| W6CJ |
Rating:      |
2010-01-09 | |
| The Best and Simplest Sound Card Interface |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
The WMR Plug-n-Play is the best, and easiest to use of soundcard interfaces.
I'm involved in public safety, EOC, emergency, MARS and military communications: Things have to be simple, repeatable and practical. What I don't need (and have already tried) are large, complicated soundcard interfaces... too much possibility of failure because of volume controls, switches, etc.
The WMR Plug-n-Play is small and simple. You install the drivers on your computer(s) first.
Next, you plug and play.
Make sure the P&P will work with your model of radio before you buy.
A word about using the rear accessory connectors on a radio, versus connecting to the mike and speaker jacks: Using the WMR P&P (or other soundcard interface or TNC) with the radio accessories jack is the way to go. The audio levels there are constant. You can leave these connected and still use your mike and speaker. You can turn the volume down while operating digital.
I've been using my WMR P&P for over a year, with MIXW and many other freebie soundcard comm programs.
I also recommend WMRs line of emergency power accessories.
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Earlier 5-star review posted by W6CJ on 2008-01-25
I use an FT897D for Amateur and MARS service.
I had purchased the Rigblaster Plus for my "souncard modes" of digital communications, but was not pleased with having to ride the receiver volume control, flip switches and fool around with connections to the transceiver. The Rigblaster Plus may have been more appropriate for different applications, or older transceivers.
By comparison, the Rigblaster Plug and Play just connects to the rear accessories jack of the FT897D. It uses line level audio from the receiver to the sound card, which means you can use your headphones or external speaker jacks freely, and, more importantly adjust the speaker volume to any level without affecting sound card communications.
You must order the Rigblaster Plug and Play (P&P)with the correct cable to go the the accessories jack on your radio, but West Mountain Radio makes the P&P with many popular radio cables.
The package includes an installation and software CD with drivers. There are numerous warnings to install the drivers in your computer, otherwise the P&P will not talk to the computer via its USB connection. In my desktop, this part of the guided installation process went easily. In a laptop (laptops are fussy) I had to go through the driver installation twice. The manual on the CD walks you through driver, hardware, and soundcard setups. If you operate several sound card comm programs, you will have to change the "comm port" to the one the driver has set up in your computer. You may also have to change your RTS, DTR and PTT settings in each program.
The CD also includes some third-party and introductory communications programs, so you can get on the air quickly. (More programs may also be downloaded from the Web)
I noticed right away, while watching the 'waterfall' display in my receiver that the 60-Hz hum and harmonics that were visible when using the Rigblaster Plus disappeared. The P&P (at least in my experience) had a much cleaner audio interface than the Rigblaster Plus.
The P&P is a small unit that is a lot more convenient to use, and, more deployable for emergency or portable communications. I think it lives up to the name 'Plug and Play'.
The LEDs on the P&P aid in setting up your soundcard communications, PTT configuration and COM ports... not just the same old "Power on" and "PTT" leds seen in some units.
I also ordered the CAT (Transciever control) and CW cables, and will configure CAT and CW in my communications programs later on. For now, I'm using PSK31, Olivia and a few other modes.
The only critique I have at this point would be to make the P&Ps sound card cables a few incles longer and possibly to offer the P&P in flat desert tan, CARC or OD green and black colors- though the one good thing about the safety orange case is you won't lose it.
I would like to see sound card and CAT USB interfaces take the place of expensive TNCs and other radio modems. My pipe dream would be to operate -ALL- of my digital modes, including packet, pactor, Winlink and Airmail using just the one Plug and Play.
73, W6CJ
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| AE5JU |
Rating:      |
2009-10-05 | |
| Works great. |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
I bought the Riglaster Plug & Play used, and though it came with a CD, I chose to download drivers for Vista 32 directly from the West Mountain Radio site. Drivers, manual, and other information was easily found on their website.
The website's chart for obtaining the proper cables and adapters for using the Plug & Play with various radios was easy to use and I soon had a 13-pin cable for the Icom on the way. I liked that they had clear pictures of each item.
I had a few problems getting the radio to transmit at first, all of which were ID 10 T problems, that is, user caused (me), not Rigblaster's. A more careful reading of the Ham Radio Deluxe / Digital Master 780 instructions had it configured properly and connected to HRD, and then working just fine. I was on the air quickly with an Icom 718, and making QSO's.
Good product!
