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Subject: BF-100 no longer works with SmartSDR 4.2.18 (Flex 6700)

AK1MD
AK1MD Member ✭✭
in Peripherals & Station Integration

Hi all,
Has anyone else had problems with the SureFire BF-100 bandpass filter after updating to SmartSDR 4.2.18?
I use a Flex 6700 with the BF-100 connected via FTDI USB cable (C232HD) on the accessory port. It worked fine on previous versions.

Now:

  • When USB cable is set to Bit mode → Panadapter works normally (signals visible), but the BF-100 does not switch bands at all.
  • When set to CAT mode → No signals in the panadapter and BF-100 does not switch.

Anyone else seeing this with 4.2.18 + BF-100? Any solutions or workarounds?
Thanks, 73, AK1MD

Answers

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

    In CAT, highlight the CAT 'channel' you are using.

    Then, click on the LOG at the bottom of the screen. There, you can see the commands being sent, or not sent.

    Run some band changes and capture all the data and drop it into an AI like Claude or ChatGPT and ask it to analyze it for you. It will know the differences, but it does help if you tell it what you are doing and with what hardware.

  • AK1MD
    AK1MD Member ✭✭

    Hi Mike,

    Thank you for the reply and for the suggestion to check the CAT channel log. I appreciate the guidance.

    I have submitted a support ticket as well. To be candid, I am disappointed that a SmartSDR update appears to have affected USB accessory connectivity that was working reliably before. In my setup, the SureFire BF-100 bandpass filter was switching properly with my Flex 6700 using the FTDI C232HD USB cable on earlier SmartSDR versions. After updating to 4.2.18, Bit mode still allows the panadapter to work normally, but the BF-100 no longer changes bands. CAT mode is worse: I lose panadapter signals and the BF-100 still does not switch.

    Support referred me to someone I have dealt with before, but he is currently on vacation and, in my prior experience, email replies have not always been timely. I understand people are busy and away at times, but this is not just a convenience issue for me. I operate high power, and proper bandpass filter switching is a safety and equipment-protection issue.

    In the meantime, I worked with ChatGPT to create a temporary PC-based controller program that reads the active Flex slice/band information and directly changes the BF-100 band selection from the computer. The goal is to bypass the broken USB cable behavior in SmartSDR 4.2.18 and make sure the BF-100 follows the radio band reliably until Flex can identify what changed and provide a proper fix or workaround.

    I would still much prefer the native Flex USB cable functionality to work as it did before. Hopefully Flex can confirm whether something changed in 4.2.18 affecting Bit/CAT USB cable behavior with FTDI-connected accessories like the BF-100.

    Thanks again,
    73,
    AK1MD

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

    If you can tell us what changed before and after, I can pass it on. That should be pretty straight forward now that you have all the data and ChatGPT could write that up for you.

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