CAT · FT-710 · CP210x serial

FT-710 Settings Manager

A Qt6 desktop app that talks CAT to a Yaesu FT-710 over serial, lets you read and write settings organized the same way the radio itself organizes its menu, and save or restore the whole configuration as an XML file.

Qt 6.2+ CMake 3.16+ C++17 GPL-3.0

00Source

The project is hosted on SourceForge, where you can browse the repository, grab releases, and file tickets.

↳ REPOSITORY

sourceforge.net/projects/ft710settingsmanager

01Requirements

Framework
Qt 6.2+ (Widgets and SerialPort modules)
Build system
CMake 3.16+
Compiler
C++17-capable compiler
Linux permissions
Your user typically needs to be in the dialout (or uucp) group to access /dev/ttyUSB* / /dev/ttyACM* without root.

02Build

mkdir build && cd build
cmake ..
cmake --build .

On Linux this also works fine with Ninja (cmake -G Ninja ..). On Windows/macOS, point CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH at your Qt6 install if CMake can't find it automatically, e.g.:

cmake -DCMAKE_PREFIX_PATH=/path/to/Qt/6.x.x/gcc_64 ..

03Connecting to the radio

  1. Connect the FT-710 via USB. It enumerates as a dual USB-serial (CP210x) device — the first ("Enhanced COM Port") is CAT-1, used here.
  2. In the radio's menu, note the OPERATION SETTING → GENERAL → CAT-1 RATE setting and match the app's baud dropdown to it (38400 is the factory default).
  3. Pick the port, hit Connect.

04Tabs

The settings are split into six tabs, matching the radio's own menu structure:

Function Settings
Direct, non-menu CAT commands: VFO frequencies, mode, AF/RF gain, squelch, filters, noise reduction/blanker, CW keyer speed/pitch, VOX, etc.
Radio Settings
EX MENU — RADIO SETTING
Per-mode audio EQ, AGC timing, TX bandpass/modulation source and gain for SSB, AM, FM, PSK/DATA, and RTTY.
CW Settings
EX MENU — CW SETTING
CW-mode audio/TX settings plus the full keyer configuration (type, weight, memories, contest numbering, etc.).
Operation Settings
EX MENU — OPERATION SETTING
General radio behavior, CAT port configuration, RX-DSP (notch/APF/contour), TX audio parametric EQ, TX power limits, and tuning steps.
Display Settings
EX MENU — DISPLAY SETTING
Callsign display, screen saver, dimmer, spectrum scope behavior, VFO indicator colors, external monitor.
Extension Settings
EX MENU — EXTENSION SETTING
The five CAT preset banks (PRESET1–5), each with its own CAT rate and audio/TX profile.

All ~300 EX-menu entries were transcribed directly from Yaesu's official FT-710 CAT Operation Reference Manual (Table 2, "MENU Chart", doc rev. 2212-B), so the mnemonics and value ranges reflect the radio as documented by Yaesu rather than guesses. See the verification note below, though.

05Using the settings tables

  • Read All / Write All operate across every tab in one pass.
  • Read Selected / Write Selected operate only on the rows selected in the currently active tab.
  • Most set-commands on this radio don't send an acknowledgement, so a clean timeout after a write is logged as success, not an error.
  • Add Custom Setting adds a row to whichever tab is currently active, for any CAT command not already in the table.
  • Save Settings to XML / Load Settings from XML persist and restore every tab in one file (each <Setting> element carries a category attribute so it's restored to the right tab). Loading a file only stages values — it does not touch the radio until you press Write All/Selected, so you can review a loaded configuration first.
  • The raw CAT command box at the bottom sends anything you type (e.g. EX030101 or MD0) and logs the reply — useful for probing/confirming a command before trusting it.

06XML format

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<FT710Settings version="2" savedAt="2026-09-05T14:30:00">
    <Setting category="Function" id="vfoA" label="VFO A Frequency (Hz)" command="FA" value="00014074000"/>
    <Setting category="Radio" id="ex010101" label="MODE SSB &gt; AF TREBLE GAIN" command="EX010101" value="+03"/>
    <Setting category="Extension" id="ex060101" label="PRESET1 &gt; PRESET NAME" command="EX060101" value="CONTEST"/>
    ...
</FT710Settings>

Files saved by the previous single-table version of this app (no category attribute) still load fine — everything lands under Function Settings, since that's the closest equivalent.

07Verify against your radio before relying on this

The EX-menu data here comes straight from Yaesu's published CAT reference, which is a solid starting point, but a few things are still worth double-checking on your own unit before you depend on it:

⚠ BEFORE YOU WRITE
  • Yaesu has issued CAT-manual and firmware revisions for the FT-710 since its 2022 launch; if your firmware is very new or very old, a handful of menu items could differ from what's here.
  • Several EX-menu items pack more into one parameter than a single decimal value (e.g. signed ranges like -20..+10, or multi-field items). The Notes column gives you the documented range, but always sanity-check the value you're about to write against what the radio's screen shows before hitting Write.
  • Use the raw command console to read a setting (e.g. send EX010101;) and compare the reply against the radio's on-screen menu before writing anything back, especially for anything you haven't tested yet.