Welcome to the new FlexRadio Community! Please review the new Community Rules and other important new Community information on the Message Board.
If you are having a problem, please refer to the product documentation or check the Help Center for known solutions.
Need technical support from FlexRadio? It's as simple as Creating a HelpDesk ticket.

Profile

Mark Erbaugh
Mark Erbaugh Member ✭✭
edited June 2020 in SmartSDR for Windows
While I’ve had my 6700 for over 5 years, I’ve never used profiles, and I decided to try. I must be missing something, I don’t see how you save a profile. I used the profile manager to create a new mic profile, adjusted the settings to what I needed and gave it a name. I switched to another profile, saw the settings change and then selected my new profile and the settings changed to what I had - fine. Then I changed a setting without changing profile. I reselected my profile, but now it has the changed setting. Is there some was to “lock” a profile?
«1

Answers

  • Ted  VE3TRQ
    Ted VE3TRQ Member ✭✭✭
    edited May 2020
    You are using v3, aren’t you? :-( V3 auto-saves your changes to the profile currently in use. Only way to have an inviolable profile is to export them all, and then re-import to overwrite gratuitous changes. What is needed is a way to control profile auto-save behavior (i.e. on/off).
  • Mark Erbaugh
    Mark Erbaugh Member ✭✭
    edited June 2020
    Well, that auto-save defeats the purpose of profiles for me. I am running 2.5.1 and I guess it has auto-save also.
  • Ted  VE3TRQ
    Ted VE3TRQ Member ✭✭✭
    edited May 2020
    Yup - 2.5 same as 3 for profile saving.
  • John - K3MA
    John - K3MA Member ✭✭
    edited May 2020
    Be careful to check your RF output if you use a solid state amp.  It is quite a shock to be operating without the amp at 100 watts and then to come back to the profile you have used for years to operate with the amp only to find out your driving it with 100 watts instead of the required 10 watts.

    I wonder if anyone has lost the finals in their amp as a result of this change.  I know many amps have overdrive protection but it has been know to not work or work fast enough.

    I personally find the profile auto change to be a PIA.
  • Andy W3LI
    Andy W3LI Member ✭✭
    edited May 2020
    This actually happened to me. I thought that I had figured out how to create a profile for Amp ON and Amp OFF. On at 40W, Off at 100W. Out the corner of my eye I saw the RED LED on the Amp flashing. Deleted profile, never to use again.
  • Lionel
    Lionel Member ✭✭✭
    edited June 2020
    Flex 6400/v2.6.2  - one antenna, one microphone

    Unless I am mistaken, the following is a re-flogging of the autosave profile feature. Apologies in advance if required.  Is the topic off the radar? 

    I seldom use profiles though I will create and save some.  So today I created 80 CW 100, saved. worked fine, persistence is okay going to another band and back, good. 

    So now selecting 80 CW 100 everything comes up fine, 100W.  Just for fun I reset power to 50W, did not save the profile, but instead selected the band 15 meters.  While on 15 meters I selected my 80 CW 100 profile which came up fine-except now at 50W.

    Irritating. I can fix it, set the power to 100, and save my 80 CW 100 profile and all is good until I change power, and voila the profile follows and seems to autosave. Crazy.

    I've tested this scenario multiple times this morning. Same result.

    I thought profiles existed so that I, the operator, do not have to remember the many settings.

    I know this topic has been flogged over and over so profiles are behaving it seems as described in multiple other posts with SSDR making decisions I'd rather reserve for myself.

    My point is; why save a profile if I have to remember to reset everything to match my original profile prior to changing bands?  I go back and forth a lot - flexibility is great. Autosave - not so much.

    Please fix this.  No opinion on how.  I do not feel this is getting much company attention.

    Most likely I will continue to ignore completely the profile feature of SSDR until I can be certain that what I've built and specifically saved is what I will get when selected.   

    This is version 2.6.2.



  • KC2QMA_John
    KC2QMA_John Member ✭✭
    edited May 2020

    Auto Save without the ability to turn OFF/ON is a HUGE design mistake in my opinion. I almost can't believe that this was approved to be added to SmartSDR!

    I wonder if Auto Save is the reason SD cards might be failing? 

    FRS next time you have plans to make such a radical change to the software you might want to check with the users first. Also the time it took to add this “feature” that no one asked for you could have been working on things like NB, NR, All mode Squelch and the like.

  • Tom W3FRG
    Tom W3FRG Member ✭✭
    edited May 2020
    During your Profile creation, keep the "TX BAND SETTINGS" Table open and select the Tx & Tune Power settings. 
    Check the linear keying source, IE: RCA TX1, or the the one you use.
    You probably have a profile set up for Barefoot on that band also.
    So, switch back and forth between them for the Linear & Barefoot and watch the RCA TX1 uncheck & Check and the Power out level change from low to max pwr for barefoot.

