It's all about the Software

I'm not sure how many Anan+SDRC users are out there- probably not many judging by the number of posts in this section. But here goes...

I have just returned to using my Anan 200D with SDRC, encouraged by my experiences with the RX-888. In digital modes (FT8, FT4) it works beautifully well with SDRC. I particularly like that you can turn off AGC to get a much better integration with JTDX or WSJT-X. I haven't found a way to do this in Thetis. Also, the virtual audio is completely stable unlike with Thetis. So big thumbs up for digimodes.

However for SSB and CW I have been less successful. CW works OK, but I have found the NR and audio filters to be not as controllable as those implemented in Thetis. Also, I have experienced occasional audio glitches in CW mode where the audio volume suddenly increases for no apparent reason.

In SSB mode I have had the biggest problems. I cannot generate good audio from my mic- this is a standard headset with an electret insert but the audio sounds so bad that I haven't dared to TX yet. Also, PTT or VOX results in a loud noise for a brief initial period on TX (but not on return to RX). Possibly this is due to T/R relay timing issues, but I could not solve it by changing the T/R delay in settings. There is also a substantial background noise in the SSB audio- not sure what this is but is makes it difficult to use VOX.
So far I have not been able to make SDRC work in SSB mode, so I am specifically looking to get tips from someone who has managed to successfully set it up.

Here are some other observations, which may be specific to the Anan:
1. The 'Tune' power is not retained after closing SDRC. It reverts to zero. The 'Drive' power is retained. It would be good to be able to link tune power = drive power as an option to avoid this problem
2. Memory leak- after leaving SDRC on overnight I saw 2.9>>>20GB memory. Possibly due to wrong implementation of GPU?
3. NR1-4 do work but cause tuning clicks and artefacts when used with a VFO wheel.

Other useful additions for Anan (and other?) users:
4. Pure Signal does appear in the settings, but as far as I can see it is not implemented. This is a big disadvantage for Anan users, since this is one of the major TX advantages that we have.
5. Manual notch selection with controllable width would be an excellent addition
6. When TX and RX DSP windows are overlayed it would be great to automatically bring the appropriate window to the front on PTT. This would be a boon for those of us with limited screen space.

Apologies- I see this has become a bit of a ramble about my problems in integrating SDRC with Anan. Any comments welcome.

73 Dave G3ZQH

Hi Dave,

I'm really surprized by your complaints about Thetis (and/or PowerSDR mRX PS ?) concerning digimodes and virtual audio capapility. At least under protocol1 speed I never got issues with PowerSDR or Thetis-P1, especially together with digimodes.
Obviously Simon didn't follow the complete roadmap of WDSP ( https://github.com/TAPR/OpenHPSDR-wdsp/ ... 0Guide.pdf ) and other requirements of the given original operation software. As result many advanced and important features are not available under SDRC. It's a pity beause the SDRC has its own benefits.

73, Helmut, DC6NY

Hi Helmut
I wouldn't say they were 'complaints', more observations about my own experiences. I have always had problems with PowerSDR and Thetis (both P1 and P2) with VAC audio on my 200D. So many times I lost the audio or it became unstable- I have tried all types of settings but none seem to give full stability. What I like about SDRC is that it just works on the virtual audio. No settings to adjust. I left it running for many days and it stayed completely stable. I use my PC for several different tasks (not just radio) and I observe that other PC activities seem to upset the audio chain in Thetis/PowerSDR. One example is that it takes Thetis VAC about 5 minutes to become stable after switch on whereas SDRC is stable immediately. I have noted that the latest Thetis version (2.8.11) has much improved audio stability so that is good news for me.

Yes, I realise now that Simon never finished the full SDRC implementation for Anan rigs. Most likely this is because there are relatively small numbers of users. I was just playing with SDRC when setting up my RX-888 and I was reminded of all the very nice features available. I thought it would be fun to try SDRC for a while with my Anan- then I hit the problems with SSB TX. However, I made many QSOs using digimodes with 200D + SDRC.

73 Dave G3ZQH

Screenshots showing settings always help, so let's see the console while in use.

* Whole console
* Equalisation
* Gains
...

Here are some sceenshots in TX and RX mode and the master gain settings.

Gains adjusted for each band to give 100 drive setting = 100W out

Equaliser not used so flat 0dB audio.

The main problems are the apparent poor audio quality as monitored and the loud noise on going to TX.

73 Dave G3ZQH

Hi Dave, "* Whole console" = full screen, including the ribbon buttons but can you make a video recording to let us hear the poor audio quality as monitored and the loud noise on going to TX.

Dave,

What's the problem with the audio? Are you using a mic connected to the PC or connected to the ANAN? I had good reports with both scenarios.

I was using a headset directly connected to the radio. The audio had strong background noises and sounded distorted whatever the setting. I could not get 'clean' audio. Yesterday I tried the headset through the PC and this gave much improved mic audio. The background noise had disappeared and VOX worked well and I'm confident I can now tweak the audio to my satisfaction. I don't know why I have this problem with the Anan mic input with SDRC (it works fine when I use Thetis software). I'm using a Koss SB49 headset.

So, a big improvement but I still have one very annoying feature which is the momentary loud clicking/crashing/rushing noise in the headset whenever I press TX (VOX or PTT). This is VERY LOUD, almost like the audio turned up full. It does not seem to trigger RF so I think it comes before the TX relay engages. It appears only on TX trigger and not on return to RX.

I made recording but, strangely, although I could hear the loud noise in my headphones it did not appear in the recording?! I tried to attach it but the file format (wav) was not accepted.

73 Dave G3ZQH

Here is the audio file- sorry used wrong format before. The silent parts are where I have pressed TX. The loud noise that I can hear clearly in my headset is not recorded.

OK, bear with me - I have to get some uninteresting but important code written, then take the hound for walk #2.