RS-R8500 PC Control Software
IC-R8500Take control of your IC-R8500 wideband receiver from a PC! The RS-R8500 ICOM developed PC control software allows you to do just that. This top-of-the-line ICOM receiver has a built-in RS-232C serial interface. The serial port connector is located in the back of the IC-R8500 receiver. The necessary connection cable is bundled with the RS-R8500 software package, and no other interface hardware is needed.

The RS-R8500 control software was developed to closely match the look and operation of the IC-R8500 receiver, as seen on the screenshots below. The learning curve is reduced by using this approach - if you can operate the actual receiver, you can operate this PC control program. All readouts and controls are nearly identical between the two.

Let's have a look at the various RS-R8500 control screens.

System Requirements
The RS-R8500 program requires Microsoft® Windows® 3.1, 95, 98 or ME to run, 486DX4 or faster processor (Pentium 100 MHz or faster recommended), at least 16 MB of RAM and 10 MB of free hard disk space. Screen resolution of 640x480 or higher is also required. Available, working RS-232C serial port is needed to connect the radio to the PC. The connection cable, the OPC-770, is included with the RS-R8500 software package.

Screen Captures
The screenshot to the right is the main RS-R8500 control screen. IC-R8500 owners will recognize it immediately. The layout is nearly identical. All receiver functions commonly available from IC-R8500's front panel can now be accessed through this easy-to-use computer interface. RS-R8500 Software Screenshot
Here's the RS-R8500 software with two of its five sub screens open. The screen in the foreground is the scan controller.

The spreadsheet-looking screen in the background is the powerful memory channel list. It allows for effortless programming and management of IC-R8500's 1000 memory channels. Every channel can be independently programmed with the alpha-numeric name, frequency, mode, attenuator setting, tuning steps and scan skip condition. The memory channel list can be saved into a file on computer's hard disk for safe keeping.

The screenshot shows two more RS-R8500 sub windows. The one on the bottom left is the radio player screen. It features only the minimum controls necessary to operate the IC-R8500, and is perfect for AM or FM broadcast listening without the need to adjust more advanced receiver controls. The screen on the far right is the powerful frequency band scope. The band scope shows all signals within a specified frequency range in a form of a graphical display.

Note: the band scope pictured here is not active.)