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I Desperately Need an Elmer

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gatorsteele
gatorsteele Member ✭
in SmartSDR for Windows
I have a Flex 6300 running SmartSDR ver 3.1.12 on Windows 10.

I’ve been able to get the RX side of things up and running with good success but I haven’t been able to get the TX to work at all.

I have a INRAD DMS 629 desk mike and I’m pretty sure everything is plugged in correctly but I’m seeing no output indication other than the TX light at the bottom right of the screen.

I need someone who knows what they’re doing to walk me through settings to see where I’ve selected something wrong or failed to select something right.

Comments

  • KD0RC
    KD0RC Member, Super Elmer Moderator
    Options

    Well, that is a start, the PTT is set up OK. If you go to the mic profile dropdown, you will find the INRAD M629 profile. Select that and it will set things up properly for you. Next open Settings, Radio Setup and select the Phone/CW tab. In the Microphone box, select Enabled for Enable/Disable the Level Meter During Receive. Note that for my setup, BIAS is on. The 629 is a dynamic mic, so by selecting it in the mic profile box, BIAS will automagically be turned off. Close Radio Setup.

    image.png


    Now you can set the mic gain by watching the Level meter. Do not press the PTT, just speak into the mic and move the mic gain up or down as needed. The mic gain is circled. Adjust so that the peak indicator (little yellow square) not the average indicator (long green/yellow bar) is about where the arrow is below. If that little square ever moves past zero and turns red, you need to back off the mic gain until peaks do not exceed 0dB. This is really important to not distort your signal. You won't be louder, just worse sounding if you go into the red.

    image.png

    Hopefully, that will get you set up to transmit. If not, we can keep digging until we get it figured out.

    73,

    Len, KD0RC

  • K0FLY
    K0FLY Member ✭✭✭
    Options

    Gatorsteele:

    Len gave you some good advice, if you still have problems check the following.

    1) On the SSDR control panel P/CW pane, click on the "TUNE" button, this should cause a carrier to transmitted. If the radio does transmit this is an indication that the TX RF chain is good. (Make sure your selected frequency is inside the ham band and the "Tune Power slider is advanced somewhat to the right.

    2) Also on the P/CW pane verify that the "DAX" button is grayed out, if its blue the mic input is disabled.

    These are cool radios with lots of features but there is a long learning curve. Hope the answers help.

    Gayle K0FLY

  • Mike-VA3MW
    Mike-VA3MW Administrator, FlexRadio Employee, Community Manager, Super Elmer, Moderator admin
    Options

    This video might help as well.


    Mike va3mw

    https://youtu.be/GdFeTzPo14w


  • gatorsteele
    gatorsteele Member ✭
    Options
    Thank you all for responding. I tried everything suggested to no avail. I decided to go back to square one. Now it’s confession time. In the documentation for the INRAD mic, in a short sentence buried in the middle of a paragraph was a note about an on/off slide switch. I had the mic mounted with the switch on the bottom and never saw it.

    Slide switch to on and I can now transmit. I do ha a few other issues I’ll have to work trough but I’m on the way.

    W7JKA
  • K0FLY
    K0FLY Member ✭✭✭
    Options

    Thanks for the update, I'm glad that the radio does not have to go back to Austin. Have fun.

    Gayle K0FLY☺️

  • Erika - KØDD
    Erika - KØDD Member ✭✭✭
    Options

    gatorsteele,

    Did you ever get your Mic playing nicely? I read about the switch... But there's something else you're going to want to check.

    I Also use a M629, but mine is used with an OC White Broadcast style mic boom... WELLLLL. There's a lot of both male and female XLR's in the boom assembly and cut to length cable for the mic end.

    I used to work with Pro Audio.... SO I got mine all hooked up and plugged all my XLR connectors Including right into the balanced input of my 6500. I got this thing working right before the ARRL DX Phone and while it worked alright, I noticed that when I had my footswitch (PTT) down and touched the mic barrel to move it slightly while XMITTING there was a hum in the audio. So don't touch the mic I have a contest to do....

    I had wired up all the XLR's like everything else I do around here, so I pulled them ALL Apart again to see if I boogered one up when putting them together. NOPE.... Well what and the dickens? THEN I sort of remembered I bought this from DXE and it came with a cable that adapted the XLR down to an 1/8" plug... I'd never even taken it out at all as that's a joke in my opinion. I thought I WONDER? I pulled the mic jack integral to the mic housing apart and low and behold the wiring to the mic's connector was NO WAY BALANCED XLR standard. Everything was flopped around like they had a wire and they just hooked it somewhere... Only one wire was correct. I removed everything and rewired the inside of the mic to proper connections and the microphone has worked fabulously since.

    The only thing I can say.... While my mic works alright now, AT LEAST SHURE KNOWS HOW TO WIRE A MICROPHONE.... You might want to check your all your internal mic wiring, including the STAND while you're at it. ESPECIALLY if you are using it as a balanced mic.

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