1. Overview
Yaesu CAT Control talks to your radio through its CAT (Computer Aided Transceiver) port. It has two main jobs:
- Menu backup and restore. It reads every setup-menu item from the radio (the
EXmenu), saves them to a file on your PC, and writes them back later, so you can keep a safe copy of your set-up or switch quickly between set-ups (contest, FT8, portable, and so on). - Control Panel. It shows and sets VFO-A / VFO-B frequency, mode and transmit power, and has six one-click Menu Presets that load a saved menu set-up into the radio.
Supported radios: FT-991 / FT-991A, FT-891, FTDX10, FT-710. The program detects which one is connected.
2. Before you start
- Windows 7 SP1, 8.1, 10 or 11 with .NET Framework 4.8 (the installer adds it if it's missing).
- USB driver: install the Silicon Labs CP210x "Virtual COM Port" driver from Yaesu's website for your radio.
- USB cable from the radio's USB jack to the PC (or a serial cable to the RS-232C jack, if your radio has one).
- Note the radio's CAT RATE menu setting (baud rate). The program's baud rate must match it.
Two COM ports: with the Yaesu USB driver, Windows shows two COM ports for the radio.
In Device Manager → Ports (COM & LPT) use the one called Enhanced COM Port for CAT. The Standard port
is for PTT / keying.
3. Connecting to the radio
The Connection box at the top of the window holds the serial settings.
| Setting | What to choose |
|---|---|
| Radio | Your model. Selected automatically once the radio answers. |
| Port | The radio's Enhanced COM port. Each port is listed with its Device Manager name (e.g. COM4 Silicon Labs Dual CP2105 USB to UART Bridge: Enhanced COM Port), and the Enhanced port is picked automatically the first time. The list updates by itself when the radio is plugged in, unplugged or switched on/off; Refresh re-reads it on demand. If the radio's port disappears while connected, the program disconnects. |
| Baud | Must match the radio's CAT RATE menu (4800 / 9600 / 19200 / 38400 / 115200). |
| Data bits / Parity / Stop bits | 8 / None / Two (the default) works with all four radios. |
| Handshake | None. |
| DTR / RTS | Leave off unless you know you need them (see the warning below). |
| Timeout | How long to wait for an answer, in milliseconds. 1000 is fine; raise it for slow links. |
| Cmd delay | Pause after every command, in milliseconds. 20 is fine; raise it if the radio misses commands. |
- Choose the settings and click Connect.
- The program asks the radio for its ID. If it answers, the status shows Connected: <model> in green, the right model is selected, and the Control Panel fills in with the current frequency, mode and power.
- If it says Port open – radio not answering, see Troubleshooting.
- Detect Radio repeats the ID check at any time. Disconnect closes the port.
DTR / RTS: on these radios DTR and RTS can be assigned to PTT or CW keying in the menu
(e.g. PC KEYING, RPTT SELECT). Turning them on here could key the transmitter.
4. Control Panel tab
This is the tab that opens when the program starts.
Frequency & mode
- The large readouts show VFO-A, VFO-B and the current Mode.
- To change a VFO, type the frequency in the box next to it and click Set VFO-A / Set VFO-B.
You can type MHz (
14.074,7.074,14.074.000) or Hz (14074000). Numbers of 1000 or more are treated as Hz. - To change mode, pick it from the list (LSB, USB, CW-U, FM, AM, RTTY, DATA…, plus C4FM on the FT-991 and PSK on the FTDX10 / FT-710) and click Set Mode.
Transmit power
- The red readout shows the radio's current power setting.
- Choose a new value with the slider or the number box (5–100 W) and click Set Power, or press Enter in the number box.
- The radio may limit the power further by band or mode (for example 50 W on 2 m / 70 cm on the FT-991, or lower AM limits). The readout shows what the radio actually accepted.
Reading / polling
- Read Now reads frequency, mode and power once.
