Smugg Flex with ECHO

[WB2EMS]

The FA66 does 192 Khz. You can set it for 48, 96 or 192. One thing, when you change it, you have to have it turned off and then turn it back on. It apparently takes the setting on power up. I ran it with an MXL 990 on the phantom power and just used the software equalizer and got good reports.

[KF1Z]

Yes Rob,
The echo returns when the sampling rate is 48000
The Fa 66 can go to 192? 196? You can see almost the entire 40M band on the Pandapter
Fred

That's one of the fun things about QS1R.
You can see the ENTIRE HF spectrum on the display if you want..

Too bad it doesn't transmit.

 

[flintstone mop]

I would like to resurrect this back to the top to AXE a question about the cabling of the SDR 1000 to the sound card interface.
The M-Delta break-out box has four TIP/RING/SLEEVE jacks. I assume EACH jack has a left and right channel. The SDR 1000 came to me with HOSA cables. ONE1/8 inch stereo plug for the INs and ONE 1/8 inch stereo for the OUTs for the black SDR 1000 box.
The sound card end of these HOSA cables has two 1/4 inch plugs tip/sleeve for INs and 2 1/4 inch tip/sleeve plugs for the OUTs.
How is the distinction made for the electronics for left and right audio when both 1/4 inch plugs are the same? Does the SDR software "figure out' or configure the left and right audio info?
I know that if I reverse the "Receive" cables, the USB and LSB detected audio is also reversed. I can hear lower Sideband signal on Upper sideband and vice versa. So something somewhere knows left and right audio.

The Flex knowledge base is not showing anything.

The reason I am asking is I want to revamp the system using another sound card option the FA 66 Edirol, and that has balanced INs and OUTs and I want to run that audio through audio isolation transformers to isolate computer noise which is usually in the common ground connection.

Small issues, hopefully not thinking something to death
Fred

[WB2EMS]

Hmmm, it's been a year since I fussed with that on the FA66 Fred. I do recall one issue though, and that was that the 1/4 inch plugs that were going into FA66 were not mono tip-sleeve connections, but rather used tip-ring-sleeve plugs (what I had been conditioned to know as 1/4" stereo plugs) wired as TRS where the balanced connection is between the tip and the ring, and the sleeve is ground. Maybe that is old hat to everyone else, but it confused the heck out of me. I had never heard of TRS balanced connections before that.

I think to sort the left right thing out, I did what you did and tried them one way and then the other till the sideband came out right, and then setup the transmit audio cables to match it.

You're right, the knowledge base seems to have gaps in it. Some of the stuff that may be obvious to some users, is not so obvious to the rest of us. I'm trying to sort out a low transverter output issue now and not getting very far there. I find the flexradio and flexedge lists are pretty good to follow and learn things as they go by.

[flintstone mop]

I'm getting my ducks in a row here. I'll figure it out. I took the M-Delta break-out box apart and they are Stereo jacks for 4 channels in and out of the sound card.

I'm preparing for the FA 66 and now I discover that I should have a Firewire interface card capable of 400mbps. No problemo. I'm also taking the suggested route, by Frank GFZ to use quality audio isolation transformers to keep CPU noise out of the signal paths of the SDR. That hash noise that you pickup around a computer case with your short wave radio.

Fred

[KF1Z]

Hmmm, it's been a year since I fussed with that on the FA66 Fred. I do recall one issue though, and that was that the 1/4 inch plugs that were going into FA66 were not mono tip-sleeve connections, but rather used tip-ring-sleeve plugs (what I had been conditioned to know as 1/4" stereo plugs) wired as TRS where the balanced connection is between the tip and the ring, and the sleeve is ground. Maybe that is old hat to everyone else, but it confused the heck out of me. I had never heard of TRS balanced connections before that.

I think to sort the left right thing out, I did what you did and tried them one way and then the other till the sideband came out right, and then setup the transmit audio cables to match it.

You're right, the knowledge base seems to have gaps in it. Some of the stuff that may be obvious to some users, is not so obvious to the rest of us. I'm trying to sort out a low transverter output issue now and not getting very far there. I find the flexradio and flexedge lists are pretty good to follow and learn things as they go by.

There is a PDF artical that explains in detail how to set up the FA66 with the flex.
A quick google will find it...
I may even have it saved here.

You do not use the ring and tip on the edirol, unless you are using balanced input/output.
If you use transformers, you could set it up that way.
If not, you use tip, and sleeve mono plugs, OR connect the sleeve and ring together on a stereo plug.


Fred,
You don't need to worry which is left, and which is right...
It makes no difference.

If when you fire it up, the signal is on the wrong side of the LO, just click the box to reverse it...under the "audio" tab.. ( swap I/Q)   or, change the plugs around.
No big deal there.

[KF1Z]

That was quickkkk

Here ya go Fred

http://support.flexradio.com/Downloads.aspx?id=46

That s  the SDR-1000 / FA-66 "Quick-Start Guide"

[flintstone mop]

That was quickkkk

Here ya go Fred

http://support.flexradio.com/Downloads.aspx?id=46

That s  the SDR-1000 / FA-66 "Quick-Start Guide"

Thanks Bruce,
I was able to find the quick start and the nice pictures.
And thanks for the 'easy fix' if USB and LSB are reversed.

The FA 66 box is still en route. Fella in Australia had it on the Bay and the flooding has delayed the shipment. I hope it arrives soon.
Fred

[flintstone mop]

UPDATE::: 2/4/11

I got impatient waiting for an EDIROL FA 66 sound card and ordered a new CAKEWALK by ROLAND FA66.....................
Seems to be possible 30 day shipping from Australia...............won from an Aussie from eBay...oh well

I received the CAKEWALK by Roland...........FA 66 audio interface. Loaded drivers and whatever else it needed and set the switches according to FLEX.Firewire card is alive and well.
BUT starting the FLEX SDR software 1.8 whatever,,,,,,.... it says missing  FA 66 ASIO driver.
The supported sound card lists an EDIROL FA 66. So the games beign.

Edirol FA 66 and Roland/Cakewalk  FA 66 the same thing??? Apparently not for drivers. Roland website very confusing for downloading driver that works for Cakewalk and won't work for Edirol..........I Email Greg @ Flex for a solution.
I'm also checking my computer system for possible misplacement of the ASIO driver.
Any other ideas???
I know this is not a Flex radio site, but the knowledge base is UN-knowledgeable about this too.
Fred


Side note....................
I experimented by cliking (in sound cards) UNSUPPORTED SOUND CARD and it almost lets me start the hardware....SDR 1000 but comes back with "wrong sampling rate" and quits. Sampling rate is set for 192000, which was my original goal.

[w1vtp]

I was wondering if some of you other cats with these amazing radios have gotten any reports that there is an echo in your audio???
I turned off my CMPDR ( compander ) and COMP (compressor) and this effect went away.
 
<snip>
Thanks
Fred

The echo effect was there as induced by RF getting into either the flex or the computer.  The compander just made it worse.

..... or do you have an echoey room and the compandor made it worse?

Al

[flintstone mop]

HI AL
My particular echo went away by selecting 96000 sampling rate. It had somehow gotten to 48000 and caused the echo. It was not RFI or audio from over-processing.

Fred