Re: [Flexradio] Edirol FA-66 Firewire with 192 KHz sampling rateadded to list of supported sound cards
Jeff, Edirol offers also the UA-1EX USB soundcard. I bought one and I made my first phone and cw QSOs with it last weekend. I am going to send it today for evaluation to Klaus Lohmann, a distinguished member of the German SDR1000 group and official representative of Flex-Radio. Edirol claims Zero latency, direct monitoring for this sound card. OM Klaus is going to publish his findings and may be it is worth while for you to wait for the results. vy 73 de SM6OMH Willi - Original Message - From: Jeff Anderson [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: John Basilotto [EMAIL PROTECTED]; Reflector FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz Sent: Sunday, September 24, 2006 9:44 PM Subject: Re: [Flexradio] Edirol FA-66 Firewire with 192 KHz sampling rateadded to list of supported sound cards Hi John, The Edirol board sounds great, and I'd very much like to try one, but my computer, which I purchased from Flex when I bought by SDR1000, does not have Firewire. If I want to use the Edirol board with this computer (a Dell), what would I need to do? Are there any Firewire PCI cards that you would recommend, for example? If adapter cards are available, it might be worthwhile for Flex to create a cheat sheet with recommended adapter cards and installation instructions to minimize the pain and swearing that usually (at least, in my case) accompanies adding new hardware to a system. - Jeff, K6JCA --- John Basilotto [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: FlexRadio Systems is pleased to announce that we are now a Roland distributor for the Edirol FA-66 FireWire Audio Interface. The Edirol box will replace the PreSonus Firebox as the recommended unit best suited for portable and serious audio applications. The Delta 44 remains as our recommended PCI soundcard. ___ FlexRadio mailing list FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archive Link: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com ___ FlexRadio mailing list FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archive Link: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com
Re: [Flexradio] FlexRadio Digest, Vol 17, Issue 24
://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com -- Message: 2 Date: Sat, 23 Sep 2006 14:34:25 -0500 From: Cecil Bayona [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [Flexradio] DC/DC Converter (DC1) Replaced with Linear Supply To: Flex Radio FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz Message-ID: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed I'm sorry, I apologize, I got a lemon of a radio, and the manufacturer is not interested in fixing it, must be my fault somehow. Myself and several others must be imagining this problem, funny thing my other radios don't pick up these moving signals, it's inside my radio. Can you possibly imagine that someone else's radio might not work as good as yours without being the operators fault? Maybe, just maybe they got a radio that has something wrong out of the factory? Nah, it could not ever happen. Jimmy Jones wrote: Like I've said many times before(personal opinion).It's not a rig for everyone. Take my advice now and sell. You boat anchor needs you. KD5NWA wrote: I have a SDR-1000 that I bought at Dayton and frankly I have been disappointed in it's performance, I have all these signals specially in the lower bands that are wondering around and changing frequency on me, they are at least +20 dB above the noise floor. On my radio the broad carriers never stop moving but your description sounds like the problem I have, except mine seems to be worse. If I turn off the radio and listen instead with my TS-930 they simply are not there at all. I have not turned on the radio in about 45 days because of these problems, and also I have multitudes of large spurs all over the place getting worse the higher you go in frequency. 10M is downright useless, large spurs as far as the eye can see. I sent some pictures to Flexradio of my wondering carriers but nothing became of it. I've been seeing comments from others about how great the radio is, but frankly I have not seen it, right now my SoftRocks work better. Looks like I'm going to have to do some surgery before this is over. At 10:06 AM 9/22/2006, you wrote: Hi Folks, I just wanted to let you know about a modification I made to my radio. DC1 is a switch mode converter that provides +/- 15 volts for the instrumentation amplifiers IC6/7 on receive that interface the QSD to the sound card. The DC/DC converter's internal oscillator free runs at ~120 kHz and is very rich with odd harmonics, every 240 or so kHz, throughout the HF range. This manifests itself as low level 'carriers' that drift around and through receive frequencies. When the SRD is first powered up they move quite fast, but after the unit has warmed up the move very, very slowly through your QSO. These signals were about S4 on my SDR1000 in the 40M band and are easily removed with the automatic notch. But, loving to tinker like I do I removed the DC1 and soldered a 7 pin header in its place. I used a 1 x 2 x 2, +/- 15v linear supply wired to the header. How's it work? Great! No more warbling tones from within the SDR. I wish I would have done more before and after testing. Now when I connect the receiver to a dummy load, most of the bands are clear of spurs with the noise floor at -153 dBm. I imagine that the fundamental waveform (square wave?) of the DC/DC converter was putting an awful lot of total integrated power into the QSD and mixing with other signals there to increase the total spurs. It just keeps gettin' better. Regards, John k2ox -- next part -- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/flexradio_flex-radio.biz/attachments/20060925/9931262e/attachment.html ___ FlexRadio mailing list FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archive Link: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com
Re: [Flexradio] FlexRadio Digest, Vol 17, Issue 24
problem? I was waiting for other reports of same error here on the forum, but have not seen them, so must be me. 73 N3WT John. ___ FlexRadio mailing list FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archive Link: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com ___ FlexRadio mailing list FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archive Link: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com -- Message: 2 Date: Sat, 23 Sep 2006 14:34:25 -0500 From: Cecil Bayona [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [Flexradio] DC/DC Converter (DC1) Replaced with Linear Supply To: Flex Radio FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz Message-ID: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed I'm sorry, I apologize, I got a lemon of a radio, and the manufacturer is not interested in fixing it, must be my fault somehow. Myself and several others must be imagining this problem, funny thing my other radios don't pick up these moving signals, it's inside my radio. Can you possibly imagine that someone else's radio might not work as good as yours without being the operators fault? Maybe, just maybe they got a radio that has something wrong out of the factory? Nah, it could not ever happen. Jimmy Jones wrote: Like I've said many times before(personal opinion).It's not a rig for everyone. Take my advice now and sell. You boat anchor needs you. KD5NWA wrote: I have a SDR-1000 that I bought at Dayton and frankly I have been disappointed in it's performance, I have all these signals specially in the lower bands that are wondering around and changing frequency on me, they are at least +20 dB above the noise floor. On my radio the broad carriers never stop moving but your description sounds like the problem I have, except mine seems to be worse. If I turn off the radio and listen instead with my TS-930 they simply are not there at all. I have not turned on the radio in about 45 days because of these problems, and also I have multitudes of large spurs all over the place getting worse the higher you go in frequency. 10M is downright useless, large spurs as far as the eye can see. I sent some pictures to Flexradio of my wondering carriers but nothing became of it. I've been seeing comments from others about how great the radio is, but frankly I have not seen it, right now my SoftRocks work better. Looks like I'm going to have to do some surgery before this is over. At 10:06 AM 9/22/2006, you wrote: Hi Folks, I just wanted to let you know about a modification I made to my radio. DC1 is a switch mode converter that provides +/- 15 volts for the instrumentation amplifiers IC6/7 on receive that interface the QSD to the sound card. The DC/DC converter's internal oscillator free runs at ~120 kHz and is very rich with odd harmonics, every 240 or so kHz, throughout the HF range. This manifests itself as low level 'carriers' that drift around and through receive frequencies. When the SRD is first powered up they move quite fast, but after the unit has warmed up the move very, very slowly through your QSO. These signals were about S4 on my SDR1000 in the 40M band and are easily removed with the automatic notch. But, loving to tinker like I do I removed the DC1 and soldered a 7 pin header in its place. I used a 1 x 2 x 2, +/- 15v linear supply wired to the header. How's it work? Great! No more warbling tones from within the SDR. I wish I would have done more before and after testing. Now when I connect the receiver to a dummy load, most of the bands are clear of spurs with the noise floor at -153 dBm. I imagine that the fundamental waveform (square wave?) of the DC/DC converter was putting an awful lot of total integrated power into the QSD and mixing with other signals there to increase the total spurs. It just keeps gettin' better. Regards, John k2ox -- next part -- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/flexradio_flex-radio.biz/attachments/20060925/9931262e/attachment.html ___ FlexRadio mailing list FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archive Link: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com ___ FlexRadio mailing list FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archive Link: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com
Re: [Flexradio] FlexRadio Digest, Vol 17, Issue 24
Willi, Thanks for remembering! Linear power supply/voltage regulator is always a good solution for low noise applications. Unfortunately, sometimes we cannot use them. Actually, now I'm using the original chopper with better filtering. You may add 47uF capacitor parallel to C7 and double the values of L2, L3, C8 and C9. Be careful though, the chopper DC1 (NMA1215S) is very sensitive to all kind of overloads - even to the higher inrush current of the output filter capacitors! That's why higher inductance values will be needed. My suggestions are beyond the recommendations of the manufacturer and naturally, you violate the guarantee rules of FlexRadio, too. Anything you modify is totally at your own risk and responsibility. It may be my good luck only, that this modification has worked three years in my oldest SDR-1000 and about two years in the two other sets. For anybody else I suggest buying (or building) a quiet power supply with well filtered output voltages +13.8V and ±15V (±12V). 73, Ahti OH2RZ On 25/09/06, Willi Reppel [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Chris, This subject has already been a topic three years ago on the Forum and so far I remember ___ FlexRadio mailing list FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archive Link: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com ___ FlexRadio mailing list FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archive Link: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com
Re: [Flexradio] A plea for a cable-free experience (was Re: Iambic Keyer)
Jim Lux wrote: At 07:48 PM 9/24/2006, Larry Loen wrote: David Ackrill wrote: Guy Olinger, K2AV wrote: I've thought long and hard about this note. I believe the main issue here is simple -- while the software has improved by leaps and bounds, we have only the most modest changes to the hardware. Last night, even with all my experience, I had a major heartache. The CW was stuck on. After reseating the parallel cable maybe three times (and reseating everything else and rebooting Windows inbetween), it finally went away. Imagine my consternation with a week to go before leaving town. And, I was about 80 per cent sure of the solution at the start! The cables, their care and feeding, and the sheer complexity of remembering the 25 leading things that can go wrong as they come loose are far and away the biggest problem with owning this otherwise wonderful rig. I think many of us have forgotten how much of a problem it can be to deal with all of it. We get it going, it glitches once in a while (it does at my QTH anyway), we get really busy figuring it out. And, when we do, it goes away for a while. I know it's asking a lot, but we do need that Flex 2000 of my dreams where the sound card function is brought inboard and the entire communication takes place as data bytes over a USB cable as an ordinary PC peripheral. That is, an on-board D/A and A/D process, all run in a manner like a printer or any other PC peripheral. Whether it is a chosen sound card or a real D/A A/D pair, I don't care. Whatever meets the need. It probably means some modest CPU in there, too. So be it. I would support this.. put a Mini-ITX mobo in the package with the radio and give it an ethernet interface and I'd be a really happy camper. As long as the Mini-ITX is separate from what I'm asking for, analogous to what is done with the Dell package, I have no problems with this. But, I want the radio _itself_ to be portable or at least reasonably transportable. That means a 12v unit and also a unit as a whole that can be put into the bottom of a carry on bag for an airliner. Something physically not much bigger (maybe not bigger at all) than the current unit. I just want it very _slightly_ smarter in roughly the same package. I want it to be just a little more like a conventional radio and not outsmart ourselves with added complexity. Conceptually, take out the 2m transverter and insert the A/D D/A CPU-based package in its place. That's all, at least physically. Start adding in a full Mini-ITX PC as a single, indivisible unit and the whole suggestion becomes more problematical. Flex (whatever it does) is not going to have a gigantic product line. I vote for a KISS USB peripheral approach because it would acutally serve a _wider_ menu of needs. As I read Jim's idea, there's still a second computer involved anyway, so the Mini ITX, as a platform has more minuses than plusses, I think. Besides the sheer nightmare of the wires that motivates this plea, the current package is really a base station unit and not terribly portable, even though I'm willing and able to do it. But, the current SDR 1000 really kind of resists going portable. Or, put it another way, taking it portable, at the very least, disturbs all those darn wires. You hesitate in the way you might not with another rig. If it wasn't a 12v rig, I wonder if it would even occur to anyone to try. I don't think having the Flex unit itself having ethernet is critical at all. Nor particularly desirable. Given that (in my suggestion), the major smarts, including the DSP logic, stays off the SDR itself and that the SDR hardware remains primarily latches (now supplemented by a D/A A/D process _and no more_) then there'll be a second PC in the picture that can and will do the required networking. Even in Jim's suggestion, this appears to be true. Leaving the SDR off the network (and, therefore, no direct internet connection) simplifies who controls the radio questions anyway. So, again, if the Mini-ITX machine is separate, it's no problem in my view of it. I want the current form factor (with fewer plugs) to do the job. If ethernet is somehow the only way to do my version of this, I'll go for it. But please, no all in one kind of unit. Keep the hardware as simple, small, 12v, and as dumb as possible. Ideally in the very same box or one only slightly larger. All I really want to do is _mildly_ upgrade the SDR 1000 to contain enough horsepower to do the D/A and A/D so we can get rid of all those wires and all those easily disturbed plugs. Not a whit more. If it weren't for the delicate wires, I'd say what we have is already perfect. But, the wires just have to go. Maybe this is something that some decent soul will produce as a product. I'd do it tomorrow if the PowerSDR software were adequately partitionable (and if I could figure out how to netboot XP..although, a
