Anyone using Simon Brown's SDR Console with DAX I/Q?

Barry N1EU

I'm not even sure it's possible, but is anyone out there using Simon Brown's SDR Console software with Flex 6K DAX I/Q as the input source?  I'd like to use its data record/play functionality.

http://sdr-radio.com/Portals/2/Images/Console/Screenshot-2015-04-09-181410.png

73, Barry N1EU

Jim Gilliam

Hi, Barry!

I second that..think it's a terrific idea.

Jim, K6QE

Barry N1EU

I'm looking through the SDR Console documentation and it doesn't look like it will support a raw I/Q stream.  So I think HDSDR or SDR Sharp may be better options.  I played with HDSDR a bit but was unable to get a CAT connection to work.  I guess I need to go back and work on it some more.  It would be nice if someone made a step-by-step guide to configure some flavor of I/Q recorder that will work with Flex 6K.

There's some info on using HDSDR in this conversation:  https://community.flexradio.com/flexradio/topics/digital-i-q-apps

(update) Evidently you can't get HDSDR to automatically track the Flex 6K frequency. 

PowerSDR/IF might be another good option.

DH2ID

Also here: https://community.flexradio.com/flexradio/topics/who-has-played-around-feeding-a-dax-iq-output-into-...

Barry N1EU

Alex, can you possibly provide updated instructions on getting HDSDR to display the correct frequency alongside SSDR v1.6?

Thanks, Barry N1EU

DH2ID

No, Barry, I'm sorry. I had it working before, but I have changed my system,
and I'm not using OmniRig anymore, as CW Skimmer works with SDRBridge
now.

For recording purposes I use either CW Skimmer to record I/Q or Audacity
to record slice audio wav files.

I've had no luck yet with other programs. HDSDR displays and records, but
CAT does not work since I updated to 1.6.21

I'm also very interested to know if someone has written a working
ExtIO_HamLib.cfg to get HDSDR to run with ExtIO_HamLib.dll !!!

You can download hamlib here: http://www.hdsdr.de/hardware.html

Alex - DH2ID

Barry N1EU

It looks like PowerSDR-IF Stage is not an option since it lacks a built-in I/Q recorder.

N9VC

Hi Barry,

I have SDR console running from the IQ data stream of the Flex.
Under the home page of SDR console. I chose the Softrock Xtal
and typed in some 75 meter freq. Then choose your soundcard.
I had enabled DAX IQ stream channel 1. Choose your sample rate
and then in the definitions of SDR console where you choose
the radio, under soundcard, choose DAX IQ RX 1 and same sample
rate. Choose start and then go. The freq display can be matched
by looking at the large panadaptor which occupies the lower
half. At the top. Click on frequency. It opens a window where
you can choose your band. Then referencing the Flex freq. At the
bottom of SDR console you can slide the freq to match the Flex,
or at least, real close.
Not the slickest, but it works here. And if necessary, I can send
snapshots of the screens to your email.
I have not tried to record yet, but just did this in the last
hour and believe this should work as it is streaming the Flex
IQ channel.

73, Jim N9VC

Barry N1EU

Thanks Jim!  I've been able to quickly get this up and running thanks to your directions.  Just starting to play with it.  I'd like to find out how to reliably align the frequencies and calibrate amplitudes.

I've been able to make I/Q recordings but not sure about playing them back.  The software seems amazingly comprehensive though.  Actually, I'm quite impressed - Simon Brown has worked some incredible magic here.

N9VC

Hi Again,

Glad you have it running. At the top where you see
Home, DSP, Display, etc, click on display and and
below in the view pane, click on DATA(IQ)Recordings
and you should be able to click on playback and
have a window open to choose and play your recording.

73, Jim N9VC

N9VC

Hi Barry,

When you have your recording. To play it back
go up to the HOME tab and click Stop (Radio),
then when you have the data playback open,
the controls will be there to enable playback.

73, Jim N9VC

Barry N1EU

Very cool Jim, I simply had to stop the "radio" to enable IQ playback. 

How does one know what segment of spectrum is sent from SSDR via DAX I/Q?

I see that if I click on the SSDR panadapter and drag it right and left in frequency, this dragging the spectrum is mirrored in my SDRC panadapter.

I sure wish there was a way to automagically link the frequency calibration in SDR Console to SSDR,  

I encourage everyone to play with SDR Console and see how cool it is and how functional the IQ Recorder can be.

73, Barry N1EU

EA4GLI

Info is on SmartSDR DAX



That is the center of the IQ Stream. So in that case it will be 96 down and 96 up from that frequency.
At least that is how I understand it.

It doesn't matter if you have a slice receiver open because you send the IQ from the panadapter. Which means that you can have 4 slice receivers and 4 IQ streams and potentially listen to 8 frequencies in a 6500, 4 on a 6300 and 12 on a 6700.

If you can listen to several segments of the IQ stream with SDR Console or any other program you could potentially listen to 20 different signals simultaneously.

Pretty cool.

EA4GLI

The possibility of using the IQ stream externally to listen is really cool with the 6300. You could set a panadapter in 40m with no slice receivers sending an IQ stream to listen to a net. And then have your other panadapter in 20m working split with 1 panadapter and 2 slice receivers. Or open up the panadapter with the slice receivers, listen in 15m and 20m on the same panadapter, have the center IQ stream send a 17m stream to an external program and have the second panadapter opened in 40m or 80m. It makes it a 4 receiver device.

Barry N1EU

Thanks Sal!

Simon Brown is a very busy man, but there's a chance he will implement native support for Flex DAX I/Q in a future release of SDR Console.

This software has the best DSP NR implementation that I've ever heard.

Barry N1EU

I'm finding that the SDR Console frequency display is always 10KHz low compared to the true SSDR frequency.  No big deal, but it would be nice to get that sorted.  I'd like to eventually use SDR Console as my IQ recorder.

EA4GLI

Any progress anyone on being able to record the IQ signal?
I was recently having a conversation with a colleague that will be monitoring a contest and they want to record the whole IQ for the weekend. It just sucks that I have a 6700 with GPSDO that could provide an accurate timestamp and an IQ output of the whole band and I have no way of doing this.

Some programs allow me to record the DAX IQ but no timestamp or anything like that.