IC-7300 USB Serial Backend Setup (macOS)¶

This guide shows how to control the IC-7300 via USB serial CI-V + USB audio devices instead of the default LAN backend.

Why Use the Serial Backend?¶

No network required — direct USB connection
Lower latency — no UDP/network overhead
Simpler setup — no IP config, username, or password
Alternative to LAN — for users without Ethernet/WiFi on IC-7300

Hardware Requirements¶

IC-7300 transceiver (HF/50 MHz)
USB cable with a Type-B plug (the IC-7300 [USB] port is Type B)
macOS computer (tested on Ventura+ arm64/Intel)

Radio Configuration¶

Critical Setup Step

On the IC-7300, navigate to Menu → Set → Connectors → CI-V → CI-V USB Port and set it to Unlink from [REMOTE] (the radio's default), NOT Link to [REMOTE].

Unlink from [REMOTE] — the [USB] and [REMOTE] CI-V ports work independently; the CI-V USB Baud Rate setting applies only in this mode
Link to [REMOTE] — the [USB] and [REMOTE] CI-V ports are connected internally

The IC-7610 has the same setting.

Recommended Radio Settings¶

Setting	Value	Why
CI-V USB Port	`Unlink from [REMOTE]`	✅ Required — the USB baud rate setting applies only in this mode
CI-V USB Baud Rate	`115200`	Recommended for scope/waterfall
CI-V Address	`0x94` (IC-7300 default)	Library auto-detects from profile

Baud Rate

115200 baud is recommended for scope/waterfall capability
Lower baud rates (19200, 9600) work for basic control (freq, mode, PTT) but scope/waterfall is disabled by a guardrail due to high packet rate
CI-V baud rate IS significant on IC-7300 — it must match between radio and library

IC-7300 Single Receiver

The IC-7300 has a single receiver (unlike IC-7610's dual receiver or IC-9700's dual). The library automatically enforces this via the IC-7300 profile — operations on receiver=1 will fail with CommandError.

macOS Setup¶

1. Install rigplane¶

pip install rigplane

2. Connect USB and Verify Devices¶

Plug in the USB cable and verify the serial port:

ls /dev/cu.usbserial-* | head -5
# Output example: /dev/cu.usbserial-A602RVAV

Check for audio devices exported by the radio:

rigplane --list-audio-devices

An Icom radio's USB audio device is named USB Audio CODEC.

3. Connect via Python¶

import asyncio
from rigplane import SerialBackendConfig, create_radio

async def main():
    # Serial radio for IC-7300
    config = SerialBackendConfig(device="/dev/cu.usbserial-A602RVAV", model="IC-7300")

    async with create_radio(config) as radio:
        # Read frequency
        freq = await radio.get_freq()
        print(f"Frequency: {freq / 1e6:.6f} MHz")

        # Set frequency
        await radio.set_freq(7_074_000)

        # Read mode
        mode, _ = await radio.get_mode()
        print(f"Mode: {mode}")

        # Enable scope; frames arrive through radio.on_scope_data(callback)
        await radio.enable_scope()

asyncio.run(main())

4. CLI Usage¶

# Check connection
rigplane --backend serial --model IC-7300 --serial-port /dev/cu.usbserial-A602RVAV status

# Set frequency
rigplane --backend serial --model IC-7300 --serial-port /dev/cu.usbserial-A602RVAV freq 7074000

# Monitor metrics
rigplane --backend serial --model IC-7300 --serial-port /dev/cu.usbserial-A602RVAV meter

5. Web UI¶

rigplane --model IC-7300 --serial-port /dev/cu.usbserial-A602RVAV web
# Open http://localhost:8080

Supported Features¶

Feature	Status	Notes
Frequency	✅ Full	Get/set HF/50 MHz
Mode	✅ Full	USB, LSB, CW, FM, AM, RTTY, PSK, etc.
Power	✅ Full	RF power 0-100W
Scope/Waterfall	✅ Full	Real-time scope at 115200 baud
Audio RX/TX	✅ Full	PCM and Opus codecs
Meters	✅ Full	S-meter, SWR, ALC, Power, Vd, Id
Filters	✅ Full	Filter width selection
DSP	✅ Full	NB, NR, Twin Peak, PBT
Dual Watch	⚠️ Single RX	IC-7300 has single receiver only

Audio Subsystem¶

IC-7300 exports a USB audio device that rigplane can use. For RX/TX code, see Audio Recipes.

WSJT-X Integration¶

On macOS, bridge rigplane audio to WSJT-X through the RigPlane Virtual Cable (the RigPlane Virtual Audio Driver is installed by RigPlane Pro):

Start the audio bridge against the cable ends:

rigplane --model IC-7300 --serial-port /dev/cu.usbserial-A602RVAV audio bridge --device "RigPlane Virtual Cable Output" --tx-device "RigPlane Virtual Cable Input"

WSJT-X settings:
- Input Device: "RigPlane Virtual Cable Input"
- Output Device: "RigPlane Virtual Cable Output"

Troubleshooting¶

Serial Port Not Found¶

Solution: Verify the USB cable connection and check the /dev/cu.usbserial-* listing.

Low Baud Rate Warning¶

WARNING Scope disabled at low baud rate (9600 < 115200). Set allow_low_baud_scope=True to override or set ICOM_SERIAL_SCOPE_ALLOW_LOW_BAUD=1.

Solution: Set CI-V USB Baud Rate to 115200 in radio menu → Set → Connectors.

Audio Devices Not Found¶

Solution: Check that the radio's USB Audio CODEC device is listed:

rigplane --list-audio-devices

CI-V Commands Timing Out¶

Solution: Verify CI-V USB Port is set to Unlink from [REMOTE], not Link to [REMOTE].

Performance Tuning¶

Serial CI-V Pacing¶

If commands are arriving too fast, raise the minimum interval between CI-V commands. The serial backend reads it when the radio object is created, so set it before starting:

# 100 ms minimum between CI-V commands (Icom default: 25 ms)
export ICOM_SERIAL_CIV_MIN_INTERVAL_MS=100
rigplane --model IC-7300 --serial-port /dev/cu.usbserial-A602RVAV web

Hardware Notes¶

Power: the IC-7300 takes 13.8 V DC through its [DC 13.8 V] socket, not USB power
Cable length: Keep under 3m to avoid signal integrity issues

Get the Packaged Desktop App¶

Prefer a packaged desktop app?

This guide covers the open-source rigplane Python library. If you want a polished desktop application with a GUI for IC-7300 control on macOS and Linux, check out RigPlane Pro.

Download RigPlane Pro for Mac and Linux →