[Flexradio] DC/DC Converter (DC1)
I have noticed this being discussed as an issue several times. It appears that not everyone is affected by the meandering signals. Some are worse than others or not even noticed. Is this a known issue or are they just isolated occurrences? 73 Ross K9COX ___ FlexRadio mailing list FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archive Link: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com
Re: [Flexradio] A plea for a cable-free experience (was Re: Iambic Keyer)
Larry, it sounds like what you are looking for is what is currently developing at HPSDR (see www.hpsdr.org ). A ham dedicated ADC/DAC (sound card) board and controller board are currently being prototyped. Last week a replacement board for the SDR-1000 PIO card was suggested with enthousiastic response. The combination will result in only one USB cable going from the SDR-1000 to the PC - no more audio cables, no more parrallel cable. It is still early days and it may take a little while for everything to develop to the point where the boards can be purchased (most likely through TAPR). At this stage it is also unclear how much technical prowess will be required to make it all work (h/w and/or s/w skills)but at least you don't stand alone in your plea. Only drawback: is that to combine everything, you'll need a larger enclosure. Exactly how large remains to be seen. Thought this might interest you, 73 de Joe - AB1DO - Original Message - From: Larry Loen [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Jim Lux [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cc: flexradio@flex-radio.biz Sent: Monday, September 25, 2006 08:53 Subject: Re: [Flexradio] A plea for a cable-free experience (was Re: Iambic Keyer) Jim Lux wrote: At 07:48 PM 9/24/2006, Larry Loen wrote: David Ackrill wrote: Guy Olinger, K2AV wrote: I've thought long and hard about this note. I believe the main issue here is simple -- while the software has improved by leaps and bounds, we have only the most modest changes to the hardware. Last night, even with all my experience, I had a major heartache. The CW was stuck on. After reseating the parallel cable maybe three times (and reseating everything else and rebooting Windows inbetween), it finally went away. Imagine my consternation with a week to go before leaving town. And, I was about 80 per cent sure of the solution at the start! The cables, their care and feeding, and the sheer complexity of remembering the 25 leading things that can go wrong as they come loose are far and away the biggest problem with owning this otherwise wonderful rig. I think many of us have forgotten how much of a problem it can be to deal with all of it. We get it going, it glitches once in a while (it does at my QTH anyway), we get really busy figuring it out. And, when we do, it goes away for a while. I know it's asking a lot, but we do need that Flex 2000 of my dreams where the sound card function is brought inboard and the entire communication takes place as data bytes over a USB cable as an ordinary PC peripheral. That is, an on-board D/A and A/D process, all run in a manner like a printer or any other PC peripheral. Whether it is a chosen sound card or a real D/A A/D pair, I don't care. Whatever meets the need. It probably means some modest CPU in there, too. So be it. I would support this.. put a Mini-ITX mobo in the package with the radio and give it an ethernet interface and I'd be a really happy camper. As long as the Mini-ITX is separate from what I'm asking for, analogous to what is done with the Dell package, I have no problems with this. But, I want the radio _itself_ to be portable or at least reasonably transportable. That means a 12v unit and also a unit as a whole that can be put into the bottom of a carry on bag for an airliner. Something physically not much bigger (maybe not bigger at all) than the current unit. I just want it very _slightly_ smarter in roughly the same package. I want it to be just a little more like a conventional radio and not outsmart ourselves with added complexity. Conceptually, take out the 2m transverter and insert the A/D D/A CPU-based package in its place. That's all, at least physically. Start adding in a full Mini-ITX PC as a single, indivisible unit and the whole suggestion becomes more problematical. Flex (whatever it does) is not going to have a gigantic product line. I vote for a KISS USB peripheral approach because it would acutally serve a _wider_ menu of needs. As I read Jim's idea, there's still a second computer involved anyway, so the Mini ITX, as a platform has more minuses than plusses, I think. Besides the sheer nightmare of the wires that motivates this plea, the current package is really a base station unit and not terribly portable, even though I'm willing and able to do it. But, the current SDR 1000 really kind of resists going portable. Or, put it another way, taking it portable, at the very least, disturbs all those darn wires. You hesitate in the way you might not with another rig. If it wasn't a 12v rig, I wonder if it would even occur to anyone to try. I don't think having the Flex unit itself having ethernet is critical at all. Nor particularly desirable. Given that (in my suggestion), the major smarts, including the DSP logic, stays off the SDR itself and that the SDR hardware remains primarily latches (now supplemented by a D/A A/D process _and no more_) then there'll be a
Re: [Flexradio] DC/DC Converter (DC1)
I think it is more prevalent than not. The noise is real easy to find when the rig hasn't warmed up and you have it on a dummy load. In the Panadapter you can watch the little hump wander you the band until the radio starts coming to temperature and then back down. As the radio warms up, its rate of travel slows down to almost a crawl. Eventually it settles in a frequency range and wanders around in it. I see this behavior all the time on 20 meters, and have observed it on other bands as well. -Tim --- Tim Ellison Integrated Technical Services -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Ross Stenberg Sent: Monday, September 25, 2006 10:56 AM To: flexradio@flex-radio.biz Subject: [Flexradio] DC/DC Converter (DC1) I have noticed this being discussed as an issue several times. It appears that not everyone is affected by the meandering signals. Some are worse than others or not even noticed. Is this a known issue or are they just isolated occurrences? 73 Ross K9COX ___ FlexRadio mailing list FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archive Link: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com ___ FlexRadio mailing list FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archive Link: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com
Re: [Flexradio] DC/DC Converter (DC1)
I have it in my SDR-1000 (June/2005 purchase) Very embarrassing on a demo and irritating during use. Mike - AA8K Ross Stenberg wrote: I have noticed this being discussed as an issue several times. It appears that not everyone is affected by the meandering signals. Some are worse than others or not even noticed. Is this a known issue or are they just isolated occurrences? 73 Ross K9COX ___ FlexRadio mailing list FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archive Link: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com
Re: [Flexradio] DC/DC Converter (DC1)
Hi Tim and Ross, Let me copy what I answered to Cris and Willi few hours ago: -- Willi, Thanks for remembering! Linear power supply/voltage regulator is always a good solution for low noise applications. Unfortunately, sometimes we cannot use them. Actually, now I'm using the original chopper with better filtering. You may add 47uF capacitor parallel to C7 and double the values of L2, L3, C8 and C9. Be careful though, the chopper DC1 (NMA1215S) is very sensitive to all kind of overloads - even to the higher inrush current of the output filter capacitors! That's why higher inductance values will be needed. My suggestions are beyond the recommendations of the manufacturer and naturally, you violate the guarantee rules of FlexRadio, too. Anything you modify is totally at your own risk and responsibility. It may be my good luck only, that this modification has worked three years in my oldest SDR-1000 and about two years in the two other sets. For anybody else I suggest buying (or building) a quiet power supply with well filtered output voltages +13.8V and ±15V (±12V). 73, Ahti OH2RZ On 25/09/06, Willi Reppel [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Chris, This subject has already been a topic three years ago on the Forum and so far I remember -- On 25/09/06, Tim Ellison [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I think it is more prevalent than not. The noise is real easy to find when the rig hasn't warmed up and you have it on a dummy load. In the Panadapter you can watch the little hump wander you the band until the radio starts coming to temperature and then back down. As the radio warms up, its rate of travel slows down to almost a crawl. Eventually it settles in a frequency range and wanders around in it. I see this behavior all the time on 20 meters, and have observed it on other bands as well. -Tim --- Tim Ellison Integrated Technical Services -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Ross Stenberg Sent: Monday, September 25, 2006 10:56 AM To: flexradio@flex-radio.biz Subject: [Flexradio] DC/DC Converter (DC1) I have noticed this being discussed as an issue several times. It appears that not everyone is affected by the meandering signals. Some are worse than others or not even noticed. Is this a known issue or are they just isolated occurrences? 73 Ross K9COX ___ FlexRadio mailing list FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archive Link: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com ___ FlexRadio mailing list FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archive Link: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com
Re: [Flexradio] A plea for a cable-free experience (was Re: Iambic Keyer)
) simplifies who controls the radio questions anyway. So, again, if the Mini-ITX machine is separate, it's no problem in my view of it. I want the current form factor (with fewer plugs) to do the job. If ethernet is somehow the only way to do my version of this, I'll go for it. But please, no all in one kind of unit. Keep the hardware as simple, small, 12v, and as dumb as possible. Ideally in the very same box or one only slightly larger. All I really want to do is _mildly_ upgrade the SDR 1000 to contain enough horsepower to do the D/A and A/D so we can get rid of all those wires and all those easily disturbed plugs. Not a whit more. If it weren't for the delicate wires, I'd say what we have is already perfect. But, the wires just have to go. Maybe this is something that some decent soul will produce as a product. I'd do it tomorrow if the PowerSDR software were adequately partitionable (and if I could figure out how to netboot XP..although, a dedicated HD in the package isn't a huge problem). Heck, if there was someone else who would figure out how to make a bootable image of Linux on the embedded mobo stored on a CF that PowerSDR under XP talked to over the net, that would be fine. In my version of it, I don't care if the firmware is some simple embedded thing in itself or has a full-blown Linux underneath. But, if things go wrong, it has to be able to be powered off and on just like today's unit, with not much delay before being ready after power on. If there's a Linux in there, it had better be bootable from some sort of re-writable ROM and very spartan. The command set need not even be as sophisticated as Kenwood CAT anyway. Set latch 1 to 55 and receive current D/A packet of data would be enough of a command set, with adequate publication of same (or, easily inferred from the schematic). The rest of the complexity would be outboard and could reasonably be expected to be the current PowerSDR console, the new one, or something else. No feature creep please. I don't want much more than we have already. Less is definitely more, here. Larry WO0Z ___ FlexRadio mailing list FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archive Link: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com -- next part -- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/flexradio_flex-radio.biz/attachments/20060925/af53cf91/attachment.html ___ FlexRadio mailing list FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archive Link: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com
Re: [Flexradio] DC/DC Converter (DC1)
