Introduction

RadioCom6 is a program for receiving and transmitting of news, messages and data. It can decode and transmit automatically and presents the results graphically. This software is the ham radio version of the worldwide known Bonito programs. Technically and optically it is a close approximation of professional programs, such as Bonito MeteoCom, ProMeteo etc. With the time manager the program can receive and transmit automatically all of which is part of the commercial version of the Bonito software. The special feature of the new generation is the connection to the internet, which is supposed to present some new possibilities to the ham radio operator. Many features will be known to you from other programs, because these functions have become state of the art. Other features of RadioCom 6 are different and often more user-friendly or even superfluous. Therefore, it may be that you have get used to them. That’s why we recommend reading the manual and having a look at the videos.

Have fun with RadioCom 6

1) Preparation

It is important to follow the instructions step by step, so everything will work satisfactorily.

• 1.1) Have the radio and the Computer manual ready.
  Make sure, whether your PC has an audio input and where it is located. Check also, whether your PC has a line-in connection and a microphone or only a microphone input. This will be important later on when installing the program. Furthermore, you should check where the COM-Port (serial port, 9-pin plug) respectively where the USB connection is.
   

• 1.2) COM-Port
  Plug the Bonito Switchbox onto the COM-Port (serial port). If your PC doesn’t have a COM-Port (serial bus), you first have to install a ‘USB to Serial’ adapter. Such an adapter is connected to a USB-port and provides you with a COM-Port. Such an adapter is available at our company (article number P00254). This adapter needs no driver with Vista / 7 / 8). Follow the manufacturer’s instruction very carefully. Check if the installation was successful. If any problems occur contact the manufacturer or consult our small ‘How to...’ in the appendix.
  IMPORTANT for Win Vista / 7 / 8 / 10 users
  Unfortunately, USB Serial Adapters with Prolific chips do not work correctly under Windows 10 / 8 / 7 or Vista with 64 Bit. Our tests showed that only adapters with FTDI chips work with these operating systems. We offer functional USB-Serial adapters in our Shop.
   

• 1.3) deactivate Bluetooth
  Some PCs have a Bluetooth interface which most users don’t use. Basically, the Bluetooth interface causes no problems, but it carries COM-Ports in the system manager. Because RadioCom checks the interfaces to find the switchbox, it can take some time when Bluetooth is activated. That’s why we recommend to deactivate Bluetooth before installing RadioCom
   

• 1.4) Finding the connection
  Try and find the audio connections of your radio. ‘Line out’ or ‘Rec out’ are the most suitable ones because these are unregulated and you still can hear the audio from the speakers. But you can also use the speaker jack. Make sure that the volume isn’t turned up too high when you use the external speaker jack. On your PC you need a ‘Line out’ (O) and a ‘Line in’ jack (O) or a microphone jack (O). Further information you’ll find in the ‘How to...’section.
   

• 1.5) Configuring the soundcard (Windows 8 / 7 / Vista)
  This Step is very important. With Windows 8 / 7 and Vista you have to choose from the various sound devices, configure it and deactivate the digital devices. In the ‘How to...’section you’ll find all the details and a nice video.
   

• 1.6) Installation of a SSB-Device (Radio) with a USB port
  When using a SSB device with a USB port, follow the manufacturer’s instructions and install it as required. When using Windows 8 / 7 or Vista (32 or 64 bit) check if your device is suitable and if you use the correct and latest driver. When unsure, contact the manufacturer. Only when a complete function is ensured, RadioCom can work properly. As a rule, the use of the manufacturer’s software with RadioCom is not possible, because only one type of software can access the device. RadioCom has built-in controls for the devices.
   

• 1.7) Checking the radio adjustments
  RadioCom supports about 120 different types o receivers and transceivers from manufacturers such as ICOM, Kenwood, Yaesu. These radios have standard settings of the Baudrate and of the CIV address. All of these can be adjusted by the user. Basically, RadioCom is adjusted to the default settings. With the help of the manual, please check, if your personal settings correspond to the default values. If not, change them to the default settings to ensure proper function of RadioCom. Later on, you can readjust the Baudrate in the RadioCom setup.
   

• 1.8) Internet connection:
  To register the software, connect your PC to the internet or prepare everything to be able to establish an internet connection, if necessary.
   
• 1.9) Unpacking RadioCom:
  Check the content of the Bonito Box. You’ll find:
  1 CD, 1 Bonito Switchbox, 1 audio cable and a short instruction sheet.
   
• 1.10) System requirements
  Windows 10 / 8 / 7. An IBM-compatible PC with Intel Pentium M CPU of at least 1,6 GHz, a screen solution of 1280x1024, a 16-bit soundcard with a line-in or mic-in jack. Additional minimum requirements are specified by the system.

