Version 3.5.8 Noise Reduction

Trucker · August 2023

It may be my imagination, but it seems like the Noise Reduction in this new version has actually got worse. No matter what settings I use as far as AGC-T, Noise Reduction, or RF Gain, the background hiss, Noise, barely changes. At first I thought it was something local or solar event causing the problem. So, I hooked up a different radio and had no problem reducing the background noise and hiss. I called a friend who has not updated yet,and his Noise Reduction works normally ( for the current state of Noise Reduction in SmartSDR).

He then updated to 3.5.8 . Now, his radio is doing the same thing. Background noise and hiss is worse and normal controls don't seem as effective as it was in his previous version. His radio is not an M model radio. ( shouldn't make a difference) I am not sure why this is happening. But, it seems Noise Reduction has gone the wrong direction in this release.

James

WD5GWY

Mike-VA3MW · August 2023

I don't think any of the software in the Noise Reduction area was touched.

However, if you think there is an issue, please open a support ticket so that it gets tracked correctly.

Trucker · August 2023

Mike, my friend and I both live in crowded neighborhoods in the city. It is always a possibility that it could be something local to each of us. It's been extremely hot here for several weeks now. It could be a failing A/C unit like what happened when a neighbor had his fail ( over a long period of time) that drove me crazy until his landlord replaced the unit. After that, things improved dramatically.

Plus, this update fixed a problem I have been dealing with ever since v3.4.23 came out. That version messed up the Code for the Persistence Database in such a way that more times than not, my 6600M would not come back to the previous band, frequency and settings on power up ever time the radio was started. With this update, it has been flawless in that one thing. Which gave me a lot of grief until I developed the habit of keeping notes on my manual tuner settings and what band I was on the last time I used the radio. That way, I could check before transmitting and not chance having problems because I was on the wrong band.

So far, today after several re-starts, Persistence has been working great. I can always reconnect my Timewave 599zx DSP outboard filter to help reduce noise and use the ANF in it to knock out tuner uppers when listening to a qso. I don't want to do that as those are basic features in the radio that should work. But, for now, that's better than rolling back.

James

WD5GWY

I may go ahead and open a Help Desk ticket just to get the issue in the books. But, since I have communicated these problems with people like Steve Hicks and others in management, including the owner of Flex Radio, I doubt opening a Help Desk ticket will make a difference.

WX7Y · August 2023

Try adjusting the levels in your DSP settings for

WNB <10

NB 1-2

NR <10

ANF 1-2

You can also adjust the RX Equalizer so the NR doesn't make the RX audio have to much base.

I found this to be a good work around so it doesn't distort the Audio really bad on strong signals, The Default levels are WAY to high and aggressive.

ka9ees · August 2023

@Trucker

James I've not noticed any change in NR, WNB, or AGCT.

Trucker · August 2023

I did what I didn't want to do and rolled back to v3.4.24. It "seemed " like the noise reduction worked better. But, anymore, local noise is always a possibility since I live in the city. I didn't notice any changes in the noise floor level between either version. Just that v3.5.8 seems to not have as much noise reduction as v3.4.24. I decided to go back to v3.5.8 just to keep the improvement in the Persistence Database.

WX7Y,

Thanks for the suggestions on the settings. You mustnlive out in the country. If I set NR to less than 10, I would only hear extremely strong signals. ( 10 to 20 over 9) My local noise floor on 20 meters is a steady S5. Sometimes, it's a bit less. On the lower bands, depending on time of day and time of year, it can be S7 or worse. I don't use the default settings as those are way too high. I will try your settings to see what happens.

James

WD5GWY

Trucker · August 2023

Switched back to v3.5.8 so I could keep the fixed Persistence Database. I would rather use my outboard filter (Timewave 599zx DSP) to handle noise reduction and Automatic Notch Filter as it works better than the same thing in SmartSDR. Setting it back up is a bit of a hassle, so I will probably put that off for a while.

James

WD5GWY

Version 3.5.8 Noise Reduction

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