Thank you Tim and Ahti, I read your posts with much interest and I am actually fishing for official responses :^) With tongue in cheek I would hope that a company whom is committed to becoming the best radio company in the world would not take the typical Yaesu position with respect to hardware issues. For those that don't know what that means ask just about any FT-1000MP Mark V owner. Please don't misunderstand me, I like Flex Radio and their product. -Original Message- From: Ahti Aintila [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Monday, September 25, 2006 11:13 AM To: Tim Ellison Cc: Ross Stenberg; flexradio@flex-radio.biz Subject: Re: [Flexradio] DC/DC Converter (DC1) Hi Tim and Ross, Let me copy what I answered to Cris and Willi few hours ago: -- Willi, Thanks for remembering! Linear power supply/voltage regulator is always a good solution for low noise applications. Unfortunately, sometimes we cannot use them. Actually, now I'm using the original chopper with better filtering. You may add 47uF capacitor parallel to C7 and double the values of L2, L3, C8 and C9. Be careful though, the chopper DC1 (NMA1215S) is very sensitive to all kind of overloads - even to the higher inrush current of the output filter capacitors! That's why higher inductance values will be needed. My suggestions are beyond the recommendations of the manufacturer and naturally, you violate the guarantee rules of FlexRadio, too. Anything you modify is totally at your own risk and responsibility. It may be my good luck only, that this modification has worked three years in my oldest SDR-1000 and about two years in the two other sets. For anybody else I suggest buying (or building) a quiet power supply with well filtered output voltages +13.8V and ±15V (±12V). 73, Ahti OH2RZ On 25/09/06, Willi Reppel [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Chris, This subject has already been a topic three years ago on the Forum and so far I remember -- On 25/09/06, Tim Ellison [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I think it is more prevalent than not. The noise is real easy to find when the rig hasn't warmed up and you have it on a dummy load. In the Panadapter you can watch the little hump wander you the band until the radio starts coming to temperature and then back down. As the radio warms up, its rate of travel slows down to almost a crawl. Eventually it settles in a frequency range and wanders around in it. I see this behavior all the time on 20 meters, and have observed it on other bands as well. -Tim --- Tim Ellison Integrated Technical Services -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Ross Stenberg Sent: Monday, September 25, 2006 10:56 AM To: flexradio@flex-radio.biz Subject: [Flexradio] DC/DC Converter (DC1) I have noticed this being discussed as an issue several times. It appears that not everyone is affected by the meandering signals. Some are worse than others or not even noticed. Is this a known issue or are they just isolated occurrences? 73 Ross K9COX ___ FlexRadio mailing list FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archive Link: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com ___ FlexRadio mailing list FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archive Link: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com
[Flexradio] Poor sideband suppression
Here is an update on the poor sideband suppression from my SDR-1000. It is putting significant energy out on the wrong sideband, visible in the panadapter of a nearby fellow Flexer and audible by not so nearby hams listening on the opposite sideband. Yesterday I took the radio over to Jeff, K6JCA's, impressive lab. Together we used as many pieces of test equipment as we could think of -- HP spectrum analyzers, lab grade audio spectrum analyzers, signal generators, and most effectively of all Jeff's SDR 1000 to see what was happening with mine. We haven't completely solved the problem. But here are the weekend's revelations: 1) It not the opposite sideband. Listening on the opposite sideband sounds like SSB through an AM detector 2) Wide band noise was coming out of the Firebox. The little filter on the line-out line knocked it way back. 3) Audio coming out of the Firebox looked really good on the lab grade audio spectrum analyzer -- brick wall, no funny business -120 dBV noise floor (with the filter) 4) Careful adjustment of the TX Image dropped the opposite sideband signal by quite a bit, 10 - 20 dB 5) Jeff's radio has some of the funny opposite side signal too 6) Jeff has too much stuff 7) Two hams can spend an afternoon pushing RF between radios and not blow anything up Jon Begin forwarded message: From: K6JEK [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: September 23, 2006 9:54:21 PM PDT To: flexradio@flex-radio.biz Subject: Poor sideband suppression I'm getting poor opposite sideband suppression.Another Flex owner, Jeff, K6JCA, took a snapshot of my spectrum off the air and there is a significant hump on the opposite sideband. Other listeners have heard the opposite sideband. It's not DSB. It's maybe 30 dB down. The TX image alignment had very little effect. I performed the alignment with a receiver, not a spectrum analyzer. Where do I start? Here's the set-up: Used SDR 1000, age TBD but was on the air before I acquired it last week. Has the PA. New PreSonus Firebox, just got it from Flex 48K sampling. Have not installed the beta firmware Cables from Flex, the HOSA cables Firewire to Compaq laptop, 1.3 GHz External (wall wart) power to Firebox Parallel cable, computer to radio 35A linear power supply to SDR1K 1.6.2 software One more thing. The output from the Firebox measures about 1.98V during the audio TEST, nothing like the 6.93 hardwired into the set-up form. Jon, K6JEK -- next part -- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: text/enriched Size: 2734 bytes Desc: not available Url : /pipermail/flexradio_flex-radio.biz/attachments/20060925/301b0e1e/attachment.bin ___ FlexRadio mailing list FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archive Link: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com
Re: [Flexradio] A plea for a cable-free experience (was Re: Iambic Keyer)
Larry, Jim, Joe, Actually, in principle I agree all you said. Nevertheless, let me express my opinion about the HPSDR project. It is now really overly complicated and space hungry concept, especially due to that ATLAS motherboard. However, at this phase of DEVELOPMENT this kind of solution makes anything possible. It is an excellent general purpose tool, not the final product! As soon as the submodules are available, I think, will be the time to design some more convenient interconnection systems tailored for the actual application. Then possibly each of us can easily be his or hers own tailor or seamstress. 73, Ahti OH2RZ On 25/09/06, Joe - AB1DO [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Larry, it sounds like what you are looking for is what is currently developing at HPSDR (see www.hpsdr.org ). A ham dedicated ADC/DAC (sound card) board and controller board are currently being prototyped. Last week a replacement board for the SDR-1000 PIO card was suggested with enthousiastic response. The combination will result in only one USB cable going from the SDR-1000 to the PC - no more audio cables, no more parrallel cable. It is still early days and it may take a little while for everything to develop to the point where the boards can be purchased (most likely through TAPR). At this stage it is also unclear how much technical prowess will be required to make it all work (h/w and/or s/w skills)but at least you don't stand alone in your plea. Only drawback: is that to combine everything, you'll need a larger enclosure. Exactly how large remains to be seen. Thought this might interest you, 73 de Joe - AB1DO - Original Message - From: Larry Loen [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Jim Lux [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cc: flexradio@flex-radio.biz Sent: Monday, September 25, 2006 08:53 Subject: Re: [Flexradio] A plea for a cable-free experience (was Re: Iambic Keyer) Jim Lux wrote: At 07:48 PM 9/24/2006, Larry Loen wrote: David Ackrill wrote: Guy Olinger, K2AV wrote: I've thought long and hard about this note. I believe the main issue here is simple -- while the software has improved by leaps and bounds, we have only the most modest changes to the hardware. Last night, even with all my experience, I had a major heartache. The CW was stuck on. After reseating the parallel cable maybe three times (and reseating everything else and rebooting Windows inbetween), it finally went away. Imagine my consternation with a week to go before leaving town. And, I was about 80 per cent sure of the solution at the start! The cables, their care and feeding, and the sheer complexity of remembering the 25 leading things that can go wrong as they come loose are far and away the biggest problem with owning this otherwise wonderful rig. I think many of us have forgotten how much of a problem it can be to deal with all of it. We get it going, it glitches once in a while (it does at my QTH anyway), we get really busy figuring it out. And, when we do, it goes away for a while. I know it's asking a lot, but we do need that Flex 2000 of my dreams where the sound card function is brought inboard and the entire communication takes place as data bytes over a USB cable as an ordinary PC peripheral. That is, an on-board D/A and A/D process, all run in a manner like a printer or any other PC peripheral. Whether it is a chosen sound card or a real D/A A/D pair, I don't care. Whatever meets the need. It probably means some modest CPU in there, too. So be it. I would support this.. put a Mini-ITX mobo in the package with the radio and give it an ethernet interface and I'd be a really happy camper. As long as the Mini-ITX is separate from what I'm asking for, analogous to what is done with the Dell package, I have no problems with this. But, I want the radio _itself_ to be portable or at least reasonably transportable. That means a 12v unit and also a unit as a whole that can be put into the bottom of a carry on bag for an airliner. Something physically not much bigger (maybe not bigger at all) than the current unit. I just want it very _slightly_ smarter in roughly the same package. I want it to be just a little more like a conventional radio and not outsmart ourselves with added complexity. Conceptually, take out the 2m transverter and insert the A/D D/A CPU-based package in its place. That's all, at least physically. Start adding in a full Mini-ITX PC as a single, indivisible unit and the whole suggestion becomes more problematical. Flex (whatever it does) is not going to have a gigantic product line. I vote for a KISS USB peripheral approach because it would acutally serve a _wider_ menu of needs. As I read Jim's idea, there's still a second computer involved anyway, so the Mini ITX, as a platform has more minuses than plusses, I think. Besides the sheer nightmare of the wires that motivates this
Re: [Flexradio] A plea for a cable-free experience (was Re: Iambic Keyer)
. Besides the sheer nightmare of the wires that motivates this plea, the current package is really a base station unit and not terribly portable, even though I'm willing and able to do it. But, the current SDR 1000 really kind of resists going portable. Or, put it another way, taking it portable, at the very least, disturbs all those darn wires. You hesitate in the way you might not with another rig. If it wasn't a 12v rig, I wonder if it would even occur to anyone to try. I don't think having the Flex unit itself having ethernet is critical at all. Nor particularly desirable. Given that (in my suggestion), the major smarts, including the DSP logic, stays off the SDR itself and that the SDR hardware remains primarily latches (now supplemented by a D/A A/D process _and no more_) then there'll be a second PC in the picture that can and will do the required networking. Even in Jim's suggestion, this appears to be true. Leaving the SDR off the network (and, therefore, no direct internet connection) simplifies who controls the radio questions anyway. So, again, if the Mini-ITX machine is separate, it's no problem in my view of it. I want the current form factor (with fewer plugs) to do the job. If ethernet is somehow the only way to do my version of this, I'll go for it. But please, no all in one kind of unit. Keep the hardware as simple, small, 12v, and as dumb as possible. Ideally in the very same box or one only slightly larger. All I really want to do is _mildly_ upgrade the SDR 1000 to contain enough horsepower to do the D/A and A/D so we can get rid of all those wires and all those easily disturbed plugs. Not a whit more. If it weren't for the delicate wires, I'd say what we have is already perfect. But, the wires just have to go. Maybe this is something that some decent soul will produce as a product. I'd do it tomorrow if the PowerSDR software were adequately partitionable (and if I could figure out how to netboot XP..although, a dedicated HD in the package isn't a huge problem). Heck, if there was someone else who would figure out how to make a bootable image of Linux on the embedded mobo stored on a CF that PowerSDR under XP talked to over the net, that would be fine. In my version of it, I don't care if the firmware is some simple embedded thing in itself or has a full-blown Linux underneath. But, if things go wrong, it has to be able to be powered off and on just like today's unit, with not much delay before being ready after power on. If there's a Linux in there, it had better be bootable from some sort of re-writable ROM and very spartan. The command set need not even be as sophisticated as Kenwood CAT anyway. Set latch 1 to 55 and receive current D/A packet of data would be enough of a command set, with adequate publication of same (or, easily inferred from the schematic). The rest of the complexity would be outboard and could reasonably be expected to be the current PowerSDR console, the new one, or something else. No feature creep please. I don't want much more than we have already. Less is definitely more, here. Larry WO0Z ___ FlexRadio mailing list FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archive Link: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com ___ FlexRadio mailing list FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archive Link: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com ___ FlexRadio mailing list FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archive Link: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com -- next part -- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/flexradio_flex-radio.biz/attachments/20060925/977f0030/attachment.html ___ FlexRadio mailing list FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archive Link: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com
[Flexradio] Recent Firebox updates???
