Baofeng PC & Remote Setup — Turning a Handheld into a Base Station
- 4 min reading time
Gear: Baofeng UV-5RM · Digirig Mobile · VoiceMeeter Banana
Before I had my Yaesu FT-450, I didn't have a base radio. What I did have was a drawer full of Baofeng handhelds. So I did what any ham would do — I figured out how to turn one into a base station.
The specific problem I was trying to solve was simple. I wanted to use my Baofeng UV-5RM with an external antenna as a home station, but holding the radio to talk was awkward, the built-in speaker sounded terrible through a room, and I had cables hanging everywhere. What I really wanted was to listen through my PC speakers and key up with a proper mic — basically a desktop radio experience from a $30 handheld.
Easier said than done with a Baofeng.
How I Got There
My first attempt was connecting an AIOC adapter to the radio, but that eliminated the ability to speak directly into it and I hit a dead end trying to find a way to key up through the PC. I couldn't crack it with that hardware.
The breakthrough came when I picked up a Digirig Mobile to set up Winlink and VARA FM on my laptop. Once I had the Baofeng connected to the PC via the Digirig and saw Winlink listening and transmitting through it automatically, it clicked — the Digirig had everything I needed. I just had to route the audio correctly and add PTT control.
With VoiceMeeter Banana handling the audio routing and a PTT Serial app handling the key-up, it all came together. I ended up with a Baofeng connected to my PC with full PTT via a USB mic, PC speaker audio for receive, and as a bonus — remote operation capability from a completely different location using VoiceMeeter's VBAN feature to stream audio over the network.
I actually used it remotely. It worked.
The Hardware
The Software
- VoiceMeeter Banana — free virtual audio mixer
- PTT Serial App
Setup Instructions
Hardware Connection
- Connect the Digirig audio port to the Baofeng K1 TX/RX port using the black Digirig Baofeng cable
- Connect the Digirig to your PC using the USB-C to USB-A cable
VoiceMeeter Banana Configuration
- Set Hardware Out A1 to your PC speakers
- Set Hardware Out A2 to the Digirig
- Set Stereo Input 1 to your USB mic
- Set Stereo Input 2 to the Digirig
- On Hardware Input 1 (mic) map to A2 — this sends your mic audio to the Digirig for transmit
- On Hardware Input 2 (Digirig) map to A1 — this sends incoming radio audio to your speakers
PTT Serial App
Open the PTT Serial app and select the COM port for your Digirig. You can find the correct port number in Windows Device Manager.
For Remote Operation
Install Serial Port Redirector on both machines for PTT control over the network. For audio, use VoiceMeeter's built-in VBAN feature — map the Digirig audio input to stream to the remote PC, and the remote PC mic back to the control PC. That's it.
Where I'm At Now
I've since moved on to the FT-450 as my primary home station so this setup isn't something I'm actively running anymore. But it worked well while I needed it, and if you're in the same spot I was — licensed, no base radio, and a pile of Baofengs — this is a legitimate path to a functional home and remote station for almost no money.
The Digirig is the key piece of hardware that makes it all possible. Worth having in the shack regardless of what you end up using it for.
73 de W4GGJ
