Re: [Flexradio] TOO DAMNED MUCH
I wasn't going to comment on this but the arrogance and rudeness of BILLY WILLY should not go unnoticed. I too find this reflector of great value...most of the time. Rod's point is valid and appropriate. I too use a smartphone or portable computer to read the DIGEST. The recent digest with 27 copies of a lengthy series of digest replies went way beyond the limited email capacity of many smartphones. The problem, of course, is not new. It will take 2 or 3 more generations before attrition eliminates thoughtless repliers. Taking a moment to delete the original text that follows one's reply, especially when that original text is hundreds of lines, that EVERYONE HAS ALREADY SEEN, is a thoughtful and considerate practice. No matter what your stand on the lazy, inconsiderate practice of failing to trim replies, the response by Bill WILLY was unnecessary, rude and useless. Worse it added to the abundant futility that was already an entirely too long digest. If you have nothing good to say, keep it to yourself. If nothing else BILLY WILLY's reply violates the purpose and spirit of this reflector. I wish the reflector had the ability to delete any line of text that begins with which would end the lengthy reply problem fully. 73, Frank N. Haas KB4T Florida Original RUDE reply from Bill Marvin Fri, 22 Feb 2013 07:00:42 -0800 Please, stop whining. Bill - W1LLY ___ FlexRadio Systems Mailing List FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ Knowledge Base: http://kc.flexradio.com/ Homepage: http://www.flexradio.com/
[Flexradio] v2.0.19 RC1 Test Results using Bug Straight Key
First the Rig: Flex 5000a Pentium Dual CPU E2220 @ 2.4 GHZ with 2 GB RAM Driver set to 192k, 2048, Normal DSP set to CW 512/512 Firewire: Vendor : (104C) Texas Instruments Chipset: (8024) TSB43AB23 Revision: 00 Details: Subsysten VendorId: 14db Subsystem DeviceId: Max # isoch Rx contexts: 4 Max # isoch Tx contexts: 8 Support: Compatible, no known issues. SidSpeed: S400 Please note that the PC environment is not the fastest PC setup available. This system is nearly 4 years old now which is an eternity in computer years. I could easily afford to run a state of the art PC system but don't feel it's necessary. If nothing else, it provides a pretty good test bed for exercising PowerSDR. Software Running: PowerSDR v2.0.19 RC1 AND Ham Radio Deluxe (via Comm0comm) I'm pleased to report that my initial test run using RC1 with a straight key and a bug have proven to be most SATISFACTORY. Test transmissions and QSOs on 80, 40 and 20 worked well. In my second separate receiver I could hear some slight occasional breakup but none of the stations I worked mentioned any defect in the CW note or waveshape. The scope monitoring the RF output of the rig revealed the breakup as well. In the monitor receiver, the breakup sounded like a slight crackling in the CW note. Wide spaces between code elements (dits dahs) seemed to produce the crackling while closely spaced or long running series of fairly close spaced code elements did not produce any crackling. I experimented with different values of CW TX DSP Buffer Size. 256 caused PowerSDR to crash. 512 1024 produced the typical mostly good result. Didn't try higher values because of latency. When I switched the Firewire Driver/SETUP-AUDIO Buffer size between 1024 and 2048, I didn't see or hear any difference. For me, the preferred PowerSDR configuration produces a wide view of the band in the panadapter, superior filter performance and minimal latency in my PC environment. It appears that the new version not only provides this combination of setup capabilities but (joyfully) adds the ability to use simple non-electronic keying devices. I wonder if a state-of-the-art PC (quadcore CPU, higher clock speed other speedy upgrades) would completely eliminate the occasional breakup in the CW output? Previous versions of PowerSDR would not allow use of a straight key or bug under any circumstance with my PC setup. V2.0.19 RC1 represents a significant improvement in performance in this specific area. As a straight key bug enthusiast who prefers modern rig technology to boat anchors, the new version of PowerSDR represents a gigantic leap for me personally. Thank you to the team that built the new version. 73, Frank N. Haas KB4T Florida ___ FlexRadio Systems Mailing List FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ Knowledge Base: http://kc.flexradio.com/ Homepage: http://www.flexradio.com/
[Flexradio] v2.0.19 RC1 CW Selectivity Issue: Bug or Confusion?
