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Idea to improve the SWR and Power Scale readability.

Al_NN4ZZ
Al_NN4ZZ Member ✭✭✭
edited June 2020 in New Ideas
Idea to improve the SWR and Power Scale readability. Maybe low priority but it seems like a simple change. Regards, Al / NN4ZZ
41 votes

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Comments

  • Robert -- N5IKD
    Robert -- N5IKD Member ✭✭
    edited April 2015
    Yes, after all, the reason for uncluttered design is to make the system more usable.
  • Ken - NM9P
    Ken - NM9P Member ✭✭✭
    edited June 2020
    Even better, allow user selection of the color scheme. I like the design with fewer bars and more clarity for the numbers. Perhaps slightly wider bars at 1.5, 2.0, & 2.5 on SWR, and a thin line every 5 watts and a thicker one every 10 watts on the power display.
  • Al_NN4ZZ
    Al_NN4ZZ Member ✭✭✭
    edited June 2020
    Ken, Is this close to what you had in mind for the POWER bar? The mockups are just to suggestions to give the general idea. I like the idea of user selectable color themes but figure that is a much bigger discussion. My initial thought is just to change the background which should be a pretty simple change and a big improvement. Regards, Al / NN4ZZ
  • Ken - NM9P
    Ken - NM9P Member ✭✭✭
    edited December 2016
    It is what I had in mind, but now that I see it, it just looks a little strange, like a zebra. hi hi. I think just the thinner marks every 5 watts might be better. Perhaps with a color change at the 20's. Perhaps they can put labels above the meter for 10, 20, 30, etc. Or at least for 20 if it is too crowded to have them every 10 watts. Having a wider line or different color line every 5 points on the SWR meter would still probably be good.
  • Al_NN4ZZ
    Al_NN4ZZ Member ✭✭✭
    edited December 2016
    It is very readable though! Keep in mind it is enlarged in the snapshot and everyone loves zebras (hihi). Regards, Al / NN4ZZ
  • KY6LA_Howard
    KY6LA_Howard Member ✭✭✭
    edited June 2020
    How about getting rid if those virtually unreadable analog meters and replacing them with readable digits like in PowerSDR
  • Greg
    Greg Member ✭✭
    edited June 2020
    Hows 'bout get rid of the numbers alltogether. Just a high contrasting LED bar with the corresponding peak indicator. Add a box that automatically corresponds with the position of the peak and average indicators and display the numerical values for each? 73 Greg
  • Ken - NM9P
    Ken - NM9P Member ✭✭✭
    edited December 2016
    Numbers are great, unless you are looking for a visual indication of movement, in which case bar or needle meters are superior. I actually like having both at the same time, as in PowerSDR's S-Meter. Just watching numbers change doesn't give any "visual presence" of the movement of signal strength or power output. It is the same reason that I sometimes prefer an old style VOM to an digital electronic volt meter when adjusting a circuit.
  • Ken - NM9P
    Ken - NM9P Member ✭✭✭
    edited December 2016
    My favorite version of the PowerSDR S-meter was the Classic bar graph meter, in averaging mode with the peak hold bar. It also had a box to the right that could be set to read the averaged S-meter reading in -dBm with or without a decimal point. But there were markings on the s-meter for major units. Having the bar graph meter with no unit markings would force the eye to try and look at two different places at the same time. I find that ergonomically confusing and brain-tiring. But having the option of BOTH meters allows my eyes to drift to the format I want when I want it.
  • KY6LA_Howard
    KY6LA_Howard Member ✭✭✭
    edited February 2018
    I really want NUMBERS... especially with the SWR Meter... Just too hard to see those small invisible color lines on my 27" ,monitor The dull red on black with faded blue lines is impossible to see even on my 27" monitor Really need to allow us to pick colors like PowerSDR and have NUMBERS so we can get an actual reading all the time without having to mouse over.
  • KY6LA_Howard
    KY6LA_Howard Member ✭✭✭
    edited January 2017
    definitely a heck of a lot better than the current invisible incarnation albeit I would love to also get rid of the black background I definitely prefer the numbers on top as I would be looking at the numbers rather than the bar graph.... in fact, i would be very happy to do away with the analog graphics altogether... BTW... all my shack SWR meters are digital numbers
  • Dave - WB5NHL
    Dave - WB5NHL Member ✭✭
    edited April 2015
    Al, white on black is big improvement for both SWR and power. I like the the idea of both bar graph and number in title. Drop RF for space in Power title. We know it's RF.
  • NM1W
    NM1W Member ✭✭
    edited February 2018
    I favor numbers; I just want to glance and see what they are, but having the meters and numbers is fine too
  • Charles - K5UA
    Charles - K5UA Member ✭✭
    edited July 2018
    How about the last NN4ZZ graphic design with a peak hold rectangle like the mic level has. For the digital readout guys just have an option for that. Like in PowerSDR. Just a little tweaking when the big things are done.
  • Al_NN4ZZ
    Al_NN4ZZ Member ✭✭✭
    edited March 2017
    Would be nice to see this move from "under consideration" to "planned".

