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Reviews For: West Mountain Radio Rigblaster NOMIC

Category: Interfaces, Radio to computer, amp, rotor, coax switch, internet

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Review Summary For : West Mountain Radio Rigblaster NOMIC
Reviews: 42MSRP: 59.99
Description:
Small and inexpensive, perfect for portable or temporary setups. Switch radios by ordering an extra matching mic. cable. Use PTT keying circuit as a fully isolated CW/FSK keying output for direct keying of your rig's CW or FSK instead of using it for a sound card interface. No external power supply needed, great for portable or QRP installations.
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.westmountainradio.com/RIGblaster.htm
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00424.2
EXPRO Rating: 2004-11-25
great value Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
excellant value for the money. Very easy to connect to a radio and does what is expected. follow directions and you can't go wrong. get one you won't be sorry
KF4VGX Rating: 2004-11-24
NOMIC Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Great product ! Use it with Echostation as a Repeater controller. Two years without a glitch.


KF4VGX
G7IDJ Rating: 2004-11-24
Nifty little radio! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Hi there,

I bought the nomic on the 20th Nov. 04. Most of it has been mentioned before and I don't want to repeat everything which has been said.

A couple of things:

One HAM mentioned that his rig blew up using the nomic. I can see that this might quite easily happen if the jumper settings are not correct. The wiring sequence on the RJ-45 can easily seen be back to front.
I almost made this mistake when I was configuring the the jumper settings to the patch lead.

The software which comes with the CD is good but since then I have seen some more and better software on the net. I assume that the CD distribution which comes with Nomic hasn't been updated since it first came out. It's worthwhile to have a look to see what is out there and not to just be happy with the CD provision.

In the UK Nomic costs £60 Sterling which is about $100USD (you don't know how fortunate you are in the US!) Having a look at the three main components an optocoupler, a transformer, a potentiometer and a couple of resistors nicely put in a box I do think that it is overpriced here in the UK like most of the other HAM gear which comes across the pond....I would agree with my friends in the US that $58/£40 is adequate but $100?????
One thing which ticked me off a bit for the money I paid was that the nomic didn't come with a microphone lead or the screws for the metal box. Nevertheless there was lead for the serial port and two leads to connect the sound card output to nomic and the soundcard line input to the radio audio output. I happened to have the missing cables and the screws, still for $100, why safe on the screws or at least have an open ended cable with an RJ45 connector hooked up to one end.

Setting it up and operating the nomic was ever so easy. I had a go a PSK and got it working without a problem.

All in all it is nice little device. I would buy it again if it were a bit cheaper otherwise I would rather spent a Saturday afternoon and make it up myself. The software collection is good but keep your eyes open for more on the net.
Last before you hook up your rig make twice sure that all your jumper settings in the nomic are as they ought to be (all info for the jumper settings is also printed on the PCB...so you can't go wrong) just make sure that your lead is wired up correctly.

Michael
G7IDJ
N1UMJ Rating: 2004-06-17
Decent product Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I got my rigblaster nomic to use with an echolink link which I lost interested in after a radio problem not related to the rig blaster but I have played around with the rigblaster on the HF bands as well as did get a link up for a while and it's a pretty good little unit. Reason I gave it a 4, I wanted to give it a 3, but they did make good and I'm nice when I got it the accessory pack with the jumpers, rubber feet and I think screws was not there, I called them up and they said they sent them right away in the mail. They should have been there with in a couple days bubt it took over a week, funny it was 2 days after I called to ask if they forgot but anyway, then I had another problem with it, they gladly took the unit and checked it out still not sure what happened there but suspect it was the radio. So, it's a good product, the company is good to deal with but make sure everything's there when you buy one.
K6SBA Rating: 2003-07-21
XLNT FOR BASE OR PORTABLE USE Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I purchased a NOMIC shortly after they came out (2+ years ago??). This was after I wasted my money on that low-quality Rascal from "Buck" Rogers. I have used the NOMIC with at least five different rigs. No problems as long as the jumpers are set properly. I now use it with my FT-817 and Elecraft K-2. Simple, easy and straightforward.

The folks at West Mountain has always been super for any customer questions.

I own 4 different West Mountain products and am happy with them all, especially when it comes to quality. MFJ listen up!!
W9HC Rating: 2003-07-20
Fantastic Value! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
The interface was shipped promptly, arrived intact, went right to work and is doing a great job for me. It is the simplest design, but it makes all the difference between actually working stations on digital modes, or wondering continually why you aren't. There is very little to debug. I had one question, and my call was handled with courtesy and interest. The product is very well made and thought out. The manual is slender, but pretty much adequate. I highly recommend the RigBlaster NOMIC to those just entering the digital modes. You can evaluate your interest without overspending to find out if PSK etc. suits you. Just a few jumpers to install (directions are included) and you'll be set. The NOMIC also came with a CD of digi-mode software at no extra charge. These are good hams selling a very good product. And oh by the way, the NOMIC is a passive circuit, so anybody who blew up a rig using one ought to be suspected of "user error." An excellent value at a modest price. It would be difficult (at Radio Shack prices) to get the parts and build it for yourself at any great saving. It was the perfect choice for me.

Steve
W9HC
KC1MK Rating: 2003-01-01
Good for portable QRP Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I've been using a Rigblaster NOMIC with my FT-817 for about a year and a half, and it works well for soundcard modes and does so in a fairly small, well-built package. I primarily use it for PSK31, with some occasional Hellschreiber, MT63, and MFSK.
I also have used a Rigblaster M8 for several years with a TS-850 and IC-756ProII.
KC0BUS Rating: 2003-01-01
Beware: They don't call them "Rig-Blasters" for nothing! Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
They don't call them "Rig-Blasters" for nothing! Don't waste your money. I ordered a Rig-Blaster Nomic, hooked it up to my new Yaesu FT-817, and promptly blew up my rig! I'm talking smoke, sparks, the whole 9 yards!!! The instructions are very poor (to say the least), so there was little I could do to figure out what went wrong. I tried e-mailing them for some support and essentially the reply I received was "... gee we're sure sorry, better luck next time."
Caveat Emptor!
KG6HUF Rating: 2002-08-31
Wow! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I just got my new Rig Blaster Nomic in the mail today and I am having the time of my life!! I set it up in about an hour. It came smaller than I thought! It was so simple to use. I got on RTTY and someone came back to me immediatley with a good signal report! I love this little box!

KG6HUF
W1WOW Rating: 2001-12-08
Just what I needed... Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Hello Folks,

I purchased the "NOMIC" RigBlaster interface for use with my new Yaesu FT-817. Wow, it works great! Talk about easy setup and take down. If you are looking for a small portable computer interface with a large supply of digital software, this is the interface for you! Its small and uses no power!

This is a wonderful piece of equipment...

Jason S. Hulet
W1WOW