I have the Digirig and cable for the YaesuFT-3 DR , however I have not been successful with getting it to work. Any suggestions on settings on the radio and laptop for running Winlink VARA FM with a surface GO 2 windows tablet would be greatly appreciated. If you have been able to get it to work, please post your settings and what you did to get it to work (assume nothing lol).
Thank you
Matt
K5MML
I don’t have the same Yaesu HT, but I can help you troubleshoot.
From what I’m finding on this handheld it uses a 3.5mm TRRS connector so Yaesu HT cable should work for it. If you went ahead with the homebrew build then make sure the pinout matches this sketch:
You can confirm PTT by plugging in the angled connector into HT and shorting sleeve to the closest ring on the straight end. The jack may not be fully inserted if you don’t get PTT.
The straight end goes into Digirig’s socket labeled “audio”. In digital modes software select RTS as the PTT method.
Please give this a try and let me know if you run into any issues.
Thanks,I will give it a shot this week. I have the digirig manufactured cable for the FT-3.
Have you been able to get this working? I am also trying to get FT-3D working with VARA FM and haven’t been able to find any documentation.
John,
Please share what you tried and what results you got. I’ll help you with the setup.
Hi,
I’m having the same issues with the FT3D. Confirmed PTT by shorting Sleeve and Ring2 on the straight end of the plug. Does something need to be changed on the digirig itself? Audio is going on, but no PTT.
The needed change is in the digital modes software. In configuration select RTS of Digirig’s serial COM port as the PTT method. Hardware flow control signals (RTS, CTS, DTR) and handshake should be disabled in port configuration.
There is no serial / comm connection for the FT3DR it’s just the handmic connection at the radio
Yes, you don’t connect serial data lines to the HT. The PTT line that you do connect is controlled by the RTS signal of Digirig’s serial port so that needs to be configured as a source of PTT in the digital modes software. You are welcome to post the configuration screens if you are not sure about the options.
okay so I connect the Digirig to my PC , then 1 cable to my HT and somewhere I have a serial port to select ? Where do i find the Digirigs serial port? I mean I see the comm port in device manager and i set the PTT to RTS on that com port and nothing happens
You select the serial port in the configuration of the digital modes software in the section pertaining to PTT. Please post the screenshots of the device manager showing Digirig’s COM port and Winlink VARA FM configuration if you encounter difficulties.
This configuration checks out. I vaguely remember another configuration screen for PTT settings somewhere in Winlink/Vara.
Also, did you try the wiring test by shorting sleeve to the closest ring on the Digirig’s side of the cable while the other end is plugged into the radio? PTT will not work if the connector is not fully seated.
Shorting cable does not key the radio , however there is continuity when checked with a multimeter.
Sounds like the cable is not fully inserted. Is there a lip around the socket that jack’s molding is bumping against?
That was the issue , but no matter how I fidgeted with the cable it wouldn’t work , I used a aux-cable extender to make it work
If this is the older revision of the cable you might need to shave some of the molding to make it fit the socket better. The current revision has a narrower molding:
Has anyone else come up with a solution? I have an FT-3Dr with all the same issues mentioned previously… no joy. There is NO “com” or port for an FT-3D. So it is all based on audio. I just rec’vd this cable so I see no “shoulder” on the cable. So, looking for some remediation, thanks.
I just tested this out with my FT3D and new Digirig Mobile and cables purchased from Digirig. Unfortunately, my cables seem to be the “old style” without the shoulder, which is a little disappointing since I just bought them and plan on using them only with FT3D and FT5D HTs.
Using the instructions in this document (for Signalink, but still applies), I was able to get everything working. However, I had to physically press the cable pretty hard into the FT3D to get the PTT to work.
Also, my Windows 10 installation is pretty wonky about not persisting the soundcard settings for USB devices. This means that every time I reboot my laptop, I need to go in and check whether or not the Digirig USB sound card got set as “Default Communications Device” and “Default Device”. I’m planing on getting another laptop at some point which will be solely for field use, and will likely be running Linux as its primary OS rather than Windows.
Hopefully this information is useful.