    Can the next road map update include an item for "UI Improvements" added for items like this ? Regards, Al / NN4ZZ  
    al (at) nn4zz (dot) com


  • Ken - NM9P
    Ken - NM9P Member ✭✭✭
    edited December 2016
    I like it. I would also like to see the meter be able to switch when operating low power so I can calibrate a five Watt QRP level at full scale.
  • NM1W
    NM1W Member ✭✭
    edited December 2016
    totally agree. make it readable and useful for lower power modes
  • Ken - NM9P
    Ken - NM9P Member ✭✭✭
    edited December 2016
    Yes, I like it. Now if it only had peak hold capabilities, too!
  • km9r.mike
    km9r.mike Member ✭✭
    edited May 2015
    Looks great
  • km9r.mike
    km9r.mike Member ✭✭
    edited May 2015

    Sorry for the extra work : ) Again looks awesome. I think it is value added and kills the proverbial two birds with one stone.

  • km9r.mike
    km9r.mike Member ✭✭
    edited May 2015
    I was not thinking this initially, but I think this would also be a great tool for those who utilize low power digital mode like jt65 and others.
  • Jim Hawkins / K2JHV
    edited January 2015
    Heh, believe it or not, I wasn't even aware that those tick marks were there!  My vision is fully corrected and recently examined.  It's a matter of attention.  The change to white and lower granularity makes total sense. The addition of the digital readout on the lower left should also be implemented.

    Having been a former C++ programmer, my guess is that the meters are objects all derived from a single class called, say, class meter.  An additional member function can be added to indicate whatever the units and formats are, such as %, or %.%.  The meter levels must be already available because external programs like SWPlotter6K use them.  It's been a long time, but I have written such classes and objects and don't remember it being all the difficult.  The meter class is probably a window.

    Just guessing.  I don't know when 1.4 is planned, but I'll bet this could be squeezed in.  Another member function could be classic(BOOL type) so that, if the user wants the old type, it could be in settings SWRmeter.classic(TRUE) can override the new design to show the old type.

    The radio may be FPGA, but, the interface, is most likely C++.

    I realize, I'm totally guessing what's inside the mystery box and could be wrong, but the control classes are pretty common from my memory.  It's been a very long time.  I have a feeling that the meters are not simple graphics, but drawn by software. ;-)

    All that being said, I might be talking through my hat and totally wrong about the implementation.

    Al, This is one of the best design change Ideas I've seen and it may be very simple.
  • Rich McCabe
    Rich McCabe Member ✭✭✭
    edited January 2015
    I think this is a big improvement. However its not a huge deal to me as I only use rig meters for ALC and have used a quality power/SWR meter for everything else for the last 15 years . Am I the the only one that ignores meters in the rig?

    My second rig is a 7800 and it would be hard to beat it for configuration, accuracy and design in the meter category . And I still don't use them.

    Don't get me wrong, I look forward to the day for a little more bling in the interface :)

  • Al_NN4ZZ
    Al_NN4ZZ Member ✭✭✭
    edited December 2018
    V1.5 appears to have made some improvement to the scales.   I didn't see any mention in the changelog but may have missed it. 


    V1.4 looked like this.

    image



    V1.5 looks like this - notice the darker blue bars

    image



    The suggestions to change the color and add a digital readout are still valid.  Much easier to read and provides a digital readout for those that prefer it in addition to the graph. 

    image

    Regards, Al / NN4ZZ  
    al (at) nn4zz (dot) com
    6700 - HW V 1.5.0.65
    SSDR V 1.5.0.145
    Win10

  • DH2ID
    DH2ID Member ✭✭✭
    edited February 2018
    Here it is, not beautiful, but an idea ;-)

    image
  • KY6LA_Howard
    KY6LA_Howard Member ✭✭✭
    edited April 2017
    DIGITAL PLEASE AND READABLE COLORS. The current color scheme is impossible to see

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