R30 RT Systems WCS-R30 software

[wb4sqi]

Downloaded the software this morning, updated my ftdi drivers, Win7 Pro recognizes my R30, The R30 indicates usb-com on the display. Software will not read the radio. I tried three different cables including one that works well with my AOR DV1 but still nothing.

Surely the software works with generic cables? Does RTS require "their" cable? Butel doesn't limit their buyers to proprietary cables.

Comments? Ideas?

 

[lzielasko]

Downloaded the software this morning, updated my ftdi drivers, Win7 Pro recognizes my R30, The R30 indicates usb-com on the display. Software will not read the radio. I tried three different cables including one that works well with my AOR DV1 but still nothing.

Surely the software works with generic cables? Does RTS require "their" cable? Butel doesn't limit their buyers to proprietary cables.

Comments? Ideas?

RTS for the R30 works just fine for me using third party cables connected to various Windows platforms/versions.

 

[lzielasko]

RTS for the R30 works just fine for me using third party cables connected to various Windows platforms/versions.

I did have connection issues at one time due to cabling via a USB hub. No issues upon cabling direct from the PC USB ports.

 

[Hit_Factor]

Go into menu, function, USB connect, set to serial.

Then to Serial port function I-V echo back off.

Regular USB cable, nothing proprietary.

 

[wb4sqi]

Thanks Hit Factor, I’ll try that. RTS help screen did not provide connection info.

 

[Hit_Factor]

Let us know. There is a typo, second instruction should be CI-V ....

 

[wb4sqi]

Hit_Factor, that didn't do it. Those settings were correct in the radio. I looked at Device Manager and the R30 is on Com23. When I ask RTS to get data from radio it tells me Com23 is already open. I assume that happens when I connect the USB cable. When RTS goes ahead and tells me turn turn of the R30, connect the USB cable, turn the radio back on and click OK. I then get make sure RTS usb cable yada yada yada is connected. RTS thinks it needs to open Com23 but it opens when I plug the USB cable in.

If you have no more ideas then I'll call RTS when they open up for business tomorrow. It's amazing that all the comm ports are in use from 3 to 23, especially when nothing else is running or using a com port.

Thanks for your help.

 

[Hit_Factor]

Darn. RT Sys support will get it going.

Let us know what the fix is.

 

[wb4sqi]

So simple, RTFM! I picked up the R30 advanced manual this morning and discovered that Icom had R30 USB drivers to download. Installed the 64 bit driver and now RTS software works like a champ. Seems a bit slow to open, read and write but otherwise it allows me to upload frequencies to the R30 and also change a lot of the menu items.

The only thing left to make me a really really happy camper is for Icom to add DMR. I hear it is promised but I've heard a lot of sales/marketing promises in my lifetime so not holding my breath.

Thanks to all for your help.

 

[kruser]

So simple, RTFM! I picked up the R30 advanced manual this morning and discovered that Icom had R30 USB drivers to download. Installed the 64 bit driver and now RTS software works like a champ. Seems a bit slow to open, read and write but otherwise it allows me to upload frequencies to the R30 and also change a lot of the menu items.

The only thing left to make me a really really happy camper is for Icom to add DMR. I hear it is promised but I've heard a lot of sales/marketing promises in my lifetime so not holding my breath.

Thanks to all for your help.

Yep, RTS software has always been slow to open and read and write. It's the same with the R8600 also.

I've not seen or heard of any 'promise' that Icom will add DMR. At this point, I think it's very wishful thinking that they may even consider adding that mode. I hope I'm wrong and you do have something to add showing they made a promise to add DMR!

 

[Hit_Factor]

Glad you got it working.

I've not seen or heard of any 'promise' that Icom will add DMR. At this point, I think it's very wishful thinking that they may even consider adding that mode.

Yep.

 

[wb4sqi]

Yep, RTS software has always been slow to open and read and write. It's the same with the R8600 also.

I've not seen or heard of any 'promise' that Icom will add DMR. At this point, I think it's very wishful thinking that they may even consider adding that mode. I hope I'm wrong and you do have something to add showing they made a promise to add DMR!

I read somewhere on a forum, can't recall where. Could have been here on RR or one of the other scanner forums but supposedly someone had received an email back from Icom America in reponse to a query about adding DMR. Icom America responded positively that Japan was "looking" at DMR. Shouldn't take that long to look though so there are likely internal Icom hurdles that need to be crossed.

