Thought I would play with the new Remote Feature

DV

Is there a download link for a 1.4++ manual with instructions for the new built-in LAN remote feature? Can't find it on the Flex site.

Jim Gilliam

I have found it strange they don't list an operation manual along with the software. My manual popped up after I downloaded SmartSDR.

Greg - K5GJ

Doug - The manual is located here in the documentation section of the website:

http://www.flexradio.com/downloads/smartsdr-software-users-guide-pdf/

Super easy to implement remote.  Just click the button in the upper right and sound should play out the speakers on your PC.

Have fun.
73, Greg - K5GJ

Walt - KZ1F

it is also located in the doc folder under FlexRadio in your Program Files, not sure if it is under 86 or the default folder. Pretty sure that's where I've found it.

DV

Greg, thanks for the link.  That worked well.  For some reason, my FlexRadio systems folder under Program Files PowerSDR 1.411 did not contain any documentation.  My install has nothing located in the Program Files X(86) folder.

Ernest

I downloaded the "SmartSDR Software user Manual v1.4.11. It's  160 pages long. However, on Chapter 15 page 52  contains documentation for the LAN control. 
Is this the documentation?

DV

Yes, page 52 of the latest manual.  Greg provided the link above.

DrTeeth

The full manual is the only thing, documentation-wise, that does not seem to beincluded in the install.

DV

Interesting.  For audio to and from the radio over LAN the new REMOTE feature works nicely and I praise Flex for adding it.  However, it lacks a method to key my amplifier, which requires PTT and it needs to be able to do CW. For those reasons, I will continue to use VNC, (and Skype) which, on my system, introduces almost too much screen latency, even when I use a local LAN I.P.  Although, I still can't do CW, using VNC my amplifier will get its PTT signal and work with the Flex. It will be interesting to see how, or if, Flex will conquer these issues in new WAN releases.  Has anyone on this list been able to come up with an idea for using the REMOTE feature and key PTT?

KY6LA_Howard

I don't ever work CW but remote works great with SSB/VOX and digital

W9OY

Make sure the PTT line is turned on in the remote copy of SSDR.  I have no trouble keying my amp.  For CW I use CWX.  Here is a blog post which includes a CW contact on video

http://sdr-w9oy.blogspot.com/2015/06/cw-remote-lan.html

73  W9OY

DV

All four of the PTT lines in the Setup are "enabled"... still will not key my 1K FA amp on transmit from the remote. Not sure why.

DV

Looking deeper at this issue, I see that the amp "is" keying from the remote laptop; just that there's no drive R.F. coming from the radio when the REMOTE is in use.  When I talk into the remote mic and push the MOX button, I see a good audio indication on the panadapter, but the audio meter shows a low audio level.  The R.F. meter moves slightly when I talk loudly. I'm also seeing a weak WiFi connection that comes and goes.  The remote lap top is 5 feet from the router, and normally has all green bars showing. Think I'll give it a rest tonight and 'play' around tomorrow.

Joe, KQ1Q

A common cause of this is leaving "mic" selected on the SSDR interface vs "PC". Also the default audio input device in Windows should be your remote mic, and the mic input level in Windows should be adjusted properly. On the Windows desktop, right click on the speaker at the bottom right of the system tray, select "recording devices", and select or verify the appropriate settings.

DV

Joe, thanks for the pointers. I did have the PC turned on as the mic source. The input device was selected properly as my headset microphone, however, I noticed that the green level bar wasn't moving much.  I went into the "levels" tab and had to turn it all the way up to get my USB headset mic to have enough level to key the amplifier.  Seeing what I thought was  good level on the panadapter was what had me fooled. Now I have the problem of controlling the input power from the radio into the FA-1k amp.  The API in the amp uses CAT from the main computer to change the radio's output level for each band to achieve the proper drive.  Since the REMOTE laptop has no access to the CAT port at the radio side, the drive level cannot be controlled which means a possible overdrive situation.  I will have to remember to adjust the power level manually for each band to feel comfortable using the amp with the REMOTE function. Perhaps there is a solution to this somewhere.

KY6LA_Howard

Simple Solution I use DDUTIL Autodrive which runs all the time on my LOCAL computer to control Drive Levels by Band Data to my 2K-FA Even when running from a REMOTE, DDUTIL still tracks the band data on the local computer so it controls power input to my amp.

DV

Howard, thanks for the input. I have turned on DDUTIL 3 on the local computer. I find it also requires CAT to be on the local computer.  Now, when operating REMOTE, I am able to use the API on the 1K FA amplifier to adjust the driver power from the radio, to change bands and to key up the amplifier.  It all works.  If I add another DDUTIL to the REMOTE laptop, I can run the HRD logging program and if I select a station on a different frequency or band from the DX cluster spotter, it will change the band and frequency on the radio and the amplifier.  That's nice.

Part of my problem with low audio on the REMOTE seems to be some kind of bug in SSRD.  I have plenty of audio on the level bar graph in the computer's "Recording devices", but when SSRD is turned on, the audio from my USB headset mic takes a big dip, as if the SSRD program is loading down the USB mic channel in the computer.  With all level controls turned up, there is not enough audio to achieve a decent SSB output. My work around was to use a (not as nice and older)  headset which plugs directly into the computer's audio and microphone jacks and that solved the problem.

The only thing missing now, and apparently not solvable at this point without using VNC, is the rotator function in HRD, which does not work. My computer controlled rotator requires a port from the local computer and apparently the DDUTILs running on both machines do not forward the rotator commands, so I can't turn my rotator from the REMOTE. Unfortunately, I have a high gain 11 element log periodic which usually needs to be pointed at the station I'm working.  

Joe, KQ1Q

I also have had various problems with insufficient AF level from USB and Bluetooth mics when using SSDR. That is with every level control within the OS turned up full. However I usually use the wired mic so I haven't prioritized pursuing it. Also the USB/Bluetooth AF level issues are spread across various mics and platforms (Windows, OS X, Windows on OS X via Parallels, etc) so I'd first have to separate out the device vs the OS platform from the problem. I just haven't had time but there is definitely an issue there, I just don't know whether it's within SSDR or external to that.

KY6LA_Howard

I actually control my rotor remotely via DDUTIL but. I cheat by using Parallels Access to emulate the Local Computer remotely via my iPad. So I have not really tried to work the rotor directly

I am at the apartment in Paris and not in La Jolla where I have multiple local computers so it would take me some time set up a dup of your configuration

Perhaps it would be much faster if you pose the rotor issue to Steve K5FR on the DDUTIL reflector. He is great at fixing things.

Larry _ NY8T

I use DDUTIL 3 on my local computer and mini deluxe on my remote computers to serve the HRD programs.