Connect 6500 to NIC in Computer

Mark Adams

This could also be in the computer discussions but here you go. A friend with an ANAN connects the radio to a second NIC in his PC. I don't see this method of connection mentioned in the Flex literature.

All my radio shack devices that need to be on the network are connected via Ethernet to an 8-port switch and that does work fine. But every now and then I see my network connection as indicated in SmartSDR drop from excellent to something less and I think that connecting directly to the computer would improve the situation however marginally.

Just wondering...

73,

Mark K2QO

Tim - W4TME

The way you have your radio connected using an Ethernet switch is the proper way to ensure the radio can communicate with all of the necessary hosts to utilize all of the software features and functionality.

In this configuration, the network monitor will normally show an excellent condition, but there are some radio functions that are "blocking" that can result in a few VITA-49 packets not being sent from the radio to the SmartSDR client software. Changing profiles is one of them and this is normal.

Check the details of your Network Monitor and if you see excessive dropped packets or very high max RTTs, then you may want to investigate possible network issues. The first thing I recommend is changing the Ethernet cable between the radio and the switch and the PC and the switch with a quality CAT5e or better cable (shielded twisted pair is not required and in some cases can result in exacerbating RFI issues). If that doesn't solve the problem, swapping out the Ethernet switch may be warranted, Not all consumer-grade Ethernet switches are capable of streaming at moderate throughput rates.

Mark Adams

Tim,

Thanks for the details. You’ll note I was not complaining, just theorizing that I could make things even better. Being an engineer that worked in research, the old motto of “fix it till its broke” is engrained in my process :-)

Late last year I was suffering really bad packet loss. Operating away from home or in my shack was occasionally frustrating due to audio dropouts, etc. I changed out all three switches in may network along with making new cables for my Maestro and 6500. I needed to go to 8-port switches anyway due to having more devices. But the new cable CAT5E to the 6500 was the winner! It “tested” OK, but did not “work” OK.

Now it is time to look forward to 3.2.x!

73,

Mark K2QO

John KB4DU

Getting the network to cooperate is always a challenge with the Flex. I originally used a WiFi AP and router to connect SmartSDR. Experiencing disconnects and dropped packets, I changed to a Netgear 1Gb switch. Didn’t help. Changed computers, which helped some, but still disconnects. Put the 100Mb router back in place of the switch, and now rarely get network issues. Win7 performance monitor shows network load about 1 Meg, so seems either should work, but not so.