    GL Tom W3FRG
  • Bill -VA3WTB
    Bill -VA3WTB Member ✭✭✭
    edited May 2020
    They found the reason for the SD card issues, and it is not related to auto save. Any time Flex comes out with a feature, it is the policy not to discuss it before it rolls out. Unless that has changed lately.
  • Patrick
    Patrick Member ✭✭✭
    edited May 2020
    Using Global profile to save.  Creat a new global then the two sub profiles will be saved.  Access via Global profiles.  
  • Patrick
    Patrick Member ✭✭✭
    edited June 2020
    Please note that saving a given setup as a Global profile will save everything.  And is in fact your safety back up if you should have a failure event.  So make sure to export the profiles often to keep the backup up to date.  I created profiles for all the things I do and the equipment I run.  So I have mic/audio profile for running digital and one each for the two microphones.  I have two transmit profiles for the two amps.  Those run under the Global profile for each mode and band. Example (20 meters FT8) the digital and amp profiles are integrated under that Global profile.  Then make sure to export all those profiles (it is done in one step) to memory.   Any time that you are using a profile and you make changes, auto save will remember it, not the profile.  This makes it so that you can get back to your staring point.  If the change is meant to be permanent, make sure to save it as the Global profile and as always export the profiles before you shut down or leave the computer.  
  • Patrick
    Patrick Member ✭✭✭
    edited May 2020
    The old adage “Garbage in Garbage out” always applies to new software....
  • Patrick
    Patrick Member ✭✭✭
    edited June 2020
    Understanding the relationship of the things that change settings in the radio.

    1) profiles set up the radio at a starting point, any way the operator desires.

    2) auto save saves anything you change in a given moment,  but does not change the profile. To get back to starting point simply reselect applicable Global profile.

    3) external changes, such as selecting operating band from wsjt-x, will be saves by auto save, but are reversible via Global profile.   This is the same for most external devices that are controlling the radio via CAT.  Such as setting power limits, like my SPE does.  In this case the radio will auto save that setting, unless when I go back to not using the amp it will require me to manually change the power out setting to full power, then it will remember it.  Until next time.  
    I hope this helps....


  • Patrick
    Patrick Member ✭✭✭
    edited June 2020
    Flex will assimilate you into the Profile!!!
  • Andy W3LI
    Andy W3LI Member ✭✭
    edited June 2020
    As I mentioned in the early part of this post I do not use Profiles and will not, I sure hope you folks figure this out soon and move on.
  • Craig Williams
    Craig Williams Member ✭✭
    edited May 2020
    Absolutely,
  • Patrick
    Patrick Member ✭✭✭
    edited May 2020
    Do as you wish Andy, but you are ruling out the most powerful tool available to run the radio in an efficient and repeatable manner.  
  • Lionel
    Lionel Member ✭✭✭
    edited May 2020
    For your item 2, this may be true but should you change bands. or forget to create a new profile, untended profile revisions are saved overwriting your existing GP.  This is my observation with the TX profile included in any global profile. 

    Making multiple copies of profiles outside of SSDR, or saving a new profile within SSDR, each time, seems unreasonable to one who often changes onscreen settings, bands, etc.  My focus is on making contacts, not managing a bunch of profiles.

    I spent 2 hours this morning running through a CW profile scenario as the power setting and band was changed between steps and observing the autosave to my global profile, by way of the TX profile autosave, and to the TX settings table. Granted if I had remembered to save a new profile each time I could have recalled my original. I have jpg's of each step, eleven in all. This would have required several new profiles.

    The autosave feature burned me the other day, hence my newfound interest in the topic.  Autosave is in V2.6.2.

    A bit confusing and the User Guide explanation, while not horrid could use work and better examples.

