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Reviews For: West Mountain Radio Rigblaster Advantage

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

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Review Summary For : West Mountain Radio Rigblaster Advantage
Reviews: 25MSRP: 200
Description:
The RIGblaster Advantage features a simplified PC interface and expanded rig control radio compatibility, accomplished without compromising the functionality and flexibility that the RIGblaster products are known for. This new addition to the RIGblaster product line incorporates several user requested enhancements:

- Internal sound card

- Single plug and play USB cable connection to PC for audio, rig control and power

- Rig control interface for CAT/CI-V as well as RS232 through a DB9 port

- Front panel mounted transmit power level, receive audio level and VOX delay adjustment knobs
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.westmountainradio.com
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00254.8
VE1XOP Rating: 2015-09-12
Work all modes & Support is Super! Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I'm a techie guy at heart. Getting it configured was a breeze. Ease of use once configured, works like a charm.

The CD comes with a variety of software; but you could use an old version of HRD or get the new one with support for more modern computer OS.

In all - love it and will never let it go!
N6CAZ Rating: 2014-08-26
Worth it! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
While new to the Advantage that replaced my PnP after several years, I did not hesitate with purchasing this unit as an upgrade.

Setup was quick - drivers loaded in Windows 7 automatically and using the jumper blocks setup to my Icom rig were quick.

I may be too picky (and this goes against the across the board ease of setup) but I prefer connecting interfaces like this via ACC ports rather than the microphone jack. My rigs provide receive audio on the microphone jack, but it is variable and isn't utilized by the Advantage through that connection anyway. The optional cables available from WMR address some issues, but still need the unit to go between the microphone and rig for keying. I made my own cable using a DIN plug for the ACC1 (8-pin) on the Icom (756 Pro II) and now the receive signals are cleaner and don't change with the volume control.

On the air its been flawless. I got into JT65 in recent months and this keeps me going with it and may even lead me to venture into RTTY and other modes. (Sadly I broke my PnP by stretching the fixed cable) but even second hand this unit worked out of the box.

I'm not sure why, but RX audio in has always been "hot" and hard to control. The recommended levels in software are "halfway" but I am stuck with using the lowest on the mixer level in Windows and the RIGblaster control at about 8 o'clock. Speaker jack audio - their preferred method - was even worse and full of noise - probably from the audio amp in the Icom. Besides this, I highly recommend the Advantage. If you study how it can connect to your rig, it might even add to the stability of the setup.

Note that the instruction manual available online has almost twice as much content as the printed one included - and is very helpful with a wide range of digital mode software available today.
AF5DN Rating: 2014-07-28
Works! Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
It does what it says it will do. Easy to setup and and functions as described.
Would recommend!

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Earlier 5-star review posted by AF5DN on 2014-05-21

Connected to a TS-2000 and a Dell XPS.
Took the Rigblaster out of the box, RTFM Read The Full Manual.
Connected it up to the radio and PC as described in the manual. Worked first time, no issues. Was up and running fldigi and psk-31 in 15 minutes.
What else could I possible ask for?
JT1CS Rating: 2014-05-23
Real Pro unit Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I replaced my DigiMaster Proplus with RB Advantage. RB Advantage was very easy to hook up and make configuration with HRD, JT65-HF. Real Pro unit. I would buy another RB unit. I had big trouble with Digimaster.
K7JBQ Rating: 2014-02-21
2nd Rigblaster Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Finally got this one, replacing the original Rigblaster Plus that worked well for me for years.

The internal soundcard does a much nicer job than the soundcard I have in the computer, and being able to tweak the receive and transmit levels via knobs instead of the rig's volume control and mic gain makes life much simpler. As a bonus, I can leave the rig's mic gain setting optimized for SSB and make the necessary adjustments on the Rigblaster.

