Welcome to the new FlexRadio Community! Please review the new Community Rules and other important new Community information on the Message Board.
If you are having a problem, please refer to the product documentation or check the Help Center for known solutions.
Need technical support from FlexRadio? It's as simple as Creating a HelpDesk ticket.

Does anyone like those white lines in the waterfall when transmitting?

Ed - W2RF
Ed - W2RF Member ✭✭
edited June 2020 in New Ideas
Now we know that the white lines in the waterfall when transmitting are by design. However for me, it is enough to see that the waterfall is black when transmitting. I don't need those white lines; in fact I find them distracting.

I would like to see an option to remove them. Or at least make them a darker color.

Other opinions?

73 Ed W2RF

Comments

  • George KF2T
    George KF2T Member ✭✭✭
    edited February 2019
    Hi Ed!
    I like them when running digital, hate them on CW. Ambivalent about them on phone.
  • Ed - W2RF
    Ed - W2RF Member ✭✭
    edited December 2016
    It's CW that I also have the most problem with. Creates so much clutter it interferes with  the RX waterfall. Useless :-)
  • KY6LA_Howard
    KY6LA_Howard Member ✭✭✭
    edited February 2017
    Transmit is Incredibly useful. Allows me to visually monitor my signal. As effective if not more so than the MON function.
  • KY6LA_Howard
    KY6LA_Howard Member ✭✭✭
    edited December 2014
    White line is clutter? Not really.
  • Ed - W2RF
    Ed - W2RF Member ✭✭
    edited December 2016
    I think you are referring to the ability to monitor the TX signal in the waterfall, not to turn it off and replace it with a white line.
  • Al_NN4ZZ
    Al_NN4ZZ Member ✭✭✭
    edited June 2020
    Ed, 
    I don't find the lines to be a problem on CW but I wonder if it depends on how you setup for CW.

    Are you using QSK?
    Or if not,  do you use a short breakin delay?

    In either case, there could be a lot of lines.  On the other hand with a long (for example 300+) breakin delay, its doesn't seem to be a problem.  A line between transmissions......  

    Regards, Al / NN4ZZ  
    al (at) nn4zz (dot) com.  
  • Ed - W2RF
    Ed - W2RF Member ✭✭
    edited December 2016
    Al,

     There wouldn't be a problem with semi-breakin as you use.

    I use QSK so the waterfall is full of white lines.


  • Ken - NM9P
    Ken - NM9P Member ✭✭✭
    edited December 2016
    Al,
    Before I got my 6500 I couldn't STAND QSK!  Even with my TS-850.  The noise just drove me crazy!  But now, with the 6500 and 100 & 50 Hz filters, and the quietness of the rig, i have grown to LOVE it.  

    Funny how a great rig can change your impressions!  Now if it is too noisy, I just realize that I have the AGC-T set too high, or have forgotten to set AGC to "fast"  I have noticed that if it is set to MED or SLOW that the noise has a sort of spongy, spring-reverb like effect.  with AGC on fast, things a really nice.

    The white lines and other traces on the panafall during transmission don't bother me.  I just tell myself "that was when I was transmitting.  End of story.  They are really helpful when operating splits with the XIT on Digital operation so I can compare my transmitted frequencies to the traces of other competing stations.
  • Al_NN4ZZ
    Al_NN4ZZ Member ✭✭✭
    edited December 2016
    Ed, 
    I get it now, for QSK it might be nice to have the option of BLACK lines or NO LInes on XMIT.

    Regards, Al / NN4ZZ  
    al (at) nn4zz (dot) com
    .  
  • Ed - W2RF
    Ed - W2RF Member ✭✭
    edited December 2016
    And I've learned that the while lines are only a problem for QSK CW ops... like me!
  • Steve N4LQ
    Steve N4LQ Member ✭✭
    edited September 2015
    I just enabled the "Show TX in Waterfall" option. No while lines and it's beautiful!
  • Ed - W2RF
    Ed - W2RF Member ✭✭
    edited December 2016
    Yes, but the TX CW in the waterfall is not clean. It shows multiple sidebands, and is so bright that is it perhaps more distracting to me than the white lines!

