How SDR Console, Omnirig and FT-736 allows you to do CAT tracking

  • Many of you are waiting, how to connect the old FT-736 to SDR Console through Omnirig. I am glad to tell you that I found a solution and it works now. This thread will tell you how to implement this yourself:

    First of all start SDR Console as usual, go to the view page and klick on "external radio" button. SDR Console wants a restart to select this option. Just close SDR Console now.

    Download the Omnirig version V1.19 from the internet using the following link:

    http://dxatlas.com/OmniRig/Files/OmniRig.zip

    Do the default installation as shown in the setup. Then you will find the programm in this link:

    C:\Program Files\Afreet\OmniRig. Open the folder RIGS you see there and put the following ini file into that folder. You have to unzip the file first, because I cannot put an ini file here:

    FT-736.zip

    Connect your USB to CAT cable. Then start Omnirig and do the setup for your USB Port to 1 8 N 2 and press ok.

    Then start SDR Console. On the upper left corner of the "external radio" display, you can start the FT-736 now.

    Now go to the upper right corner to the question mark and open that dialog.

    On the first menu disable the SDR->Radio options because the FT-736 is not doing this.

    Then goto the menu up-converter check the box and put e.g. 10059.498.300 in there. Thats all.

    Just press in the Modes Window LSB and then USB. Now you see the FT-736 QRG in the "external radio" window.

    Goto the window of SDR console where you can put the QO-100 RX QRG in and enter a valid one. E.g. 10.489.700.000.

    No the SDR console will work like before. If you now klick on the waterfall, the FT-736 will track the TX QRG for you.

    For those of you how plan to do some remote setups later I impremented a workaround for PTT in the SDR console for you.

    If you go to the Modes Window and press AM then the FT-736 is going to TX. After that your press USB or CW to hear the other station correct in the SDR console. For switching back to RX just do the same with NFM to go to RX and then press USB or CW after that.

    Now you should have a fine solution of how SDR console Omnirig and FT-736 are working together.

    There is at the moment no function in for switching the CAT off. Please do this simple by switching the FT-736 off and on again. To start CAT again, just start at the beginning. Start Omnirig and then SDR console.

    If you have difficulties implementing this function, please deinstall Omnirig and install it again then like I have written here.

    For remaining questions drop me an email at call@darc.de.

  • I made an update to the FT-736 ini File.

    I added two new functions. Again I used Mode switches from SDR Console.

    LSB: Switches off the CAT Mode. So you can access the FT-736 e.g. to select a new QRG for split mode without switching off the radio.

    CW-L: Switches on CAT Mode again for tracking transceive again when you do not need split mode any more.


    After switching do not forget to select USB or CW-U to the right mode to receive.


    Here the new ini file. just unzip and put the file in the RIG folder.