K6TU Control iPad application is available!

DonS

two different subnets - that is why it does not work.

Ed baker

great up front control panel. Would like this puppy to be able to use the DAX audio even the Flex spectrum Do hope for the cost it will grow into a remote "REMOTE" access system

Stu Phillips - K6TU

Ed, K6TU Control was designed to work as a control panel for the radio. It does not and will not support the display of a pan adaptor or streaming audio. I am working on a second application that will be a full remote client - this is going to take a while and so I won't speculate on a date for availability. I designed K6TU Control to streamline workflow in operating the radio for contests, Dxpeditions or other situations where maximum efficiency and operating speed are required. Stu K6TU

Stu Phillips - K6TU

Dennis, As Don says - "that's the problem" - Windows has assigned the 169.254.7.132 address which is known as the auto discover address. You PC can see the radio but nothing else can. The only solution to your configuration problem that I can think of right now is to plug the radio into your WiFi access point. Then it will get an address in the 192.168.1.x block and you will immediately see the radio via your iPad. Stu K6TU

Stu Phillips - K6TU

Just to close this one out... Gary had a wireless router that had placed all the wireless devices on a separate subnet. We reconfigured his wireless router to act as a conventional WiFi Access Point which placed all the devices (wired and wireless) on the same subnet. At that point, the K6TU Control iPad app was able to see the radio and connect. Issue resolved! Stu K6TU

Greg

Hi Stu. I am considering an Ipad for this as well. I don't have one as of yet. Tnx Greg AB7R

Greg

Hmmmm. I was thinking of this but everything in my shack is wired. I do not have Wifi in the shack so I don't think this would work unfortunately. Greg Happy New Year!

Stu Phillips - K6TU

Greg, You are correct - you need WiFi to be able to access the network to which your Flex-6000 series radio is connected. WiFi AP's are now very inexpensive - I've seen them priced as slow as $29.99. Stu K6TU

Charles - K5UA

Hi Stu, Been using the app today and I ran into a few problems which may be due to my inexperience with the it. 1. Creating a slice with the app does not put in the default transmit upper and lower cutoffs as defined in the default profile. My default profile requests 3000 Hz as the upper transmit cutoff, but it always comes up as 2800 Hz. 2. Changing a profile with the app does not change the upper and lower cutoffs as defined in the selected profile. 3. The band selector will allow me to change bands once, then becomes unresponsive. 4. When the CW mode is selected and the monitor circuit is in the OFF position, the mic is live in the monitor circuit and comes through the speaker. When the monitor circuit is turned on (blue), nothing can be heard from the mic and the CW sidetone is heard as expected. Very strange. 5. When the app is used to control a slice created by SSDR, the pre-defined SSDR filters over-ride the custom filters created in the app. This may be by design, but it seems counter-intuitive because the concept is for the app to control the radio. If the user likes the SSDR filters, they can be selected from the pan-adapter. Maybe this is impossible to program around, I don't know. It would be nice for the custom filters to show on the ipad app regardless if the slice was created by the app or created by SSDR. I do have a suggestion concerning the power level slider and the CW speed level slider. Since the finger on the slider ball hides the number above the ball, is it possible to allow a finger tap on either side of the ball to increment or decrement the slider in units of 1 to allow a more precise setting of these levels? I noticed that the program asks for upper and lower transmit cutoffs for each and every custom sideband receive filter that is created. Could there be an area where the upper and lower transmit cutoffs are globally identified for each profile? This would be a big time saver for those of us who want the same transmit cutoffs regardless of the receive filter widths. Maybe allow the user to specify transmit cutoffs for each filter if they so desire, but allow it to be set globally with one selection for each profile? I can see great potential in the app, Stu. I hope you don't mind identifying these areas. As I said, it could be my inexperience with using it. By the way, is there any documentation available on how to use the app other than the short video?

DonS

Stu, I think I might borrow my XYL's iPad 2, however, it only has 16gb of memory. Do you think that will present a problem? Don

Stu Phillips - K6TU

Not a problem - several of the alpha/beta testers had that configuration. Stu K6TU

DonS

If I install on my wife's iPad and then I decide to purchase an iPad for myself will I have to purchase another copy of the software if I remove the copy from her iPad?

Stu Phillips - K6TU

Don, It depends on the iTunes account under which you purchase any application. Once you purchase an application under one iTunes account, its available to you on all appropriate devices - for example, an iPad app will be available to all iPad's registered under THE SAME iTunes account. You can register a new iTunes account and then on your wife's iPad, goto to the Settings app, and under iTunes & App Store, you can touch on the Apple ID and sign out, then sign in under the new account and then purchase/download the app. If you decided to then purchase an iPad, be sure to register it with your NEW id and you should have access to the same applications. I think there is an FAQ on Apple's web site that speaks more to this. Stu K6TU

Greg

My Yoga just died so I need a new tablet. Thinking of either the Kindle HDX or a 2014 Samsung Note 10.1. I will probably keep an eye open for a used iPad 2 or better for use with these apps. 73 Greg

DonS

I think I am ok because I believe I set up all the apple products to access the App Store with the same iTunes account. Now I have to wait to get her iPad when she isn't using it...lol.

