Radtel RT-880 programming

[EAFrizzle]

Ok, after digging into the CPS for this radio, and the performance last night/this morning, I'm more impressed with it, even though it's going to mean a lot of PITA programming.

The V/U transceiver is simple enough, just like anything pulling from RR. The "radio", "FM radio", "HF receiver" is a line by line thing that is going to be tedious. I realized this morning that it doesn't have 128 presets for the HF/FM parts; it's actually 128 x 128. (Wrong, just 128)

On HF, you're limited on frequency input in the software to X.xx in MHz,(RT Systems) which doesn't give you 5.935, 11.175, etc. It's not so much for tuning to a discrete channel as it is to put you in a specific area to tune around. I haven't tried programming and FM and MW BCB stuff yet. (Radtel CPS allows full frequency entry, I'll be using it)


This is going to be kinda slow for me to put together, but I'll share the HF CP when I get plenty of things added. I'll have BC and stuff like HFGCS, USCG Wx, etc. Any suggestions for inclusion are welcome.

Edit to add (stuff)

 

[EAFrizzle]

After a bit of experimenting, I've figured out how the FM/HF side is configured. Each of the 128 memories is just a VFO. I'm just setting start frequencies, modulation and step size for convenience; you could do the same with just 1 VFO for each band.

The weird thing is these "channels" being called "zones" on the radio screen, when they're nothing like the transceiver zones. Lots of functionality in this radio, just not super easy to get to. Being able to assign functions to all the buttons helps greatly, once you decide how you want them setup.

 

[EAFrizzle]

Ok, I finally got a codeplug Frankensteined together using three different programs. The two that work with the 860 call certain functions different names, which are often different still on the radio. At least from here on out, I won't have to mess with the HF side's programming. Once I get the key functions assigned the way I want, I can put that into the RT CPS and have a somewhat stable program for the transceiver.

AM reception in the airband is really nice. I've got it scanning ~700 channels now, just to see how it does on rx. It's typically slow, but having zone assignments for scan lists will let it be useful.

 

[EAFrizzle]

I'm really impressed with the airband performance on this radio, both VHF and UHF. It'll take some more work, but I'll probably make this my primary airband radio. I only monitor about 20 on a consistent basis, so the slow scan speed won't be too much bother.

Shortwave broadcast reception is greatly improved with the MLA-30+, with no attenuation. It doesn't equal the Eton Elite Executive w/100' ground loop, but it's 1/3 the size and fits in the cup holder, so it's a great addition to the desk so far.