While tuning the CW portions of 80 and 40 and running v2.0.19 RC1 I'm finding that CW selectivity does not work properly below 1 kHz selectivity in CWL or CWU. Using v2.0.16 beta CW selectivity performed properly. First the Rig: Flex 5000a Pentium Dual CPU E2220 @ 2.4 GHZ with 2 GB RAM Driver set to 192k, 2048, Normal DSP set to CW 512/512 Firewire: Vendor : (104C) Texas Instruments Chipset: (8024) TSB43AB23 Revision: 00 Details: Subsysten VendorId: 14db Subsystem DeviceId: Max # isoch Rx contexts: 4 Max # isoch Tx contexts: 8 Support: Compatible, no known issues. SidSpeed: S400 Running v2.0.19 RC1: With selectivity set to 3.3 kHz I'll tune any CW signal to zero beat with the Transmit Frequency marker. With CW signals adjacent, say .5 to 2 kHz away, I narrow the selectivity incrementally down to 25 Hz and still hear the adjacent frequency signals quite well. Running v2.0.16 beta: Duplicate the above scenario and note that as I incrementally narrow selectivity down to 25 Hz, the adjacent frequency signals become inaudible. With v2.0.16 beta and CW selectivity set to 25 Hz and a good signal zero beat, I shift the passband above and below my receive frequency and find I can hear the signal I tuned as much as 950 Hz away. That doesn't seem like 25 Hz selectivity. With v2.0.19 RC1 and CW selectivity set to 25 Hz and a good signal zero beat, I shift the passband above and below my receive frequency and find I can hear the signal I tuned as much as 5 KHZ away This is not a typo. With 25 Hz CW selectivity, I can still hear signals up to 5 kHz away! This can't be right. Any filter setting that is less than 1 kHz exhibits the selectivity behavior described in the paragraph immediately above. As I see it, there is a problem in RC1 with CW receive selectivity. Has anyone else noticed this behavior? Would someone else give it a try and advise if you see similar performance with RC1? 73, Frank N. Haas KB4T Florida ___ FlexRadio Systems Mailing List FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ Knowledge Base: http://kc.flexradio.com/ Homepage: http://www.flexradio.com/
Re: [Flexradio] v2.0.19 RC1 CW Selectivity Issue: Bug or Confusion?
Brian: As usual, you bring clarity to the confused. Im embarrassed to admit that Ive read the Buffers and Sampling Rate article in the KC more than once. I often think I understand what I thought I read. I failed to comprehend the importance of the DSP Buffer Size settings in the Setup Form. The key is the setting in SETUP - DSP - Buffer Size for CW. Sure enough: Raise the RX Buffer Size from 512 to 4096 and the filters are once again razor sharp and performing as expected. I kept my FlexRadio Driver Sampling Rate, Buffers and Mode at 192K, 2048 and Normal and all seems well with the world once again. I went wrong failing to recognize that the RX Buffer Size in the DSP tab needs to be radically different from the TX size in order to keep filters sharp but not introduce confusing latency during transmit... at least with my setup. Thank you for your assistance. Forgive the bandwidth and I will resume lurking. 73 to all, Frank N. Haas KB4T Florida From: br...@lloyd.com [mailto:br...@lloyd.com] On Behalf Of Brian Lloyd Sent: Thursday, February 24, 2011 12:59 AM To: k...@kb4t.us Cc: flexradio@flex-radio.biz Subject: Re: [Flexradio] v2.0.19 RC1 CW Selectivity Issue: Bug or Confusion? On Wed, Feb 23, 2011 at 9:19 PM, Frank Haas KB4T k...@kb4t.us wrote: First the Rig: Flex 5000a Pentium Dual CPU E2220 @ 2.4 GHZ with 2 GB RAM Driver set to 192k, 2048, Normal DSP set to CW 512/512 This is the issue. If you increase the number of samples in the DSP buffer, you sharpen the filters. Going from 512 to 1024 will make a marked improvement. Also switching to a lower sampling rate, i.e. 96kHz will help too. When you switch up to 192kHz sampling you need to double the number of samples in your DSP buffer to keep the same filter shape. Bump up the number of samples, drop the sample rate, or both. That will get your razor-sharp filters back. The only potential problem you face is that you introduce more delay when you reduce the sample rate or increase the buffer size. This shouldn't be a problem unless you are trying to run fast QSK. Also, you only need to change the RX DSP filter, not the TX. -- Brian Lloyd, WB6RQN/J79BPL 3191 Western Dr. Cameron Park, CA 95682 br...@lloyd.com +1.767.617.1365 (Dominica) +1.931.492.6776 (USA) (+1.931.4.WB6RQN) ___ FlexRadio Systems Mailing List FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ Knowledge Base: http://kc.flexradio.com/ Homepage: http://www.flexradio.com/
Re: [Flexradio] Intermittent Power Output when keying F5K in SSB mode
Here's another follow-up. Evidence is clear now that my no power output when transmitter keyed problem was the result of a lack of computer memory resources. What I haven't figured out is why the same computer setup worked fine for months before the problem appeared. I chalk that up to the basic nature of personal computing. Things change behind the scenes that we are not told about. I suspect an automatic update to Windows or Firefox brought this on. Experiments have clearly shown that it's easy for my computer to run low enough on RAM resources to cause PowerSDR to misbehave. Recall that my computer is equipped with a Pentium Dual Core running at 2.4 GHz with (only) 2 GB RAM and Windows XP Home Edition. If I run Firefox AND Ham Radio Deluxe (IP Server Logbook) and an email client. Within just a few attempts to transmit, I encounter the no power output failure. Sometimes the radio will literally lock up and I have to pull the power supply to reset the box. I've ordered another 2 GB of RAM but it won't be here for several days. If I don't run Ham Radio Deluxe, the no power output problem occurs rarely. So what could I do to make more memory resources available to PowerSDR? The obvious first answer is to uninstall or disable any System Tray items that aren't needed. Any program that loads into memory to perform a function that isn't really needed had to go. What else could I do? Surely I should be able to optimize Windows XP to run as lean and mean as possible. I did some research and found an article at the Microsoft Support site that addresses this objective specifically. