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Dual antenna and Digital

K7LER
K7LER Member
edited January 2020 in SmartSDR for Windows
Waiting for my 6600 to arrive. I have a Cirro Baby loop that is my primary antenna. It does 10-40m. I was thinking of getting a short 34 foot wire antenna to set up as a second antenna to allow for 6m and 80/160 as well as possibly dual monitoring. I focus mostly on Digital modes. Is there a way to designate WRJT-X and the Flex to use the loop antenna for the coverages it can do and then the wire for the other bands? If I was doing voice, it sounds like I just use one slice pointing to the wire antenna and one slice for the Cirro. To add to the complexity- the cirro gets cat control feed to let its controller tune, but I dont want the cat control to get the wire frequencies and use the built in tuner to tune the wire.

Answers

  • Ian Snow
    Ian Snow Member ✭✭
    edited January 2020
    Yess, using profiles. Ian VA3QT
  • Tim - W4TME
    Tim - W4TME Administrator, FlexRadio Employee admin
    edited May 2018
    Yes, but you have to "drive" the changes from SmartSDR.  As Ian indicated, you can create Global Profiles for the Band/App combination you are using, but the switch will not be automatic when WSJT-X changes bands.  WSJT-X only uses the legacy (arcane) CAT protocol to control a radio.  If it was updated to use the SmartSDR API, that would allow it (really any application) to set the antenna by band.

    This is a situation where the technology for controlling a radio in third-party software has not kept up with the radio technology.
  • Cal N3CAL
    Cal N3CAL Member ✭✭
    edited May 2018
    Hi Lance,   I saw the Baby Loop on display at Dayton this year!  I'm curious what your impressions may be and how well it performs?   I have a 4o3A Antenna Genius (8 x 2 Ant Swiitch) in line with my 6600 and have considered adding the Baby Loop as another antenna.  The 4o3A AG software can be customized to select primary antenna by band.  You can customize to your liking.

    Cal/N3CAL
  • John - K3MA
    John - K3MA Member ✭✭
    edited October 2019
    Suggestion.  It will take you about 30 minutes to set this up but after that changing modes and band will be a one click operation.  Download and install Slice Master.  Download and install FRStacks.  ON SmartSDR setup a global profiles for each band and mode.  In Slice Master set it up to launch WSJT-X when DIgU is selected.  In FRStacks go to the Global Profile Tab and you will see all you Global profiles listed.  Use these to change band and modes.

    If you do that then if your on 40M SSB and decide you want to work WSJT-X on 20M you click on that profile and the Flex changes all setting to 20M WSJT-X and the WSJT-X software starts up automatically.  Then if you decide to go back to 40M SSB you click on that box in FRStacks and the radio changes to all those setting and the WSJT-X software shuts down.

    IF you work RTTY with FLDigi you can also set Global Profiles for it and it will start and shutdown automatically if you set it up in Slice Master to launch on selection of RTTY.

    There are other ways to accomplish the same things but this is a one click solution and you leave one package open (FRStacks).  Slice Master can be minimized.

    IF you had a M model you would find this also work well and then you do not need to fiddle with any menus on the front of the radio.

    John
  • Neil D Friedman N3DF
    Neil D Friedman N3DF Member ✭✭✭✭
    edited May 2018
    Will the ATU match a 34-foot end-fed wire on 80/160?
  • Tim - W4TME
    Tim - W4TME Administrator, FlexRadio Employee admin
    edited May 2018
    No.
  • K7LER
    K7LER Member
    edited May 2018
    Taking dual antenna out of the picture... Would the band changes in WSJT-X using cat change flex passing the cat to the loop ATU automatically? I.e. WSPR in band hopping mode?
  • K7LER
    K7LER Member
    edited May 2018
    I was looking specifically at the Alpha 6-160 34 dot Wire Antenna. It has a matching device which. Was also looking at a Chameleon Emcom ii
  • K7LER
    K7LER Member
    edited May 2018
    I haven't done much phone but have done a lot of digital and love it. My QTH is in a west facing side of apartment on second floor. WSPR at 20 watts with a FTDX3000 reached Russia to NZ and AU to Antarctica to Italy to Cape Horn and Monico in Africa.

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