Re: [Flexradio] One more thought on OS selection
At 02:17 PM 2/27/2010 -0500, you wrote: As Microsoft wants to sell Win7, they are quickly raising the price of XP so that its not economically feasible to buy it (which I would do if I were Microsoft also). Do you mean to act unethically ?? heaven forbid Microsoft wouldn't act unethically ... as they would say, in the best interest of the share holders. hi hi In the last 2 months, they have raised the price of a valid OEM copy from $129 to $169. I do not think this will stop either, it seems like a $20 rise every 2-3 weeks. Its at the point ($30 higher than Win7 Pro) where its not justifiable to buy it. BTW, its not just profit motive behind Microsoft's decision. One of the main drivers is that XP comes with Internet Explorer 6. Today, believe it or not, IE 6 is the most used browser in the world! IE6 is a horrible program, it is very buggy, does not adhere to any internet standards and the most current standards of X/HTML will not work with users running IE6. So, Microsoft is also using this as a motivation to stop propagating IE6 as they need to kill its use before all the users start complaining that it doesn't work with website. Amazing !! I didn't think anyone would continue to use IE. If you have XP on your PSDR system, stay with it (but upgrade to Firefox!). If you have a choice and the price difference from XP to Win7 is more than $20, pass on XP and go with Win7 32 bit! I agree with staying with XP I keep my original install CD's and regularly make Image copies of my OS partition on my various computers. So far there are no applications ZERO that I regularly use that don't function smoothly, quickly, and reliably with XP. I have one machine that I use experimentally with new OS systems Vista and now Win7 etc ... and have found nothing so far that would entice me to make a change over. My kids are heavily into video production and they switched ... as the most suitable OS and software run on the Mac. One of these days I'll get into something that works better on some OS other than XP and I will change hi hi. Knowledge Base: http://kc.flex-radio.com/ Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com/ ___ 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] Acronis Online Backup
At 02:46 PM 2/17/2010 -0500, you wrote: I'm in the process of beginning to add peripheral software to my Flex 5K computer and would appreciate any comments as to the functionalities or disadvantages of the Acronis Online service in lieu of purchasing the hard drive. Thanks, Pierce W4ZDI Hi Pierce, I have used computers for many years ... back from the early days when it was a toss up whether Microsoft OS would survive hi hi. I have gone through many computers and I have had many failures for as many reasons as you can imagine. I have learned a few things about backups that are pretty basic. First I look at backups in two distinct categories . 1. the OS and program installation and 2. Data. Second Category first: All our (the xyl and I) documents, pictures, records, audio books, video's, E-mails, etc All told it presently comes to just under 500 GB which seems like a lot ... but in this day with the huge HDD available ... no problem. I use a network system to back up this data and make it available ... eg to multi-media centre ... via a central server (an old computer in other words hi hi). I always have a couple of copies available in our home ... and I keep another off the property in case of a fire or a beak-in. I use very simple synchronizing software to keep the central storage HDD's up to date. First Category is quite different. This category is the computer OS and installed programs. Generally speaking I have found that no matter how many programs I install a 50 GB HDD or partition is all I need. No Data allowed on this partition ... except what little bit is demanded by particular computer programs. So if I have 1 HDD on a particular computer the first thing I do is partition the Drive into a C: and D: partition and as I mentioned C: never needs to be bigger than 50GB. You can make it bigger if you wish ... but the objective is to keep the amount of material in the active partition as small as possible by keeping all data elsewhere. Then, from the very first time this is done and the OS and program software is installed I make an image of the whole C: partition and I call it Image 1 very original hihi. Then as I install new software or make any significant changes to the C: partition ... and everything seems stable ... I will then make a second image and call it Image 2 and on and on. Each image has a description encoded in it outlining the significance of this image. Then, at any time I can restore partition C: on the old HDD or a new one if I wish to make a hardware change using any image ... putting me back exactly as it was when created. Gone are the days of re-installing the OS and programs ... and re-doing all the settings etc.. I keep these images in a folder which is included with my regular backup's. I use Acronis Ture Image there are others ... Symantics also has a similar backup program I think it is called 