Like many amateur radio operators, I have a collection of radios that have accumulated over the years. Some are in daily service, while others end up on a shelf after developing quirks or being replaced by something newer. One of those radios was a Yaesu FT-90R - a really cool little radio that I had used mobile when 2m was a little more relevant.
The radio wasn't perfect. It had a few issues that made it less than ideal for everyday operation (busted pogo-pin on the back of the display amongst other quirks, but it still transmitted and received well enough that I hated the idea of throwing it away. Rather than tossing it, I started thinking about how it could still be useful.
I was using a Raspberry Pi - (Pi 3B) as an APRS gateway (running Direwolf) connected to a very capable Yaesu 7900 - in basically brand new condition since that is all it did.
Since an APRS node doesn't require a radio with a pristine front panel or every feature working perfectly, it seemed like a no-brainer to go through the effort of moving my FT-7900 out, and the FT-90 in. The allure to using the FT-7900 was the fact that I had one cable going from my Pi to the Radio - using the round DIN plug. Super simple and clean install - and portable if need be.
The biggest challenge was figuring out how to interface the radio with the computer. As mentioned earlier, it was super easy with the FT-7900 because I bought an interface board with ready-made cables from XGGCOMMS on eBay. Plug and Play. Unfortunately, with the FT-90R, I would have to not only connect my Pi to the RJ-12 mic jack, but also have a second cable to the audio output in the back via a 3.5mm jack. Fortunately, the FT-90R manual includes the necessary connector diagrams and pinouts. After spending some time studying the documentation, there was even a simple diagram on connecting 1200 baud packet - exactly what I was looking for.
For the computer interface, I elected to take that perfect XGGCOMMS USB sound card with breakout connections and re-wiring what I needed - everything came together surprisingly well.
Once connected, the system worked exactly as I had hoped. The radio keys reliably, audio levels are consistent, and the node has been operating without issue. It's always satisfying when a project comes together using parts you already have on hand instead of buying new equipment.
... and now I have a Yaesu 7900 freed up to do other things with.
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