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| K3GM |
Rating:      |
2009-09-23 | |
| Out of the box and on the air in 30 minutes... |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| This little gem was on my doorstep less that 24 hours after ordering it. Setup was simple. I connected it to my Toshiba netbook which was online, it went out loaded the drivers automatically, and I was ready for my first QSO in under 30 minutes. Its diminutive size, and the fact that it's powered by the PC makes it ideal for how I intended to use it; mobile PSK31. Good, responsive customer service too. |
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| W8NET |
Rating:      |
2009-06-19 | |
| Fine value |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
The key here is to actually READ WHAT THE DEVICE IS SUPPOSED TO DO. If you do that, read the instructions, use common sense and run your operation properly, this is a fine value for the price.
I use the PnP with my Yaesu FT-897 for RTTY, CW and PSK, and I will liklely experiment more with it. It operates as described, works well with HRD and DM780, and has provided me with a number of contacts already, in only a couple weeks.
I also intend to use it mobile with my FT-857D in the near future for /M CW and RTTY ops.
The device is simple, and elegant. Sometimes, the most simple of devices can provide the highest level of value. This is very much the case with the PnP.
Highly recommended FOR ANYONE WHO UNDERSTANDS WHAT THEY ARE PURCHASING! |
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| KA6SGT |
Rating:      |
2009-06-18 | |
| Easy and flexible |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
| While none of the West Mountain products have ever been inexpensive, my requirement was for a "plug 'n' play" interface for my new IC-703+ and W2K PC using both WriteLog and the HRD/DM780 software. This interface doesn't require external power supplies making it ideal for packing in a GoKit to contest anywhere from the van. The purchase from HRO included the radio-specific 13-pin ICOM compatible cable set and the CI-V cable. Within 5 minutes of unpacking, I had the West Mountain Radio Plug'n'Play interface working with both programs. Despite the fact I wasn't specifically looking for the remote control features, the CI-V cable facilitated the HDR software control features nicely making it easy to remote the transceiver without having to buy the ICOM remote head kit. All in all, this product is a great value for the money. |
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| N3ZH |
Rating:      |
2009-03-18 | |
| The Best choice |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
The Rig Blaster Plug and Play works great.
I own an ICOM 746PRO radio.
The RB Plug & Play works on my Vista Home Premium SP1 computer - where I use it the most. I have also used on XP Professional and Windows 2000 Professional.
One thing to be careful about is where you get your drivers - get them from Western Mountain.
I have used it with HRD's Digital Master 780, fldigi, easypal, and Mars/ale. It works flawlessly.
Between the RBPlugNPlay and my computer I use an external USB sound card - a Behringer UCA202. Got it a samedaymusic.com. Using a separate soundcard for ham radio digital work, you won't end up transmitting windows sounds on the air. The sound levels were a bit high from this USB soundcdard, so I also went to radio shack and purchased parts to make a home-made variable attenuator for the audio.
I am so glad I didn't waste money on the Tigertronics Signalink products. Their big problem is that they use VOX to produce the PTT signal to the radio. The delay in PTT makes it totally unusable with MARS/ALE or HFlink. But, if you don't need ALE, then the Signalink has the nice variable attenuators (knobs for volume) right on the box and a built-in USB sound card.
The Rig Blaster Plug and Play can also key CW on your radio. You just need to make the simple cable. I have used this with HRD's Digital Master 780 CW mode - I can type letters and the software keys CW at the speed I specify.
When I purchaed the Rig Blaster Plug and Play, I had no idea it includes a built-in CIV interface. Just make a simple cable and it works. I found it works more reliably to set the 746pro's CIV speed to 19200 instead of "auto".
Works great with Ham Radio Deluxe (HRD). Just keep RTS OFF.
At first it wouldn't work with Airmail2000, so I contacted the author and now he has an additional ICOM CIV option (with the asterisk *) which keeps RTS off so that the CIV interface built into the RBPNP works.
So, the CIV interface works with Mars/Ale, HRD, and Airmail2000. But it won't work with Paclink nor any of the RMS software because WINLINK refuses to make the simple s/w change to allow RTS to be kept off. I know it is a simple s/w change because I have written software to control the Palstar AT-AUTO, LDG AT200PC, and several ICOM model radios - and I know it is simple.
When RTS is ON, then the RBP&P asserts PTT to the radio - and the radio starts transmitting. Pulling the RBP&P's 9 pin minidin connector off the radio stops the transmitting, and then the CIV interface works great. But who wants to keep connecting the 9pin minidin for digital work, and disconnecting it for CIV interface work. SHAME ON THE ENTIRE WINLINK TEAM FOR BEING SO RICH AND UPPITY TO INSIST PEOPLE BUY AN EXPENSIVE GENUINE ICOM CIV IN ORDER TO USE THEIR SOFTWARE.
