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Digital Mode Information

Jim Bryce W5HFS
Jim Bryce W5HFS Member ✭✭
edited June 2020 in
I've searched for digital modes, psk31, and rtty here and received no relevant information. I suggest a topic for information concerning implementation be created in two parts: 1) Implementation during the time digital modes must be done with external hardware such as RigBlasters etc. 2) Implementation when external hardware is no longer needed since virtual cables etc. are integrated into the 6000 series. I understand 2) will not be in the 1.0 release, but I believe it will be helpful to anticipate and track its progress.

Answers

  • Tim - W4TME
    Tim - W4TME Administrator, FlexRadio Employee admin
    edited March 2017
    Jim, Essentially operating digital modes now is just like you would do with any analog radio; you cobble together or buy an analog to sound card interface, turn off audio processing (compression and the EQ) and you set the appropriate audio levels. Hopefully one of the community members will share their experiences operating digital modes with the rest of the community.
  • Tim - W4TME
    Tim - W4TME Administrator, FlexRadio Employee admin
    edited December 2016
    Thanks David!
  • James Kennedy-WU5E
    James Kennedy-WU5E Member ✭✭
    edited December 2016
    WB5NHL -------THANK YOU! JIM WU5E
  • Roger Rockwell/na4rr
    Roger Rockwell/na4rr Member ✭✭
    edited February 2017
    I'll have to dig out my old Signalink USB. Arne't there some internal jumpers in it that need to e set? Roger na4rr
  • Steven Greenbaum
    Steven Greenbaum Member ✭✭
    edited October 2013
    I also am using the Signalink usb although mine is hooked up via the Mic jack. The only trick is remembering to bring an audio line into the back of the signalink from the external speaker jack on the back of the 6x00. I have a splitter on the external speaker jack, one side going to the amplified speakers and the other going to the Signalink. Use the audio codec for both input and output. I have used this setup with both MixW 2.19 and also FLdigi. The 6500 is much more sensitive on the pan adaptor than is the 5000. I have both hooked up to the same antenna and the results really show how good the 6500 is. Hope this has helped. Steve (N1SG)
  • Jim Bryce W5HFS
    Jim Bryce W5HFS Member ✭✭
    edited July 2016
    This is a really helpful answer, and the several others that use the Signalink have convinced me to get it and continue to use my RigBlaster + with my Icom 706 rather than kluging things up. I need to be sure I understand the connector. I don't find a DIN connector on the 6700. I do find a DE-15 D-sub and want confirm we are talking about the same thing.
  • Tim - W4TME
    Tim - W4TME Administrator, FlexRadio Employee admin
    edited March 2017
    Steven, There are multiple ways to get analog audio in and out radio. One is the mic / speaker / headphone backs and the other is the DB-15 ACC connector. See this topic for the ACC connector pin outs: http://community.flexradio.com/flexradio/topics/what_are_the_pin_outs_on_the_acc_connector
  • DonS
    DonS Member ✭✭✭
    edited January 2020
    For those who have a US Interface Navigator Navigator --> Flex 1 FSK --> 4 INT/FSK 6 Rx Aud ch2 --> 3 line out 2 + 11 DGND --> 5 Ground 12 Rx Aud ch1 --> 2 Line out 1 + 13 AGND --> 6, 7, 8 Gnd 17 PTT --> 14 PTT 24 DGND --> 10 Ground 25 Tx Aud --> 1 Line In + If you don't want to make up the DB25 to DB15 cable, Clint, kk7uq can provide the cable for $49 Don - kx9q
  • Dave - WB5NHL
    Dave - WB5NHL Member ✭✭
    edited November 2018
    Roger, Yes there are jumpers that need to be set. You can use individual wires or a Tigertronics header. In my reply above, the jumper settings are the neumonics (G, PTT, Mic etc) on one side and the numbers (1-8) that correspond to connector pins on the RJ45 connector. In my case I used the a Kenwood header since it was essentially straight through jumper. BTW, I also have jumpers JP2 and JP3. JP2 increases the input audio and JP3 increases the output audio. Check Signalink documentation. Per their doc, output is up to 2Vp-p into 600 ohms with JP3 installed. Jim, Yes the DB-15 is the ACC connector. It is a DIN connector, female on the radio. The connector looks like a standard PC video connector except the Flex connector is 15 pins instead of 9.
  • Jim Bryce W5HFS
    Jim Bryce W5HFS Member ✭✭
    edited July 2016
    Thanks for clarifying you are talking about the ACC connector that is a DB-15 on the 6700. However, please check your reference to a DIN connector. A DIN connector is not a D-sub connector. They are totally different. The DIN connector is the round type used, for example, on the earlier IBM PC/AT keyboards and as the accessory connector on an Icom 706. A D-sub is the D shaped connector like the DB-15 on the 6700. Knowing that a DIN is used for accessory connection on the Icom I kept looking for a similar connector on the 6700 following your instructions thinking it must have been included in addition to the D-sub. All is understood now. Thanks for the additional information on the jumper setup; that clarified questions I had while reviewing the Signalink USB documentation.
  • Steve - K5FR
    Steve - K5FR Member ✭✭
    edited April 2019
    This reply was created from a merged topic originally titled Looking for USB Soundcard. Does FRS have a recommendation for a decent USB sound card that will work for direct audio connection between the F6000 radios and digital applications?
  • Al - K0VM
    Al - K0VM Member
    edited August 2013
    Steve, I have been using a StarTech USB audio dongle to interface with the 6500. Likely not a clean as a full digital path but it seems to work with no ill effects..
  • Steve - K5FR
    Steve - K5FR Member ✭✭
    edited April 2019
