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Universal Band Decoder
Using USB (RS232) or band data (BCD) information, the Bandmaster III
converts that frequency/band data to allow meaningful automated control
of your station.
Revision 1.5 November 21, 2011
ARRAY SOLUTIONS
2611 N Belt Line Road
Suite # 109
Sunnyvale, TX 75182
USA
(214) 954-7140 tel
(214)954-7142 fax
sales@arraysolutions.com
www.arraysolutions.com
Bandmaster III
P a g e
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Table of Contents
Summary of Contents for Array Solutions Bandmaster III
- Page 1 (214)954-7142 fax sales@arraysolutions.com www.arraysolutions.com Bandmaster III Universal Band Decoder Using USB (RS232) or band data (BCD) information, the Bandmaster III converts that frequency/band data to allow meaningful automated control of your station. Revision 1.5 November 21, 2011 P a g e...
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Page 2: Table Of Contents
Table of Contents Introduction ......................... 3 Physical description ....................4 Bandmaster Hardware Configuration ................. 5 Radio configuration .................... 5 2.1.1 ICOM ......................7 2.1.2 KENWOOD ....................7 2.1.3 YAESU ....................... 8 2.1.4 ORION ......................8 Baud Rate ......................8 Interface type ...................... 9 Connections....................... -
Page 3: Introduction
) or ICOM CI-V data from the radio and automatically switch to the band being used at that time by the radio and this without any computers attached to the Bandmaster III or the radio! Or it can be connected to your computer and used with your favorite logging or radio control program... -
Page 4: Physical Description
1 Physical description The Bandmaster III is a fairly simple device. The front panel has a power LED and 12 LEDs indicating the currently selected band. The back of the Bandmaster III has five connectors (figure 1 below) used for the various connections;... -
Page 5: Bandmaster Hardware Configuration
2 Bandmaster III Hardware Configuration In this section we will look at the different ways of configuring the Bandmaster III hardware. The unit may (should) be configured via the Bandmaster III software (preferred method) or by DIP switch settings on the Bandmaster III circuit board. - Page 6 When configuring the Bandmaster III via software switches 1-4 set the 4-Wirenetwork address of the unit. Each Bandmaster III on the network must have a different address. Switches 5-8 must be in the OFF position. Instructions for the Bandmaster III configuration software are located in section 6.
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Page 7: Orion
Manual Mode The following table shows the switch settings for manually configuring the decoder. Note that no Icom address can be set in the manual mode. You must turn the VFO knob on Icom radios when first powering on the decoder for the band to be detected. Switch #7 (OPT3) must be on to enable the manual configuration. -
Page 8: Connections
3 Connections and cable configurations Using the Bandmaster III via the CAT interface by far gives you the most out of your Bandmaster III. But if for different reasons you cannot, the Bandmaster III gives you the flexibility of monitoring YAESU BCD “band data” from the radio. In this section we will look at different ways of connecting your Bandmaster III and how to make the cables to connect your radio to the decoder. -
Page 9: Icom
Remote jack on the radio and the CI-V jack on the decoder. When the Bandmaster III is connected to an ICOM radio via a CI-V connection it can replace the ICOM CT-17 since the Bandmaster III contains all the required interface circuitry. The Bandmaster III then monitors all CI-V data from the radio for frequency or band changes and selects the appropriate band. -
Page 10: Yaesu Bcd Band Selector
YAESU also offers BCD band data outputs on most models that can be used to control external devices. The Bandmaster III can, via the Radio connector and a specially designed cable, decode this information. The pins used on the Radio connector for this are;... - Page 11 The pinout of J8 is shown in figure 7. The connector is shown looking at the rear panel of the unit. All of the outputs of the Bandmaster III are isolated relay contacts, so no diodes are necessary, for example, to connect...
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Page 12: Operations
And you are done. 5 Operations Once your radio is cabled correctly, apply power to the Bandmaster III. As you switch bands on your radio or logging/control software, the Bandmaster will switch to your band of choice within .25 to .5 seconds. This delay ignores transients and false signals from the radio which can cause unwanted problems. -
Page 13: Bandmaster Configuration Software
Bandmaster C onfiguration Software The Bandmaster III also includes a software utility that can be used to customize the band segments, set the radio type, interface type, baud rate and radio number. Run the software utility and select the proper COM port. You may now customize the band segments by clicking on the band you wish to change. - Page 14 Radio Configuration Select your radio model* from the drop-down list and the default baud rate and interface type will be automatically selected. If these are not correct you may change them after selecting the radio model. If you are using an Icom radio you must enter the CI-V address also.
- Page 15 This completes the configuration process. You may now close the decoder software and start your logging program and connect to your radio. Note: you can not run the Bandmaster III configuration application at the same time as a logging/control program because you can not have two applications grabbing the same serial port.
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