No transmit RF with audio from Mac... abandoned by Marcus.

acbotterell

I've been struggling with my new AU-510 to get audio from my Mac to generate RF. My hand mic works, but when MAC audio is selected I see audio level in SmartSDR for Mac, but no RF output in SSB. Also seeing no output in FT8. Response from Marcus:

> It’s working for anybody else, including myself.

> Sorry again. Maybe you want to consider requesting a refund from Apple if you can’t get the app working for you.

I already returned my first Aurora unit for RF trips on my dummy load, so I'm not anxious to do that again, but I guess I'm on my own. Anyone have any thoughts before I start the RMA process again?

Art KD6O

Dan Trainor

Looking at my configuration, I have SmartSDR for Mac configured for Mic = Mac (in Radio Controls Panel), Audio Input Device = My USB Mic connected to MacBook using usb-c, Audio Output Device = MacBook Pro Speakers (these are changed by clicking on Gear icon, upper right in Main Window), In Slice, DAX turned off. Although when operating CW, I have DAX = 1. You most probably already have this set up this way, but can't hurt to check. 73, Dan WA1QZX

acbotterell

Thanks, Dan, for that constructive feedback. My Mac Mini doesn't have a built-in microphone and my mic feeds in by USB via a Behringer UV1 processor... I've had a suggestion from ChatGPT that the data format there (48kpbs, stereo) might be problematic for SmartSDR for Mac and/or the Aurora, but that's just AI guesswork as far as I can tell. That said, my configuration matches yours, save that I'm using a USB audio output channel to a mixer driving my speakers, which are working fine.

What's throwing me for a loop is that the SSM audio level meter shows good levels, which track nicely with my voice and also with the input level indication in my Mac Sound settings. Which suggests that at least something is getting into the SmartSDR software, but not making it into the Flex software.

Are you (or anyone) aware of any diagnostics I could use to trace out the modulation path from wherever that Level meter is making its reading onward into the radio?

And more generally, is there any documentation anywhere I should be looking at regarding the Aurora firmware generally? I'm new in Flex World, and there's a lot (like DAX) I don't understand yet.

Thanks!

Art

Dan Trainor

Very good Art. You're getting close. Let me ask you how far your audio is getting. Just to clarify. When you look at SmartSDR for Mac Radio Controls panel, are you seeing the Mic "Level" meter moving with your voice? Is it getting that far? Dan

acbotterell

Yes, Level indicator is bouncing nicely, up to full scale if I talk loud. Same as on hand mic, except that with the hand mic (and the MIC setting) I get RF as well.

Dan Trainor

Hmmm. Very puzzling. I don't know of any SmartSDR controls to change downstream from that level meter. If the Mic Level meter is showing activity, then it follows that RF should be emitted. The only setting I can think of is Radio⇒Transmit⇒TX Inhibit checked ON. But, you get RF when using hand MIC, so hmmm, I am at a loss! I assume RF Power slider is at 100? If you press SmartSDR TUNE button, do you get RF? Can you re-check that your mic is set to "Mac" and DAX = OFF ? This is very puzzling. Wish I had a better idea. Dan

acbotterell

"Puzzling" seems to be the consensus view, Dan. Yes, I've tried a variety of RF Power settings, up to and including 100. And yes, the tune function generates RF.

Hard to imagine there's no way to trace the audio chain inside the Aurora... do you suppose the super-secret SSH interface mentioned in the Windows docs might allow Flex some further insights?

The eagerness with which Marcus backed away from this suggests it may be a known problem that's already gone onto his too-hard stack. Very disappointing, as it calls my whole Aurora project into question.

acbotterell

Tested my Aurora against Windows SmartSDR and it works just fine with exactly the same USB audio source. So I guess this is back in Marcus' wheelhouse, if he cares to deal with it.

Mac-based potential Flex customers beware... your support may well fall between the chairs... and there seems to be some significant space between those chairs at present.

TimW

What about trying the aethersdr client and seeing if you have joy with that? They have a Mac binary provided as a courtesy. Sorry to say this but I have found Mac in this hobby to be a liability and gave up on them some time ago. Even Linux is better now, and that’s really saying something.

Dan Trainor

I wonder if re-installing the SmartSDR app would be worth trying. SmartSDR for Mac is really a great app with many features and rock solid quality. But, this issue you're having is puzzling. Dan

acbotterell

A pair of substantial suggestions there, both of them worth investigating… I'll report back.

Tim, I know what you mean… the widespread anti-Mac prejudice in the ham community has long been a puzzle to me. There was a time when I could write it off to simple ignorance of non-Windows development, but most of the top-tier languages these days, and for the last decade or so, have been aggressively cross-platform, so it seems oddly reactionary to insist on locking in users that way. Some sort of anti-elitist resentment, maybe? Or does Microsoft have a developer incentive program I'm unaware of? Strange.

