HamBench

Appearance

Live CAT ​

The CAT page is live computer control for radios whose module sets capabilities.liveControl and a Kenwood cat block. It is not a memory editor. Import and Write stay on the Radio page.

You can run more than one CAT session at once. Each serial port is its own session, so a TM-D710A on one cable and a TH-F6 on another can both stay connected.

Memory protocol is separate. TH-F6 programs memories with live CAT (catRead / catWrite). TH-D74 and TM-D710A clone EEPROM and still speak Kenwood CAT on the same PC port. Wake CR, VFO count, FO vs FQ, and mode/power names come from the radio module cat fields.

Connect ​

  1. Install a radio module that declares live control. Reinstall after a driver update so the catalog picks up the cat profile.
  2. Open the CAT tab (between Radio and Channels) and click Connect.
  3. Choose manufacturer, model, serial port, and baud when the driver lists more than one speed. Match the radio’s PC-port baud.
  4. Plug the programming cable into the computer, then into the radio PC jack on the main body (not the control-head COM port on a TM-D710).
  5. Confirm Connect. HamBench sends ID (and a wake CR first when the module sets wakeCr) and polls each VFO the module declares.
  6. Connect another adds a radio on a free serial port. Ports already in a CAT session are omitted.

Radios that set liveControl to false, or omit it and have no Kenwood CAT handshake (for example a Baofeng UV-5R), do not appear. A Kenwood module installed before liveControl existed is still listed from its protocol or manufacturer until you reinstall it.

Operate ​

Each connected radio has a panel with VFO cards. Edit the MHz field and press Enter or leave the field to QSY. Mode and power lists are the names from the radio module. Log contact opens the station log with frequency, mode, and band filled in.

Hold to transmit sends TX while the button is held and RX on release. That keys microphone audio on whichever side currently has PTT, not audio from the DATA port. A warning on the Control tab explains this; dismiss it with the close button if you already know.

Disconnect ​

Disconnect on that radio’s panel leaves other CAT sessions up. Disconnect a port before Import, Write, or Sniffer on that serial port. Import and Write label CAT-busy ports and will not use them.

Debug ​

The Debug tab shows SEND/RECV bytes. Capture is off by default so a long session does not fill memory. Connect still records the handshake (wake CR, ID, VFO reads), including failed connects. Turn Capture on to record live poll and command traffic; turning it off stops recording but keeps what is already on screen. Clear drops the buffer without disconnecting.

When more than one session is open, choose the radio (or Last failed connect) in the menu. Each frame is hex plus an ASCII preview. Save serial log writes the same JSON shape as Radio import/write logs.

A good TM-D710 connect shows ID\r → ID TM-D710\r, then BC\r, FO 0\r, and FO 1\r. No reply after ID usually means the wrong jack, baud, or serial device. Modules that set wakeCr also show a wake CR first.