Can Button disable RCA TX1, 2 & 3

Norm - W7CK

When pressing the Tune button in SmartSDR it would be nice to disable the RCA TX1, 2 and 3 ports.  This way the amplifier does not key up pressing the Tune button.

Can this be done with current sw version?

Steve N4LQ

Great idea. I've slammed my amp a few times by doing just that. 

Jay Nation

Norm
Can this be done with current sw version? 
No.
However, DDUtil's Tune Detect could add a macro to do that.
No need to be without that feature. Or wait for it, either.
73, Jay - NO5J  

Peter

Surely switching the amp to standby would have the same effect. Tx1 2 & 3 aren't just used for keying amps.

K9DUR

Switch the amp to standby. Many of us have tube amps & need to use the tune function to tune the amp (into a dummy load, of course). -- 73, Ray, K9DUR

Jay Nation

Sorry Norm, A full explanation of what I was suggesting.

The DDUtil DDAD auto-drive macro command will enable and disable auto-drive. When you setup auto-drive to control the RF output from SmartSDR, (even if the output level is always intended to be the same level), auto-drive will also enable and disable TX1,2,3 when it's enabled/disabled. DDAD1; will enable auto-drive and TX1,2,3 and DDAD0; will disable auto-drive and TX1,2,3. placing those two strings into {for example} macro buttons 45 and 46 (which were unused in my macro buttons tab), and the setting 45 and 46 into the Tune Detect macro selections, should result in what your trying to do. Click Tune button and TX1,2,3, are first disabled with the result being you amp never see's the radio key up. when you click Tune the second time it will renable TX1,2,3 and your amp will be keyed as usual, It really just allows Tune to toggle autodrive on and off. You can then regulate your Tune Power level in SmartSDR Radio Setup > TX tab > Tune Power.
You can set auto-drive with whatever level your amp needs for the output your trying to acheive. and autodrive will set that level whenever autodrive is in operate, and then you can manually set RF output for barefoot operation with autodrive in Standby mode. You won't need to set Operate/Standby manually on the amp. Wow that's a horrible description of something that will seem perfectly obvious once you set it up. Which is why I didn't put it in my first post. the main things you need to study in the DDUtil Wiki documentation are Tune Detect, Auto-Drive, and Macros. It's really pretty simple. but not so simple to explain, for me at least. I'm willing to try explaining this again, hopefully better.
Just ask and I'll create something that explains more about what and why, and provides a step by step method to achieve that Tune button behavior using DDUtil. I will edit it and post it complete not peice meal as I did here as I remember forgotten details.  

73, Jay - NO5J

Peter

Fair enough Ray, but just because some people use tube amps you can't remove a facility that others use for dfferent things. There is a way you can do what you want in the software, just set up a Transmit profile called "Tune Amp" set all the Tx lines to off and the tune botton power slider to the required power level, save the profile. Then when you want to tune your amp just select Tune Amp from the drop down menu. All the tx lines should be off, when you have finished tuning, select your desired Tx profile and away you go. Four mouse clicks in all.

Jay Nation

Peter 
Thanks for helping me to see outside my box. I'm going to try operating this way for a while, it might even be easier than explaining my way. Easier is better.
My way would be easier if only I could specify a prerequisite.
Prerequisite: First really learn DDUtil.
Step 1. Set it up correctly.
Step 2. Go back to Step 1. and try harder, after fully complying with that prerequisite.
Step 3. You will likely never need this step. If you think you do, start over with step 1.
Step 4. There isn't a step 4, your either cheating, or you skipped a step. Go back to step 1.  

 I really like DDUtil, and just don't understand the reluctance some folks seem to have with using it. But I'm willing to help them get past that.
73, Jay - NO5J

WA6FXT Mike

I would prefer that use of the Amp's standby switch be used as there Times when I do want the Amp to activate when I press time.

Norm - W7CK

Thanks for the response Jay.  I've actually been using DDUtil for about a month now.  I've written a few macros and have had fairly good luck using Auto-Drive.  I love the feature.  Regulates maximum power into the amp when in OPR mode and then when switched to STBY, I've set it up to output the full 100 watts.  Works Great!

