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Best Mac OSX / WSJT-X Configurations?

Member ✭✭✭✭
edited May 2020 in FLEX-6000 Signature Series
Mac Mojave, SDR Version 2.49, Flex 6600 here.  Trying to configure OSX version of WSJT without success.

I know there have already been articles on setting up WSJT on a mac.  I have tried them all without success.

For CAT, I have tried xCat,  MacLogger DX, and JT Bridge.  xCat only had ports versus only IP addresses on the WSJT side with Flex Radio selected as the rig.  DX Commander via MacLogger DX kind of works, but always wants to start up a second slice and make it the RX slice??  Tried JT Bridge.   Could not figure out how to make it work?

For audio, I configured Sound Siphon per the outdated instructions from George Mulnar, KF2T.  My version of Sound Siphon must be a revised / newer version.  I could see Sound Siphon in the Mac audio inputs, however I could not see Sound Siphon in the audio outputs, both in system preferences.  I could not see any Sound Siphon selections in WSJT audio settings.  Started up xDAX and got audio into WSJT from the selected slice, but have no idea how it worked?

So......for those of you are today, successfully, using your OSX version of WSJT-X on a mac, please share as much detail as possible on your configuration.  I am not wedded to any single solution.

Alan
WA9WUD




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Answers

  • Member ✭✭
    edited May 2020
    Hello Alan,

    The new versions of Sound Siphon and Loopback are quite different from the instructions found on the net.
    Here I use an iMac 27 i7, Mojave, DogPark, MacloggerDX, Flex 6500, Loopback 2.0.1 or Sound Siphon 3.1.3
    My tests and questions seem very close to yours.

    I do not have any problems with xCat, but I still have not really understood how to correctly configure Loopback or Sound Siphon, and I can not clearly make an "input" and another "output" setting and assign them in xDax and in Wsjt, and when I get to a result the setting is not stable.

    I found a lot of interesting information on the MacloggerDX site but we really need an updated step by step ... if George (KF2T) hears me, his help would be highly appreciated! :-)

    73's Jean-Luc
  • Member ✭✭
    edited June 2019
    Just keep in mind that xCAT and xDAX don't work with version 3.  I have not been able to run FT8 on the Mac since I updated to version 3.
  • Member ✭✭
    edited June 2019
    I hope you find a good solution for MacOS. I kinda gave up, as it seems ham software in general for MacOS either doesn't exist or is poorly supported. Frustrating, but there it is. So, while I'm not saying mine is the best approach, I load up Parallels and run Windows 10 on my Mac when I'm hamming it up.

    This Parallels/Windows solution works beautifully as long as I give Windows 10 enough memory, tell Parallels to set no limit on resource usage, and plug my Mac into AC power while running SSDR, WSJT, et. al. In my case, SSDR via Parallels requires all the juice I can throw at it, so if you're seeing red bars in the lower right corner when running it this way, SSDR may simply be asking for more processing cycles. Once I shifted the Parallels resource bar to max, added more memory to the VM, and ran only while plugged in, all issues disappeared and it became a smooth, reliable solution.

    I should probably also confess to my hardware: MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2018) with a 2.9 GHz Intel Core i9, and 32 GB of RAM. This is probably why I have enough horsepower to make this work well. If I had simply picked up a Windows laptop / tablet, I could run my ham software with less horsepower, but I already had the Mac and I sure don't want any more computers. So here I am.

  • Member
    edited June 2019
    I am running FT8 on my Mac without xDAX, please see the link in the dogparkSDR online manual entitled "WSJT-X and dogparkSDR without xDAX"
  • Member
    edited July 2019
    I would strenuously disagree with the statement that MacOS ham applications are poorly supported. For many years, our products (MacLoggerDX, MacDoppler and dogparkSDR) have been consistently reviewed as some of the best supported software on any platform.

    73 de VE3VRW
  • Member
    edited June 2019
    Alan: I am running WSJT-X with Flex v3 firmware, dogparkSDR, Loopback and MacLoggerDX - no other software required. The details are on the MacLoggerDX and dogparkSDR web pages but please email me directly if you have any questions.

