SDR-Control for macOS - Software user guide

1. About the App

SDR-Control for macOS is an App for your Mac to operate your Icom Radio via network.

1.1. Operate in any Mode

You can operate in SSB using the mac internal Microphone or use a Headset like Apple’s AirPods or another Bluetooth or USB Headset. You can also operate in CW using the integrated Keyer and CW decoder. Furthermore, you can operate in FT8/FT4, RTTY and other modes using the integrated decoding tools. Operating in these modes no longer requires external Software and cables. But if you wish, you can still use such external software because this App also integrates a CAT Server.

1.2. Local or Remote

Besides the possibility to connect to your Radio on your home network, where your Radio is located, SDR-Control also supports Remote Access to your Radio from around the world without the need for additional Hardware or Software. No Server is needed. It works, just with your Icom Radio. The only requirement is a Icom Radio that offers a network interface like the IC-705, IC-9700, IC-7610 or IC-R8600. Remote access using an IC-7300 is not possible as it only provides a USB connection.

Note

The App displays and can send back most values and settings to and from the Icom Radio. Some values (like the VFO Frequency and Waterfall) are exchanged real-time. Others needs to be polled from the Radio in regular intervals. For this reason, if you would use the physical controls of the Radio (except for the main frequency dial), changes are not or not immediately available to the App. Ideally, solely use the controls from inside this App.

1.3. Troubleshooting

In case of problems, please first have a look to the Common Issues section of the manual. If you can’t find any help there, please use the App included Contact Developer feature to contact me and I will be happy to help.

2. The manual

This manual explains how to setup your Icom Radio and the App and how to work with the App. Where possible and where it makes sense, the App uses the same abbreviations and terms for buttons and menus that are used by Icom for physical knobs and Buttons on the Touch screen. Those terms such as “P.Amp” (for Pre Amplifier) will not be explained in this manual because they can be looked up in the regular Icom manual.

This manual can be opened from inside the App or directly following this link: https://go-to.me/sdrcontrol-manual .

If you prefer a printed version, just tap here. This can also be used to save a PDF file of the Manual.

But please keep in mind, that this manual will be updated from time to time.

2.1. Videos

In addition to the manual and for those who don’t like to read manuals, there are also a few videos from popular HAM Radio bloggers in English and German at the bottom of the App’s website: ham-radio-apps.com

3. Requirements

SDR Control for Icom can be used for the following Icom Radios:

• IC-705 (via WiFi or USB)

• IC-9700 (via LAN cable or USB)

• IC-7610 (via LAN cable or USB)

• IC-R8600 (via LAN cable or USB)

• IC-7300 (via USB)

Note

USB is much slower than LAN or WiFi

Any of the Radios can be connected to your Mac using a USB Cable. However, a USB connection is slower so a LAN connection would be preferred. This means that the Radio should be connected to your local network using a LAN cable. The IC-705 only offers WiFi so it needs to be connected to your local network using WiFi. The IC-7300 only supports a USB cable.

Your Mac also needs to be connected to the local network, ideally also using a LAN cable but WiFi will work as well. When using WiFi, ensure you have a fast and stable WiFi connection.

The App doesn’t have any relevant RAM or Hard-drive space requirements. It runs natively on both Intel and M1 or M2 Macs.

The App requires at least Monterey (macOS 12) but also runs an any newer macOS Version like Ventura (macOS 13) or Sonoma (macOS 14).

The newest macOS Version is always preferred as the App takes advantage of some features only available in the newest macOS version.

If you have purchased the App once on the AppStore (thank you!) you can run it on several additional devices with any number of Icom Radios you own. No additional purchase is necessary. You only have to use one and the same Apple ID on all your devices.

4. Setting everything up

In order to use the App, you first need to setup your Icom Radio as described further below. Once that’s done, you can add your Radio to the list of Devices of the App and connect to it.

4.1. Setting up the Radio

Your Icom Radio needs just some basic setup to allow this App to connect to it.

For the Network supporting Radios, the Radio must be setup to connect to your local Network (via LAN Cable for the IC-7610, IC-9700 or IC-R8600 or WiFi for the IC-705) also the Radio setting “Network Control” needs to be enabled, and a username / password must be set in your Radio settings.

For the IC-7300 which doesn’t support network connections or in case you want to intentionally use a USB connection, only a few necessary USB settings must be set.

Detailed setup instructions of your Radio can be found in the attachment of this manual for all supported Icom Radios. Even if you already setup your Radio, please have a look to the setup instructions, specific for the Radio as well as the Network Considerations further below in this manual. A separate chapter Remote Access explains how to access your Icom Radio even from around the world, outside your home network.

Hint

If you have issues setting up your Radio, please have a look to the Common Issues chapter of this manual.

4.2. Adding the Radio to the App (Network)

After setting up your Icom Radio for Network access as described in the Attachment, start the App.

Note

If you see the message that asks for permission to use the microphone, please confirm this message with Ok as well as a possible message about a recent update.

Next click on Connect or the center of the Screen. The Radio chooser will appear with an empty list. Now click on Add to add information about your Icom Radio:

Here, you need to select Network as Connection type and enter the information you have collected during the Radio setup as described before. You can also enter a Title for your Radio.

The Low Bandwidth Connect feature is designed to minimize network traffic. This option is particularly useful when operating on unstable or slow network connections. However, if you’re on a stable and high-speed local network, you may choose to disable this setting.

The Auto Connect feature offers added convenience, especially if you operate just one radio. When this option is enabled, the app bypasses the “Available Radio” screen and automatically connects to your designated radio.

Important

Exercise caution when using the Auto Connect feature. Ensure that your radio is configured to maintain a consistent IP address. If the IP address of the radio changes, the app will be unable to establish an automatic connection. Should this occur, consult the ‘Common Issues’ section of this manual for troubleshooting guidance.

Once you click on Ok and back on the previous screen you will find your newly added Radio in the list.

To connect to your Radio, just select (highlight) the entry and click on Connect – or double click on the line in the list.

4.3. Adding the Radio to the App (USB)

If you are using a USB cable instead of your Network to connect to your Radio, you setup the Radio USB Settings as described in the Attachment of this manual. In this case, all Radios need to be setup in the same way as described for the IC-7300.

Next, connect the USB Cable between your Mac and your Radio and start your Radio and the App.

Note

If you see the message that asks for permission to use the microphone, please confirm this message with Ok as well as a possible message about a recent update.

Once you connect the USB cable to your Radio and your Mac, there will be three new Devices available on your Mac which is a new Serial device and two new audio devices.

Next click on Connect or the center of the Screen. The Radio chooser will appear with an empty list. Now click on Add to add information about your Icom Radio:

Select USB as Connection type.

Next you need to select the serial device for the Device: selection. The difficulty here is, that the name of this device may differ and is not related to your Radio’s name. If you are in doubt which device to select, just disconnect the USB cable, reconnect and see which device has been added after re-connecting the cable again. If you have additional Radios connected via USB it may even happen that they are called the same.

Audio is transferred from and to the Radio by two newly created audio devices for your Radio. Unfortunately, like for the serial device, the device names are not related to the Icom Radio and you may also need to find the correct device by experimenting with disconnecting and re-connecting the USB cable.

In any case, the correct three devices (serial and input and output audio) need to be selected in order to be able to access and use your Radio by the App.

Once your USB Radio has been added, you can proceed to connect to it just like explained before for a Network Radio.

Hint

If you have trouble to get the IC-7300 working, please check the common issues section further below of this manual.

4.4. Final settings (Important!)

Once you can connect to your Radio, don’t forget to adjust your ALC level as described further below. This setting can be found under Radio, IC-xxxx menu.

Second, you may want to decide how the App should leave the Radio after disconnecting. The App just changes a few settings but depending on how you want to use your Radio without the App, you need to decide which settings should be reverted after the App disconnects. These settings can also be found under the Radio, IC-xxxx menu after being connected.

Finally, in case you are using a Network connection, use the Network Stats Tool (under Tools) to see if you have a good network connection to your Radio. You should always have an error rate below 0.05% for a smooth operation. If the error rate is higher, you need to investigate for your network problems (see the common issues section for further help).

5. The Main Window

After connecting to your radio, you will see the main window which includes all the frequently used functions for controlling the radio and the waterfall display, as shown below:

The main window is divided into various sections, each with buttons, sliders, and meters.

Most buttons are labeled the same and function similarly to the physical or software buttons on the radio, and for this reason, they are not explained here in detail. Other buttons are unique to the app and will be explained below.

5.1. Buttons left and right clicking

Some buttons offer two actions. They can be (regular) left-clicked to quickly change a certain setting and to perform a certain function. For instance hitting PTT once will start transmission, hitting it again will end transmission or a quick selection like the FIL buttons where you can quickly select one of the three filters.

Additionally, some buttons can be right-clicked (using the secondary mouse button) to access further settings related to that button. For instance, if you right-click the aforementioned FIL button, detail filter options can be maintained:

5.2. TX Controls

The Tune button tuning feature can only be used if your Radio has an Antenna tuner included or if a tuner is attached to it. However, right-clicking on Tune can be used to generate a 10% AM signal even without using a Tuner. A framed Tune button indicates an active tuner.

The Mic button needs to be used to define the microphone input source for your Radio. The available sources can be selected by right-clicking this button. To use your local Mac (either the internal microphone Headset connected to your Mac) as microphone source, chose Net as selection (or USB in case your Radio is connected via USB). Also, double check your Microphone selection in the top Audio menu (gear Icon).

Note

When selecting Net or USB as Microphone source, you will see a dedicated audio level meter otherwise the Radio Compression meter will be displayed. Compression and Anti-VOX is not available when using your Mac as microphone source.

Right-clicking the power meter offers the option to replace this meter by the ALC or ID meter.

5.3. VFO 1 and 2 Controls

Depending on the VFO Mode and Radio model, the two VFOs are either called VFO A and B or Main and Sub.

Some Radios like the IC-7610 allows maintaining the settings of both VFOs at the same time. For others this is only possible for the currently active VFO. In that case, either click on the Main / Sub or VFO A / B buttons or on the VFO frequency to activate one of the two VFOs. All available buttons will get visible for the selected VFO and can be maintained as usual.

Right-clicking on the Frequency offers a screen for direct frequency input. Keep in mind that it must either be a frequency in MHz or kHz depending on the App setting.

5.4. Center Controls

These buttons are also similar to the buttons available on your Radio and are mainly responsible for the relation between the left and right VFO. For instance the M/S (or A/B in VFO Mode) will swap the left and right VFO.

Some buttons like SAT (for Satellite Mode on an IC-9700) or TR (for Tracking mode on an IC-7610) are only available for Radios supporting this function.

5.5. Waterfall Controls and the Waterfall

The slider on the top right side of the Waterfall section can be used to adjust the waterfall reference level.

Hitting the button left from this slider let you chose the Waterfall mode like Center, Scroll-F, Scroll-C or Hold.

In addition, right-clicking this button will show additional Waterfall settings.

Note

Waterfall fixed mode is not supported.

Note

Depending on the Radio capabilities, some features are not available in all Waterfall modes. For example, the Show TX setting only works in Center mode.

Further details are explained further below in the Frequency Tuning section of this Manual.

6. Supplemental Windows

In addition to the Main Window, you can open (and keep open) various supplemental windows through the View menu for enhanced operation.

These supplemental windows include, for instance, a separate Tuning Panel, RIT/XIT Panel, Memory Panel, Macro Quick Access buttons, and a DTMF Panel for sending DTMF tones or triggering a Repeater 1750 Hz signal.

Use the Tuning Panel Window to precisely adjust the VFO frequency:

This Window can be used to send CW:

Note

You can send pro-signs like BK by using the ^ prefix character (e.g. ^BK). pro-signs can not be send in live mode but can also used in CW Macros.

This Window can be used to operate in Rit / Xit mode:

For Radios supporting D-Star (DV) this Window displays the current D-Star status and displays received messages. From here, you can also set your D-Star settings.

7. Settings

In this App, you can maintain different types of Settings. First, there are general App Settings which are App and not Radio specific such as your HAM Radio information like Call-sign, Country, Locator etc. and your credentials for the integrated Call-Sign lookup features. These settings can be maintained from the SDR-Control, Settings Menu. Second, there are Radio specific settings which can only be maintained, once you are connected to a Radio. In this case, you will see another Radio menu at the top and a IC-xxxx submenu names according your Radio type which can be used to maintain the Radio settings.

And finally, there are the Audio settings which can be used to define your Microphone and Speaker source and volume.

7.1. App settings

The App settings can be found under the SDR-Control menu.

