Configuration SDRplay1A+SDRconsole (V3.2)+Cw Skimmer (2.1) Help

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luigi
Posts: 13
Joined: Tue May 02, 2023 7:47 pm

Configuration SDRplay1A+SDRconsole (V3.2)+Cw Skimmer (2.1) Help

#1

Unread post by luigi »

Hi All
Thanks for your help.
I've been trying for several days to configure SDR console with cw Skimmer with SDRplay1A without getting results.
The real problem is with the frequency sync between Cw skimmer and SDRconsole. As for the decoding of the calls on the CW skimmer window, it happens regularly, but I don't get the frequency synchronization even though the VB audio and VSPE parameters in Com Pair mode are set.
I noticed that in the configuration of my SDRplay1A (in radio select there are two items V2-V3 I selected both V2 and V3 but nothing changes.
I repeat the communication through the virtual cable takes place regularly between the 2 software but what does not happen is the synchronization of the freq. therefore if I turn the vfo of sdr console nothing happens on CW Skimmer, if I click on a call of CW Skimmer the same
TNX in advance, lou

Max
Posts: 859
Joined: Thu Aug 13, 2020 9:47 am

Re: Configuration SDRplay1A+SDRconsole (V3.2)+Cw Skimmer (2.1) Help

#2

Unread post by Max »

luigi wrote: Fri May 05, 2023 12:28 pm I noticed that in the configuration of my SDRplay1A (in radio select there are two items V2-V3 I selected both V2 and V3 but nothing changes.
I repeat the communication through the virtual cable takes place regularly between the 2 software but what does not happen is the synchronization of the freq. therefore if I turn the vfo of sdr console nothing happens on CW Skimmer, if I click on a call of CW Skimmer the same
TNX in advance, lou
Has to be Com port issue. Have you got one of the two com ports from the pair allocated to SDRC and the other to CW Skimmer? You need one of the coms "to" and the other com "from".

Did you follow all of the instructions/settings here?

https://www.sdr-radio.com/cw-skimmer

Particularly the CAT/Omnirig settings?

Skimmer does work very well with SDRC but Skimmer itself can be a little "temperamental" and is also somewhat resource hungry. But when it does work well it's very good.

Max

luigi
Posts: 13
Joined: Tue May 02, 2023 7:47 pm

Re: Configuration SDRplay1A+SDRconsole (V3.2)+Cw Skimmer (2.1) Help

#3

Unread post by luigi »

in the link you attached, I read and reread this post of mine previously. I do not understand what it means

Tuning
Tuning of the active receiver in SDR Console works one way only - click on a signal in CW Skimmer. You may have to perform this a few times before the signals seen in SDR Console are correctly displayed in CW Skimmer.

Max
Posts: 859
Joined: Thu Aug 13, 2020 9:47 am

Re: Configuration SDRplay1A+SDRconsole (V3.2)+Cw Skimmer (2.1) Help

#4

Unread post by Max »

luigi wrote: Fri May 05, 2023 8:19 pm in the link you attached, I read and reread this post of mine previously. I do not understand what it means

Tuning
Tuning of the active receiver in SDR Console works one way only - click on a signal in CW Skimmer. You may have to perform this a few times before the signals seen in SDR Console are correctly displayed in CW Skimmer.
Yes, that is correct. When you use CW Simmer with SDRC, CW Skimmer is the "Master" for all tuning operations. Which is how it is designed. So you click on the signal you want in CWS and SDRC "slaves" to it. Not the other way around. So all tuning is performed from CWS. If you have your offsets set up correctly then clicking on the signal in CWS should tune SDRC perfectly the the centre of the CW signal with SDRC in CW mode.

Max

luigi
Posts: 13
Joined: Tue May 02, 2023 7:47 pm

Re: Configuration SDRplay1A+SDRconsole (V3.2)+Cw Skimmer (2.1) Help

#5

Unread post by luigi »

I'll be very specific:
VSPE Com2 - Com5 Pair setting.

SDR console in cwskimmer window i flag enable
than i flag serial port 2,
than Bandwith 48khz,
than Output device: Hi FI cable Input (VB-Audio HI FI Cable),
Boost 0.

CW skimmer in the Cat section:
Radio TS 2000,
Cat port 5, Baud rate 19200, Poll int 500, timeout 4000.