And Dan… I'll confess that my shock at Marcus' abrupt and incurious "go ask for a refund" response did grave harm to my trust in his good offices going forward. I knew he had a reputation for not suffering fools gladly, but this seemed to go beyond that. I found myself wondering if his relationship with Flex might have hit a bump of some sort.

And Flex itself seems to want to have it both ways… gladly citing SmartSDR for Mac as an option for making sales, but quickly retreating to "we don't support that" when the waters get choppy. I still imagine (hope) that I'm simply doing something wrong, but I'm seeing very little interest in getting to the root of it… other than relying on this community to do the heavy lifting for them. All told, a troubling introduction to the Flex platform.

Anyway, thanks to you both for stepping up with constructive inputs.

Art

acbotterell

Oh. My. Heavens! AetherSDR for the win!

Now I think I understand Marcus's despair. The Open Source alternative came up working right out of the box. Plus now I have visibility into at least one side of the interface, which brings my stress level down a lot. And real documentation to boot!

Not jazzed that Flex support was withholding about this alternative, but maybe they felt they had a prior relationship they needed to honor. Anyway, wow, what an improvement. Joy indeed!

Even my receive on 75m seems cleaner… really didn't expect that.

Thanks, Tim… and Dan, thanks for leaning in!

73,

Art

TimW

No problems, glad you have a way forward. I still have a windows system here for updating firmware on various things and other windows apps for which there is no practical alternative, at least for me.

WX7Y

I think this is a catch 22 situation, MAC making it harder and harder for small software authors like those who wright Amateur Radio software to afford to make it for the MAC being supported by the App. store, MAC and Marcus SmartSDR makes the Intel chipset obsolete and not backward compatible for most software LIKE SmartSDR upgrades.

Because of this I will not be buying another MAC and move on an up to LINUX, that is the MOST stable OS I have ever seen and makes it easy for Software writers to build great software like AetherSDR and a big plus if it runs on Windows and all versions of the MAC

As AetherSDR matures I think it will have a lot of the same features that the MAC SmartSDR or FLEX versions of SmartSDR has, Right now it is FAR FAR superior in many ways, with built in RADE (FreeDV), AMAZING DSP audio filters, built in WAVE applet that gives you a SMALL O-Scope applet, Control of 4O3A Antenna genius as well as PGXL and TGXL applets, CW Decode / Encode, TCI, TCP, TTY CAT controls, and DAX for digital Program interfacing in and out, plus tons of other things.

acbotterell

I'm curious, Bret… what features does AetherSDR currently lack?

TimW

I have RimuSDR here running on Linux Mint as a plaything. It’s very nice but will give Aether a try when I get time. There’s no way I would ever trust these things to upgrade radio firmware, assuming they are even capable of it.

WX7Y

What's missing from AetherSDR, NOT MUCH but since you ask, A real log book, RTTY, psk31, installing waveforms and Docker files, A BIGGY IS, when the Radio "LOCKOUT" error trips it shows NO indicator of why the radio won't TX, like SmartSDR does ( just had this happen today) there needs to display the Lockout error, and it would be nice to have DAX and CAT programs like RimuSDR has for use with OLDER sound card programs that won't work with the newer TTY - TCI cat interfaces.

While I mentioned RimuSDR I really like the screen resolution and beautiful display of RimuSDR, it would be great if AetherSDR could change to a similar screen resolution which is much easier on my old tired eyes.

TimW

RimuSDR looks great on 4K display

Dan Trainor

Glad you were able to work around it and also Stay on Mac platform. AetherSDR is pretty amazing and once it reaches a stability range that is high, it will be the go to for Mac and Linux. But it would still be good to know why your SmartSDR for Mac installation / Flex Configuration did not produce RF. Currently SmartSDR for Mac (Marcus) is the Gold Standard for Flex SDR clients in terms of both features and rock solid quality. 73 de WA1QZX

acbotterell

It's "horses for courses" with me… Mac for user experience and media production, Linux for server efficiency, and Windows for… well, really only when I'm forced to it, which is less and less often as time goes on. If I didn't have my Mac I'd be running Linux, for sure. And history isn't over yet (I hope!)

It's certainly true that writing software for money is increasingly tough… the corporations will find a way to absorb whatever profit AI leaves in it. Fortunately there's a deep pool of interest in devising better software for its own sake, even if it's not just for making a buck.

The skill set is shifting, though, from memorizing incantations to envisioning functions and algorithms. I do feel sorry for current and recent CS grads… I'm afraid they've largely been trained for the modern equivalent of the whale oil industry. The scarcity these days is in hardware and documentation.

I'm still wondering at how much better I'm receiving with AetherSDR on 80 and 40… better noise reduction handling, maybe? And I'm not sure why SmartSDR for Mac couldn't handle my modulation… it's been suggested it had something to do with the formatting of the audio data from my USB processor, but that's idle speculation at this point. No law of physics was involved, clearly.