zoom and frequency issue with external radio and tracking

All bug reports here please
jdow
Posts: 798
Joined: Mon Aug 10, 2020 8:17 pm

Re: zoom and frequency issue with external radio and tracking

#11

Unread post by jdow »

There is another reason tuning might feel slow is if you are tuning the radio and waiting forever for SDRC to catch up. On some transceivers, notably my Pro-II, the response to radio control changes on the remote control is slow to very very slow due to the very poor construction of the CAT control set and the 19.2 kbps serial port communications. And if I try to tune the radio from the remote control the CAT control rate makes this feel a little slow but tolerable. At least I have that communications 100% reliable. (I follow the ack/nak protocol religiously.)

Note that despite a rock solid remote control, an ability to hack inside the radio, and the display black due to blown out something I have not opted for using an SDR for a panadapter. It has always seemed like a PITA concept, especially with SDRC because of its screen center based only ZOOM function. Tuned frequency centered zoom is much nicer. Of course, with SDRC "which receiver is the zoom center now" comes into play. And changing the radio's tuning messes up the zoom calculations, especially with zoom to signal. Off hand I do not see this being fixed any time soon.

You may be doomed to slow response to tuning the radio simply due to serial comm delay.

{^_^}

iz1fks
Posts: 36
Joined: Sun Mar 14, 2021 1:50 pm

Re: zoom and frequency issue with external radio and tracking

#12

Unread post by iz1fks »

I'm also using an icom 756proII and 19.2kbps cat speed, do you suggest other setting? I tried 9600 also without any difference. omnirig issue with this rig?
19.2 should be fast again for a real time update!

anyway I can confirm that in this release Radio->SDR option in external radio settings doesn't work, since the frequency in bottom of the spectrum and in the receiver pane is not updated.

jdow
Posts: 798
Joined: Mon Aug 10, 2020 8:17 pm

Re: zoom and frequency issue with external radio and tracking

#13

Unread post by jdow »

57.6k would be slow enough to be annoying, at least for me.

Not through me. That is something I very much lack the motivation to wast time on. (The serious issue is selling my condominium that I've been leasing out.) It would be down in the mid double digits of my todo list. I do not even know if SDRC in that mode can respond to ICOM CAT commands without OmniRig in the middle. Simon's web side has a lot of help. If you have not looked there, do so.

{^_^}

iz1fks
Posts: 36
Joined: Sun Mar 14, 2021 1:50 pm

Re: zoom and frequency issue with external radio and tracking

#14

Unread post by iz1fks »

tested new release 3.0.27 but still issues in the external radio configuration , SDR=>Radio and Radio=>SDR settings not working as expected nad during radio vfo change waterfall and frequency move accordingly but spectrum freeze wihtout no reason.

zoom setting still resets any time a vfo change is applied, no reason for such behaviour.

great piece of software but these external radio settings and bugs need to be fixed to be used as panadapter.
73 de Phil, iz1fks

User avatar
PD3LK
Posts: 517
Joined: Thu Aug 06, 2020 10:36 am

Re: zoom and frequency issue with external radio and tracking

#15

Unread post by PD3LK »

Hi Phil,

SDRC - OmniRig - IcomR75 is working perfectly here, radio -> SDR -> radio. Fast, smooth (just 19k2) and no zoom jumping.
But i returned to Omni-Rig 1.19 The newer 2.0 version acts very irrationally on my PC. Wich version are you using?
Can you show the OmniRig settings and did you do some connection testing with Omni-Rig client.exe?

iz1fks
Posts: 36
Joined: Sun Mar 14, 2021 1:50 pm

Re: zoom and frequency issue with external radio and tracking

#16

Unread post by iz1fks »

Omni-Rig 1.19 used here.

even with latest version 3.1 zoom and Radio SDR tracking in panadapter mode work in an apparently not correct way. zoom reset at any vfo change and with radio->SDR sleection only no frequency update in waterfall.

73 de Phil,iz1fks

iz1fks
Posts: 36
Joined: Sun Mar 14, 2021 1:50 pm

Re: zoom and frequency issue with external radio and tracking

#17

Unread post by iz1fks »

Unfortunately also in new 3.1 version, panadapters problems have not been solved, still very unsable both for spectrum freeze with CAT tracking and zoom issue.
73

iz1fks
Posts: 36
Joined: Sun Mar 14, 2021 1:50 pm

Re: zoom and frequency issue with external radio and tracking

#18

Unread post by iz1fks »

Unfortunately also in new 3.3 beta version, panadapters problems have not been solved, still very unsable both for spectrum freeze with CAT tracking and zoom issue. (IC-756P2 + RSP1A)

73 de Phil,iz1fks

m0rdw
Posts: 6
Joined: Mon Aug 22, 2022 1:38 pm

Re: zoom and frequency issue with external radio and tracking

#19

Unread post by m0rdw »

So its now February 2024.

