Owner`s manual

1
Owner’s Manual
RIGblaster plus USB radio to sound card interface
STEP by STEP INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS
Thank you for purchasing a RIGblaster plus. We hope that it provides many hours
of amateur radio enjoyment.
FOR MAXIMUM ENJOYMENT PLEASE PROCEED IN ORDER, STEP BY STEP!
DO NOT CONTINUE TO THE NEXT STEP UNTIL YOU HAVE CORRECTLY
COMPLETED THE STEP YOU ARE ON.
NOTE: IF YOU CALL FOR SUPPORT WE WILL TO NEED TO KNOW WHAT
STEP OF THIS MANUAL YOU ARE HAVING A PROBLEM WITH. WE MAY
NOT BE ABLE TO HELP YOU IF YOU HAVE NOT READ AND FOLLOWED
THE FOLLOWING STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS.
1. INSTALL SOFTWARE AND START RECEIVING: You do not need the
RIGblaster for receive, only for transmit, so leave it in the box. Put our CD in your
CD drive and, after a few seconds, our CD menu should appear on your screen. If
the menu does not appear, you probably need to set your CD ROM drive to autorun
(as explained in Windows help). If you cannot get the CD to autorun, browse to
the CDROM and double click the autorun.exe file in order to display our CD menu.
Please read the CD “read me” file first! We put it there for you to read! Note that
this product manual is also on the CD but either the paper or electronic version
may be more up to date with the latest version appearing on our support page.
After reading the Readme file, click the software collection XMIT button; click and
select the PSK31 mode button, and then click the WINPSK program install button.
This installs a simple and easy PSK31 program to get started with. (Only if you are
an advanced user should you install your choice of program or mode.)
For more information on using and operating a sound card in a ham station
read K1UHF’s “The In’s and Out’s of a Sound Card” in the October 2003 QST:
http://www.westmountainradio.com/pdf/Ins&Outs.pdf
Connect your radio’s speaker output to your computer’s line input (mic. on a laptop)
using one of the supplied 1/8” stereo mini plug audio cables. Other connections
may be used but we suggest you test initially with this simple hookup. If you have
purchased a fixed level audio cable from us, made for your model radio, then follow
the instructions that came with that cable for connecting a receive audio signal.
Note that with the appropriate cable you may use any audio output on your radio
(speaker, headphone, record, phone patch, data audio out) and either of your
computer’s inputs, line or mic. inputs. To choose the best connection, consider
the signal levels and your preference for operating convenience.
WARNING: Be certain your computer is powered from the same AC house wiring circuit (on
the same circuit breaker) as the rest of your ham station! This is safer and better for many
reasons that are both related and unrelated to the RIGblaster installation.