Yes, you can operate your Flexradio from Linux

Chris

(posts related to this topic were last made about 5 years ago)

Duplicate my setup with at least: Intel 8th Gen Processor, 16 GB RAM, Windows 10 Pro 64-bit, Flexradio 6000-series

Software: SmartSDR [+firmware] 3.2.34, Crossover 20.0.4

if you attempt this using Wine 5.0 and not Crossover, you should be able to achieve the same results - but you are on your own for support. i support buying the simplest Crossover license which in turn supports further development of Wine. N.B. the FlexVSP drivers will not be successfully installed, limiting your Flexradio control to those things which do not need CAT and DAX.

I created a Win10 64bit Bottle and ran the SmartSDR installer.

If you want to skip the experience of seeing two installation windows appear full of Chinese language pictograms and to which the only legible responses for this English speaker were "Yes" followed by "OK", install .Net 4.0 first rather than attempt the SmartSDR installation.

In Crossover: "Install Windows Software" -> type ".net" ('dot' net), and pick "Microsoft .Net Framework 4.0" off of the list. "Continue" on to the next steps. When you reach the step of selecting the Bottle, be sure to select your Windows 10 64-bit bottle (I named mine "Win10 64bit"). Kicking off the installation of .Net 4.0 will cause .Net 2.0 to be installed first. Be agreeable to the license agreement prompts.

Next run the SmartSDR installer (again begin with "Install Windows Software", type "SmartSDR" and choose "Unlisted Application 'SmartSDR'" from the list. Be sure to select your Win10 64bit bottle). Don't run SmartSDR just yet. You need the two Flexradio fonts and some Windows Fonts.

Deposit copies of these font files into the Fonts directory you will find at <your-linux-homedir>/.cxoffice/Win10-64bit/drive_c/windows/Fonts (assuming you also named your bottle "Win10 64bit"):

DidactGothic-Regular.ttf msgothic.ttc                    segoeuil.ttf  seguibli.ttf seguisli.ttf

DidactGothic.ttf         napoliserial-xlight-regular.ttf segoeuisl.ttf seguibl.ttf  s-napoa.ttf

l_10646.ttf              segoeuib.ttf                    segoeui.ttf   seguisbi.ttf tahomabd.ttf

micross.ttf              segoeuii.ttf                    segoeuiz.ttf  seguisb.ttf  tahoma.ttf

Now you can run SmartSDR!

You will want to be sure in the Settings menu "Autostart CAT" and "Autostart DAX" are not checked/enabled.

You can scan the bands via multiFLEX, or switch your radio to SmartControl Mode. Directly connected hardware (Mic, Key, Headset, Foot pedal, etc.) will function as always, in addition to CWX in SmartSDR.

= 73 = KB3CS

Chris

** update for SmartSDR 3.2.39 **

assuming you have already done all of the above, upgrading your SmartSDR installation is quick and simple.

(you may want to check the "Default bottle" setting for your "Win10 64bit" bottle - it will save a mouse click or two)

1. Install .Net 4.6.2 in the bottle. The installer will ask you if you want to "repair" the .Net installation. Be agreeable, select that option and hit "OK"
2. Install SmartSDR 3.2.39 in the bottle via "Install Windows Software" -> "Browse Available Applications" -> "Unlisted application" -> "Continue", then "Choose installer file" and browse to the SmartSDR installer EXE file (be sure to check it is getting installed in the right bottle in "Select bottle")
3. That's it! You may want to uninstall the 3.2.34 installation and make the icons go away via "View" -> "Show bottles", select the "Win10 64bit" bottle and use the "Edit Menus" utility to "Recreate" (yes, there is a button for this) the menus

enjoy!

= 73 = KB3CS

Ray G6UJB

Chris,

Thanks for enticing me back onto Linux to run SmartSDR.

The ideal companion to this are nCAT and nDAX that @arodland kindly created.

https://github.com/kc2g-flex-tools/nCAT

and

https://github.com/kc2g-flex-tools/nDAX

I have SmartSDR (In fact 2 instances) running under Wine 6.13. I used the (free) non-Crossover version using winetricks to load up the .Net 4.6.2 dependencies, with nCAT, nDAX and WSJT-X. Its all working under a copy of AlmaLinux 8.4, at the moment this is running inside a Virtual machine running on VMware on a Windows 10 machine.

