AR5700D (or AR5001D) RS232 Interface for Remote Control

[G8OEO]

I've been happily remote controlling the AR5700D using the USB interface but there is a serious limit to the acceptable USB cable length from radio to PC

Every time I want to play around editing memories etc I have to move the radio from it's usual position to be much closer to the computer, so I thought I would try out the RS232 socket instead which should be OK for the ~20ft run involved.

A female 9 pin socket is required on both of the cable ends so it was my guess that a null modem cable would be the correct approach. Unfortunately having definitely selected the correct com port in the PC software the radio is not responding at all.

Has anyone succeeded using RS232 control on this radio, or with the 5001D which is very similar?

 

[G8OEO]

I’ve been told on the Facebook page that this port is only for firmware updates so the next step is to try extending the USB range with a USB over Cat5e/6 extender. Have seen mixed reports on how reliable these are, reasonably cheap ones available on Amazon though so worth a shot.

 

[G7RUX]

The cheap USB-over-CAT5 adaptors (the ones with a unit at each end) are a bit shonky and tend to misbehave. I have had very good experiences using a Pi to act as a remote host and to provide the USB interface, with software/drivers like FlexiHub or usb-over-network.com to provide the transport.

 

[G8OEO]

The cheap USB-over-CAT5 adaptors (the ones with a unit at each end) are a bit shonky and tend to misbehave. I have had very good experiences using a Pi to act as a remote host and to provide the USB interface, with software/drivers like FlexiHub or usb-over-network.com to provide the transport.

So far I have had a quick glance at the Flexihub website and it looks promising.

Would I be right in expecting their PC app to present as a com port and the raspberry pi would then host the radio via USB?

 

[G7RUX]

So far I have had a quick glance at the Flexihub website and it looks promising.

Would I be right in expecting their PC app to present as a com port and the raspberry pi would then host the radio via USB?

Pretty much, yes. The software basically presents the remote USB port as a local USB port, then all the usual COM-over-USB works as normal.

 

[G8OEO]

The cheap USB over cat5 extender is behaving itself so far and working fine over the cable distance I need.
I would not like to rely on it for shifting masses of data to and from a hard drive but for this application it is ok.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01HXSGV86?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title

 

[wb4sqi]

I see what you are experiencing. Wish that remote worked like other AOR receivers with just an icon on the screen instead of blanking the complete screen. My first experience with a remote connection yesterday.

 

[G8OEO]

Can I ask if you have much DMR to listen to in your neck of the woods Nick?
I’m talking to AOR at the moment about fairly loud clicks at the start of each transmission. It’s a bit like a noisy squelch but that really shouldn’t be happening with DMR reception and it’s something my relatively cheap Anytone radios don’t suffer.
I would like to know if any other radios, particularly ones with the latest software are sounding any better.

I should add that I’m not using DALL mode when hearing these clicks.

John

 

[wb4sqi]

Hi John,

No, not really. The only DMR local to me are amateur repeaters and a few business systems. I could easily set up a DMR hotspot on one of the busy ham reflectors to see how the 5700d reacts.

I spent most of the afternoon monitoring 10 fairly local P25 frequencies. The receiver doesn't seem to decode fast enough or the signal isn't strong enough to decode. My R8600 easily monitors the same 10 frequencies.

 

[wb4sqi]

Hello John,

Set up a pi-star hotspot for DMR this morning. I am listening to the 3100 USA bridge talkgroup and can hear a distinct double click or pop noise. Just after the receiver registers a carrier and again just before audio comes through. They are low level, much lower than the audio but I can confirm they are present. I wonder if this is something in the decoding algorithm used by AOR? I did not hear it on D-star and have not listened enough to P25 to determine if it occurs there.

Nick

 

[G8OEO]

Hi Nick,

Thank you for trying out some DMR.
Generally I am finding that the amateur sourced transmissions have better controlled voice levels. I am familiar with that double click when listening to my own hotspot.

On the local commercial repeaters there are some shouters alongside a lot of quiet talkers so I hear some audio clipping on the very loud transmissions while the clicks do become much more noticeable when the voices are relatively quiet.

So far I haven't found any other digital modes transmitting here in the North east of England, apart from one clear Tetra repeater which I'm pleased to say produces completely clean voices.

John

 

[wb4sqi]

Hi Nick,

Thank you for trying out some DMR.
Generally I am finding that the amateur sourced transmissions have better controlled voice levels. I am familiar with that double click when listening to my own hotspot.

On the local commercial repeaters there are some shouters alongside a lot of quiet talkers so I hear some audio clipping on the very loud transmissions while the clicks do become much more noticeable when the voices are relatively quiet.

So far I haven't found any other digital modes transmitting here in the North east of England, apart from one clear Tetra repeater which I'm pleased to say produces completely clean voices.

John

There is not much activity on DMR local amateur repeaters. A handful of analog repeaters have limited activity, lots of band width going unused. I'll look at Radio Reference for local DMR repeaters and see what I can find.

Nick

 

[G8OEO]

I’ve ended up building a 0.1 second delayed relay, triggered by pins 4&5 ( Busy ) in the ACC1 socket.
This switches the feed to my external speaker very slightly late, just after the DMR clicks or any other transients at the start of transmissions.
I had intended to use the Mute input on the same socket to carry out delayed unmuting internal to the radio, which would have let me use the internal speaker. However although the mute input works fine on other modes it seems to have no effect at all on the DMR audio path.

I know I’m obsessed but this is keeping me happy with a radio which is otherwise pretty impressive.

 

[Pzaz]

I've been happily remote controlling the AR5700D using the USB interface but there is a serious limit to the acceptable USB cable length from radio to PC

Every time I want to play around editing memories etc I have to move the radio from it's usual position to be much closer to the computer, so I thought I would try out the RS232 socket instead which should be OK for the ~20ft run involved.

A female 9 pin socket is required on both of the cable ends so it was my guess that a null modem cable would be the correct approach. Unfortunately having definitely selected the correct com port in the PC software the radio is not responding at all.

Has anyone succeeded using RS232 control on this radio, or with the 5001D which is very similar?

Hi how long was your USB cable?

 

[G8OEO]

Hi how long was your USB cable?

Around 7m in total and the PC reported an error when the lead was connected.

The cheap USB over cat5 units are still working faultlessly.

 

[Pzaz]

Around 7m in total and the PC reported an error when the lead was connected.

The cheap USB over cat5 units are still working faultlessly.

Thanks for the reply. I think I will go for the usb cat5 option as I need a 25 metre run. Still working this out as I’m not picking my 5700 up until next weekend. The two USB runs are a bit wiered.

 

[Pzaz]

Does anyone know where I can get the accessory plug for the 5700?
cheers