Click HERE then click on "Open" to pre-install the latest Vista drivers for your RIGblaster Data Jack plug&play.

• Note, this is a Pre-Installation! It only gives Windows the necessary information and files needed to do an automatic driver installation. It should be installed BEFORE plugging in your RIGblaster Data Jack plug&play. After successfully completing this pre-installation you may then plug in your RIGblaster Data Jack plug&play and allow Windows to do an automatic driver installation.
• NOTE: YOU MUST IGNORE AND OVERRIDE ALL WARNINGS YOU MAY RECEIVE FROM MICROSOFT. IF YOU STOP, CANCEL, ABORT OR IN ANY WAY QUIT THE INSTALLATION AT ANY POINT THE RIGblaster Data Jack plug&play WILL NOT WORK!!!!!!!
• This installation is to used with all 32 bit versions of Windows Vista or XP.
• Do NOT install these drivers on older versions of Windows!
• If you have already installed an older version of our drivers on Vista or XP, and they are working correctly, it is not necessary to install this version.

First, before reading below, follow the RIGblaster plug & play owners manual driver installation instruction carefully before assuming that you have a problem. The owner's manual is on the CD-ROM or you can view it on-line above.

The RIGblaster plug & play is compatible with the Windows plug and play hardware installation system. For your convenience we have provided a custom driver pre-installer program on our CD-ROM to make the Windows plug and play driver installation to run automatically. The reason we warn you to run our driver pre-installation from the CD BEFORE plugging in the RIGblaster plug & play is so that you have an automatic plug & play installation.

If you fail to follow our instructions and you plug in the RIGblaster's USB cable before installing the drivers with our driver pre-installation program you can still make it work correctly. Also if you have aborted or quit or in any way been unsuccessful installing the RIGblaster you may still make it work with Windows by doing a manual driver installation.

A manual driver installation will be necessary if you plug in the RIGblaster's USB plug and Windows says: "found new hardware" but doesn't know what to do next and starts asking a bunch of questions.

We cannot guide you through this procedure step by step as the procedure is different according to which version of Windows that you have and also it will depend on what you have unsuccessfully attempted to do already.

A manual driver installation is simple in concept but requires that you carefully read and understand the rather confusing Windows message prompts and proceed slowly, step by step. There are two important things which you must do to properly complete a manual hardware driver installation of the RIGblaster plug & play.

You will get this message if you inadvertently run our pre-installer program more than one time. Disregard this message as it will have no effect on a new driver installation running correctly and automatically when you first plug in the RIGblaster plug & play. The important thing is that you do run the pre-installer program at least one time before plugging in the RIGblaster USB cable and that when you do you complete all of the installation by continuing to the end.

Click HERE then download and install .sit file for your RIGblaster Data Jack plug&play

• NOTE: WEST MOUNTAIN RADIO DOES NOT OFFICIALLY SUPPORT MAC INSTALLATIONS. PLEASE DO NOT CONTACT US WITH ANY QUESTIONS OR PROBLEMS USING THESE DRIVERS. THE DRIVERS ARE SUPPLIED BY SiLabs THE MAKER OF THE CHIP

Click HERE then download and install .zip file for your RIGblaster Data Jack plug&play

• NOTE: WEST MOUNTAIN RADIO DOES NOT OFFICIALLY SUPPORT MAC INSTALLATIONS. PLEASE DO NOT CONTACT US WITH ANY QUESTIONS OR PROBLEMS USING THESE DRIVERS. THE DRIVERS ARE SUPPLIED BY SiLabs THE MAKER OF THE CHIP

The EchoLink system comes with a setup wizard that allows you to select a RIGblaster interface. This setup works will all models of RIGblasters by detecting receive audio with a software based "virtual" VOX feature. The VOX implementation works quite will and has some advantages over using hardware based carrier (COR) detection. The RIGblaster plug & play has provision for hardware carrier detect.

The plug & play will detect open squelch and relay that information to the computer and the EchoLink system on the COR/Squelch pin of the radio is connected to the plug & play COR circuit and relays the COR state to the DCD, DSR and CTS pins of the Serial side of the plug & play's USB to serial converter.

To use this feature you must open the plug & play and connect the COR - pad of the PCB to the radio data jack cable by soldering the small loose wire on the ground to the pad. We do not connect this ground to avoid ground loops in HF station installations.

Besides connecting the COR - you also must be sure that the radio has the COR and it is connected through the cable that was supplied with your plug & play. You must also configure the EchoLink system manually in the Sysop mode for carrier detect on one of the three serial lines and you should disable the VOX carrier detect.

NOTE: The data or aux jacks of your radio may require configuration from a radio menu in order for receive audio to be available at the jack. This may be necessary each time you wish to use the jack,

If you are having trouble be sure you have the RIGblaster plug & play's BLUE mini plug is plugged into your computer's sound card Line In or Mic. In (not output) as in the picture shown here.
Line In is commonly identified with this symbol,
You must un-mute and select whichever of these inputs and turn up the corresponding virtual slider to a level that adequately drives your sound card program with the receive audio signal. Of course your radio needs to be receiving a good signal with the correct modulation for the program that you are using.

