8600 Band changes now killing JTDX waterfall

K1UO Larry

Did something change in 4.2.18 and DAX2 that kills the JTDX or WSJT-X waterfalls every time there is a Band Change? Band changes over all previous SSDR and DAX always auto updated JTDX or WSJT-X to the new Band and waterfall.

I find if I restart WSJT or JTDX everything restarts fine OR another way is to go into the JTDX/WSJT settings for audio and just refresh the OK button and the programs waterfall restarts ok.

Is there a way to keep DAX from dropping out during Band Changes? Not sure where to look now. I am interfacing the Radio to the JT programs via DX Labs Commander as always, no changes there.

I find changing Bands via JTDX/WSJY willchange the Radio freq via DX Labs Commander without losing the DAX controlled waterfall but going the other way by using the Radio profiles thru DX Lab Commander drops the DAX channel and causes me to manually restart JTDX or WSJT to get the FT8 waterfall back.

Regards Lar K1UO

Mike-VA3MW

Hi Larry

This sounds unusual. I am running WSJT v3.0.0 and did a bunch of band changes and I could not recreate this.

• WSJT Band Changes or SmartSDR Band changes - there is a big difference as one is a band change and the other is frequency change. When you do it via WSJT it is a frequency change (not a band change) from the radio perspective.
• How are you doing CAT control win WSJT as there are 3 or 4 ways to configure this. Is it RS232, Hamlib or TCP/IP?

Mike

K1UO Larry

Screenshot 2026-05-06 094347.png

Im using DX Lab Suite Commander. when going from JTDX thru Commander to the radio its a frequency (and Band) change via DX Labs Commander to the 8600 and seems to work fine (just tested 6M freq to 10M freq)

However, when using the Radio profile to change Bands.Modes and saved FT8 freq the DAX audio connection for the JTDX or WSJT waterfall is lost but the JTDX or WSJT program does actually change to the new frequency/Band for FT8

Mike-VA3MW

I find changing Bands via JTDX/WSJY willchange the Radio freq via DX Labs Commander without losing the DAX controlled waterfall but going the other way by using the Radio profiles thru DX Lab Commander drops the DAX channel and causes me to manually restart JTDX or WSJT to get the FT8 waterfall back.

Just to confirm, this is the WSJT Waterfall? (sorry, not enough caffeine this morning)

It would be good if someone else could test/confirm this.

K1UO Larry

Yes BOTH JTDX and WSJT DAX2 audio stream are being dropped when using the 8600 to change FTt8 Bands.

i.e 6M FT8 freq to 10M FT8 freq etc. that is using DX LAB SUITE COMMANDER as the Rig name which always worked in all previous SSDR versions and the previous DAX.

I checked the programs and the DAX audio stream names remain correct, the DAX2 stream is just interrupted and drops the decoding waterfall. The FrequencyBand indicators does, however, change correctly in each FT8 program.

I have done multiple factory resets of both the 8600 and the radio PC but no change. I have not tried a reload of SSDR V4.2.18 though.

NOTE: Changing the radio Band mode "FROM" JTDX/WSJT through DX LAB SUITE COMMANDER connection works fine by selecting the FT8 frequency from the FT8 program band/freq windows but not the other way around from the radio "TO" JTDX/WSJT through the DXL SUITE COMMANDER.

K1UO Larry

@va3mw

Mike, I tried setting up WSJT/JTDX using the Flex6XXX for the RIG and localhost:60000 for the CAT TCP port and the failure is exactly the same as described above.

Mike-VA3MW

If you don't use the DX Commander part and use a direction connection to CAT does the problem go away?

K1UO Larry

It does not matter which RIG connection method I use, results are the same .

I asked Dave at DX Labs about this and he says he has a similar report from Europe.

He also states "There is no supported interoperation between DXLab and JTDX." and, of course, WSJT also.

He did also mention he had received another such report from a EU station and has forwarded these reports to Eric there at Flex.

Meanwhile I am working with a local friend with the exact same setup who has NO problem with the same DX Commander settings etc. At least I have a work around using the JTDX or WSJT programs to change FT8 Bands with no problem. OR just restarting JTDX/WSJT if I make a mistake and use the SSDR profiles to change FT8 Bands.

Mike-VA3MW

Hi Larry

Thanks for the update. I am not sure what else to suggest at this point other than maybe it is something unique with Windows.

I'm fighting something similar using WinTrak for some EME stuff. It just doesn't run on my Win 11 Pro laptop but works find on the desktop.

Hopefully Eric will find something.

73