1st QSO on PSK-31 using Yaesu FT-450D

I've had Ham Radio Deluxe for a while now and decided to give PSK-31 a tryout.
My HF rig, the Yaesu FT-450D has a data port on the rear. This is connected using a bought cable to a USB sound card. There is also another cable used to connect the CAT interface to the computer via a USB COM port. It sounds complicated but it's not and I will write something about the connections in a later post.
After much configuration I still couldn't get the rig to transmit the audio is was being fed. I listened to output of the sound module to make sure that audio was coming out - it was.
Then I got out my very old FRG-7 receiver and tuned to the 20m frequency I was supposed to be transmitting on.

When transmitting the rig was putting out about 5 watts as I thought on upper side band but it also had a carrier wave that I could distinctly hear. I put out a number of CQs with no response. The waterfall of DM-780 sound module of Ham Radio Deluxe showed the correct waveform. I was mystified.

So I resorted to reading the Yaesu FT-450D manual - we all do that when something doesn't work don't we? Anyway I found the problem. You first of all have to set the rig into a "User Mode". Essentially this instructs the rig what to do when put into datamode. In my case I wanted to transmit audio through the rear socket in upper side band. You have to go into the rig menu by pressing F for 1 second then follow the next sequence:

• rotate the DSP/SEL knob until D Type appears (this is Data Type)
• press the DSP/SEL knob - then menu text flashes and RTTY will probably be selected (it was on mine)
• rotate the DSP/SEL knob until USER-U is selected
• press the DSP/SEL knob -the menu text stops flashing
• press the F key for longer than one second
• Next select the mode you want (USB Data mode) using the mode up or down buttons
• Select the frequency of transmission - in my case 14.070.00 MHz on the 20m band

Then you are all set for transmitting data.

When you set the mode to data mode the rig only takes audio from the data socket and the microphone PTT switch is disabled. The microphone is also disabled so you don't run the risk of transmitting expletives along with the data whilst transmitting - it happens apparently when things get heated in the shack during data transmission mode.

What a fantastic rig the Yaesu FT-450D is - once you have read the manual!

I called CQ again and after 2 minutes my first contact was with a station in Konetspol, Ukraine followed by another station in Lyon, France - 1486 miles m and 588 miles away from G8YPH respectably. Not bad from 5 watts into a long wire partially running through the shack!