Remote Rig & Station Bridge Guide
Operate your station from a phone, tablet or desktop with live receive audio, remote PTT, saved frequencies, automatic tuning, recorded CQ calls and automatic QSO data capture.
What the system can do
Use a phone or desktop microphone to transmit through your radio.
Listen through the device speaker, computer output, AirPods or supported Bluetooth audio.
Save a custom name, frequency and mode under your account.
Set mode, set frequency, run the tuner and watch a real-time progress popup.
Record, save and transmit CQ audio at 70%, with local monitoring during transmission.
See incoming and transmit audio activity immediately.
Pull live frequency, mode and band into Add QSO through Connect via Remote.
Select microphone and receive output devices, including supported Bluetooth profiles.
Station computer setup
Connect the transceiver to the station computer using its USB data/audio connection.
Close TopCat, WSJT-X, JS8Call, FLRig, rigctld, CuteCom and duplicate Station Bridge tabs. Only one program can own the physical CAT serial port.
Use current Chrome or Edge on the radio computer and open Station Bridge.
Select the correct CAT interface. When Standard and Enhanced ports are shown, the radio-control interface is commonly the Enhanced COM port. Confirm the CAT rate matches the radio.
Choose the radio receive-audio input and radio transmit-audio output. Transmit audio must be routed to the radio USB audio device, not the station-computer speakers.
The bridge maintains CAT control, audio signalling, heartbeat, recovery and the private remote session.
dialout. If Chrome can see a port but cannot open it, another process may own it. Close that process, disconnect/reconnect USB and try again.Connect from a phone, tablet or desktop
Using PTT
Press and hold PTT, speak, and release when finished. The transmit meter should appear immediately, the radio should key quickly, and receive audio should return promptly after release.
Saved frequencies and automatic tuner
The Saved Frequencies area appears directly under PTT. Create an entry with a name, frequency and mode, or use the current radio values. Selecting an entry automatically sets mode, sets frequency, starts the antenna tuner and shows live progress. Entries can be edited or deleted.
Recorded CQ calls
Record a CQ message, stop and save it, then select it for transmission. Recorded CQ audio is transmitted at 70%. The operator also hears it locally through the selected desktop or Bluetooth output while it is sent.
Add QSO integration
On Add QSO, enable Connect via Remote to pull the active radio's frequency, mode and band. The choice stays selected across saves and refreshes until you turn it off. If no remote is active, the original Auto Find & Connect/manual method remains available.
Troubleshooting
- Serial port cannot open: close every other radio program and duplicate rig-control tab, then reconnect USB.
- Receive audio is silent: reselect the output device and verify the incoming meter moves.
- AirPods output works but microphone is missing: enable the AirPods hands-free/headset input profile in the operating system, then refresh microphones.
- Temporary database busy: allow automatic retry and avoid opening duplicate Remote Rig or Station Bridge tabs.
- Network candidate warning 701: automatic repair may continue; restrictive networks or firewalls may require another connection.
Important operating notes
- The station computer must remain powered on, online and connected to the radio.
- Only transmit where permitted by your licence and local regulations.
- Keep the station in a condition where remote transmission can be safely controlled.
- Internet latency makes remote control unsuitable for some time-critical operations.