The Yaesu VX-8GR is the newest member of the proud VX-8 family.The VX-8GR dual-bander only covers 2 meters and 440 MHz and receive coverage is 108-999 MHz (less cellular frequencies). Strong performance specifications are combined with intuitive operation.This version has a built-in GPS unit right out of the box! It is not Bluetooth® capable. It is however APRS capable (B band only) with. These radios use the Yaesu SCU-35 cable. It is a USB-to-serial cable with a Prolific PL2303 USB-to-serial ship. It is supported by the unmodified drivers USB in Windows and Linux. The cable uses 3.3 V voltage levels and is a two-wire cable, with GND on one wire and TxD and RxD wired together on the other wire. The FT-4XR 2 meter/ 440 MHz HT has three output power levels: 5, 2.5 or 0.5 watts transmitting from 144 to 148 MHz and from 400 to 480 MHz. Receive coverage is 65.
This page is a collection of user submitted information on radio programming cables. If you have corrections or additions to this page, please submit them to me, or ask for edit privileges. I much prefer this information to be user-maintained and contributed! Note: as this is user-submitted content, the recommendations and opinions here are not necessarily shared by Dan and other primary CHiRP contributors.
Yaesu Data Mode Cable for Transceivers Fitted with 6-pin mini-DIN DATA Jack; Icom CT-17 USB CI-V CAT Control Cable; Memory Management Software for Yaesu FT-817, FT-818, FT-847, FT-857 and FT-897 Transceivers; Yaesu USB Programming / CAT Cable for FT-100 / 817 / 857 / 897.
Cable Buying Advice¶
In some cases, the manufacturer of your radio produces the highest quality cable for programming. However, these are usually the most expensive and are not always the most convenient (because of a lack of USB, etc). The exception to this are the very low cost USB cables that come with many Chinese radios that use a counterfeit Prolific USB to serial chip that has a number of driver problems with recent versions of Microsoft Windows. These cables generally work ok with Linux.
Third party cables are available for most radios with a range of costs and quality. The low cost cables use counterfeit Prolific USB chips. If you use Microsoft Windows, finding the right driver and keeping it working can be quite a chore. Saving $10-15 on a cable might cost you a good bit of time and frustration trying to get it all to work.
Cables that use only a 9-pin serial connection take a lot of guesswork out of the equation. With such a cable, you can choose your own (or try many) USB adapters to get a working setup. In reality, this is a much safer option as you only have to find a solid USB adapter once, and you can use it with many cables. The KeySpan USA-19HS is a very solid USB adapter that has many benefits and is not sold under another name, nor does it use a variety of chips as do many other cables. Anything with a REAL Prolific or FTDI chip should be fine as well.
How to figure out which cable to buy¶
Recommendations for purchasing a USB radio programming cable:
Yaesu Vx8g Software Cable For Mac Computer
There are a few reputable manufacturers of 3rd party cables that are known to be high-quality in the community. If you're looking for a cable, check the following:
Making your own cables¶
It is possible to build your own radio programming cable. Most radios use a serial interface for programming, however the voltage levels used varies. RS-232 Serial ports used voltage variations of up to -15Vdc to +15Vdc which was good for older equipment and long cable runs. Modern low voltage electronics tends to use signalling levels of 0-5Vdc, or 0-3.3Vdc. Be sure you know what voltage levels your radio expects before connecting anything. RS-232 voltage levels can damage your radio if it is expecting to see a max of 3.3Vdc or 5Vdc. Older radios with built-in TNCs or those otherwise designed to connect directly to a computer use RS-232 voltages. However these radios are becoming more and more rare. Most modern radios have a low voltage port connected directly to the radio's microcontroller for cloning and memory programming. Research 'voltage level converters' for how to convert between the different types of signalling.
USB Serial cables that provide RS-232 ports usually include both a USB to low-voltage serial chip and a level converter. However, bare USB to serial adapters are available that provide 0-5Vdc or 0-3.3Vdc signalling from a number of companies targeted at microcontroller programmming and other do-it-yourself hobby/electronics activities. Building a USB programming cable for your radio can be as easy as selecting the appropriate USB adapter with the right voltage for your radio and soldering on the proper cable.
There is quite a bit of information available on building cables for most radios on the internet. Instructions with schematics can often be found in the mailing lists, Yahoo, Google (or other) Group, forums that are specifically for the users of each radio. Some of the plans have been linked below in the radio specific section.
Alinco Radios¶
All (to my knowledge) Alinco radios use a three-pin 1/8' plug with a TTL converter in the 9-pin housing. This is identical to the Icom OPC-478 cable.
