FreeDV on Smart SDR 1.4.11

EA4GLI

The Waveform installer is available here:

http://www.flexradio.com/downloads/freedv_waveform_installer-msi/

I installed the file. A FDV red icon appeared in my desktop.



I clicked on File > Waveforms... inside the SmartSDR program. 

Inside of WaveformManager I clicked "Installed..."



This took me directly to the right folder in my system:



I selected the only file there, clicked OPEN and FDV was installed.

I can now selected FDV mode in the slice:



If I double click the FreeDV red icon in the Desktop this little window appears:



If I TX this is what appears on the radio screen. 



Not sure if it works I will stay in 14.236 and wait for any FreeDV activity.

Exciting times to own a Flex Radio! Thanks FRS Team!.

EA4GLI

You can find FreeDV QSOs through this website: http://qso.k7ve.org/

Jim Gilliam

What does the waveform look like when you transmit with voice?

rfoust

Oh neat, I'll have to give this a try tonight.  Didn't realize they had released an experimental version yet.

DrTeeth

Does one need to use the desktop icon at all? What is the little window for?
Tnx fer the heads up.
Will give it a go tonight if poss.

David

Is that the same as http://qso.freedv.org/ ?

Robert -- N5IKD

How much power should I use when running FDV?

Steve N4LQ

The FDV mode shows up ok but when I click MOX, I don't see the carrier as you do. 
Clicking red icon, the little window doesn't show that strange text either. It is empty.

Gary Wise

Just completed my first FreeDV QSO with Mel, K0PFX, in St Louis, MO (from Greenville, SC).  I was on 14236 KHz.  Ran about 45 watts.  He gave me a 10DB SNR (he was using a Flex 5000)..  Is there an SNR meter indicator in Smart SDR?.

Does the audio processor operate in FDV?  He indicated my audio was a little rough, and I was in the DX position on the processor.  Moved it to Normal.

Neat stuff.  Nice to have a new mode!

73,   Gary - W8EEY

EA4GLI

I think so...

EA4GLI

I can hear someone but I am probably not decoding correctly. It sounds like a robot !

EA4GLI

OK, anything below a signal of 3 is squelched, signals of 5 or more come thru clearer.

David

I have tried to monitor a couple of slices in FDV and it seems that if I mute one it does actually mute. If I change it to a different mode the mute works. Is anyone else experiencing this?

Don w2xb

Tried FDV and works great! First QSO with K0PFX

Don...w2xb

EA4GLI

Not me, but I will try again tonight.

Steve N4LQ

Just had 3 QSOs with FDV. 
Sounds a bit bassy.
Left channel only? Is that normal?
When the other guy drops below S5 you loose everything. Not much of a mode of you ask me. (
I guess it's ok for strong and steady signals.

Steve-N5AC

The desktop icon is to show and send the callsign / message text.  It is an "el cheapo" app that is largely crafted as a demonstrator for some enterprising coder that wants to code from an example.  It is not intended to be a polished application. You can type your call and a message in the box below and it will stream out with your data.  The callsign data is not error corrected so it will often get errors if your SNR isn't great.  Also the green bar is a reading from the SNR measurement inside the codec. 

Steve-N5AC

There is an SNR meter in the applet that installs.  You can click the red FreeDV icon and the green bar is the SNR.

DrTeeth

Digital modes need good signals. They do not graciously degrade like analogue modes as the power drops, they drop off a cliff at some point as I believe is the case with all digital modes.

DrTeeth

Can the data/message be read by all FDV users or just Flex folk?
Thanks for your clarifications on this new release in this thread and others. You have a talent for explaining complicated things so those not in the field can understand. You should write a book.

Steve N4LQ

Ummmm...Yea but with keyboard type digital modes you loose a letter now and then and with Hellscriber maybe things get a bit fuzzy but with FDV it's like BLAM....You loose an entire sentence. I would be ok with maybe a QSB to a Mr. Roboto voice but seeing a nice signal on the screen and hearing nothing bugs me.

Cal N3CAL

Just had my first three contacts.  Sounds good here.  Better than DSTAR in my view.  I noticed audio in only one speaker as well.  I also noticed you wont get a decode if you have FDV selected on more than one slice at the same time.  I had 40m FDV on one slice and 20m FDV  on the other.   No audio until I took one slice off FDV. 

Marginal signals decode the best using my Pixel RF 1B mag loop receive antenna. 

Cal/N3CAL

rfoust

Mine was coming through left channel only too until I turned off binaural audio.

Steve N4LQ

Ahhh Haaaa.  Binaural audio is the culprit!

Barry Comer

For some reason I only get audio out of the left speaker. The balance control is in the middle.

Steve N4LQ

We found you need to turn off Binaural audio

Bill N3HQB

The FreeDV'ers are loving all the new activity on 14.236...

Jerry W2TXB

Neat! I can hear various stations but cannot transmit ("No FreeDV slice." appears in the FreeDV window. I suspect there is something I forgot to do in DAX or something.

Dan -- KC4GO

Turn off the Binaural Audio that will give you both speakers

Steve-N5AC

You must have the mode set to FDV in SmartSDR.  This is what the Windows applet looks for in the API.  Then you'd also have to have transmit enabled for the slice by pressing the TX button on the slice flag.

KD4Y

Just a note, using FDV with no issues at the moment. Several contacts in the log.