Difference between revisions of "QtRadio - Operation"

Latest revision as of 18:43, 18 September 2012

Cleaning up stored configuration settings from previous installs of QtRadio

On Tue, Sep 4, 2012 at 9:59 PM, f6ehp29 <pascal@f6ehp.fr> wrote: Hi, on the QtRadio (QT5 on ubuntu 12.04) in audio/device setting, no card appears at opening of the window, and if I choose one (two possible choices), QtRadio shuts down - Mic setting is ok. Any idea ?

Clean up your config file and try again:

$ rm ~/.config/G0ORX/QtRadio.conf

Connecting to a server

Tuning the radio

Fixed frequency radio

For crystal locked radios such as the softrock lite II or YU1LM sdr's It is necessary to use subRx. The procedure is to set vfoA to your centre frequency, usually the crystal frequency / 4 and leave it alone as changing it will affect your centre frequency. Using the button on the vfo panel or the 'Receiver' Menu / subRx choice switch on the subRx. You can now tune within the limits of the sample rate of your sound card (48, 96 or 192 KHz).

Note that you need to start dspserver with LO offset of zero:

$ dspserver --lo 0

si570 tunable radio

In the Softrock series of hardware using sound cards, there is frequently a noise band near DC (offset 0). As such most users will set an offset of 9000 Hz (or 12000Hz etc.) using programs such as PSDR-IQ. You do the same when starting dspserver:

$ dspserver --lo 9000

Direct Down Conversion (DDC) radio

Such radios (eg. Perseus, HPSDR, usrp) do not need the offset. So start dspserver with:

$ dspserver --lo 0

Setting the noise floor

The height of the spectrum from the baseline is adjusted by rolling the mouse wheel with the pointer over the level calibration markings on the extreme left hand side of the spectrum window. This will at the same time change the base colour of the waterfall.

The procedure is: After setting the sound-card gain you should remove the antenna and roll the mouse-wheel to give a spectrum display line just above the bottom of the window. When you apply the antenna the spectrum will rise in the window and the waterfall base colour should be dark blue unless the band is particularly noisy.

Calibrating the S meter

To calibrate the S Meter, a signal equal to S9 (-73 dBm) is injected into the sdr and the soundcard gain is adjusted using the pulse audio volume control until the S meter reads S9. It will then probably be necessary to adjust the spectrum noise floor level.

A subjective calibration may be performed by tuning into a signal considered S9 and performing the above procedure.

VFO and Split selection

Using RIT

Changing bands

Using Quick Memories

Overview

The quick memories are used in conjunction with the VFO memory to give quick access to storing and retrieving memories which will be used on a temporary basis. Each selected quick memory is transferred to the vfo memory and if any tune operation is made the operation shifts to the vfo and the displayed frequency of course is the operational frequency. Data held in memory or vfo is stored in the config file and is available through sessions with the last used frequency being the next start frequency. Long term memory storage should be made via the Bookmarks facility.

VFO memory

The vfo has a memory associated with it for each band and allows startup of QtRadio to retrieve last frequency, mode, filter and spectrum/waterfall settings used. Shifting to another band allows the last used frequency etc. for that band to be retrieved and of course a return to the original band will get back the original data.

Storing

Storing a quick memory is accomplished by right clicking over any of the band buttons. The software will work out the right button for the frequency and store it there. The storage button will light up yellow for 1/2 second and the status bar will show ... the current band, the current read memory position and current store memory position, Mode, Filter and "stored at" store memory number. If the current frequency, mode and filter is already stored in quick memory, the memory will become the current memory and no extra storage will take place. Storage is always made to overwrite the oldest stored memory position so if your memories are stored as 0,1,2 for 3 quick memories and memory 2 was the last stored location, then memory 0 would be would be the next storage location. The index to the current memory storage location is saved on shutdown.

Reading from Band Buttons

A left click on the band button will cycle through the stored memories without ever overwriting them. The data in the selected memory is copied to the vfo memory and any change to the vfo is not written to memory unless explicitly via a right click over the bandbutton area. Full current information is retrieved from the memory and consists of Frequency, Mode, Filter, Spectrum info and Waterfall info. The index to the current memory read location is saved on shutdown. The status bar is updated to reflect the memory read/write information and a message is displayed advising you the vfo is currently matching a retrieved memory.

Reading from Band menu

Please refer to main menu section Band

Using subRx

To be constructed

The Menu choices

Receiver

Connect/Disconnect

You can connect to a server either by selecting the server in the Configure > Server list and then click Connect, or by selecting the server in the Quick Server List and click connect.

