SmartSDR for Windows,SmartSDR CAT, PowerSDR, & FLEX RADIO 1500

Don Hamrick

KI5SS: Age 60. Former Coast Guard radioman (morse code and radio teletype era) (74-81). I was a merchant **** 1988-2007. I just bought the Flex Radio 1500 a couple of weeks ago. This is my first time with SDR. I am setting it up on my laptop. Purchasing all the parts not completed yet. I am still off-air. I am in the early stage of the learning curve with Flex Radio 1500 & accessories. QUESTIONS: Is the SmartSDR & CAT suitable for Flex Radio 1500? What is the different between PowerSDR and SmartSDR? I have Ham Radio Deluxe (trial version) and Virtual Audio Cable installed on my laptop. Setting it all up will be like walking through a forest of unknowns. But it will be fun learning it all. Are there other recommended programs that run simultaneous with the Flex Radio 1500? I am searching Google and YouTube for tutorials to get me up and running in the education department. Email: ki5ss@yahoo.com.

dlwarnberg

I believe with the FLEX-1500 you will be using PowerSDR, not SmartSDR... SmartSDR is for the FLEX-6XXX series radio's.. second I would recommend you download the documentation for the SmartSDR software and read through it.. that will get you started.  Anything further then that I can not help you as I have no experience with that radio or software...

Sorry and good luck

KF4HR

David is correct.  Power SDR software is for the Flex 1500, 3000, and 5000 models.  SmartSDR is for the 6x00 series.  You should be able to download instructional information on the PowerSDR software for your 1500. 

KF4HR

Information can be downloaded here: http://www.flexradio.com/support/downloads/

Norm - W7CK

Don.

The age here is 62.  I was also a Radioman for the USCG.  I served from 1976-1982.  Between 1976-1978 I was between NMA Radio Station Miami and TAD on the USCG Cutter Diligence out of Key West.  In 1979 I got transferred up to Juneau, Alaska and stayed in the CG until 1982. I ended up staying in Juneau for a little over 30 years and finally left in 2008.  While in Florida my call was WD4FWJ, KL7RS in Alaska and now W7CK here in Arizona.

Welcome to the Flex Community.  You'll have lots of fun with your 1500.....

Norm - W7CK.

Don Hamrick

Great to hear from you.

i got my radioman training at USCG Radioman School in Petaluma, CA in 75. Because I graduated from radioman school with a morse code speed of 22 WPM and almost reaching 25WPM I was sent to USCG Communications Station (NMO) in Wahiawa, HI (76-78). I was then sent to the USCGC Vigorous (78-81), homeported at New London, CT, same place as the USCG Academy. On one 30-day patrol we patroled the waters between Key West and Cuba during the Cuban Exodus (Mariel Boat Lift) when Carter was President

Another time we were patrolling off the NC coast chasing a sport fishing boat with another Coast Guard Cutter (Dauntless? Diligence? Decisive? It might have been the Dilligence. Can't remember which now). We sandwiched him between us. He saw he was trapped. He thought he could escape us by slamming into our hull then slamming into the other cutter. Bad choices. Our captain told the boatswain to engage the firehouse on the sport fishing boat and knock him off the driver's seat which he did.

Don - KI5SS

KD7YDW

Like you I'm off-air waiting for my antenna to be made so i have been spending a lot of time getting the software setup.  

PowerSDR can only communicate with one program at a time: like WSJT-X and WSPR.  You would have to change settings to jump from one to another.

Program DDUtil by K5FR is made just for Flex radios.  Set it up via CAT to your radio and then connect all your other CAT programs to DDUtil.  Below is what I have setup and working.

KD3VK Ken

Well, I almost blew over this thread because I thought it was only about power SDR in the earlier radios, and since I have a 6000 series using SmartSDR I thought there wasn't anything in it for me. Luckily I followed it further and see that the drawing by KD7YDW helped me a lot with my confusion about DDUtil and CAT. I've been trying to follow all of the threads in the community just to get better a understanding as I get closer and closer to implementing a remote station. KD7YDW's drawing has been a big help to bring me around to the understanding that DDutil is just a software application that manages Comm ports in between the various additional support utilities that we use. Now I'm beginning to understand the reason for these parings of Comm ports, such as 3 and 13, 7 and 17, etc. I simply did not understand the what or why for DDUtil. So, before I move on and start to try to figure out the same stuff about DAX functionality, I have a couple questions I hope someone could help me with. First, even though his drawing is about PowerSDR, I want to verify that the basic functionality shown applies to SmartSDR as well? Are there any notable exceptions? It certainly was a big help in putting several of the pieces together in my mind. Second, where is the 'idiot's guide' documentation that I have obviously missed explaining what, why and where for CAT & DDUtil. Because I often need a graphical diagram to understand some of these concepts, I will kick myself if there turns out to be a pre-existing drawing like this somewhere for CAT in SmartSDR. If so, I clearly missed it. (Before anyone flames me, yes I have tried to read the flex documentation for CAT. It's still just escapes me. Hence the desire for the idiots guide.) I realize the DDUtil is not a Flex product so I'm asking if anyone is aware of such a guide for it. I guess I'm also curious why, if such an important product or utility is needed, that it is not from Flex? Or did I miss something here? I guess while I'm at it I'll also ask if there is something similar in the form of an idiot's guide for DAX? I try to follow all the dialogs on the DAX subject/problems. I've also tried to read the Flex documentation on the subject but it goes right over my head. So, since DAX seems to be such a complex subject, if there is some document & diagram that ties it all together at a high level for DAX too, I sure want to find it. Thanks for any help or directions any of you can give me. 73

Walt - KZ1F

FB on that!

Don Hamrick

The same conceptual question for me with Flex 1500, PowerSDR, and (1) Ham Radio Deluxe; (2) Fldigi; (3) RMS Express; (4) MultiPSK; and (5) TrueTTY; (6) DXLab Suites; and (7) W1HKJ's software in relation to Data Decode Utility (DDUtiil) and CAT. What is CAT? (ANSWERED: http://k5fr.com/DDUtilV3wiki/index.php?title=Design and http://k5fr.com/DDUtilV3wiki/index.php?title=CAT and block diagram: http://k5fr.com/ddutilwiki/images/DDUtilFlow.pdf) I am facing a massive configuration job with these programs after March 1 when I complete my purchase plan for the remaining Flex 1500 accessories: headset, footswitch, antenna, power supply, etc. Block diagrams done in Microsoft Visio would be extremely helpful for us all.

I just now downloaded and installed DDUtil on my laptop. I am another step closer to being fully ready and capable for the configuration stage of all the programs I have on my laptop!

KD7YDW

I'm glad I was able to help in some way. Last two months I have been trying to get what is in the drawing to sink in to a better under standing.  I'm still working on it.  Whats funny/sad is I found the DDutil app only a few weeks ago. What other programs might I be missing?

KD7YDW

Here is the link to the Visio file: 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6bakee8bAukeWxrVzVTVUpJTHM/view?usp=sharing

KD7YDW

Everything WAS working.  Shot story: Make manual restore points with meaningful names of your computer as you get programs working.  I didn't.  I tried to do something with an SDR receive only radio and now one of the apps for the Flex has stopped working and I can't get  it to work again. 

Walt - KZ1F

Very impressive graphics Bob!