Be sure to read the documentation or help files that come with the ham sound card software that you have chosen. You may also wish to read the Windows help files regarding setting up and using multimedia sound.

Please do not call or e-mail us at West Mountain Radio with sound card software questions, We do not write amateur radio sound card software. We only have a collected third party software on our CD-ROM for your convenience. You should e-mail the software author if you cannot get their program to work.

The most direct way to determine if you have a software problem is to try an different program from different author. If several programs do not work on receive you most likely have not correctly adjusted your sound card "Recording Control Panel". Refer to the sound card control panel diagram below for help. This is a typical diagram; yours may differ.

NOTE: The data or aux jacks of your radio may require configuration from a radio menu, each time you wish to use the jack, in order for transmit audio to be accepted by the jack or for PTT to be controlled through the jack.

Assuming the software you are using correctly activates transmit (PTT Activation) when you "tell" the software to transmit, continue reading.

Command whatever software you are using to go to transmit or test mode so it will transmit a steady tone. Make sure the RIGblaster keys the radio as indicated by the radio going into transmit mode (PTT activation). If this does not happen go back and read "THE COMPUTER WILL NOT ACTIVATE TRANSMIT" on this support page.

Your radio must be set use the data or aux jack that the RIGblaster plug & play is plugged into. Many radios require that a special selection be made to activate the rear panel jack. For instance, an Icom IC746 data jack will not work until you hold down the SSB button for five seconds until the display shows "D" next to the mode. A Yaesu FT817 must have the data jack activated by selecting it from within the 817s appropriate menu screen.

If you are sure that you have your data or aux jack activated and your radio in transmit, you may set your computer sound card audio level. The computer's sound card control master and wave output sliders should be set to provide enough audio to show approximately 50 % power. Arriving at a proper setting requires a balance of both the "Volume" (left) slider and the "Wave" (2nd from left) slider and possibly also the radio's menu level setting or mic. gain setting of the data or aux jack input sensitivity.

NOTE: NEVER SET YOU AUDIO DRIVE LEVEL FOR FULL RF POWER OUTPUT! You may overdrive your radio and have a wide signal. You should end up with your computer Volume and Wave sliders set between approximately 1/4 and 2/3 of the way up.

If you have difficulty with this setting it is usually due to the sound card settings. First make sure you understand that the virtual control panels of your computer's sound card usually have more than 35 separate adjustments controlled by virtual sliders and click boxes. If you do not have enough transmit audio there is about a 90% chance that you need to slide a slider or check a click box on your virtual mixer panel.

TIP:
You must double click the little yellow or black speaker in the bottom right corner of your windows screen to see your Playback (Transmit) Volume Control panel. You must go to Options, Properties, Recording, to see your Recording (Receive) Control panel. You may also have to click the Advanced button to get a wave slider if it is not already visible on the Windows sound card Volume control panel.

The best way to check that your sound card is generating transmit audio sound is by monitoring with computer headphones or speakers plugged in to the RIGblasters computer speaker jack. You must find the two sliders usually labeled "Volume Control"(far left) and "Wave" (second from far left) to adjust the volume of the sound card's transmit output level that is fed to your radio for transmit.

If these virtual controls are not visible or they do not function you must fix your computers sound card installation so that it works properly.

If moving the Wave or Volume left hand slider has no effect you have a improperly installed sound card software driver installation. Contact the manufacturer of your sound card to fix this. You may go to their web page and download of the exact correct driver installation file for the specific make and model sound system that is installed in your computer. Do not attempt to re-install a sound card unless you are sure you have the correct software. Be aware that your sound card hardware is almost always good when it doesn't work. The software driver installation is probably causing the problem.

Having computer speakers that are turned up too loud has caused many people to set their sound cards so low that the rig had no output. If your computer speakers are too loud turn them down with the knob on the front of the speakers and turn up your sound card so the radio will transmit. If your computer speakers have no volume control un-plug them and turn up the sound card.

If you use low impedance un-amplified speakers or headphones plugged in to the RIGblasters computer speaker output you will effectively short out the audio from your sound card and your rig will not have adequate audio to transmit. Unplug your low impedance speakers or headphones to fix this problem. You must use proper amplified speakers or a pair of headphones specifically designed for use with a computer. The only exception is with a sound card that is rated at several watts of audio output and can drive low impedance devices. Most sound cards are line level output (.5 volts into 600 ohms) and will not drive un-amplified speakers.

It was mentioned before but make sure you have the RF power (drive) control of your radio set at maximum. You must do this even if you wish to run 2 watts with your 100 watt rig. Your power output is set with the audio level that is fed in to the mic. jack. Lower audio levels will have the same effect as speaking softly into your mic.; your radio will show less power. Note that most rigs will not run digital modes at full power without overheating. You you want to set the audio drive level to 50% power, or less, to keep your rig from overheating.

