Configuring WRC with N1MM

This is a quick “how-to” mostly to remind myself how this all works.

This is a working document for a few friends that do some contesting with me…. subject to changes.

What is Web Radio Control?

Web Radio Control is a software applicable from WebRadioControl.tech that installs on a raspberry pi and allows remote control of your radio over the internet without multiple computers running.

I’ll have to cover some details about the software in the future and a few concerns.

Configuration

Understanding

Obviously when we connect our radio to our PC for logging control, CW Macros, or voice macros, we use a cat control cable (be it usb or otherwise). We obviously can’t do this when we’re operating remotely.

So what if you’re stuck in a hotel room and want to spend a bit of time doing a contest or need a remote contester friend to come help you remotely.

The first thing we need to understand is N1MM talks via cat commands over serial, not TCP/IP. My understanding is that it will talk over TCP/IP with certain radios but doesn’t utilize hamlib, so the way this works is:

Web Radio Control -> Connected directly to the radio at your station.

Web Radio Control hosts a web interface to control the radio.

For N1MM to talk to the radio over the internet we need two helpers.

• WRC-Proxy creates a proxy over the internet linking hamlib running locally on your machine, to the api provided by WRC
• rigctlcom (part of the hamlib package) then provides a link between com ports for N1MM to talk to.
• Note: Com0Com or a similar virtual com port program will be required

Setup

1. Install Com0Com
2. Download wrc-proxy and download hamlib
3. At this point I find it best to create a directory in c:\ and call it something like: “ham-remote”
4. Create a proxy api key in WRC
5. Start WRC-proxy
6. Start rigctlcom
7. Configure N1MM

Details are below for each of the steps between 4 and 7.

Create a proxy API key, or get it…

1. Login to WRC
2. Connect to a rig
3. Click settings in the top left corner
4. Select hamlib proxy from the dropdown box
5. Click Create New Hamlib Proxy
6. Copy the proxy link. Note: I’ve never had any success clicking the connect button.

Take this to the next step

Start WRC-Proxy

1. Open a command prompt and navigate to your folder you created earlier with our tools.

Run the following command: c:\hamradio-remote\wrc-proxy>wrc-proxy.exe -u "wss://" -p 4532 -t -i

Note: Replace the wss:// in the quotes (" “) with your proxy link we copied a moment ago.

This will create a hamlib “server” on your local machine, which we’ll connect to with hamlib to create the com port in a moment.

Start rigctlcom

Open a second command prompt (window or tab). rigctlcom.exe -m 2 -r 127.0.0.1:4532 -R COM9 -S 115200 -vvv

This will create a com port between COM9 and whatever com port I defined in com0com. in my case it’s com10

Configure N1MM

• Open Config > Configure bands, ports, modes …
• Select the second com port in your pair from com0com (again, I used com9 and com 10 so I’ll use com10 here)
• Select “TS-2000” for the radio
• Click set and set the speed: 115200
• Everything else should be default.

At this point you should have basic connectivity to the radio and be able to change bands and the radio comply or N1MM should track band changes from the radio interface.

Audio Routing

Audio is handled in WRC via the browser.

If you’ll be using N1MM’s built in macros for audio (CQ.wave, etc) you’ll want to also allow your own microphone through.

Beyond the scope here today but this is done with a virtual audio cable. In short, we’ll pipe N1MM’s audio output through the virtual audio cable, to the browser’s mic input and also pipe in your mic. Of course n1mm doesn’t need your received audio.

The challenge is triggering the radio to key up without a physical button.

I took a USB serial adapter

Wired a 10k ohm resistor between pins 6 and 7.

A footswitch is wired between pin 4 and pin 6 to key the radio.

In N1MM add another com port, choosing the com port of your usb serial adapter.

DTR = Always On RTS = Always Off FootSwitch (pin6) = Normal

Ensure your radio settings we previously selected have PTT via radio command SSB mode checked