The
ONLY interfaces on eBay to have been accepted and approved by the deveopers
the Ham Radio Deluxe software.
No point paying more for many "lesser" eBay copies when the
best simply costs less !
For whatever CAT/Logging
software you use.
Using the
ZLP Electronics eBay CT62
[1] Plug the interface 9
pin D type connector into you comport.
You need to know the correct comport number as
you will need to set this in your software. [see below].
If you don't have a comport these interfaces will work with a USB to
serial interface cable and often have better noise performance than
an equivalent USB interface when used this way.
[2] Plug the 8 pin mini din CAT connector into the radios 8 pin CAT/LINEAR/TUNER
socket (not the 6 pin data socket).
You WILL damage one
or more pins in the din plug if you get this wrong.
Damage caused this way is obvious as one or more pins will be pushed
back or broken, this is not covered by your warranty.
[3] Configure your software so as to raise the comports
"DTR" line.
The interface is powered via the comports DTR
line.
If you are
using the better CT62-P from the website,
you do not need to activate "DTR".
[4] Configure the software to the baud rate as set on the radio (consult
your manual).
Software and radio baud rates MUST match.
[5] Configure your radio so that the multipurpose CAT/LINEAR/TUNER socket
is to be used for CAT (consult your manual).
Some radios require the multipurpose socket to
be set for CAT via the radios menu system.
Click "connect"
or whatever your CAT / Logging software requires to connect to the radio.
If you are using a USB to serial interface cable / adaptor, then it
MUST be plugged in BEFORE starting your software.
I DO NOT RECOMMEND AUTO-DETECT, THIS CAN GIVE MISLEADING RESULTS.
If you have problems identifying
your comport, download, unzip and run the loopback
test program.
The loopback test the interface and also identify the comport used.
It will report "Comport[x] appears to be a ZLP cable". (or
similar).
Set your software to use comport [x].
If all fails try a rest on your radio and repeat the above.
If the test suceeds then the interface is fully functional.
Performance
compared to one higher priced eBay version.
Our
interface is the trace on the left whilst the higher priced, lesser
performing copy is on the right.

Performance Tests showing
low noise performance


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Noise
when using ANY CAT interface.
Although rare, from time to time I get questions regarding noise
being picked up when using HRD and CAT interfaces. Typically,
something along the lines of; "No noise on 10m 15m and 20m,
but noise on 80m" What is it and where is it coming from?
There are of course many forms of "noise", by far the
most common when using HRD and CAT interfaces is the noise that's
generated from your very own PC (or some peripheral attached to
it). This noise can vary from, no noise, to a permanent S9+. It's
most likely the noise from the PC simply being picked up by your
antenna "system". A good antenna system will pick up
very little noise, whilst an antenna system with one or more problems
may pick up so much as to make CAT unusable. If you have "noise"
being picked up, you can easily determine if the noise is being
picked up by your antenna system
[As there are other factors
including separation between PC and antenna, not everyone with
a poor antenna / radio match will suffer]. Simply disconnect the
antenna from the radio. If the noise disappears then you are on
the right track and you have confirmed that the noise problem
is actually an antenna problem. Your antenna should not pick up
vast amounts of noise from your PC. (That's assuming that your
PC is a reasonable distance from your antenna). You can then try
unplugging everything on your PC in order to determine if you
have one or more "noisy" peripherals. The first course
of action is to look at your antenna system and ask some simple
questions
[1]
Is the antenna a good match to the coax that's feeding it? If
your using any form of tuner at the side of your radio then the
answer will probably be no. Inevitably your antenna will be prone
to pick up any noise - the match between your radio and your coax
will in most cases be good 50ohm to 50ohm and you should put the
tuner between coax (50 ohm) and antenna (who knows what impedance?)
where it will function correctly. As well as removing any PC noise,
this action will also vastly improve your stations general performance.
[2]
Is the antenna being used on the band(s) it's designed for? If
not then you probably have a bad match and may be prone to pick
up noise.
So,
how do I get rid of the noise? - Simple, use an antenna that has
a good match to your coax. (or use a tuner in the correct place).
And use it on the bands where it functions correctly and doesn't
pick up all the PC noise. If you want to use a good antenna on
other bands where its not designed to be used you can expect to
pick up some noise, generally speaking, the worse the match, the
more the noise.
You may be able to reduce some of the noise to a lesser or greater
extent from radiating from your PC unplugging any "noisy
peripherals" that may be contributing. But as always, you
should first pay attention to the antenna where the majority of
problems seem to occur.
Want
to experiment? Noise can be picked up by simply making a small
random length wire antenna (3ft of equipment wire will suffice),
plug it directly into your radios antenna socket. Connect the
CAT and see the noise rise. Then plug in a decent antenna and
watch the noise drop to zero.
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