USB Connection
The most common way of interfacing your radio to the computer is via a standard A/B type USB cable. No other cables or interface (e.g. SignaLink, Rig Blaster, Rig Expert, or other interface) is required because this USB cable provides the connection for the Rig Control and it also carries the Audio for the radio's built-in soundcard which is accessed by a "USB Audio CODEC" once the proper driver from the radio's manufacturer is installed.
Below is an image of the USB cable we recommend. Notice the "Ferrite Chokes" on each end of the cable. These chokes help prevent RF radiation, which may be present in any shack, from feeding back into the computer, which can sometimes cause some very strange behavior in the HRD software. If the cable you are currently using or plan to use doesn't have the ferrite chokes, it's recommended you purchase some of the "snap-on" chokes that are available from Amazon.com or on eBay and attach them to the cable you are using.
The USB interface provides for Rig Control and an Audio Codec for the radio's internal soundcard. This method requires a Virtual Com Port driver, which can be downloaded from the radio manufacturer's website.
Note:
Insure you have installed the Virtual Com Port drivers for your radio or interface before connecting the USB Cable to the computer. Connecting the cable before installing the proper driver could result in a "Generic" driver being installed by Windows which could result in issues later on. Follow the manufacturer's instructions to install the drivers, or, if you have problems locating or installing the drivers, please contact the device manufacturer's support team for assistance.
You may need the IC-7300 manual to learn how to access the radio's menus and change settings needed for operation with the HRD software. If you don't have the complete manual for your IC -7300, it can also be downloaded from the following link. To download the manual, copy and paste the link below into the address bar of your favorite web browser.
http://www.icom.co.jp/world/support/download/manual/pdf/IC-300_ENG_CD_1.pdf
Step #1
To connect the IC-7300 to your computer and HRD using the USB cable requires installing a USB Virtual Com Port driver which can be downloaded from the Icom website. The file your looking for is used by several Icom radios, so read carefully and be certain you select the file name: USB Driver(Ver.1.20), Driver Utility and manuals dated 2013/08/01. Once you have downloaded the driver, read the installation manual and carefully follow the instructions for the installation of the driver prior to installing and connecting the USB cable between the radio and the computer.
Once the driver is installed on your computer, connect the USB cable to USB (B) on the back of the radio. USB (B) is located on the lower right side of the radio when viewing the radio from the back. The other end of the USB cable goes to a USB Port on the computer. Once you have determined which Com Port/Ports are used by the IC-7300, make a note of the port number and proceed to Step#2.
Step #2
There are several menu items in the radio which must be set correctly in order for HRD to communicate with the radio once connected to the computer. If you are not familiar with setting the menu options in your radio, you will need to read Section 12 Set Mode of the IC-7300 FULL manual PDF. This begins on Page 12-1.
IC-7300 Radio Menu Settings
DATA OFF Mod: Default is MIC,ACC Leave this set to default setting
DATA Mod: Default is ACC: Set to USB
USB Send: Set to OFF
CI-V Baud: Default is AUTO: Set to 19200
CI-V Transceive: Default is ON: Set to OFF
CI-V USB Port: Default is Link: Set to UNLINK
CI-V USB Baud Rate: Default is AUTO: Set to 115200
CI-V USB Echo Back: Default is OFF: Set to ON
USB Keying (CW): Set to OFF (only need to be on when using an separate CI-V interface)
USB Keying (RTTY): Set to OFF(
only need to be on when using an separate CI-V interface)
Once the above menu items have been set and saved, exit the menu mode and set the radio to operate on VFO-A and the mode to Upper Side Band (USB).
Step #3
If you are a first time user of the Ham Radio Deluxe software, PLEASE download and READ the HRD QUICK START GUIDE. This is a 45 page manual with ONLY the most basic instructions for setting up and configuring the main parts of the HRD software package just to get the software up and running properly. You can download the HRD Quick Start Guide from the download page of the HamRadioDeluxe.com website.
If you have not already done so, download and install the current version of Ham Radio Deluxe. You can download the most recent version by going to the HamRadioDeluxe.com website and navigating to the "Downloads" page.
Once you have installed the HRD software and activated it you will see the Rig Connection screen. On the Rig Connection Screen select the "NEW" tab and enter the following information from the dropdown boxes provided.
- COMPANY: Icom
- RADIO: IC-7300
- COM PORT: If you're not sure of the Com Port, use "Auto-Detect"
- SPEED: 115200
- CI-V Add: This item will be automatically selected to the default setting.
- In the "Flow Control/Interface Power" = NONE (Do not check CTS, DTR or RTS boxes)
- Double check the SPEED setting because if you changed the Flow Control setting the speed will change.
If this is your first time using the HRD software and are not all that familiar with the software, make sure there are NO other check-marks in ANY of the boxes in the lower portion of the Rig Connection Setup screen. We are only interested in getting the IC-7300 connected to the Rig Control module of the HRD software at this time.
Once you have double-checked all of your settings in the Rig Connect Screen, click the "CONNECT" button to start the connection process. If you have selected the "Auto-Detect" option for the COM Port and/or SPEED selections, you will see activity scrolling by in the "Status" window. HRD is checking each available Com Port at each port speed until it finds the correct combination to connect to your IC-7300.
If HRD fails to connect to the radio and you are sure you checked the menu items in the radio to be sure they are set correctly and your sure you have configured things in the Rig Connect screen and still receive a failure to connect, please, don't hesitate to contact the HRD Support team by entering a support ticket at support.HamRadioDeluxe.com
IMPORTANT: How to handle PTT for your digital modes
The USB connection to the IC-7300 and/or the software driver does not create virtual COM ports. As such, there's no COM port available for PTT. You cannot use the same COM port you use for CAT for PTT (Windows won't allow multiple applications to access a given COM port).
You have two choices.
One - you can configure DM-780 to use "Ham Radio Deluxe" for PTT. This causes Ham Radio Deluxe to send the PTT via CAT commands. When doing this, you won't need another USB-to-serial cable for your radio. This works just fine.
Or two - you can buy a USB-to-serial cable that will create a COM port that will be dedicated to PTT. Because this method bypasses software and works at the hardware level. As such, it is inherently more responsive than PTT via CAT commands.
In the end, this is a personal preference.
Please also see the article on this site regarding configuring WSJT-X for Ham Radio Deluxe here: How to Use WSJT-X (or JTDX) with Ham Radio Deluxe