I’ve had a Yaesu FTM100DE for a while now and for all that while it has had a USB adapter plugged in and doing nothing. The adapter, SCU-20 came with the transceiver. Anyway, I wondered what it could be use for. The handbook discusses it being used to extract GPS data and packet data and a quick search found some software, APRSIS32 for Windows (see http://aprsisce.wikidot.com ) that talks to various transceivers.
So, software loaded, I needed a driver from Yaesu. Here’s where it begins to get a little tedious as those of you who have had to go looking for drivers will no doubt know. First port of call was the Yaesu site and a search for FTM100. Ok, found that. Now ‘files’ and … a driver for a SCU-19. Searches for SCU-20 found a PDF which contained the filename of the driver but not the source. I eventually found it… under the files for the FTM400.
And that was the hardest part. Driver in, USB lead connected, APRSIS32 loaded and a few parameters configured and there is it.
The software will also send messages etc. but apparently Yaesu do not allow their kit, or at least the kit I have send data out from sources that are not internally generated. (ref: https://groups.io/g/APRSISCE/topic/76092175 ) Oh well, I didn’t get the radio for APRS anyway but it’s a bit annoying.
Anyway it was a fruitful ‘have wire, must make it do something’ episode. The APRSIS32 software is neat and full of functionality, and quite intuitive. It also has a whole support group on groups.io.