  • George KF2T
    George KF2T Member ✭✭✭
    edited December 2016
    Can one operate CW without QSK? (joking comment) It really is well done in the 6000-series. Such a pleasure operating code.
  • jim
    jim Member ✭✭
    edited February 2020
    would be great  just have  an  completely   OFF  option  
  • Bill W2PKY
    Bill W2PKY Member ✭✭
    edited March 2017
    How about a user preference to eliminate the white line?
  • Steve N4LQ
    Steve N4LQ Member ✭✭
    edited June 2020
    In your Settings.....Under the Transmit tab, enable "Show TX in Waterfall.
    That makes the white lines black.

  • Ed - W2RF
    Ed - W2RF Member ✭✭
    edited December 2016
    Does turn off the white lines, but replaces them with transmit spectrum. A third option would be great.

    73 Ed W2RF
  • Steve N4LQ
    Steve N4LQ Member ✭✭
    edited September 2015
    What would this 3rd option look like? 
  • Ed - W2RF
    Ed - W2RF Member ✭✭
    edited December 2016
    It would look like the white line option, but the line would be black or a color of your choice. The waterfall would still freeze during transmit.
  • Steve N4LQ
    Steve N4LQ Member ✭✭
    edited September 2015
    Use the "Show TX in Waterfall" setting. It freezes the waterfall and shows all black. Hold down your key and you'll see. You surely don't want a flashing white screen. 
  • Ed - W2RF
    Ed - W2RF Member ✭✭
    edited December 2016
    On my test (just done) if Show TX in Waterfall is DISABLED, I see white lines on a frozen waterfall. If it is ENABLED, I see transmit signals on a black waterfall, which is NOT frozen.
  • Steve N4LQ
    Steve N4LQ Member ✭✭
    edited September 2015
    I give up. 
  • Ken - NM9P
    Ken - NM9P Member ✭✭✭
    edited December 2016
    I think he wants an option like the TX in waterfall OFF, but with NO lines at all.
  • Walt - KZ1F
    Walt - KZ1F Member ✭✭
    edited November 2016
    C'mon Howard, that Ed said he'd prefer no display on transmission, similar to what you can do on the waterfall, by virtue of being his opinion/suggestion, it is fact, not subject to "no, you're wrong"
  • Steve N4LQ
    Steve N4LQ Member ✭✭
    edited September 2015
    This is funny

    .....NO line = black flashing on.....Absence of a line = black. 
    How can I state this to be understood?

    Another colored line = some other color flashing on.


  • Walt - KZ1F
    Walt - KZ1F Member ✭✭
    edited November 2016
    Ed, you did, however, turn a perfectly valid idea into a question which is, likely, why there is so much push back. Personally, I like the idea, an option to turn it off. What you could do is end this debate, open another idea that says, "I'd like an option to not show the tramitted signal in the spectrum display".
  • Ed - W2RF
    Ed - W2RF Member ✭✭
    edited February 2017
    On my suggestion that started this thread -- to have an option to turn off the white lines or at least change their color -- I just want to reiterate that the option is not currently available.

    Some have suggested that when Show TX in Waterfall is ENABLED, this is what happens. But it isn't. In that case the white lines and frozen waterfall are replaced by a live scrolling waterfall that shows the TX waveform. Just as the feature name suggests.

    73 Ed W2RF
  • Ed - W2RF
    Ed - W2RF Member ✭✭
    edited December 2016
    Think I was only responding to comments that indicate the feature is already implemented, which it isn't.
  • Steve N4LQ
    Steve N4LQ Member ✭✭
    edited September 2015
    No that won't answer it. "Not showing the transmitted signal" means showing all the stuff in between key downs. That's what you get when you choose "disable". Due to latency in the receiver it shows the "dirty spectrum" from the switching process. 
    One could add a "Spectrum Mute" feature which would freeze the entire screen for X number of milli seconds
  • Ed - W2RF
    Ed - W2RF Member ✭✭
    edited December 2016
    I believe the blanking algorithm when  in DISABLE is not timing correctly. Note that correct timing is applied to slice audio. So the spurious "dirt" in the spectrum is probably a bug.

Leave a Comment

Rich Text Editor. To edit a paragraph's style, hit tab to get to the paragraph menu. From there you will be able to pick one style. Nothing defaults to paragraph. An inline formatting menu will show up when you select text. Hit tab to get into that menu. Some elements, such as rich link embeds, images, loading indicators, and error messages may get inserted into the editor. You may navigate to these using the arrow keys inside of the editor and delete them with the delete or backspace key.