SmartSDR v1.4 Update

Tim - W4TME

As we approach the end of January, it is appropriate to provide the status of our upcoming SmartSDR v1.4 release.  We previously shared in our Flex Insider the major new features of SmartSDR v1.4 including LAN-based remote operation, FM modes, the addition of memory channels, DAX enhancements, and a new SmartSDR Waveform Interface for modes such as FreeDV.  

We have completed all the software feature design and code development tasks and are now in the classic “system Integration and testing” phase of the release.  This means we are working through a methodical iterative process of internal and field testing of each feature plus its interaction with all of the other features in SmartSDR that is then followed by any required changes or bug fixes.  We are down to a few critical defects and are working through them within the integration cycle.

The system integration process gets more complex when more pieces of the radio system are involved.  For example, LAN Remote operation involves four separate computational “engines” that must work in perfect synchronization to minimize network traffic and latency. We have made significant performance enhancements that improve the LAN feature. Further, these same changes have significantly enhanced the end-to-end performance and reliability of the entire SmartSDR system.  The side effect of such system-level improvement is that it takes more system integration and performance testing time to get it right.

The FM modes and memory channel features are working well.  LAN operation is very functional and being performance tuned.  DAX has been improved to give better connection information and diagnostics.   The SmartSDR Waveform Interface is functional and integrated with the SmartSDR FreeDV mode add-on.  Feedback from our field testers has shown us that we need to do some additional work on the FreeDV human interface and documentation to make sure this is a fun and simple to use feature.  Given where we are with the rest of our v1.4 system integration, we’ve made the decision to move the SmartSDR Waveform Interface to an upcoming release.    

The general release of SmartSDR v1.4 will occur when our system integration testing clears the remaining defects and yields the feature quality you and we expect.  Thank you for your patience while we complete this important process.

73, 

Gerald - K5SDR