'Ghost'. I have found Acronis to be very reliable. When installing new software and I find it a little 'buggy' it is only a 10 minute (max) operation to restore it to the previous state. I can see it would be attractive to save the images on-line however I have a system whereby I exchange external HDD once a month or so with my safety deposit box hi a pattern I used with College records before I retired hi hi. My kids all use Mac computers and they tell me the new OS includes backup software that backs up the whole drive including OS and programs at every stage of change ... and allows the user to put the computer completely back to the way it was at any time. I have not really looked into it to see if similar software is available for Windows OS's since my system serves my purpose but I can see where a more automated system would be very useful. 73, Jim, VE3CI _ ___ 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] PB and the original Gui
At 11:00 AM 11/28/2009 +0800, you wrote: As a new owner of the Flex 3000 and a former owner of the 2nd SDR1000 in Australia, I was most disappointed to see the GUI had not moved on from that clinical Windows look. I installed PB and was instantly pleased that it had progressed somewhat. However when you look at the beautiful job that SDRMAX III and to a lesser extent SDRMAX II does for the QS1R it appears Powersdr still has quite a way to go. I sold my SDR1000 some years ago because of the GUI, no other reason, so hopefully something along the lines of SDRMAX III comes along soon to make a much more visually presentable package. And also I keep seeing references to Deep Impact but can find nothing in the knowledge base, is it sooo secret ?? I am delighted with the Flex 3000 by the way, its receiver is almost the equal of my K3 and exceeds my IC 781, all it needs is too look better ! 73 Keith -- Keith Bainbridge VK6RK, ex VK6XH VK6EME Hi Keith, You are going to get a lot of flak from those die-hard fans who believe that the more mundane and complicated the interface the more it is in keeping with true Amateur Radio tradition. I am also an ex SDR-1000 owner and dumped it (although I was impressed with performance and potential). The new SDR iterations are very tempting with the built in AD/DA conversion eliminating the octopus of cables. However I am not impressed with the software interface ... it is complicated and Amateurish indeed. If they still designed aircraft cockpit controls like that there would be a flood of disasters ... (the die-hard operators would of course attribute them to pilot error hi hi). I don't belittle the work and effort that has no doubt been put into developing the software ... however the way it looks and feels on the computer (I believe it is called GUI) is very primitive. It is not simply the way it looks ... but more important the way it interacts with the operator e.g. lets avoid excessive pilot error. hi hi Jim, VE3CI ___ 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] How accurate is the SWR meter in PSDR?
At 08:59 AM 8/31/2009 -0700, you wrote: On Sun, Aug 30, 2009 at 9:23 PM, Dudley Hurryjhu...@austin.rr.com wrote: Zack, Try a different piece of coax between the LP-100 and the radio, and use a different length.. Interesting. Theoretically SWR should not change anywhere along the feed line to the load (except it will drop farther from the load as a function of feed line loss). Impedance seen at any point along the line *will* change but SWR will not. A standing wave on a perfect coax feed line is a function of a termination by a resistance other than the impedance of the feed line (mismatch). The result is that a portion of the RF power will be absorbed by the terminating resistor and a portion will be reflected back toward the source of the RF power. The forward power and the reflected power will by definition be out of phase and combine to create standing peaks and valleys along the length of the feed line at points relating to the frequency of the RF power being generated. The majority of SWR meters measure the RF voltage of the forward power and the reflected power and compare them to create a ratio (VSWR). It should also be possible to use RF current detectors instead and produce a ISWR, or measure forward and reflected power to produce PSWR. In all three cases the ratio should be the same at any point along the coax. I am not sure about your statement that the SWR will drop as the measurement point is further from the load. I will have to give that some thought. I suppose given an infinite length of line ... the reflected power will become smaller with distance as compared to power from the source depending on the sampling point along the line thus changing the ratio. I guess your statement is correct. Playing with a Smith chart will show you why as you move around an SWR circle and see the load appearing to change from resistive (high), to capacitive reactive, to resistive (low), to inductive reactive, etc. The angle changes but the magnitude of the vector (SWR) does not. As you indicate, as you introduce either capacitive or inductive reactance into the load impedance the phase between RF I and E will shift with the result that VSWR, ISWR, or PSWR (depending on how you measure it) . or how E and I look on a scope, will change as you move the sampling point along the coax line. So, if the SWR display in the Flex 5000 changes with feed line length then the SWR indication is not displaying SWR but something else. It would be useful to know that so that so we can ignore the SWR display in PowerSDR (or not). Or, you might say that the VSWR becomes distorted by virtue of a complex impedance load. This is true regardless of the radio or measurement instrument used. -- 73 de Brian, WB6RQN/J79BPL 73, Jim, VE3CI ___ 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] USB to Parallel Interface
