Hamlib rigs: control a transceiver from OnAir

OnAir sets the rig's frequency and mode over Hamlib; the signal comes from a sound card.

New in 0.2.6 (beta pre-releases), not in 0.2.5. The antenna rotator below is new in 0.2.6 too.

What it is#

A Hamlib rig is a normal transceiver or receiver controlled over a serial CAT link. OnAir tunes its frequency and mode over Hamlib. The signal itself comes from a sound card (I/Q or speaker audio) when you give one, or the entry is CAT only (silent IQ). This is not a replacement for an SDR when you need megahertz of bandwidth.

It is built when Hamlib is installed (DECT2_HAVE_HAMLIB, on by default). If your build has no Hamlib, the window says: This build has no Hamlib. Rebuild with -DDECT2_HAVE_HAMLIB=ON after installing Hamlib. (0.2.6 fixed the build on Ubuntu 22.04's libhamlib-dev.)

Add a rig#

In the source list choose Add Hamlib rig....
Model: the Hamlib rig model number (rigctl -l lists them), for example 1025 for an IC-7300.
Serial port: for example /dev/cu.usbmodem... on macOS or COM3 on Windows.
Label: optional.
Sound card id: leave empty for CAT only; set it to capture I/Q or the speaker audio.
Add it, then choose the rig in the source list and press Start.

Four audio mappings are offered: I/Q stereo, USB audio, LSB audio and mono real. The frequency field is the dial the decoder assumes. See the Hamlib tutorial.

Antenna rotator#

View > Antenna rotator... drives a GS-232 / Yaesu ASCII rotator over a serial port or TCP (default port 4533), with azimuth and elevation offsets, travel limits, park position and a calibration against a geostationary satellite peaked on a DVB-S signal.