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GPS Time on SmartSDR screen

Jim K4JAF
Jim K4JAF Member ✭✭
edited June 2020 in New Ideas
Since many of us have the GPS option, how about using GPS time as the time shown on the SmartSDR screen? This may already be in the works in a future update way down the road as it certainly is critical at this time. 73s Jim K4JAF
3 votes

Completed · Last Updated

Comments

  • N4AB
    N4AB Member ✭✭
    edited August 2018
    I agree that this would be a very nice feature. But I also agree that we need to get 1.0 on line first. Al N4AB
  • Tim - W4TME
    Tim - W4TME Administrator, FlexRadio Employee admin
    edited March 2017
    Al, If you agree, then make sure you click on the "Person Likes this Idea" button in the post to vote for it.
  • Ken - NM9P
    Ken - NM9P Member ✭✭✭
    edited June 2020
    I agree that it is a great idea, but not critical for release 1.0. Also, is there a way to make that time figure available to the computer's OS in order to automatically set the computer clock from it?
  • Tim - W4TME
    Tim - W4TME Administrator, FlexRadio Employee admin
    edited December 2016
    The technical answer is yes, but the question is, do you want to consume radio CPU cycles that could be used for radio specific applications just to feed the PC data it already gets on it's own from the Internet? With finite resources in the radio, there is always a trade off because the first rule of thermodynamics applies; you don't get something for nothing.
  • Ken - NM9P
    Ken - NM9P Member ✭✭✭
    edited December 2016
    Thanks for your answer. I am a dreamer, always thinking of things that COULD be, but not all of them are practical. I was thinking in line of an option that could be turned on or off at times when internet time servers are unavailable (portable operation, etc.) perhaps for a few seconds to set the clock and then turn it back off. But you are correct, some options take more CPU / memory / programmer effort than would be practical.
  • Andrew VK5CV
    Andrew VK5CV Member ✭✭
    edited February 2017
    Depending on radios internal overheads it might save some clutter. In some field locations there is no Internet access. So GPS timing is needed for some digital modes. But as I can do this already with a Bluetooth GPS unit it's not a big issue. Andrew
  • Keith - AE5XN
    Keith - AE5XN Member ✭✭
    edited February 2014
    Maybe the DaVinci OMAP processor on the 6000 series could run an ntp server under it's Linux-based OS that ultimately gets it time from the GPSDO module, if equipped? That would allow one to easily set the PC time based on the GPSDO.
  • Steve-N5AC
    Steve-N5AC Community Manager admin
    edited February 2018
    An NTP server is not hard to do -- it's just not risen up on the priority list yet. I would recommend adding a new idea topic for this so it is not lost in the GPS time on SmartSDR screen topic. Then others that want this can like the idea and we'll know how much interest there is for this idea.
  • Steve-N5AC
    Steve-N5AC Community Manager admin
    edited February 2018
    This is now user story US1907. Update: This has now been implemented and will be in 0.16.x (out soon) and later versions of SmartSDR. I'd like to know what you think of the implementation. Be sure to check the GPS tab under settings as well as the front panel indicators. Here is a screen shot of what it looks like including the GPS data on the settings panel and the lock indicator/grid square in the lower right of the main SmartSDR window.
  • Jim K4JAF
    Jim K4JAF Member ✭✭
    edited January 2018
    What exactly is a "user story"? Is the idea on some sort of internal list to be programmed in the future? Thanks Jim
  • Tim - W4TME
    Tim - W4TME Administrator, FlexRadio Employee admin
    edited December 2016
    A user story is a feature request in the parlance of the Agile development process we use for creating software http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agile_software_development
  • Bill-W9OL
    Bill-W9OL Member
    edited October 2016
    Supposedly, I paid for the GPS option. I got an antenna, there is a shiny gold male **** on in about the middle of the lower back. I think I see the start light go through the warming up process, but SmartCat never seems to connect to the antenna. I am in the basement and the antenna is still inside, at about ceiling height. Do I have to move the antenna outside? It doesn't look like it will survive a chicago winter outside.
  • Richard G7EIX
    Richard G7EIX Member ✭✭
    edited May 2020
    Quick question.... will there be a chance that an NTP server implementation will be added to the radio at some point - to query on port 123? I did not buy the GPS option as I really did not have the need - but if the radio could possibly be used to provide NTP time I would definitely be ordering the GPS option. It would be of more use due to it's multi-role and cheaper than some of the dedicated GPS NTP boxes out there.
  • Asher - K0AU
    Asher - K0AU Member ✭✭
    edited March 2020
    This GPS antenna is working well for me: https://www.fairradio.com/catalog.php?mode=viewitem&item=8953 It's mounted outdoors at the base of my tower through 100 feet of LMR400. If you have a surge suppressor on the feedline, make sure it can pass DC.
  • Steve-N5AC
    Steve-N5AC Community Manager admin
    edited March 2019
    NTP has been often requested and it is fairly easy to do so the chances are high that we will do this in the future.
  • Richard G7EIX
    Richard G7EIX Member ✭✭
    edited March 2015
    Great. Thx.
  • Mark Erbaugh
    Mark Erbaugh Member ✭✭
    edited February 2020
    I'm confused by this thread (and many other things). Is the time displayed on the GPS tab of the radio setup from the computer's time or the GPS' time? If it's the GPS time, wouldn't that mean that the GPS time is available in a data packet from the radio? Is so, it should be simple (for someone) to interrogate that packet and set the computer's clock to the GPS time?