After you Disconnect from a server, you must wait at least 10 seconds for the disconnection to take full effect before connecting to another server. This is to allow the internet connection to really disconnect (remember there is network latency and the server will continue to send data till its buffers are emptied). Failure to do so will often result in error in QtRadio and may even hang QtRadio.

Quick Server List

If you see that a public server's status is "Busy", please do not connect to it. Doing so will disrupt the user already connected. If you see a server's status is "Idle" or "0 client(s)", you can connect to it. If you see "1 client(s)" or "2 client(s)" etc., you are sharing a connection to the same server. The first client is the master who has control over the vfo and Tx etc., and you will be connecting as a slave. You will only be able to listen to the audio and see the spectrum passively as an observer. When the clients before you disconnect, you will automatically become the master. This is a queuing mechanism.

Configure > Audio

If you are connecting to a public server on the Internet (ie not your own server on your LAN), please set Audio to 8000, aLaw, and 1 channel. If you use other settings, your QtRadio and/or the dspserver/server will hang.

Audio

Band

Keypad

Clicking on the keypad brings up a key entry window. The frequency must be entered by clicking on the number pads and should be in the form MHz dot KHz i.e. 14.293 Entering in KHz will cause an error which is not trapped yet.

Band Selection

The band menu allows selection of a band by clicking on the desired entry. Clicks on the already checked band stores the current vfo frequency and radio information to the current quick memory location then steps to the next memory position where it retrieves the stored frequency, mode, filter and spectrum/waterfall settings. The status line on the bottom right hand side of the window will display ... Band, (Current memory, next store location), Mode, Filter and a memory information message.

XVTR

To Come

Mode

Filter

Noise Reduction

AGC

Spectrum

Hardware

Bookmarks

Bookmarks are for storing semi permanent frequencies like favourite radio station or weekly sked etc.

Saving a bookmark

Tune to the frequency to be stored and set up mode, filter and spectra. From the main menu choose Bookmarks/Bookmark this frequency and an entry panel will appear The Title may be edited from simply the frequency to say "3.61 Weekly fists net" Choose "OK" to store.

Retrieving a bookmark

From the main menu choose Bookmarks/View Bookmarks. Run the mouse cursor up and down the list of stored frequencies and click to choose

Editing a bookmark

This facility allows editing of the title or deletion of an entry.

* From the main menu choose Bookmarks/Edit Bookmarks.
* From the left hand panel click on the item to be edited.
* Either edit the title and click on update,
  or click on delete.

Note: only the title is editable and if other data is needed to be changed it will be necessary to delete the entry and start again.

Transmit commands

Keyboard Shortcuts

• Arrow Left/Right Tune Down/Up the active VFO
• Arrow Up/Down Increase /Decrease Step Size above
• lowercase a = VFOA
• lowercase b = VFOB
• lowercase c = Connect
• lowercase d = Disconnect
• lowercase k= Bring up Keypad entry window
• lowercase l = Bring up Quick Connect Window
• lowercase s = toggle SubRX

Using the Griffin Powermate USB Dial as VFO Knob

The Griffin Powermate USB Dial

The Griffin Powermate has a single wheel and a pushbutton, which is able to do the following actions:

1. Rotate Clockwise
2. Rotate Counterclockwise
3. Push Down and Rotate Clockwise
4. Push Down and Rotate Counterclockwise
5. Push Down
6. Long Push Down
7. Responisve Blue LED's

It is now supported directly by QtRadio. For now only function 1. and 2. added for tuning. Stay tuned.

Installing and Using QtRadio with the Griffin Powermate Vfo Knob

$ sudo nano -w /etc/udev/rules.d/45-powermate.rules

and add the following:

SUBSYSTEMS=="usb",ATTRS{idVendor}=="077d",ATTRS{idProduct}=="0410",SYMLINK+="powermate",MODE="666"

reboot and do: (Or for Ubuntu /Debian sudo service udev restart and uplug and plug the powermate)


$ ls -l /dev/powermate

this should give you:

lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 13 2011-11-20 10:13 /dev/powermate -> input/event14

next do:

sudo groupadd input
sudo gpasswd -a your_user_name input
cd /etc/udev/rules.d/

Create a file called 99-input.rules and put in it:


KERNEL=="event*", NAME="input/%k", MODE="660", GROUP="input"
KERNEL=="js*", NAME="input/%k", MODE="664", GROUP="input"

and reboot. (Or for Ubuntu /Debian sudo service udev restart and uplug and plug the powermate)