SerialPort CAT issues with MD (current mode) command ? (Also SM / Signal Meter level & MU Audio Mute status commands)

All bug reports here please
aportela
Posts: 6
Joined: Tue Jun 04, 2024 9:45 am

SerialPort CAT issues with MD (current mode) command ? (Also SM / Signal Meter level & MU Audio Mute status commands)

#1

Unread post by aportela »

Hi,

I'm developing a device to remote control the console and I observed an anomally with the MD command using the Serial port (CAT) connection.

As the documentation say (https://www.sdr-radio.com/SerialPort):

MD
Mode
Read: MD; returns the current mode.
Write MD<mode>;
Note: the mode value only supports a single digit.
Values:

0 DSB
1 LSB
2 USB
3 CW (upper sideband)
4 FM
5 SAM (synchronous AM, includes ECSS)
6 Not used
7 CW (lower sideband)
8 Wide FM
9 Broadcast FM

If I set the console on BFM (Broadcast FM), N-FM (Narrow FM) or W-FM (Wide FM) every response received from "MD;" command is "MD4;" (values ​​"MD8;" or "MD9;" are never returned). Another modes (USB/LSB/CW...) are working OK.

Am I doing something wrong or is this a bug ?
Last edited by aportela on Fri Jun 21, 2024 10:26 pm, edited 3 times in total.

aportela
Posts: 6
Joined: Tue Jun 04, 2024 9:45 am

Re: SerialPort CAT issues with MD (current mode) command ?

#2

Unread post by aportela »

To provide more information, sending the commands (from my software) to change the mode ("MD4;", "MD8;", "MD9;") works fine (I mean, changes the NFM/WFM/BFM mode correctly in the sdr-radio console), the problem only affects the reception of the current mode when it is an FM variant

aportela
Posts: 6
Joined: Tue Jun 04, 2024 9:45 am

Re: SerialPort CAT issues with MD (current mode) command ?

#3

Unread post by aportela »

Now I am testing with the SM command; (signal level meter) and I get the impression that the result returned is less than the one shown in the SDRRadio console. According to the documentation, the value corresponds to:

Signal meter level
Read: SM; returns the signal level as a four-digit value in 3dB steps (one S-unit is 6dB):

S0 = 0 units
S5 = 10 units
S9 - 18 units.

Below is a table with what I understand to be the equivalences:
SMdBSignal
00000S0
00013S0.5
00026S1
00039S1.5
000412S2
000515S2.5
000618S3
000721S3.5
000824S4
000927S4.5
001030S5
001133S5.5
001236S6
001339S6.5
001442S7
001545S7.5
001648S8
001751S8.5
001854S9
001957S9+3 dB
002060S9+6 dB
002163S9+9 dB
002266S9+12 dB
002369S9+15 dB
002472S9+18 dB
002575S9+21 dB
002678S9+24 dB
002781S9+27 dB
002884S9+30 dB
002987S9+33 dB
003090S9+36 dB
003193S9+39 dB
003296S9+42 dB
003399S9+45 dB
0034102S9+48 dB
0035105S9+51 dB
0036108S9+54 dB
0037111S9+57 dB
0038114S9+60 dB
My problem is that in the SDR-Radio console I see a signal (S3) but when sending the SM command; I repeatedly receive responses:
SM00004;
SM00004;
SM00004;
SM00005;
SM00004;

Which gives the impression of being one less unit (near to S2)

I have tried other signals with different values ​​and the SDRRadio console always seems to show a value greater than the one returned by the TS-2000's CAT protocol.

I don't know if I'm missing something and I'm making a mistake or is it a bug?

aportela
Posts: 6
Joined: Tue Jun 04, 2024 9:45 am

Re: SerialPort CAT issues with MD (current mode) command ? (Also SM / Signal Meter level command)

#4

Unread post by aportela »

I think I found another issue, the MU (Audio mute status) command does not return a value, the documentation says:

MU
Audio mute status, 0 (muted) or 1 (not muted).
Read: MU; returns either 0 (muted) or 1 (not muted).
Write: MU<status>;

Sending the command "MU0;" or "MU1;" it swaps the mute value in the console correctly but if I send "MU;" to get the status, I get nothing

I am carrying out all these tests directly with the putty software by opening a serial console to the COM port directly and sending the commands, so it does not seem possible that it is due to a bug in the software that I am implementing


aportela
Posts: 6
Joined: Tue Jun 04, 2024 9:45 am

Re: SerialPort CAT issues with MD (current mode) command ?

#6

Unread post by aportela »

aportela wrote: Wed Jun 12, 2024 10:41 pm Now I am testing with the SM command; (signal level meter) and I get the impression that the result returned is less than the one shown in the SDRRadio console. According to the documentation, the value corresponds to:

Signal meter level
Read: SM; returns the signal level as a four-digit value in 3dB steps (one S-unit is 6dB):

S0 = 0 units
S5 = 10 units
S9 - 18 units.

Below is a table with what I understand to be the equivalences:
SMdBSignal
00000S0
00013S0.5
00026S1
00039S1.5
000412S2
000515S2.5
000618S3
000721S3.5
000824S4
000927S4.5
001030S5
001133S5.5
001236S6
001339S6.5
001442S7
001545S7.5
001648S8
001751S8.5
001854S9
001957S9+3 dB
002060S9+6 dB
002163S9+9 dB
002266S9+12 dB
002369S9+15 dB
002472S9+18 dB
002575S9+21 dB
002678S9+24 dB
002781S9+27 dB
002884S9+30 dB
002987S9+33 dB
003090S9+36 dB
003193S9+39 dB
003296S9+42 dB
003399S9+45 dB
0034102S9+48 dB
0035105S9+51 dB
0036108S9+54 dB
0037111S9+57 dB
0038114S9+60 dB
My problem is that in the SDR-Radio console I see a signal (S3) but when sending the SM command; I repeatedly receive responses:
SM00004;
SM00004;
SM00004;
SM00005;
SM00004;

Which gives the impression of being one less unit (near to S2)

I have tried other signals with different values ​​and the SDRRadio console always seems to show a value greater than the one returned by the TS-2000's CAT protocol.

I don't know if I'm missing something and I'm making a mistake or is it a bug?

After more testings & debugging on data received from serial I found that on SDR Console the representation of signal meter widget the value is also incorrect, I mean: take a look to this screenshot:

Image

On the widget, the yellow label value is "S8" but the Smeter "analog" bar is pointing below S7

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