What about you plugging your radio's USB port to the computer and obtaining the Audio, the CAT and... The digitalized spectrum I/Q SDR output to be used with a Panadapter or with your favourite GNURadio application? With no external wires, jumper wires or a external SDR? Of course some may say that we are talking about some Apache Labs or Flex Radio. Well, no - This time we are talking about a FT-991A. After a few months of research, discussion and a lot of constructive feedback, I was able to actually embed a RTL-SDR dongle inside the FT-991A and exporting its interface through the radio's USB port - No external extra wires, ports or whatsoever - Everything coming down neatly from the existing USB port, along the CAT and Audio interfaces. The enterprise is 100% open source with schematics, BOM, board gerbers available at https://github.com/rfrht/FT991A-PAT/ and thorough documentation is available at https://github.com/rfrht/FT991A-PAT/wiki. The project was featured in Hackaday and RTL-SDR Blog. A demonstration of the working setup can be watched in the below video: This mod is also feasible for a IC-7300 without the need of replacing the USB hub - the idea is just the same: Tap the voltages, the signaling, the IF output, hook it to the panadapter board, lodge the SDR in the radio, solder the SDR USB port to the USB hub - And result is going to be pretty much the same! 73! - Rodrigo, PY2RAF.
If I didn't want to do all the soldering how can I make this happen today (I don't care if there are wires).
Hi Brian!!! You have two possible paths: 1.1) Do the soldering stuff and build your own (technically superior) panadapter, the instructions are all in https://github.com/rfrht/FT991A-PAT/wiki 1.2) Buy a G4HUP panadapter (the PAT70M from https://www.sdr-kits.net/index.php?route=product/category&path=66_73_84) , and jump to Step #7 in the above instructions 2) Run the wire externally as per https://github.com/rfrht/FT991A-PAT/wiki/appendix-assembly-variations \o - RF.
Thank you for all your work on the 991a. Just bought this radio brand new and what you have done is very impressive. 2 issues: voiding the warranty and could you post a video of before and after on SSB and hearing the difference. Also a video on your actual install work. Would love to see Yaesu do this as an upgrade. Bruce
Hello Bruce, good morning- and thank you very much for the kind words! 1) Indeed, I voided my warranty, sure thing. But got a heck of a radio ;-) 2) You can see any differences on radio sensitivity with and without the signal tap in this video: Spoiler alert: None noteworthy. 3) With regards to the actual install work, unfortunately I don't have any videos head-to-tail on that. I do have instructions on how to o the whole thing on this github page: https://github.com/rfrht/FT991A-PAT/wiki/ Some pictures are missing because they are hosted in a server at my apartment - which is undergoing a renovation/construction and the server were removed - it will be some more weeks out of order. Feel free to reach, will be more than happy to help!
PY2RAF, good time of day. Question about the usb hub: 3 outputs D+, D- and Enabled are signed in the photo. Actually, did you somehow use the Enabled output? For example, they fed 3.3V to it through a resistance of 10k or paired it with a control pin of 2 or 3 hub ports? With best wishes. UB3DTI, 73!
I don't know what to do with the output of the Enadle ... To pair it with the 16 or 12 pin of the hub or apply 3.3V to it through a 10k resistor. Or maybe it should not be touched? UB3DTI 73!
Priviet UB3DTI!! short answer: you don’t need the enable pin - and sorry for that. long answer.: so- that ORIGINALLY was designed to control the power state of the panadapter board: originally, that wire would be carried to the Enable pin of the panadapter board voltage regulator - which would only power on the panadapter AND the SDR dongle upon plugging the USB port in a computer. however, that idea was quickly abandoned for the following reasons: - originally the SDR was powered by a 5V line in the panadapter board. However, due to the SDR power consumption and the inability of using a switched power supply (noise generation inside the radio isn’t a great idea), the linear voltage regulator dissipated A LOT of heat. Then instead, I tapped 5V from the radios voltage regulator. - unneeded complexity - as the SDR gets in a quiescent state while not initialized by the driver. So there was no real gains and just abandoned this design idea. And didn’t replace the picture. I’ll make a note about that in the wiki - that could have spared you the hassle of wiring that one on that QFN IC. I don’t have any better pictures, thus the reason I didn’t change the picture in the wiki. If you have any further questions please get in touch. my best regards RF