Note

In macOS Versions prior to Ventura, the Settings menu is called Preferences

As mentioned before, the settings here depend on the Radio you are using and currently connected to.

Most of these settings are self-explanatory. It might be worth to go though these settings and add / select your personal information and preferences.

In the “Information & Support” section, you can find the “Contact Developer” button in case you have questions or issues.

7.2. Radio settings

As mentioned before, the settings here depend on the Radio you are using and currently connected to.

The content of the Radio settings and the available options depend on the capabilities of the connected Radio.

An important setting here is the LAN input gain slider. Before you start working in digital modes like FT8 using the App you will need to maintain this gain slider for a correct audio signal. For this, look for a free frequency and start transmitting in FT8 (e.g. by calling CQ) and move this slider up from the lower position until the ALC meter no longer increases. For this, you can either watch the ALC meter on your Radio (as this must only be done once) or you can change the Power Meter of the App to display the ALC meter by right-clicking the power meter.

Under “Startup Settings” you are able to force the Mac as Microphone to be activated upon App connection.

Under “Settings after Disconnect” you can decide how the App should leave your Radio once you disconnect from the Radio. If you want to use your Radio with the locally connected Microphone once you are no longer using the App, you can select “Mic” for DATA ON and/or OFF mode for example. So if you forgot to change the Mic setting back from inside the App, this setting will ensure that you can use the locally connected Microphone after disconnecting.

You may see additional setting options here on the Radio settings screen depending on the capabilities of your Radio.

For instance, the IC-9700 offers a SAT mode so for this type of Radio you will see a button to maintain your SAT settings which are explained further in a separate chapter below.

For Radios that are providing Memory groups you can also maintain Memory group names.

Note

If you have already maintained Memory Group names on your Radio, Icom doesn’t offer these names to remote Apps so you will have to enter the names again here for the App.

7.3. Audio settings

The Audio Settings can be reached by clicking the top gear Icon.

From here, you can decide where audio (speaker output) should go to and where microphone input should come from.

Note

The audio settings within this app operate independently of your Mac’s general audio settings. This flexibility allows you to route system sounds through your Mac’s internal speaker while directing radio audio to a separate speaker. Thus, there’s no need to alter your System Audio settings; all adjustments can be made directly within this app’s settings screen.

If your setup lacks a microphone (as is the case with Mac Mini, which doesn’t come with an internal microphone), you have the option to uncheck “Enable Input Device.”

The Mic Threshold slider lets you mitigate ambient noise interference. Simply raise the slider to the desired level to filter out unwanted background noise.

Located at the bottom of the settings screen, you will find options for enabling and adjusting the volume of the radio’s internal speaker.

Should you experience audio dropouts, consider modifying the Buffer Size setting to improve performance.

Attention

This app is compatible with USB or Bluetooth headsets and speakers. However, you must specify your preferred audio device within the app’s Audio settings screen. Remember, these settings are distinct from your Mac’s System Audio settings. This separation enables you to, for example, use your Mac’s built-in speakers for general audio tasks (like web browsing and system notifications) while allocating a different device solely for radio usage.

Note

If you notice static noise at the beginning of your transmission, activating the Mic Delay setting may resolve the issue. This static is typically residual receive noise captured by the microphone as you start transmitting. If you’re using a headset, this option is generally not necessary and can remain disabled.

8. Frequency Tuning

Frequency tuning is probably one of the main activities when using the App. For this reason, there are several possibilities for frequency tuning:

• In Center mode: Move the waterfall to change the Center Frequency. Just click somewhere at the waterfall, hold the mouser down and move to the left or right

• In Scroll-F or Scroll-C mode: click-hold and move the VFO Frequency (the yellow line) to left or right.

• Double-click somewhere on the waterfall to move the currently active VFO to that frequency

• Use the Mouse scroll wheel to adjust the frequency

• Click on the VFO Frequency and get an input screen to enter a frequency manually

• Use the supplemental Tuning Panel window to fine tune a frequency (View Menu → Tuning Panel)

Here you can use the <<, <, > or >> buttons to tune the frequency down or up based on the Step settings.

You can use the tuning wheel for tuning as well. Depending on your personal preference, you can reverse the wheel direction in the App settings.

In addition, you can also tune the frequency by

• The physical VFO knob at the Transceiver

• Attach a MIDI controller such as the DJ2GO2 to your iPad via USB cable and use it for frequency tuning and more

• Assign keyboard keys (see Tools section of the App) for additional tuning options

9. Memories

Memories can be maintained, exported and imported from the Radio → Memories menu.

By double-clicking a line, you can enter or alter all available memory fields.

The available entries of this detail view depends on the Radio. Also, the number of available channels and memory Groups. For the IC-9700 there are basically no separate Memory Groups available because each of the three Groups are always already dedicated for a certain band.

To Export and Import Memories, just hit the top Utilities button.

Using this feature, you can exchange Memory settings between different Icom Transceivers. All fields that are not available in a certain Transceiver will just be ignored.

Import and Export always applies to selected Group so you can use Import and Export also to transfer the contents of one Group to another.

When maintaining memories, it is important to only use values valid for the Transceiver. For instance, if you would enter a Frequency, that is not supported by a Transceiver, such a Memory will not be accepted by the Transceiver.

You can use the supplemental Memory Window to quickly access or maintain memories.

Using the MW button, the current frequency can be stored to a certain Memory channel and given a name.

The MC button will clear the currently selected Memory channel.

The Show Memories in Waterfall option will, if enabled, display the Memory names at the frequency location in the waterfall as shown above. You can adjust the position and font size of these Memory-Spots in the App Settings.

10. Macros

It is possible to create CW-, RTTY, PSK- and Voice Macros. For maintaining your Macros, use the Radio → Macros sub-menus.

For easy access, the Macro Names will be used in the supplemental Macros view as follows:

This view always displays the correct Macros for the corresponding mode.

You can also assign keyboard keys for each Macro using the Tools → Keyboard menu:

Macros can use placeholder variables that will be replaced before sending. The available placeholder variables are listed in the attachment of this manual.

The assignment of RTTY or PSK Macros is similar to CW Macros. For Voice Macros you can record a message using the internal or attached Mac microphone. If you are using macOS Big Sur or newer, you can also use a Voice Synthesizer to generate Voice Macros.

For CW Macros, you can send pro-signs like BK by using the ^ prefix character (e.g. ^BK).

11. Advanced

11.1. Satellite Mode / Transverter

If you are using a Transverter or are operating Satellites, you may want to show the effective frequency in the App and even use the effective frequency for logging.

For this, you can maintain a frequency Offset under Radio Settings of the App. Here, you can set and adjust the Offset frequency independently for RX (Receive) and TX (Transmit). The translated display frequency will be shown below for your reference.

Remember, the TX frequency is always derived from the VFO displaying the red TX indicator. The indicator may change if you switch to Split, Dual-Watch or SAT Mode.

11.2. SAT Mode

The IC-9700 offers a SAT mode which is supported by this App. Activating SAT mode will result in the following changes:

• TR (Tracking) mode will be enabled

• DW (Dual Watch) will be enabled

• TX will change from the left to the right VFO

When TR (Tracking) mode is enabled, the TX frequency will automatically adjust in response to any changes made to the RX frequency.

Note

The App does not yet support automatically doppler-shift adjustment.

To adjust the Offset between RX and TX frequencies, first turn off TR mode, then adjust the RX frequency (which is now independent of the TX frequency), and finally, re-enable the TR mode.

Once everything has been setup, your Waterfall screen may look like this:

Both RX and TX VFO show the right frequency used for the Satellite. Moreover the band and mode indicators for the QO100 Satellite is available.

11.3. Switching the Radio on or off

A radio cannot be completely shut down by an App. It can only be put in standby mode or woken up from standby. To put the radio in standby mode, you can use the Power icon right of the Connect/Disconnect button. You can also configure a setting in the Settings menu to make the radio go into standby whenever you disconnect from it.

If you turn off the radio using the power button, you won’t be able to turn it on again with the app. To prevent this from happening and to bring the Radio into Standby mode instead of turning it off completely, you can configure a corresponding setting as follows:

For the IC-705:

Menu → Set → Function → Power Off Setting (for Remote Control) → Standby/Shutdown

or for other Radios:

Menu → Set → Network → Power Off Setting (for Remote Control) → Standby/Shutdown

Once this setting is configured, the radio will ask whether to power it off or put it in standby mode whenever you use the power button.

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1. Tools

Within the Tools menu, you’ll discover a variety of useful functionalities that enhance the capabilities of this App.

Tools such as the Network Stats Tool serve informational and debugging purposes. Others, like the Controller Tools, provide additional control features for the App. The Logbook tool can be utilized independently, even when not connected to the radio; however, all tools are fully integrated and operate seamlessly with both the App and your radio.

2. Keyboard Key Assignment

It is possible to assign Keyboard keys to Radio and App functions in the same way as it is possible to assign functions for MIDI controllers (see next chapters).

This feature allows you to not only map keys for Push-to-Talk (PTT) or CW keying but also for changing Bands, activating Auto-tune, launching the FT8 Tool, adjusting Frequency, and many other operations.

Within this section, you can enable or disable Keyboard assignments. To map keys to specific functions, click the Edit Mapping button to open the Keyboard Mapping Editor.

Use the Keyboard Mapping Editor to link individual Keyboard keys with specific Radio or App functions.

To add a new Keyboard assignment, click on the + icon at the top of the window.

To map a new key, click on the square field next to the “Key:” label.

Press the desired key on your Keyboard that you want to assign a function to. Modifier keys such as Shift, Control, Option, and Command can be used in combination with a Letter, Number, or Function Key.

Note

Some keys may not be assignable due to existing System or App defaults. An appropriate message will be displayed in such cases. Additionally, assigning common keys like letters, numbers, or arrows could interfere with data entry within the App’s text fields. To avoid this issue, it is recommended to use these keys in combination with modifiers like Control, Option, or Command.

Finally, click on the Assign button to select the desired Function.

3. RC-28 Controller

Under Tools → RC-28 Controller, you can configure your Icom RC-28 Controller, if available.

Once your RC-28 Controller is connected to your Mac via USB cable, you will be able to select your Controller as “Icom RC-28 REMOTE ENCODER” in the Device selection.

After selecting this device and checking the Enabled checkbox the Status should change to Connected. Should that not be the case, un-check “Enabled”, reconnect the cable and try again.

Once the device is connected, you can maintain button and wheel assignments of the RC-28 controller by hitting the “Edit Mapping” button.

From inside this Mapping Editor, you can push the buttons or spin the control wheel and will see the corresponding entry appearing or highlighting in the list.

Next, click on “Edit” to assign a function to the selected control.

4. MIDI Controller

Under Tools → MIDI Controller, you can configure so called MIDI Controllers such as the DJ2GO2 or “Behringer CMD Micro MIDI Controller” for use with the Radio.

The following MIDI Controllers are supported:

• Numark DJ2GO2

• Behringer CMD Micro

• Behringer CMD PL-1

• Hercules DJ Controller Compact

Other controllers may work as well but they are not tested.

The MIDI Controller needs to be connected to your Mac using a USB Cable.

Once connected, you can assign functions to Keys, Knobs and LEDs by using the Midi Controller Tool.

Use the Device selection to select the MIDI Controller you would like to use. Select the type of Controller using the Compatibility selection. If the list doesn’t contain the type of controller you are using, try the different types and see which one works best.

You can use the Standard / Default CMD Micro Key mapping or you assign your own keys by clicking “Edit Mapping”.

Ensure that you have checked the “Enabled” checkbox and the Status shows “Connected” before editing your mapping.

You can assign Functions on Buttons, Controls (or Wheels and Sliders) and LEDs.

For assigning functions to Buttons or Controls, just hit the corresponding Button or turn the knob or slider on your Midi controller. A line with the corresponding code of the Control will be added, if necessary and highlighted.

Now, double-click this line or click Edit.

Next, click on “Assign” to get a list of possible assignments. There are different assignments for Buttons and Controls. Buttons can trigger or toggle a setting whereas Controls can change values.

Select the desired Transceiver action and click on done.

LEDs need to be added in a slightly different way. First click on the (+) Icon at the top and select LED.

Now, you either need to enter the code for the LED on your MIDI Controller manually or you can try to hit a button which has an LED included. For some controllers, the code for the LED is identical to the code for the button but that’s not the case for all Controllers so you might have to experiment with different code numbers or get the codes from the manual. Once a code has been entered, you can hit Test so see if the desired LED turns on and off. Finally, you can click on Assign to decide when the LED should be turned on by the Radio.