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308417 This article is very informative. It provides a link to something Microsoft calls Guided Help which will walk you through the process of adjusting Windows XP to use less RAM to function. If you don't want to use the Guided Help executable, the article includes step-by-step instructions for making the changes yourself. The result is more memory for PowerSDR and the other apps I want to run. I made the suggested changes. So with the removal of a few unnecessary programs and tweaking Windows XP to run a bit leaner, I am now able to run PowerSDR, Firefox and HRD without the no power output problem at all. Life is good. Of course, when the RAM upgrade arrives hopefully I can put a few things back the way they were...more or less. This is the end of the road for this issue. Hopefully my findings will be of value to others running similar configurations. Good luck! 73, Frank N. Haas KB4T Florida ___ FlexRadio Systems Mailing List FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ Knowledge Base: http://kc.flex-radio.com/ Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com/
Re: [Flexradio] Intermittent Power Output when keying F5K in SSB mode
A Breakthrough at last!!! After correcting my error in setting the PA BIAS, I found that the No Power Output problem persisted. I would get into a QSO and within one or two transmissions (after listening for a short period) I would key the F5K and no watts. I could hear my voice in the MON with my headphones but no watts. I had exhausted all hardware-related troubleshooting possibilities. The problem was NOT an RF intrusion problem (the problem occurs after LISTENING for a while. The only other option was software. When I first started troubleshooting this problem, I figured that since everything had been running fine for nearly 3 months, the problem couldn't possibly be software. I was wrong. Since I first started using the Flex 5000a I have successfully run several other programs simultaneously including Ham Radio Deluxe (HRD), Firefox, an email client and a variety of TSRs (Terminate but Stay Resident programs that hang in memory.) This setup had worked quite well until just recently. Something must have changed. I found that my no watts out problem would occur if I clicked out of PSDR to HRD or Firefox or my email client. I could easily repeat this. Aha!!! I thought...finally...a pattern! More experimentation revealed that I could bring the watts back by quickly switching between Firefox and PSDR. Again a repeatable pattern. I concluded that some recent update to Firefox or Windows (the only programs that update automatically) must have pushed the computer up against some sort of memory resource wall. PSDR was running out of memory resources. Switching between running applications apparently shuffles things around enough to give back to PSDR what it needs to work properly again. I uninstalled a few system tray items that I rarely use. I used MSCONFIG (Startup Tab) to make sure nothing was loading during startup that hung in memory without a good reason. After removing only a few programs and rebooting, I engaged in a few QSOs and never had the no watts out problem at all. Finally!! A Breakthrough. My CPU is a Pentium Dual Core running 2.4 GHZ with (only) 2 GB of RAM. Even though my CPU usage was fairly low most of the time (averaging 20%) it seems that PowerSDR was running out of memory resources creating the odd no watts out problem. Despite nearly 3 months without such a problem, the automatic update process or something else allowed precious resources to be whittled away creating an issue for PSDR. I have ordered a 2 GB RAM upgrade for my motherboard. Hopefully with 4 GB total RAM and fewer memory resident programs that weren't needed anyway, the no watts out (and any other odd behaviors) will not return for a long time. Good luck! 73, Frank N. Haas KB4T Florida ___ FlexRadio Systems Mailing List FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ Knowledge Base: http://kc.flex-radio.com/ Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com/
Re: [Flexradio] Intermittent Power Output when keying F5K in SSB mode
My THANKS to Dudley who has informed me that I set the PA BIAS too high. I misunderstood previous instructions I had been given. I know how to return the PA BIAS to the correct level and have completed that procedure. I would guess that the excessive bias created the intermittent loss of watts problem I reported. I should know soon. Hopefully the intermittent no power output problem will no longer occur. I'm off to make contacts and see how things go. I will advise. Stay tuned. 73, Frank N. Haas KB4T Florida ___ FlexRadio Systems Mailing List FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ Knowledge Base: http://kc.flex-radio.com/ Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com/
[Flexradio] HotFix Fixed It!
