HRD has the capabilities of connecting to multiple radios at the same time. The number of radios you can connect to are limited by the power of your computer and the number of available ports.
Normally, a laptop has very limited current available on the USB ports, so connecting more than one or maybe two radios to a laptop is about the limit. One way around this, though, is by using a powered USB hub. These hubs have their own external power supply and do not depend on power from the computer's USB buss to operate. You can usually connect three or maybe 4 radios to one of these hubs and operate them successfully using the HRD software.
Connecting multiple radios to HRD is quite simple. Connect your first radio in the normal manor and get it up and running in the Rig Control window as described in the Getting Started chapter of this manual. Once you have your first radio connected and being controlled by HRD, your ready to connect the second radio.
Make sure your second radio is interfaced to the computer, just as you did for the first, using the proper cabling and interfacing method just as you did for your first radio. Once it is connected to the computer, verify the Com Port it is connected to in the Device Manager or you can use the "Auto-Detect" options as explained in the Getting Started chapter.
Now, have the HRD Rig Control screen up and running with the first radio connected and operating as normal. On the Main Menu, click on "File (#1) and Connect" from the dropdown menu or click the "Connect" icon (#2) on the Toolbar. This opens the Rig Connection screen just like we saw in the Getting Started section.
In the image above, we are using the Demomatic radios just for illustration, but the principal of the setup is the same.
Make sure you select the Radio Manufacturer, the Radio Model, select the Com Port, if known or select "Auto-Detect", select the port speed, if known or "Auto-Detect", make sure the proper CI-V address is selected, in the case of Icom radios and make sure the proper Flow Control options are checked (CTS, DTR or RTS) as required for your specific radio.
In the lower part of the Rig Connect screen, make sure you DO NOT have any of the other options selected. You may have the "Auto-Exit" options selected, but
DO NOT HAVE CHECK MARKS IN ANY OTHER OPTIONS IN THE LOWER SECTION OF THE RIG CONNECT WINDOW WHEN PLANNING TO CONNECT MULTIPLE RADIOS!
Now, click the "Connect" button to connect the second radio to the HRD operating system.
When the second radio connects, you will see both radios as "TABS" on the RC screen as shown below.
Clicking on the respective radio tab will bring that radio into focus in Rig Control and allow you to control all of it's functions. Only ONE radio can be active at any one time from the Rig Control Screen, however, you can switch back and forth between any number of radios you have connected to the HRD system.
Selecting the "WINDOWS" option from the Main Menu will allow you to display multiple radios in different ways on your screen. Selecting the "Tiles" will allow you to display the two radios, each in a split window on your display. Clicking on the header bar for the particular radio will make that radio the one that is ACTIVE in the system. Experimenting with other ways of displaying multiple radios on the screen can produce some interesting results. Don't be afraid to experiment with arranging the tiles in different ways.
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