    Similarly, what is the source of the time displayed on the main SSDR screen?
  • Jay Nation
    Jay Nation Member ✭✭
    edited August 2016
    Hard to tell which time is which, when they all read the same.image

    In my case the PC clock is disciplined by Meinbergs NTPD daemon synced to a stratum 1 clock source. and the time displays on both the GPS tab and on the SSDR status bar, always seem to agree on what the correct time is. The GPSDO might be the reason, or they may all be reporting the PC clock time.

    An old Chicago lyric ...
    "Does anybody really know what time it is?"  
    "Does anybody really care?"

    Well some of us seem to.

    73, Jay - NO5J
  • Tim - W4TME
    Tim - W4TME Administrator, FlexRadio Employee admin
    edited March 2019
    Mark - the time shown in the bottom bar of the SSDR console is based on the PC clock and the configured time zone to calculate GMT.  The GPS time is independent.  

    "...wouldn't that mean that the GPS time is available in a data packet from the radio? Is so, it should be simple (for someone) to interrogate that packet and set the computer's clock to the GPS time?"

    This is the NTP or SNTP protocol defined by RFC 958 (https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc958).  We could do this in the radio and use the GPS as the time source to create a stratum 1 host.  As Steve noted, this is something we are likely to do in the future.

  • k3Tim
    k3Tim Member ✭✭✭
    edited February 2018
    NTP would be a welcome addition.

    k3Tim

  • N4AB
    N4AB Member ✭✭
    edited August 2018
    My vote is for the NTP option. Al, N4AB
  • Jay Nation
    Jay Nation Member ✭✭
    edited May 2019
    I'd prefer the NTP option too, I would really like to have a stratum 1 host in the shack. If it's only on the round2it list for now, at least it's on the list. It will make a nice surprise in a future release.image

    73, Jay - NO5J

  • Jon_KF2E
    Jon_KF2E Member ✭✭
    edited May 2019
    I want to know how Steve got his Flex going 61kts? 
  • Jay Nation
    Jay Nation Member ✭✭
    edited August 2016
    Would also be useful to know the vector. We might be able to determine where he's going, and when to expect arrival.image

    73, Jay - NO5J
  • Tim - W4TME
    Tim - W4TME Administrator, FlexRadio Employee admin
    edited December 2016
    He was in the car coding while traveling to go on vacation.  Lori was driving.

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