Excellent upgrade.
AA1RB Rating: 2013-11-16
Works w/K3 , MixW, JT65-HF Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I bought the Advantage because I needed the capability for rig control and sound card through one USB connection with the Elecraft K3. The setup was quick. After playing around with level controls on the K3 and JT65-HF I had my first QSO with a Japan station in no time. The front mic connection makes for a seamless transition to SSB. This is a great addition to my station to get digital modes. Make sure you get an RS-232 M/F cable to make the connection between the rig and the Advantage unit.
WI6T Rating: 2013-06-12
5 Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
Interfaced with ICOM IC-756. Especially appreciate the clear instructions regarding RTTY operation. Now I can use the RTTY feature on my rig with the 350 Hz RTTY narrow filter for true FSK operation. Wonderful interface with MMTTY program. Also enjoy the level controls and com/vox switching feature. The three LED indicators are a real plus. Also use the unit with HRD for PSK-31, Feld Hell, and others. I have other gear from WMR; all perform as advertised. Excellent web product details, delivery and assistance. Could not be more pleased.
KB1VGS Rating: 2013-04-18
Great interface from computer to my IC-746PRO Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I originally bought my RIGblaster Advantage from HRO in 2011 and installed it on my IC-706MK2G. It was easy to interface between my computer and my IC-706. After I had the RB Advantage for about 18 months I got an IC-746PRO and connected it up expecting to just change the modular ISC and the CI-V address for the IC-746PRO.
(West Mountain sends both jumpers and ISC modules) for Yaesu, Kenwood, and ICOM. They send both the round metal and the RJ-45 ISC and I think some of them can be used on Alinco as well. There are instructions on how to use the jumpers instead if needed.
When I started using the IC-746PRO I was getting a hum in my audio when I was transmitting. I sent an e-mail to West Mountain about my problem. I received an e-mail back from Sholto K7TMG asking me to call him. When I first called Sholto he asked me several questions about my station and had me try a few remedies which didn't work. Sholto listened to what I had to say and was very understanding. I ran a jumper from the 746PRO's ground post on the back of the radio to the metal ring on my mike and the hum went away, I then took the ground off and the hum returned. I put the ground jumper back again and the hum disappeared Sholto asked me how many LEDs (2 or 3) I had on my unit and I told him 2 he said he knew what my problem was. He said I had an old version and asked me where I got it from and how long I had it. I told him I bought it from HRO and it was 18 months old he told me he would call me back shortly.
Within 5 minutes I was on the phone with Sholto and he told me to send the unit in and they would repair it and bring it up to the latest version without the 3rd LED.
It arrived at West Mountain on Friday morning and Tuesday I received a NEW RIGblaster Advantage NOT my repaired older one! I did call them up and thank them and their answer was that is a known problem with the unit I had and they felt they should replace it.
Considering my unit was 6 months out of warranty I was impressed with their attitude. I am now thinking of getting another unit to use on my IC-706 when I am on vacation.
Everyone I spoke to was polite and were very happy to help me fix the problem. I am definitely a West Mountain customer from now on!
ON9CC Rating: 2013-02-14
Very satisfied! Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Bought my RB advantage in Dayton last year. Easy hookup to my IC-7800 and configuration with WSJT etc... No issues and it does what it does.
KJ4RWQ Rating: 2012-12-16
Excellent Soundcard!! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I've had this sound card for about a month now and I can honestly say it works as advertised. The most wonderful part in owning this product is the superior customer service you receive if you hit a brick wall. The only minor obstacle I hit was configuring the jumpers inside the Rigblaster Advantage unit, however, within a couple of minutes of contacting Sholto, K7TMG, I was able to receive service nothing short of excellent. Sholto consistently helps and takes the time to explain every facet of Westmountain products and has extensive expertise in electrical and radio as a whole. I really admire his patience and his making sure that I understood what I was doing. I interfaced the Elecraft KX3 with the Advantage and used a regular Tentec Mic so the jumpers had to be configured based on the sepcs of each microphone. Thank you so much for your time Sholto. After getting this all sorted with Sholto, I hit the manual and every software was a breeze. The manual is very detailed and does a very good job explaining setup for each standard software that are standard for just about every mode of HAM radio. Please keep up the awesome support, and please don't be afraid to include more radios in the manual and more sdr software as more and more sdr radios are coming onto to the market and have specific setup depending on the software.

Thanks again West Mountain for an awesome product and amazing representatives.

73's,

KJ4RWQ