This is a build-it-yourself project at the moment. For something productized, see https://digirig.net/!

Mountaineer Radio Interface

This KiCAD project is a schematic for an integrated CAT and audio amateur radio interface. It's designed with the Lab599 Discovery TX-500 radio in mind, but the only thing that makes it radio-specific is the GX12 connectors for CAT and DATA. The rest of the board is a generic USB-to-serial and audio interface and is suitable for many radios.

This is somewhat comparable to the Yaesu SCU-17 interface in that it provides both audio and CAT control. It is less like the SignaLink USB interface which only provides audio plus a VOX-based PTT signal but not CAT control.

My design goals are to make this much like the TX-500 itself: small, lightweight and rugged enough to be outdoors. As such, volume knobs and headphone monitor jacks are not incorporated.

Mechanical CAD drawings are hosted publicly in Onshape.

Thank you!

I've received a lot of advice from folks about improvements to this design. Thank you to those who have helped make this project better!

• Kari Argillander, @teksturi
• Elías Rodríguez Martín, @eliasrm87
• EEVblog Forum user mon2
• Dave Maciorowski, WA1JHK
• Nathan Conrad, @pigrew
• Andreas Jochum, @ctech4285
• The Gizmo Dojo
• Rocky Mountain Ham Radio