I had a landline QSO yesterday with a fellow Flexer who thinks there is some sort of update for the Presonus Firebox in the past couple of days or so. Reading this reflector, I cannot find any postings. I have been tempted to go back to the Delta 44 because I had few spurs particularly on 10 meters with a transverter. Of course I would have to use a preamp with the Heil GM-4 mike. I welcome any responses to Firebox updates or using the GM-4 with the Delta 44. 73, Steve N6VL -- next part -- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/flexradio_flex-radio.biz/attachments/20060925/8c2c31ee/attachment.html ___ FlexRadio mailing list FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archive Link: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com
Re: [Flexradio] A plea for a cable-free experience
Some of the problems with connectors made of inexpensive (common) materials are nearly unavoidable. I have experienced problems with many household items such as remote controls and other such battery operated devices which have been eliminated with Deoxit type products applied to the terminals. Some manufactures with longlife battery operated products which may be relatively inaccessible actually apply Deoxit at the factory. Many problematic RCA jacks have also been cured by this material. 73 Ross K9COX ___ FlexRadio mailing list FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archive Link: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com
Re: [Flexradio] Poor sideband suppression
There is a procedure for Transmit Image Rejection management on the bottom of page 90 of the manual. It worked for me but I'm using a Delta 44. The section was rewritten by Eric but not published yet. Just use another trusted receiver, tune it to the same frequency but the apposite side band and adjust the SDR slider controls to surpress it. K6JEK [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Here is an update on the poor sideband suppression from my SDR-1000. It is putting significant energy out on the wrong sideband, visible in the panadapter of a nearby fellow Flexer and audible by not so nearby hams listening on the opposite sideband. Yesterday I took the radio over to Jeff, K6JCA's, impressive lab. Together we used as many pieces of test equipment as we could think of -- HP spectrum analyzers, lab grade audio spectrum analyzers, signal generators, and most effectively of all Jeff's SDR 1000 to see what was happening with mine. We haven't completely solved the problem. But here are the weekend's revelations: 1) It not the opposite sideband. Listening on the opposite sideband sounds like SSB through an AM detector 2) Wide band noise was coming out of the Firebox. The little filter on the line-out line knocked it way back. 3) Audio coming out of the Firebox looked really good on the lab grade audio spectrum analyzer -- brick wall, no funny business -120 dBV noise floor (with the filter) 4) Careful adjustment of the TX Image dropped the opposite sideband signal by quite a bit, 10 - 20 dB 5) Jeff's radio has some of the funny opposite side signal too 6) Jeff has too much stuff 7) Two hams can spend an afternoon pushing RF between radios and not blow anything up Jon Begin forwarded message: From: K6JEK Date: September 23, 2006 9:54:21 PM PDT To: flexradio@flex-radio.biz Subject: Poor sideband suppression I'm getting poor opposite sideband suppression. Another Flex owner, Jeff, K6JCA, took a snapshot of my spectrum off the air and there is a significant hump on the opposite sideband. Other listeners have heard the opposite sideband. It's not DSB. It's maybe 30 dB down. The TX image alignment had very little effect. I performed the alignment with a receiver, not a spectrum analyzer. Where do I start? Here's the set-up: Used SDR 1000, age TBD but was on the air before I acquired it last week. Has the PA. New PreSonus Firebox, just got it from Flex 48K sampling. Have not installed the beta firmware Cables from Flex, the HOSA cables Firewire to Compaq laptop, 1.3 GHz External (wall wart) power to Firebox Parallel cable, computer to radio 35A linear power supply to SDR1K 1.6.2 software One more thing. The output from the Firebox measures about 1.98V during the audio TEST, nothing like the 6.93 hardwired into the set-up form. Jon, K6JEK -- next part -- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: text/enriched Size: 2734 bytes Desc: not available Url : /pipermail/flexradio_flex-radio.biz/attachments/20060925/301b0e1e/attachment.bin ___ FlexRadio mailing list FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archive Link: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com -- next part -- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/flexradio_flex-radio.biz/attachments/20060925/836e4049/attachment.html ___ FlexRadio mailing list FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archive Link: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com
Re: [Flexradio] A plea for a cable-free experience (was Re: Iambic Keyer)
Yes Yes Yes, that's where a Japanese radio works best! I mean, as in the carry-on bag. Mike Naruta [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Homebrew electronics in a carry-on bag? Get ready for a cavity search. :) Mike - AA8K Larry Loen wrote: But, I want the radio _itself_ to be portable or at least reasonably transportable. That means a 12v unit and also a unit as a whole that can be put into the bottom of a carry on bag for an airliner. Something physically not much bigger (maybe not bigger at all) than the current unit. I just want it very _slightly_ smarter in roughly the same package. I want it to be just a little more like a conventional radio and not outsmart ourselves with added complexity. Conceptually, take out the 2m transverter and insert the A/D D/A CPU-based package in its place. That's all, at least physically. ___ FlexRadio mailing list FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archive Link: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com -- next part -- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/flexradio_flex-radio.biz/attachments/20060925/d6081848/attachment.html ___ FlexRadio mailing list FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archive Link: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com
Re: [Flexradio] Poor sideband suppression
Hi Gerald, I don't think Jon's problem is one of TX Image Rejection. We nulled it down at least 70 dB using the procedure in the manual. But we're still seeing grunge on the opposite sideband. If I listen to that sideband on another receiver, it doesn't sound like a clear voice (as I would expect if, say, there was an I/Q imbalance that would produce sort of a DSB effect). Instead, it kind of sounds like SSB when you receive it in AM mode - you can tell it's a voice, sort of, but it sounds very very bad. My current hypothesis is that it might be PA IMD. Wish I'd looked at the spectrum pre-PA (at the QRP Output connector) yesterday when we had it on the bench, rather than looking only at the output post-PA. - Jeff, K6JCA. --- Gerald Capodieci [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: There is a procedure for Transmit Image Rejection management on the bottom of page 90 of the manual. It worked for me but I'm using a Delta 44. The section was rewritten by Eric but not published yet. Just use another trusted receiver, tune it to the same frequency but the apposite side band and adjust the SDR slider controls to surpress it. K6JEK [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Here is an update on the poor sideband suppression from my SDR-1000. It is putting significant energy out on the wrong sideband, visible in the panadapter of a nearby fellow Flexer and audible by not so nearby hams listening on the opposite sideband. Yesterday I took the radio over to Jeff, K6JCA's, impressive lab. Together we used as many pieces of test equipment as we could think of -- HP spectrum analyzers, lab grade audio spectrum analyzers, signal generators, and most effectively of all Jeff's SDR 1000 to see what was happening with mine. We haven't completely solved the problem. But here are the weekend's revelations: 1) It not the opposite sideband. Listening on the opposite sideband sounds like SSB through an AM detector 2) Wide band noise was coming out of the Firebox. The little filter on the line-out line knocked it way back. 3) Audio coming out of the Firebox looked really good on the lab grade audio spectrum analyzer -- brick wall, no funny business -120 dBV noise floor (with the filter) 4) Careful adjustment of the TX Image dropped the opposite sideband signal by quite a bit, 10 - 20 dB 5) Jeff's radio has some of the funny opposite side signal too 6) Jeff has too much stuff 7) Two hams can spend an afternoon pushing RF between radios and not blow anything up ___ FlexRadio mailing list FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archive Link: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com
Re: [Flexradio] DC/DC Converter (DC1)
Hi, John Eckert K2OX started this thread describing how he replaced the DC1 with a linear. Following were several posts requestiong more info from John on the replacement part he used. I don't think I read a response. Did I miss it or has anyone received more details on this? Just very interested, 73 de Joe - AB1DO - Original Message - From: Ross Stenberg [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: 'Ahti Aintila' [EMAIL PROTECTED]; 'Tim Ellison' [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cc: flexradio@flex-radio.biz Sent: Monday, September 25, 2006 12:29 Subject: Re: [Flexradio] DC/DC Converter (DC1) Thank you Tim and Ahti, I read your posts with much interest and I am actually fishing for official responses :^) With tongue in cheek I would hope that a company whom is committed to becoming the best radio company in the world would not take the typical Yaesu position with respect to hardware issues. For those that don't know what that means ask just about any FT-1000MP Mark V owner. Please don't misunderstand me, I like Flex Radio and their product. ___ FlexRadio mailing list FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archive Link: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com
Re: [Flexradio] DC/DC Converter (DC1)
On 9/25/06, Joe - AB1DO [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Hi, John Eckert K2OX started this thread describing how he replaced the DC1 with a linear. Following were several posts requestiong more info from John on the replacement part he used. I don't think I read a response. Did I miss it or has anyone received more details on this? Just very interested, 73 de Joe - AB1DO Same thoughts here. Why start the idea and not fill us in? Don't leave us hanging on a twig! ___ FlexRadio mailing list FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archive Link: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com
Re: [Flexradio] Poor sideband suppression
The lower values measured on the FireBox are likely due to the clipping protections that we added to the software to prevent damage to the radio due to the higher voltages of the FireBox. We have measured numerous FireBoxes and have concluded the following: 1. If a FireBox puts out any kind of audio at all, the Vmax will be 6.39Vrms. 2. See #1. ;) Another way to ensure that you have enough voltage is to check your PA Gain values. If they are within reason (38-51dB range), then you are probably ok. Eric Wachsmann FlexRadio Systems -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] radio.biz] On Behalf Of Jimmy Jones Sent: Sunday, September 24, 2006 10:32 AM To: flexradio@flex-radio.biz Subject: Re: [Flexradio] Poor sideband suppression One more thing. The output from the Firebox measures about 1.98V during the audio TEST, nothing like the 6.93 hardwired into the set-up form. I can remember doing this measurement and getting nearly the same results as you have. I can't remember what the answer was but I think you are ok there. Maybe the 6.93 was a peak to peak reading rather than a RMS reading. 1.98 vrms wouldn't equal 6.93 pp so.. I just don't remember but I know my measurement were the same as yours. Don't change your output voltage to 1.98 in the audio/sound card tab. Good Luck K6JEK wrote: Cables or operator error was my guess. I've checked and rechecked the cables. I've also swapped cables to no avail. I'll do all of this again today. Thanks, Jon On Sep 24, 2006, at 6:22 AM, Jimmy Jones wrote: I've had this problem several times and the issue has always been cable connection seating or cables in the wrong jack on the firebox. Looking from front to back (on the Firebox) my cable connectors or (left to right) On the top - Grey,Skip/NC,Grey and on the bottom - Red, Skip/NC, Red I've never been a fan of the cable connectors used on the radio side of this rig. They are very cheap and an invitation to trouble. I've known people to hard wire these connections. Good Luck K6JEK wrote: I'm getting poor opposite sideband suppression.Another Flex owner, Jeff, K6JCA, took a snapshot of my spectrum off the air and there is a significant hump on the opposite sideband. Other listeners have heard the opposite sideband. It's not DSB. It's maybe 30 dB down. The TX image alignment had very little effect. I performed the alignment with a receiver, not a spectrum analyzer. Where do I start? Here's the set-up: Used SDR 1000, age TBD but was on the air before I acquired it last week. Has the PA. New PreSonus Firebox, just got it from Flex (just before announcement of the FA-66 [EMAIL PROTECTED]) 48K sampling. Have not installed the beta firmware Cables from Flex, the HOSA cables Firewire to Compaq laptop, 1.3 GHz External (wall wart) power to Firebox Parallel cable, computer to radio 35A linear power supply to SDR1K 1.6.2 software One more thing. The output from the Firebox measures about 1.98V during the audio TEST, nothing like the 6.93 hardwired into the set-up form. Jon, K6JEK ___ FlexRadio mailing list FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archive Link: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com ___ FlexRadio mailing list FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archive Link: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com ___ FlexRadio mailing list FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archive Link: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com ___ FlexRadio mailing list FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archive Link: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com