    I agree my question should be merged with this thread, but my question was DOES FRS have a favored USB sound card? I assume not so I'll probably get a Signal Link since it has a high degree of program-ability and is first on my list.
  • Jim K4JAF
    Jim K4JAF Member ✭✭
    edited September 2015
    I have used a cheap USB soundcard in the past and had good results here. Using a Micro Keyer II now from Microham if anyone should want to know the pin outs, etc to use that piece of hardware, operates digital modes and external cw keyer with memories.. Good luck on the Digital modes, as others have said, just like the old days with interfacing to an "analog" radio.. 73s Jim K4JAF
  • Tim - W4TME
    Tim - W4TME Administrator, FlexRadio Employee admin
    edited March 2017
    We do not show favoritism towards one sound card over another. We don't want to damage the self esteem of the other sounds cards that didn't get selected ;-)
  • Greg
    Greg Member ✭✭
    edited August 2013
    Steve, Take a look at the radio boss by Green Herron Engineering. I connected the audio to a turtle beach USB sound dongle that is pretty inexpensive. The boss gives you a USB to DB9 serial port you can use for other things and also gives DTR, RTS and TXD for CW, PTT and FSK (don't think FSK works yet on the radio). It has pots to tweak the audio levels like the SL. 73 Greg
  • Ed, K0KC
    Ed, K0KC Member ✭✭
    edited September 2017
    I constructed a cable yesterday so that I could use my 6700 on the digital modes. As I see it, the connector on the back of the 6700 is mounted upside down with pin 1 at the bottom. I have attached a graphic of the DB-15 connector (courtesy of Wikipedia). Actually in accordance with the DIN standards it should be called a DE-15, but common usage in the US is DB-15. If you are building a cable, take extra care to ensure that you are soldering to the correct pins. I made my cable from an old CAT-5 Ethernet cable to be compatible with my SignalLink USB modem. The 6700 end was salvaged from an old VGA cable. Note that you want a high density (three rows of pins) male DB-15 connector on the Flex end. I have only used the rig on JT65 and JT9 so far. I may give PSK-31, Olivia or some other digital mode a try today, even though it has been a long time since I have used any of those modes.
  • DonS
    DonS Member ✭✭✭
    edited January 2020
    If I am running something like psk and interfacing through the ACC plug do I specify "LINE", turn off "COMP" and enable "ACC" on the transmit control panel? Is there any documentation regrading the controls, etc?
  • Greg
    Greg Member ✭✭
    edited August 2013
    No documentation yet Don but you have it right. 73 Greg
  • DonS
    DonS Member ✭✭✭
    edited January 2020
    Success at last using Parallels VM with Win Pro 7, US Interface Navigator, and SmartSDR. I can transmit and receive ok. The only issue I have right now is CAT. I am using the CAT setup by the CAT program - ports 4 (external) and 14 (internal). fldigi is not following the frequency of the radio.
  • Dave - WB5NHL
    Dave - WB5NHL Member ✭✭
    edited December 2014
    If you start fldigi after SmartCAT is running (the usual case since CAT starts at boot) you need to go into Configure-> Rig Control->RigCAT in fldigi click Initialize for fldigi to initiate communications. I'm assuming you already have all the parameters set correctly i.e Device, baud Rate, stopbits etc.
  • DonS
    DonS Member ✭✭✭
    edited January 2020
    I powered off the radio and restarted the VM. I think the SmartCAT got **** up because it now working. I think I will leave well enough alone! It only took me a week to get everything working properly! The only issue I have is if I disable the sound I lose audio to the sound card in the interface. I am running through the ACC in the rear of the radio which i thought was a fixed output not subject to adjusting the audio to the speakers.
  • Jim Bryce W5HFS
    Jim Bryce W5HFS Member ✭✭
    edited November 2018
    CABLE between 6500 and SiglanLink USB. I solved the physical connection problem by "brute force" taking a CAT5 cable and a VGA cable, cutting each and splicing them together. The VGA cable I used had was wired using the resistor color code order making things fairly easy. However the size of its wires was too small to work in the RJ-45 CAT 5 plugs when you crimped them, so I spliced to regular CAT 5 cable. MULTIPLE DIGITAL MODE AUDIO STREAMS: It would be great to enable multiple audio flows from different receiver so one could watch the digital mode activities on multiple bands, or within bands, or with different modes.
  • Neal_K3NC
    Neal_K3NC Member ✭✭
    edited February 2017
    I believe its probably self-evident but could Flex confirm the location of pin 1 of the Acc jack. Looking at the rear of the radio, is pin1 the left most pin at the bottom row? Thanks a Chow!
  • Steve-N5AC
    Steve-N5AC Community Manager admin
    edited December 2016
    The diagram posted is correct -- the pins are also numbered on the connector on the back of the radio. About 10 years ago I could see them in perfect clarity. Now it takes a bright flashlight and a lot of squinting.
  • Neal_K3NC
    Neal_K3NC Member ✭✭
    edited September 2013
    And you are still 15+ years younger than I am!
  • Ed, K0KC
    Ed, K0KC Member ✭✭
    edited June 2020
    Yep...they say eyesight is the second thing to go when you get old!
  • Ken - NM9P
    Ken - NM9P Member ✭✭✭
    edited December 2016
    Hey, I am only 54 and have that problem... My tri-focals still don't help me read the numbers on mike connectors any more....Guess I need to join the OFOW's -- Old "Fellas" On Wheels.
  • Neal_K3NC
    Neal_K3NC Member ✭✭
    edited September 2013
    The saving grace is that no matter how horrible I feel, I can look at N4HY and say, "There by the grace of whomever, at least I am better off than Bob".