- Tick Poll radio every … ms to keep the readouts up to date while you tune the radio. Polling pauses while a menu backup / restore is running, and stops by itself if the radio stops answering.
Raw CAT commands
For experimenting with commands from the Yaesu CAT manual. Type a command such as FA;, MD0;,
ID; or EX030108; (the closing ; is optional) and press Enter or Send.
Tick Expect reply for read commands; untick it for set commands, which the radio does not answer.
The answer appears in the log at the bottom. ?; means the radio didn't accept the command.
Raw commands go straight to the radio. Some (for example
TX1;) key the transmitter.5. Menu Presets
The Menu Presets box on the Control Panel has six buttons. Each one writes a saved menu backup file to the radio with one click.
Setting up the buttons
- First save a backup for each set-up you want (see Back up the radio): for example FT8, Contest, Portable.
- Open Options → Preset Buttons… (or right-click any preset button).
- For each button, type a label and click Browse… to choose its backup file. The Radio column shows which radio the file was saved from and how many items it holds, or File not found.
- Clear empties a button. Leaving the label blank uses the file name.
- Ask before a preset button writes to the radio: untick it for true one-click use.
- Click OK. The buttons show your labels; hover over one to see its file.
Using them
- Click a button, or press Ctrl+1 … Ctrl+6 from anywhere in the program.
- The program checks that you're connected and that the file was saved from the same radio model. If it wasn't, nothing is written.
- If the file has been moved or deleted, you're asked whether to assign a different file; Yes opens the set-up window on that button.
- An empty button opens the set-up window.
- Progress shows in the status bar. A message only pops up if some items failed. The Menu Settings tab shows each item's result.
- The Don't write CAT / serial port settings and Verify after write options on the Menu Settings tab also apply to presets.
6. Menu Settings tab
This tab is for working with the radio's full setup menu: backing it up, restoring it, and adjusting individual items.
Back up the radio (read and save)
- Connect to the radio.
- Click Read All from Radio. Every menu item is read (a few seconds); progress shows in the status bar.
- When it finishes you're asked whether to save. Click Yes and choose a file name. The default is the model plus the
date, e.g.
FT-991_Menu_2026-09-26_1930.xml.
You can also save at any time with Save File…. Items the radio refused (Not accepted by radio) are not saved.
Restore to the radio (open and write)
- Connect to the radio and make sure it is not transmitting.
- Click Open File… and choose a backup. If it was saved from a different model you're asked whether to switch.
- Click Write All to Radio (or select some rows and click Write Selected).
- Confirm. Each item is written; with Verify (read back) after write ticked, each one is read back and compared.
| Option | What it does |
|---|---|
| Don't write CAT / serial port settings | On by default. Skips items like CAT RATE, CAT TOT, CAT RTS and 232C so a restore can't change the baud rate part-way through. If you untick it, those items are written last. Reconnect at the new baud rate afterwards if it changed. |
| Verify (read back) after write | Reads every item back after writing it and marks any difference as MISMATCH. |
| Cancel | Stops a read or write in progress (items already written stay written). |
Tip: always make a fresh backup before writing a different set-up to the radio.
The settings grid
| Column | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Menu # | The menu number as used by the CAT EX command (e.g. 031, 0506, 030108). |
| Group | The menu group (FT-891 / FTDX10 / FT-710). |
| Function | The menu item name. Tags: [read only] (saved for reference, never written, e.g. firmware version or Radio ID), [skipped] (never read or written, e.g. the FT-891 RESET item), [CAT] (a CAT / serial port setting). |
| Value (P2) | The raw value exactly as the radio sends it (see the Parameter column for what it means). |
| Status | What happened to this item (see below). |
| Parameter | The allowed values from the Yaesu CAT manual, and the number of digits. |
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Read / From file | Value came from the radio / from a backup file. |
| Written, Written + verified | Sent to the radio (and confirmed). |
| Edited | You changed the value by hand and haven't written it yet. |
| MISMATCH – radio has … | After writing, the radio reported a different value. |
| Not accepted / Rejected by radio (?;) | The radio refused the command or value. |
| Timeout | No answer. After 3 timeouts in a row the job stops. |
Type in the Filter box to show only rows whose number, name, group, parameter text or status contains that text,
e.g. CAT, EQ, MISMATCH.
