Thanks, Tim, for the quick reply:
Here is the result of the recommended changes:
1.) Look in the Setup->General->Options tab and make
sure that the Enable TX Out Delay check box is not checked.
It was checked, and I unchecked it.
2,) Use the smallest audio buffers that do not distort the
audio (Setup->Audio->Primary). I would start
with 512.
It seems to receive fine even at 128, so I used that value.
3.) Use smaller CW RX/TX DSP buffers
(Setup->DSP->Options)
I set to 512.
4.) Change the CW Blanking Delay value
(Setup->Transmit)
The minimum value appears to be 10; I tried increasing the value, doesn't
appear to address my specific type of issue (by the way, I did notice some
noise on rx/tx transition as well as in the transmitted envelope, along with
the still unidentified off-frequency low-level carrier (a few hundred Hz
away) in the transmit signal, but those are not my primary focus, as they
don't fundamentally prevent usability in CW; the "hesitation" as others have
called it, is a fundamental usability problem - a show-stopper.
In a nutshell, my test is to send a single "dit" from my external keyer
(set to about 15 WPM now, pretty slow) and see if that "dit" survives on the
air.
From what I can tell, there is enough delay from when the "dit" begins at
the Flex-1500 key input jack until RF appears on the transmit path that
there is no way the first CW symbol could emerge unscathed. The first symbol
is incomplete, and it sounds like it may also be damaged in terms of
waveform, but I've not tried using an oscilloscope to see. I haven't tried
to measure it, but I'm guessing 50-150 mSec, but rather than delaying the
whole transmit stream, the whole setup isn't getting into transmit state
quickly, and instead the first symbol is dropped or grossly foreshortened.
By the way, I've done this test at a variety of break-in delays (generally
I'm using about 100 mSec, which should be a decent "semi-break-in" value
given that I've pretty much foresaken the prospect of getting QSK.)
So, what to do - wait some more? Basically is the flex1500 I ordered within
a few weeks of when flexradio first accepted orders, delivered a few weeks
after flexradio began shipment, and sitting on the shelf awaiting the
integrated USB driver which ostensibly targets among other things CW
operation, just destined to be a hangar queen? I can accept that it's not
destined to be a QSK rig (toooooo bad, I really got used to that about 1972
when I got my ten-tec argonaut 505), but I can't accept that it's not
destined to be a CW rig at all, using either internal iambic or external
iambic keyer (I'm not going to limit myself to sending on a keyboard - if
that's the case this rig is headed for writeoff-land). Based on
off-reflector messages received so far since my post yesterday, my
experience is not unique. Certainly flex beta testing would include a few
host machines of different capability levels so that a 1.6 GHz Atom with 2
GB RAM running only XP and
Powersdr 2.0.16 could be quickly identified as insufficient, if that's the
issue?
So, back on the shelf awaiting update, unless there's any other
configuration change I can try.
Thanks for the attempted assist,
Dave
--- On Sun, 11/21/10, Tim Ellison<[email protected]> wrote:
From: Tim Ellison<[email protected]>
Subject: RE: [FlexEdge] First CW transmit/QSO attempt with> Flex 1500
To: "David Feldman"<[email protected]>, "[email protected]"<
[email protected]>
Date: Sunday, November 21, 2010, 3:13 PM
It does help. Junk from a
previous DB could have been getting in the way, but that
does not seem to be the issue.
Here are a few things to check or fiddle with.
1.) Look in the Setup->General->Options tab and make
sure that the Enable TX Out Delay check box is not checked.
2,) Use the smallest audio buffers that do not distort the
audio (Setup->Audio->Primary). I would start
with 512.
3.) Use smaller CW RX/TX DSP buffers
(Setup->DSP->Options)
4.) Change the CW Blanking Delay value
(Setup->Transmit)
I am not a CW op so I do not want to venture a guess at
what settings to try, but these are the things that you can
change which can improve latency.
-Tim
-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]]
On Behalf Of David Feldman
Sent: Sunday, November 21, 2010 2:58 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [FlexEdge] First CW transmit/QSO attempt with
Flex 1500
When I first started 2.0.16, I am pretty sure it created a
new database, because I had uninstalled 2.0.5 prior to
installing 2.0.16. In any event, I also tried resetting the
database and restarting the program, and got the same
results (the reset/restart left an XML file on the desktop
which I didn't look at.)
Hope this is helpful info,
Dave
Message: 7
Date: Sat, 20 Nov 2010 21:28:08 -0500
From: "Tim (W4TME)"<[email protected]>
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [FlexEdge] First CW transmit/QSO attempt
with Flex 1500
and 2.0.16 beta on 1.6 GHz Atom XP box
Message-ID:<[email protected]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252;
format=flowed
Did you import the database from 2.0.5 into 2.0.16?
-Tim
---
W4TME
FlexRadio Systems Internet Systems Admin.
Product Verification Team
Tune In Excitement?
On 11/20/2010 6:54 PM, David Feldman wrote:
This afternoon I had my first QSO with the Flex
1500
and PowerSDR 2.0.16 using an external keyer. I'm an
absolute beginner
with any flexradio product - I bought the rig long
ago, received it
when they began shipping, and put it on the shelf (as
I'm exclusively
CW op) until 2.0.16 beta was released. So, today is my
first on-air
experience with the rig. I was able to upgrade from
2.0.5
(out-of-the-box CDROM) to 2.0.16 beta without any
difficulty.
Where I'm struggling: I notice a pronounced
"hesitation" effect with the first transmit symbol,
and also hear a
slightly off-frequency carrier (on another receiver in
the shack)
during transmit - a kind of "backwave" but not on the
exact TX
frequency. I don't think either of these is news to
the developers or
reflector, but I just wanted to see if I should be
making any
configuration/operational changes before putting rig
back on shelf
awaiting later software version. I did try adjusting
CW TX buffer size
between 256 and 2048 and didn't see much difference. I
did find it
necessary to run keyer's own sidetone (with "Disable
Monitor" selected
on powersdr) as powersdr sidetone is delayed enough vs
actual sending,
and powersdr sidetone audio level is dependent on
transmit drive level
(which means no powersdr sidetone when tx power turned
down to 0 for
testing.)
To work around the first-symbol hesitation, I was
able
to complete a QSO by setting the "break in delay"
parameter to ~750
mSec (so basically I could send a whole transmission
without the rig
dropping back into receive.) I tried a simple test of
sending a string
of dits at modest speed, and adjusted the Delay
parameter down to 0 mS
(QSK hoped for) and discovered the shack receiver was
not hearing any
useful signal (certainly not a string of dits). Until
the delay was
set long enough to keep the rig in transmit between
dits, I could not
obtain a workable transmit signal.
The machine is an ATOM 1.6 GHz box with XP and
is
doing nothing but running powersdr. CPU utilization
seems to be
50-60%.
I looked at the flexedge archives and 2.0.16
release
notes and didn't see any advice that seems directed at
the
first-symbol hesitation which is my main concern.
Thanks for any advice,
73 Dave WB0GAZ
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This is the FlexRadio Systems e-mail Reflector called
FlexEdge. It is used for posting topics related to SDR
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_______________________________________________
Flexedge mailing list
[email protected]
http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexedge_flex-radio.biz
This is the FlexRadio Systems e-mail Reflector called FlexEdge. It is used
for posting topics related to SDR software development and experimentalist
who are using beta versions of the software.
