I use a Wouxun KG-UVD1P handheld radio for all my operations. A few extra features can be used with the addition of a programming cable. These include:
- Expanding the Tx and Rx range of the radio
- Programming HAM repeaters into the memory
- Changing some advanced settings
The cable required currently costs £5.69 from Ebay (link). Looking at the specification of the cable, I decided to look into the option of making one myself.
Parts List
- USB to RS232-TTL Converter – £1.87
- 2.5mm to 3.5mm Cable – £0.99 (Or just salvage the jacks from somewhere)
Build
The build process is very simple. Three connections need to be made, as shown in the below diagram.
As I used a 2.5mm to 3.5mm cable, I simply cut it in half, and used a multimeter to match the wires up to the correct connections on the plug. I used some heat-shrink to make everything look nice, and then I was finished. I made sure to check the connections before using the cable.
Usage
In order to use the cable, you need to install a driver, and Wouxun programming software.
- Download and extract the Windows 8/8.1/10 driver from Prolific’s website (link).
- Open “Device Manager”
- You should see “Prolific USB-to-Serial Comm Port” under the “Ports” submenu
- Right click on the device, and click “Properties”
- Go to the “Driver” tab and click “Update Driver…”
- Click “Browse my computer for driver software”
- Choose “Let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer”
- Click “Have Disk”
- Navigate to the driver that you downloaded earlier, and choose the “ser2pl.inf” file
- Click “OK” to install the driver
Once that is done, you should be set to go. You can download the Wouxun programming software from their website (link). To program the radio, plug in both headphone jacks, and turn the radio on. Wouxun’s programming software will work automatically and is fairly easy to use.
Conclusion
Despite being slightly harder to set up than the official cable, this DIY option is much cheaper and does the job. Hopefully you find this guide useful, and if anyone has any questions, just post them in the comments below.
-Peter Barnes
Sounds interesting Peter. Lookig for same (similar) cable for my Yaesu 7900 RE mobile to the upload repeater station module so I can dowmload the software module and re-set the radio to scan mode the active repeaters. Might be worth us discussing. Incidently which multimeter do you use. Looking at a new one from RS? Mark M6KMJ
The Yaesu 7900 programming cable looks a little more complicated requiring a 4069 logic chip and 1N4148 diode as well as the RS232. Here is some information I came across:
http://www.george-smart.co.uk/wiki/Yaesu_FT-7900E
To answer your second question, I have a VC97 multimeter (http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00EYYJQOO)
It’s very good value, I’ve had it for a year now without any issues.
I’ll be there on Wednesday if you want to have a chat.