You may ask why I'm bothering to do this when I'm using a windows machine, three reasons,

1 - The nDAX doesn't suffer from unrecoverable corruption to the data stream like the stock DAX software does when running under a VM (due to typical Windows latency issues).

2 - You can run multiple copies of nDAX and nCAT on the same platform so that you can access multiple FlexRadios and run multiple copies of WSJT-X or the like with just one computer. With windows you can only run one copy of CAT and DAX bound to a single instance of SmartSDR.

3 - My plan is to move it all onto a physical Linux machine once I'm happy with the stability and usability.

73

Alan

Question.

Can you be more specific how to "deposit" the list of fonts?

Alan. WA9WUD

Chris

Alan:

Deposit copies of these font files into the Fonts directory you will find at <your-linux-homedir>/.cxoffice/Win10-64bit/drive_c/windows/Fonts (assuming you also named your bottle "Win10 64bit")

deposit ::= mv or cp the downloaded font file into the above mentioned (Fonts) directory

(don't blink!) all the information is contained above. - 73 -

Chris

** update for Crossover 21 [newly released] **

Smartlink (remote ops) login now appears to be functional/possible!

previously the Smartlink login window that pops up would only show the twirling motion graphic of waiting (no logging in would be prompted). will report after testing (or will edit this post)

= 73 = KB3CS

Chris

nope, Smartlink sign-in form got my hopes up. there is no action (no further response) to clicking "Log in".

oh, well..

Lou KI5FTY

I installed SmartSDR following the directions posted and it works. Thanks @Chris. I took the liberty to augment the instructions for the newest version. I also posted this in the crossover database under smartsdr.

Before installing SmartSDR make sure your crossover installation is not missing any libraries - specifically the 32 bit versions are not usually on your system.

See: https://www.codeweavers.com/support/wiki/diag  

Now lets begin

1) Create a bottle - "Windows 10 64bit"

2) In Crossover: "Install Windows Software" 

  - type ".net" ('dot' net)

  - pick "Microsoft .Net Framework 4.6.2 " off of the list

  -"Continue" on to the next steps

  - When you reach the step of selecting the Bottle, be sure to select your Windows 10 64-bit bottle

  - installation of .Net 4.6.2 will cause all previous versions to be installed first. 

  - no need to restart after each install but make sure you restart after all are installed. I use the restart bottle in crossover.

  - agree to the license agreement prompts

3) Download SmartSDR - make sure you use the latest releases, I have tested with the following versions:

    - https://www.flexradio.com/software/smartsdr-v3-2-39/

    - https://www.flexradio.com/software/smartsdr-v2-7-6/3 

4) Install SmartSDR into your bottle

  - "Install Windows Software", type "SmartSDR" and choose "Unlisted Application 'SmartSDR'" from the list. 

   - Be sure to select your Win10 64bit bottle

   - don't run SmartSDR just yet. You need the two Flexradio fonts and some Windows Fonts (see below)

5) Get fonts from flexradio.com

    - download https://www.flexradio.com/software/didact-gothic-font/

    - download: https://www.flexradio.com/software/napoliserial-xlight-font/

6) Copy downloaded fonts to your bottle

  - copy to: <YOUR-HOME-DIRECTORY>/.cxoffice/<YOUR-BOTTLE-NAME>/drive_c/windows/Fonts 

7) Set bottle options

  - Right click on the bottle in crossover

  - select settings and select the combination that works best for you - I have all of them checked and seems to work best for me YMMV

8) Do not start up DAX or CAT

9) Start SmartSDR

  - NOTE I had to drop the FPS to 15 to get the program to be responsive - you may want to do that ASAP when you start up or else the app may be non responsive -YMMV

  - I had problems with full screen mode but that just may be my system - YMMV

10) The original post had more fonts to be copied from windows but I did not have a copy of them and it seems to work without them, but I am including the list for completeness. If you have a source for them, post where we can get them:

l_10646.ttf

micross.ttf

msgothic.ttc

s-napoa.ttf

segoeui.ttf

segoeuib.ttf

segoeuii.ttf

segoeuil.ttf

segoeuisl.ttf

segoeuiz.ttf

seguibl.ttf

seguibli.ttf

seguisb.ttf

seguisbi.ttf

seguisli.ttf

tahoma.ttf

tahomabd.ttfNow you can run SmartSDR!