The Radio Shack USB CIV cable has the same requirement - keep RTS off and it works great.
So, in summary: the Rig Blaster Plug and Play does digital modes great and is compatible with all software - even MARS/ALE - even the new WINMOR mode. It also can key the CW for computer aided morse code. It also has a built-in CIV interface that works with everything under the sun - except for WINLINK.ORG's software products.
It is small and compact and very reliable.
I recommend it, and I'd buy it again. |
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| K0JEG |
Rating:    |
2009-03-15 | |
| Works with Linux, with issues. |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
My earlier review was written running with Windows 98 (SE), and XP. Since that was written I have been running Linux (Ubuntu), and I have recently discovered FLDigi, a digi-mode program for Linux.
The good news is, I had very few problems getting the PNP to work with Lunux. But I did have a few issues:
1) It shows up as /dev/ttyUSB0, or something close to it if you have more than one USB-serial converter. This was unexpected and I wasn't able to see where anyone else had that listed as a possibility in any docs. Luckily, it didn't need any drivers to load.
2) Use Hamlib for rig control. This does work, but I had to mess around with the baudrate to find something that was reliable with my PC and the FT897d. 9600 seemed to be the most reliable.
2a) It sometimes looses frequency display and there isn't much other information. That may be due to the Hamlib configuration and Yaesu, but I haven't really perused and answer. To me it is just a minor distraction.
3) There are some issues with DTR/CTS control. Not sure why, but in some cases it lock the radio in keydown. The only way to get out was to re-initialize the interface. Since I got it for PSK31, I ended up just using VOX in digi mode. It works, but some time I may look for a fix.
Overall, I think this may be a good, not great, solution for a radio interface in Linux. Most of that is because the community can't really test every configuration out there. But even without full CAT control, it will get the basic data to and from the radio. The audio isolation is of course the same no matter who's software you're running. Would I use it for a contest, or where solid reliability was essential? No, I can't say that's the fault of the interface, either.
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Earlier 5-star review posted by K0JEG on 2007-07-15
I bought this unit to go with my old Libretto and new FT-897d to run PSK31 portable, Since my homemade interface was not all that sturdy and I figured it would break in a backpack. I had a little trouble getting the laptop to find the right drivers, but that is mostly because my laptop doesn't have a CD rom drive, and because it has been a while since I installed anything on Win98. Once I got it going, it was very easy to get software to recognize it.
I also bought the CAT cable for Yeasu. Make sure you get the right one, as the first one was a large DIN connection, and the 897d needs a mini-DIN. Again, this was my fault and there was no problem exchanging it. The data and CW connections are via a TRS connector on the unit itself, while the "data" DIN connector is hard wired. This is OK, but it would have been nice to have that cable connectorized as well. That way, if you are running computer assisted CW (using the CW cable), you won't have the data cable hanging off the back. The data cable will key the radio through the PTT line, so if running CW with a data port, you don't need the CW line.
If using this with a laptop, get a few squares of Velcro or double stick tape for permanent adhesion. That will give you a strain relief for the PC side cables. |
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| KB3DIV |
Rating:      |
2008-12-16 | |
| Nice product & service! |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
All I can say is the Rigblaster Plug & Play installed with ease just as the direction / manual instructed. The ordering process was flawless on the West Mountan web site.
The interface works without a hitch.
What more cound you ask for? |
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| KH6DAN |
Rating:    |
2008-07-28 | |
| Not the same as the other models |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I've owned the other Rigblasters. The Nomic, Plus and Pro. Ive used them all for PSK32 and EchoLink. The Plug N Play is the latest and simplest to hook up. You just need to make sure you have the right connector/adapter for your radio.
(If you do not have a serial port on your newer computer, and you think that only the Plug N Play will work, I think you may find that the other models now come with a USB connection vice a serial).
I wanted to use the Plug N play for Echolink on my FM radio. Thought it would be better. I could not get the sound output from my radio to my soundcard high enough. Even with all the sliders up. I tried it with two radios; The IC-207H and the TS-2000. There was no difference. I went back to my Plus.
The Plug N Play will get you on the air fast. It is less complex to setup. Westmountain says that most of the software is for SSB not FM. This may be the reason. I did not try the Plug N Play with SSB for PSK31, etc.
73
KH6DAN |
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| KI4ESN |
Rating:     |
2008-06-28 | |
| Easy as pie setup |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| I bought this so I could do some psk31 with my FT897D. The hook up and set up was easy and pretty straight forward. I liked the fact that it didn't require any jumper setting or cable making. I also like the rig control abilities. The price is good and It does the job, an all around good buy. |
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