DIY remote kit for the IC-706 part 2: A closer look at the protocol

In my first post about the IC-706 remote kit I wrote that we don’t really need to care about what data protocol is used between the radio and the front panel; all we need is to route the data between a serial port and a network socket. However, it turns out that taking a closer look at the protocol is not only a good idea but also necessary for efficient remote control.

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DIY remote kit for the IC-706 part 1: Proof of concept

Few months ago I purchased a used ICOM IC-706MKIIG in good condition and for a quite reasonable price. The primary reason for this acquisition was that l am spending 2.5 hours every day driving a car between my home and my work place and I wanted a mobile radio setup for shortwaves. Because of the detachable front panel the IC-706 is extremely suited for this purpose.

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Software Defined Radio the way it should be

I have been looking into various options for building my own radios again, this time taking advantage of software defined radio technologies. I’m not crazy about using a PC for running the SDR application. While a PC offers great performance and flexibility, it makes a clumsy radio setup not at all suitable for portable and mobile use.

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Updated fcdctl for the Funcube Dongle Pro and Pro+

About a year ago I wrote about my modified fcdcontrol application that could be used with the Funcube Dongle Pro and Pro+. The news back then was that it could be used on the Raspberry Pi to control the FCD instead of the continuously failing attempts at running qthid. Unfortunately, the fcdcontrol application often crashed due to a problem at the hidapi / libusb layer.

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