Setting Up the Yaesu FT-891 for Digital Modes: Digirig DR-891, WSJT-X, and Your First FT8 Contact

Part of our Getting On The Air: Modes, Operations, and Making Contacts guide.

The FT-891 is a great little radio, but it has one quirk that trips people up when it comes to digital modes: it has a USB port, but that port only carries CAT (computer control) data. There’s no USB audio interface built in. Most radios either have both or neither; the FT-891 has just the one. That used to mean running two separate USB cables to the computer just to get FT8 working. The Digirig DR-891 was built specifically to fix that, combining audio, PTT, and CAT control into a single USB-C connection. Here’s the full setup, start to finish.

What you’ll need

• Yaesu FT-891
• Digirig DR-891 kit (includes the interface, a MiniDin6 audio/PTT cable with black molding, and a USB-B cable with red molding)
• A data-capable USB-C cable to connect the DR-891 to your computer (not included, a shielded cable with ferrite chokes is worth the few extra dollars)
• A computer with WSJT-X installed

Installing the Digirig DR-891

The DR-891 uses an internal USB hub. One USB-C connection to your computer splits internally into an audio codec and a pass-through connection for the radio’s own USB-to-serial chip. Physically, there are three connections to make:

1. Plug the black-molded 3.5mm TRRS cable into the DR-891’s black “audio” socket, and the other end (MiniDin6 connector) into the FT-891’s DATA port on the rear panel. Line up the key before you push it in; it only goes one way.
2. Plug the red-molded 3.5mm TRRS cable into the DR-891’s colored “USB” socket, and the other end (USB-B connector) into the FT-891’s USB port. This carries the radio’s native CAT connection through to your computer via the DR-891.
3. Connect your USB-C cable from the DR-891 to your computer. This single cable now carries audio, PTT, and CAT control.

Power on the radio, plug in the DR-891, and your computer should detect two things: a new USB audio device (the DR-891’s sound card) and a USB-to-serial bridge (the FT-891’s internal CAT chip). If the serial device doesn’t show up, you’re likely missing the Silicon Labs CP210x USB-to-UART driver. It’s a free download from Silicon Labs and only takes a minute to install.

Open Device Manager (or your OS’s equivalent) and look for two COM ports: a “Standard” and an “Enhanced” port. Note the number of the Enhanced port; that’s the one you’ll point WSJT-X at for CAT control.

FT-891 menu settings for digital modes

Long-press the “F” button and use the MULTI knob to navigate the menu. These are the settings that matter for digital operation (values that differ from factory default are noted):

• 05-06 CAT RATE → 9600
• 05-07 CAT TOT → 1000
• 05-08 CAT RTS → DISABLE
• 07-12 PC KEYING → OFF (if you’re using CAT for PTT, which is the recommended method)
• 08-01 DATA MODE → OTHERS
• 08-05 DATA LCUT FREQ → OFF
• 08-07 DATA HCUT FREQ → OFF
• 08-09 DATA IN SELECT → REAR
• 08-10 DATA PTT SELECT → DAKY
• 08-11 DATA OUT LEVEL → 50 (starting point)
• 08-12 DATA BFO → USB
• 16-03 HF PWR → 40W (digital modes run 100% duty cycle; full 100W transmit continuously will run the radio hot, so 40W is a safer working level)
• 16-14 DATA DATA GAIN → 50 (starting point)

Also open the receiver bandwidth (short-press “F” then MULTI, find “WDH”) to the full 3000Hz, and make sure any extra audio processing like the DSP filters or AGC-audio tricks are turned off for data use. If your settings get tangled up while experimenting, Menu 17-01 resets everything back to factory default so you can start clean.

System audio settings

In your computer’s sound settings, you’ll now see new playback and recording devices for the DR-891. A few things worth doing before you open WSJT-X:

• Rename the devices to something like “Digirig” so they’re easy to pick out in the software dropdowns
• Set your computer’s internal mic and speakers as the default device and default communication device, not the Digirig, so system sounds and notifications don’t accidentally get transmitted over the air
• Uncheck any AGC option on the recording device
• Start both playback and recording levels at 50% (you’ll fine-tune these once you’re decoding signals)

Setting up WSJT-X

Download and install WSJT-X, then walk through the settings:

1. General tab: enter your callsign and grid square.
2. Audio tab: select the Digirig’s audio device for both input and output. If there’s a channel option, set input to Mono and output to Left.
3. Radio tab: set Rig to “Yaesu FT-891,” set the serial port to the Enhanced COM port you noted earlier, Baud Rate 9600, Data Bits 8, Stop Bits 2, and disable flow control/handshake. Set PTT Method to CAT: this is the cleanest option since the DR-891 already gives you full CAT access.
4. Click “Test CAT” (or equivalent) to confirm the software can read the radio’s frequency, and test PTT to confirm it keys the radio.

Getting on the air with FT8

A few things matter more for FT8 than for voice modes, so don’t skip these:

• Sync your computer’s clock. FT8 runs on strict 15-second transmit/receive windows locked to UTC. If your clock is off by more than a second or two, you won’t decode anyone and no one will decode you. Turn on internet time sync (Windows’ built-in sync is usually enough; Meinberg NTP is more precise if you want it dialed in tighter).
• Select FT8 mode in WSJT-X’s mode menu.
• Tune to a standard FT8 frequency in USB mode: 7.074 MHz on 40m and 14.074 MHz on 20m are the most active. Within 15 seconds of tuning in, you should see decoded callsigns start populating the left-hand panel.
• Keep your power reasonable. FT8 doesn’t need much; 20 to 40W is plenty for most contacts, which conveniently matches the 40W setting recommended above. Running full 100W on FT8 doesn’t improve your odds much and is generally considered bad practice on a crowded band.
• Watch your audio drive, not just your power. Set the transmit audio level so your radio’s ALC meter barely moves. Overdriving the audio causes splatter that bothers everyone nearby on the waterfall, and it doesn’t make your signal more decodable. FT8 is a weak-signal mode built to work well below the noise floor.

Making your first contact

Once you’re seeing decodes, working a station is mostly automatic. Find a line in the decoded messages panel where someone is calling CQ, double-click it, and WSJT-X takes over: queuing your callsign, sending grid and signal reports back and forth, and completing the standard exchange over the next few 15-second cycles. Watch the right-hand panel to follow the QSO in progress. Once you see “73” logged, that’s a completed contact.

If nothing’s decoding at all, check your clock sync first. It’s the single most common cause of a dead waterfall. If the clock’s fine and you’re still not seeing anything, double check the audio input level (there’s usually a level meter in WSJT-X showing you’re actually receiving signal) and confirm you’re on an active frequency and time of day for that band.