I downloaded the new Firewire driver and installed it without incident. PowerSDR and the F5K worked fine. Ran the Flex Radio (driver) program and ran the compatibility scan. Noted the SidSpeed comment. Thanks to what was posted here by Tim, I found the HotFix page and with a little effort figured out how to navigate the process. If you run Microsoft (MS) Windows XP and have upgraded to Service Pack 3, one of the gifts within SP3 is a change to the FireWire config that (I presume) could slow the performance of the FireWire connection. A simple fix is provided by Microsoft to restore the original (higher speed) settings. Here's the step by step: Visit the page Tim suggests: http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=955408 and click on the link near the top of the page where it says that the Hotfix download available: Hotfix Download Available View and request hotfix downloads You will go to a web page where you will have to ACCEPT the AGREEMENT FOR MICROSOFT SERVICES. You are then taken to the actual HotFix REQUEST page. You must click on the check box to the left of the HotFix name and provide an email address to which Microsoft will email information on how to download the HotFix. Type in the characters that are displayed in the graphic box and click Request HotFix. Within minutes you should receive an email with a LINK and a PASSWORD. Instead of emailing the file to you, MS provides a link to a web page where you can download the file. It's a small file. Download the file to a folder you can find easily. Once downloaded, double click on the downloaded file. You will be warned to make sure you have a good back up of your system setup. (If you aren't using System Restore points, take the time to learn. They are very valuable and can rescue you from a botched install. This is the subject of another thread.) Assuming you have a good backup, you can proceed. You will be asked for the PASSWORD provided in the email. You can copy and paste if you like rather than retype each of the several characters. The small HotFix program runs for a few seconds and you're done. The computer must be restarted for the change to be completed. After rebooting, run the Flex Radio Driver program again. Do the compatibility scan again and you should see that SidSpeed is set to S400 and all will be well. Don't get in a hurry. Read the screens fully and the process goes smoothly and quickly. Good luck. 73, Frank N. Haas KB4T ___ FlexRadio Systems Mailing List FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ Knowledge Base: http://kc.flex-radio.com/ Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com/ Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
[Flexradio] Distorted Transmit Audio
Friends: I've only had the F5KA for a few weeks and I've been experimenting with my audio rack and tweaking EQ and other settings for best sound. Transmit audio has always been good, clean and full. After being away on a trip for 2 days with all the gear off and disconnected from antennas etc., I fired up the F5KA to begin operations on 80M SSB. I usually start by choosing the dummy load on TX1 and listening to the F5KA on a separate receiver (TenTec Jupiter) connected to a short wire antenna to insure that everything sounds good before going on the big antenna for normal operations. This time out I noticed a definite fuzzy quality to the edges of the audio. There is definitely a problem. So the troubleshooting began. I verified that the audio coming out of the mixer and applied to the Balanced Line In on the back panel of the F5KA was clean, clear and undistorted. I even tried different mikes and heard the same fuzzy quality to the audio. Remember I'm connected to a dummy load. No matter what power level is chosen 1 watt to 100 watts the audio quality remained fuzzy. I played with the Mixer's Balanced Line Input slider with no improvement. I tweaked the MIC gain slider on the front panel of PSDR (latest version) with no improvement. (I usually run the Mixer's Balanced Line Input slider all the way up (max input level) and the PSDR front panel MIC slider at 0 (zero). This has always worked well. I set my input level to the Balanced Line input so the Mic Meter just peaks at 0 DB and no higher. Leveler is usually set at 3. Turned it off and tried different settings with no improvement in the audio. Next I tried a completely different (linear) power supply. No change. Tried changing Sample Rate, Buffer Size and Operating mode settings in both the Driver and the PSDR setup insuring that both were set identically. All sorts of combinations