Linux CAT Control on the Icom 7200

I got finally fed up with Windows. I kept the operating system simply because I believed the IC-7200 CAT control was only possible with Windows. I have a few old laptops that all once had Windows installed on them until they became unusable.

I had Linux Mint 20.03 installed on one of them and so began the journey. I downloaded WSJT-X, FL-Digi and FL-Rig.

FL-Rig is really at the heart of it all. The USB port where the Icom IC-7200 was plugged into (It has a built in digital modes sound card / CAT interface) just needed to be identified and the sound card too. My FL-Rig rig and PTT settings are as follows :

WSJT-X and FL-Digi are both excellent digital modes processors, more than just a “program”! My WSJT-X rig, PTT and audio settings are as follows:

Last but certainly not least, for all this to work you need to allow your user name to be part of the Dialout group. In the terminal, give access through the following command:

This should allow perfect CAT control and excellent digital modes communications with the Icom 7200. Please check your audio settings especially monitoring the ALC level that it only just kicks in.

OK CW is my mode of choice but really great the digital modes setup is running under Linux and I am eventually rid of the shackles of Windows!

Look out for me on WSPR too, I love doing propagation tests with it.