  • Patrick
    Patrick Member ✭✭✭
    edited May 2020
    I probably was not clear on this,  as the reason I think that users are having trouble is because the weakness in the profile/auto save function is that there is a conflict with the those two functions when you manually change the band via the band select window.  If there was another setup in use that was auto saved. It will not necessarily select your last profile, but will select the last auto save setup.  I should have said something about this, earlier.  To get around this, the user should make the profile band centric followed by mode.   ie.  Creat the setup you want including transmit and mic/audio sub profiles.  Then duplicate this basic setup for each band.  When this is done, never select the band from the band select window again.  Use the profile for the band you want.   It makes for a lot of duplication.  And I am not sure why Flex does not understand this.  I do not blame Flex users for being irritated by this.  I think the conflict could be solved by the software setting priority level for band change so that if you selected a basic function profile for FT8 or SSB, and that profile would have top priority when changing bands via the radio band change window on the pan-adapter.  This would eliminate the duplication I have to do in Profiles and require only one selection.  When I went to band centric on the Profiles it fixed that problem for me.  But this is a bandaid fix using a clumsy methodology. I do not know what further to say, as this rub will/is loosing customers for Flex.  
  • Lionel
    Lionel Member ✭✭✭
    edited May 2020
    Yes, I agree with this. Well said. Thanks.
  • Johan _ SE3X
    Johan _ SE3X Member ✭✭
    edited June 2020
    I really really like my 6700 for so many reasons. But this autosave of profiles, I really hate it. It was so much better before the change to this new schmuck! Please Please Flex management, give us  a button to shut it of with.
  • Lionel
    Lionel Member ✭✭✭
    edited May 2020
    Another approach to profiles, maybe.  I'm mostly a CW op.  I use TouchPortal as a sort of profiles by creating a sequence of commands executed on a button press that setup a slice with power, bw, keyer, tune power, sidetone.  Each slice has its group of these TouchPortal profiles.  They are fixed until I make deliberate changes to the commands.   So far this has been more useful than the native Flex profiles, especially with the autosave.  My TP profiles can create/destroy slices, select band, set starting mode, power, and frequency, etc. 

    The usefulness of capturing a setup per slice is, to me, more helpful than Flex profiles capture, with autosave especially, the radio state. 

    TouchPortal has its issues with comms, MS, and iPad I/F I think,  but it is command stable and no autosave. 

    For SSB it could do that same except for the microphone selection.   And I do not believe it can set up all parameters in the TX profile such as relay outputs. There's an opportunity here for someone with more TP and Flex API skills.

    The other device similar to using an old iPad and TP could probably do that same thing, maybe a lot more.  But there is $ involved-hence TP.

    The same message to Flex, please fix the autosave.  Maybe take a poll and see what users would prefer. Regardless, please fix this.



  • David - KO1C
    David - KO1C Member ✭✭
    edited May 2020
    To me, a profile SHOULD be like a bookmark in your web browser, it should ALWAYS take you to the same place.

    Since Flex changed (and I'm being too kind by saying "changed") how profiles work, they have become completely useless to me.

    How can we officially complain to Flex?

  • Lionel
    Lionel Member ✭✭✭
    edited May 2020
    I've spent several hours over the last two days making notes and taking screenshots to document why the Autosave feature is a problem for my operation.  Now I've put it all together in an organized document.

    If nothing else, I think doing this much work should demonstrate my strong desire to see this fixed.

    Next, who to send to? 

    Posting here as an attachment probably is not very useful as the topic has been beaten to death and the Flex staff that monitor the forum are well aware.
  • Bill -VA3WTB
    Bill -VA3WTB Member ✭✭✭
    edited May 2020

    Flex staff has spent the better part of a day asking people their thoughts on this and we responded, Explaining what we don't like. Flex has all the information they need, nothing mentioned here will give Flex any more info. Eric said that they will re work the auto save so it works best for most people. It may not be out this week, or even next week,, next month? three months? who knows. But they Are very very aware of our complaints and needs.
  • Robby Robertson
    Robby Robertson Member ✭✭
    edited June 2020
    Profiles.

    Out-smart Smart SDR

    I like profiles and I use them. I think the biggest complaint to the change which over wrote settings and cause 100W to land at the input of amps that needed much less power to stay happy and alive.

    I was one of the complainers as I was using a KPA500 amp and needed approx. 26W of drive. Some ops have reported catastrophe when inadvertently applying 100 watts to their amps.

    I read on the Community site this morning about efforts to protect amps from this problem.

    I have been using profiles all along as I have moved to a different amp that likes 100W drive and would tolerate more still. For this reason I have not had any more problems with my Profiles.

    This morning I have developed a few steps that you can take that make profiles more useful and persistent. 

    First I will explain how I use Profiles. I have 3 profiles for each band. Like 20CW, 40RY and 15SB. I always change bands and modes by using these profiles. Click on Profiles at the top left of my SSDR window and select 17SB and I am on 18140 SSB 100W in a flash. None of these profiles get overwritten unless I want them to.

    If you have a KPA 500 as many do, here is a safe solution for your amplifier. In this example will use 20M CW and whatever your amp requirements for that band. They differ by band but that is not a problem as you can do this per band.

    1. Select the drive level you require for that band with the RF Power slider.

    2. Click on the Profiles menu (top left of SSDR window) and select Profile Manager.
    You will see 3 tabs for 3 types of Profiles. Microphone, Transmit and Global.