didn't change the fuzzy distorted quality of the transmit audio. Next I did a Hard Reset on the F5KA by pulling the power plug and leaving it out for a minute and then re-inserting. No improvement. The audio going in is clean. The radio behaves as if either the audio processing has failed. Output power peaks easily at 100+ watts but perhaps the biasing is off. I even tried running the tests in the Ctrl + Shift + P screen. No improvement. I've run out of ideas. I guess my 7 month old F5KA needs to return to Texas for some warranty work. (I'm the second owner and I'm going to transfer the warranty with Flex if possible tomorrow.) Have I overlooked anything that can be done without the radio going back home for repair? Any suggestions before I box it up?? Thanks 73, Frank N. Haas KB4T ___ FlexRadio Systems Mailing List FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ Knowledge Base: http://kc.flex-radio.com/ Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com/ Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Flexradio] PowerSDR MS Outlook
This email reflector possesses magical powers. I posted my note about MS OUTLOOK and PowerSDR and the next time I fire up everything works perfectly and has for 2 days now. I'm puzzled. For the last 2 days, I've run FireFox, MS OUTLOOK, WORD, EXCEL, PowerSDR and my usual collection of System Tray utils and not one hiccup. Even when MS OUTLOOK sends and receives. Frankly, I'm mystified because I was definitely getting freezes when I wrote about this. My daily Defrag run, Anti-Virus Scans and other disk intensive operations haven't caused any problems either. Of course, I'm grateful to everyone who responded to my original post. The assistance provided by this reflector is great. I checked my IRQs and my drivers. No conflicts and everything is up to date, really! I tried various combinations of programs and I couldn't cause or force PSDR to fail or burp. I have no idea why it happened the first time. Since it happened once, I imagine it will happen again. The recipe for failure remains a mystery for now. In the meantime, being able to do everything I need and want to do on the PC all at the same time sure is handy. To summarize the replies: MS OUTLOOK and PowerSDR can coexist. Some said they can run both and some said they couldn't. I was ready to modify my PC use but it appears that it won't be necessary. Every Windows installation is unique and there are a million ways for things to fail. Clearly: Your Mileage May Vary!!! So can MS OUTLOOK and PowerSDR work together at the same time? For some: YES. For some: NO. What are the exact determining factors? No one seems to know. My computer is fairly capable. I'm sure that plays a big role. I'm using 2048 Buffers, 192 kHz Sample Rate and Normal operating mode. Performance is solid and consistent...even on CW...even while running 5 apps including MS OUTLOOK. It may be a crap shoot but it's clearly possible to run MS OUTLOOK and PSDR at the same time. Frank N. Haas KB4T ___ FlexRadio Systems Mailing List FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ Knowledge Base: http://kc.flex-radio.com/ Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com/ Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
[Flexradio] PowerSDR MS Outlook
Is there a known incompatibility between Microsoft OUTLOOK and PowerSDR? My PC is a clone using: Microsoft Windows XP - Home Version 2002 - Service Pack 3 Intel Pentium Dual CPU E2220 @ 2.4 GHz 2 GB RAM Physical Address Extension 2 750 GB SATA drives SYBA Model SD-LUC-4F PCI to 1394 Lucent FireWire PCI Card Data Transfer Rate 400/200/100 Mbps Generally speaking I can run several programs simultaneously along with PSDR with no problems. If I run MS OUTLOOK and PSDR only, PowerSDR stops frequently (every minute or so) requiring a STOP/START operation to get things going again. I don't believe there are driver or interface card issues because PSDR runs without issue under all other circumstances even when I have 5 other applications running (Firefox, WORD, EXCEL, IE7, Acrobat Reader). Only MS OUTLOOK stops PSDR. Is there a known workaround to the PC setup or the interface driver or PSDR to allow MS OUTLOOK and PSDR to peacefully coexist? Perhaps a RAM upgrade to 4 GB??? Thank you to everyone here who has been so helpful to this FLEX newbie!!! 73, Frank N. Haas KB4T ___ FlexRadio Systems Mailing List FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ Knowledge Base: http://kc.flex-radio.com/ Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com/ Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