At 02:35 PM 3/19/2008 -0500, you wrote: I'm looking for a USB to Parallel interface that is real parallel and not just for a printer port. Does anyone know of a good one that worked well with the SDR-1000. 73, Steve (K5FR) I believe a parallel port and printer port are one and the same thing. There are any number of manufacturers I have personally used one made by 'Sabrent'. It worked flawlessly. Looking in the catalog I see at least a half dozen to choose from. i believe what you are referring to is an adapter that has a printer connector rather than a DB25. You want to be certain you get one with the DB25 connector. Jim, VE3CI ___ 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://kb.flex-radio.com/ Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com/
[Flexradio] Fwd: Re: Fw: RE: [dxlab] Decoding CW via soundcard
Date: Sat, 19 Jan 2008 16:47:50 -0500 To: Robert Dennison [EMAIL PROTECTED] From: Jim Dunstan [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [Flexradio] Fw: RE: [dxlab] Decoding CW via soundcard At 01:08 PM 1/19/2008 -0800, you wrote: Hi all, Origninal header information removed for clarity Dave, I hope you pass on this. MCW (CW by audio tone on a phone transmitter) is illegal for US stations on HF. 73, ... Joe, W4TV Hi Joe, No offense, but I believe you are mistaking the definition of MCW ... eg a CW signal that consists of a steady carrier with a keyed audio tone (eg keyed audio modulation) ... definitely MCW and illegal. This would be the equivalent to keying an audio tone into either an FM or AM transmitter. However, a SSB transmitter has no steady carrier ... by definition and a keyed audio tone would appear as a CW signal indistinguishable from one created by keying an RF generated signal. If you compare 2 signals on the air and they are indistinguishable, how can you say one is legal and the other is illegal. In fact there are commercial amateur radios that create CW by keying audio into a SSB chain that are certainly FCC approved ... e.g. Collins S Line. Jim, VE3CI ___ 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://kb.flex-radio.com/ Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com/
Re: [Flexradio] Manual notch filter?
At 08:25 PM 7/10/2007 -0400, you wrote: Hi Ray, Point well taken. I shouldn't have described what I had in mind as splatter. Over modulation would probably be more correct. I DX foreign medium wave stations from Asia and the Pacific, and the #1 reason this type of DXing is a big challenge is due to the wide signals from domestic (North American) broadcasters, especially the 50kw flamethrowers in the vicinity. For instance, when I tune 1017 kHz, A3Z Tonga with my SDR-1000, I expect some QRM from any domestics on 1020. However, even with directional Beverages and phased arrays I sometimes have problems with KOMO 1000 (Seattle) putting out a swath of energy and monkey chatter that affects 1017 kHz (noticed when tuning in LSB to avoid the nearer station on 1020). That's why I was thinking maybe a broad notch that I could manual drop on 1000 kHz (for instance) would help in this regard. The challenges of foreign MW DXing are not unlike those of ham radio contesting. The SDR-1000 is the best radio I've encountered for this purpose, when coupled with some carefully-chosen low pass filtering. 73, Guy KE7MAV Hi, Have you tried RF phasing to reduce local MF interference? For example you would be receiving A3Z on your phased array or Beverage and you can be receiving KOMO on a small loop antenna. Combine the signals and adjust the loop so its phase cancels KOMO on your DX antenna. You could also use a small whip for KOMO and use a separate combiner/phase shift circuit to do the same thing. MFJ used to market such a device ... designed for HF ... however I have heard of dxers modifying it for MF. Personally I have used this kind of 'RF phasing' for qrm rejection with my interest in Crystal Radio DXing. It takes a little getting used to but it works. I bring the antenna into the shack into a kind of 2 stage antenna tuner (2 high Q circuits in series) carefully adjust both circuits to maximize the DX and minimize the QRM. In my experience it is easier to deal with the interference of weak signals before detection. Jim VE3CI ___ 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 Knowledge Base: http://kb.flex-radio.com/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com/
Re: [Flexradio] Manual notch filter?