5. CTR2 Controller

This tool enables the use of the CTR2-MIDI Controller, which is available for purchase from Lynn Hansen, KU7Q at https://ctr2.lynovation.com.

The controller serves as an interface for the radio, allowing operators to tune frequencies, adjust volume, activate PTT, and access several other features.

Additionally, it provides the capability to connect a CW paddle to your device.

The CTR2-Controller offers the flexibility of wireless connectivity via Bluetooth-LE or a wired connection through a USB adapter.

To pair the CTR-MIDI with your device via Bluetooth, ensure that the controller is powered on and in proximity to your device. Then, launch the CTR2 Controller tool and click the “Find CTR2 Bluetooth-LE Device” button at the top. The CTR2-MIDI should be detected within a few seconds and appear in the Device list. If the initial attempt is unsuccessful, close the tool, reopen it, and try again. Once the controller is detected, you can select it from the Device list under the name CTR2_xxxx whereas xxxx is a unique identifier different for each controller.

If you are connecting the CTR2-MIDI via USB, it will be listed as XIAO_ESP32S3 in the Device list.

After selecting the appropriate device and toggling the Enabled switch on, the status should update to Connected.

The controller comes with default mappings that allow you to use the knob for tuning, volume adjustment, and more. You can view and modify these mappings to suit your specific needs by clicking the Edit Mapping button.

Should you wish to revert to the default mappings after making changes in the Mapping editor, simply delete all mappings, close the editor, and reopen it.

When a paddle is connected to the CTR2-MIDI, it is ready for immediate CW operation. You can operate in CW as usual by using the CW View where you can also change CW Speed, Pitch, Side-Tone, etc. To swap the left and right paddle functions, you will find a corresponding setting under Tools > CW Keyer.

For additional information and a comprehensive manual, please visit Lynn’s website.

6. Network Stats

This tool is designed to assist in diagnosing network-related issues.

It provides insights into the network traffic to and from your radio.

Internet RTT represents the Round-Trip Time—the duration for a signal to travel to an internet server and back. Ideally, this value should be below 30 – 50ms. Higher readings may suggest problems with your overall network connectivity. Note that this metric is relevant primarily for Call Lookups via the internet and not for the link to your radio.

Radio RTT measures the Round-Trip Time to your radio. On local networks, this should be under 20ms. It is essential that this figure is less than or, at the very least, equal to the Internet RTT. If the Radio RTT is significantly greater (e.g., 1.5 times or double the Internet RTT), this points to local network difficulties, such as improper LAN cables, incorrect FullDuplex/HalfDuplex settings, or WiFi complications.

The Radio Packets section displays the count of received packets for specific types, along with the error tally and rate.

An error rate of up to 0.05% is generally acceptable, as the built-in error correction typically compensates for these without noticeable impact. Errors can occur momentarily, for instance, if the device is overloaded (like when switching to another app temporarily). Nonetheless, persistent errors might indicate underlying network problems.

Monitoring the error rate during transmission is also advisable. An increase in errors while transmitting is a strong indicator of an EMC/RFI issue.

Utilize the Clear button at the bottom to reset the error counter. This is useful for evaluating the impact of any modifications to your setup.

7. CW-Keyer

This tool enables users to generate CW using a CW-Paddle, connected to the USB Port of the Mac.

The USB Serial Cable type and a wiring diagram are provided in the attachment section of this manual.

Additionally, the same USB connection can be utilized for a Foot-Switch in Phone mode.

Note

If your CW Key is directly connected to your Radio. This CW-Keyer will not be used.

After connecting the USB cable to the Mac, the cable’s identifier or name should appear in the Cable selection menu. Make sure to select the appropriate cable before enabling the checkbox.

The Keyer Type selection offers four different key types:

• Iambic Mode A

• Iambic Mode B

• Iambix Mode B Strict

Note

A Straight key or bug is not and can not be supported as it is not possible to key the Radio remotely.

Enabling the Display Keyer Character in CW window option will show all keyed inputs in the CW Panel.

To modify WPM, Side Tone, or other CW parameters, open the CW Panel as if you were generating CW using the keyboard.

8. Band Plan

The Band Plan feature offers a comprehensive frequency guide for all HF HAM Bands tailored to your specific IARU region, including the recommended modes and maximum bandwidth as per IARU guidelines.

Note

To view the Band Plan applicable to your area, please configure your IARU region in the App Settings.

At the top, you can select if you like to see the General or QO-100 SAT Band Plan, which is also included.

Clicking on a band will reveal further details about the selected band.

By using the corresponding checkbox, you can make each Band Plan visible or not and by using the Settings menu you can select, whether or not, the Band limits and modes should be visible within on the Waterfall as seen below:

The label “10 Meter >” indicates the Band limits, while the colored lines denote various modes such as CW (green), Digital modes (blue), Narrow modes (cyan), All modes (red), Satellite (yellow), and other designations like Beacons or guard channels (gray).

9. Frequency List

Besides the ability to maintain Radio memories, the App also provides a possibility to maintain a frequency list.

9.1. Difference between Memories and the Frequency list

Memories are limited by the constraints of the Radio. Also, they are stored inside the Radio which is an advantage on one hand as they are available whenever you are using the Radio. On the other hand, they don’t allow maintaining and using a global list of frequencies for different Radios.

The Frequency list tool is a tool to maintain a global list of frequencies for using on multiple Radios. Frequencies are not stored inside the Radio but synchronized via iCloud. However, frequencies here are limited to store a the frequency itself, the mode such as AM, FM etc. a name, comment and tags. Additional parameters like DTCS or TSQL frequency can not be stored here as they are Radio specific.

Starting the Frequency list tool will show a window similar to this:

After starting the Logbook tool you will see your last logs.

This list can be sorted by clicking on the column header. You can enter a search term at the top to search for a certain term or filter the list as described further below.

When being connected with a Radio, double-clicking on a line in the list will tune to the corresponding frequency and change the mode. You can also hold the command key while using the arrow keys to change the selection of the list to tune to a frequency.

9.2. Two different lists – Built in and your own

The tool comes with several commonly used frequencies already included. This is the Built in list which will be displayed when the “Built in List” checkbox at the top is checked.

This list will be updated via Data update from time to time.

Note

If you have frequencies that you think might be interesting for others and you like to share, please feel free to send them to me via E-Mail, regardless of their format. I am happy to add them to this list.

The built in list can not be edited but it can be filtered or used as described further below.

If you un-check the “Built In List” checkbox, you will view a list that can be fully maintained by yourself.

Use the Add (+) button at the top to add individual frequencies.

Here you can enter a name, the frequency, select a mode add a comment and tags.

If you are connected to a Radio, Frequency and mode will be pre-filled your current frequency and mode.

Tags are useful for filtering your list. You can enter any number of tags separated by comma (,).

To filter your list, just hit the filter button similar to the other tools of this app.

From here you can quickly enable or disable your filters. Selecting a Mode or Frequency range will cause only those frequencies to be listed which are using the given mode and are in the given frequency range.

You can enter one or more tags, separated by comma (,). In this case, you will see all entries that are matching any of the given tags.

9.3. Mass change

Using the Utilities […] menu and selecting Mass Change or by right clicking, you can make changes which will be applied to multiple entries. This way you can change or add comments or tags or change the mode of several entries at once.

If you have multiple lines selected, the changes will only be applied to the selected lines. If no line or just a single line is selected, the changes will be applied to the complete list.

If you enter a tag, all tags of the selected lines will be replaced by this tag. If you would add a plus (+) sign in front of the tag, that tag will be added to all lines. If you would add a minus (-) the tag will be remove if it exists. If you want all tags to be cleared, just enter two minus signs (–) as tag.

Comments can be maintained in the same way.

9.4. Finding duplicates

If you have imported memories from different sources you may end up in multiple equal entries. You can use the Find duplicates tool under the Utilities […] menu to find and merge duplicates.

9.5. Import / Export

Once you have maintained a list of a certain size, I suggest to export that list to keep a backup. For this, just use the Export menu under the Utilities […] menu to write the list to a file.

You can pick the location where the file should be stored and the file name on the file selection screen. The file will contain all information, including comments and tags.

The exported file can be imported back again using the Import menu of the Utilities […] menu. When importing a file, the data will be added to the list so you may want to clear (empty) the whole list if you want it to be overwritten. For this, just press control-a (to select all entries of the list) and hit the Delete Icon at the top. Import formats

The tool can handle multiple different formats. The ideal format however is the format which is used when exporting the frequency list. This is a plain text file, semicolon-separated and with a header.

When importing a file, it must at least contain a header with certain column names. Fields can be separated by comma (,), semicolon (;) or tab which will be auto-detected. The following column headers are expected:

Header	Value
freq or frequency	The frequency in Hz
mode	The mode
name	The Name
comment	The Comment
tags	The Tags

Values of missing columns will receive default values. Extra columns will be ignored.

The majority of commonly available frequency lists can be imported this way. This also includes standard Icom Memory (.mem) files.

Files that are not using the necessary header names as listed above must be edited in a standard text editor before they can be imported.

Files in other formats such as XML or JSon files need to be converted to csv files before they can be imported. There are several online tools on the web that can handle this conversion.

Usually frequency lists are containing the frequency in Hz. If your import file is using kHz or MHz, you also need to edit the file before it can be imported.

10. Scanning

This tool enables users to scan various frequencies. Apart from Memory Group scanning, it runs the Scan on the Radio and compiles the results which will be displayed in a list.

Under Settings, you can define which type of scanning should be performed. Scanning begins after hitting the Start button.

While scanning, all frequencies where a signal was received will be added to the list, including it’s memory name (if available) the number of hits and the minimum or maximum signal strength.

Important

You can also run a Memory Group scan, even though Icom doesn’t provide this possibility for remote access. In this case, this Memory Group Scan will run from inside the App. For this reason, scanning speed is only one channel per second. If you have access to the Radio, you can run a fast Memory Group scan by selecting Memory as Scan type in the Scanning tool, hit the Start button but then start the desired Memory Group Scan at the Radio’s front panel.

Hint

You can mark Memories with Stars (*,**,***). To Scan only Memories marked with Stars, you can select Memory as Scan Type and select the corresponding Stars below the Scan type.

Clicking on a line in the list will stop scanning (if it was running) and tune to the corresponding frequency.

11. Call Lookup

The Call Lookup tool is designed to provide you with detailed information about a specific call sign.

Simply input the call sign into the top entry field to receive immediate basic information such as the Country, DXCC, CQ Zone, and ITU Zone. This data is sourced from the app’s internal database, which is periodically updated. Please note that this information is only accurate at the country level, with the location defaulting to the capital city of the respective country.

Note

The location information provided is based on the capital city of the country associated with the call sign.

Scrolling down, you will find a log of previous QSOs with the specified call sign.

To access more precise and comprehensive details like the operator’s name, exact location, or email address, you can utilize the integrated call lookup services such as HamQTH or QRZ.com. If you have registered accounts with these services, input your credentials in the App Settings for optimal results and a seamless experience using the HamQTH or QRZ.com lookup buttons. If you do not have accounts with these services, you can still use the ‘View on QRZ.com’ button to access the QRZ.com page for the selected call sign.

After conducting a call lookup via HamQTH or QRZ.com, the information displayed in the upper section of the app will be refreshed with the updated data.

Note

To utilize the QRZ.com lookup feature, you must also subscribe to the QRZ.com XML Data service.

By using one of these services, the Call Lookup window will reflect the enhanced data obtained, ensuring you have the most accurate information available.

12. DX-Cluster

The DX-Cluster Tool connects you to a variety of pre-defined global DX-Cluster databases or your local CW-Skimmer, displaying Spots directly on the Waterfall. You can also instantly tune to a Spot’s frequency by simply tapping on its entry in the list.

Upon launching the DX-Cluster Tool, click on ‘Start’ to begin retrieving data from the selected DX-Cluster server.

Double-clicking on a Spot within the list will prompt your Radio to tune to that Spot’s frequency.

Selecting a Spot and clicking on ‘Details’ (or right-clicking and selecting ‘Show Details’) will reveal additional information about the Spotter and the Call.

To access various Filter options, click on the Filter Icon at the top:

Please note that you can input single or multiple values in the fields, separated by commas, as indicated at the bottom of the screen.

You have the option to enable or disable these filters at the top of the screen.

Clicking on the Settings (gear) Icon allows you to modify various aspects of the DX-Cluster Tool. You can select from the predefined servers or add a new one by clicking the ‘Add’ button.

12.1. Map

To view all current DX-Cluster Spots on a map, click on the map icon at the top.

