TYT TH-9800 CAT Control via Remote Head Serial Protocol

*** Check out the new ESP32_Rewrite branch for a MicroPython port of this software (Runs on an ESP32!) ***

Research

There was no documentation on the remote radio head protocol so I had to reverse engineer it. Here is what I used:

• Hardware:
  • USB Logic Analyzer 24MHz 8CH
  • USB to TTL UART Adapter (Any USB serial adapter (UART) should work)
  • RJ12 Breakout Board (Makes wiring easier)
  • 6 Pins 3 Position DPDT Switch (Optional switch to change TX line between USB UART and Radio Head) (RX line doesn't need a switch)
  • 74LS157 - Quad 2-Input Multiplexer IC (Optional Multiplexer IC, can be used instead of a TX switch [Controlled by UART RTS Pin]) ****See bottom of Setup section
• Software
  • Logic software used with the Logic Analyzer to decode packets to/from radio
  • SerialTool software used to capture, modify and replay packets
• Issues
  • You can NOT connect 2 TX pins together (radio head + USB adapter) at the same time since they both will be a normally high state (5v). You will need a TX switch or another type of circuit if you want to control radio from both devices.

Required

Software

• Python (written in v3.13)
• Python modules (Install using "pip install -r requirements.txt" for Windows + Linux x64):
  • setuptools (required for DearPyGui build on ARM64)
  • asyncio
  • pySerial-asyncio
  • DearPyGui
    • If you're running an ARMv7/ARMv8 processor (Common in SBCs), you will have to manually build the DearPyGui module.
      (Grab some coffee, the build can take a while on lower end boards)
      
      

      apt update
      apt install git cmake python3 python3-pip python3-dev python3-setuptools libglu1-mesa-dev libgl1-mesa-dev libxrandr-dev libxinerama-dev libxcursor-dev libxi-dev
      git clone --recursive https://github.com/hoffstadt/DearPyGui
      cd DearPyGui
      
      #Build for ARMv7 (Ex: Raspberry Pi 2)
      python3 -m setup bdist_wheel --plat-name linux_armv7l --dist-dir ../dist
      pip install ../dist/dearpygui-2.0.0-cp312-cp312-linux_armv7l.whl
      
      #Build for ARMv8 (Raspberry Pi 3 and above, also works on my Orange Pi Zero 3)
      python3 -m setup bdist_wheel --plat-name linux_aarch64 --dist-dir ../dist
      pip install ../dist/dearpygui-2.0.0-cp312-cp312-linux_aarch64.whl
      

How to Run

• For Windows + Linux, install Python3 and then run "pip install -r requirements.txt".
• Linux systems can also run the provided installer (install.sh) created by ukbodypilot.
  • This installer is recommended for ARM64 processors due to the more complex install process - See note above for DearPyGui module on ARM64 Linux.
• Open command line, CD to the directory, and run "python TH9800_CAT.py".

Known Issues

• On the older Raspberry Pis (32-bit ARM processors), the application GUI may not start due to the legacy OpenGL version.
  Error: "Glfw Error 65543: GLX: Failed to create context: GLXBadFBConfig"
  Fix: Execute the application with these extra args: "MESA_GL_VERSION_OVERRIDE=4.5 MESA_GLSL_VERSION_OVERRIDE=450 ./run.sh"
  • You can also comment the 1st line and uncomment the 2nd line in the run.sh file for armv6l

Hardware Setup

74LS157 - Quad 2-Input Multiplexer IC Setup (Software TX Switch using RTS pin)

Screenshots of Python App

Serial Connection Window

Radio Interface with All Labels Enabled

Regular Radio Interface

Python App Demo

TH9800.CAT.Demo.mp4

Disclaimer

This software is provided "as is", without warranty of any kind, express or implied, including but not limited to the warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and noninfringement. In no event shall the authors or copyright holders be liable for any claim, damages, or other liability, whether in an action of contract, tort, or otherwise, arising from, out of, or in connection with the software or the use or other dealings in the software.

Use at your own risk.