At 10:03 AM 7/11/2007 -0700, you wrote: Yes, I've done this before with the Radio Plus Quantum Phaser and my current Wellbrook phased array. Some of my MW DX friends have done extensive work in this area by modifying the MFJ phaser, or building Misek-based units such as the phasers Dallas Lankford designs. Mark Connelly in particular is leading the pack with phasing approaches. His Web site is a wealth of information: http://www.qsl.net/wa1ion/ Part of the difficulty in phasing semi-locals from my usual DXpedition locations at the WA coast is the combination of groundwave and skywave during the prime sunrise/sunset DX windows. Arrival angles of the foreign DX varies a lot at sunrise, too, and makes it very tough to impossible to achieve a steady null. Guy KE7MAV Hi, I see you are no novice regards ekeing out MW dx. I also find the flexradio an excellent DXing receiver, which makes me think there is a market for a similar receive only unit, built on a single board. Jim, VE3CI ___ 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 Knowledge Base: http://kb.flex-radio.com/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com/
Re: [Flexradio] RIT cleared on click tuning- RTTY problem
At 10:57 AM 7/9/2007 -0400, you wrote: As a casual digital modes operator, I have been following this thread with interest. Now I might as well clutter up the bandwidth some more and add my thoughts on the subject. These are just that, thoughts. Some may be valid, some may be totally erroneous, some may be laughable, but hopefully all may be food for thought. 1. By their very nature, the SDR-1000/Flex-5000 are AFSK radios, NOT FSK radios. As I understand it, even CW is not true CW, but is in reality MCW. This fact introduces complications if we want the SDR-1000 or the Flex-5000 to act like true FSK radios. No disrespect, but how can you tell the difference between an FSK RTTY signal and AFSK RTTY signal, other than examining or inquiring the method used to generate the signals? As regards CW vs MCW ... MCW is (at the receiving end) a signal with a carrier and a keyed audio component; one does not need a BFO in order to hear MCW ... eg ... as when you tune in a LF beacon station you can use a radio with simple AM detection. As with FSK vs AFSK, CW generated at the RF level vs AF level is still CW indistinguishable from each other at the receiving end. In other words, CW created at the AF level IS NOT MCW. In reality what you receive determines whether an RTTY signal or CW signal is proper and legal and not the method used to create them. Now all the other stuff about how you match your signal to other signals on the air eg Mark/Space frequency in RTTY and proper offset for CW etc is a separate issue which has nothing to do with whether signals are 'proper' or not depending on how they were generated. Personally I have no difficulty contacting others in either RTTY or CW and never have the other operator making adjustments at the other end in order to receive my signal. In RTTY I am always spot on in CW I generally use a 600 hz offset most pleasant to my ear which is generally not far off from what others use. In RTTY, I click on a signal if I copy it and answer the calling station they always immediately copy me. What more can u ask for? I am sure if I told the other station I was using FSK they would have no way to know if that was true or not. Similarly in CW, when in contact with the other station If I said I was keying at the RF or AF level they would have no way of telling if that was true or not. Jim, VE3CI ___ 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 Knowledge Base: http://kb.flex-radio.com/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com/
Re: [Flexradio] RIT cleared on click tuning- RTTY problem
At 01:55 PM 7/9/2007 -0500, you wrote: This isn't about the signal the other fellow receives and decodes. This is all about how the signal is produced on our end and how other 3rd party software integrates (or, more importantly, DOES NOT integrate) with the PowerSDR console while producing it. At our end, whether it is AFSK or FSK will, I think, turn out to matter quite a bit. More than I had previously thought, in fact. Certainly, when running my Icom 703 with Rigblaster, the distinction between AFSK and FSK is readily apparent even if no one on the other end can tell which way I'm running it. If anything, the software nature of our radio tends to disguise all this a bit more than it possible to do on other rigs. Larry Wo0Z Hi Larry, Again, with no disrespect, I see that what you are saying is that their is an 'operator' problem when moving operation from AFSK to FSK or vs versa. I have operated RTTY for many decades and I switched from FSK to AFSK a few decades ago and I guess I have not had the opportunity to experience the problem. I think in the early days of AFSK the 'rules' of audio tone frequencies were fixed (around 2khz) and I still have any number of terminal units and modems like that (home brew and commercial) in the basement. With the advent of more powerful computers and the wonderful 'sound card' I am still amazed at how well they perform . anywhere between 300 hz and 3 or 4 khz. I don't mean to belabor the point but I am curious what the 'integration' problem is with AFSK and third party software (I use MixW for the most part ... but I have tried any number of other programs). Jim, VE3CI ___ 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 Knowledge Base: http://kb.flex-radio.com/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com/