Alternatively, select “Show on Map” in the details view of a DX-Cluster Spot to see your distance and bearing to the Spot.

13. PSK Reporter

PSK Reporter is an excellent automatic propagation reporting tool for digital modes, including FT8 and FT4.

HAM operators can leverage PSK Reporter to gain a nearly instantaneous overview of the current DX conditions and determine who is receiving their signals globally.

This App seamlessly integrates with PSK Reporter in two distinct functions.

13.1. Submitting PSK Reporter Spots

PSK Reporter thrives on the contributions of reception reports from the HAM community. This App can automatically relay FT8 and FT4 reports to PSK Reporter when activated (accessible under Settings within the FT8 Tool or the PSK Reporter Tool).

Once enabled, the App will submit a list of received FT8/FT4 signals to PSK Reporter at five-minute intervals. Beyond the optional details about your antenna, no further configuration is necessary.

13.2. Viewing PSK Reporter Results

Conversely, the PSK Reporter Tool allows you to view the roster of stations that have received your signal.

To obtain a report of stations that can receive you, initiate a QSO or a test transmission on your band of interest. Then, launch the PSK Reporter Tool, enter your callsign at the top of the window (if it isn’t already pre-filled), and press the start button.

After the list populates with reports, you can select an entry for expanded details.

Please note that it may take up to 15 minutes post-transmission to view your results. This delay is due to each contributing listener updating their reports every five minutes, and the PSK Reporter system not allowing data retrieval more frequently than this interval. If you attempt to refresh the data before five minutes have elapsed, an appropriate message will be displayed at the bottom of the window.

To refine the displayed results, use the Filter Icon at the top to select a specific Mode and Time frame.

Enhance your data analysis by visualizing all receiving locations on a map. Switch to map mode by clicking the Map Icon at the top.

For an interactive experience, the map mode presents all receiving stations’ locations.

Remember, the more HAMs contribute their reports, the richer the data set becomes, enhancing the utility of PSK Reporter for everyone in the amateur radio community.

14. Alerts

Alerts are designed to notify you with an alarm and highlight entries in the Logbook, DX-Cluster, FT8/FT4, or RTTY tools when specific criteria are met.

You have the ability to configure multiple Alert settings. Click the ‘Add alert’ button to create a new setting, which you can then fine-tune in the ‘Alert Details’ section.

Within the title area, input the desired criteria for an alert.

For most fields, you can input multiple terms or numbers (e.g., multiple prefixes) separated by a comma (,), indicating that any of these prefixes will trigger the alert.

When you apply more than one criterion (e.g., prefixes and bands), all criteria must be met for the alert to sound.

Hint

As a general guide: horizontal = ‘OR’, vertical = ‘AND’

In the given example, this means that the alert will be activated if any of the specified countries (DXCC 5,6,9…) are spotted on the 20 or 40 Meter bands.

At the top of the Alert tool, you can choose a color for highlighting alerts and select the sound to be played. It’s possible to enable or disable all alerts simultaneously or individually for each tool. Once alerts are activated, you can also swiftly toggle them on or off from within each tool using the alerts toolbar icon.

The logbook will merely highlight matching entries without producing an alert sound. This feature can be beneficial for testing your alert settings, as it allows you to identify which logbook entries meet your specified criteria.

15. Logbook

The included Logbook was implemented with the idea in mind to offer a quick and easy logging feature to this App which should already provide all basic requirements for day to day logging.

The integrated Logbook is designed to provide a quick and efficient logging solution within the App, meeting all the essential needs for routine logging activities.

You can export (and import) logs in ADIF format to facilitate logbook data interchange with other logging programs, or export your logs in Cabrillo format for contest submissions.

Note

To export a specific segment of your complete log, apply a filter to narrow down your logbook entries and then enable the Export only filtered Log entries option in the Settings.

Upon launching the Logbook feature, your most recent log entries will be displayed.

Sorting the list is as simple as clicking on the column headers. A second click will reverse the sort order.

To modify an existing QSO entry, select the entry and click on edit, or double-click the entry.

Here, you have the flexibility to manually adjust all log fields or have them auto-populated using the HamQTH or QRZ.com lookup functions by pressing the corresponding button.

15.1. Settings

The logbook offers a variety of customization options.

In the Log File section, you can opt to save your log locally on your hard drive or use iCloud for storage. When utilizing iCloud, your log will automatically sync across all your devices. To enable this feature, iCloud must be activated in the App Settings, and both iCloud and iCloud Drive must be turned on for your Mac and any other devices you wish to use for log sharing. This synchronization allows you to access your log on other Macs, iPhones, and iPads with FT-Control, SDR-Control, SmartSDR, and HAM-Toolbox Apps.

The Operator Call Sign is recorded in your log with each new QSO. This call sign may differ from the primary call sign specified in the App Settings. For example, you might use the /P suffix for portable operations.

Tools like the FT8 Tool will highlight previously contacted call signs in a distinct color. The Mark as “Worked before” setting allows you to define when a call sign should be considered as having been “worked before.”

In the Contest settings, the logging tool can auto-fill the RST fields and tag QSOs in your log with the appropriate Contest ID. Additionally, the auto-generated Serial numbers can be utilized as variables in Macros.

15.2. Filtering

The Logbook includes a filtering feature that can be accessed using the Filter button.

15.3. Utilities

The Utilities button allows you to Import or Export your logbook.

Hint

If you wish to export specific segments of your Logbook, utilize the logbook filter (e.g., to isolate logs from the past 24 hours) and activate the Export only filtered Log Entries option in the Logbook Settings.

15.3.1. Complete logbook data

The Complete logbook data feature meticulously processes each logbook entry to automatically populate missing information based on the following configurations:

This function allows for the automatic addition of Names, QTHs, Countries, etc., of your QSO partners after concluding multiple QSOs. If you choose ‘None’ for the “Update using:” option, the system will only fill in fields that are evidently missing, such as an empty Band field when the frequency has been inputted.

15.3.2. Mass changes

To change many fields at once, for example add the contest ID to all QSOs of the past two days, you can use the Mass change utility.

Only the ticked (checked) changes will be applied when hitting Apply changes. To apply the changes only to certain logbook entries, use the filter. For the comment field, you can use a + prefix to let the text after the + be appended to existing comments. A – sign will do the opposite and remove any occurrences of the text after a -. If no + or – is used, the new comment will always override any existing comment.

From here, you can also delete the entire logbook or the filtered logbook entries. For example, if you like to remove all logbook entries older than four years, just use the date filter to filter from (e.g. 1.1.1900) to a date four years ago. After applying the filter, you should only see older log entries. Now you can use the Delete Logbook entries button in the Mass change utility to delete those old entries.

15.3.3. Find duplicates

The find duplicates utility can be used to identify and merge duplicate logbook entries. Entries are considered duplicate if they contain the same call-sign, band and the time of the QSO is nearly the same. The maximum time difference between duplicate QSOs can be entered in the Logbook settings. You are able to review found duplicate QSOs before letting them be merged.

15.4. Logging a New QSO

To log a new QSO, you have several options available:

• Within the Logbook Tool, click the (+) Add Icon.

• From the View menu, select “Log new QSO.”

• When the Waterfall is the active window, press Option-Command-L (or any other assigned keyboard shortcut).

• The FT8 Tool will automatically open the logging window after completing a QSO (only if auto-logging is turned off).

The logging window that appears will be pre-filled with information based on the current VFO settings:

To log a new QSO, simply input the callsign of the station you contacted and click the “Save” button. This will record the contact information in your Logbook.

Next to the callsign entry field, you’ll see additional data about the station, such as QTH (location), distance in kilometers and miles, and both short path (SP) and long path (LP) details. This section also indicates if the callsign is already in your Logbook.

Click the Spy-Glass button for a detailed lookup of the callsign, which will provide more comprehensive information.

15.4.1. Time Stamps

The QSO Start Time is set to the moment you open the log entry window. To update the QSO End Time automatically, click the black clock icon to the right of the time display; this will refresh the end time every second.

15.4.2. Field Locking

Some fields have a lock icon on their right. By enabling this lock, the data you’ve entered in these fields will stay unchanged, even after saving and starting a new QSO entry. This is handy for details that don’t change across multiple QSOs.

15.4.3. Custom Fields

If you activate Custom Fields in the Logbook Settings, three additional input fields will become available. For each, you can choose the corresponding ADIF (Amateur Data Interchange Format) field from a dropdown menu.

Custom fields are particularly useful for niche activities like POTA (Parks on the Air), SOTA (Summits on the Air), SAT-Mode (Satellite Mode), or any other operation where you need to log specific QSO details not usually required.

15.4.4. Keep the Log Window Open

In the bottom-right corner of the window, there’s a push-pin icon that determines whether the window closes after saving a QSO. If the push-pin icon is crossed out, the window will close upon clicking “Save.” If the icon is not crossed out, the window will clear the current entry fields and stay open for efficient, consecutive logging.

15.5. Log Submission to Other Apps via UDP

For HAM radio operators who wish to integrate their logging activities with other software on their Mac or Windows PC, our App offers a seamless UDP log submission feature.

This convenient functionality can be activated within the App Settings. Once enabled, every new log entry you make will automatically be transmitted to your chosen logging program. Additionally, the Log detail screen includes a “UDP Broadcast” button, allowing you to manually send any previous or modified log entries.

To set up UDP Log transmission, input the IP Address and the specific UDP Port of the computer running your preferred logging software. If the software is operating on the same Mac, simply use the loopback IP Address, 127.0.0.1.

This App is compatible with multiple UDP log submission standards, catering to a variety of user preferences:

1. N1MM or Log4OM Format

This format is recognized by N1MM, Log4OM, and other primarily PC-based logging programs.

2. WSJT-X Format

Adopted by WSJT-X, this format is compatible with any logging software capable of receiving WSJT-X UDP logging data.

The appropriate port for each format will depend on the logging program you are using. Some programs permit custom port configuration, while others may require a default port number. It is crucial to ensure that the port number specified in the App matches the one set in your logging software.

By using the Test button, you can dispatch a trial log entry to confirm the successful reception by your logging program.

15.6. QSO Confirmations (QSL)

You can submit Logged QSOs to LOTW, QRZ.com, ClubLog, eQSL.cc, and CloudLog. QSO confirmations can be received from LOTW and QRZ.com.

Note

Before you submit any QSO to any of these services, please double-check if you have entered all the necessary information under SDR-Control → Settings in the HAM-Radio tab. The “Logging information” section is particularly important because some of this information will be submitted along with your log.

The QSL feature can be accessed by clicking the QSL icon at the top of the Logbook screen.

Upon clicking this icon, the following QSL screen will appear:

There is a tab for each supported QSL Service. Each Service (except Paper Log) requires credentials to be entered to use the service.

15.6.1. Preferences

To enter your credentials, select the appropriate tab for the Service you wish to configure and click on the Preferences button.

Each Service requires different information.

For QRZ.com, you need to obtain your QRZ.com API Key from the QRZ.com website. To do this, log in to QRZ.com, click on ‘My Logbook’ (located under the dropdown menu with your callsign), and then click on ‘Settings’ on the right. In the ‘QRZ Logbook API’ section, you can reveal your API Key by clicking on ‘Show’. Copy and paste this API Key into the QRZ.com Preferences screen in the app. Please note: Access to this feature requires a QRZ.com subscription. For more information, visit the QRZ.com website.

For LOTW, the preferences screen is as follows:

Here, you must upload a .P12 file and enter your LOTW website login credentials. The LOTW .P12 file is generated using the TQSL software from LOTW.

Warning

TQSL Version 2.7.1 is incompatible with macOS. To create a macOS-compatible .p12 file, use TQSL Version 2.7.2 or newer and enable macOS compatibility. Open TQSL, go to ‘TQSL -> Preferences’, and check ‘Export P12 files compatible with Apple Keychain’ and ‘Enable passphrases for Callsign Certificates.’ These settings are specific to the macOS version of TQSL. Windows users should use an older version, like 2.6.5, which is macOS compatible.

Launch TQSL, go to the ‘Callsign Certificates’ tab, and select your certificate from the ‘tQSL Certificates’ list.

Then click on “Save Callsign Certificate…” on the right. Choose a directory and filename for the file.

You will also be prompted to create a passphrase. It’s important to use a passphrase for security, and it should be different from your LOTW password.

Important

On a Mac, all Certificate files must be password-protected. If you have a previously created .P12 file without a passphrase, it will not work on a Mac. You must create a new file with a passphrase.

