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6600 Spontaneous Band-switching

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WC6Y
WC6Y Member ✭✭
edited March 2025 in SmartSDR for Mac

I'm running a 6600 firmware 3.6.8, TGXL, PGXL. SmartSDR for Mac 2.9.57.

I have a single panadaptor open on 10m with one slice. I'm not touching anything and I hear a relay clunk in the TGXL and I'm on 30m. I continue working at the Mac running SmartSDR for Mac, but on other apps (e.g. word, excel). Clunk it switches to 40m. A random time later, back to 30m. Just now as I'm typing this in Safari, it switched to 20m. I have rebooted the 6600 to no avail. I have a great ground system and never had RF in the shack.

Ideas?!

Comments

  • VE7ATJ_Don
    VE7ATJ_Don Member ✭✭✭✭
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    Sounds like it might be a problem in the TGXL. I would suggest opening up a Help Desk Ticket.

  • KD0RC
    KD0RC Member, Super Elmer Moderator
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    I agree with Don. I would also add that you should probably upgrade to 3.8.23. Version 3.6.8 is over a year old now.

  • Mike-VA3MW
    Mike-VA3MW Administrator, FlexRadio Employee, Community Manager, Super Elmer, Moderator admin
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    The TGXL does not send band change information to the radio, so that isn't it.

    My guess is that some software is sending the command to the radio. Could there some function in the MAC software that is randomly loading global profiles that put you on a new band? Or, DX Cluster band changes?

    Reboot the computer and the radio and see if the problem goes away. Make sure no other MAC programs are autostarted.

  • WC6Y
    WC6Y Member ✭✭
    Options

    Rebooted everything. It's been several hours with no spontaneous bandswitching. Fingers crossed …

  • WC6Y
    WC6Y Member ✭✭
    Options

    Rebooting everything didn't solve the problem. However after upgrading 6600 firmware to 3.8.23, the autonomous band-switching hasn't reappeared in 24 hrs.

  • WC6Y
    WC6Y Member ✭✭
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    Spoke too soon. Still doing it. Opening a Help Desk Ticket.

  • Mike-VA3MW
    Mike-VA3MW Administrator, FlexRadio Employee, Community Manager, Super Elmer, Moderator admin
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    they will want you to the following tests:

    • Does it fail on a PC since we do not do any MAC testing (sorry). You will have to follow up with SmartSDR for MAC and their support route.
    • Any chance you can test it on SmartSDR for iOS?
    • Reset the radio
    • Reset the MAC database — not sure if this can be done
    • Does it happen without the TGXL?

    I do know there is no software in the radio that can make this happen which means that band changes commands come externally.

    The support teams goal is to first isolate the root cause of your problem and to eliminate everything that might be doing this.

    Let us know what they find out.

  • K3SF
    K3SF Member ✭✭✭
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    IF you are running this version wsjtx 2.7.1 -devel

    it does band hopping….

    Paul K3SF

    Screenshot 2025-03-06 at 11.55.04 AM.png
  • WC6Y
    WC6Y Member ✭✭
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    The latest configuration: no PGXL, TGXL, or SmartSDR for Mac.

    Mac M1 Macbook pro laptop running Parallels, Windows 11 & SmartSDR v3.8.23.

    Cold booted 6600 (i.e. shutdown & removed 12v plug per Flexradio instructions.)

    Problem persists.

  • WC6Y
    WC6Y Member ✭✭
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    It appears that the 6600 is jumping to whatever the most recent spot is, on whatever band. Same thing happens using both SmartSDR and SmartSDR for Mac. There must be a software switch for this somewhere, but I've yet to find it! Where is it??

  • KD0RC
    KD0RC Member, Super Elmer Moderator
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    You can try going to Settings, Spots and disabling Spots. Depending on the mechanism that is causing the problem, this may have no effect.

    image.png

    If the radio is jumping to the latest spot, then there is most likely an app that is doing that. As Paul mentioned, WSJTX 2.7.1 Devel version has this capability. Other apps may also. I would stop all apps except for SmartSDR and verify that the problem is gone. Then add apps one by one until the problem returns.

    Once you identify the offending app, you can look at the options to see if there is something that automatically takes you to a spotted frequency.

  • WC6Y
    WC6Y Member ✭✭
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    Len,

    Thanks for the heads-up idea about other apps. Sure enough, I had inadvertently punched the "Auto-tune" button in MacLogger DX … DOH! That sure took a long time to sort out …

    Screenshot 2025-03-12 at 6.40.11 PM.png
  • KD0RC
    KD0RC Member, Super Elmer Moderator
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    Glad you got it sorted out!

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