Jim WA9ABB

Is the purchase price for the app a one time charge or will there be a continuing annual fee for renewal and upgrades ?

k0eoo

Stu, I am not able to get my router and PC / 6500 together, they are in a different room and on a different floor of our house. Is it the case that the radio CANNOT be plugged into the PC and work with your app? It didn't say that in your initial announcement, I looked.... If this is the case can I get a refund? Dennis, k0eoo

Paul Christensen, W9AC

By plugging the 6500 into the PC, how did you envision connecting the iPad without network connectivity of any kind to the PC/6500? How are you updating the 6500 firmware and SSDR application without this connectivity? A question asked before purchase would have helped. Consider options available to get the PC and 6500 on the same network.

k0eoo

Paul, the PC is WiFi connected to the same network the iPad is WiFi connected to...........

Stu Phillips - K6TU

Dennis, Your iPad and PC are not on the same network as the radio - that's a clear requirement. Let's see if we can figure out how to assign the correct address to your radio. Please describe in detail the following: 1. Which version of windows are you using? 2. Please provide a screen shot of the network connections that Windows shows in the Network status display. 3. What kind of cable are you using to connect the radio to the PC? Is it a cross over cable or regular CAT5 jumper cable like the one supplied with the radio? Something in your PC must be responding to the radio's request for an IP address. If we can find what that is, we may be able to change the address that is provided. I'm sorry but I have no capability to provide you a refund - you would have to take this up with Apple but the requirements are clearly stated. Stu K6TU

Stu Phillips - K6TU

Per Apple's requirements, UPDATES to the current application are at no additional cost. So there is no annual subscription (which if I had my way, I would have implemented). FWIW, I think FlexRadio Systems should reinstate the annual subscription to get new software releases for the radio. Developing software is NOT free and its in all of our interests that they are motivated and resourced to keep developing software for the radio. $250 a year would be more than reasonable as a software fee and after spending the money to purchase my Flex 6700 seems more than fair. Sorry to rant but here's two points for everyone to consider: 1. I have spent hundreds of hours developing this application over 6 months. It cost me money to become a registered Apple developer. I don't expect the cumulative sales over the life time of this application to come close to providing a financial incentive to develop any others - I priced the app as I have to make a point - software is not free and developers need an incentive to invest their time. 2. Folks spend more than $4000 to purchase a 6000 series radio. Add to this a computer, antennas, amplifiers etc and many hams have spent 10's of thousands of dollars on their stations. Some perspective is appropriate I think... Jim - this isn't aimed at you but at folks in general. If you don't like the price for K6TU Control - don't buy it. Happily in the USA we live in a country with freedom of choice. Stu K6TU

DonS

Perhaps assigning a static ip address to the enet card in the 192.168.11 subnet . Then the radio should pick up a 192.168.11 subnet via the enet card's static ip address. Just a thought.

Stu Phillips - K6TU

Charles, Excellent feedback and much appreciated. Here's some detailed feedback... 1. The transmit and receive filter definitions are stored as a pair with each filter. When a slice is created from the iPad, the currently set transmit filter definition as shown on the Setup view of the app are the ones currently in effect. To set the radio to have the receive and transmit filter definition you have for the filter, select the filter from the pop-up menu that appears when you tap on the filter button. If you create a slice using the app once one is already open and configured, the newly created slice will have the same bandwidth, mode and frequency as the slice currently highlighted in the slice list when you hit the + button. 2. Same answer as above - when the profile is loaded, the transmit bandwidth is initially set per the setup values. This is overridden when you select a specific filter appropriate to the mode of the slice. 3. Very odd - thanks for letting me know, I'll investigate and fix if I can reproduce the problem. This is a new report. 4. I have seen this behavior. I think its a bug in the radio and its been reported by the alpha test group. Rebooting the radio fixed this one for me. 5. SmartSDR and K6TU Control are both separate clients - filters are currently client specific. If you create a slice via SmartSDR it will have the filter specs defined there. You can override this by tapping on a filter for the that slice in the app. I like your suggestion regarding the sliders for power and CW speed - I'll look at what it takes to do this... it won't make the next revision which I expect to get into the App Store approval process at the end of this week. I agree that setting the filter definitions can be tedious. I think I will add a check box to the filter definition that says "set the transmit configuration for all filters in this mode" - that way, you can set the TX configuration once per mode and have it apply the settings to all filters for the currently selected mode. The next release of the app has accelerated tuning detection (the faster you swipe, the greater the tuning speed) and sets the default step size to 10 Hz. This greatly improves the fine and coarse tuning via the app. It also adds DAX configurability per slice plus indication of which DAX channel is configured per slice. There is indeed documentation available for the app. Here's a link: K6TU Control documentation I will add a button to the app that will bring this up in the iPad browser. Thanks again for the comments! Please keep them coming! Stu K6TU