Re: [Flexradio] FlexRadio Digest, Vol 17, Issue 24
Chris wrote: But its always the same at such forums, as soon as somebody finds a bug, which other have not seen or are not able to see. He is attacked. The forum is here to help each other, even if its not always in the benefit of the producing firm. Finally it will be to their advatage as they can look at it and maybee fix it. But just to say I dont see nor have it is also not fair. So thanks to John who made a step in the right direction. 73 Chris HB9BDM Chris and others, I have read every thread here on flex-radio.biz since Jan 06 since I've received my SDR-1000. While I agree with your concerns, I don't consider that anyone has been attacked. Mind you, I'm a third party reading the same threads. I see lots of frustration to problems that can't be readily solved. I see eagerness on the part of the same few people who have always been there to help and continue to be there for us. However, even these folks can become frustrated not being able to help as quickly as others would like. They are only able is help if they are familiar with the symptoms or if they can reproduce the problem as described. Failing that doesn't say, Your full of shit. NOW THAT'S BEING ATTACKED. What it says to me is, I wish da heck I could help you ole man but I need mo data. Possibly many of you would like to hear a more personalized message but these guys haven't been helping since you got your radio. Many have been helping since SDR-1000 was an infant and sometimes just maybe they don't feel like after a long day at the office taking the time to sugar coat their responses. Again, I haven't seen anyone rude. I've seen the TONE of complaints being out of line which is part of the frustration that many have for many different reasons, most of which aren't the fault of the SDR-1000 or the volunteers here that are helping us enjoy this radio. I won't bother with the cost per inch ratio of these radio or the cost per once ratio either. What I will say is that inch for inch (millimeters if you prefer), there's more to enjoy that any of the other RICE boxes on the market today. I believe that if we all exercise a bit more patience and be more specific with the nature of our problem when we report it here on this forum, we stand to get those problems solved more expediately than otherwise. By disagreeing with you Chris, I hope you don't think I'm attacking you. Best ragards to you Chris and to all on this forum that contribute to it's success. Hulen Smith K5HCS -- next part -- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/flexradio_flex-radio.biz/attachments/20060925/f25fa624/attachment.html ___ FlexRadio mailing list FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archive Link: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com
Re: [Flexradio] Edirol FA-66 Firewire with 192 KHz sampling rate added to list of supported sound cards
I use a Stor model that cost around $20 at Fry's Electronics. I don't have the model number off-hand, but for the right amount of money, I could be coerced into shutting my computer down and pulling the card out to check. :) Eric Wachsmann FlexRadio Systems -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] radio.biz] On Behalf Of Cecil Bayona Sent: Sunday, September 24, 2006 3:02 PM To: Reflector Subject: Re: [Flexradio] Edirol FA-66 Firewire with 192 KHz sampling rate added to list of supported sound cards That is a good idea of having a list of cards know to work well. I use a lot of Firewire Hard Disk at work and not all Firewire cards are created equal, some are downright nasty and make your system crash. I'll take a look as soon as I can. At work we bought a bunch of Dells with Firewire cards added on, and we have not had one lick of trouble with them, with either Disk Drives or hooking up to video cameras. All those PC's are using XP, in a strange way some cards that acted up on XP work just fine on Win2K, go figure, must be a driver issue. Jeff Anderson wrote: Hi John, The Edirol board sounds great, and I'd very much like to try one, but my computer, which I purchased from Flex when I bought by SDR1000, does not have Firewire. If I want to use the Edirol board with this computer (a Dell), what would I need to do? Are there any Firewire PCI cards that you would recommend, for example? If adapter cards are available, it might be worthwhile for Flex to create a cheat sheet with recommended adapter cards and installation instructions to minimize the pain and swearing that usually (at least, in my case) accompanies adding new hardware to a system. - Jeff, K6JCA --- John Basilotto [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: FlexRadio Systems is pleased to announce that we are now a Roland distributor for the Edirol FA-66 FireWire Audio Interface. The Edirol box will replace the PreSonus Firebox as the recommended unit best suited for portable and serious audio applications. The Delta 44 remains as our recommended PCI soundcard. -- Cecil KD5NWA www.qrpradio.com www.hpsdr.com Sacred Cows make the best Hamburger!Don Seglio Batuna ___ FlexRadio mailing list FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archive Link: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com ___ FlexRadio mailing list FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archive Link: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com
Re: [Flexradio] Poor sideband suppression
Hi guys, this may or may not be a solution, and I know it has been beaten to death...but I too experienced this same thing over the weekend while I was helping a fellow with his SDR-1000. He brought his system over and we got it all set up. Going back and forth between our two systems and looking at each others signals, we too saw this opposite sideband or whatever it is come and go. We also saw an opposite CW single in that mode. After much messing around, we both pulled out, plugged in and twisted a number of times over our 3.5mm jacks on the back of the SDR-1000 for the delta 44 breakout box, and the opposite side signals went away. We did not mess with the TX rejection controls whatsoever... 73 GL Mike - KM0T - Original Message - From: Jeff Anderson [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Gerald Capodieci [EMAIL PROTECTED]; K6JEK [EMAIL PROTECTED]; flexradio@flex-radio.biz Sent: Monday, September 25, 2006 1:22 PM Subject: Re: [Flexradio] Poor sideband suppression Hi Gerald, I don't think Jon's problem is one of TX Image Rejection. We nulled it down at least 70 dB using the procedure in the manual. But we're still seeing grunge on the opposite sideband. If I listen to that sideband on another receiver, it doesn't sound like a clear voice (as I would expect if, say, there was an I/Q imbalance that would produce sort of a DSB effect). Instead, it kind of sounds like SSB when you receive it in AM mode - you can tell it's a voice, sort of, but it sounds very very bad. My current hypothesis is that it might be PA IMD. Wish I'd looked at the spectrum pre-PA (at the QRP Output connector) yesterday when we had it on the bench, rather than looking only at the output post-PA. - Jeff, K6JCA. --- Gerald Capodieci [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: There is a procedure for Transmit Image Rejection management on the bottom of page 90 of the manual. It worked for me but I'm using a Delta 44. The section was rewritten by Eric but not published yet. Just use another trusted receiver, tune it to the same frequency but the apposite side band and adjust the SDR slider controls to surpress it. K6JEK [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Here is an update on the poor sideband suppression from my SDR-1000. It is putting significant energy out on the wrong sideband, visible in the panadapter of a nearby fellow Flexer and audible by not so nearby hams listening on the opposite sideband. Yesterday I took the radio over to Jeff, K6JCA's, impressive lab. Together we used as many pieces of test equipment as we could think of -- HP spectrum analyzers, lab grade audio spectrum analyzers, signal generators, and most effectively of all Jeff's SDR 1000 to see what was happening with mine. We haven't completely solved the problem. But here are the weekend's revelations: 1) It not the opposite sideband. Listening on the opposite sideband sounds like SSB through an AM detector 2) Wide band noise was coming out of the Firebox. The little filter on the line-out line knocked it way back. 3) Audio coming out of the Firebox looked really good on the lab grade audio spectrum analyzer -- brick wall, no funny business -120 dBV noise floor (with the filter) 4) Careful adjustment of the TX Image dropped the opposite sideband signal by quite a bit, 10 - 20 dB 5) Jeff's radio has some of the funny opposite side signal too 6) Jeff has too much stuff 7) Two hams can spend an afternoon pushing RF between radios and not blow anything up ___ FlexRadio mailing list FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archive Link: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com ___ FlexRadio mailing list FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archive Link: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com
Re: [Flexradio] agc slope
This will be fixed in SVN 691. Thanks for reporting this. Eric Wachsmann FlexRadio Systems -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] radio.biz] On Behalf Of David Gardner Sent: Sunday, September 24, 2006 7:35 PM To: FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz Subject: [Flexradio] agc slope I am getting an unhandled exception message whe I try and change the slope setting for the agc. Seems to have started after svn 686. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks, Dave-W4DWG ___ FlexRadio mailing list FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archive Link: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com
Re: [Flexradio] A plea for a cable-free experience (was Re: Iambic Keyer)
Larry, [snip] Thought this might interest you, 73 de Joe - AB1DO It does indeed. I subscribed to the reflector for a while, but gave up because I'm just not a solder jockey (I went so far as to buy the backplane, but so far, sans parts on my end). We'll see about the enclosure part of it. It has to not only fit in the bottom of my carryon, it has to survive whatever forces can be reasonably expected to occur in a plane ride. In short, I'm looking for something to DXpedition with. It's starting to be part of my interests and I really don't particularly like leaving the SDR 1000 at home. But, I am, albeit not quite for these reasons this time. Still, my _wife_ is happy I'm doing so. She views the current box' transport as a lot of added complexity. We generally pack very tightly on trips. However, I can see myself looking for something like this. I will want service and support, too, though, so I guess that's why I put my plea in here. I have no recent experience of TAPR, so I can't say anything good or bad there. I can certainly vouch (as so many of us can) for Flex' quality of servicing what they sell. Besides, I really can almost imagine my suggestion being implemented as a replacement board for the 2 meter transverter. The existing main flex board wouldn't even have to change much (mostly, get rid of the 1/4 plugs and accept control lines from the new card instead of the parallel port) and probably the RFE and Power Amp boards not at all. DOn't know about the ATU, don't own it. But, in my setup anyway, if the PC and D/A A/D part can fit in or about the size of the existing 2m card, it would actually work for the replacement of two boards, also provided there are no noise/grounding problems passing the required signals back and forth between the cards. If. Ah, well, a guy can dream. Anyway, let me know when there's an assembled option for what you're all up to. I'll certainly consider it. But, I must confess, if there's a hope of getting the Flex version (especially, a real dream here, as a retrofit), I'm all over it. Larry WO0Z ___ FlexRadio mailing list FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archive Link: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com
Re: [Flexradio] A plea for a cable-free experience (was Re: Iambic Keyer)
Hi Everyone: This proposal represents a very slippery slope. Let's try studio grade gold plated cables first, we already have the sound card. We can do this today. Our music industry has no problem with good quality cables. If gold cables really did it, I wouldn't have said anything. Besides, the music industry does not, so far as I know, run on 1/8 mini plugs. Nor upon the vagarities of parallel computer ports. These are real problems that, one and three quarters years in, I'm still suffering from with some regularity. The kind of heart-in-my-throat kind of did I blow the rig that I can frankly do without. The last thing we want to do is hardwired upgrades. If an A/D converter and CPU are added, soon to follow will be RAM, a disk drive, Internet card, then even a small screen with keyboard (maybe even viruses). Not in my universe, they wouldn't. In any case, we appear to be in no danger of a plethora of products from Flex. I don't mean that in a negative way -- I mean it in the sense that they can't / won't / don't do that sort of thing, perhaps because they're on the same page as you are, here. The key is to really view the radio as a true PC peripheral and stick to that notion at all costs. It should look embedded both for cost and complexity reasons. Also, it is more flexible in the end. If we just make the latches visible, we can put all the yearly update stuff you're talking about in the PC-side software. Where it belongs. So it can come _faster_. I want not a whit more in the hardware than necessary. But, IME and IMHO, it needs this little bit more. I think it would enlarge the market for the product, too. Whenever frequently upgraded components are in the box, the box will change at least once a year. Not in my universe. I don't want a hardfile or an internet connection. Those are both overkill and will make the box bigger which will lead to lots of problems, eventually. I certainly don't want a hardfile to keep me from bringing up my radio and I don't want a long, drawn out boot process, either. Neither, I think, will anyone else who thinks about it long enough. This really is a peripheral and the logic of a peripheral applies. This doesn't, in the end, want to grow up to be a computer. It wants to stay flexible and putting as much in the software is the way to go, especially if the product, as I hope and expect a proposal like mine would work out in truth and not in dreams, is physically more convenient, reliable, and transportable. Larry WO0Z ___ FlexRadio mailing list FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archive Link: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com