    73 de VE3VRW
  • Member ✭✭
    edited July 2019
    I agree 100%.  Don's support is 2nd to none. 
  • Member
    edited June 2019
    Jean-Luc: There is little to no setup required for Loopback - run it with a default "Loopback" divice and configure it to be the audio input and output to dogparkSDR as well as WSJT-X. A lot has changed with Flex V3, MacLoggerDX and dogparkSDR in the last few weeks but the link in the dogparkSDR online manual entitled "WSJT-X and dogparkSDR without xDAX" is current.
  • Member ✭✭
    edited June 2019
    I will definitely check this out tonight when I get home.  Thanks Don. 
  • Member
    edited June 2019
    You are welcome Burch, when dl3lsm gets a chance to upgrade xDAX to V3 we can switch back, but for now the main audio channel set flat and hooked up to Loopback works well.
  • Member ✭✭
    edited June 2019
    It was a general opinion based on my limited experience, not a knock against any software vendor in particular. Happy to be shown wrong, because it would be easier to go with straight MacOS than the VM I am running now.

    When I got my Flex with version 3, I couldn't find anything outside of Windows that worked with it. So, I did what I had to do.

    Given Don's note, I will happily take another look. :)
  • Member ✭✭
    edited July 2019
    I have made about 8,000 Q's using Xcat, Xdax and Loopback with my 6600M and a Mac Mini.

    No problems.  Works great.

    My logging is with JT Bridge and MacLogger.

    Gordon, ve7on

  • Member ✭✭
    edited June 2019
    "WSJT-X and dogparkSDR without xDAX"  I confirm it works! Still on 2.4.9 here.
    Thanks Don!
  • Member ✭✭
    edited June 2019
    Please do. 

    Don's support, not only of his own software, but of the Mac in general is unmatched.  Don once told me that his view is that a "rising tide lifts all boats" and his approach supports that. He is as much an advocate for the Mac platform as he is for the Dog Park software that he has created.

    The Mac may not have the quantity of ham software that Windows does, but the quality is right on par with the very best of Windows-based software: and superior to most.
  • Member ✭✭
    edited December 2019
    so exactly what setting are you guys using in the Radio tab in WSJT-X?  and after the new V3 how are you guys getting this to work.. I can get DogparkSDR to work with V3 but xDAX and XCAT do not function...

    HELP...

  • Member ✭✭✭
    edited August 2019
    dogparkSDR and Loopback provide the interface instead of xDax / xCat. The details are on the DogPark web site.
  • Member ✭✭✭
    edited March 2020
    xcat and xdax currently does NOT support V3 per Mario website
    https://dl3lsm.blogspot.com/

    and
    does not work with v2.5.1 either

    BUT
    i can confirm it does work with v2.4.9 and earlier

    i have 6600m and run v2.4.9

    on the mac minis
    i use xdax and xcat
    i use loopback V2 for audio routing with xdax

    i use xcat with wsjtx selecting 6xxx tcp..
    The ip address is the ip address of the computer that xcat is running on...
    i use ports 5002 for slice A,  5003 for slice B, 5004 for slice C and 5005 for slice C

    i can run four instances of wsjtx with this setup. But that is separate discussion


    xcat setup



    xdax setup






    loopback setup


    wsjtx cat radio setup






    wsjtx audio setup






    hope this helps on using xdax/xcat and tcp command of flex 6xxx


    i also run jtbridge and macloggerDX with this  setup

    Paul K3SF


  • Member ✭✭
    edited August 2019
    For what it is worth, Paul (and all), if you're running MacLoggerDX and WSJT-X, you don't need xDAX/xCAT. You do need Loopback or something similar, of course. As suggested above, check out https://www.dogparksoftware.com/dogparkSDR_Help/dpsdr_wsjt-x_no_xdax.html for details. 

    Also, if you like to use Fldigi, you should be able to set it up to run with MacLoggerDX providing frequency/PTT control via UDP, set the audio for Loopback as well, and you can run it without the need for xDax/xCat.  However, I haven't tested this yet.

