[linrad] Re: sound card requirements?

2007-11-03 Thread Leif Asbrink
Hi Dan,

> What is the preferred architecture for a linrad sound card?
There is no preferred architecture for the soundcrd.

First of all, Linrad is not designed for any particular
hardware, it is intended to fit anything that can transfer
digital data into a PC with Intel 86 architecture.

In a longer time scale, this will be entirely digital units
like the SDR-IQ and SDR-14 (which work with Linrad) but 
in the near future various converter schemes will be the 
most common radio hardware for Linrad.

There are two choices, the filter method, like in an ordinary
SSB transceiver, where you feed a single audio signal into
a soundcard for a single RF channel. Here is some info on
my first system of that type:
http://www.sm5bsz.com/pcdsp/hware.htm (and links on it)
At that time the "standard" was the Soundblaster 16 soundcard.
With this kind of hardware it is probably ok to use any
soundcard because the soundcard is protected from
out-of-band signals by the filter.

One can also use the phasing method, 'direct conversion', 
and feed two audio signals into the soundcard for each 
RF channel. Soundcards that do not have proper anti-alias
filters are useless in this context. I have never seen one
myself but I have read about them. Any 'normal' soundcard
will do the sampling at a high multiple of the output
sampling speed (64 times higher for example) Then the alias
comes at perhaps 10 MHz and the card only needs an RC
filter in hardware to be well protected from primary aliasing.
The soundcard will then have a digital anti-alias filter
that is applied before the decimation process that results
in the 48,96 or 192 kHz output. 

There is no reason to buy a soundcard that has far better
performance than your analog hardware. I have not followed the
market so I do not know what is available today. I suggest you
start by using whatever your computer is equipped with to
start with. It is not difficult to find out if it limits
your system performance.

> How effectively is it abstracted by OSS or ALSA?

I do not understand this question.

> My current card a  Intel Corporation 82801DB/DBL/DBM. This apparently 
> does not support simultaneous input and output. I am not sure if this is 
> a hardware, driver, or configuration issue. Does anyone have any 
> information on this or other cards?
When searching the Internet, I find this is some kind of
ICH4. It seems unlikely to me that it would not support
simultaneous input and output. Have you really tried?
Probably it only has RDWR mode, that means that input
and output have to run with identical parameters.

73

Leif


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[linrad] Re: Linrad-02.39

2007-11-03 Thread Leif Asbrink
Hello Francesco and Roger,

> Hello Leif i guess that Ermanno, IK7EZN has already tolt you, regarding the
> bug that i found on last 02.39 release.
> It's a minor bug, because all the rest seems to work properly.
> When i try to change the freq. trough the arrows all crashes.
> Otherwise if i do it, just writing by hand all is ok.
I do not remember when I corrected this (and for what reason)
but this bug is not present in the current 02.40pre version
that Ermanno just tested.

I attach my response to Ermannos test report because I will not
have the time to fix 2) and the inconvenience of 3) will
be present in Linrad-02.40 which I will upload before I 
leave.

73

Leif

-
Hi Ermanno,

> 1- The change of frequency is OK with Linrad-pre40 in Windows and Linux.
Good:-)

> 2- In windows has disappared the choise 4 from radio menu' (see immage)
Oooh! I changed the way the soundcard is opened when 16 bit
input is selected to allow use under Windows Vista.

Please try to open a second device to get four audio channels.
Please, try also to open in 32 bit format - then it should be 
as before.

I can automate the open process, but I need someone who has Vista
to verify. No time before I leave.

> 3- Compilation with users_hwaredriver go in error (see immage)
The new transmit routines have forced me to make several changes 
in the WSE control. Please check users.c or users_tr.c and copy
the WSE routines from there. Sorry for the inconvenience, 
unfortunately it may happen again - next step in development when
I return home is Rx/Tx timing for QSK and RADAR. May need some more
changes in hardware related stuff
 
> 4- I have tried calibrazion routine and i have attach the immages.
>What is in the last screen  "Max correction ch0?" and because the   
> values of low and hight are inverted ?
> Pulse generator was in input at 10.7 wse.

Try some bad filter shapes:
M for parabolic shape
E to increase steepness
C or D to move the function off center.

Then it should become clear what 'Max correction' is.
It is the maximum of the yellow curve at the two sides.
(Low and high means left and right on screen, that is
how frequency is defined here.)

73

Leif

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