At this point, click Initialize in the configuration dialog. If your rig is working, the frequency of the rig should show in the main fldigi window. You should be able to turn the rig VFO and fldigi should update and you should be able to click or mousewheel over the digits in fldigi and the rig will follow as well.

If you click "Tune" at the very top right of fldigi (be sure you are on a dummy load), the rig should click into TX, you should see the TX LED go red. Unclick the button to stop sending.

Make sure the "Use RigCAT" checkbox at the top of the dialog is checked. If it unchecks itself, the comms are not working with the rig.

If this isn't working, again, go back to the initial cable/driver steps, if you have a Windows box, use ARCP and work until you get it controlling the rig. For linux, check your system logs for any errors around device permissions or other issues when you plug and unplug the radio from the PC.

This is my preferred configuration, simply because I have no other real use for rig control when running fldigi. The rig really becomes an appliance extension of the software as you operate.

Configure your audio drive levels for TX and RX

If you look at the navigation menu for the site here, I have two articles, one is soundcard level setup in detail and also general digital mode operating tips that should be worth reading.

• Switch to dummy load or if you must do this on the air, use a band that is mostly dead for the time of day, e.g. 160m in the daytime or 10m in an oddball spot. Be sure the antenna is tuned for TX.

• At the top right of fldigi, as a test click the "tune" button, make sure the rig transmits, the LED will go red, and unclick it to stop again.

• Two menus you will want to remember for controlling audio for TX and RX. Menu 71 is the TX drive level, this will control your power output as you operate. Menu 72 is your RX level and controls your receive audio level back to the software and waterfall..

• Set Menu 71 to 1, this is because this is a very hot line. This is the audio drive OUT to the rig, you will control this via fldigi.

• Set Menu 72 to somewhere like level 5 to start off. Depending on your noise floor and band conditions you may need to raise this or lower this.

• Each software has its own controls for audio in and audio out but these two menus are where it starts.

• With the PWR button on the rig, set rig power to 100W. Always 100W, you now control your output power via the audio drive levels in fldigi or other software you are using. If the software doesn't have controls, you use the sound mixer for the device in your operating system to adjust this.

• For all modes and bands except for RTTY, set the rig into USB mode and click the DATA key. This keeps your filtering and other settings separate from normal USB operating.

• In Windows go to Control Panel -> Hardware and Sound -> Manage Audio Devices.

• Be SURE that the USB Audio CODEC device is NOT set as Default Device for either Recording or Playback or they will play back all the bleeps and boops from your OS over the air or you will play radio noises over conference calls too.

• In the Sound devices control panel, go to the Recording tab. (This is your RX audio/waterfall level)

  • Select the USB Audio Codec device that appeared when you set up the cable to the rig. Click on it and

  • click Properties. While you are here, you can rename this device to something like "TS590 Waterfall Level", you will need to restart Fldigi to re-select this device if you already configred it.

  • Go to the Levels tab in Properties. Slide the level to 54 (this is a rough estimate)

  • Click on Apply

• In the Sound devices control panel, go to the Playback tab. (This is your TX audio drive/output power level)

  • Select the USB Audio Codec device that appeared when you set up the cable to the rig. Click on it and

  • click Properties, While you are here, you can rename this device to something like "TS590 Drive Level", you need to restart Fldigi and re-select this device though.

  • Go to the Levels tab in Properties. Slide the level to 0

  • Click Apply and click OK

• You are now at a baseline level where the rest of the settings should just fall in line.

• In Fldigi, at the very lower right corner, to the left of the AFC button there is a box with a number in it and arrows on either side. This is the TX level attenuator control. Click the double arrows until it reads 0.

• Go back to the Sound devices control panel in the Playback tab, select the USB Audio Codec for the rig. Click on the Tune button at the top right corner of Fldigi, while the rig is transmitting, go back to the operating system sound device controls and set the sound level one click at a time until you see the desired maximum output level you will use with the rig. I highly recommend you don't run more than 50W and I wouldn't run that for very long. Now when operating, simply click the TX level attenuator box at the bottom right corner of fldigi to set your power level during operating.

You will now be able to go from almost 0W output up to whatever you set as your maximum and if you followed this correctly there will be ZERO ALC indication right up to 100W and you will have a very clean TX signal on the waterfall. If you are seeing ALC, double check that the rig power level is set at 100W. Your power output in digital modes is controlled through that attenuation control in the lower right corner of Fldigi.

• For the RX audio level, put the antenna on the air, tune up for the band spot. Turn the AGC OFF on the rig by pushing and holding the CWT button at the top right on the rig front panel. Make sure your RF Gain is all the way clockwise (open).

  • Now Go to the sound control panel for recording device and set the level for the codec to 0. Adjust Menu 72 to 1.

  • Now while watching the VU meter at the bottom center of fldigi , click the level of the codec up one level at a time until you see that VU meter reading at -50 or a bit towards -40 on an empty band pass with no signals in it.

• If the diamond indicator is black you have too little RX audio coming into the software and it will not decode well

• If the diamond indicator is hard yellow or red, you have too much RX audio and it will not decode well.

• You should run with AGC off most of the time for digital modes. If you turn AGC on and check the meter, you want to see at least some meter activity, if there is none, on higher bands 30m and up, you may want to turn the preamp on with the PRE button at the top left of the rig front panel. 40m and lower, most of the time, no preamp is needed or wanted.

• Now that you are adjusted you can turn AGC back on if you wish, I highly recommend using Fast mode with the timing set very fast (low numbers) for digital. With AGC on, if a strong signal comes in, it can pump the signal you are trying to decode into the noise floor, this is why I turn AGC OFF.

Remember YOU HAVE FILTERS. The TS-590SG has great DSP filters, the mode I had you set for, you have two controls. The inner knob is the shift, it sets the center frequency for the filter, generally you want 1500Hz. The outer ring sets the width. If you set filters too tight it will interfere with decoding. For Olivia 8/1000 as an example I set to allow about 200Hz either side 1200-1500 Hz width. You want a visible stripe to either side of the signal and the signal centered in the filter gap.

Filters knock out adjacent interfering signals, as a great example, go to 14.070 these days, there are piles of horribly mashed up Winlink and FT8 signals that encroach on half the passband for PSK now. If you run filters you will be able to hear the tuned station a whole lot better and decode a lot more accurately.

My usual mode of operating is to have the IF Fil A setting on the rig to wide open from 500-2500 Hz to look for signals. Once I connect with a station, I narrow the filters to surround the width of the mode I'm using with them. If I'm setting up to call CQ, I look around with IF FIL in A mode to find a spot, then I start to call CQ. I click IF FIL to B and I narrow the filters down to a bit wider than the mode I'm calling CQ with.

If you set IF FIL A to wide and B (when you click IF FIL it toggles them) to narrower it's easy to toggle quickly to open the waterfall for a look around.

The Shorthand Summary

• Rig PWR set to 100W, rig in USB DATA mode, USB + DATA button.

• TX output power controlled by sending a Tune in Fldigi and clicking the attenuation control at the far lower right corner until you see the drive power out that you want to use. (Windows this is the Playback device in the control panel)

• RX audio level is set in Menu 72, clicking gradually up or down until the VU meter shows -50 to -40 on an empty pass band.

• If TX or RX levels aren't working go back to the instructions for the OS device mixer levels in the audio control panel above.