SSDR iOS listening mode.

Andy M5ZAP

Hi I enjoy using smart SDR iOS app and find myself listening 95% of the time. I also find the audio clicks and pops rather tiring especially when on a poor cellular connection or if on wifi when the phone regularly scans the wifi networks and you get bad audio breakup during this scan event. To make it worse the app or the iOS itself seems to raise the audio levels after audio breakup making it more apparent. I have noticed when using other audio communication apps on the same networks there is no perceived audio breakup. In fact we have experimented useing the apps at the same time sending flex audio via SSDR v2 and WhatsApp etc. I assume this is due to the apps having very different latency requirements and the SSDR iOS also sending the visual Vita data. I also think the other apps must have some clever interpolation algorithms to fill in missing voice data. A good idea would be to have a listening mode where after tuning to a signal you could loose the visual data and introduce a larger buffer to allow more pleasant listening to a signal under less than ideal network connectivity conditions. I understand that this would not be any good if trying to transmit. But a mode that also allows quick dropping and reinstatement of visual data could still be very useful. Couple of other comments. Setting waterfall rate to zero does not stop data flow. Hiding waterfall does not stop dataflow. It continues at rate selected before hiding. Any comments Marcus?

Mark_WS7M

Hi Andy,

I notice the pops and clicks too, sometimes even on my LAN.

I do think you are on to something.  When SmartLink 2.x came out there is an option for a low bandwidth connection. From what I can tell this really just sets slower parameters for pan.  I could be wrong on that.

But think FRS really does need to implement a true low bandwidth mode.  In my mind we should have these options:

No waterfall data sent - This would help a lot

Pan frame rate decrease - This is easy to do and would help

Pan frame interlacing or skipping - The idea where would be to send a pan frame where about 1/2 of the normal data is sent.  Basically just a detail point skipping mode.  Right now there is a point for every pixel of the width of your pan.  Especially on small displays like a phone or iPad I think under a low BW connection most of us would be just fine with fewer detail points.

These things need to be in the radio and clients would have to react to them.

Mark

Tim - W4TME

Set the Network mode to low.

Andy M5ZAP

Have already tried every conceivable setting and have the data flow very low < 40kb/s. Which is well below the station upload and remote up and download speed so is more complex than speed alone as has been discussed elsewhere.

I read Marcus's explanation of how low network settings optimises the data rate.

Just be nice to be able quickly flick to audio only after tuning etc and then Flick back again.

Mike W8MM

All setting the low bandwidth option does is prevent persistence.  The clicks, pops and drop-outs are the same.

This is when using the built-in WiFi to LTE hotspot in my 2018m Porsche Panamera.

Using a Netgear LTE-Advanced portable hotspot makes no difference.

The Maestro doesn't seem to be as picky.