diff --git a/include/hamlib/rig.h b/include/hamlib/rig.h
index 01431ef59..761ce3b75 100644
--- a/include/hamlib/rig.h
+++ b/include/hamlib/rig.h
@@ -37,6 +37,11 @@
 #include <inttypes.h>
 #include <time.h>
 
+// to stop warnings about including winsock2.h before windows.h
+#if defined(_WIN32)
+#include <winsock2.h>
+#endif
+
 // For MSVC install the NUGet pthread package
 #if defined(_MSC_VER)
 #define HAVE_STRUCT_TIMESPEC
@@ -2477,10 +2482,10 @@ struct multicast_s
     int seqnumber;
     int runflag; // = 0;
     pthread_t threadid;
-#ifdef HAVE_ARPA_INET_H
+//#ifdef HAVE_ARPA_INET_H
     struct ip_mreq mreq; // = {0};
     struct sockaddr_in dest_addr; // = {0};
-#endif
+//#endif
 };
 
 /**
diff --git a/src/multicast.c b/src/multicast.c
index 89021db9b..edf3faa29 100644
--- a/src/multicast.c
+++ b/src/multicast.c
@@ -206,7 +206,7 @@ static int multicast_send_json(RIG *rig)
     json_add_vfoA(rig, msg);
 
     // send the thing
-    multicast_send(rig, (unsigned char *)msg, strlen(msg));
+    multicast_send(rig, msg, strlen(msg));
     return 0;
 }
 
@@ -269,7 +269,7 @@ int multicast_init(RIG *rig, char *addr, int port)
     // Set the SO_REUSEADDR option to allow multiple processes to use the same address
     int optval = 1;
 
-    if (setsockopt(rig->state.multicast->sock, SOL_SOCKET, SO_REUSEADDR, &optval,
+    if (setsockopt(rig->state.multicast->sock, SOL_SOCKET, SO_REUSEADDR, (char*)&optval,
                    sizeof(optval)) < 0)
     {
         rig_debug(RIG_DEBUG_ERR, "%s: setsockopt: %s\n", __func__, strerror(errno));
@@ -295,7 +295,7 @@ int multicast_init(RIG *rig, char *addr, int port)
     rig->state.multicast->mreq.imr_interface.s_addr = htonl(INADDR_ANY);
 
     // Set the multicast TTL (time-to-live) to limit the scope of the packets
-    unsigned char ttl = 1;
+    char ttl = 1;
 
     if (setsockopt(rig->state.multicast->sock, IPPROTO_IP, IP_MULTICAST_TTL, &ttl,
                    sizeof(ttl)) < 0)
@@ -322,7 +322,7 @@ int multicast_init(RIG *rig, char *addr, int port)
     rig->state.multicast->runflag = 1;
     pthread_create(&rig->state.multicast->threadid, NULL, multicast_thread,
                    (void *)rig);
-    printf("threadid=%ld\n", rig->state.multicast->threadid);
+    //printf("threadid=%ld\n", rig->state.multicast->threadid);
     rig->state.multicast->multicast_running = 1;
     return RIG_OK;
 }
@@ -348,7 +348,7 @@ void multicast_close(RIG *rig)
 }
 
 // if msglen=0 msg is assumed to be a string
-int multicast_send(RIG *rig, unsigned char *msg, int msglen)
+int multicast_send(RIG *rig, const char *msg, int msglen)
 {
     // Construct the message to send
     if (msglen == 0) { msglen = strlen((char *)msg); }
diff --git a/src/multicast.h b/src/multicast.h
index 1caf9f7e6..722056aeb 100644
--- a/src/multicast.h
+++ b/src/multicast.h
@@ -8,6 +8,10 @@
 #ifdef HAVE_NETINET_IN_H
 #include <netinet/in.h>
 #endif
+#ifdef _WIN32
+#include <winsock2.h>
+#include <ws2tcpip.h>
+#endif
 
 #ifdef HAVE_ARPA_INET_H
 #include <arpa/inet.h>
@@ -53,5 +57,5 @@ struct multicast_broadcast
 
 // returns # of bytes sent
 int multicast_init(RIG *rig, char *addr, int port);
-int multicast_send(RIG *rig, unsigned char *msg, int msglen);
+int multicast_send(RIG *rig, const char *msg, int msglen);
 #endif //MULTICAST_H
diff --git a/tests/Makefile.am b/tests/Makefile.am
index 0dd92a3c7..900ca6e11 100644
--- a/tests/Makefile.am
+++ b/tests/Makefile.am
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ endif
 
 DISTCLEANFILES = rigctl.log rigctl.sum testbcd.log testbcd.sum
 
-bin_PROGRAMS = rigctl rigctld rigmem rigsmtr rigswr rotctl rotctld rigctlcom rigctltcp rigctlsync ampctl ampctld multicastclient $(TESTLIBUSB)
+bin_PROGRAMS = rigctl rigctld rigmem rigsmtr rigswr rotctl rotctld rigctlcom rigctltcp rigctlsync ampctl ampctld multicastclient multicastserver $(TESTLIBUSB)
 
 #check_PROGRAMS = dumpmem testrig testrigopen testrigcaps testtrn testbcd testfreq listrigs testloc rig_bench testcache cachetest cachetest2 testcookie testgrid testsecurity
 check_PROGRAMS = dumpmem testrig testrigopen testrigcaps testtrn testbcd testfreq listrigs testloc rig_bench testcache cachetest cachetest2 testcookie testgrid hamlibmodels
diff --git a/tests/multicastserver.c b/tests/multicastserver.c
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..22394245e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/multicastserver.c
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+#include <stdlib.h>
+#include <hamlib/rig.h>
+
+#define TEST
+#ifdef TEST
+int main(int argc, char *argv[])
+{
+    RIG *rig;
+    rig_model_t myrig_model;
+    rig_set_debug_level(RIG_DEBUG_NONE);
+
+    if (argc > 1) { myrig_model = atoi(argv[1]); }
+    else
+    {
+        myrig_model = 1035;
+    }
+
+    rig = rig_init(myrig_model);
+
+    if (rig == NULL)
+    {
+
+    }
+
+    strncpy(rig->state.rigport.pathname, "/dev/ttyUSB0", HAMLIB_FILPATHLEN - 1);
+    rig->state.rigport.parm.serial.rate = 38400;
+    rig_open(rig);
+    multicast_init(rig, "224.0.0.1", 4532);
+    pthread_join(rig->state.multicast->threadid, NULL);
+    pthread_exit(NULL);
+    return 0;
+}
+#endif
+