Yaesu Vx8g Software Cable For Mac ProBaofeng¶UV-3R¶
The UV-3R uses a Prolific USB-to-serial chip, but users report that in Windows, you must use drivers from http://409shop.com. It works out of the box on Linux. Build your own cable:
The PLUS model of the UV-3R uses a Kenwood/Wouxun cable (same as the UV-5R) instead of the original single plug cable used by the UV-3R and UV-3R Mark II. All models (thus far) of the UV-3R use the same software. UV-4X¶
The UV-4X is a rebadged UV-3R Mark II and uses the single connector cable. The radios themselves are made by Vero Telecom
UV-5R¶
The UV-5R is made by TYT, uses a Kenwood/Wouxun cable, and does not use the same protocol as the UV-3R models.
Build your own cable:
Icom Radios¶
The following links are outdated, and we haven't yet found replacements for them; the Highfieldfs Amateur Radio Club in Cardiff UK is now at http://highfields-arc.com, but apparently their cable pages are gone.
Instructions for building your own OPC-478 / OPC-552 / CI-V cables can be found here: http://highfields-arc.co.uk/constructors/other/opc478.htm Circuits are shown for both an RS-232 version with a level-converter as well as a USB version using an inexpensive USB module. VHF/UHF Mobiles¶
Nearly all of these radios use an OPC-478 (or similar) cable, which plugs into the speaker jack of the radio. The housing of the 9-pin connector has TTL conversion logic, which can be home-built but it is typically easier to buy one pre-made. Note that some of the mobile D-STAR radios can also use their data connection for programming, which uses RS-232 signalling and requires no conversion hardware. Models that can do this include the IC-2820H, ID-880H, and ID-80.
IC-91AD, IC-92AD, ID-1¶
These radios operate in 'live' mode and require a full-duplex RS-232 serial cable connection. For the IC-91AD, the OPC-1529 cable is used (and can be easily built).
The 92AD uses a moisture-proof custom bayonet connection at the top of the radio, which is only available from Icom (OPC-1799) and only with their RS-92 programming software. Note that the OPC-1797 adapter cable will not allow you to use an OPC-478 programming cable with this radio.
The ID-1 is programmed via its integrated USB connection.
IC-Q7A¶
For some reason, this radio doesn't use the standard three-conductor plug on the OPC-478. The cable for the Yaesu VX-7 actually works perfectly though.
Kenwood Radios¶TH-F6A, TH-K2A¶
These radios use a two-pronged cable that plugs into the microphone and speaker jacks simultaneously. Note: many Chinese radios such as the Wouxun, and Baofeng UV-5R use the same two prong cable as these Kenwoods.
Build your own cables:
TH-D7, TH-D7A, TH-D7Ag¶
These radios use a three-pin 3/32' plug directly wired to an RS-232 port (easily home-built).
TM-D700¶
This radio uses a regular serial cable (Female-Female) to the 9-pin connector on the front of the radio.
TM-D710, TM-V71A¶
This radio uses a RS-232 cable (officially, PG-5G) directly cabled to a eight-pin Mini-DIN connector marked 'PC' on the back of the radio. No level converter is required, so this can be easily home-made with the right connectors.
Yaesu Radios¶
Note: A number of ham radio dealers sell the RT System's software and alongside the radios. This gives the false impression that the software and cable are from Yaesu rather than a 3rd party which is a bit misleading. Some RT System's cables such will NOT work with CHiRP under Windows or Mac OS without some additional driver or chip configuration. See FTDI OEM Cables. Therefore, RT System's cables aren't recommend for use with CHiRP.
VX-2R, VX-3R, VX-5R, VX-6R, VX-7R, FT-60R¶
These handhelds use the same type of cable, which is a four-pin TRRS connector and a TTL voltage converter in the 9-pin housing.
VX-8R, VX-8DR¶
The VX-8R and VX-8DR both use a moisture-proof multi-pin screw-on connector at the top of the housing. It is recommended that you find a third-party programming cable for this radio. Mysql database management software mac. This radio expects 3.3Vdc signalling. Using a 5Vdc adapter could possibly damage the radio. Note the VX-8G radio with the built-in GPS, uses an entirely different serial connection, see below
NOTE: RT System's cable will NOT work with CHiRP under Windows or Mac OS without some additional driver or chip configuration. See FTDI OEM Cables.
Build your own:
VX-8GR¶
The VX-8GR uses a three-conductor 3/32' plug directly to an RS-232 port. This is the same cable that Kenwood APRS radios use for the GPS connection, and almost the same as the Icom OPC-1529 type data cable, except that a null modem adapter must be used to switch the TX and RX pins.
FT-7800, FT-7900, FT-8800, FT-8900¶
These radios use a 6-pin mini-DIN plug and a TTL converter in the 9-pin housing. Financial software for mac australia.
FT-4, FT-65¶
These radios use the Yaesu SCU-35 cable. It is a USB-to-serial cable with a Prolific PL2303 USB-to-serial ship. It is supported by the unmodified drivers USB in Windows and Linux. The cable uses 3.3 V voltage levels and is a two-wire cable, with GND on one wire and TxD and RxD wired together on the other wire. It plugs into the radio's 'MIC' jack using a 2.5mm TRS plug.
