"Unable to connect to the radio" error, SmartSDR and Maestro

K2PO

I have a Flexc6500 at the radio station, together with a computer I can access from home with desktop sharing software (Anydesk).  I can successfully connect to the radio using that computer at the radio station, and operate the radio from my home via the desktop sharing software.

At my home I have a Maestro, and also a computer on which I can run SmartSDR.  I can't connect to the radio from home, neither with the Maestro nor with SmartSDR running on my home computer.

When I try to connect with the Maestro, all proceeds normally, to a point.

If the radio is not in use at the station (i.e., by the station computer running SmartSDR), Maestro gives me the Select Radio screen, showing my station (via Smartlink).  I select it and click Connect, leading to the Select a Version screen.  I picked v4.01 (which is installed on the Flex6500) and click Run.  Then, the Maestro screen shows the top inch or so of the radio UI, with the S meter, etc (see attached picture).  But nothing else.  I can't see the spectrum display, I get no audio, pressing Tune does not seem to do anything, etc., etc., etc.  It's frozen.

If I am connected to the radio by SmartSDR on the computer at the station (accessed by from home by Anydesk), and I try to connect with the Maestro at home, I am given the Select Radio screen, showing the station (via Smartlink) and, in paren, multiFLEX - indicating the ongoing session between the radio and SmartSDR at the radio location.  When I click Connect, I get to Select a Version.  I choose v4.0.1 and click Run.  The Maestro screen again shows the top inch or so of the radio UI - inoperative as described above and shown in the picture.  My instance of SmartSDR at the radio station (which I'm accessing from home via Anydesk) freezes for a bit (audio interrupted ~10 sec) and I see - on my home Anydesk view of the radio station SmartSDR session, two transient connection notifications from the Flex software: one saying Client connected from IP 97.xx.xx.xx (which I understand is the attempted Maestro session), and another notification soon following saying Client connected from IP 10.xx.xx.xx (which is my pre-existing SmartSDR session on the computer at the station, resuming, at which point audio is restored, etc).  The Maestro is frozen with the top part of the UI showing, while I can continue to use the SmartSDR session on the station computer via Anydesk.  (When I later shut down the SmartSDR session on the station computer, I find a window "SmartSDR for Windows has lost connection to the radio - please reconnect," which I presume was triggered when the connection from the Maestro was attempted.

When I try to connect by running SmartSDR (v4.01) on my home computer, it starts as normal.  The SDR, CAT and DAX windows all appear, offering a green Connect button to connect to my Flex-6500 at the station via SmartLink, which is shown as Available.  When I choose my radio and click Connect on the SDR window, that window disappears and I get a Radio Connection Failed window, saying "Unable to connect to the radio.  Please try again."  I actually get four such windows, which I then dismiss in turn.  Meanwhile, the CAT and DAX windows continue to appear on the screen in their original state - inviting SmartLink connection to my radio.
After dismissing the four error notifications, the SDR window reappears, in its original state, offering a green Connect button to my Flex via Smartlink.

If, instead of clicking the green Connect button the SDR window, I click the green Connect button in the CAT window, it disappears and a single Radio Connection Failed window appears.  When I dismiss that error message, the CAT window reappears, again with a green Connect button inviting connection.

Both the home computer and Maestro are connected to my home network by CAT cables - no WiFi.  The home network uses mesh WiFi routers from TP-Link.  But to take that out of the equation, I tried connecting the Maestro directly to the fiber modem at the service entrance.  Same outcome.

The Maestro was working fine on November 6, when I connected (also using v4.01 software) to the Flex at the station for the CWT contest on that date.  I'm not aware of anything having changed in the interim.

What should I try next?

Tnx,

Bill, K2PO

Portland, OR

Mike-VA3MW

I have seen this on some tests. You'll need to reset the radio (not reboot). The directions are in the 4.1.3 release notes.

That should resolve it.