    3. Select the Microphone tab and set up your profile. Give it a name. I have 3 microphones. My favorite and 2 others. I like the Yaesu MD-100 best so I have names like 1-Yaesu MD-100 and 1-Yaesu MD-100DX and 1-Yaesu MD-100DXplus. So I can select the mic with settings of the Processor, mic level, EQ etc. The #1 in front makes sure the favorite mic profiles are at the top of the list. Set your mic level, PROC settings and the same with the EQ settings. You can do the same with another mic and put a 2- in front of the name.

    4. Select the Transmit tab on Profile Manager and enter a profile name like 20CWLO in the profile creation window. Click on Create to create the profile and it should appear on the list of transmit profiles. Then with that profile still in the Create window, click on Delete. Then create it again. I found that if the profile name was ever used before some of the settings will still be associated with it. This Create/Delete/Create procedure makes sure you are starting with a clean name. 

    5. Check to ensure that the power is still set to the correct level for this band and amp. For me it was 26W to the KPA500 on the 20 CW band segment. Click on Load.

    6. Select the Global tab on Profile Manager and enter the same name used for the transmit profile. In this example 20CWLO. Click on Load then Save.

    7. You should now have a low power global profile for 20M CW. For amps like the KPA500 use that profile for 20M CW operation.

    8. Now load the 20CW global profile and ensure it gives you 100W. Some times it will stick with the 26W. Don't despair. Go through the same procedure for 20CW, deleting old and creating new at 100W. You may not need to do this but I did. 

    9. You can test your new profiles by clicking back and forth between the 20CW and 20CWLO profiles and watching the power slider jump up and down the power scale. Everything else should remain the same.

    10. You should follow these steps for each band using the power level that is correct for that band. You can skip step 3 if you want the same default mic settings for each band. Don't forget to create a profile name and then delete it and create again. I found that if you create a profile that was using the same name previously you can get unpredictable results. Usually bad.

    You should wind up with a list of profiles in your Profiles menu that has high and low profiles for each band and mode. If you are operating at 100W and decide you need the amp, all you have to do is go to Profiles and select the one ending in LO to get the proper drive level for that band and keep operating if you have an auto tune amp like the KPA500.

    I tested these profiles for quite a while. Then closed SSDR and restarted it. Everything was still OK. Then I closed SSDR and rebooted the the 6400. Restarted SSDR and the profiles remained OK. Then I closed SSDR and shut down my PC and removed the power from the back of the radio. Waited about 20 minutes and reconnected power and booted up the PC and Radio. Then I launched SSDR and found the profiles are just as I left them. 
    BUT YOU MUST SELECT YOUR PROFILE AGAIN BEFORE GOING TO ANOTHER ONE. 
    This protects you from over write if you have changed something.

    For instance if you are playing with the settings for 40M RTTY and get messed up just to up to Profiles and pick 40RY or 40RYLO. You will be back to square one.

    It is still a good idea to back up these profiles.

    I am using windows 10 and SSDR v3.1.12.

    I wish I still had my KPA500.

    Robby/HP3SS
  • KC2QMA_John
    KC2QMA_John Member ✭✭
    edited May 2020

    "It may not be out this week, or even next week,, next month? three months? who knows."
    My guess is by the time they get around to addressing this issue we will all be getting around in flying cars LOL.

    But seriously FRS says that they added “Auto Save” to cut down on support calls but it looks like it just made people even more confused and unhappy because now you have some people blowing up there HF amps and getting totally lost with profiles more than before they made the change to Auto Save.


    JUST ADD AN ON/OFF SWITCH TO “AUTO SAVE” PLEASE!
  • Bill -VA3WTB
    Bill -VA3WTB Member ✭✭✭
    edited May 2020
    Robby, You do understand this, Im glad. I also use Global Profiles instead of using the band selection panel. In doing this there is never any problems with over driving an amp,,never. I just takes a bit of time to set up, but it is really slick the way it works that way.
  • Patrick
    Patrick Member ✭✭✭
    edited May 2020
    This is what I have been trying to get through to the user community.  In my case, and there will be variations depending on operators equipment and habits.  I use pretty much the same as stated above.   Radio crashes requires factory reset, recall the appropriate and reload the profiles. Select the profile all is well.  You just have to be diligent in doing the backups when you change things.  Minor flubs, recall the profile back to good.......

Leave a Comment

Rich Text Editor. To edit a paragraph's style, hit tab to get to the paragraph menu. From there you will be able to pick one style. Nothing defaults to paragraph. An inline formatting menu will show up when you select text. Hit tab to get into that menu. Some elements, such as rich link embeds, images, loading indicators, and error messages may get inserted into the editor. You may navigate to these using the arrow keys inside of the editor and delete them with the delete or backspace key.