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Can I drive Gridtracker directly from MacSSDR?

Doug
Doug Member ✭✭

Only Win program that I miss is Gridtracker but it seems to ONLY work when fed by wsjt-x. Is there some way to use it without wsjt-x?.

Best Answers

  • K3CDY
    K3CDY Member ✭✭
    Answer ✓

    Gotcha Doug. Sorry I can’t be of more help. Loopback works great, but it is pricey (made a bit less painful with Marcus’ 30% discount code). I really hesitated buying it, but after time I’ve found that’s it was a good decision, especially for its graphical interface that aids in debugging/understanding audio routing on the Mac.

    73

    Bill K3CDY

  • K3CDY
    K3CDY Member ✭✭
    edited January 31 Answer ✓

    Hi Doug - with regard to the discount code, I got mine just a couple months ago, so I do believe it’s still valid but it took about a week. Also make sure you request the code by contacting Marcus via the in-app MacSSDR Help menu.

    I agree that DAX on MacSSDR is a bit of a disappointment. In the Windows world, it does as you would expect and provides inter-app audio communication. On MacSSDR, DAX provides inter-MODULE audio communication (where those modules are components of Marcus’ MacSSDR suite). Going beyond those modules requires something like Loopback. It’s the unfortunate price we Mac users pay for being who we are. 😎

    (PS - there is still xDAX and xCAT for Mac (free) which could offer more connectivity, but are apparently not actively supported. I’ll probably play around with those eventually, but ultimately Loopback works great, is intuitive, and does what I need.)

Answers

  • Mark_WS7M
    Mark_WS7M Member ✭✭✭

    Have you tried the Mac version of Grid Tracker? I have not messed with it, yet, but it downloads and runs. Not sure how to send data to it either.

  • Mark_WS7M
    Mark_WS7M Member ✭✭✭

    The other thought, is you could setup the following:

    SmartSDR Mac

    Loopback - This makes audio available in parallels

    WSJT-X in parallels under windows

    Gridtracker in parallels under windows

  • K3CDY
    K3CDY Member ✭✭
    edited January 28

    I moved from a Windows to a Mac environment, and I am running 100% native Mac software. No Parallels or Windows is required. Here's what I use for my digital communications:

    1. MacSSDR
    2. MacLoggerDX. Paid app, but probably the best Mac logger out there. Available HERE.
    3. Loopback (not for Parallels, but just a really good audio routing app that's intuitive and flexible. You get good visual indicators of audio levels and can adjust to avoid overloads. (Remember to ask Marcus for your 30% Loopback discount code.)
    4. WSJT-X Improved. Mac-native and lots better than the plain-jane version. Free, and available HERE.
    5. GridTracker 2. This app is Mac-native. Version 2 has some nice improvements. Free, and available HERE.
    6. JT-Bridge. Mac-native app that bridges WSJT-X and MacLoggerDX. Optional, but handy. Free and available HERE.
    7. Software Defined Connectors (SDC). This app is Mac-native, and quite useful. It has an excellent CW decoder, amongst a gaggle of other useful tools. It's Flex-friendly, free, and available HERE.

    While I like the convenience of Marcus' built-in MacSSDR features, they are fairly limited. The combo of goodies above gives you great visibility and control, all while remaining in a Mac environment.

    Oh yes, and to ultimately answer your original question: No. You cannot drive GridTracker without WSJT.

  • Doug
    Doug Member ✭✭

    sooooo….. I'm gathering by all the feedback here and in other posts that the ONLY way smartSDR Mac can run an external program is to buy loopback as smartSDR does not have a real DAX? (and Blackhole does not actually work with SmartSDR Mac - based on my specific questions about anyone successfully using it and getting nothing but "use loopback")

    Oh well….Thanks everyone

  • K3CDY
    K3CDY Member ✭✭

    With respect to audio routing, that’s correct Doug, except there is a free macOS alternative to Loopback in case you don’t want to spend the money, and that’s Blackhole at https://existential.audio/blackhole/ .

    There’s also something called xDAX, which macOS-based, and there’s another active thread about it on this forum. However, I have no experience with it, and don’t know if it would help in your situation.

    73

    Bill K3CDY

  • Doug
    Doug Member ✭✭

    Thank Bill but if you check my post I mentioned Blackhole. I can make it run with DJ stuff I have but I can NOT get it to work with SmartSDR Mac. I have asked, in other discussions, if anyone has successfully gotten Blackhole to work and I either get no response or advise to spend money and get Loopback. (since I prefer to just ragchew and get to know people I don't "need" it but there are a few skimmers and other modes that I miss. I'll just go use my KX3 for those.)

  • Doug
    Doug Member ✭✭

    I requested the discount code and never got a reply so I "assumed" it was not longer available. Maybe I'll try again. It makes it a bit more palatable. (although I still think having to add something to make the something that is built in work doesn't make sense. Just what does the built in DAX do?)

    Anyway, thanks again.

  • Doug
    Doug Member ✭✭

    Hi Bill,

    Thanks for all the info.

