Long Form Audio Recording

Rick KN3C

Power SDR has the ability to to do quick record and long form recording.  The audio files are stored on the computer's hard drive.  SmartSDR can do short form recording where the audio is stored in the radio.  I recall that the ability to do long form recording where the files are stored on the computer hard drive was a  feature that was supposed to appear in version 2.0?  I have just seen the lastest version of 2.0 and I do not find the ability to record audio other than the quick record.  Did I miss it, or is that feature now a dead issue?

I understand that I can use an external program to record one of the DAX streams.  But Smart SDR does not offer a DAX stream that contains both the receive and transmit audio, at least not that I can see.  Will there be a DAX stream that contains both transmit  and receive audio, or is it there and I don't understand how to use it?

Bill -VA3WTB

At this time,if  you use Autacity for recording, you can only record either your mic audio or your receive audio at a time.

Pat N6PAT

You can record both sides of the QSO. I've done it many times. Here's how:

On your computer open the windows sound app.

For both DAX RX 1 (assuming your using Slice A) and DAX MIC click on properties. Then check "Listen to this device". This will allow both the audio from the mic and the receiver to be included when listening to the default sound device.

Set MON in Smart SDR on and turn down the MON volume so you don't make it too loud for your ears.

Open a recording app on your computer.    Then depending on your computer set the audio input to Stereo Mix - sometimes called What You Hear.

Works great for me. I use an older audio app called Replay Music 7 but it will work on many others.

Rick KN3C

Thank you.  That is one I hadn't thought of, and I thought I had tried everything.  I will give this a try.

Pat N6PAT

Here's a short snippet of a recorded qso with video of the panadapter.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXxzQGEHriw

Tim - W4TME

This is not a dead issue.  The feature request is in our enhancement database (#6180)

Al_NN4ZZ

Hi Rick,
There is a request to implement a "black box" style of recording with the suggestion of keeping the files on the client (i.e. PC , etc).  It is currently #14 on the list with 27 votes.  

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

If this or some variation would be of interest, you might want to add some comments or a vote.



Regards,  Al / NN4ZZ  
al (at) nn4zz (dot) com

Pat N6PAT

Why would you want to wait for an enhancement to only record a 2 minute audio loop when you can record hours of QSO's right now using the method I described above? With that approach the amount you can record is only limited by the amount of disk space on your computer.

You can save each QSO to a separate file by starting the recording at the beginning of the QSO and stopping at the end then saving the file. What could be easier than that? Using a video capture app you can even record the panadapter and slice setting like I did for the example.

You won't get that from a 2 minute loop enhancement.

Al_NN4ZZ

Hi Pat, The request would allow for both a loop recording as well as a continuous recording building on the recording capability already part of the slice feature. And one other suggested aspect is to capture the data on the client instead of on the radio. The loop feature would esentially mimic the way an aircraft "black box" recording works. Record the last 2 minutes of audio and stop when the user presses the record button to stop. You could leave this mode run continuously without concern for disk space. There are several use cases, here are a few: - monitor a DX pile up you are trying to break that could take a while - capture some intermittent QRM or jamming activity - use the recording to confirm a qso So the loop feature does not eliminate the ability to also record longer events, it just adds a feature that is not there today . And it builds on the interface that already exists in SSDR for Windows. So no other third party app is needed. The suggested loop time is just a suggestion to illustrate the concept, if a longer time is suggested that could also be an option. Some have asked for that in the discussion thread. Regards, Al / NN4ZZ

Al_NN4ZZ

Pat, Another thought. The recording feature is included as a feature of the slice today and is limited to storing the file on the radio. There is no way to retrieve the data file to the client and save or share it. I wonder how often it is used in it’s current state. I haven’t seen any comments here about who uses it and when. Maybe someone can provide some comments, and feedback on their use cases. I’ve tried out to see how it works but haven’t used it other than that. IMHO, The enhancements to add looping, long recordings and storage on the client would result in more use. And since the feature is there on the slice, why not improve it and make it more likely to be used? Regards, Al. / NN4ZZ

Pat N6PAT

I think that's a good idea if it's not limited to 2 minutes. That's not really enough time to record a nice QSO but only a quick UR 5NN 73 QSO

Also, if the idea is to mimic a real black box to aid in determining the cause of a failure then you would need to capture a lot more than just audio such as voltage, heat, profile settings. band settings, etc. Really you would need all of the operating parameters in use at the time of the failure to get a clear picture of what's going on.

Audio alone will not be that much help in that regard.

At any rate, like most of the want list items presented in this forum there are workarounds that would provide much of what is requested.

Al_NN4ZZ

Pat, There was no intention to capture failure information, the analogy of the “black box” was to the cockpit voice recorder feature only. Capturing failure or debug information is a whole other use case as you noted. Regards, Al / NN4ZZ

Michael Coslo

I agree Pat - capturing the audio with Audacity is so easy and flexible that I'd prefer it even if Flex reinvented the wheel by rolling their own. Because if I was recording QSOs they'd probably end up being audited in Audacity anyhow.

EA4GLI

My issue with audacity is that I have 8 panadapters and audacity doesn't play nice trying to record 8+1(mic) audio sources. I also use the 6700 to work satellites and again, audacity doesn't work for 3 audio sources. Any standard feature (recording and storing a number of recordings is standard in many rigs) should be part of SmartSDR, in my opinion.