Re: [Flexradio] RIT cleared on click tuning- RTTY problem
At 10:48 PM 7/9/2007 -0500, you wrote: Do I know this is a big problem? No, not quite yet, though I have seen enough in everyone's various postings to be mighty suspicious. RTTY and PSK31 are clearly at odds for sure. What I do suggest is that we lay all this out for at least several of the popular programs (including how folks use and abuse them) before we run off and request our hard working coders to code something up. We need to know ahead of time whether there really is a universal solution or at least universal enough for people willing to behave a certain way so that most software packages end up doing the right thing vis a vis PowerSDR without a lot of fuss. If this turns out to be for contesters only, that would be OK, but at this moment, I'm hardly reassured that we can even achieve that, especially if MixW isn't the only program that has its own waterfall and click-to-VFO tuning in AFSK. Larry Wo0Z Hi Larry, I think you have been very eloquent laying out the problems vis-a-vis programming a solution; there are different conventions and standards, different uses and users, many and different third party programs and probably no simple solution that would readily satisfy many, most, let alone all operators. I have enjoyed listening to the problems and thinking about solutions. Jim, VE3CI ___ 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 Knowledge Base: http://kb.flex-radio.com/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com/
Re: [Flexradio] Reference Oscillator
At 12:39 PM 6/2/2007 -0400, you wrote: Asking for an opinion. Instead of using a OCXO, just leave the SDR1K powered up 24/7. Isn't the stability just as good? OR, is even tighter better? Phil Hi Phil, I checked the stability of the SDR1K several times ... nothing scientific Here is how I did it: I tuned the the SDR1K to a frequency standard like WWV on 10mhz or 15mhz from a cold start (my shack is rather cool at just under 70 deg F) I also fired up MixW and clicked on the carrier while in PSK mode with an audio frequency of 1500hz with AFC engaged. The AFC in MixW will follow any drift with a direct readout in hz. I plotted the drift at 5 min intervals. The result is that there is fast drift (my SDR1K) up in frequency for the first 15 minutes ... in fact the drift is so fast that there is a perceptible 'lean' to the WWV carrier on the MixW waterfall trace. After 15 minutes the 'lean' in the trace is no longer perceptible the drift has slowed down to about 5 hz per minute to the 30minute mark. From the 30min mark to the 45min mark the drift still continues (in the same upward direction) at a decreasing rate. After 45 minutes there is no perceptible drift for any period of time. The total drift from cold start to complete stability (45 min later) is about 170 hz. For my general application (digital and CW) there is no drift after 45min. Knowing this I fire up and shut down according to my operating habits ... no need for 24/7. PS For general information I originally purchased the SDR1K barefoot (1w) and used it to drive the PA section of an old tube rig which worked fine. With the discontinuation of the SDR1K I broke down and purchased the 100w solid state amplifier and installed it I have to say it works wonderfully. I have it and the 35amp power supply installed in the closet in the spare bedroom behind the wall of our computer room. My desk looks exactly the same as the xyl's everything is controlled by the computer/sdr1k ... including antenna switching etc. (no fan noise hi hi) I did a stability run with the new arrangement and found it to be identical to previous stability test runs. Jim, VE3CI ___ 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 Knowledge Base: http://kb.flex-radio.com/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com/
[Flexradio] audio echo
Hi, I have the 1 watt version of the SDR-1000 set up driving a 150W PA of an old tube type xcvr. The setup works wonderfully and it only takes 20 to 30 milli-watts of power to drive to full output. The first stage was to setup for digital operation (PSK31 and RTTY are my favorites) using Virtual Comports and Virtual Cables. It works wonderfully with full CAT control using Mix-W software. The second stage was to setup for SSB operation. I am using the M-Audio D44 sound card. I have an older good quality dynamic Shure microphone complete with floor stand and boom that I inherited (formerly used as a stage mic). It comes with a 10' high quality cable with a 3 pin XLR connector at the mic and a standard 1/4' plug (tip and ground) on the other end. I setup the system to work with this arrangement plugging directly into sound card. It worked well but I felt that the mic output was a bit low it required all the settings to be pretty much at the high end what I needed was a good low noise preamplifier. I found what I needed at a music store ... a beautiful and economical simple single channel pre amp made by ART (Advanced Research Technologies). It uses a 12AX7a tube (musicians seem to love the sound of tube amplification) and it accommodates balanced input and output. I also purchased the appropriate mic cables ... 