I have not been able to get the The Click Tune button to work using the DDAD0 and DDAD1 commands but along those same lines I wrote a macro to disable the RCA TX1 port and then enable it again after the Tune.

I ran into a problem though.  It seems I may have to force a short delay between the RCA TX1 OFF command and the Tune.   It actually starts the tune process then the rig finally gets the off command but is already in transmit by that time.

Is there a delay command I can add to the macro?

Jay Nation

Norm
I goofed!

I will need to retract some of this. Steve Nance K5FR, has pointed out that DDAD will not do what I thought it did. Scrap that macro command and use the correct one that he suggests DD6TXL which works with the 6XXX model. From the documentation for DDUtil, something I should have reviewed a little more,

DD6TXL TX Lines On/Off

Form: DD6TXL P1 P2 P3 ;

Parm: P1 = TX line to set (0-3) 0=TX1, 1=TX2, 2=TX3, 3=TX Accessory

Parm: P2 = Separator (1 char {':' recommended})

Parm: P3 = Enabled/Disabled {0|1} 0 = Off, 1 = On

Uses: DD6TXL0:1; Sets TX Line "1" to Enabled

 

DD6TTP TX Tune Power Level Set

 Form: DD6TTP P1 ;

Parm: P1 = TX Power value to set (3 numeric chars 000-100)

Uses: DD6TTP050; sets the TX Tune Power to 50 watts

If your wanting to disable TX1 and use 10w for tuning you could set macro 45 to  DD6TXL0:0;DD6TTL010; and macro 46 to DD6TXL0:1;
the still set macros 45 and 46 as the macros for Tune Detect  and then enable Tune Detect. The 45 macro will disable the TX1 relay and also correct Tune power to 10w, which might be a better setting than the one you left the slider set to. macro 46 will renable TX1. This will work without toggleing  Auto-Drive or needing too. you can combine command strings If you need to disable and enable more than just one of the TX relays, to avoid keying other equipment that may be connected to the other relays. 

I like Steve's Correct method better!

73, Jay - NO5J

Jay Nation

And yeah My face is red with embarrassment, as it often is.
73, Jay - NO5J

Norm - W7CK

Well, it appears there are a few different ways to tackle this one.   I just realized that I can create a macro in DDUtil to tune while disabling the amp using this command DD6TXL0:0;DD6TXT1;  Then turn the Tune back off using DD6TXT0;DD6TXL0:1;  Its not very elegant, but it does work.  With this macro, if you press the associated Function Keys you can tune without keying the amp.  If you press the Tune button from within SmartSDR, the amp will key.

For my type of operating, I'd really rather turn off ALL of the Tx lines when I press the Tune button from within SmartSDR.  I was able to do this with the following command DD6TXL0:0;DD6TXL1:0;DD6TXL2:0;DDLY3000;

Thanks to everyone who responded....

Tim Lacy

Perfect.  In a perfect world, however, we would have buttons called Tune Amp and Tune Antenna.  Meanwhile, this macro does the trick.

Jerry NY2KW

This thread ended 2 years ago without an SDR software solution.  Has anything changed?  It would be great to have an SmartSDR software solution to not activate amp relay when tuning.  My remote tuner doesn't like to tune up with more than 10-15W and if my Amp is not in Standby - things can get very dicey.  It seems very odd that such a sophisticated rig like the 6700 doesn't have an option to disable Amp relay in Tune mode.

David Decoons, wo2x

Using DDUtil you can do this by enabling the Auto Drive feature or by using macro buttons in DUtil.

I am using a Genovation keypad with DDUtil. I have two buttons programmed with stacked macros. First one disables TX1, sets tune power to 25 watts, and keys radio in tune. Second dekeys radio and reenables TX1.

Another easier way of doing this with DDUtil is to use the AutoDrive feature. This will set your proper drive level per band to drive the amp and when you toggle the operate/standby button on the main DDUtil screen it will toggle between 100 watts and TX 1 disable (or 2 see below) when in standby or proper drive power and TX 1 enabled when set to operate.

In Auto Drive you can set up two different amps. Amp 1 uses TX1 and amp 2 uses TX2 output. Or you can elect to use single key line which would be TX1.

More info on the DDUtil wiki

Dave wo2x