search

nobletoll / powersdr-if-stage

Automatically exported from code.google.com/p/powersdr-if-stage
Other
0 stars 0 forks source link

IF adjustments being automatically made at random #204

Closed GoogleCodeExporter closed 9 years ago

GoogleCodeExporter commented 9 years ago 
What steps will reproduce the problem?
1. Leave PowerSDR running for several hours
2. Switch modes

What is the expected output? What do you see instead?
I have a global offset of -5100 set and LO Center of 9000000.  Other offsets: 
LSB 4600, USB -40, CWL 4000, CWU 2980, AM 3410.  These offsets result in the 
signal centered in the visible filter passband.  Randomly (maybe twice per 
day), the LSB value must be altered to around 6700 for the signal to be 
centered in the filter passband.  Not sure whether or not the other offsets are 
changing as I mostly listen on 40M SSB on LSB.  Haven't been able to spot what 
event may be leading to the shift.  Today, it was fine and I was gone for 4 
hours with PowerSDR running.  When I returned, the offset had to be changed to 
center the signal in the filter passband.  

What version of the product are you using? On what operating system?
PowerSDR/IF Stage: V1.19.3.5 on Windows 7 home premium - 32 bit.

Please provide any additional information below.
Orion II with N4PY.  EMU-0202 sound card.

Original issue reported on code.google.com by floydse...@gmail.com on 11 May 2011 at 6:14

GoogleCodeExporter commented 9 years ago 
Which method do you use to connect PowerSDR/IF to the Rig? Is the Elecraft K3 
connection? You set your IF frequencies manually in PowerSDR/IF, but using the 
K3 setting allows an external program to send a IF Frequency shift to 
PowerSDR/IF. Also, I am not sure why you are running a global offset of -5100. 
The purpose of the global offset is to make correction in L.O. drift that would 
impact all modes. So you setup all IF frequencies with a global offset of zero. 
Then later when you are operating if you need to make a small adjustment, you 
can just trim  the global offset. 

Confirm you are using the K3 connection first and tell me which other programs 
you are using and how they connect to each other.

Original comment by mccleme...@gmail.com on 15 May 2011 at 4:01

GoogleCodeExporter commented 9 years ago

Original comment by mccleme...@gmail.com on 15 May 2011 at 4:02

GoogleCodeExporter commented 9 years ago 
Yes, was using the K3 connection.  I was using the N4PY program and the 
connection to PowerSDR is via a virtual com port pair (via VSP 
Manager).  N4PY did find some bugs in his code as a result of my 
conversations with him and he was sending the wrong offsets for the 
Orion.  Carl says I should be running all mode offsets at zero and use 
the global offset to correct the error, which should be minor as you 
suggest.  For whatever reason, using zero offsets on my system results 
in the desired signal being WAY out of the visible passband (usually to 
the left) when the Orion II is tuned to the signal.  We're talking 
errors of 1-5 KHz.   I can leave the global offset at zero and adjust 
all the mode values to get the signal into the visible filter passband, 
or I can select one mode and make that offset zero and then adjust the 
global offset to center the signal in that mode.  Of course, then all 
the other modes have to be adjusted, but I'd be doing that anyway.

Using the offsets, I can get all the signals within the filters properly 
and the only problem is then that when connected via N4PY the offsets 
are randomly changing.  That is, one minute the signal is within the 
filter passband, and a few minutes later it's offset.  My conclusion was 
that this shift was coming from the N4PY program.  So, I eliminated that 
variable and went to use my DXLab Commander with the Orion II as the 
primary CAT device and PowerSDR/IF as the secondary CAT device.  
Commander doesn't apply any shifts at all to PowerSDR.  But, I still 
need the big offsets just as with N4PY.  The only difference now is that 
I don't see the random shifts any longer.

In a related matter, I found that the CW and CW reverse concept is 
reversed between the Orion and PowerSDR using the K3 interface.  If I 
selected LCW mode on the Orion, PowerSDR shows CWU and if I show UCW on 
the Orion, PowerSDR shows LCW.  This is a nit, to be sure, but one 
fellow suggested using the Kenwood interface between Commander and 
PowerSDR/IF and that did correct the problem without introducing any others.

One other frequency or shift related problem with the Commander/PowerSDR 
link:  I can tune the Orion II so that an RTTY signal is tuned perfectly 
and the signal is centered in the visible filter passband of PowerSDR.  
That's with the Orion in FSK mode and PowerSDR in DIGL mode.  But, when 
I mouse on an RTTY signal on PowerSDR, the result is that the RTTY 
signal is positioned at the carrier frequency of the filter and so isn't 
audible in the receiver.  I can get around that by just mousing to the 
right of the signal on the  display and then it appears centered in the 
passband and nearly perfectly tuned in the Orion.  Again, a nit but an 
irritation.

Hope I've answered your questions.  I'm willing to try anything 
regarding the offset problem.  At least one fellow (VE7TK) is running an 
Orion I with N4PY software and PowerSDR (current version) and claims he 
has all his offsets set to zero, with a global offset of -100.  Any 
ideas as to why my setup and those of a few other guys require such 
large offsets?

73, Floyd

Original comment by floydse...@gmail.com on 15 May 2011 at 4:37

GoogleCodeExporter commented 9 years ago 
Updated info on this problem: I can see no reason for this situation 
changing, but when I started up N4PY and PowerSDR/IF this afternoon, I 
noted that the offsets as observed on the display were all screwed up 
again, but this time in a different way.  I reset them all to zero, as 
I've done many times before, and found that the signals lined up just 
about perfectly in the filters.  I applied a global offset of -150 and 
now the alignment is near perfect.  There have been no updates to either 
program in the past day, so I'm at a loss as to why suddenly things are 
working correctly.

One thing I did notice earlier is that offset values I had set earlier 
were not maintained across executions of PowerSDR when PowerSDR 
terminates abnormally, which it does quite frequently.  Apparently the 
offsets are not saved until a normal orderly shutdown.  The abnormal 
terminations occur randomly, but usually around the time that I start 
and stop the trace with the START button or when I've changed something 
with Setup IF.

73, Floyd

Original comment by floydse...@gmail.com on 15 May 2011 at 9:23

GoogleCodeExporter commented 9 years ago 
Do you still see this issue?

Original comment by mccleme...@gmail.com on 10 Oct 2011 at 2:47

GoogleCodeExporter commented 9 years ago 
No - I dumped PowerSDR/IF months ago due to stability problems and have 
been happy with my SDR-IQ and Spectravue since then.

Original comment by floydse...@gmail.com on 10 Oct 2011 at 3:33

GoogleCodeExporter commented 9 years ago

Original comment by mccleme...@gmail.com on 10 Oct 2011 at 8:30