Yaesu radios

Yaesu support covers the FT-847 as a one-box satellite radio, and several models used as downlink or uplink legs in a dual-radio station.

FT-847 (single radio)

The FT-847 is a dedicated satellite rig. Pick FT-847 in Settings → Radio, set the COM port, and match the radio’s CAT baud rate in the menu.

• OscarWatch turns satellite mode on for cross-band work and updates SAT receive and SAT transmit for Doppler. Same-band satellites such as ISS packet leave satellite mode: the FT-847 shows Error and will not transmit when both SAT frequencies are on one band, and CAT cannot set the Sub VFO outside satellite mode. The main VFO follows the downlink. For each frame sent from OscarWatch Terminal, OscarWatch moves it to the Doppler uplink, then back after the modem TX delay, the frame and the modem TX tail.
• Use Full Doppler in the frequency panel for normal cross-band work.
• On linear SSB, you can spin the receive dial to hunt the passband — see spinning the dial.
• When you quit OscarWatch or disconnect the radio, OscarWatch turns satellite mode off again if it turned it on. Untick Turn satellite mode off when OscarWatch closes in Settings → Radio to leave the radio in satellite mode.

Dual radio: FT-817, FT-818, FT-857, FT-991, FTX-1

These models do not appear as a single-rig type. Enable Settings → Radio → Dual radio and assign each leg a type and COM port. A typical station: FT-818 on downlink, IC-706 on uplink (see ICOM dual). For AO-07 Mode A, an FT-817 or FT-818 on 10 m downlink with a 2 m uplink radio is supported.

Setup checklist

1. Tick Dual radio.
2. Choose rig type and COM port for Downlink and Uplink.
3. Match baud rate on each radio to OscarWatch (table below).
4. Close other CAT programs on those ports.
5. In the frequency panel, use Full Doppler (not RX-only or TX-only) unless you know you need otherwise.

Baud and port notes

Model	Menu setting	Suggested baud	Notes
FT-817 / FT-818	Menu #14	4800 (38400 also works)	Simple CAT; on FM the dial may be locked during tracking. Use Pause CAT to tune by hand.
FT-857 / FT-857D	Menu 019 = CAT, menu 020 CAT RATE	4800 (9600 and 38400 also work)	Rear CAT/LINEAR jack (CT-62 or equivalent). Same CAT behaviour as FT-817/818. Set RF power on the radio.
FT-991 / FT-991A	Menu 031 CAT RATE	38400	8N2, hardware RTS; use the USB CAT COM port.
FTX-1	CAT-1 RATE	38400	8N2, hardware RTS; use Enhanced COM (CAT-1), not CAT-2.

FT-991 / FT-991A / FTX-1: uplink leg

When one of these radios is the uplink leg in dual-radio mode, OscarWatch enables split (TX on VFO B) and sends Doppler corrections to VFO B. The FT-991A cannot change VFO A frequency while transmitting; VFO B can, so uplink tracking stays correct during keydown.

FT-857 / FT-857D

The FT-857 has a single receiver, so it works as one leg of a dual-radio station (for example an FT-857D on 70 cm downlink and a second radio on 2 m uplink). It covers HF/6 m, 2 m, and 70 cm; there is no 23 cm.

• Connect the rear CAT/LINEAR jack with a CT-62 or equivalent USB CAT cable.
• Set menu 019 to CAT (not LIN or TUN), and menu 020 CAT RATE to match OscarWatch.
• OscarWatch cannot read or set RF power on this radio, so the 30 W uplink cap does not apply. Set power on the front panel (up to 50 W on 2 m and 20 W on 70 cm).
• Tracking, passband tuning, and FM dial lock behave as on the FT-817 / FT-818 (see below).

FT-817 / FT-818 / FT-857: downlink stuck, uplink tracks

• Use Full Doppler in the frequency panel.
• On linear SSB, tune the downlink, then pause ~1 s so passband trim is captured.
• On FM, CAT may hold the dial — use Pause CAT if you need manual tuning.
• If the radio “locks up” after heavy CAT, power-cycle the radio and avoid swapping COM ports mid-pass.
• Try increasing CAT delay on the Yaesu leg under Settings → Radio if commands are missed.

Receive-only modes

For ISS SSTV or beacons (uplink 0), OscarWatch updates the downlink leg only. See receive-only overview.