These steps are applicable to both Windows and Mac users. In the SDR-Control LOTW QSL Preferences, click “Load .P12 file” and navigate to the file’s location. When prompted, enter the passphrase you created earlier.

Note

The App securely stores all information in the local macOS Keychain. Consequently, macOS may ask for your Mac’s password. This is distinct from your LOTW Password or the passphrase.

For CloudLog, input your CloudLog server’s address, including ‘http://’ or ‘https://’. If your server uses a non-standard port (not 80 or 443), append it to the address after a colon. Enter the Station ID and API Key as well. For additional details, refer to the CloudLog website.

15.6.2. Send New QSLs

When you have “Unsent QSLs” (QSOs that you’ve logged but haven’t yet submitted), simply press the “Send new QSL now” button to submit these pending QSOs to the chosen Service.

15.6.3. Check for New QSLs

For both LOTW and QRZ.com, it’s possible to retrieve QSO confirmations from other HAMS for the QSOs in your logbook. To do this, click the “Check for new QSLs” button.

15.6.4. Download QSOs

With LOTW and QRZ.com, you also have the option to download all the QSOs stored on these platforms. This is particularly helpful if you’ve misplaced some or all QSOs in your Log. By clicking the button, all QSOs will be imported into your Logbook. However, be aware that LOTW and QRZ.com may not retain every possible QSO field. After downloading QSOs in this manner, you might notice duplicates in your log. To tidy up your log, utilize the “Find duplicates” feature found in Utilities.

15.6.5. QSLs in Logbook

Highlight all QSOs for which you’ve received a confirmation by selecting LOTW and/or QRZ.com under QSL in the Logbook Settings.

Moreover, each QSO in the log has a QSL tab on the QSO Details screen.

On this screen, you can manually select or deselect QSO confirmations (for example, for Paper QSL cards you have sent).

If you need to mark multiple QSOs simultaneously, apply the Filter feature of the Logbook to isolate the desired QSOs and then use the “Mass change” Utility.

16. CW Decoder

The CW Decoder Tool can be used to decode CW signals.

Once you tune to a CW signal and hit the RX button, the tools starts to decode CW signals.

Depending on the noise on the frequency you may see random characters instead of well decoded CW. You can always hit the Erase button to clear the receive section

The CW decoder will try it’s best to identify the speed of the other station which will be displayed at the top. Identifying the speed will require receiving at least two characters so the first characters of a submission might get lost or could be wrong. You can prevent this in case you already know the speed of the other station. In this case, you can uncheck the Auto checkbox and enter enter the expected speed as WPM.

You can also use the SQL-Slider to eliminate the noise characters but this will even make it harder to find the correct speed.

17. HF Fax

This Tool allows to receive, display and store HF Fax or Weather-Fax (WeFax) transmissions often used for submitting weather maps and weather information.

To use this tool, first either tune to the desired frequency manually and select “Manual” for the Freq: selection or select one of the predefined entries of the list.

For these preselected entries, values for RX Offset, LSB and Inverted will be set automatically.

Hitting the RX button will start receiving. If the “Auto Start” checkbox is on, the Tool will wait for the synchronization signal until anything is displayed. Otherwise receiving starts immediate.

Using the slider at the top, you can adjust the image offset if the start of the image has not been detected automatically.

The clock adjust entry can be used to adjust the slant of the image due to a clock inaccuracy.

The Erase button will clear the received image.

The Save button can be used to save the received image as .png file.

If you check the Auto save checkbox, you will be prompted for a directory, where to store all received images separately.

18. POTA

The POTA Tool presents Parks on the Air (POTA) spots in a manner akin to how the DX-Cluster tool displays regular spots.

POTA Spots can be visualized on the Waterfall. You have the capability to swiftly navigate to the specific frequency of a POTA Spot and import Park details into the Logging Window.

Upon initiating the POTA Tool, within a brief interval, you will observe all spotted POTA stations.

By right-clicking on an entry in this list, you can access additional information about the Park, the Activator, or adjust your Radio to the precise frequency of the spot.

Note

Tuning directly to the spot will not be effective for FT8, as the published frequency is not the precise FT8 frequency. To locate POTA Activators on FT8, you must manually open the FT8 Tool.

Furthermore, if you had previously opened the logging window, logging details will be automatically populated.

In this view, you can observe the POTA data pre-populated in the logging window. Take note that the Custom fields are activated here (refer to the Logbook chapter for further details on Custom fields).

Note

For FT8 operations and to utilize this feature, ensure both auto-logging settings are deactivated, otherwise FT8 QSOs will be logged without the supplementary POTA information.

18.1. Map

By selecting the MAP button, you can display all current POTA stations on a Map.

19. RTTY

The App integrates an RTTY decoder/encoder to facilitate operation in RTTY mode.

Due to the limitations of the Icom RTTY Mode, the App does not utilize the transceiver’s native RTTY functions. Instead, it implements its own RTTY encoder and decoder, which often outperforms the built-in decoder.

Selecting RTTY from the Modes menu will bring up the RTTY main screen.

19.1. Upper blue RX part

In the upper (blue) RX section of this screen, you can adjust all parameters for RTTY operation. Incoming text will be displayed below.

The Freq and Preset options are provided for convenience. The Freq selection switches to a specific band segment commonly used for RTTY and adjusts all necessary settings for RTTY operation. This list includes frequencies of known Weather stations that transmit in RTTY. The Preset selection offers a list of common Mark/Shift and Baud settings. Alternatively, you can manually tune to the desired frequency or adjust the Baud rate as needed.

Clicking the RX button initiates the reception process. The RTTY tool always uses the left main VFO. Once engaged, additional parameters like mode, mark, and space frequency will be set automatically.

Below the blue area, all received characters will be displayed.

19.2. Lower red TX part

By clicking on the TX button, text entered into the Text field will be transmitted. Alternatively, selecting the Live checkbox will start transmission shortly after typing begins and will end automatically when typing ceases.

19.3. Operating in RTTY

After tuning to the desired RTTY frequency using the regular frequency tuning methods and clicking the RX button, all incoming text will be displayed. Note that weak signals may result in some garbled text.

To tune into another RTTY signal, you’ll notice two yellow lines on the waterfall representing the Mark and Space frequencies. These lines must align with the corresponding lines of the target signal on the waterfall. For precise tuning, use the scope feature of the RTTY tool. The ellipses should resemble those shown in the screenshot above.

When a call sign is received, it will appear in a distinct color. A blue color signifies a new contact. Call signs already logged will show in gray. Your own call sign will appear in green.

Clicking on a colored call sign will transfer it to the DX: field for logging and macro usage (see below). Right-clicking a call sign provides additional information such as country, DX, ITU-Zone, etc.

Text that has been transmitted will also be displayed in red.

Pressing the LOG button will open the Log Entry view to record your RTTY QSO.

To clear the entered text, click the Erase button at the top once for the lower TX field. Double-clicking the Erase button will clear the RX section as well.

19.4. Using Macros

You can maintain separate RTTY Macros by clicking the Macros button at the top of the RTTY screen.

From here, similar to CW or Voice Macros, you can maintain a Macro title, a hotkey and the text which should be sent if the Macro is called.

To uses these Macros, just use the View → Macros Menu to display the Macros panel. This panel always displays the right Macros (CW-, Voice-, RTTY) for the mode of the currently active slice.

Like for CW or Text-To-Speech Voice Macros, also RTTY Macros can use variables like {CALL} which are replaced before being sent.

If you either hit the hot-key (if maintained) or click the button, the Macro text with possible substitutions of the variables will be added to the Text entry below the red TX area just as if you would have typed in this text. This text will get sent, once you hit the TX button or immediately if you have checked the Auto TX checkbox.

You can also right-click a Macro button to see, what would actually be sent in case you don’t remember exactly what’s behind a certain Macro or to see how variables will be substituted.

20. PSK

The App integrates a PSK decoder / encoder to operate in one of the six supported PSK modes.

Selecting PSK from the tools menu will display the PSK main screen…

…and the PSK RX List window.

20.1. Operating in PSK

To start operating in PSK, first select the desired Frequency/Band using the Freq: selection. This way, the Radio will be tuned to the common frequencies that are usually used for PSK. If you want to operate on a different frequency, just select “Manual” and tune the VFO to the desired frequency.

In the Mode: selection, you can chose which of the six PSK modes you like to use. The most common mode is “BPSK-31”.

Once you hit the RX button, decoding will start and if signals were found, they will be listed in the separate PSK RX List window as shown above.

This list contains all current decoding of the complete filter spectrum. Decodings are ordered by frequency. The PSK frequency is displayed in the left column and a brief summary of the decoding on the right.

You can now pick one frequency by clicking on a line in the list. The line will then be displayed highlighted in red and the PSK main window will take over the PSK frequencies in the RX and TX fields. Also, the main window will start decoding.

Decoded call-signs will be highlighted like in the other FT8 or RTTY tools. You can click on a call to take it over to the DX field. This way, it is easier to use variables like {CALL} in PSK Macros for answering calls.

By clicking on the TX button, everything that has been entered in the lower text area will be transmitted. Instead of using the TX button, you can also check the Auto TX checkbox. In this case, transmission will begin shortly after something has been typed and will automatically end if you stop typing.

Like RTTY, PSK makes much sense in combination with Macros. As mentioned before, you can maintain PSK Macros and use variables. The Attachment of this manual contains a list of available Variables.

To log a QSO, you can just hit the LOG button. Several fields, including the DX callsign, will be prepopulated so you just have to click on “Save QSO” to add the new entry to your Logbook.

For calling CQ yourself, you won’t click on a line of the PSK RX List but instead enter the desired PSK frequency manually in the TX: field.

Using the SQL Slider, you can mute PSK decoding of noise. Just increase the slider until you don’t see any erratic characters of being decoded. Keep in mind that using this Squelch option may cause a few first characters to get lost.

You can enable/disable Alerts by clicking the Alerts Icon at the top. To maintain your Alerts use the Alerts Tool under the Tools menu. Alerts will ring for each call occurring in the PSK RX List.

21. FT8

This tool enables HAM Radio operators to utilize and operate the popular digital modes FT8 and FT4, which were invented by Nobel Prize laureate Joe Taylor, K1JT.

The screen above shows a typical FT8 QSO.

21.1. Foreword (please read)

I had the pleasure of meeting Joe in Dayton in 2019. His lecture was the catalyst for me to prioritize the integration of this feature into my iOS App <https://roskosch.de/smartsdr-features/>. Grasping his method for encoding and decoding FT8 messages was a learning curve, involving a deep dive into FFT (fast Fourier transformation). I’m proud to say that this Mac App now boasts a comprehensive FT8/FT4 Tool.

We owe a debt of gratitude to Joe Taylor <http://www.physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/K1JT/index.html>, the architect of this exceptional mode.

21.2. Requirements / Features

This App seamlessly supports both FT8 and FT4 modes. While Contest/DX-Pedition mode isn’t natively supported, you can still engage in hound mode to pursue DX-Peditions (for a detailed guide on this, refer to the section below).

The App features an AUTO mode for the automated generation of response messages upon receiving communications. It also includes Auto Logging to effortlessly record every QSO without manual input. To help avoid duplicate contacts, “Worked before” Calls are highlighted, and CQ Calls are visibly represented on the Waterfall akin to DX-Cluster Spots. Utilize Filters to refine the list and display only the stations of interest.

21.3. How to use

My objective was to provide an FT8 experience that requires minimal configuration and operational effort. Users acquainted with WSJT-X will find the transition to using FT8 within this App seamless. If you are new to FT8 or previously found it daunting, the essential instructions below will equip you for your initial QSO.

I aspire to inspire more HAMs to explore this innovative mode of communication by offering a user-friendly and straightforward FT8 tool. If FT8 seemed too complex before, I encourage you to give it a shot with this App. Say goodbye to the hassle of cable connections, audio interfaces, obscure settings, or CAT commands.

Simply launch the tool and embark on your first FT8 QSO.

21.4. A few FT8 Basics

A typical FT8 QSO starts by somebody (say K1CQ) calling CQ, next somebody like you (say DC1ME) is answering. Both will then exchange their signal reports and optionally end the QSO by saying 73.

