Can I get best of both worlds...Maestro and CW Skimmer, N1MM+ ??

Paul Bradbeer

Based on the premise that there's no such thing as a **** question: 

I'm almost in awe of how well my 6500 works with CW Skimmer and N1MM+ ; it is a true revelation for me.  However, I'm keen to use my Maestro (ok FRS...let go...let me have it....) but I don't want to lose the tight integration with CW Skimmer and N1MM+.  Is there/will there be a way of using both?

Thanks

Paul M0CVX, and ex-AC5NO ;-)

KY6LA_Howard

Yes That is how Maestro is intended to be used. And has already used both in contests

Paul Bradbeer

Thanks for the reply, Howard. The bit I'm confused about is how the DAX will work...as I understand it at the moment, there is 'virtual' communication inside my pc between CW Skimmer and Smart SDR, but with the Maestro there will be no SSDR, so how does the 6500 or Maestro communicate with CW Skimmer? Cheers Paul

KY6LA_Howard

You will likely always need a computer to run CWSkimmer. DAx will reside on that computer and communicate with your radio. DAX is a separate service from SSDR

Al_NN4ZZ

Hi Howard,
Does this diagram look like it represents the setup for a CW OP to use Maestro remotely with a paddle and CW Skimmer?  Note it assumes there is a PC also in the shack for DDUtil and the user is remote via the WAN ( i.e. version 2.x)

• PC at the shack
• Laptop on the road
• Maestro

 Regards, Al / NN4ZZ  
al (at) nn4zz (dot) com
6700 - HW.................... V 1.6.21.77
SSDR / DAX / CAT...... V 1.6.21.159
Win10

Walt - KZ1F

Did you forget to add the 8yr old chant, "Na Na NE Na Na"? ;-)

KY6LA_Howard

Looks OK

Gary Shriver

No expert here , but I don't think so. I asked Flex once if we could use both the computer and Maestro at the same time for duel monitors. They said no. Not at the same time. The Maestro is the computer that runs the software . So unless you can get CW Skimmer to run on the Maestro, it don't think it is going to work.

KY6LA_Howard

It works ok already you just can't get two GUI clients to work at the same time. Now.

KY6LA_Howard

CWSkimmer runs on the PC. Not on Maestro.

Walt - KZ1F

I think you're close Gary. One can not have multiple client GUI apps running so where dax is owned by the pan, I don't believe daxiq is. I could be wrong. But it may be SDR bridge, a non client GUI, can instantiate a daxiq so one would not need ssdr running in conjunction with Maestro. Although I have always started daxiq1 via ssdr. I never tried it with out starting it first via ssdr.

Al_NN4ZZ

Another option would be to connect the paddle and FlexControl  to the laptop and run SSDR, CW Skimmer and any other logger, etc.    For CW OPs this might be a simpler setup and only 1 device to carry. 

Steve H said paddle support for a laptop was coming ..... see this thread.

https://community.flexradio.com/flexradio/topics/remote_is_cw_via_a_paddle_in_scope_for_the_remote_e...


Regards, Al / NN4ZZ  
al (at) nn4zz (dot) com
6700 - HW.................... V 1.6.21.77
SSDR / DAX / CAT...... V 1.6.21.159
Win10

KY6LA_Howard

Neither is directly attached to the GUI. Think of the radio as a server and DAX as audio clients. The GUI is only used to select frequency. Of the audio clients.

KY6LA_Howard

Neither is directly attached to the GUI. Think of the radio as a server and DAX as audio clients. The GUI is only used to select frequency. Of the audio clients.

Walt - KZ1F

Select Frequency and slice specific dax channel. Where a std dax is unique to a slice and the slice is unique to a pan.... On the other hand daxiq is not unique to a slice and is instantiated by the radio so, so long as your app, can instantiate a radio object it can create a DAXIQ channel, which is what cw skimmer ultimately uses.

Paul Bradbeer

Al, the whole point of my question is that I want to be running the Maestro - not SSDR. Paul

Gerald-K5SDR

You do not run SSDR when you are running Maestro.  DAX and CAT run as independent clients on the same PC with Skimmer and N1MM+.  They talk directly to the radio, which is the server.  Maestro talks independently to the radio server as well.  The radio is a server and everything else is a client.

Al_NN4ZZ

Yes, it would be nice and better to just use Maestro and have a CW Skimmer display on the screen. But it looks like you will have to carry a laptop and Maestro if you want CWS.  (or just use a laptop, which was just another option to consider).  

Regards, Al / NN4ZZ  
al (at) nn4zz (dot) com
6700 - HW.................... V 1.6.21.77
SSDR / DAX / CAT...... V 1.6.21.159
Win10

Paul Bradbeer

Thanks, Gerald!

Walt - KZ1F

Al: I tried to run SSDR and SDRBridge AND CWSkimmer on a 15" laptop and the results were embarrassing. You need ALOT of real estate for CW Skimmer and SSDR. A 15" monitor was too small, an 8" one would be impossible.

Al_NN4ZZ

Hi Walt, That's a very good point. And Perhaps why a large screen laptop running SSDR and those other programs could be a better choice for a CW op that also want CWS. Of course the paddle on a laptop enhancement would be needed. The Maestro screen is probably not large enough for CWS to coexist even if they decided to implement it. This is not to say Maestro wont be a good CW machine .....just not right for also running the other supporting programs. ( CWS, loggers, etc) Regards, Al / NN4ZZ

KY6LA_Howard

Maestro is intended to be a GUI control surface for the 6000 series. It does not have the internal horsepower to run loggers, CWSkimmer, etc. You need an external PC. To run those.

Walt - KZ1F

I question that Al. If for no other reason than network latency. But, until people get actual operating experience using Maestro, any comments would be pure speculation.

Al_NN4ZZ

Agree Walt,  that is why I used  "could"  and  "perhaps."    

A lot will depend on how the OP would like to operate CW remote as well as the limitations of the hardware and network performance.    Most of the time I just run 2 slices on 1 panadapter and CWS using a mixture of CWX and paddle keying.    But that's just me, YMMV.

Time will tell.....and in the mean time the hardware and network speeds  keep getting faster.   

Regards, Al / NN4ZZ  
al (at) nn4zz (dot) com
6700 - HW.................... V 1.6.21.77
SSDR / DAX / CAT...... V 1.6.21.159
Win10