3 pin XLR to 3 pin XLR to go from mic to preamp and a balanced output cable 3 pin XLR to 1/4 plug (tip, ring, ground) to go from the pre-amp to the input of the D44 sound card. I now had plenty of audio to play with and I was getting good reports except that a couple of the reports stated that my audio had an 'echo' that sounded like multi-path propagation. At first I thought it might be RF feed back however it persists even when working into a dummy load. I did a lot of investigation and experiments and finally found that if i replaced balanced cable from the pre-amp to D44 (3 pin XLR to 1/4' tip, ring, ground) with an unbalanced version (3 pin XLR to 1/4 tip and ground) the echo disappeared! With this arrangement my setup works very well and the audio is first rate. I set the equalizer for best audio balance for my voice characteristics and the gain and compression to keep within the 0 db mic output. I then adjust the RF drive to drive my RF amplifier to an indicated output of 10 watts on my pwr meter (average power), which should be close to 150 watts PEP (eg 14db difference between average and PEP). I thought describing how I setup my radio for SSB might be useful to others ... and if you run with the D44 sound card the ART pre amp is a great deal at the music store. I also wonder if anyone can give me an idea why the 'echo' appears when I use the balanced cable between the pre-amp and the sound card and disappears when I use an unbalanced cable (standard 1/4 tip, ground) ? Jim, VE3CI ___ 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 Knowledge Base: http://kb.flex-radio.com/
[Flexradio] steady improvement
Hi, I have my SDR-1000 (1W version) working on all HF bands on RTTY and PSK (my favourite modes) using Virtual Comports, Virtual Audio Cables, and Mix-W with complete reliability. This setup in turn drives an all-band tube linear amplifier with (15-20 milliwatts) which in turn delivers a cool 20-50 watts of power to my antenna. I am using a small intermediate PC type relay in the SDR-1000 to key the clunkier relays in the linear (I intend to replace these one of these days) and all relays are paralleled with appropriate diodes to prevent voltage 'clicks'. I don't mind the audible clunks after all I know they are working hi. But I notice that on the waterfall tuner on MixW that when the transmission drops off and receive comes on there is a visible 'click' on the waterfall. There is no problem with the waterfall or system stablility ... just a 'click' . Any suggestions on where to look and what solutions may be possible to 'soften' the 'click' on the 'waterfall' during transition from transmit to receive. It almost sounds/looks like an RF click now I feed the system into an excellent antenna with little or no SWR which is up on a tower well away from the operating position. The amplifier is well shielded and is completely stable and i am using the time delay built into the X2 external switch. It is like the relays themselves are causing the click. I would expect the waterfall to stop when the system goes to transmit and start again when it goes to receive and there would be a nice clean break at both ends without that little 'flash' on the screen when it comes back on. It seems to me that the SDR, Linear, Software, Computer, and interconnections are involved in the switching process. Oh well maybe i am just a perfectionist to me Ham Radio should be split 50/50 between the operating position and the work bench hi. Any suggestions on where to look would be welcome. Jim, VE3CI ___ 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 Knowledge Base: http://kb.flex-radio.com/
[Flexradio] connecting PTT output
Hi, I have the 1 watt SDR-1000 and use it to drive an external amplifier. The manual indicates that the External PTT control is available at Pin 7 of the X2 connector. I am using a 12VDC PC relay as an intermediate switch between the SDR-1000 and the external linear amplifier. I will be sending +12VDC to the linear amp. control. I have connected the RLY as follows: - one side of the RLY coil is connected to Pin 7 of the X2 connector. - the other side of the RLY coil is connected to +12 VDC. - pin 15 of the X2 connector is connected to GRND as is the -12VDC - I have connected a diode across the relay coil as shown in the diagram in the manual. However the written instructions in the manual indicate that Pin 8 of the X2 connector is a diode that should be connected to + side of the relay coil. I assume this diode (Pin 8) is not the diode shown in the manual diagram. It appears the manual diagram does not show the Pin 8 diode, but an external diode. My question is should I follow the written instructions and connect Pin 8 to the +12VDC side of the relay in addition to the diode across the relay coil or leave it unconnected as in the manual diagram? Jim, VE3CI ___ 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 Knowledge Base: http://kb.flex-radio.com/