Cw Skmmer Radio, soft rock If on.
Sampling rate 48khz.
Cw skimmer Audio, WDM on,
Signal I/Q Device: VB Audio HI FI Cable,
Audio I/O Device: Altoparlante HD Audio (written in Italian)
Channels: Left/right I/Q on

This is how I set it all up:

what happens cw skimmer: receives the signals from the audio source displays them in the right window and the frequency is positioned with central reading of the SDRC main window.

example start panadapter SDRC 14.000, end Panadapter 14.100 the Cw skimmer reads 14.050 in green, as soon as I click on a call from the CW skimmer the frequency becomes gray as if there was no more communication.
I hope that was very clear

Max
Posts: 859
Joined: Thu Aug 13, 2020 9:47 am

Re: Configuration SDRplay1A+SDRconsole (V3.2)+Cw Skimmer (2.1) Help

#6

Unread post by Max »

Did you enable the SDRC COM port of the pair by enabling it here?
SDRC-COMS.jpg
Max

luigi
Posts: 13
Joined: Tue May 02, 2023 7:47 pm

Re: Configuration SDRplay1A+SDRconsole (V3.2)+Cw Skimmer (2.1) Help

#7

Unread post by luigi »

I flagged port 2 and 5 as I see in your photo I only changed Speed ​​from 57.600 to 19.200 but in your photo I see written Virtual serial Bus etc. while in my configuration it says unknown
sorry I don't understand how to insert the Screenshot


After doing what I saw in your picture I decided to change the speed to default 57.600 so the Cat 2 port assigned to SDRC and the Cat 5 port assigned to CW Skimmer remain both flagged.

I activated CW Skimmer and at the first try it recognized the SDRC frequency but as soon as I click on a DX call on the cw skimmer window, SDRC moves to the frequency of the call but after 1 second Cw Skimmer loses communication and the frequency field becomes grey

Max
Posts: 859
Joined: Thu Aug 13, 2020 9:47 am

Re: Configuration SDRplay1A+SDRconsole (V3.2)+Cw Skimmer (2.1) Help

#8

Unread post by Max »

In the SDRC screen I posted, you should select (tick) ONLY the Com port you assign to SDRC, NOT the one you assign to CW Skimmer, so not 2 AND 5. Only 2, NOT 5.

I always create my com port pairs adjacent, so 5/6, 7/8, 9/10 etc., then I always allocate the odd port number to SDRC and the even port number to the application.

When you created your port pair in VSP Manager, are you sure you created Com2 and Com 5 as a pair? Seems an odd choice not to have them adjacent? What you are seeing would seem to indicate that Com 2 and Com 5 are not a pair?

Max

luigi
Posts: 13
Joined: Tue May 02, 2023 7:47 pm

Re: Configuration SDRplay1A+SDRconsole (V3.2)+Cw Skimmer (2.1) Help

#9

Unread post by luigi »

Max first of all thank you for your availability.
Yes, the ports with VSPE are Pair he created them automatically and in the VSPE page it says, Device Pair status OK.
now I try to remove them and recreate Com Ports in Pair mode by assigning a sequence.
Of course I only flagged port 2 assigned to SDRC and not 5

however very tricky SDRC to setup with CW skimmer. never had problems with FLEX and SDRuno and others.
the thing i don't like if i can make it work that the management is one way not two way

Max
Posts: 859
Joined: Thu Aug 13, 2020 9:47 am

Re: Configuration SDRplay1A+SDRconsole (V3.2)+Cw Skimmer (2.1) Help

#10

Unread post by Max »

luigi wrote: Mon May 08, 2023 9:28 am Max first of all thank you for your availability.

however very tricky SDRC to setup with CW skimmer. never had problems with FLEX and SDRuno and others.
the thing i don't like if i can make it work that the management is one way not two way
Hi again Luigi

Sorry, but I don't have Skimmer installed at the moment or I would send screengrabs. I just moved PC recently and been too busy to reinstall Skimmer as I don't use it much, but it did work perfectly with SDRC. I am fairly sure that the frequency tracking worked both ways, but Simon does state that all the tuning is done using Skimmer and SDRC tracks, and that is also the way it is designed to work.

I do remember that sometimes to get a sensible display in Skimmer I often had to make a small "Zoom" adjustment (just move slider slightly on SDRC) to get a sensible display on Skimmer. Not sure why but I think that what is sent down IQ to Skimmer is affected by the display width "window" in SDRC.

Good luck with it. If I can get time to install Skimmer again I will do and do some screengrabs for you. I agree it did take a little while to get it going perfectly, but once setup I can assure you it works very well.

73

Max

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