Hi Folks,
Denis encouraged me to post to the forum regarding my recent experiences trying to operate in FT-8 mode using WSJT, Digirig Mobile, and an older Kenwood TS-440S that I purchased from an online estate sale auction in July. This post will become the sixth found under the search terms ‘Kenwood TS-440S.’ Previous posts were helpful, but they could not push me across the finish line.
After picking up my new Kenwood on July 26, I immediately began wondering if I could get it to do FT-8, and further delay the purchase of an expensive modern rig that has digital modes built in. Of the options that I found online, I was drawn to Digirig for reasons that most members of this forum would readily understand. By July 30, Denis confirmed that a Digirig Mobile pre-configured for RS-232 and a Kenwood TS-450 Digirig Cable Set (even though my radio is a TS-440S) would be the correct order, so I placed it. At about the same time I ordered the equivalent of a Kenwood IC-10 chipset from an Asian company. According to the TS-440S manual, installing a socket-based UART (PD8251AC NEC or equivalent) and binary/ripple counter (TC4040BP Toshiba or equivalent) will allow control of the radio from a personal computer. While I didn’t need CAT controls to do FT-8 through WSJT, I wanted them.
A week later my Digirig order arrived. I configured my Windows 11 PC and WSJT according to instructions and suggestions found in this forum, the WSJT-X User Guide and WSJT forum (main@WSJTX.groups.io | Home), and I connected Digirig Mobile to my radio per Denis’ pre-sale instructions.
I struggled for the next couple of weeks. My FT-8 reception was good and I invested so many hours trying to make my first contact that I knew my way around the WSJT program pretty well. I finally concluded that my radio was not transmitting when I put out a CQ or double clicked on someone else’s CQ in WSJT. WSJT thought I was transmitting, but I wasn’t. The IC-10 chipset was still on a slow boat from Thailand, so I had no CAT controls at this point. In WSJT my rig was set to ‘None” and I was using PTT by RTS. It was a real tease because I could see stations from all over the world, but they could not see me, no matter how many times I checked and re-checked Windows, WSJT, my radio and my cabling. There are limits on how stubborn I can be, so I finally reached back to Denis for suggestions on next steps. We did troubleshooting with his brain and my remote hands.
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We confirmed that my radio could transmit. When I pushed the PTT button on my hand mic, a red light turned on beneath the words ‘On Air’ on my radio. When I put out a CQ or double clicked on someone else’s CQ in WSJT, and WSJT indicated that I was transmitting, there was no red light on my radio. I was not transmitting FT-8 data. I had already proven this to myself beyond the shadow of a doubt. But why?
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My PTT by RTS configuration in WSJT was correct (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EtrkyisCnc).
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We made sure the audio from my computer reached Digirig by plugging a speaker into Digirig’s audio socket (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBFFI-31tU0).
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We rang out the Kenwood custom audio cable according to a schematic that Denis sent me. It was good.
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We simulated a PTT test by shorting sleeve (GND) to ring 2 (RIG_PTT) on Digirig’s end of the cable while the transceiver end of the cable was plugged into the radio. It should have keyed up the mic, but it did not.
Upon reviewing the TS-440S manual, Denis discovered that the ACC2 port had assigned PTT to pin 13 and not pin 9 like most other Kenwoods. While the custom Kenwood audio cable that I purchased was not bad per se, it was not the correct cable for my radio. Problem identified. Denis ordered a modified cable prototype, with PTT connected to both pins 9 and 13, for me to try.
While waiting for the modified cable, the IC-10 chipset arrived and I installed the chips in my radio. Upon powering up the radio with digirig in the middle and my computer running WSJT, I changed my rig from ‘None’ to ‘Kenwood TS-440’ and voila … I had CAT controls. I also noticed that now my ‘On Air’ LED would light when WSJT was transmitting, but just like before I wasn’t reaching anyone. Then I remembered a post that Denis commented on where someone with a Kenwood TS-440 said that the hand mic wouldn’t work if you had a cable plugged into ACC 2, and I wondered if the converse was true. So I unplugged the hand mic to see if ACC 2 would work (to see if I could actually transmit and be heard). No change. Lastly I remembered that the TS-440S has a microphone gain control on the front panel, and I turned it all the way up. The power needle deflected when I was transmitting and I made my first contact. That was August 26. Over the next eight days I bagged 58 DX entities on the 10 meter band and I’m having a blast!
The modified cable arrived, which would have allowed my radio to transmit while using PTT by RTS, but it’s not necessary since I’m now functioning with PTT by CAT and I can control my radio from WSJT on my computer.
I hope there’s a lesson or two to be gleaned from my experiences.
These links were very helpful:
Digirig Audio Settings and Troubleshooting - YouTube
Digirig Configuration and troubleshooting of PTT by RTS - YouTube
WSJT Radio Settings:
Rig: Kenwood TS-440S
Serial Port: for me, COM7
Baud Rate: 4800
Data Bits: 8
Stop Bits: 2
Handshake: None
Force Control Lines: leave blank
PTT Method: CAT
Mode: USB
Split Operation: None
Steve Judycki
N1JUD