DAX and SmartCAT for Mac OS X?

Jay -- N0FB

Hello.  My question is simple.  Is there any interest by Flex Radio in writing a version of DAX and SmartCAT for the Mac OS?  

For those operating on the Mac and find that having this functionality would be a major satisfier add your comments.

Michael Coslo

I'd pay for a Mac Version! Hundreds, I'd pay. The only reason I run any Windows software at all is to use SmartSDR. So It's not like I didn't have ot pay for the Windows OS.

George KF2T

DogPark SDR for Mac rocks, has rig control (interfaces nicely with logger, WSJT-X, too). DAX on a Mac would be the piece that makes it perfect!

Jay -- N0FB

I do a lot of PSK and would like to use FLDIGI.  That is where both my needs lie for DAX and SmartCAT.

George KF2T

That would be a great thing to have, Jay. Too bad FLDIGI doesn't seem to talk to our radios via LAN. Probably a matter of time. Soon, I hope!

K0GGC

Jay,

I would love for DAX and SmartCat on OS X. SSDR would be great as well. I only have Apple computers and devices, so running Parallels just to run windows is a pain.

I tried DogparkSDR but it won't work for me on my mac pro. No sound and crashes when I try to turn it on in the settings. I have already communicated this issue to the author but he doesn't know why it does this on some macs. Just unlucky I guess. I also don't like the pan adapter display and control. The thin line for the receive and transmit bandwidth instead of a shadowed area is more difficult to adjust and for some reason I always accidentally trigger split mode when I try to change frequencies by direct typing.

George KF2T

Have you tried the latest beta? Shadowed area and improved performance. I'm also running a Mac Pro (2010) - would you like to compare notes?

Jay -- N0FB

I'd also be happy to compare notes on settings.  I'm running a MacBook Pro (P7) and also an iMac 27" (P7).  Other than Global Profiles getting blown constantly and the default global profile becomes missing, I'm a pretty happy camper.

K6OZY

Remember to click "+Me Too" in the upper right corner to give useable feedback to FRS on ideas and questions.

I would love a DAX-like solution for OS X.  I'm sure this void will be filled sooner or later.... I hope..

Jay -- N0FB

George, how are you getting WSJT-X to work?

George KF2T

JT Bridge application does the connecting between MacLoggerDX and WSJTX by creating a compatible control stream that looks like DX Labs. Very slick.

Joe, KQ1Q

I run SmartSDR, SmartCAT and DAX on my Mac via Parallels Desktop. Of course it actually requires a copy of Windows but it runs in a window on the Mac OS X desktop. Winlink RMSExpress also works fine.

Jay -- N0FB

How do you get audio from the 6000 to WSJTX?

George KF2T

Signalink. When modified, they do an excellent job. Not quite DAX, but fine for me.

Jay -- N0FB

Oh...Ok.   That won't work for me as my flex is down in the shack (which I hardly ever occupy now), and I do most of my work from my Mac Laptop elsewhere in the house.
Which is why I need DAX and SmartCat for OS X.   ;-)

George KF2T

Jay, for those circumstances, you could build a "null modem" audio card (USB dongle) to bridge the gap. Use the Remote Audio functionality and you're in business. Not nearly as good as DAX, but okay in a pinch. I 100% agree your solution (DAX/CAT) is the right answer. I think there are some device issues in OSX that make it tricky, though. Can only hope that somewhere, someone smart is on the case!

Tim - W4TME

Interest?  Yes.  But we have an interest in doing a lot of things, but we can't do them all at once.  Unfortunately I suspect this is a project that will not get our attention for the foreseeable future.  This is probably a job for Dogpark as a companion app to the DogparkSDR product.

Jay -- N0FB

Thanks Tim for the answer....not the answer that I was hoping for, but an answer none-the-less.   
Does DAX and SmartCAT have the same API hooks available to developers as SmartSDR does or will Don have to "Roll His Own"?

Peter K1PGV

SSDR doesn't really have any app hooks, per se.  But there IS a published reference interface called FlexLib that applications can use to talk to the radio.

CAT and DAX are just applications.

CAT is an application (the source for which is provided by Flex) that serves as the interface between a virtual serial port and the radio.  It talks to the radio using FlexLib.

Similarly, DAX is an application (no source provided for this one) that interfaces between the radio and a series of virtual AUDIO ports. I *assume* that it ALSO talks to the radio using either FlexLib or its underlying Ethernet protocol.  I don't know which, never having seen the source, and never having explored the audio features of FlexLib.

Thus to make your own DAX or CAT on a non-Windows platform, you'd need to make (or license) the equivalent of "virtual audio devices" and "virtual serial port devices" on that platform (however you do that)... and then write the app that interfaces between those devices and the radio. I have no idea how complex the job of creating any of these virtual devices would be on a non-Windows system.  Maybe such things are as widely available for the MAC as they are for Windows, eliminating the need to write your own?

Peter
K1PGV

Tim - W4TME

Peter is 100% correct.

John WA7UAR

Cross posting this update: Mario - DL3LSM 30 Posts 8 Reply Likes There are now new versions of xDAX and xCAT available which support SmartSDR 2.0. See here: http://dl3lsm.blogspot.de/ Thanks and 73 Mario, DL3LSM

Mario_DL3LSM

Cross posting:

Hi all,

there are now new versions of xDAX and xCAT (both version 0.9) available. xDAX has IQ streams now and xCAT supports the Spectrum Display commands. There is also a simple Spectrum Display application (xmlScope) which uses this data.

For more information see here: http://dl3lsm.blogspot.de/

Thanks and 73
Mario, DL3LSM