Here is how it typically looks like:

Caller	You	Meaning
CQ K1CQ EN61		K1CQ is Calling CQ. His Grid locator is EN61
	K1CQ DC1ME JO12	You are replying to him with your Grid locator
DC1ME K1CQ -11		K1CQ responds to you with a signal report
	K1CQ DC1ME R-10	You, confirming his report and send your own report

Now, there are two typical options:

Option 1 (the fastest and more common):

DC1ME K1CQ RR73

K1CQ confirmed the reception of your report and says best regards. The QSO is done now. No need to respond again

Option 2 (more polite option which takes longer):

CDC1ME K1CQ RRR		K1CQ confirmed the reception of your report
	K1CQ DC1ME 73	You say best regards
DC1ME K1CQ 73		K1CQ send his best regards and the QSO is over

If you would like to call CQ yourself instead, the procedure is the same. Just swap the Callsigns in the above table.

These so-called FT8 messages cannot be longer than 13 Characters. It takes 13 seconds to transfer these messages and they will be exchanged every 15 seconds. Thus, there can be 4 messages per minute. When sending at second zero or 30 it is called “even” or “first”. When sending at second 15 or 45, it is called “odd”.

Besides these aforementioned typical QSO messages, there is additional information that will be added to messages in Contests Mode or DXpedition mode. These modes are not supported by this FT8 tool.

CQ Callers may also add either DX or the desired destination to their CQ message if they just want to get an answer from certain stations.

For example:

CQ DX K1CQ EN61	K1CQ just wants to have DX QSOs
CQ JA K1CQ EN61	K1CQ just want to have contact with Japan

And that’s pretty much it. That’s all you need to know to operate in FT8 with this App.

If you want to learn more, just head to G4IFBs website which includes a fantastic FT8 Operating guide, written by Gary Hinson, ZL2IFB : www.g4ifb.com which is also available in other languages.

21.5. Using the FT8 tool

You can start the FT8 Tool from the Tools menu as usual.

There are two window parts, the Receive window with the blue header and the Transmit window with the red header. Both are explained more in details below.

21.6. Quick start

If you can’t wait and have no time to read further, the following sequence will perform a quick FT8 qso:

• Select a Frequency (next of the RX Button)

• Hit the RX button and wait until the list fills

• Double-click on any of the entries of the list

• … and wait, the whole QSO will be completed automatically even including to have your QSO logged

… if all goes well of course. But there can be situations where something goes wrong or you want to call CQ yourself. The following chapters will describe everything more in detail.

21.7. The Receive Window

On the top half (or left side, if you have switched the flip view setting) you will see the RX window with the blue header.

All received messages are displayed on this part of the screen. The following colors are being used:

• Green background: Somebody is calling CQ

• Gray background: You already worked that station

• Red background: your call-sign appears in that message (or you are in TX mode and message was sent on your TX frequency)

21.7.1. The RX Button

To start the FT8 (or FT4) mode, you will need to be connected to your Transceiver and to hit the RX button in the upper left corner.

21.7.2. The Frequency selection

If you click on the Frequency selection next to the RX button, you can select the Band or Frequency you want to operate. These Frequencies are fixed and you should only operate on these predefined frequencies.

Note

The frequencies may differ depending on your location so please ensure that you set the correct IARU Region in the Preferences for the location from where you want to operate. Please also ensure that you did set your Callsign and your Grid (QTH) locator in the App Settings.

Hint

If you want to operate on another, not supported Frequency, for example to work DX-Pedition stations, you can always select Manual to tune to any frequency.

Once you hit RX, the Radio will not just tune to the right frequency. Also, all necessary parameters such as Mode, Filter width etc. will be set automatically. So should you accidentally have changed some settings, just tap the RX button twice to get the right settings back.

After at least 15 seconds, you may see the first FT8 conversations in the upper receiving part of the screen.

21.7.3. FT8 / FT4

Use these buttons to switch between FT8 and FT4

21.7.4. AUTO

Since QSOs are standardized in FT8 (with the exception of the two options to conclude a QSO, either with “RRR” or “RR73”), automating FT8 QSOs is feasible.

Upon receiving a message, the app is programmed to know which response should be transmitted next.

By activating the AUTO button at the top (turning it blue), the app will automatically choose the correct follow-up message based on the received communication (this applies to both “RRR” and “RR73” scenarios) and will transmit the selected message automatically during the next transmission window.

For additional control or to resolve an interrupted QSO, simply disable the AUTO feature and manually select the desired response.

When Message 9 {Individual} is chosen, you have the flexibility to type and send a custom message that you wish to communicate.

21.7.5. Filter

On a busy frequency, the receive list can quickly become cluttered, potentially causing you to overlook some noteworthy calls. The App includes a filter function, which will be elaborated on later, to help manage the calls displayed on your list. Tapping the Filter Icon opens the filter settings, where you can instantly activate or deactivate the filter, affecting the list displayed below.

21.7.6. Erase

Pressing the Erase button once will clear the contents of the TX Window (further details provided below) and reset all QSO data fields such as DX and Report. Double-clicking the button will additionally clear the RX Window.

This Button is particularly useful for resetting the interface after completing a QSO.

21.7.7. Clicking on an Entry in the List

By clicking on a receive list entry, the Frequency, odd/even setting, Callsign, and dB report will be populated into the TX Window (details below).

Double-clicking an entry not only transfers the data but also activates the TX button, enabling you to commence transmitting on the next odd or even time slot automatically.

21.8. The Transmit Window

The list in this window contains all your sent messages in yellow and marked with “TX” instead of a dB value.

In addition, it contains all messages that have been received on your RX frequency or messages that are containing your callsign.

This way, you can better focus on your QSO partner and will also see if somebody else is transmitting on the same frequency so you can interrupt your QSO or transmission.

21.8.1. TX

If you hit the TX button, transmission will start at the next odd- or even- time slot. If active, the button has a blue background, if you are currently transmitting, the button is red, otherwise it is gray, indicating a listen only mode.

21.8.2. Odd/Even

FT8/FT4 messages can either be sent at an even- or odd time slot. The other station is receiving and transmitting at the opposite time slot. This button indicates your transmission time slot. You can hit the button to change from even to odd or vice versa. If you are not in CQ mode and answering somebody from the receiving list by tapping (or double tapping) on an entry from the receiving list, this button will be set automatically (to the opposite of the calling station you tapped). So normally, you will only need this button if you are calling CQ yourself and want to start calling either in the even- or odd time slot. If the frequency is free, it is common to start in the even slot but that’s up to you.

The colors for odd (green) and even (blue) are corresponding with the colors of the UTC time in the lists.

21.8.3. RX: TX: Frequencies

The two entry fields are used to enter your RX and TX frequency in Hz relative to the Slice frequency. The values usually range from 100 to 2900 Hz.

If you click on a line in the receive list, the frequencies will be taken over from the line you have tapped.

Usually, you may want to transmit on the same frequency where your destination is transmitting. However, you can manually enter different values or use the buttons =TX which will use the current TX Frequency as TX Frequency or the =RX button which will do the opposite.

If the blue Lock button shows a closed lock, TX and RX frequencies will always be equal.

Hint

Using the same RX and TX frequency is the regular operating mode when answering calls. Only if the other station can’t hear you, you may want to use a different TX frequency. On the other hand, when calling CQ you should always open the lock to allow different RX and TX frequencies (Split mode) as you would otherwise “steal” somebody’s frequency when he would answer on a different frequency.

You can then either enter another RX or TX frequency manually or more conveniently from the Waterfall. For this, just right click at the frequency where you want to TX and select “Set FT8 TX Frequency.

21.8.4. DX

This field is for the Call-sign of the other station and will be pre-filled when tapping on an entry of the receiving list.

21.8.5. Report

This field is the dB report of the other station which will also be pre-filled.

21.8.6. CQ

Using this button, you can switch between CQ mode and answering mode. A blue button indicates the activated CQ mode.

21.8.7. Message selection

Right from the CQ button, you can select a message which will be sent in the next odd or even slot.

If you are in AUTO mode, you usually don’t need to change this message, only if you are in manual mode or want to correct / repeat a previously wrong interpreted or received message.

The “Short Messages (no grid) will no longer start with the message which includes your QTH locator (grid) and instead starts with the report message.

Note

A FT8 message can only get 15 characters long. If the message gets too long maybe because both call signs have extra characters, the QTH locator will be removed automatically.

21.8.8. LOG

Hitting the LOG button will open the logging window with all fields already pre-filled.

This button is not needed if you have enabled “Auto Logging” in the Settings of this FT8 Tool.

21.9. FT8 Settings

Most of these settings are self-explanatory, or you can experiment with them to see their effects.

When transmitting (TXing), either in response to someone else’s CQ or when calling CQ yourself, the “Max. TX retries” value determines the maximum number of transmission attempts to prevent you from getting stuck in an endless loop.

If you are operating under a different callsign, or using a callsign with a prefix or suffix, simply enter the appropriate information into the “Operator Callsign” field.

21.10. Filter Settings

The filter settings help to reduce the number of lines in the receiving list. The filter can be enabled or disabled at the top of this settings screen.

21.11. Using FT8/FT4 for DXpeditions (Fox and Hound)

You can operate as a hound to work DXpeditions (the fox) with this app as follows: First, set the Band selector in the FT8 Tool to Manual and activate Split mode in FT8 by clicking the lock icon to unlock TX = RX. This configuration allows you to monitor the DXpedition’s frequency, typically announced on their website, outside the standard FT8 or FT4 band range. Subsequently, transmit on the frequency where the DXpedition expects to receive your signal. Please note that if the DXpedition responds to your call with a multi-answer message, the app may not automatically log this response. In such cases, you’ll need to manually press the LOG button to log the QSO.

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External Software

UDP Log submission

If you are using another external Logging Program simultaneously to the integrated Logging feature, and if your external Logging software supports UDP log broadcast such as N1MM or Log4OM, you can enable UDP Broadcast submission to those external programs from the Preferences menu and the External software tab.

If enabled, whenever you are adding a new Log entry, this log entry will be submitted simultaneously to the other Logging program. In addition, there is a “UDP Broadcast” button on the Log detail screen which can be used to submit any older or amended log entry as well.

For UDP Log transmission, you need to enter the IP Address of the PC/Mac where your other Logging program is running and the required UDP Port. If the program is running on the same Mac, just enter 127.0.0.1 as IP Address.

Unfortunately, there are different standards for submitting log entries via UDP. This App supports two different standards:

1.) For N1MM or Log4OM format

This standard is understood by N1MM or Log4OM and others, mainly PC based logging programs.

2.) WSJT-X format

This standard is used by WSJT-X. Every logging software that can receive WSJT-X UDP logging information can be used.

The ports that need to be used for each standard depends on the Logging program. Some will let you enter an individual port number, some have a fixed port number. In any case, the port number used by the logging software needs to be identical to the port entered here.

When clicking the Test button, a sample log entry will be submitted so you can verify if the log entry will be received in your logging program.

CAT Server

Besides using the integrated FT8/FT4, RTTY and HF-Fax tools, it is also possible to use other external software.

In the past, CAT Cables were and are still being used with legacy hardware Radios. It will be used to exchange information like the current frequency between a Radio and a Software or to control the Mode and even the PTT.

This App can emulate such a CAT cable as network interface which means that CAT commands are to be transmitted over the network. That also means that the other Application to send or receive CAT commands can either be on the same Mac or even another PC or Mac.

To maintain these virtual CAT interfaces, open the Radio → CAT Server menu.

The App supports the following three CAT “Languages”:

• Icom CAT

• Kenwood TS-2000 and

• RigCtrl / Hamlib.

It depends on the other Application, which of these “Languages” you have to choose. You may need to experiment and try different settings and see which one works best.

You can use up to two virtual CAT Cable interfaces at the same time.

For each interface you need to enter a Port. The value you have to enter here depends on the other Software which sometimes allows also to enter a Port number manually or it may use a certain fixed and predefined port number. That port number needs to be identical to the port number to be entered here.

The other Software will also require you to enter an IP Address for the destination. If the Software is running on the same Mac, you can enter 127.0.0.1 which always stands for the local device regardless which individual IP address your Mac would have. Alternatively, and for Software running on other devices, you will need to enter the IP Address of your Mac. For your convenience, this IP Address is displayed at the bottom of the CAT Cable settings screen.

Once you enabled one of the two interfaces you will either see a red warning next to the “Status:” line telling you that a certain setting is wrong or missing otherwise you will see “Waiting”.

Now you can start your external software to establish the CAT connection to this App. In case it was successful, you should see “Connected” here.

Audio Interface

The CAT Interface feature facilitates the exchange of radio information and settings between an application and a radio. In addition to this, it is necessary to route audio between the app and other software.

To achieve this, you’ll require what’s known as an audio-pass-through driver, which essentially creates a bridge for audio between two audio interfaces.

There are multiple options to choose from. For example, the Blackhole driver by Existential Audio is available free of charge and can be found here: existential.audio. However, the Loopback driver from Rogue Amoeba rogueamoeba.com/loopback is highly recommended when used in conjunction with this App.

