There are a lot of available PC to Radio interfaces. I've tried a few of them myself and they all work good. Some have more bells and whistles than others. One thing common to them is that they require an external power supply and a serial cable. I try to have as clean a setup as I can but the shortest serial cable I can get is 3 feet long and the interface is only a foot away. Not to mention the power cable going to the interface. It just leaves some excess cable that I have to manage. I thought it would be nice to come up with an interface where I can eliminate most of the cable clutter. The first design went inside the pc case. It took one of the expansion slots in the back. The design eliminated the need for an external power supply because it gets power from the serial port. It still did not address the problem with the serial cable. I still had to either buy or make a short serial cable jumper. Still not satisfied, I went back to the drawing board. I was also thinking of portability. I thought it'd be nice to setup a temporary RF node from a hotel room or anywhere for that matter. This is what challenged me to come up with an interface in a small package. I was able to fit the circuit inside a DB-9 shell. This allowed a direct plug in to the serial port and eliminated the need for a serial cable jumper. So all my requirements were met.

The portable interface finds most of its use on Echolink by the people that have bought it. It can also be used in other digital modes. It's a no frills but robust interface.This can be used for other digital modes as well like PSK31. The interface keys the transmitter in response to RTS or DTR signals from the serial port. Another big advantage of this type of an interface is the isolation it provides between the radio and the pc. For Echolink use, remote DTMF control of your node is no problem.

There are a a number of these that have been in service here in the US and overseas. One user had set it up using a laptop, an ht and a small quarter wave antenna during one of his trips and contacted me. He said it worked well for him. I have been using it for the past 3 years with no issues at all and have not had a single person who bought one complain about it. If you want to hear how it works just connect to my Echolink node, AB6CQ-R or node number 114791. I answer all calls provided I'm listening at that time. You can also email me if you have questions.

The interface costs $40. A lot of people have requested me to build the PTT cable from the interface to the radio. The interface to PTT cable is $20.

If you're interested in one email me and I'd be happy to discuss details with you.



Thanks for your interest and Enjoy The Hobby!!!