 

[kruser]

Japan was "looking" at DMR. Shouldn't take that long to look though so there are likely internal Icom hurdles that need to be crossed.

Now that I did see. Don't know its validity but yes, someone reported receiving an email back from Icom stating they know users are wanting DMR but no promise was made that they would consider it.
We can all keep our fingers crossed I guess. Icom has never entertained DMR in its radios though so it's probably a slim wish.
Would I love to see DMR? You bet I would. It would make some really great radios even greater!

I now use my R8600 with its IF output piped to DSD+ but that's kind of clunky and no help at all for the R30 crowd who would like DMR in a portable.

 

[batdude]

I read somewhere on a forum, can't recall where. Could have been here on RR or one of the other scanner forums but supposedly someone had received an email back from Icom America in reponse to a query about adding DMR. Icom America responded positively that Japan was "looking" at DMR. Shouldn't take that long to look though so there are likely internal Icom hurdles that need to be crossed.

this is a reply from February 2019:

 

[wb4sqi]

this is a reply from February 2019: View attachment 72988

This must be what the redacted Mueller Report looked like ;-). I sent an inquiry to the Icom America sales address over the weekend asking about DMR. Looks like Icom Japan could just say "Yes, it will be developed or No, we will never offer it".

 

[KE5MC]

Yep, RTS software has always been slow to open and read and write. It's the same with the R8600 also.

I have seen in my ID51 RTS application a dropdown for communications-->Slow or Fast. My FT-2D does not have the same option. So for whatever reasons it "varies" from radio to radio. Something to check.

 

[Hit_Factor]

I have seen in my ID51 RTS application a dropdown for communications-->Slow or Fast. My FT-2D does not have the same option. So for whatever reasons it "varies" from radio to radio. Something to check.

It's RT systems that's slow, not the radio. But good idea.

 

[KE5MC]

My point was a possible option for transfer speed of slow and slower per radio type. Sorry to say I can’t identify by my experience which end of the cable is the bottle neck. Admittedly transfers are moderately timed.

 

[bluesti]

Hit_Factor, that didn't do it. Those settings were correct in the radio. I looked at Device Manager and the R30 is on Com23. When I ask RTS to get data from radio it tells me Com23 is already open. I assume that happens when I connect the USB cable. When RTS goes ahead and tells me turn turn of the R30, connect the USB cable, turn the radio back on and click OK. I then get make sure RTS usb cable yada yada yada is connected. RTS thinks it needs to open Com23 but it opens when I plug the USB cable in.

If you have no more ideas then I'll call RTS when they open up for business tomorrow. It's amazing that all the comm ports are in use from 3 to 23, especially when nothing else is running or using a com port.

Thanks for your help.

Hi
Its interesting, but I'm faced with the exact same problem with programming my brand new R30, but my radio settings were Not set as you guys have suggested. I downloaded and installed the recommended usb drivers and my R30 has the latest firmware.
Unfortunately, I live in Australia so calling Rt Sytems is a little more difficult, although I have sent them an email with the error messages.

So I will be interested to hear any other posts about this problem.

John

 

[wb4sqi]

Hi
Its interesting, but I'm faced with the exact same problem with programming my brand new R30, but my radio settings were Not set as you guys have suggested. I downloaded and installed the recommended usb drivers and my R30 has the latest firmware.
Unfortunately, I live in Australia so calling Rt Sytems is a little more difficult, although I have sent them an email with the error messages.

So I will be interested to hear any other posts about this problem.

John

Hello John,

Be sure to download the Icom R30 USB driver, that one seems to work best. Make sure you updated the software also.

My conclusion is that RT Systems software is not ready for prime time. I spent several hours the other day trying to import CSV frequency files into my R30. I'm guessing the software crashed more than twenty times. It seems unable to handle large amounts of data, even simple chores like cut and paste within the software caused it to crash.

Worst issue was that the software wrote twelve P25 frequencies over an analog bank, not the bank I had selected during import. When it wrote the frequencies it eliminated the 800mhz portion and only transferred the kHz portion. The R30 did not like this at all and when you turn it off and back on it did a full reset.

Also, the user is forced to set RFgain to Max manually, the software defaults to RFgain1 in every row.

I changed settings in the two settings windows but sometimes those changes did not take so had to make changes in the radio settings and save it back to the software to have a valid copy.

I'm wishing now I had gone with Butel. I have had really great success in the past with RT Systems on ham handhelds and mobile units but their R30 software is extremely slow and very buggy. I would not recommend it.

Good luck mate.