Operating FT8 problems

[gvj...@gmail.com]

Hello Group,

I am hoping that someone can help me get a QSO via FT8 using SparkSDR. I have not used this before although I do use WSPR which works really well for me. There are two of us here in ZL (ZL2APV and ZL1AMI) trying for the first time and of course neither of us know what we are doing.

Using 80M band where we have good signals to each other I can decode pretty well anything that I can see in the waterfall and some that I can't whereas ZL1AMI can't decode anything except me but he can do that every time.

It appears that ZL1AMI is the only station that can decode me as nobody else will respond to my CQ or continue a QSO if I respond to their CQ

When ZL1AMI calls CQ I see his strong signal but can't decode it and he is unable to decode any signal except mine.

We obviously have something set up wrongly but I doubt that it is audio due to WSPR working for both of us. I guess that if someone responds to my CQ the messages to them will populate in the LHS message boxes but of course I have not had a response to test this. I would be grateful if someone can point out the error of my ways.

73, Graeme ZL2APV

[ahop...@googlemail.com]

Hi Graeme,

are you using the built in ft8 mode in spark or using wsjt-x connected via vac?

73 Alan M0NNB

[gvj...@gmail.com]

Sorry Alan,

I was a bit light with information. I am using the built in FT8 mode in SparkSDR and running ver 2.0.3-5 with an HL2 code version 72. The system is Linux Mint 20 and I am running on my local lan with router and switches.

It seems that I am transmitting a corrupted code which only ZL1AMI can decode and as a consequence his RX seems to be corrupted in that he can only decode me.

Thanks for your interest,

Graeme ZL2APV

[gvj...@gmail.com]

Oh yes I should have mentioned that I can't decode ZL1AMI.

--G

[ahop...@googlemail.com]

Most strange,

what software/radio is ZL1AMI using?  Do you both have accurate clocks?

73 Alan M0NNB

[ahop...@googlemail.com]

It is also worth looking on pskreporter to see if anyone decoded you.

[gvj...@gmail.com]

It does not look like I have been decoded although I have decoded plenty of others on PSK reporter. Maybe I should try reverting to the latest stable version of SparkSDR? As I had no idea of how it works I made a few assumptions.

SparkSDR is all I need and if it runs WSPR (which it does) it should run FT8

The callsign is automatically populated in the left hand set of message boxes and clicking on the icon initiates a CQ

If I get a response it will appear in the station list maybe in another colour?

If I click on a responding station it will populate my LHS messages with the messages to run the QSO

It will automatically progress through the QSO messages or alternatively I may have to click on each one

As you can see, I am pretty green if I don't know the answers to the above so I'm not sure if  I'm doing something wrong, my setup is wrong or there is a bug

[gvj...@gmail.com]

I missed the clocks question yes Time.is reports exact time for both of us. ZL1AMI is using the same setup as me although I think his HL2 firmware is a version behind mine.

[ahop...@googlemail.com]

I don't think the spark or hl firmware versions will make a difference. It is particularly odd that ZL1AMI is not decoding anything else, the decoding side of Spark calls the wsjtx decoder directly so I can't get much wrong here. What versions of wsjtx are you both using? It is possible that my ft8 encoding is failing as more of that is done in spark and there could be problems with things changing in wsjtx versions. I shall test tx over the weekend.  Maybe we have created a secure channel :)

73 Alan M0NNB

[ahop...@googlemail.com]

It is worth checking the log files and I have just thought of something that could have changed in the last spark release so trying an older version might be worth a go.

