn CI-V USB Echo Back off.
- Transmit audio from USB. Set the radio to take its modulation (transmit audio) from USB. The agent operates in normal modes (DATA off) and in DATA modes, so set the source for both.
Where these settings live depends on the radio:
| Radio | CI-V settings | Transmit audio source |
|---|---|---|
| IC-7300 | MENU › SET › Connectors: CI-V USB Port = Unlink from [REMOTE], CI-V USB Echo Back = OFF | MENU › SET › Connectors: DATA OFF MOD = USB and DATA MOD = USB |
| IC-7610 | MENU › SET › Connectors › CI-V: CI-V USB Port = Unlink from [REMOTE], echo back off | MENU › SET › Connectors › MOD Input: DATA OFF MOD = USB and DATA1 MOD = USB |
| Other radios | The CI-V settings in the radio's SET menu | The modulation input settings in the radio's SET menu |
For any radio, your radio's manual has the details. Two things to know:
- Setting DATA OFF MOD to USB means the microphone plugged into the radio no longer transmits in normal voice modes. Set it back when you operate at the shack.
- If your transmit audio is too strong or too weak (watch the ALC meter), adjust the radio's USB modulation level, called USB MOD Level on the IC-7300.
Add the radio in the agent
- Open the agent's setup page on the shack computer.
- Under 1. Connect your radios, click + Add another radio if the form isn't open, then under Radio choose Icom on a USB cable.
- Under Serial port, choose the radio's port. Ports that look like a radio are marked · radio. If nothing appears, click Refresh.
- Leave Sound card on Find the radio's automatically, unless you have more than one radio on USB. Then choose the radio's sound card, which usually shows up as USB Audio CODEC.
- Leave Baud rate on Find it automatically, or pick the rate set on the radio. The automatic setting tries 115200, 19200, 9600, 57600, 38400 and 4800.
- Optionally give the radio a Name, then click Save & connect.
When it works, the radio's line on the setup page says Connected to IC-7300 over USB. If it says Connected but adds No audio: and a reason, control works but the sound card couldn't be opened; see Troubleshooting.
Power over USB
The radio's USB port goes away when the radio is switched off, so a USB radio can be turned off from the console but has to be turned on at the shack. See Turning the radio on and off.