2) The BONITO Switchbox

Part of the software package is a small plug-in module called Bonito switchbox. This switchbox is not only a "dongle", but it also contains electronic switches to control compatible radios such as ICOM, Kenwood, YAESU, AOR etc. via a control cable. You can find various connecting diagrams here. You can buy all these cable-sets in our Hamradio online shop. There are two kinds available: Rx and TRX. The Bonito switchbox must always be connected to a free COM-Port of your PC, while running the Software. If the switchbox is not plugged in, you will receive the following message: ‘Radio Initial Error’ in the RadioCom Splash and the program will not start. If your radio is not remote-controlled or you use one with USB, you still have to insert the Switchbox into a free Com-Port. In this case it functions as a copy protection device. There are three types of switchboxes: IC-SWL: exclusively for ICOM PCR 100/1000, Ten-Tec radios RC-SWL: for all other radios but without TX-function RC-HAM: for all other radios. This type includes the TX-function. There is more information about the Bonito switchbox in the Annex

3) Connecting the Radio

3.1) Connecting the audio and control cable: SSB receiver without USB jack
 

1. Plug the Bonito Switchbox onto the COM-Port
    

2. IF your SSB radio is remote-controlled and has a control cable, connect this with the switchbox and the correct interface of the SSB radio (often called ‘Remote’). You will find various connection schemes here. These cables are also available at our shop: RX-Cable Set
    

3. The audio cable is connected as follows: You insert the red stereo jack (two rings) of the audio cable into the ‘Line-IN’/Microphone jack of your PC. You plug the black mono plug (one ring) into the ‘Speaker-/Line-OUT/REC-out/ jack of your SSB radio / receiver.

3.2) Connecting radios with USB connectors
 

1. For USB SDR radios and ICOM PCR/R1500/2500 we have step-by-step instructions: SDR / USB Device Guide.
   For Radios like ICOM IC-7200, IC-7600 ... with USB and integrated Soundcard Interfaces click here.

3.3) Connecting the audio and control cable to SSB-transmitters

1. Plug the Bonito Switchbox onto the COM-Port
    

2. Connect the TRX-cable-set to the switchbox. The various cables are marked according to the radio and have to be plugged into the jacks: ACC, Remote. The ‘Line-in’ and the ‘Line-out’ have to be connected to the soundcard of the PC. Various connecting schemes for your radio you will find here. You can also purchase these cables in our shop: TX-cable set.
   
    

4) Installing RadioCom

Before you start the set up program, connect all the devices as described above and turn them on. If that does not work properly, follow the instructions in chapter 3. According to the various types of radio there are three different types of installation instructions:

1. Standard Radios

2. SDR Installation

3. Soundcard Interface

We have made a video presentation which shows the standard installation:

zum Video geht es hier

4.1) Insert the CD/start the set up
Insert the CD into your CD drive. You will see the set up program with an entry showing a program key ‘CD-key’ which was burnt on the CD. If the CD does not start by itself, access the root directory of the CD via ‘My Computer’ or the Window Explorer and start the installation procedure by double-clicking ‘Setup.exe.

Important: With Windows 7/Vista you have to execute the Setup.exe as administrator.

4.2) Selecting the channels
First click on ‘Radio Channel 1’. Select your radio in the drop-down menu from the ‘radio selection list’. Since the correct switchbox is already in the COM-port, RadioCom should find it automatically and there should be no error message. If your radio cannot be controlled remotely or does not show up in the list, choose ‘no remote’.

You can connect two radios, but only one can transmit. A transceiver should always be installed on Radio Channel 1.

4.3) Manual Comport selection

If the port was not found and there was an error message, you can select the correct Comport by clicking on ‘Find Serial Port’. With ‘Finding COM-Port’ the switchbox will be searched for. With ‘Test Serial Port’ you can check the connectivity of the port. With ‘Select Serial Port’ you can assign a specific Com-Port to your radio. Important notice for ICOM 1500/2500 users: You have to select your comport of your radio instead of the comport of the switchbox. With the button ‘Baudrate’ you can change the Baudrate of the radio control. Important: The rate has to correspond to the one of your radio. Never change the Baudrate in the device manager. The Com-Port values always have to be standard.

4.4) Correct Baudrate selection

RadioCom is using the default Baudrate of the selected Radio. For example ICOM Radios has a default Baudrate of 1200 Baud. If you changed the Baudrate on your Radio you have to do it in RadioCom as well. 1) Choose the desired "Radio Channel" 2) Click "ComPort Selection" 3) Click the Button "Baud = ???" and choose the Baudrate which correspond to your radio Never change the Baudrate in the device manager. The Com-Port values always have to be standard.

4.5) selection of the audio output/input
Normally, the soundcard of the PC is recognized by RadioCom automatically. But not all outputs/inputs are accessibable physically at every PC. With ‘Radio Control Input/output you can select the correct input. If there is only one microphone input, then select the microphone with ‘Input Select. You can change this later in the Audio Control with ‘Driver’.
With the PCR 1500/2500 you can also use the integrated USB-soundcard of the PCR. Under ‘Input Select’ choose ‘PCR/USB Radio. In this case you do not have to connect any other cables. With the PCR 2500 you can assign the second channel with the Radio IC-2500 SubReceiver. If everything has been prepared, push the button ‘Install’ and RadioCom will install itself.

4.6) IF instead of NF
With RadioCom you can process the IF directly instead of the NF. That is especially important with SDRs which send out the data via the jack socket. To make this work, you have to choose under ‘Input Select’ one of the three band widths: 12KHz, 96 kHz or 192 kHz. You do not need any Virtual Audio Cable. A quadruple down-sampler is integrated in RadioCom.


4.7) 2-channel operation
If you want to operate two radios simultaneously, then the input signals are processed separately by the stereo-jack of the soundcard. Basically, you have to connect the second radio just like the first one. You will have to use a special audio cable or a splitter for the right and left stereo-channel. Insert the splitter into the line-in jack or the microphone jack and put a mono jack into the appropriate outputs. Later on, you should check, if the correct channel is connected to the respective radio. The easiest way to check this, is to receive FAX with radio 1 and RTTY with radio 2. If you find out, it is the other way around, just switch the audio cables.