[gvj...@gmail.com]

I am using wsjtx version 2.1.2

I will try to find the log files and have a look and if I see nothing will try the latest stable version of SparkSDR

[gvj...@gmail.com]

This is a sidetrack but I did get a crash last night and here is the log for it

8/07/2020 1:14:32 pm v2.0.2.3
Main error
The type initializer for 'radio.vtrx' threw an exception.
SparkSDR
Void loadSettings()
   at radio.wirelessModel.loadSettings()
   at radio.wirelessModel..ctor()
   at SparkSDR.App.OnFrameworkInitializationCompleted()
   at Avalonia.Controls.AppBuilderBase`1.Setup()
   at Avalonia.Controls.AppBuilderBase`1.SetupWithLifetime(IApplicationLifetime lifetime)
   at Avalonia.ClassicDesktopStyleApplicationLifetimeExtensions.StartWithClassicDesktopLifetime[T](T builder, String[] args, ShutdownMode shutdownMode)
   at SparkSDR.Program.Main(String[] args)
The type initializer for 'radio.sparkCore' threw an exception.
SparkSDR
T load_function[T](System.String)
   at radio.sparkCore.load_function[T](String name)
   at radio.vtrx.LoadFunctions()
   at radio.vtrx..cctor()
Value cannot be null. (Parameter 'ptr')
System.Private.CoreLib
System.Delegate GetDelegateForFunctionPointer(IntPtr, System.Type)
   at System.Runtime.InteropServices.Marshal.GetDelegateForFunctionPointer(IntPtr ptr, Type t)
   at radio.sparkCore.load_function[T](String name)
   at radio.sparkCore..cctor()
--

[ahop...@googlemail.com]

That log looks like it is from some time ago and probably when you installed without port audio being there, but I am interested that you had a crash, I think there is an Avalonia linux issue at the moment but have not been able to track it down, do you happen to know what you were doing at the time, were you moving the mouse or opening a dropdown and how long can I go in one sentence?

[gvj...@gmail.com]

Slipped off for some breakfast but back now. I opened the settings and it crashed spark. It has happened twice now.

[gvj...@gmail.com]

This may be an applicable log - Should I start another thread?

13/11/2020 11:48:57 am v2.0.3.5
Main error
glXMakeContextCurrent failed
Avalonia.X11
System.IDisposable MakeCurrent(IntPtr)
   at Avalonia.X11.Glx.GlxContext.MakeCurrent(IntPtr xid)
   at Avalonia.X11.Glx.GlxGlPlatformSurface.RenderTarget.BeginDraw()
   at Avalonia.Skia.GlRenderTarget.BeginRenderingSession()
   at Avalonia.Skia.SkiaGpuRenderTarget.CreateDrawingContext(IVisualBrushRenderer visualBrushRenderer)
   at Avalonia.Rendering.DeferredRenderer.EnsureDrawingContext(IDrawingContextImpl& context)
   at Avalonia.Rendering.DeferredRenderer.UpdateRenderLayersAndConsumeSceneIfNeeded(IDrawingContextImpl& context, Boolean recursiveCall)
   at Avalonia.Rendering.DeferredRenderer.Render(Boolean forceComposite)
   at Avalonia.Rendering.DeferredRenderer.Paint(Rect rect)
   at Avalonia.Controls.TopLevel.HandlePaint(Rect rect)
   at Avalonia.X11.X11Window.DoPaint()
   at Avalonia.X11.X11Window.<OnEventSync>b__104_0()
   at Avalonia.Threading.JobRunner.RunJobs(Nullable`1 priority)
   at Avalonia.X11.X11PlatformThreading.HandleX11(CancellationToken cancellationToken)
   at Avalonia.X11.X11PlatformThreading.RunLoop(CancellationToken cancellationToken)
   at Avalonia.Threading.Dispatcher.MainLoop(CancellationToken cancellationToken)
   at Avalonia.Controls.ApplicationLifetimes.ClassicDesktopStyleApplicationLifetime.Start(String[] args)

   at Avalonia.ClassicDesktopStyleApplicationLifetimeExtensions.StartWithClassicDesktopLifetime[T](T builder, String[] args, ShutdownMode shutdownMode)
   at SparkSDR.Program.Main(String[] args)