Re: [Flexradio] FlexRadio Digest, Vol 17, Issue 24
Hulen Smith wrote: Chris wrote: But its always the same at such forums, as soon as somebody finds a bug, which other have not seen or are not able to see. He is attacked. The forum is here to help each other, even if its not always in the benefit of the producing firm. Finally it will be to their advatage as they can look at it and maybee fix it. But just to say I dont see nor have it is also not fair. So thanks to John who made a step in the right direction. 73 Chris HB9BDM Chris and others, I have read every thread here on flex-radio.biz since Jan 06 since I've received my SDR-1000. While I agree with your concerns, I don't consider that anyone has been attacked. Mind you, I'm a third party reading the same threads. I see lots of frustration to problems that can't be readily solved. I see eagerness on the part of the same few people who have always been there to help and continue to be there for us. However, even these folks can become frustrated not being able to help as quickly as others would like. They are only able is help if they are familiar with the symptoms or if they can reproduce the problem as described. Failing that doesn't say, Your full of shit. NOW THAT'S BEING ATTACKED. What it says to me is, I wish da heck I could help you ole man but I need mo data. Possibly many of you would like to hear a more personalized message but these guys haven't been helping since you got your radio. Many have been helping since SDR-1000 was an infant and somet imes just maybe they don't feel like after a long day at the office taking the time to sugar coat their responses. Again, I haven't seen anyone rude. I've seen the TONE of complaints being out of line which is part of the frustration that many have for many different reasons, most of which aren't the fault of the SDR-1000 or the volunteers here that are helping us enjoy this radio. I won't bother with the cost per inch ratio of these radio or the cost per once ratio either. What I will say is that inch for inch (millimeters if you prefer), there's more to enjoy that any of the other RICE boxes on the market today. I believe that if we all exercise a bit more patience and be more specific with the nature of our problem when we report it here on this forum, we stand to get those problems solved more expediately than otherwise. By disagreeing with you Chris, I hope you don't think I'm attacking you. Best ragards to you Chris and to all on this forum that contribute to it's success. Hulen Smith K5HCS -- next part -- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/flexradio_flex-radio.biz/attachments/20060925/f25fa624/attachment.html ___ FlexRadio mailing list FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archive Link: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com It's a good thing that you have not read some of the private emails I have received. That is one reason why I was really ticked off after my first report that I also had the problem only worse. So I apologize to the group for really being hostile, while responding to the group, it was the private emails only that deserved that response. -- Cecil KD5NWA www.qrpradio.com www.hpsdr.com Sacred Cows make the best Hamburger! Don Seglio Batuna ___ FlexRadio mailing list FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archive Link: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com
Re: [Flexradio] DC/DC Converter (DC1)
Joe - AB1DO wrote: Hi, John Eckert K2OX started this thread describing how he replaced the DC1 with a linear. Following were several posts requestiong more info from John on the replacement part he used. I don't think I read a response. Did I miss it or has anyone received more details on this? Just very interested, 73 de Joe - AB1DO - Original Message - From: Ross Stenberg [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: 'Ahti Aintila' [EMAIL PROTECTED]; 'Tim Ellison' [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cc: flexradio@flex-radio.biz Sent: Monday, September 25, 2006 12:29 Subject: Re: [Flexradio] DC/DC Converter (DC1) Thank you Tim and Ahti, I read your posts with much interest and I am actually fishing for official responses :^) With tongue in cheek I would hope that a company whom is committed to becoming the best radio company in the world would not take the typical Yaesu position with respect to hardware issues. For those that don't know what that means ask just about any FT-1000MP Mark V owner. Please don't misunderstand me, I like Flex Radio and their product. This email below was posted a short while ago. Hi Tim and Ross, Let me copy what I answered to Cris and Willi few hours ago: -- Willi, Thanks for remembering! Linear power supply/voltage regulator is always a good solution for low noise applications. Unfortunately, sometimes we cannot use them. Actually, now I'm using the original chopper with better filtering. You may add 47uF capacitor parallel to C7 and double the values of L2, L3, C8 and C9. Be careful though, the chopper DC1 (NMA1215S) is very sensitive to all kind of overloads - even to the higher inrush current of the output filter capacitors! That's why higher inductance values will be needed. My suggestions are beyond the recommendations of the manufacturer and naturally, you violate the guarantee rules of FlexRadio, too. Anything you modify is totally at your own risk and responsibility. It may be my good luck only, that this modification has worked three years in my oldest SDR-1000 and about two years in the two other sets. For anybody else I suggest buying (or building) a quiet power supply with well filtered output voltages +13.8V and ?15V (?12V). 73, Ahti OH2RZ -- Cecil KD5NWA www.qrpradio.com www.hpsdr.com Sacred Cows make the best Hamburger! Don Seglio Batuna ___ FlexRadio mailing list FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archive Link: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com
Re: [Flexradio] Poor sideband suppression
Hi Mike, Thanks for the comment. Yes, we also jiggled twisted the 3.5 mm plugs - the image rejection settings are *very* sensitive to the connection between these jacks and plugs, and we observed that if you even looked at them cross-eyed, the null settings would change. Although I love my SDR1K (it's the only radio I use now, despite a shack full of rigs), if there's one thing I'd change about its design, it's the use of those jacks. Very cheap feel (plugs do not fit snugly). In fact, unless I position the plug from my morse key in the key jack *just right*, the radio will automatically go into Transmit when I select CW mode. Very annoying. Thanks again, - Jeff, K6JCA -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Mike King - KM0T Sent: Monday, September 25, 2006 1:10 PM To: 'FlexRadio Mailing List' Subject: Re: [Flexradio] Poor sideband suppression Hi guys, this may or may not be a solution, and I know it has been beaten to death...but I too experienced this same thing over the weekend while I was helping a fellow with his SDR-1000. He brought his system over and we got it all set up. Going back and forth between our two systems and looking at each others signals, we too saw this opposite sideband or whatever it is come and go. We also saw an opposite CW single in that mode. After much messing around, we both pulled out, plugged in and twisted a number of times over our 3.5mm jacks on the back of the SDR-1000 for the delta 44 breakout box, and the opposite side signals went away. We did not mess with the TX rejection controls whatsoever... 73 GL Mike - KM0T - Original Message - From: Jeff Anderson [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Gerald Capodieci [EMAIL PROTECTED]; K6JEK [EMAIL PROTECTED]; flexradio@flex-radio.biz Sent: Monday, September 25, 2006 1:22 PM Subject: Re: [Flexradio] Poor sideband suppression Hi Gerald, I don't think Jon's problem is one of TX Image Rejection. We nulled it down at least 70 dB using the procedure in the manual. But we're still seeing grunge on the opposite sideband. If I listen to that sideband on another receiver, it doesn't sound like a clear voice (as I would expect if, say, there was an I/Q imbalance that would produce sort of a DSB effect). Instead, it kind of sounds like SSB when you receive it in AM mode - you can tell it's a voice, sort of, but it sounds very very bad. My current hypothesis is that it might be PA IMD. Wish I'd looked at the spectrum pre-PA (at the QRP Output connector) yesterday when we had it on the bench, rather than looking only at the output post-PA. - Jeff, K6JCA. --- Gerald Capodieci [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: There is a procedure for Transmit Image Rejection management on the bottom of page 90 of the manual. It worked for me but I'm using a Delta 44. The section was rewritten by Eric but not published yet. Just use another trusted receiver, tune it to the same frequency but the apposite side band and adjust the SDR slider controls to surpress it. K6JEK [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Here is an update on the poor sideband suppression from my SDR-1000. It is putting significant energy out on the wrong sideband, visible in the panadapter of a nearby fellow Flexer and audible by not so nearby hams listening on the opposite sideband. Yesterday I took the radio over to Jeff, K6JCA's, impressive lab. Together we used as many pieces of test equipment as we could think of -- HP spectrum analyzers, lab grade audio spectrum analyzers, signal generators, and most effectively of all Jeff's SDR 1000 to see what was happening with mine. We haven't completely solved the problem. But here are the weekend's revelations: 1) It not the opposite sideband. Listening on the opposite sideband sounds like SSB through an AM detector 2) Wide band noise was coming out of the Firebox. The little filter on the line-out line knocked it way back. 3) Audio coming out of the Firebox looked really good on the lab grade audio spectrum analyzer -- brick wall, no funny business -120 dBV noise floor (with the filter) 4) Careful adjustment of the TX Image dropped the opposite sideband signal by quite a bit, 10 - 20 dB 5) Jeff's radio has some of the funny opposite side signal too 6) Jeff has too much stuff 7) Two hams can spend an afternoon pushing RF between radios and not blow anything up ___ FlexRadio mailing list FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archive Link: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com ___ FlexRadio mailing list FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archive Link: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com
Re: [Flexradio] Poor sideband suppression
Jeff Anderson wrote: Hi Mike, Thanks for the comment. Yes, we also jiggled twisted the 3.5 mm plugs - the image rejection settings are *very* sensitive to the connection between these jacks and plugs, and we observed that if you even looked at them cross-eyed, the null settings would change. Although I love my SDR1K (it's the only radio I use now, despite a shack full of rigs), if there's one thing I'd change about its design, it's the use of those jacks. Very cheap feel (plugs do not fit snugly). In fact, unless I position the plug from my morse key in the key jack *just right*, the radio will automatically go into Transmit when I select CW mode. Very annoying. Thanks again, - Jeff, K6JCA -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Mike King - KM0T Sent: Monday, September 25, 2006 1:10 PM To: 'FlexRadio Mailing List' Subject: Re: [Flexradio] Poor sideband suppression Hi guys, this may or may not be a solution, and I know it has been beaten to death...but I too experienced this same thing over the weekend while I was helping a fellow with his SDR-1000. He brought his system over and we got it all set up. Going back and forth between our two systems and looking at each others signals, we too saw this opposite sideband or whatever it is come and go. We also saw an opposite CW single in that mode. After much messing around, we both pulled out, plugged in and twisted a number of times over our 3.5mm jacks on the back of the SDR-1000 for the delta 44 breakout box, and the opposite side signals went away. We did not mess with the TX rejection controls whatsoever... 73 GL Mike - KM0T - Original Message - From: Jeff Anderson [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Gerald Capodieci [EMAIL PROTECTED]; K6JEK [EMAIL PROTECTED]; flexradio@flex-radio.biz Sent: Monday, September 25, 2006 1:22 PM Subject: Re: [Flexradio] Poor sideband suppression Hi Gerald, I don't think Jon's problem is one of TX Image Rejection. We nulled it down at least 70 dB using the procedure in the manual. But we're still seeing grunge on the opposite sideband. If I listen to that sideband on another receiver, it doesn't sound like a clear voice (as I would expect if, say, there was an I/Q imbalance that would produce sort of a DSB effect). Instead, it kind of sounds like SSB when you receive it in AM mode - you can tell it's a voice, sort of, but it sounds very very bad. My current hypothesis is that it might be PA IMD. Wish I'd looked at the spectrum pre-PA (at the QRP Output connector) yesterday when we had it on the bench, rather than looking only at the output post-PA. - Jeff, K6JCA. --- Gerald Capodieci [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: There is a procedure for Transmit Image Rejection management on the bottom of page 90 of the manual. It worked for me but I'm using a Delta 44. The section was rewritten by Eric but not published yet. Just use another trusted receiver, tune it to the same frequency but the apposite side band and adjust the SDR slider controls to surpress it. K6JEK [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Here is an update on the poor sideband suppression from my SDR-1000. It is putting significant energy out on the wrong sideband, visible in the panadapter of a nearby fellow Flexer and audible by not so nearby hams listening on the opposite sideband. Yesterday I took the radio over to Jeff, K6JCA's, impressive lab. Together we used as many pieces of test equipment as we could think of -- HP spectrum analyzers, lab grade audio spectrum analyzers, signal generators, and most effectively of all Jeff's SDR 1000 to see what was happening with mine. We haven't completely solved the problem. But here are the weekend's revelations: 1) It not the opposite sideband. Listening on the opposite sideband sounds like SSB through an AM detector 2) Wide band noise was coming out of the Firebox. The little filter on the line-out line knocked it way back. 3) Audio coming out of the Firebox looked really good on the lab grade audio spectrum analyzer -- brick wall, no funny business -120 dBV noise floor (with the filter) 4) Careful adjustment of the TX Image dropped the opposite sideband signal by quite a bit, 10 - 20 dB 5) Jeff's radio has some of the funny opposite side signal too 6) Jeff has too much stuff 7) Two hams can spend an afternoon pushing RF between radios and not blow anything up People nowadays make fun of RCA phono jacks because it's such old design, but a 1/8 jack is downright flimsy compared to a RCA jack. And a high quality RCA jack is very inexpensive, but they do take more room. -- Cecil KD5NWA www.qrpradio.com www.hpsdr.com Sacred Cows make the best Hamburger! Don Seglio Batuna ___ FlexRadio mailing list FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz
