getting ghost signals on my cw skimmer

Don w2xb

I have been running cw skimmer(1.9) with w2rf bridge(1.5) and all has been great. Last month I started getting ghost signals on my cw skimmer If I click on the waterfall on the flex it puts the cw skimmer right on freq.But if I click the skimmer I might hit the ghost signal and the flex freq doesn't match. I removed the skimmer and bridge software and  reinstalled them. Also turn down the gain on the soundcard. No luck. still have the problem.

Help..
Don...w2xb

Rig is a Flex 6500

Ken - NM9P

Have you closed DAX and reopened it?  This may be a result of the reported buffer overload that sometimes causes occasional distortion in receive and transmit audio after DAX has been running for a long time.

You might also have Ghost or Phantom ports in your DAX audio drivers caused by a  Windows update.

Go to "Device Manager" in windows and check "View>Show Hidden Devices."  
Then look at the "Audio Inputs and Outputs" and see if any of the DAX items are doubled.

If so, there is a link in the "Helpdesk" on the flex website that shows how to eliminate ghost ports and audio devices.

If that isn't it, I am hoping that some othrs better versed in SKimmer and SDRBridge will chime in...

Ken - NM9P

Don w2xb

Thanks for the info Ken. Will check it out and let you know. 

Thanks for the help.

Don..w2xb

wb3fsr

Since the great WIN 10 OS update it appears some have experienced new issues with DAX system configurations.  As a more recent Flex user/owner (6300) it is not clear to me if my DAX configuration is normal or not. Included in this post is a snapshot of my DAX.

Would one of the seasoned users kindly take a look?  I would welcome ur feedback.  If it appears correct then we could point to this post as an example of a normal/correct config.  

73

PeterV WB3FSR

Ken - NM9P

I see two or three potential problems: 1) The DAX Audio RX 2 (Virtual Audio Cable) and its pair, the Reserved RX 2 (virtual Audio Cable). They seem to be relabeled from your group of Virtual Audio Cables, which is missing the "Line 2" pair. 2) the DAX IQ RX 4 with the DAX audio in the description , and what may be its pair - DAX Reserved IQ RX 1 (FlexRadio Systems DAX TX) which seems to be mislabeled. And your DAX Audio TX stream seems to be missing, or mislabeled. Its pair, the DAX Reserved Audio TX seems to be present. Are your Line 1 - 4 virtual audio cable ports for use with another rig or SDR dongle? The aren't need for a 6000 only setup, but could be useful with something like a 1500/3000/5000 or an ANON, or a RTL-SDR dongle.

wb3fsr

Thanks Ken,

I thought the list looked a bit odd with #2 missing an or mislabeled.

Referencing the Virtual Audio Cables (VAC) entries, ur correct I sent them up for some other hardware RTL dongles etc...

Now the question or two - Is their an automated tool/utility to correct these conditions or an in depth step by step to correct?  My best guess is this happened with the WIN 10 update in the recent past.

My other question is: Once I am able to resolve the current issues would it make sense to use some method to hide the extra DAX ports that will not be used by a 6300?  I bring this up due to some third party applications setup seem to have a problem presenting all of the ports perhaps due to the quantity when trying to setup the applications input/output selections.

TU

PeterV WB3FSR

Ken - NM9P

Here is a link to an article in the FlexRadio Helpdesk about uninstall/reinstall of DAX Drivers: https://helpdesk.flexradio.com/hc/en-us/articles/204017069-How-to-Manually-Re-Install-DAX-Drivers Re: hiding unused ports...you can go to Windows Audio properties in the Windows sound utility (right click the little speaker on the task bar) and open the properties for each of the DAX devices. You can click "deactivate" on each of the ports you will not use, and its companion "reserved" port. This might relieve some of the problems with archaic software. But some of thos programs may still list even deactivated ports. Try it and see.

Don w2xb

Hello Ken,
Well I tried everything suggested to get the ghost signals out of my software (cw skimmer 1.9) No luck. Windows10 last update did a number on it I guess. So going to use Reverse Beacon and and the flex screen for my cw viewing. Using cw skimmer is great, seeing the call signs with the point and click setup and flex rig. will miss it.

Thanks for the help...

Don...w2xb

Ken - NM9P

Just a question.... when you uninstalled skimmer and bridge, did you reboot the computer before you re-installed? If not, it may not have cleared things out. Also, you might try deleting the user data before re-installing. Have you searched the community for "Skimmer ghosting" and topics like that? Beyond that, I am beyond my skimmer skills. Perhaps someone else will chime in and help.

Ken - NM9P

BTW... have you checked this thread for setup suggestions? https://community.flexradio.com/flexradio/topics/cw-skimmer-with-6300?topic-reply-list[settings][filter_by]=all

Don w2xb

Checked all suggested, no luck. will give it a try later. 



Don..w2xb

Don w2xb

Setup cw skimmer with my k3/LP-PAN/EMU. Its working great. No double ghosts. Now I have to figure out how to get it right with my flex.

Don...w2xb