    As per Blackhole, I honestly do not think it is able to be used with sSDR. I have spent countless hours trying and failing and all requests for anyone that has gotten it running result in nothing but QRN or recommendations of Loopback.

    I've been running the flex on windows for 5 years and then windows 11 came along and forced itself on me (even though I had updates turned off) and broke a LOT of things, sSDR included. Then, to top it off, the windows computer let the smoke out of many chips and was not rebuildable (maybe a good thing). So, I figured I would take the time to check the mac options. Again… no joy, as my 2011 intel mac wouldn't run anything but dogpark. Fortunately, I found an old ham friend 600 miles away that let me play with his sSDR mac, so I risked a divorce and went by the Apple store and an iMac M2 followed me home. Set it on the desk in place of the old imac and moved the old imac to the left and installed Linux on it. (and use synergy to use only one keyboard/mouse)

    In the first month of using sSDR mac on the new iMac I probably used the Flex as much as the entire previous 5 years combined as the windows SDR always had something that stopped working. The internal programs all worked great but didn't have all the modes I work. That's when I found out about the pseudo-DAX. Maybe it's a limitation of the API but it was disappointing.

    Your Jan 27 post handed me a few mac native programs I was unaware of and I've already download but not installed all of them yet. (Didn't even know about the enhanced wsjt or SDC. ) Thank you.

    I had requested the code from Marcus through the in-app but never got a reply. But your bringing it up gave me a thought outside the box, so I checked my email server (retired ISP here) and sure enough, they did reply but they use Zendesk, which has been flagged as a spam source for years in our system and so the reply was rejected. Thanks for the brain-jump. ;-) I've sent another request after putting a very specific hole in our filters.

    Thanks again.

  • K3CDY
    K3CDY Member ✭✭

    Hey Doug - glad to hear you found the discount code. That’s a pretty good chunk of change.

    I’m only a two-month old Flex user (8400), and it looks like I got on the bandwagon at just the right time. I was Windows-only ham when I first got my ticket (in 2020), but switched to Mac after about a year. My prior rig was a SunSDR2dx, but the turmoil in Russia, spotty support and rare software updates had me looking for an alternative.

    Since Flex introduced the 8000 series, that was my signal to make the leap. While I’ve been very impressed by the hardware and software (mostly), it’s the community that’s been so rewarding and supportive. I’ve got absolutely no regrets for choosing Flex.

    Concerning Mac ham radio software, check out https://machamradio.com

    I’ve discovered a number of useful Mac apps from these guys.

    73!

  • Dirk Schuurs
    Dirk Schuurs Member ✭✭

    Hi all,

    I just started SSDR for Mac and there was a note that this new version 2.9.55 IS ABLE to send messages via UDP to f.e. Gridtracker :-). In the settings tab there is a new tab: External Software in which we can fill to ports. Unfortunately I didn't get it working yet, but If someone else know how to fix to: please let us know….

  • Doug
    Doug Member ✭✭

    As they say "timing is everything".

    Not 24 hours after I received the discount code and purchase loopback….. and BEFORE I had even installed it…Marcus released a new version that drives what I need directly by UDP. (it works exactly as it should…. DIrk, try 127.0.0.1 for the IP.)

  • Doug
    Doug Member ✭✭

    Dirk . . in case you missed my tacked on comment.

    Try 127.0.0.1 for the IP on the decode message. Verify that gridtracker is using 2237, match bearings and shoot.

  • Dirk Schuurs
    Dirk Schuurs Member ✭✭

    Hey Doug,

    Thanks fir the hint: it's now working :-)

    Other problem: how can I adjust the settings for logging automatically to MLDX (which worked before very good with the FT8-tool in SSDR…

    Ciao,

    Dirk

  • Doug
    Doug Member ✭✭

    Dirk,

    Glad that got things going.

    Sorry, Can't help on MCDX. I'm using the internal logbook as it is all I need. If I use an external program I just import the ADIF.

  • Dirk Schuurs
    Dirk Schuurs Member ✭✭

    Hi Doug,

    Although the "receive-thing" is working (I get the received calls from the FT8-tool of SSDR directly in the call roster of GT2), didn't get it working to click on a CQ in the callroster of GT2 tot activate a transmission in the FT8 tool…. IS it working on your side, and if: which setting did you use?

  • Doug
    Doug Member ✭✭

    Dirk,

    I had to go try it as I hadn't thought of it….and while I was tinkering with it…. it occurred to me that sSDR probably wasn't set up to talk both ways. So, I checked with Marcus and I was right (hey…it happens). The GT2 will listen and report but sSDR is not set up to listen to it. So… no, GT2 can not activate a TX of a CQ.

  • Dirk Schuurs
    Dirk Schuurs Member ✭✭

    Hi Doug,

    Thanks for your “research” about TX from GT2. Anyways it’s nice that GT2 now can display in a split second which new / wanted grids are on air :-). In my opinion a nice thing to avoid wsjtx.

    By the way: I now have GT2 configured in a way it’s sending a logged qso also to my main logging software MLDX. So I’m happy for now :-).

    73 de Dirk