Re: [Flexradio] A plea for a cable-free experience (was Re: Iambic Keyer)
At 05:53 AM 9/25/2006, Larry Loen wrote: Jim Lux wrote: At 07:48 PM 9/24/2006, Larry Loen wrote: David Ackrill wrote: Guy Olinger, K2AV wrote: I've thought long and hard about this note. I would support this.. put a Mini-ITX mobo in the package with the radio and give it an ethernet interface and I'd be a really happy camper. As long as the Mini-ITX is separate from what I'm asking for, analogous to what is done with the Dell package, I have no problems with this. But, I want the radio _itself_ to be portable or at least reasonably transportable. That means a 12v unit and also a unit as a whole that can be put into the bottom of a carry on bag for an airliner. Something physically not much bigger (maybe not bigger at all) than the current unit. I just want it very _slightly_ smarter in roughly the same package. I want it to be just a little more like a conventional radio and not outsmart ourselves with added complexity. Conceptually, take out the 2m transverter and insert the A/D D/A CPU-based package in its place. That's all, at least physically. Start adding in a full Mini-ITX PC as a single, indivisible unit and the whole suggestion becomes more problematical. Flex (whatever it does) is not going to have a gigantic product line. I vote for a KISS USB peripheral approach because it would acutally serve a _wider_ menu of needs. As I read Jim's idea, there's still a second computer involved anyway, so the Mini ITX, as a platform has more minuses than plusses, I think. I mentioned Mini-ITX because, at least in the Via versions, they're cheap, small, run off 12V, and have all the standard interfaces. Even with a USB, A/D, etc. you're going to need some sort of processing on the board, so why not use something inexpensive, low power. The trick would be resisting the temptation to load up that poor little 533 MHz (or 1 GHz processor) I don't think having the Flex unit itself having ethernet is critical at all. Nor particularly desirable. I like Ethernet because it's high rate and totally standardized. Say the SDR1000+mobo just spews the samples out on a UDP socket. You could hook any number of clients onto the stream, etc. You don't have a distance limit (unlike 1394 or USB), and almost every PC these days has a Ethernet interface with good bandwidth to the processor. If ethernet is somehow the only way to do my version of this, I'll go for it. But please, no all in one kind of unit. Keep the hardware as simple, small, 12v, and as dumb as possible. Ideally in the very same box or one only slightly larger. All I really want to do is _mildly_ upgrade the SDR 1000 to contain enough horsepower to do the D/A and A/D so we can get rid of all those wires and all those easily disturbed plugs. Not a whit more. If it weren't for the delicate wires, I'd say what we have is already perfect. But, the wires just have to go. Maybe this is something that some decent soul will produce as a product. I'd do it tomorrow if the PowerSDR software were adequately partitionable (and if I could figure out how to netboot XP..although, a dedicated HD in the package isn't a huge problem). Heck, if there was someone else who would figure out how to make a bootable image of Linux on the embedded mobo stored on a CF that PowerSDR under XP talked to over the net, that would be fine. In my version of it, I don't care if the firmware is some simple embedded thing in itself or has a full-blown Linux underneath. But, if things go wrong, it has to be able to be powered off and on just like today's unit, with not much delay before being ready after power on. If there's a Linux in there, it had better be bootable from some sort of re-writable ROM and very spartan. That's a given.. As above.. the key is resisting the urge to load the kitchen sink on that mobo. The command set need not even be as sophisticated as Kenwood CAT anyway. Set latch 1 to 55 and receive current D/A packet of data would be enough of a command set, with adequate publication of same (or, easily inferred from the schematic). The rest of the complexity would be outboard and could reasonably be expected to be the current PowerSDR console, the new one, or something else. One could do this level with a whole variety of processors, from PICs (maybe) to Rabbits on up. But, by the time you do the board, etc. you're at the $100 cost of a bottom of the line Mini-ITX, which is driven down by huge consumer volumes. Any SDR custom solution is going to have small volumes, so the relatively large NRE will need to be spread over relatively few units. No feature creep please. I don't want much more than we have already. Less is definitely more, here. precisely. Simple, straightforward interfaces with IP sockets... Jim ___ FlexRadio mailing list FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz
Re: [Flexradio] A plea for a cable-free experience (was Re: Iambic Keyer)
At 09:33 AM 9/25/2006, Mike Naruta wrote: Homebrew electronics in a carry-on bag? I've carried all manner of odd looking electronics on, and I have a beard and ponytail, and look somewhat suspicious. No searches yet (except the time I didn't take my shoes off). Jim, W6RMK ___ FlexRadio mailing list FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archive Link: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com
Re: [Flexradio] Poor sideband suppression
DeoxIT! Mike is someone that I trust due to his technical prowess. For whatever reason, the very small contact resistance and the few microvolts developed across it and the rectification process causes problems with these interconnects. -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Mike King - KM0T Sent: Monday, September 25, 2006 4:10 PM To: 'FlexRadio Mailing List' Subject: Re: [Flexradio] Poor sideband suppression Hi guys, this may or may not be a solution, and I know it has been beaten to death...but I too experienced this same thing over the weekend while I was helping a fellow with his SDR-1000. He brought his system over and we got it all set up. Going back and forth between our two systems and looking at each others signals, we too saw this opposite sideband or whatever it is come and go. We also saw an opposite CW single in that mode. After much messing around, we both pulled out, plugged in and twisted a number of times over our 3.5mm jacks on the back of the SDR-1000 for the delta 44 breakout box, and the opposite side signals went away. We did not mess with the TX rejection controls whatsoever... 73 GL Mike - KM0T ___ FlexRadio mailing list FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archive Link: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com
Re: [Flexradio] Poor sideband suppression
DeoxIT Gold works wonders on 3.5mm plugs. I use it on 1/4 and RCA phonos as well. Radio Shack was practically giving it away in a sale they had a couple months ago. http://www.caig.com/ You only need a very, very small amount. It is a techs secrete weapon. This stuff has been around years... a rep for the company has had a booth at Dayton for the past few years. Another thing can help... use a clean rag and clean/polish the plugs with great vigor. If they have sat around for a while (or even new), plugs can accumulate a film on them. RCA and even 1/4 plugs should be cleaned/polished too. Since some of these plugs work at low levels, a little care and feeding will reduce unwanted contact resistance. Generally, the 3.5mm plugs are made the same, but not always. Slight differences in tip length (distance between the tip and ring) can vary and same for the ring. Even the diameter can vary. As a result, the mating surfaces suffer and so goes the reliability. Gold is not always the answer either. You may find a gold plug but it rarely will it mate with a mating gold jack. Care must taken for some contacts not to mix gold with other metals, such as tin. But, DeoxIT will take care of this also. :-) Mel, K0PFX - Original Message - From: Jeff Anderson [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Mike King - KM0T [EMAIL PROTECTED]; 'FlexRadio Mailing List' FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz Sent: Monday, September 25, 2006 6:00 PM Subject: Re: [Flexradio] Poor sideband suppression Hi Mike, Thanks for the comment. Yes, we also jiggled twisted the 3.5 mm plugs - the image rejection settings are *very* sensitive to the connection between these jacks and plugs, and we observed that if you even looked at them cross-eyed, the null settings would change. Although I love my SDR1K (it's the only radio I use now, despite a shack full of rigs), if there's one thing I'd change about its design, it's the use of those jacks. Very cheap feel (plugs do not fit snugly). In fact, unless I position the plug from my morse key in the key jack *just right*, the radio will automatically go into Transmit when I select CW mode. Very annoying. Thanks again, - Jeff, K6JCA -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Mike King - KM0T Sent: Monday, September 25, 2006 1:10 PM To: 'FlexRadio Mailing List' Subject: Re: [Flexradio] Poor sideband suppression Hi guys, this may or may not be a solution, and I know it has been beaten to death...but I too experienced this same thing over the weekend while I was helping a fellow with his SDR-1000. He brought his system over and we got it all set up. Going back and forth between our two systems and looking at each others signals, we too saw this opposite sideband or whatever it is come and go. We also saw an opposite CW single in that mode. After much messing around, we both pulled out, plugged in and twisted a number of times over our 3.5mm jacks on the back of the SDR-1000 for the delta 44 breakout box, and the opposite side signals went away. We did not mess with the TX rejection controls whatsoever... 73 GL Mike - KM0T - Original Message - From: Jeff Anderson [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Gerald Capodieci [EMAIL PROTECTED]; K6JEK [EMAIL PROTECTED]; flexradio@flex-radio.biz Sent: Monday, September 25, 2006 1:22 PM Subject: Re: [Flexradio] Poor sideband suppression Hi Gerald, I don't think Jon's problem is one of TX Image Rejection. We nulled it down at least 70 dB using the procedure in the manual. But we're still seeing grunge on the opposite sideband. If I listen to that sideband on another receiver, it doesn't sound like a clear voice (as I would expect if, say, there was an I/Q imbalance that would produce sort of a DSB effect). Instead, it kind of sounds like SSB when you receive it in AM mode - you can tell it's a voice, sort of, but it sounds very very bad. My current hypothesis is that it might be PA IMD. Wish I'd looked at the spectrum pre-PA (at the QRP Output connector) yesterday when we had it on the bench, rather than looking only at the output post-PA. - Jeff, K6JCA. --- Gerald Capodieci [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: There is a procedure for Transmit Image Rejection management on the bottom of page 90 of the manual. It worked for me but I'm using a Delta 44. The section was rewritten by Eric but not published yet. Just use another trusted receiver, tune it to the same frequency but the apposite side band and adjust the SDR slider controls to surpress it. K6JEK [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Here is an update on the poor sideband suppression from my SDR-1000. It is putting significant energy out on the wrong sideband, visible in the panadapter of a nearby fellow Flexer and audible by not so nearby hams listening on the opposite sideband. Yesterday I took the radio over to Jeff, K6JCA's, impressive lab. Together we used as many
Re: [Flexradio] A plea for a cable-free experience (was Re: Iambic Keyer)
1 to 55 and receive current D/A packet of data would be enough of a command set, with adequate publication of same (or, easily inferred from the schematic). The rest of the complexity would be outboard and could reasonably be expected to be the current PowerSDR console, the new one, or something else. One could do this level with a whole variety of processors, from PICs (maybe) to Rabbits on up. But, by the time you do the board, etc. you're at the $100 cost of a bottom of the line Mini-ITX, which is driven down by huge consumer volumes. Any SDR custom solution is going to have small volumes, so the relatively large NRE will need to be spread over relatively few units. No feature creep please. I don't want much more than we have already. Less is definitely more, here. precisely. Simple, straightforward interfaces with IP sockets... Jim ___ FlexRadio mailing list FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archive Link: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com -- next part -- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/flexradio_flex-radio.biz/attachments/20060925/aee4c532/attachment.html ___ FlexRadio mailing list FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archive Link: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com
Re: [Flexradio] A plea for a cable-free experience (was Re: Iambic Keyer)
