Implement XMLRPC to allow connection to FLRIG

Feature Requests
1

Hello,

I use FLRIG (as do a lot of Ham Radio users). Many programs offer a way to connect the app over the “network” within the localhost VS requiring the use of the serial port. I see FLRig in the options for WRL CAT control app, but it still wants me to pick a serial port and Baud rate…serial port and baud rate are not applicable to connecting to the FLRig application over network.

One great example of software that does this well would be WSJT-X, though as I said before, many applications do this eg: FLDigi. I am on a Mac and I like to keep the serial port in control with FLRig on the Mac side vs in and application in Parallels. I then feed data about the radio to other programs like WRL CAT (on the Mac) and HRD or DIGIMaster or similar apps that only run in “Windows” on Parallels via the XMLRPC program built into FLRig.

My main interest in this is in that I run FLRig, but I don’t JUST do FT8, so I leave FLRig up while I move to SSB, SSTV, RTTY (still figuring this out), and other modes. When I switch off WSJT-X, I lose logging in WRL but it’s not able to listen to FLRig for the frequency. I can’t use “Radio Connection” via serial because the serial port is busy with FLRig. I don’t turn off FLRig because it makes it easier to enter Frequencies in as I am trying to find POTA activators from the spotting page…

The open source component that appears to be used for this is called XMLRPC and you would want to drop in the client side of that, though when you get rig control implemented I may not need FLRig if you implement both the client and server side of XMLRPC.

(Maybe frequency selection should be the first CAT control option. Would be awesome if we can click a button in the spotting interface in the browser and it will tune my radio to that frequency– I know that would be a different Feature request).

Thanks for a pretty great software experience. I do currently use the “listening” mode with WRL CAT Control & WSJT-X and it works pretty flawlessly. I am mostly using WRL now as my main logging and just exporting the ADI for QRZ and LOTW because of how great this works.

Thank you

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2

@N9KBV Hey Jerrod!

This is a good idea, I’ll bring it to the team and we can have a discussion around it. One thing to note is that the cat control app most likely will be going away once we launch the desktop app since cat control will be integrated natively. However with all that said, currently if your radio is connected via the cat control app (through the radio settings using the serial port) you can use the spotting tab and double click a spot and it will change the frequency, band, mode and then auto fill in your logging fields so its ready to log the contact. Alternatively you can enter a frequency in the frequency field of the logbook and it will update the frequency on the radio as well.

I do like the idea of having a way to change the frequency from the cat control app like you can with flrig though, thats a good idea as well.

Again, I’ll reach out to the team and we’ll have a discussion around this even though the cat control app will most likely be going away as I think this would be a good addition in functionality going forward in the cat control side of the desktop app.

Thanks & 73
Brad K4AZE

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