Stu Phillips - K6TU

Dennis, I found the following link in Microsoft support: Assign Alternate Network Configuration and I think this may do the trick... First of all you will have to look at your Buffalo WiFi unit and see the range of addresses it allocates for DHCP. I looked at the manual for this device and by default it allocates DHCP addresses from 192.168.1.2 to 192.168.1.66 (64 addresses). Assuming this is the case please try the following steps. On your Windows PC... 1. Open the Control Panel 2. Select "View network status and tasks" 3. Select "Change adaptor settings" 4. Locate the network connection for your Ethernet card, click on it to select 5. Right click and access its Properties 6. Scroll down the list that comes up and click to select Internet Protocol Version 4 7. Click on properties and you will see a window with two tabs - select the alternate configuration 8. Click on "User configured" and enter the following: Network Address 192.168.1.100 Network mask 255.255.255.0 Default gateway 192.168.1.1 Click on enough OK and Apply to get back to the control panel. Reboot the PC and give this a try... If this doesn't work, you can reset this back to the default by following steps 1 though 7 and then select the Automatic Private IP address, then close all the windows and reboot. I have another idea which I am pursuing to get your correctly configured. Stu K6TU

DonS

A better approach if you cannot connect the radio to an AP is to get a wireless bridge and connect the radio to that. The bridge will get the wifi traffic and pass that to whatever is connected to the wireless bridge. They sell for about $50 or less at Best Buy. My thoughts about assigning a static ip address to the enet card would not work unless you could get windows to route through the card.

Stu Phillips - K6TU

Hopefully we will get some feedback from Dennis... I've found an Open Source DHCP server already built for Windows on SourceForge. Assigning a static IP address to the Ethernet interface and then running the DHCP server should solve the problem assuming Windows will route from one interface to the other. Stu K6TU

k0eoo

I will try your idea out when I get home. I'm running W7 SP1 by the way...

Stu Phillips - K6TU

RR - if this doesn't work, I have a solution that will... Please mail me via my address in QRZ.COM and we can schedule a phone call and remote access so I can help you get on the air with the app. Stu K6TU

Gary Robertson - KY5R

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to work with Stu in successfully correcting a problem where my wireless network could not see my Flex-6500. I found Stu to be patient, persistent, and smart in addressing the problem. I have always heard the phrase about someone being the smartest person in the room. Well, Stu is that guy. I have been disappointed (but not surprised) with the complaints about the $40 cost of the app. For that price, I get an app that I can use with my Flex-6500 for years. I spend way more than $40 for a tank of gas and probably more than that for a one time trip with my wife to the movies. Virtually all of my non-ham software applications on my computer cost way more than this app. I agree with Stu - if you don't like the price of the app, don't buy it. But, you will be really missing a real opportunity to better use your Flex-6000 series of radio. This app is that good. I have tried unsuccessfully to write a positive review on Apple's App store about the K6TU Control App. The "send' button grays out when I enter any comments. However, if you like this app and can write a positive review on the app store, please do so. If you think I am a fan of Stu and his FlexControl and now the K6TU Control App for the iPad, you bet I am.

Ken - NM9P

I initially balked at the $39.95 price, but then I thought that in the past year I have upgraded my station with the following: $4500 for my FLEX 6500, $99 for the Flex Control Knob (Which is worth its weight in gold!) $107 for my Heil PR22UT mike, $49 for a boom mike stand, $911 for a T-11 Log Periodic, $850 for a new tower to put it on, (Concrete & bucket truck still pending) $68 on new aluminum tubing for a 40 Meter vertical, $649 for Flex-1500 last Christmas $69 on a Hercules DJ controller for my Flex-1500 $169 for a new 22 inch monitor $59 for a dual monitor stand to put it on, $37 for a Baofeng UV5RA HT, and $29 for another one 6 months later, you get the picture.... Suddenly the cost of a custom program for this great new station I am assembling isn't so bad! Many of us have gotten too used to "free" copies of crippled loss-leader level programs that ask you to upgrade to $10 paid versions. They make their profit by selling millions of copies cheaply. But how many copies do you think Stu will be able to sell? It IS rather a limited and exclusive market... I just finished downloading it and can't wait to try it out this evening. Thanks a lot, Stu! (I may be calling for help getting it running!)