Griffin Powermate USB with SmartSDR (Windows)

Adde Tjernberg

Is it possible to use the Griffin Powermate USB as a VFO with SmartSDR?

73 de Adde, SM0SHG

LarryF

Hi Adde Have a look at this post. Be sure to read all of the posts in it Ke2yc. Larry

Adde Tjernberg

Hmmm... What post Larry?

LarryF

Oops. https://community.flexradio.com/flexradio/topics/looking-for-keystroke-command-to-raise-and-lower-volume-in-smartsdr-with-griffin-powermate?topic-reply-list[settings][filter_by]=all

Michael Wheatley

I have been unable to get my PowerMate to control VFO in my Flex 6400.  The problem is in SmartSDR which does not support keyboard shortcuts.  So I bought a FelxControl knob and it works great!  I use my PowerMate as a Windows volume control.

Michael
KM6LHD

Tim - W4TME

Using the PowerMate with SmartSDR is not supported by FlexRadio.

Steve - G8KNC

Works great with the IOS app though.

Michael Wheatley

Despite what I said earlier, it is possible to control a SmartSDR VFO using the Griffin PowerMate control wheel -- start Ham Radio Deluxe, connect it to SmartSDR for cat control, and then give HDR focus and configure the PowerMate to control HDR (which in turn will control SmartSDR).  While this works, the latency is awful.   Spend the money and buy a FlexControl knob.

Michael - KM6LHD

Darryl

This is an old thread, but if anyone is searching for a solution, I did get an old, wired (USB) Griffin PowerMate working well with SmartSDR in Windows 10.

The key is to use the program FRStack as the intermediary program to create the keyboard shortcuts that you will need from the PowerMate knob to send to SmartSDR to control the radio.

Some steps that I used:

Using PowerMate 2.0.1 as the control program for the knob (FYI, be aware this program minimizes to the lower right part of the taskbar in the "up arrow" area. Took me a while to figure this out. This is an old program, not supported in Windows 10 by Griffin, so I use it in "Vista Compatibility" mode. This mode may not be required, but works for me.) Download it, install it, plug in the PowerMate knob.

Using FR Stack as the intermediary program. Download it and install it.

First, Open FR stack, go to the hot keys editor under the view tab and set up the several commands you may want to use the PowerMate knob for. You can program in any keyboard shortcut, but I programmed various "F" keys such as F1, F2, F3, etc. as my shortcuts and assinged them the tasks I wanted such as F1=sfreqdown (slice frequency down) or F2= sfrequp . F3 = vol down or F4 = vol up F5 = mute, etc.

Then go to the Powermate program (may have minimized on you. Find it and open PowerMate editor and assign what the Powermate knob does when you turn it, push it, long push it, etc. First I set the knob to recognize the SmartSDR program and then I have it set to issue an assigned key "F2" when I rotate the knob clockwise. This equates to a series of "F2" commands or in other words a series of "sfrequp" commands to the Flex Radio using FR Stack as the intermediary program. Continue with other actions defined (rotate counterclockwise, push down, long push down, etc.) to the same keys you set up earlier in FR Stack.

You will have three programs running: SmartSDR, FRStack (maximized or minimized works for me) and PowerMate (minimized), but it works well.

Make sure you click on the SmartSDR window with your mouse to have it selected. The Powermate knob should then do whatever you programmed it to down such as change the frequency, etc.

I also have the Powermate set to turn the volume up and down and to mute and unmute SmartSDR.

The Flex Control product is more elegant and more powerful than my setup, but it was good to get an old piece of hardware I had on hand operational again and giving some customized control over SmartSDR.

Darryl

K0GV