This issue still exists with external radio, zoom and frequency!!! Even with the latest software.

I have tried this on different SDR, RTL, Airspy Discovery HF+, RSP1A. Different radios Kenwood, Yaesu and Icom with exactly the same crap results.

External radio does not function correctly.

I can line up the receivers so they receive the correct frequency simultaneously with the offsets in external radio/frequencies tab, but when I try to zoom in to the frequency of interest, the SDR Console receiver changes frequency by approx 1k, but no frequency change is shown in SDR console! As soon as I try to line the frequencies back up or move the VFO, everything zooms out and it goes back on frequency again.

This is not the way its supposed to work and I have several friends with the same silly issue. It has been going on for several years now, with no fix. Only excuses that simply hold no relevance.

It has nothing to do with Nyquist frequency or centre frequency or any of those lame excuses.

Its a software issue to do with external radio that has been ongoing for years. Its not trying to something with the software that it isn't supposed to do..... The software claims it is capable of doing this.

Sorry for my blunt tone .... but this is ongoing and still not resolved after years of issues.

Im afraid to say that this time it is all about the software!!!

Please fix this stupid ongoing bug.... it renders external radio function pretty damn useless!!!

Max
Posts: 853
Joined: Thu Aug 13, 2020 9:47 am

Re: zoom and frequency issue with external radio and tracking

#20

Unread post by Max »

m0rdw wrote: Sun Feb 18, 2024 4:02 pm External radio does not function correctly.

I can line up the receivers so they receive the correct frequency simultaneously with the offsets in external radio/frequencies tab, but when I try to zoom in to the frequency of interest, the SDR Console receiver changes frequency by approx 1k, but no frequency change is shown in SDR console! As soon as I try to line the frequencies back up or move the VFO, everything zooms out and it goes back on frequency again.
Rich, I understand your frustration at an odd issue but no point getting heated about this. I don't know if you are aware, but SDRC is totally the work of one man, Simon G4ELI. It's not my place to speak on his behalf as I know he can do that perfectly well himself, but I can tell you he has dedicated many many tens of thousands of hours into the programming SDRC and by his own admission it's been primarily for his own use. He then offers it totally free for the benefit of those of us that wish and have the privilege to use it. Please try and keep the tone civil. I would also point out that it's primary use is for connecting true SDRs. Slaving external radios does seem to attract comments from users that struggle with various issues, as does any interaction with CAT control, but (and Simon correct me if I am wrong ) it's primarily designed to connect a true SDR directly.

I use CAT a lot to control SDRC from external programs like WSJT-X to name but one. I can confirm that this issue does not occur in that scenario, i.e. WSJT-X (or one of may other progs) issues a change of frequency to SDRC and SDRC follows it perfectly with no reset of the zoom level at all. Ditto from other programs or from the Omnirig test program.

So regarding the issue itself, and from reading back a few posts, it seems this specific issue only affect users who use the SDR to receive the IF frequency of the radio, i.e. a frequency offset entered into the external radio parameters. Loads of videos on YouTube show that when the RX just tracks the main frequency (SDR connected to same antenna as the external radio) there does not appear to be an issue. This would also seem to be confirmed by what I said above.

To help get to the issue (or help with diagnosing possible bug), please fully describe your setup. So what is your external rig, SDRC version and build number, Omnirig version. This must not be 2.x. This is a modified version of Omnirig and gives issues with SDRC. The correct version can only be downloaded from DX Atlas and is currently version 1.20. Assuming you use the IF out of the rig, how do you do obtain it?

https://www.dxatlas.com/omnirig/

Please send screenshots of SDRC in operation with the external radio. FULL uncropped screenshot as generated by SDRC itself with the screenshot tool. SDRC with Home tab selected. Then also send pics of the External Radio setup screens in SDRC. This would then help us to see if any issues. For all of the pictures ATTACH them. Do not embed them as pictures.

By the way you should be using the latest version of SDRC, v3.3, Feb 5th build:
https://www.sdr-radio.com/download#Release

Simon did do a small fix on the CAT code in this version but AFAIK it's nothing at all to do with your specific issue.

Let's see if that throws any light on things.

73

Max

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