TS-480, Signaling USB, Digipan

[W7HLO]

Except for some occasional intermittent issues, I now have my TS-480 and the pair of RRC's working fine on SSB and CW.  Now I'd like to get the digital modes functioning.  If I plug my  480 panel directly into the transceiver (no RRC's) and plug the output of the Signalink USB directly into the DIN plug on the transceiver, I get audio both directions and PTT works as it should.

Then I tried adding the RemoteRig boxes into the picture.  I ran a serial cable from Com 2 on the radio RRC to the transceiver, and plugged the output of the Signalink USB into the mic jack on the control RRC via Cat5.  I set com2 on both RRC's to 9600, 8 bit, 1 stop.  I'm not getting any audio to or from the radio to the computer and while the PTT on the Signaling lights up, it doesn't key the transmitter.

What am I missing?  And once I get this working is their anything else I need to wire/configure in order to use the Nano Ap?

[dj0qn]

To use CAT for rig control and for the Nano app, you need the serial  cable between COM2 and the TS-480 and set COM2 on both RRC's.

The Signalink does not use CAT for PTT. It uses VOX instead.  To make VOX work, you must change RTP to "continous" on both RRC's.

73,
Mitch DJ0QN / K7DX

[W7HLO]

Mitch I appreciate your quick reply.  I'm trying to get this working before I leave home on Monday.

I have a serial cable between COM2 and the TS-480 and I enabled COM2 on both RRC's.  I set the baud rate at 9600, 8 bits, 1 stop bit.

I will change the RTP to continuous to see if that fixes the PTT issue but I'm not getting any audio either direction so there must be something else I'm missing.

[dj0qn]

It is really very straightforward and it appears to me that you did it right. Basically, all you do is to plug the
output of the Signalink into the control RRC's MIC jack and pull audio out of its speaker jack. It will of
course need the normal adjusting, but many use this solution. Make sure that your program is using the
correct audio devices.

The VOX thing confuses a lot of people, since the USB port of the Signalink only provides audio and no CAT control.

73,
Mitch DJ0QN / K7DX

[W7HLO]

Thanks Mitch.  I think the confusion stems from the fact that the Signalink box provides a PTT signal as well as audio in both directions.  When I plug the output from the Signalink box directly into the DIN connector on my transceiver I get send and receive audio and PTT.  I now understand that there is a difference between a discrete PTT signal going into the DIN connector and CAT control to the radio's serial port. 

So, if I understand it correctly, the receive audio comes from the headphone jack on the TS-480 panel (or the SP jack on the control RRC) to the Signalink box, and the PTT is VOX controlled.  I assume the transmit audio is carried by the cable from the Signalink box to the Mic input on the RRC.  Given all that, what role does the COM 2 port play?

[dj0qn]

COM2 is used for CAT. Your program needs it for rig control, unless you don't need that.

73,
Mitch DJ0QN / K7DX