  • Member ✭✭
    edited August 2019
    https://www.dogparksoftware.com/dogparkSDR_Help/dpsdr_wsjt-x_no_xdax.html

  • Member ✭✭✭
    edited August 2019
    yep you are correct...

    i believe you need run some client s/w such as dpsdr.

    The 6600m i have runs client s/w internally on the display with two slices so using xcat/xdax allows me to run all my ham s/w natively on the mac.

    In addition,
    I have also run client s/w on ipad ( iosssdr) with four slices going...
    and
    than run xcat/xdax with four instance of wsjtx on the mac mini.

    i can even run ssdr in windows7 VM as client s/w and used xcat/xdax to run wsjtx natively on mac.  yep i could run wsjtx in VM but cpu load is really ramps up a lot in the VM.

    lotsa flexibility  with FLEX radio for sure .....

    paul k3sf







  • Member ✭✭
    edited August 2019
    Yes, definitely would require dpSDR running on the Mac to do it without xDax/xCat.

    Definitely a flexible platform to work with, however.

    73
  • Member ✭✭✭✭
    edited July 2019
    Paul.    Thanks for the detail.  I have XDax and XCat setup with Loopback and WSJT.  The only thing missing is setting up Loopback and WSJT for "Audio Output" from WSJT.  I do not have the same options available in the WSJT setting pulldown menu for Audio Out as you show.  When I transmit from WSJT the audio does not get to the Flex, rather the audio comes out of the Mac Speaker.  Could you provide screenshots of Loopback and Mac Audio Preferences for WSJT Audio Output?

    Thanks again

    Alan
    WA9WUD
  • Member ✭✭
    edited July 2019
    Right, but that does not address the RADIO tab, that is for Audio.. I got that part thanks..
  • Member ✭✭✭
    edited March 2020
    alan

    the important part it make sure to turn on xdax transmit
    and
    to select in xdax the loopback defined for wsjtx




    i dont have may radio on ut you can see the selection of the loopback from wsjtx





    here is my definition for loopback wsjtx





    this should provide you the info you need


    if you need any more info or have question, i am glad to answer them

    Paul K3SF
  • Member ✭✭✭
    edited August 2019
    For radio control, you can use MacLoggerDX - it exposes a DX Labs Commander interface to WSJT-X. It’s documented at the end of the the page this link points to: https://dogparksoftware.com/MacLogger... Again, a big thank you to Don Agro for the dogPark software. The good thing is that MLDX solves the issue of v3 support on a Mac until xDax/xCat supports v3, the bad is that you will need MLDX (although you can’t go wrong with MLDX if you’re on a Mac - you should probably own it anyway :-)
  • Member ✭✭✭✭
    edited July 2019
    Thanks Paul.  Got it.  Audio in/out CAT now work with xCat and xDax / Loopback.

    Alan
  • Member ✭✭✭
    edited July 2019
    congrats...have fun and see you on the bands

    Paul K3SF
  • Member ✭✭
    edited July 2019
    Got it... thanks
  • Member ✭✭
    edited August 2019
    Hi there,

    just to chime in here.. There is good and bad news.. The good news is that I could find some time to start making xCAT and xDAX work with SmartSDR v3 (and v2.5.1). The bad news is that I'll have to leave for some work commitment this Saturday and will be away from the radio for 6 weeks.. :-(

    So it still might take a while until the new versions are ready..

    Sorry and thanks for your patience..

    73, Mario DL3LSM
  • Member ✭✭✭
    edited March 2020
    hey Mario...

    All the hard work you have done is greatly appreciated by all of us mac/flex users..

    Your current version xcat/xdax works great with V2.4.9

    i am able to make the most of my setup because of your efforts.
    Due to your code i am able to run 4 slices on my 6600m with a mac mini running 4 instance of FT8 with an ipad as the primary client



    Therefore there is No reason to be sorry that's for sure...

    besides you gotta work to pay for your hobbies ;-)

    once again thanks
    and
    take care

    Paul K3SF






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