Hint

As a courtesy to users of my apps, I’ve negotiated a 25% discount with Rogue Amoeba. To obtain your coupon, please use the “Contact Developer” button found under Settings → Information & Support. Please note, I am not affiliated with Rogue Amoeba and do not receive any benefits from the distribution of this coupon.

The Loopback driver is incredibly user-friendly. You can set up two distinct Virtual devices and label them “Extern to Radio” and “Radio to Extern” to avoid any mix-ups. This ensures you always know which one to select for the radio and for the external app.

Here is an example. Below is the virtual driver setup for audio routing from another app this app:

This is the setup for the virtual driver directing audio from this App to an external app:

As illustrated, Loopback also provides the option to forward audio to the speakers, allowing you to monitor the received signal.

You can then select these virtual devices in your external software, such as WSJT-X:

Or in fldigi, as shown here:

Lastly, it’s important to choose these drivers within the App audio settings as illustrated below:

PTT

The best way to trigger PTT (Push-To-Talk) from your external software would be to use CAT commands sent to the Radio Server. However, some programs don’t support this feature. In such cases, you can utilize the integrated VOX option.

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1. Setting up an IC-705

It is possible to use your IC-705 in “Station mode” or “Access Point mode”. Both modes are explained in the two next chapters individually.

1.1. Setting up an IC-705 in Station Mode

“Station mode” means that your IC-705 will connect to your local WiFi Network. This is the preferred mode when using your IC-705 at home and this is also necessary for remote access over the Internet.

To setup your IC-705 in Station mode, proceed as follows:

• Use the Menu key (Menu > Set > WLAN SET) to check or change the following Settings:

• Ensure WLAN is ON and Connection type is Station

• Tap on Access Point to select your own local WiFi network and enter the WiFi credentials to connect.

• Ensure DHCP is ON

• You may need to restart the Radio at this point if you made changes here. Then revisit this menu.

• Once connected you will see an IP Address under DHCP. Take down this IP Address.

Note

This is your Radio IP Address which needs to be used for the Radio setup in the App.

• All other settings below DHCP should be grayed out.

• Use the Back button to go Back to WLAN SET

• Select Remote Settings

• Ensure Network Control is ON.

• Verify if the Control Port has a value of 50001.

• Ensure that Internet Access Line is FTTH

• Tap on Network User1.

• Now enter a Username and a Password of your choice.

Setting up of your IC-705 is now complete. Now proceed with adding a new Radio to the App based on the information you have collected (The IP Address) or entered (Username and Password) here.

Note

Please keep in mind that you need to restart your Radio if you have changed some settings which are marked (Valid after Restart)

1.2. Setting up an IC-705 in Access Point (AP) Mode

The “Access Point mode” doesn’t require a local WiFi network because the IC-705 creates one on it’s own. You can use this mode for Field Days or whenever you are not at home. However, this mode only allows the App to Connect to your IC-705.

To setup your IC-705 in Access Point mode, proceed as follows:

• Use the Menu key (Menu > Set > WLAN SET) to check or change the following Settings:

• Changing the Connection Type to Access Point

• Tap on Connection Settings.

• You have to setup a SSID (the WiFi Name) and a Password for your WiFi connection of the IC-705

Note

This is a new WiFi network, don’t enter the WiFi name and password of your current local WiFi network here.

• You may need to restart the Radio at this point if you made changes here, then revisit this menu.

• Take down the IP Address.

Note

This is your Radio IP Address which needs to be used for the Radio setup in the App.

• Ensure Network Control is ON.

• Verify if the Control Port has a value of 50001.

• Ensure that Internet Access Line is FTTH

• Tap on Network User1.

• Now enter a Username and a Password of your choice.

Setting up of your IC-705 in AP Mode is now complete.

Important

Now, connect your iPhone or iPad with the newly created WiFi Access Point of your Radio

After you are now connected to your Radio WiFi, you can proceed with adding a new Radio to the App based on the information you have collected (The IP Address) or entered (Username and Password) here.

2. Setting up an IC-9700

• Use the Menu key (Menu > Set > Network) to check or change the following Settings:

• Ensure DHCP is ON and take this IP Address down. All other settings below DHCP should be grayed out.

Note

This is your Radio IP Address which needs to be used for the Radio setup in the App.

• Ensure Network Control is ON.

• Verify if the Control Port has a value of 50001.

• Ensure that Internet Access Line is FTTH.

• Tap on Network User1.

• Now enter a Username and a Password of your choice.

Setting up of your IC-9700 is now complete. Now proceed with adding a new Radio to the App based on the information you have collected (The IP Address) or entered (Username and Password) here.

Note

Please keep in mind that you need to restart your Radio if you have changed some settings which are marked (Valid after Restart)

3. Setting up an IC-7610

• Use the Menu key (Menu > Set > Network) to check or change the following Settings:

• Ensure DHCP is ON and take this IP Address down. All other settings below DHCP should be grayed out.

All other settings below DHCP should be grayed out.

• Ensure Network Control is ON.

• Verify if the Control Port has a value of 50001.

• Ensure that Internet Access Line is FTTH.

• Tap on Network User1.

• Now enter a Username and a Password of your choice.

Setting up of your IC-7610 is now complete. Now proceed with adding a new Radio to the App based on the information you have collected (The IP Address) or entered (Username and Password) here.

Note

Please keep in mind that you need to restart your Radio if you have changed some settings which are marked (Valid after Restart)

4. Setting up an IC-R8600

• Use the Menu key (Menu > Set > Network) to check or change the following Settings:

• Ensure DHCP is ON and take this IP Address down. All other settings below DHCP should be grayed out.

Note

This is your Radio IP Address which needs to be used for the Radio setup in the App.

• Ensure Network Control is ON.

• Verify if the Control Port has a value of 50001.

• Ensure that Internet Access Line is FTTH.

• Tap on Network User1.

• Now enter a Username and a Password of your choice.

Setting up of your IC-R8600 is now complete. Now proceed with adding a new Radio to the App based on the information you have collected (The IP Address) or entered (Username and Password) here.

Note

Please keep in mind that you need to restart your Radio if you have changed some settings which are marked (Valid after Restart)

5. Setting up an IC-7300

The IC-7300 only supports USB an no network connection. As mentioned in the first chapter, the disadvantage is that such a USB connection is very slow and the waterfall will only be displayed at a low speed. Also, it is not possible to connect to this Radio remotely over the Internet.

• Use the Menu key (Menu > Set > Connectors) to check or change the following Settings:

• Here, the USB Serial Function needs to be set to CI-V.

• Next, tap on CI-V

• Ensure that the CI-V USB Baud Rate is set to Auto.

Setting up of your IC-7300 is now complete. Now proceed with adding a new Radio to the App.

6. Network considerations

Because this App relies on the IP Address of the Radio for connecting to it, it is important to know that IP Addresses may change.

One possibility for a non-changing IP Address would be to manually assign an IP Address to the Radio and not using DHCP.

However, this is not recommended as you may experience problems if you don’t carefully chose the IP Address that don’t conflict with other Addresses on your network.

A better solution is to keep the DHCP (the default) setting of your Radio but instruct your Router instead, to always keep the same IP Address for this device. Unfortunately, there are different terms used for this feature in different Routers. It may be called static-lease or even static-IP so you may want to look into your Router’s manual to find this feature.

Another consideration is to use a secure password. This is especially important if you enable Remote Access as described in the next chapter.

7. Remote access

With this App, it is possible to connect to your Icom Transceiver from outside your home network. For this, you need to let three ports pass your Router to the internet or in other words you need to open three ports in your Router.

Unfortunately, this task will be different from Router to Router so it can only be explained in general here.

The ports in question are the three ports found in your Radio settings under “Control Port (UDP)”, which usually is 50001, “Serial Port (UDP)”, which usually is 50002 and “Audio Port (UDP)” which usually is 50003.

Now you need to access your Router’s configuration website and look for a possibility to open ports in your Router.

Here, you need to open these three ports (50001,50002,50003) to the IP Address of your Icom Transceiver. If your Router want’s to know for which Protocol these ports should be opened, it it only necessary to open these ports for the UDP Protocol. If your Router want’s to know which ports should be used for the inside and which for the outside, you can use the same ports (50001,50002,50003) for the inside and outside. Sometimes you can enter a complete port range like 50001-50003. In some Router you have to open each port individually.

Once this is done, you will already be able to connect your Transceiver from elsewhere but you need to know the IP Address that now needs to be entered when you add your Radio to the App’s Radio chooser.

The IP Address you need is the public IP Address for your network allocated by your Internet Service Provider. You can find out this IP Address in your Router or by visiting one of the whatismyip websites.

However, most likely, this IP Address will change from one day to another. To address this problem, you can use services like https://dyn.com but most likely, your Router also supports additional services. Any of those services will provide you with a unique way to access your Public IP Address which always remains the same. Such an address may look like xxxxx.dyndns.org. Once you have setup everything, you can enter this unique address for setting up your remote Transceiver instead of the IP-Address.

For your convenience, just add another Radio to the “Available Radio” list by using the Add button again. Use a name that differentiates the new entry from your regular local access Radio (e.g. 705 remote), use the aforementioned IP Address and for the other values the same as for your local Radio.

7.1. Testing remote access

For testing, first try to connect to the newly added Radio by still using the home WiFi network. Even though it makes no sense as you could also connect to your Radio directly, it makes sense for testing if Port forwarding and the public IP or dyndns address are both working well. Once you have checked that this is working, try to connect using another network like Cellular or another WiFi.

Important

If you are using an iPhone as Hotspot, you will have to disable “Low Data Mode”, “Private Wi-Fi Address” and “Limit IP Address Tracking” in your Device WiFi settings. This is important, otherwise it will not work.

8. Macro Variables

You can use variables like {CALL} in CW Macros.

These variables will be replaced by values from your settings or log before being sent.

The following Macro Variables are available:

{CALL}	Will be replaced by the Call-sign currently entered in the Log Window
{CALLSPELL}	Will be replaced by the Call-sign currently entered in the Log Window spelled letter by letter
{SENTRST}	Will be replaced by the RST Sent value of the Log Window
{RECRST}	Will be replaced by the RST Received value of the Log Window
{NR}	Will be replaced with the Contest Serial number, maintained in the Settings of the Logbook
{COMMENT}	Will be replaced by the Comment value of the Log Window
{MYCALL}	Will be replaced by your own Call-sign, maintained in the App Settings
{TXFREQ}	Will be replaced by current TX Frequency
{RXFREQ}	Will be replaced by current RX Frequency
{FREQ}	Same as {RXFREQ}
{TXBAND}	Will be replaced by current TX Band
{RXBAND}	Will be replaced by current RX Band
{DATE}	Will be replaced by the Date entered in the Log Window
{TIME}	Will be replaced by the current Time entered in the Log Window
{ENTER}	Will send a new-line character
\n	Same as {ENTER}
{NOW}	Will be replaced by the current time in UTC
{GRID}	Will be replaced by your Grid locator, maintained in the App Settings
{LOG}	Will cause the current QSO to be logged

9. USB Serial Cable

You can use a USB Serial cable to connect a CW-Paddle to the Mac. The same cable can also be used to connect a foot switch for PTT activation.

The necessary cable is called

FTDI USB to Serial Cable DB9M (UT232R-200)

It might be possible to use other USB Serial cables but this has not been tested. So if in doubt and if you have to purchase a USB cable anyways, better look for a FTDI cable as mentioned above.

Once your cable is connected to your Mac, you will be able to select this Cable from the Tools → CW Keyer menu.

9.1. Wiring

The FTDI USB Serial cable uses a DB9 male plug.

9.2. Connecting a Paddle:

The common (ground) cable of the paddle needs to be connected to pin 7 which is the RTS pin.

The left (dit) paddle needs to be connected to pin 8 which is the CTS pin.

The right (dah) paddle needs to be connected to pin 1 which is DCD

Note

For de-bouncing, please add a capacitor of 10nF between pin 5 (GND) and pin 1 and another between pin 5 and pin 8.

9.3. Connecting a foot switch

A foot switch needs to be connected to pin 7 (RTS) and either pin 8 (CTS) or pin 1 (DCD). Both ways will work.

For de-bouncing please add a capacitor of 100nF between pin 5 (GND) and pin 8 or pin 1 (whichever you use for the foot-switch).

10. HaliKey

If you don’t want to wire a cable as previously described, you can opt for the HalyKey from Halibut Electronics .