Lou KI5FTY

BTW you may need to run cxdiag and cxfix - it fixed a lot of issues. I also installed each version in its own bottle and I am able to run both at the same time on the same machine controlling two different flex radios.

N1SH

Have it up and working but it is quite non-responsive. So much so I can't get the frame-rate set to the lower value :-(

Any thoughts on a config file somewhere that I can just tweak a value in to effect the same change?

N1SH

Never mind. Did it the hard way. Telnet into the radio and change it from underneath.

```

telnet flex-6600m 4992

C6|display pan s 0x40000000 fps=10

```

Lou KI5FTY

@N1SH I am running 4k resolution, are you also? I suspect that is a problem without hw acceleration of the video in wine

N1SH

Yes! 4k.

N1SH

I did the process w/o crossover. Once I realized that with `winetricks dotnet462` I had to not "reboot" between each install, things went swimmingly. That is until the frame-rate problem.

All better now.

SmartSDR on Linux!

DaveC

Lou, et al,

Having problems getting SmartSDR running.

1) SmartDAX and SmartCAT are not installed.

2) added ALL the font files listed.

3) ran cxdiag and cxdiag64

run: sudo apt install gstreamer1.0-libav:i386 gstreamer1.0-plugins-ugly:i386 gstreamer1.0-plugins-bad:i386

because cxdiag complained they were missing.

cxdiag64 complained about:

"[MissingGStreamer1Bad2.amd64]

"Title"="The gst-plugins-bad 64-bit GStreamer plugins appear to be missing h264parse"

[MissingGStreamer1Libav.amd64]

"Title"="The gst-libav 64-bit GStreamer plugins appear to be missing avdec_eac3" "

but couldn't find these to install them.

"cxfix --all" said nothing needed to be fixed

Configuration:

Ubuntu 22.04

CrossOver 22.1.0

SmartSDR 3.4.21

.Net 4.6.2

HP Pavilion G7-1316dx 8GB ram

Here is a video of the failure:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UecqhoPD3pg

When I start SmartSDR, I get the following error messages:

(attached both of these pictures as files also)

Screenshot from 2023-02-28 13-54-27.png

Screenshot from 2023-02-28 13-54-16.png

Lou KI5FTY

Dave - I tried an install this weekend with the new version of SSDR and it did not work for me either. They must be using newer libraries. I will try and find time to figure it out soon. Stay tuned...

DaveC

Thanks Lou. I just learn my computer can't be ungraded to Windows 11 because the processor is not supported. So looking for alternative.

arodland

https://community.flexradio.com/discussion/comment/20589200#Comment_20589200

The problem isn't exactly lack of hardware acceleration; the problem is that SmartSDR uses WPF (an old Microsoft GUI library), and WPF uses a weird feature of Direct3D 9 that simply can't be translated to OpenGL or Vulkan (or even newer versions of Direct3D): rendering only part of a surface using D3DSWAPEFFECT_COPY and letting the rest of it carry over from the previous frame.

Even on D3D9, using that feature is a bit of a lazy option that comes with a performance hit, but the other APIs don't provide a way to do it at all (if you want to draw one thing independently of another, you put them on separate surfaces). If you try to emulate D3D9 by ignoring the special swap-effect, you end up with a UI that's mostly black, flickery, and completely unusable. So wine has a workaround: copy the whole window contents from the GPU back to the CPU on every frame. That makes those apps appear correctly, but it's very slow, and that's what makes SmartSDR work so poorly, especially if the window is large.

Unfortunately there isn't likely to ever be a "fix" for this in Wine. They're already doing the best they can within the constraints of not-from-2004 graphics APIs. I've poked someone in the Microsoft GitHub org about the possibility of adding an option to the open-source version of WPF that disables use of D3DSWAPEFFECT_COPY, but that's not incredibly likely (they've already had a related ticket open since 2021 with no progress). So the only real hope is a new version of SmartSDR for Windows that's built on something newer tha WPF, or a native Linux SmartSDR.