Ham Radio Control Libraries

If you're a ham radio operator and interested in incorporating radio control into your own programs, then Ham Radio Control Libraries could be of interest. Developed to provide a consistent interface for programmers, Hamlib is not a complete user application, but rather a software layer designed to make controlling a variety of radios and shack hardware much easier.

With Hamlib, authors of software such as logging or digital communication programs can focus on the user interface and basic program functionality without having to worry about radio control. Many amateur radio transceivers now allow for external control of their functions through a serial interface. However, control commands are not always consistent across a manufacturer's product line and often vary between competitors.

Hamlib attempts to address this problem by presenting a "virtual radio" to the programmer, which provides an API for actions such as setting a VFO frequency or querying the radio's current status and settings. Developers can also get a list of a given radio's capabilities. Note though that the capabilities of what can be achieved by Hamlib are limited by the radios themselves, and some offer very limited functionality.