Gerald Capodieci wrote: I strongly suggest we get the software be settled before the hardware is touched. IMHO, no, if Flex wants to go in a direction anything like this, the software team needs to understand exactly what this is going to be as soon as possible. If it is as I suggest it, it probably doesn't matter much (might look largely like a combination of a new sound card and a new form of parallel to USB cable in its effects -- or, it might be more radical in terms of the data flow since it would leave out anything like today's sound card interface, depending). Either way, I don't see how waiting for something that (if I am right) there is a clear need for should wait on the software's own _internal_ evolution. Besides, the software is going to evolve. We aren't at release one anymore. What will happen to the software next will be ultimately constrained, in large part, by the physical realities of the hardware we support, be it Softrock III, SDR 2000, or whatever else comes next. The team has already tucked in a lot, in terms of gear, that wasn't on the original menu already. If we wait for the perfect point, not only will the software support be delayed even longer, we may never find that perfect moment to do the hardware at all (which, in any case, could have a fairly long lead time, so no time like the present if Flex decides it wants to go this way or anything like it). Larry WO0Z ___ FlexRadio mailing list FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archive Link: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com
Re: [Flexradio] A plea for a cable-free experience (was Re: Iambic Keyer)
For those folks not set up to solder surface mount, there are people on the list that will solder up boards for people (and test them). I for one will if you include a self addressed and postage paid mailer. So don't let the fact that you don't have the equipment or time or do not want to invest in a setup keep you from being in on the fun! That invitation stands for anyone on the list if you need one of Elecrafts mini kits or anything else just email me. 73 Al On 9/25/06 4:56 PM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Larry, [snip] Thought this might interest you, 73 de Joe - AB1DO It does indeed. I subscribed to the reflector for a while, but gave up because I'm just not a solder jockey (I went so far as to buy the backplane, but so far, sans parts on my end). We'll see about the enclosure part of it. It has to not only fit in the bottom of my carryon, it has to survive whatever forces can be reasonably expected to occur in a plane ride. In short, I'm looking for something to DXpedition with. It's starting to be part of my interests and I really don't particularly like leaving the SDR 1000 at home. But, I am, albeit not quite for these reasons this time. Still, my _wife_ is happy I'm doing so. She views the current box' transport as a lot of added complexity. We generally pack very tightly on trips. However, I can see myself looking for something like this. I will want service and support, too, though, so I guess that's why I put my plea in here. I have no recent experience of TAPR, so I can't say anything good or bad there. I can certainly vouch (as so many of us can) for Flex' quality of servicing what they sell. Besides, I really can almost imagine my suggestion being implemented as a replacement board for the 2 meter transverter. The existing main flex board wouldn't even have to change much (mostly, get rid of the 1/4 plugs and accept control lines from the new card instead of the parallel port) and probably the RFE and Power Amp boards not at all. DOn't know about the ATU, don't own it. But, in my setup anyway, if the PC and D/A A/D part can fit in or about the size of the existing 2m card, it would actually work for the replacement of two boards, also provided there are no noise/grounding problems passing the required signals back and forth between the cards. If. Ah, well, a guy can dream. Anyway, let me know when there's an assembled option for what you're all up to. I'll certainly consider it. But, I must confess, if there's a hope of getting the Flex version (especially, a real dream here, as a retrofit), I'm all over it. Larry WO0Z ___ FlexRadio mailing list FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archive Link: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com ___ FlexRadio mailing list FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archive Link: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com
[Flexradio] Surface mount soldering
For those folks not set up to solder surface mount, there are people on the list that will solder up boards for people (and test them). I for one will if you include a self addressed and postage paid mailer. So don't let the fact that you don't have the equipment or time or do not want to invest in a setup, keep you from being in on the fun! That invitation stands for anyone on the list if you need one of Elecrafts mini kits or anything else just email me. 73 Al On 9/25/06 4:56 PM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Larry, [snip] Thought this might interest you, 73 de Joe - AB1DO It does indeed. I subscribed to the reflector for a while, but gave up because I'm just not a solder jockey (I went so far as to buy the backplane, but so far, sans parts on my end). We'll see about the enclosure part of it. It has to not only fit in the bottom of my carryon, it has to survive whatever forces can be reasonably expected to occur in a plane ride. In short, I'm looking for something to DXpedition with. It's starting to be part of my interests and I really don't particularly like leaving the SDR 1000 at home. But, I am, albeit not quite for these reasons this time. Still, my _wife_ is happy I'm doing so. She views the current box' transport as a lot of added complexity. We generally pack very tightly on trips. However, I can see myself looking for something like this. I will want service and support, too, though, so I guess that's why I put my plea in here. I have no recent experience of TAPR, so I can't say anything good or bad there. I can certainly vouch (as so many of us can) for Flex' quality of servicing what they sell. Besides, I really can almost imagine my suggestion being implemented as a replacement board for the 2 meter transverter. The existing main flex board wouldn't even have to change much (mostly, get rid of the 1/4 plugs and accept control lines from the new card instead of the parallel port) and probably the RFE and Power Amp boards not at all. DOn't know about the ATU, don't own it. But, in my setup anyway, if the PC and D/A A/D part can fit in or about the size of the existing 2m card, it would actually work for the replacement of two boards, also provided there are no noise/grounding problems passing the required signals back and forth between the cards. If. Ah, well, a guy can dream. Anyway, let me know when there's an assembled option for what you're all up to. I'll certainly consider it. But, I must confess, if there's a hope of getting the Flex version (especially, a real dream here, as a retrofit), I'm all over it. Larry WO0Z ___ FlexRadio mailing list FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archive Link: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com ___ FlexRadio mailing list FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archive Link: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com
[Flexradio] OT FWD :::::Wanted:::::
A reward of 500 Microfarads is offered for information leading to the arrest of Hop-A-Long Capacity. This un-rectified criminal escaped from a western primary cell where he had been clamped in ions awaiting the gauss chamber. He is charged with the induction of an 18 turn coil named Milly Henry who was found choked and robbed of valuable joules. He is armed with a carbon rod and is a potential killer. Capacity is also charged with driving D.C. Motor over the Wheatstone Bridge and refusing to let the band pass. If encountered, he may offer series of resistance. The Electromotive Force spent the night searching for him in a magnetic field, where he had gone to earth. They had no success and believed he had returned ohm via a short circuit He was last seen riding a kilocycle with his friend Eddy Current who was playing a harmonic and singing ohm on the range. Bill Lawless - W5WRL ARRL WTX Section Manager -- next part -- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/flexradio_flex-radio.biz/attachments/20060925/8ba0bfe4/attachment.html ___ FlexRadio mailing list FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archive Link: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com
Re: [Flexradio] OT FWD :::::Wanted:::::
dag-nabbit I hate that Hop-A-Long Capacity. Allen Boehm wrote: A reward of 500 Microfarads is offered for information leading to the arrest of Hop-A-Long Capacity. This un-rectified criminal escaped from a western primary cell where he had been clamped in ions awaiting the gauss chamber. He is charged with the induction of an 18 turn coil named Milly Henry who was found choked and robbed of valuable joules. He is armed with a carbon rod and is a potential killer. Capacity is also charged with driving D.C. Motor over the Wheatstone Bridge and refusing to let the band pass. If encountered, he may offer series of resistance. The Electromotive Force spent the night searching for him in a magnetic field, where he had gone to earth. They had no success and believed he had returned ohm via a short circuit He was last seen riding a kilocycle with his friend Eddy Current who was playing a harmonic and singing ohm on the range. Bill Lawless - W5WRL ARRL WTX Section Manager -- next part -- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/flexradio_flex-radio.biz/attachments/20060925/8ba0bfe4/attachment.html ___ FlexRadio mailing list FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archive Link: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com ___ FlexRadio mailing list FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archive Link: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com
Re: [Flexradio] OT FWD :::::Wanted:::::
I had always wondered what my ARRL dues were paying for. Now I know. Literary indulgence. -Tim --- Tim Ellison Integrated Technical Services -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Allen Boehm Sent: Monday, September 25, 2006 10:47 PM To: FlexRadio Reflector Subject: [Flexradio] OT FWD :Wanted: A reward of 500 Microfarads is offered for information leading to the arrest of Hop-A-Long Capacity. This un-rectified criminal escaped from a western primary cell where he had been clamped in ions awaiting the gauss chamber. He is charged with the induction of an 18 turn coil named Milly Henry who was found choked and robbed of valuable joules. He is armed with a carbon rod and is a potential killer. Capacity is also charged with driving D.C. Motor over the Wheatstone Bridge and refusing to let the band pass. If encountered, he may offer series of resistance. The Electromotive Force spent the night searching for him in a magnetic field, where he had gone to earth. They had no success and believed he had returned ohm via a short circuit He was last seen riding a kilocycle with his friend Eddy Current who was playing a harmonic and singing ohm on the range. Bill Lawless - W5WRL ARRL WTX Section Manager -- next part -- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/flexradio_flex-radio.biz/attachments/20060925/8ba0bfe4/attach ment.html ___ FlexRadio mailing list FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archive Link: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com ___ FlexRadio mailing list FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archive Link: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com
[Flexradio] Lack of audio
Hello to the group. Finally found some time to download TortoiseSVN and the latest revision of the PowerSDR software (690) this evening. All went well and the software loads with no problem. However, the problem that I have encountered, is that I am unable to hear any audio from the speaker - even though I see activity on the band. If I go back and use an earlier version of the PowerSDR software (version 1.6.0) the audio is loud and clear. As the PowerSDR ver. 1.6.0 software allows me to hear audio I assume that the issue is software based (probably a setting that I have not set up properly in the latest release?) and not a hardware problem. I have gone through the SETUP menu with no luck. Any help / guidance would be appreciated. Thank you all in advance. FYI - I am using a Pentium 4 3.2 GHz machine with 512 MB and a Delta 44 sound card. SDR1K is a 100 W unit with built in ATU. 73's Serge VA3SB -- next part -- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/flexradio_flex-radio.biz/attachments/20060925/7a93a604/attachment.html ___ FlexRadio mailing list FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archive Link: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com
Re: [Flexradio] Lack of audio
Double check the RF slider on the front panel (Middle from top to bottom...on the left side). Eric Wachsmann FlexRadio Systems -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] radio.biz] On Behalf Of SERGE BERTUZZO Sent: Monday, September 25, 2006 10:37 PM To: flexradio@flex-radio.biz Subject: [Flexradio] Lack of audio Hello to the group. Finally found some time to download TortoiseSVN and the latest revision of the PowerSDR software (690) this evening. All went well and the software loads with no problem. However, the problem that I have encountered, is that I am unable to hear any audio from the speaker - even though I see activity on the band. If I go back and use an earlier version of the PowerSDR software (version 1.6.0) the audio is loud and clear. As the PowerSDR ver. 1.6.0 software allows me to hear audio I assume that the issue is software based (probably a setting that I have not set up properly in the latest release?) and not a hardware problem. I have gone through the SETUP menu with no luck. Any help / guidance would be appreciated. Thank you all in advance. FYI - I am using a Pentium 4 3.2 GHz machine with 512 MB and a Delta 44 sound card. SDR1K is a 100 W unit with built in ATU. 73's Serge VA3SB -- next part -- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/flexradio_flex- radio.biz/attachments/20060925/7a93a604/attachment.html ___ FlexRadio mailing list FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archive Link: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com ___ FlexRadio mailing list FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archive Link: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com
