Find the radio
Connect USB and install the radio’s USB driver. Set CAT speed to 115200 in radio menu 7-00. Open Connections with Ctrl+K and use Find radio.
Radio setupTS-890S DESKTOP / CONNECTIONS
Your station.
Clearly connected.
USB, Ethernet, TCI and the Remote Relay each have a specific job. Choose the connection that fits where you operate.
01 / AT THE RADIO
Two cables.
Two different jobs.
In the usual desk setup, USB handles radio control and audio. Ethernet adds the smoother, faster bandscope stream.
YOUR TRANSCEIVERKENWOOD
TS-890S
TS-890S
USBCAT control + receive / transmit audio
ETHERNET / LANHigh-rate bandscope stream
YOUR COMPUTERTS-890S
Desktop app
Desktop app
Windows or macOS
Ethernet is optional in this setup. Without it, choose the slower USB scope mode in Connections; the other USB functions still work.
Bring in the audio
On Audio, enable Audio in and select the radio’s USB input. Enable Listen and select your speakers or headset to hear it.
Audio setupAdd the bandscope
On Network, enter the radio’s LAN address and KNS credentials. Choose the LAN sweep mode for the network scope feed.
Network setup02 / YOUR OTHER STATION SOFTWARE
One radio.
Software that follows.
The application’s TCI server lets compatible programs follow the radio’s frequency and mode. Configure the client with the address and port shown in Sharing & TCI.
Sharing and TCI instructionsTS-890S Desktop TCI server
Log4OMWSJT-XMSHV
Use a client version that supports TCI. Windows also offers CAT sharing through a virtual serial port.
03 / AWAY FROM THE STATION
The same radio.
A different location.
EXPERIMENTAL FEATURE
Network mode uses the TS-890S KNS connection for control, bandscope and two-way audio. The USB cable is not part of this path.
AWAY FROM HOME
Your laptop
TS-890S Desktop
Tailscale
Encrypted
Tailscale link↔
Tailscale link↔
AT YOUR STATION
PC or Raspberry Pi
TS-890S Remote Relay
Tailscale · stays switched on
Your home
network↔
network↔
YOUR RADIO
TS-890S
KNS + built-in VoIP
enabled
Why the relay matters
The radio sends its audio to a computer on its own network. The relay receives that audio at the station and forwards it to the remote laptop; transmit audio travels back the other way. It also passes the login, controls and bandscope.
Tailscale joins the remote laptop and station computer. The radio continues to check the KNS login itself, and the relay serves one laptop at a time.
Inside your home
A laptop on the same home network can connect directly to the radio’s KNS address. The outside-home relay path shown above is for reaching it from elsewhere.
When the link changes
The version 2.4 relay returns the radio to receive after four seconds without the laptop’s transmit heartbeat. A transmission limit defaults to ten minutes. The guide explains these safeguards and the optional Low data mode.
THE RELAY ON RASPBERRY PI
A small computer.
A permanent station link.
The relay installs as a service called kns-relay and starts at boot. The terminal capture shows the install command, the service marked active (running), and the Pi’s Tailscale address.
Use the radio’s LAN address when installing the relay. On the remote laptop, use the relay computer’s Tailscale address in Host. The addresses in this screenshot belong to the guide’s example setup.
Raspberry Pi instructions
Read the complete setup before operating remotely.The guide covers KNS and audio settings, relay installation, link quality and initial checks into a dummy load.Remote operation chapter
TS-890S DESKTOP FRONT PANEL
Take the next step.
Download the right package for your computer, with the guide close at hand.