--

And this one

4/11/2020 3:01:37 pm v2.0.3.5
Main error
glXMakeContextCurrent failed
Avalonia.X11
System.IDisposable MakeCurrent(IntPtr)
   at Avalonia.X11.Glx.GlxContext.MakeCurrent(IntPtr xid)
   at Avalonia.X11.Glx.GlxGlPlatformSurface.RenderTarget.BeginDraw()
   at Avalonia.Skia.GlRenderTarget.BeginRenderingSession()
   at Avalonia.Skia.SkiaGpuRenderTarget.CreateDrawingContext(IVisualBrushRenderer visualBrushRenderer)
   at Avalonia.Rendering.DeferredRenderer.EnsureDrawingContext(IDrawingContextImpl& context)
   at Avalonia.Rendering.DeferredRenderer.UpdateRenderLayersAndConsumeSceneIfNeeded(IDrawingContextImpl& context, Boolean recursiveCall)
   at Avalonia.Rendering.DeferredRenderer.Render(Boolean forceComposite)
   at Avalonia.X11.X11Window.DoPaint()
   at Avalonia.Threading.JobRunner.RunJobs(Nullable`1 priority)
   at Avalonia.X11.X11PlatformThreading.HandleX11(CancellationToken cancellationToken)
   at Avalonia.X11.X11PlatformThreading.RunLoop(CancellationToken cancellationToken)
   at Avalonia.Threading.Dispatcher.MainLoop(CancellationToken cancellationToken)
   at Avalonia.Controls.ApplicationLifetimes.ClassicDesktopStyleApplicationLifetime.Start(String[] args)

   at Avalonia.ClassicDesktopStyleApplicationLifetimeExtensions.StartWithClassicDesktopLifetime[T](T builder, String[] args, ShutdownMode shutdownMode)
   at SparkSDR.Program.Main(String[] args)

--

[ahop...@googlemail.com]

Thanks, that is realy usefull. Did you notice if the settings started to slide out or was it after the settings were in full view? 

[Graeme Jury]

I had the settings displayed for a second or so and then crash

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to a topic in the Google Groups "SparkSDR" group.
To unsubscribe from this topic, visit https://groups.google.com/d/topic/sparksdr/CphrBUWANVI/unsubscribe.
To unsubscribe from this group and all its topics, send an email to sparksdr+u...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/sparksdr/77ad2f97-708b-4031-9107-8f123c3948a9n%40googlegroups.com.

[gvj...@gmail.com]

Back to FT8. I have installed ver 2.0.1.9 and have had my first SparkSDR QSO with VK2SDX and it was all pretty intuitive and just how I expected it might have been. I am not sure if it is possible to capture the QSO for log purposes but I jotted it down anyway. I also installed the latest stable version which seemed to be transmitting but crashed each time I tried to respond to a call. I think I remember a post regarding a change to wsjtx affecting spark and a new non stable version was released so I was not too concerned. I will load the latest pre-release version again and have another go.

73, Graeme ZL2APV

[ahop...@googlemail.com]

OK, I'll give ft8 tx a good test over the weekend and try and find out what is going on. ZL1AMI's receive problem is still a mystery.

73 Alan M0NNB

[gvj...@gmail.com]

Thanks Alan,

I can confirm that I have reinstalled Linux x64 SparkSDR.2.0.3-5.linux-x64.deb and it does not work on TX for me but all is well using 2.0.1.9 which I will stay with in the meantime. many thanks for your help.

73, Graeme ZL2APV

[ahop...@googlemail.com]

Hi Graeme,

I found the issue and it should be fixed in 2.0.3.9 on the previews page. A fix I made for mac had caused the wsjtx ft8 encoder not to be found and it fell back to the internal encoder which I've never updated to a change in the ft8 encoding that happened a while ago.  I'm looking into the crash.

73 Alan M0NNB

[gvj...@gmail.com]

Hi Alan,

That was brilliant! I ran the 2.0.3.9 version with my HL2 barefoot on 30M and called CQ whereupon I was immediately responded to from France, Germany and USA and all QSO's carried to completion. SparkSDR is such a convenience to operate and monitor on multiple modes and I am appreciating it more and more.

73 es tu Graeme ZL2APV