CAT (amateur radio)

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CAT is an abbreviation for C omputer A ided T ransceiver (rare for C omputer A ided T uning ), and describes the procedure a transceiver ( English transceiver ) or only one receiver using a PC ( personal computer or notebook ) remote control . The abbreviation CAT has become common especially in amateur radio .

application

Modern (amateur) radios are all digitally controlled. Many manufacturers equip these with an interface via which communication with other radio devices or with a computer can take place. So several devices, e.g. B. Sender and receiver, exchange data such as frequency and operating mode . Radio amateurs also have the option of remotely controlling their radio or of having the information evaluated by other programs, e.g. B. automatic recording of the data in the logbook or tuning of the transceiver to a DX station. This means that data from a DX cluster can also be used directly to control the transceiver. This takes place e.g. B. in modern amateur radio contest application. A Doppler correction when operating via satellite ( OSCAR ) is also possible.

CAT can be used to read and change a large number of radio parameters, at least the frequency and the operating mode, as well as many specific functions such as filters , attenuators , preamplifiers , fading control, transmission power , memory channels, etc. These functions vary greatly from manufacturer to manufacturer and from Model to model.

Communication is usually serial, but does not conform to the RS-232 standard. Many devices only process TTL levels, so a level converter is necessary when connecting to a PC. Commonly used is the term CAT cable, which represents a pre-assembled unit consisting of a plug, level converter and connection cable. CAT cables are offered as accessories by many manufacturers, but they can also be manufactured relatively easily yourself.

With the increasing use of the PC in amateur radio and the digitization of the transceiver with the increasing complexity of the operating options, the CAT is enjoying ever greater popularity with radio amateurs , not least because of the availability of powerful CAT programs by various authors for the PC, including many freeware . Many radio amateurs prefer to operate their transceiver conveniently with a click of the mouse instead of having to deal with small buttons and incomprehensible menus.

Through the CAT system, the radio can also be operated remotely by the operator, e.g. B. in the attic , close to the antennas or in a completely different place in the world. The data communication is then carried out via remote maintenance via the Internet . There is still a lot of scope for experiments here.

Third-party devices also use the CAT interface for reading. For example, amplifier output stages (also known as PA, amplifier ) or control units of dynamic antenna systems can read the transmission frequency from the radio and use it for their own tuning. Since this is mostly a TTL bus, the devices can be looped into the line without any problems (Y-cable).

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