Editing values
- Double-click a Value cell to change it, then use Write Selected to send just that row.
- Enter the value in the radio's raw format shown in the Parameter column, e.g.
0300(4 digits),+05,1. If the length doesn't match the manual, the status warns you. - Read-only and skipped items can't be edited.
7. Options menu
| Item | What it does |
|---|---|
| Preset Buttons… | Set up the six Menu Preset buttons (see Menu Presets). |
| Color Theme | Choose Slate Gray (the default), Night (Dark), Light Brown, Sage Green, Steel Blue, Rose Clay, or Windows Default (standard Windows colours). The change is immediate and remembered. |
8. Log & status bar
- The log at the bottom of the window records connections, reads, writes, errors and raw-command answers with the time.
- Tick Log raw CAT traffic (TX/RX) to see every command sent and every answer received. That's useful for troubleshooting, but busy during a full read or write.
- Clear Log empties it. Drag the bar above the log to make it bigger or smaller.
- The status bar at the very bottom shows progress during a read / write.
9. Where things are stored
| What | Where |
|---|---|
| Your settings (serial port, color theme, presets, options) | %AppData%\YaesuCatControl\settings.xml. Saved when the program closes; presets are also saved
when you click OK in the Preset Buttons window. Delete it to reset everything. |
| Menu backup files | Wherever you save them (the program remembers the last folder). |
| Radio definitions (menu lists) | RadioDefinitions\*.xml in the program's install folder. |
| This guide | Docs\UserGuide.html in the program's install folder. |
To open the settings folder: press Win+R, type %AppData%\YaesuCatControl, press Enter.
Uninstalling the program leaves your settings and backups in place.
10. Troubleshooting
| Problem | What to try |
|---|---|
| No COM ports listed | Check Device Manager → Ports (COM & LPT): the program lists exactly what Windows shows there.
If the radio's ports are missing there too:
|
| "Radio not answering" | Use the Enhanced COM port; make the baud rate match the radio's CAT RATE menu; check the cable; make sure no other program (logging / digital-mode software) has the port open. |
| "Could not open the port" | Another program is using the port. Close it, or pick the other COM port. |
| Some items say "Not accepted by radio (?;)" | That item isn't available in the radio's current state or firmware. The rest of the backup is fine. On the FT-710, if every EXTENSION SETTING / PRESET row does this, see Radio definitions below. |
| Connection lost after a restore | A CAT RATE item was written and the radio's baud rate changed. Disconnect, set the new baud rate, and connect again. |
| Radio misses commands / timeouts | Increase Cmd delay (e.g. 50 ms) and Timeout. |
| A preset says it was saved from a different radio | Presets only write to the same model they were saved from. Choose the matching radio or a different file. |
| Windows says "Windows protected your PC" when installing | The installer isn't code-signed. Click More info → Run anyway. |
Radio definitions
The menu lists come from the Yaesu CAT manuals and are stored as editable XML files in the RadioDefinitions
folder. The FT-710 manual isn't clear whether the EXTENSION SETTING group is numbered 05 or 06. The program uses 06.
If those rows are refused, change Number="06…" to 05… in FT-710.xml (editing files in
Program Files needs administrator rights).
11. Keyboard shortcuts
| Keys | Action |
|---|---|
| F1 | Open this guide |
| Ctrl+1 … Ctrl+6 | Run Menu Preset 1 … 6 |
| Enter in the power box | Set Power |
| Enter in the raw command box | Send the command |
| Right-click a preset button | Open Preset Buttons set-up |