MacWinlink Helper Beta Testing Report – FLEX-8400 / SmartSDR for Mac

Jim Ricker

MacWinlink Helper Beta Testing Report – FLEX-8400 / SmartSDR for Mac

I have spent several days working with the MacWinlink Helper beta on a FLEX-8400 and wanted to share my complete findings in hopes that they help the developers and other FLEX users.

Test Environment

Hardware

• FLEX-8400

Software

• SmartSDR for Mac (Marcus Roskosch)
• Version 2.9.132 (20262901)
• MacWinlink Helper (Current Beta)
• VARA HF
• rigctld
• macOS

Audio Devices Tested

• CommonRadioAudio
• BlackHole 2ch

Configuration Required

Several beta revisions were required before the application correctly supported the FLEX-8400.

To obtain a working configuration, the following had to be manually configured:

• FlexRadio SmartSDR Slice A
• Correct FLEX radio IP address
• rigctld running
• SmartSDR running
• VARA HF running

Once configured correctly:

✅ Test Connection succeeded.

Insert Screenshot #1 – MacWinlink Radio Configuration

Verified Working

The following functions were verified during testing:

✅ Radio discovery

✅ CAT control

✅ Frequency changes (QSY)

✅ Mode changes (DIGU)

✅ rigctld communication

✅ PTT

✅ DAX TX changes to Streaming

✅ Wine Test Sound works correctly

This demonstrates that radio control is functioning correctly.

Audio Routing Tested

The following transmit audio paths were tested.

Configuration 1

Input:
CommonRadioAudio Out 1

Output:
CommonRadioAudio In 1

Result:

No successful VARA HF connection.

Configuration 2

Input:
CommonRadioAudio Out 1

Output:
BlackHole 2ch

Result:

Behavior remained essentially unchanged.

Insert Screenshot #2 – VARA SoundCard Settings

Transmit Testing

Initially it appeared there was no transmit audio.

Further testing showed this was not the case.

The following was confirmed:

• VARA tones are clearly heard on a handheld receiver.
• VARA tones are clearly received using an independent SDR.
• CW ID is transmitted and received correctly.

These observations confirm that the FLEX-8400 is transmitting modulated RF.

However:

• VARA HF connections still fail.
• Transmitted RF appears significantly lower than expected.
• Increasing the FLEX RF Power setting did not noticeably improve transmitted performance.

At this point, the issue appears more likely related to transmit performance (possibly audio level, modulation level, or another interaction in the transmit audio chain) rather than a complete loss of transmit audio.

Insert Screenshot #3 – SmartSDR During Transmit

Additional Observations

Every time VARA HF starts:

• The Modem Output device must be manually reselected.
• The output selection is not retained between launches.

This behavior is consistent and reproducible.

Audio debug logging was enabled.

Attempts were made to retrieve the log using the Copy function, but due to a separate technical issue the log could not be successfully extracted.

Troubleshooting Performed

During testing we verified:

• Multiple SmartSDR restarts
• Multiple MacWinlink Helper restarts
• Multiple VARA HF restarts
• Radio power cycles
• DAX enabled and disabled
• CommonRadioAudio testing
• BlackHole testing
• Wine audio verification
• Independent handheld receiver monitoring
• Independent SDR monitoring
• RF Power adjustments
• Multiple connection attempts
• Multiple beta versions of MacWinlink Helper

Request for FLEX Users

If anyone has access to a FLEX-6000 or FLEX-8000 series radio and is running the current MacWinlink Helper beta, I would appreciate hearing whether you observe similar behavior.

Specifically:

• Successful CAT control
• Successful PTT
• DAX Streaming active
• Audible VARA tones
• Audible CW ID
• Unsuccessful VARA HF connections
• Low transmitted RF or reduced transmit performance

Any suggestions or additional testing ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Screenshots Attached

1. MacWinlink Radio Configuration
2. VARA HF SoundCard Configuration
3. SmartSDR TX Slice / DAX Configuration
4. MacWinlink Helper Radio Profile
5. Audio MIDI Setup (CommonRadioAudio / BlackHole)
6. SmartSDR During Transmit Attempt

Thank you to the MacWinlink developer for the excellent support throughout the beta testing process. Several issues discovered during this testing have already been corrected through beta updates, and I hope these additional observations help resolve the remaining transmit performance issue.