JS8Call Hamlib error and Serial Port Question

[VA1YZX]

Trying to get into JS8Call.
Installed JS8Call over Windows 10.
Radio is Yauesu FT-897 with Digirig Mobile connecting the radio to a USB port on the laptop.
When I test CAT I receive the below error (please see first screenshot provided)










In Device Manager the port looks like it should be COM3 (Also noteworthy, there is only one item for silicon labs, but my understanding is there should be two?). In JS8call I have no option of selecting COM3 it automatically selects USB and doesn't seem to provide an option of selecting something else.



Anybody have any pointers that might get me going? Thank you.

 

[VA1YZX]

Computer operation system is Windows 11.

 

[AC9KH]

So JS8Call is a little confusing there and it's the same as WSJTx. USB is not there because it "detects it", it's a standard entry in the dropdown list. I have a FlexRadio run with a MacBook Pro and the Flex doesn't even use any sort of hardware interface at all because the software that runs the radio runs on the Mac and communicates with the radio over UDP and TCP ports with ethernet.

Now, they have FlexRadio 6000-series listed in the dropdown list for radio types, but it doesn't work if I select the Flex 6000-series. Apparently they put that in the list, but no support for it. So I used the Kenwood CAT instead, which is the same as FlexRadio (see below)



You can see what the dropdown list offers, but none of the three options are correct. So to get this to work I manually typed in the localhost address with a port (5001) and set my CAT port to the same thing in my FlexRadio software on the Mac. You'll see in the dropdown list that it offers USB just like yours does, but the Flex does not use USB at all - the Flex only uses ethernet.



So if you think you need COM3 for your Windows machine, try typing that into the box and see if it works.

 

[AC9KH]

Oh, and the other issue with Windows is drivers. If your hardware interface uses that CP210 bridge you may need to download drivers for it for Windows. Windows still uses DOS-style "COM ports" and "drivers" and if you haven't installed those it could cause it to not work too. And then Windows will detect the UART bridge but it won't actually communicate back to the software that it's using COM3.

If you continue to have problems getting it to work, you can search the internet for setups with your hardware for WSJTx, because the configuration in WSJTx is identical to JS8Call, and WSJTx is more common.

 

[VA1YZX]

Thank you for the two detailed and helpful replies. I'm at sea just now, but will definitely try implementing your suggestions when I get home. I'd no idea that WSJTx had the same configuration as JS8Call. Awesome. Thanks again.