Maestro: What's wrong with this picture?

Martin AA6E

This is what greeted me when I switched on this morning - after a longish startup delay.  A pretty Windows 10 screen (wrong time zone!).  You could find more items of interest by dragging screen up and down.  I had to do another cold start to get into SSDR.

Apparently there was something odd about how I shut down last night?

Tim - W4TME

The SmartSDR for Maestro app did not auto start.

To recover, press and hold the power button for 10-15 seconds or until the display goes completely dark.  Wait 10-15 seconds and then do a normal startup by pressing the power button for 5 seconds and then releasing.

KC9NRN

Tim,

The SmartSDR runs as a service right?

Tim - W4TME

It runs as an app at boot time.

KC9NRN

Wouldn't it be more stable if run as a service where if it has an issue it can restart itself? I'm not a programmer, just wondering.

Marc Lalonde

may i ask to wly it not Linux based just like the Radio ?

a soon you put windows on something you louse control of it ;-)

Jim

Bad feeling on startup what do you do if you see the warning, waiting on hardware initialization (ETH) ????????

Jay -- N0FB

Nordic....a service does not usually have a GUI were as an application is designed to interact with the user on the screen. Marc, SmartSDR in the radio is indeed a Linux application, however the SmartSDR client which includes all the API's are written using Visual Studio and .Net. If the Maestro would have been developed to run on Linux the FlexRadio would had to write all new client API's for that platform. Running an imbedded version of Windows on Maestro simplified and sped the release of the product while protecting the investment on the Windows API libraries.

Walt - KZ1F

What I find weird is my understanding of embedded OS is the application is what runs, there is no desktop OS that then, upon boot, loads and executed program. From what Martin said it's appears Windows 10 starts first then it loads SSDRfM. I would not have expected that. Perhaps that is just Microsoft's product marketing, lest someone not realize they are, in deed, running a Microsoft product.

Martin AA6E

SSDRfM (client) seems to work pretty much the same way as SSDRfW.  It runs as an app on Windows 10, which is normally autostarted after the OS boots.  (You could set it up that way on your PC if you wanted.) 

The good news here is that there is a real Windows 10 in the Maestro that could be made to run a Windows desktop -- or various other Windows apps -- if only Flex would let us.  I am waiting for a creative hacker to enable this -- on a "jailbroken" Maestro.  Me, I'm too timid, I tried opening the case but I stopped after I saw that I'd have to break some anti-tamper seals.

A stupidly simple hack would be to enable Internet clock syncing and to display a proper UTC clock on the screen.

Walt - KZ1F

I forgot the name of the registry key used, RunOnStartup or some such but one could simply add an entry for your favorite program and once windows finished the boot process it would start your program. So I guess the issue is, is that really how 'embedded' Windows works or is Maestro simply a Windows tablet with knobs and switches that is forced to run a single app only. Not that it makes much difference, it is what FRS sells.

KC9NRN

"a service does not usually have a GUI were as an application is designed to interact with the user on the screen. "

Most programs can be made to start as a service GUI or no, interaction comes after the service has started. I'm not meaning to debate it, just was wondering because I have had fewer issues using a program starting as a service, where if it doesn't start properly you can have it try again. 

I'm sure Flex had very good reasons for not doing it that way.

KC9NRN

I'd be happy if I could have use my call sign displayed as a watermark on the Maestro.