The HaliKey facilitates the direct connection of paddles to a Mac for CW operation. This adapter features a 3.5mm socket on one end and a USB-C connector on the other, incorporating an FTDI serial chip. A USB-C to USB-A adapter is also provided. Installation is straightforward with its plug-and-play capability, and no additional drivers are required. The HaliKey functions similarly to the USB cable outlined in the preceding chapter.

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Common Issues

latest Version

The App is designed to be fully compatible with the latest macOS version and is backward compatible with at least one major macOS version prior. It also runs natively on both Intel and Silicon Macs. If you are experiencing any issues, please ensure that you have the latest version of the App and the most recent macOS update installed.

macOS 15

The app functions smoothly on macOS 15. However, other software may not. For example, most third-party firewalls and virus scanners are incompatible with macOS 15 and must be disabled. You may encounter connection issues, not just with this app, when such software is active. Applications known to cause problems include Norton Antivirus and Little Snitch, but other similar software may also conflict.

Network Error on macOS 15

Additionally, Apple has confirmed that macOS 15.1.x may experience network issues in some rare situations, resulting in Network Error 50 or other errors indicating that a connection is not possible. If you encounter such an error when attempting to connect, try toggling (turn off and then on again) the Local Network access setting (Apple -> System Settings -> Privacy & Security -> Local Network) for the app.

This may be necessary again after restarting your Mac. Apple has confirmed that this bug will be fixed in macOS 15.2.

The Contact Developer button is not working

To request support, it is recommended to use the app’s built-in Contact Developer feature which can be found under Help and Information & Support. This automatically provides essential information needed to assist you and creates a support ticket. If the Contact Developer button is not functioning, it’s likely that you do not have an email account set up correctly on your device, which is crucial for utilizing this feature — and indeed, for the overall functionality of your device.

To resolve this, please follow these steps:

• Open Apple’s Mail App

• In the Menu under Mail select Settings

• In the General Tab ensure that the Default email reader setting has your preferred Email App selected

Additionally, verify that your email is operational on your device. Once you have confirmed these settings, the Contact Developer feature should be usable.

App doesn’t connect to the Radio

If you did follow the instructions on how to setup your Transceiver for the App but the App still can’t connect, this can have various reasons.

The most common reason is, that there was a typo in the settings or the instructions were not followed exactly.

Before you start setting up remote access (which means to connect to your Radio from the internet), you should first ensure that a local connection is working reliable. So in this case, have a local setup first and use the Network Stats tool to see if the error rate is below 0.05%. Once that’s the case, start setting up a remote connection as described under Remote Access. That chapter also explains how to test your Remote access connection.

If you can’t connect, you may see an error message. If the error messages states “error 0”, this means your Radio can not be connected at all. So you might have entered a wrong IP Address or the Radio is not connected to your network. An “error 1” usually means you have entered invalid values for the connection (e.g. a letter or space for the port or invalid address)

Below are a few possible causes of connection issues:

Rejected Local Network access

A common mistake is to mistakenly answer “no” to a macOS prompt asking whether to allow a local network connection. Once this is done, the app can no longer connect to your radio. To resolve this, go to Apple -> System Settings -> Privacy & Security -> Local Network. Then search for the app and ensure that the switch enabling local network access is turned on.

Mac and Radio on different networks

One possibility is, that your Mac and your Transceiver are not on the same network. To prove that, compare the IP Address of your Transceiver (you did already collect in the Transceiver setup steps) and the IP Address of your Mac. You can find this out by opening the Network Stats Tool (Tools → Network Stats). An IP Address consists of four numbers, separated by a . (dot). The Transceiver IP Address and the Mac IP Addresses must both start with the same three numbers. The last number will be different.

So for instance: 192.168.1.4 and 192.168.1.201 would be fine whereas if you have 192.168.1.4 and 192.168.0.10 it would be wrong.

Possible causes are:

• Using an old firmware version. Please update your Transceiver always to the latest firmware.

• Using a Mesh solution where DHCP is not working correct

• Using a so called “guest” WiFi for the Mac and a regular network connection for the Transveiver

• Wrong router or Mac settings

• Cable issues or something else that prevents the Radio from connecting to your network

Wrong CI-V address of the Radio

Besides the settings mentioned in this manual, the Radio has many additional settings that may prevent the App from connecting. One example is the CI-V address. When this was changed, the App can’t connect. You can revert individual settings back to their default values of your Radio (Menu → Set → Connectors → CI-V → CI-V Address, long-pressing on a CI-V Address and select Default).

Issues with the Radio

In case your Radio has issues, you can try to perform a Partial or Full Reset. A Partial reset can be the first choice as this will not wipe your Settings.

Too old Radio firmware

The App is always tested with the latest firmware released by Icom. In case of problems, just double-check if your Radio is running the latest firmware.

Wrong connection of your local network

For a local connection, you need to have your iPad connected to your Local network via WiFi. Your Radio need to be connected to your local network in the same way (WiFi for the IC-705 or LAN Cable for the other Radios). Only if you want to use your IC-705 without Internet, you need to have a direct connection between your iPad and your Radio (In this case, the IC-705 needs to be setup in AP mode and the iPad needs to connect to the AP of the Radio). In all other cases, both iPad and Radio need to connect to your local network and not to each other.

DHCP not working when using a Mesh

A Mesh network is usually no good idea as it may cause all kind of network issues or delays. Wherever possible use a LAN (cabled) connection or at least a fast direct WiFi connection. Especially on wrong configured Mesh networks you may end up with issues using DHCP because sometimes the DHCP server (usually your Router) can not be reached or even worse you may have two DHCP servers on one network which will not work.

Wifi issues

Wherever you have to use Wifi (e.g. for the IC-705 or the iPad itself) you may experience issues. However, you can always see if issues exist or your measurements to solve the issues were successful by using the Network Stats tool and having a look to the error rate which should be below 0.05%.

If you only have a high error rate when TXing, maybe you “just” have RFi. To prove that, just lower your TX power to 1% and see if that improves the situation

You may also want to look into your WiFi router settings for settings that may improve the reliability. Some routers allow to automatically chose a good WiFi channel. Even though that sounds good, it is not good for reliability if the Router decides to jump to another channel while working with the Radio. So it’s better to see which channel is free and assign that channel manually. But you may need to re-visit that setting from time to time at least once you have problems again.

Another typical issue with WiFi is roaming which not always works well. Sometimes a device might be still connected with the wrong Access point if you are using more than one.

The situation on 5Ghz and 2.4GHz WiFi might also be different. In general, none is better than the other. Both have advantages and disadvantages so it might make sens to disable one or the other to see which one is better for you.

Nothing happens when hitting Connect

If you’re unable to connect when hitting the Connect button, it may be because you have enabled the “Auto connect” setting for a particular Radio, but that Radio is no longer available under the same IP Address. This issue can be resolved by accessing the “Available Radio” list, which may have been skipped if the “Auto connect” setting is enabled.

To regain access to the “Available Radio” list, follow these steps:

• Open the App Settings.

• Select the Communication tab.

• Click on the “Available Radio” button.

Once you have access to the “Available Radio” list, you can review the settings for the Radio and/or unset the “Auto connect” setting. This should enable you to connect to the Radio without any further issues.

App disconnects or quits – Issues with IC-705

Even though this should not happen, it can happen if the network connection is not good. Please read the next point for a solution.

Can’t connect my IC-7300

macOS no longer needs any driver for connecting an USB device, especially not for the IC-7300. However, you may have installed a driver as it was requited often in the past. As such drivers a no longer necessary, they may even prevent using the USB connection to the IC-7300. An indication for a wrong behaving driver would be, if you can only find the three USB devices of your IC-7300 by different names other than usbserial-…* for the Device connection and the two **USB Audio CODEC… devices. If your devices are named different or you remember that you did install an USB driver in the past and are experiencing connections issues, most likely the drivers are the cause of the problems. So you need to look for a way to completely remove such drivers.

Stuttering Audio or poor Radio responsiveness

As all data to and from the Transceiver will be transferred over the network, it is essential that your network is healthy. While this is easy to achieve with a LAN connection, it may be tricky for the WiFi connection of an IC-705.

To see, if there are any connection issues, use the Network Stats Tool. It should not show an error percentage higher than 0.05 %.

If there is a higher error percentage only for the TX Packets, maybe you have EMC / RFI issues. Try to lower your power and see if this helps.

If you have a higher error rate for an IC-705, most likely you need to move your Icom closer to your WiFi access point or other other way round.

If you are experiencing just temporary audio drops, you can increase the output buffer size in the top (gear Icon) Audio menu.

Another common cause for WiFi issues is bluetooth. Try (at least temporary) to turn off bluetooth on your iPad to see if that makes a difference.

Connection error

If the App would quit unexpectedly or forced-quit, it had no chance to tell the Transceiver that the connection should be closed. The Icom Transceivers may take some time until they got aware of a cut connection. In such a case it may happen that you see an error message when trying to re-connect.

In that case, just wait and try again a bit later. If it still doesn’t work, try to power-cycle your Icom.

In some cases, even if it looks as you did wait long enough and you see the Waterfall, it might have been too early and it can happen that certain data can not be received from the Transceiver. Sometimes, for instance, the Frequency is missing. In that case, disconnect again using the Disconnect button and re-connect.

Too high (or low) audio gain / ALC

You may experience a too high or too low audio gain, especially when working in FT8. This gain depends on your particular Transceiver and might be adjusted for best performance. You could either adjust this so called “LAN Mod Level” using the Set Menu on your Radio or more conveniently from inside the App by using the Radio Settings tab. Before adjusting the LAN input gain slider, you can turn on the ALC meter by long-tapping on the Power meter and select ALC. While transmitting (e.g. by calling CQ in the FT8 tool) you can adjust the slider so that it is right before the ALC value doesn’t increase anymore.

After using the App, I can no longer use the Radio, Microphone is not working anymore

There are only a few settings that are changed when the App connects to your Radio in order to let the App use the Radio. One of these settings is the Microphone selection. When using the Mac as Microphone source (by right clicking the Mic button and select either Mic Net or Mic USB) you will have to change that back before disconnecting if you want to continue to use the locally connected Microphone.

However, under the Radio settings (Radio → IC-xxxx Settings) you can instruct the App to revert such settings back to the desired values upon disconnection. Here, you can decide if the App should select back your locally connected Mic.

Mouse or Trackpad behaving wrong

If your Mouse or Trackpad is not working as expected, have a look to the Mouse and Track-pad setting of the App under SDR-Control → Settings and the Mouse / Trackpad tab. Try to disable the Trackpad if you are only using a Mouse or vice-verse. You can also try the Legacy Mouse setting in case you are using a Mouse, not supported by macOS.

If you are using a Logitech Mouse along with the Logitech Software, better disable or uninstall this software as it contains a few bugs. The Mouse will even work without this software – or try the Legacy Mouse setting.

If you are using an Apple MagicMouse, this Mouse can be used as Trackpad.

Some Windows or Menus are cut and not fully visible

The app provides a lot of information and therefore it takes advantage of a good screen resolution. All Macs are offering enough screen resolution for this App but sometimes a lower resolution has been selected. To change this, open the Apple menu → System Settings and select the Displays Icon.

Issues with an IC-7300

A common mistake is to confuse the the virtual Audio Ports (devices) for the IC-7300 with the devices of your Mac. It is important to only have Mac Audio devices selected in the App Audio settings (the Gear Icon) like here:

By no means have any USB Audio CODEC selected here.

On the other hand, for the Device (under Available Devices) it is important to select USB Audio CODEC for both, the input and output device as follows:

If you can’t select “USB Audio CODEC” here for input or output, the device is currently in use maybe by another software or by the system itself. Once it is, it can no longer be selected for anything else.

You can double check if you acidentally selected the USB Audio CODEC for your Mac by opening the System Sound Settings. (Apple Icon -> System Settings -> the red Sound Icon).

Here, keep “Output” selected and check if “USB Audio CODEC” is NOT selected. Next select “Input” and check if “USB Audio CODEC” is also NOT selected here.

Once “USB Audio CODEC” is no longer selected here or in any other Software that could potentially use this device, you should be able to select these devices in SDR-Control.

Another common issue when using an IC-7300 are wrong settings for the two USB Audio Codec devices. To check and correct this, open the Apple Audio MIDI Setup app (press Command + Space to open Spotlight and search for “MIDI”).

For the Output Device, ensure that the gain sliders (Front Left and Right) are set to the far right (1.0).

For both USB Audio Codec Input and Output Devices, ensure that the Format is set to “2 ch 16-bit Integer 48.0 kHz”.