Wouxun Radios¶
The KG-UVD1P and KG-UV2D, KG-UV3D, KG-UV6D radios use the same cable as the Kenwood TH-F6A and TH-K2A listed above. The connection consists of a 3.5 mm and a 2.5 mm 3-conductor phone plug (TRS). It is a 5 Volt (TTL) serial interface, with Ground and TXD (fKrom Radio) on the sleeve and ring of the 2.5mm connector. RXD (to radio)is on the sleeve of the 3.5 mm plug.
Build your own:
Using the Yaesu VX-8 Cable on Mac OS X (El Capitan in my case)
3.14.2016
If you have a Yaesu radio (the Yaesu VX-8DR in my case) and have purchased the Yaesu cable (the ADMS VX-8 in my case) to program your radio you may find some difficulties when it comes to using it with your Mac.
Protip: If you haven’t bought a cable for your Yaesu yet, skip the VX-8 cable and get a FTDI cable that isn’t RT Systems proprietary, like this one.The software that comes with it only runs on Windows so don’t bother opening the disk. Instead, head over the CHIRP site and download the latest daily build and the the Python runtime libraries referenced in the Mac download section. Install the Python runtime libraries and then run CHIRP. Easy.
But the difficult part is yet ahead. The cable you have from RT Systems is based on the FTDI chipset, which is the chipset you want when it comes to USB to Serial adapters, but RT Systems has made their proprietary so that their software will only use the RT Systems cable. Unfortunately, this also prevents the native Mac driver, the FTDI driver, and the Mac driver from RT Systems (which is odd), from identifying the VX-8 cable and thus being used by CHIRP.
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There are two things you can do to fix this issue; modify your Mac’s native FTDI driver to load when it sees the RT Systems proprietary FTDI cable, or modify the VX-8 cable to work with native FTDI drivers. Each has its advantages and disadvantages, but I went with the latter, modifying the VX-8 cable via software. Both are outlined below.
Method 1 – Mac Driver Modification
To modify your Mac’s native FTDI driver to recognize the RT Systems VX-8 USB cable you will have to modify the driver to “teach” it to load and support the Yaesu cable. This seems like the obvious choice, but unfortunately (fortunately?) the security of the Mac OS makes this more difficult and the idea of weakening my systems’ security makes this a no go for me. But if you want to move forward with this method, you’ll have to modify one file and you’re good to go.
Note that you will have to disable security features to even be able to modify this file, so again, think twice about this method. Assuming you’ve disabled the mechanisms to prevent modifications to your drivers, you’ll need to open /System/Library/Extensions/AppleUSBFTDI.kext/Contents/Info.plist and find the IOKitPersonalities section. Add the following stanza, save the file, force unload/reload of the driver with the kextunload/kextload commands, or simply reboot.
Method 2 – VX-8 USB Cable Modification (recommended):
If you have the RT Systems VX-8 cable for your Yaesu radio and plan on using it exclusively with your Mac and CHIRP, this is probably the best way to go. You don’t need to modify your Mac’s security settings, mess with its native drivers which may change during an update, etc. The disadvantages to this is that the Yaesu/RT Systems software will not leverage the cable until you back out these changes and restore it to its original settings. Do note that you will have to have access to a Windows system to modify the EEPROM of the VX-8 cable. If you don’t have a Windows system or a friend with a Windows system contact me and I’ll do it for you at no charge.
Stop app from accessing files mac pc. Before you can program the cable you’ll need to plug it into the Windows system, I was using Windows 7, but it should be the same for all versions. Windows should see the cable and install the proper drivers automatically, but I had to go to the device manager, click on the VX-8 device and check the box to use it as a VCP device before CHIRP would see it as a serial device.
You are going to be reprogramming the EEPROM of the VX-8 cable which sounds pretty scary, but luckily there is a utility to help. Go to the FTDI’s website, download and install the FTPROG tool which requires the .NET framework to run. Go here and download the FT_PROG 3.0.60.276 – EEPROM Programming Utility:
Yaesu Vx8g Software Cable For Mac Free
Plug in your RT Systems VX-8 cable and start FTPROG. Have it scan for the cable and it should find it and load all of the settings for it. Best drawing software for mac 2018. BEFORE you do anything else, save these settings as the default template so you can go back if you need to use the Yaesu software!
The only thing we need to change is the Vendor ID and the Product ID. Don’t touch anything else. Head to the USB_Device_Descriptor section and change the setting to the FTDI Default.
You might want to save this as a template as well in case you need to toggle back an forth later.
Click the Program button, which is the one with a little lightning bolt on it to program the device. and you’re all set. Plug it into your Mac and CHIRP will see it strait away. To verify, open the Terminal app and look for the device, “ls /dev/cu*” will show you something like /dev/cu.usbserial-RT8K31V.
Simple.
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