Since 95 out of 100 ham radio sound card programs were only intended for use with SSB radios we did not put audio setup instructions for FM operation in our manual. We wanted to keep our manual clear and to the point as most people do not like reading manuals anyway, We note on the back of the manual in bold print: "IF YOU CAN'T FIND IT HERE GO TO OUR SUPPORT PAGE"

Only programs such as K1RFD's EchoLink system and EchoStation and packet radio programs are intended for use with FM operation

FM transmitters do not normally have mic. gain, speech compressor, ALC meters or modulation power output meters to watch or set. FM audio levels should be set either with a deviation meter, AC millivolt meter or by listening on a second receiver. If you lack the equipment or technical experience simply listen to your signal on a second receiver. Set your audio level so that your radio sounds as loud as other stations. Do not confuse how loud the audio (modulation) is with how strong your signal is. Setting audio with this method is easily done on a packet channel as there are usually several stations on the channel to compare with. With voice you must find a good signal to match to. With some effort be able to set your radio's audio level (modulation) from the computer through the RIGblaster to match another good signal.

For EchoLink system you should use the 9999 test server to set the combined result of both your transmit and received audio so that your link repeated through the 9999 test server sounds good. Note that if your receive is high and your transmit low, or visa-versa, it may sound OK but it may not be correct. Understand that if you are setting up an EchoLink system link station or repeater link that you must have a an audio signal (VOIP) coming remotely from the Internet to your computer and then out of your sound card through the RIGblaster to your radio. You must have two computers and two Internet connections to test this audio level. The 9999 test server makes this easier. Consider that if the other computer is set too loud or too soft your radio's modulation level will be wrong even if you set it correctly.

This is a good one and has gotten many. It goes like this: you hook everything up and the rig doesn't get any transmit audio, a week of evenings later you call West Mountain Radio and we help discover that the solution to the problem was one mouse click away, literally a week of evenings and it was fixed by a mouse click.

This paragraph has evolved from many phone calls, some problems may solved with just a mouse click but several have turned out to be obscure.

CHECK THE FOLLOWING AND DO NOT MISS OR IGNORE ANYTHING!:

Make sure you have plugged the GREEN plug from the RIGblaster Data Jack plug&play into the "Headphone" jack on a Laptop or Line Out on a desktop computer.
Line Out, commonly identified with this symbol, and is usually color coded GREEN, but not always, so be sure it is LINE OUT.

TOO MANY volume controls, yes you may have as many as 6 adjustments between the computer the RIGblaster and the radio. The combination of which will make it appear that you have no transmit audio. You have to adjust them all for the best compromise and end up with proper mic. audio using your mic. simultaneous achieving the proper modulation level for sound card transmit. On your radio you probably have mic. gain (set it for your mic. to work properly), your speech compressor (off for digital modes), your drive adjustment (turn it up all the way and use the audio adjustments to set digital mode transmit power output).

Here is where Bill Gates gets in the act and this is most people get messed up. Remember you have to push the "START" button to turn your computer off right?!! Remember this when you go to adjust you sound card. Little known by many is the hidden control panel that controls all the different types of sound the switching and audio routing of the sound card. If you take your mouse and "double click" the little yellow or black speaker icon that is usually located in the bottom right corner of your computer screen and you will find a nifty panel of poorly labeled slider adjustments with nasty little check boxes that make it not work or work. To make matters worse some of the adjustments you need may be hidden and have to dig for them. If you get your RIGblaster transmitting without understanding the Volume Control panel then it is just dumb luck. Please understand that these instructions are for a typical sound card volume control panel and they ARE different ones on different computers and sound cards. The controls have a horizontal balance sliders that should normally be set in the middle. The left hand vertical control labeled "Volume" is the really the "master" control which controls everything that comes out of your sound card, it must be pushed up. BTW the "Volume" slider has nothing to do with what goes into the computer, it has no effect on receive signals.

You must UN-mute or select the master along with the line in and the wave outputs if you expect to have transmit audio/. The wave output is your "transmit audio" adjustment but it can be defeated by the master, remember the one on the left that you are supposed to have up. Make sure that you have the master and the line turned up until you are transmitting the proper level, half way may not work, 3/4 may not work all the way up is too much. BTW the line in sets the receive audio level on a desktop installation but the mic. usually sets the receive for a laptop. Experiment with everything until you have a total understanding of what all the mouse knobs do. Note: if you don't see the "wave" adjustment you may have to go to the volume control "Options" and them "Properties" and then select the missing ones. It is a good idea to mute, turn down or de-select the ones you are not using, like midi, CD, telephone mic. (on a desktop).

Several RIGblaster customers seemed to be doing everything right but they had no audio with popular PSK31 programs.
If you select less than 500 Hz or more over 3000 Hz on your PSK program by clicking on the far left or far right sides of the waterfall tuning screen you may not be able to transmit.
What is going on is that you may not be able to hear 150 Hz coming out of a 1" laptop speaker. Worse yet, your transmitter's audio filtering can't "hear" it either. Anything outside of a 300 to 3000 Hz audio range may not pass through the radio's filter. It will appear that your RIGblaster isn't hooked up. Do not get caught by this trap. We stumbled on it by accident working with a customer after going through everything step by step.

If anyone has figured out any other way to make their RIGblaster not work please tell us and the authors of the software.

The only way to fix this hot mic. problem is to buy a different radio, get another model RIGblaster or disconnect and/or turn down the microphone.