Quisk not transmitting

[Heikki Ahola]

Hi group,

I have started preparations for my newly arrived HL2 beta 5 board by installing Quisk. Having a long history with PowerSDR, I do not feel quite comfortable with Quisk yet, but it is running, at least on RX. All tests I have done are with my HL1 which has been in heavy use  for years with little problems. With Quisk, the PTT button activates the T/R relay  but I cannot get any drive to HL1 . The SPOT button should send a steady carrier, but nothing happens. I wonder if I have (again !) missed something. According to the Quisk notes I have installed Python 2.7 together with wxPython 3.0 in my Win7 system.

My plan is to proceed with HL2 as soon as I have the board and the ancillary stuff installed properly but I would like to make sure of the Quisk operation prior to that. 

On the other hand, I have understood that the also openHPSDR (version mRX PS v3.4.1) is compatible with HL2, but with some items missing like the PA bias adjustment. Are there any other (serious ?) drawbacks of not using Quisk ? As I said, I am quite happy with PowerSDR which seems to work flawlessly with other software, WSJT-X, FLDigi, N1MM+-contest SW etc.

Therefore, I will, at least, try Quisk at first, but most likely go back to PowerSDR, if feasible.

BR Heikki (OH2LZI)

[pascal.v...@gmail.com]

;Hi Heikki
To activate the spot button on a  linux system , you must set spot_button_keys_tx = True in your quisk_conf.py  file. I suppose you must do the same on Windows and select the right audio device to get an output with the mic. I use it an a W10 sometimes, and that works also.

[John Williams]

The best place to set it is in the config screens, in the hermes radio group under controls tab.

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Hermes-Lite" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to hermes-lite...@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

[Heikki Ahola]

John et al,

Tnx for advice ! There are so many menus that something always goes unnoticed ! Unfortunately it did not quite help, now the spot button is alive and keys the TX but still  with no rf output, basically the same effect as with the PTT. I am quite convinced that my HW is OK, after so many years with PowerSDR. Something else is still wrong with my quisk setup ...

BR Heikki (OH2LZI)

[John Williams]

I was having the same problem. Was on a Raspberry Pi. After a reboot, it started working. Not sure about your situation. On Windows, I cannot get quisk to discover the hermes, even though powersdr finds it.

John

[pascal.v...@gmail.com]

I just restart quisk today on a windows 10. Its works most of the time, but sometimes I have to reload quisk as I also get no audio output.

[Steve Haynal]

Hi All,

With Quisk, I always have to set and audio input device for TX to work. Otherwise TX will appear to work but there is no signal. Also, check out the video I posted. The setup is the same for Windows.

Regarding Quisk vs PowerSDR, it is a matter of personal preference. The intent is to keep core openHPSDR compatibility so most everything should work. The HL2 and HL1 should behave about the same with PowerSDR. With PowerSDR you have access to PureSignal which does not exist in Quisk or SparkSDR. You need Quisk or SparkSDR to do some initial setup, such as setting the PA bias. There may be other future HL2 specific things like set the MAC address, update the firmware, or set a unit's static IP, that can only be done with Quisk or SparkSDR, but basic operation is planned to always be possible with software that supports openHPSDR protocol 1. I prefer Quisk as it is mostly written in Python so that makes it easy for me to change and extend.

John, which version of Windows had an issue? Just yesterday I tried Quisk with a Windows 7 laptop and it couldn't find my HL, but two other Windows 10 machines work fine. I think there is some Quisk/Windows7 network problem.

73,

Steve

KF7O

[John Williams]

Hi Steve,

Running Win10 and latest quisk binaries. I can ping the hl and it comes
back in less than 1ms. Also tried putting in the HL IP address in quisk
and that does not work either. Do not know how to get it to output error
messages. I tried running it from the command line and I get  no debug
info. Can I turn on extended debug without recompiling?

Running PowerSDR on the laptop wifi with the radio in the basement
results in perfect audio. No dropouts.

John

[pascal.v...@gmail.com]

I also have to set again the audio devices in Quisk, but mainly after an unexpected update of windows 10 (45mn to wait for the end of the update today !! ). A good reason to use linux !

[Heikki Ahola]

Steve et al,

Mni tks  for your advice and the videos ! It seems to me that defining the audio devices did solve most of my problems, at least for the time being, hihi. Still, I may stay with PowerSDR in the future, but it is good to manage the Quisk also, as it is required for some HL2 features You mentioned. With my Quisk installation, there is still one error message I get all the time, related to the radio band definition window. As I am currently out-of-town, I will come back with that later ...  

73 de  Heikki (OH2LZI)

[John Williams]

I get that error message also.

John - W9JSW

[Heikki Ahola]

John et al, 

I wonder if that message is something to worry about or just a Quisk feature ? It seems to be related to the wxPython package.

Heikki (OH2LZI)

[James Ahlstrom]

Hello,

I will work on these issues when I return from my ski trip.

Jim
N2ADR

[Jack Generaux]

I posted this on the Yahoo N2ADR group last November on a compiling issue:

"In the FWIW column,  I upgraded the OS on my bench Windows 10 machine to 64 bits which required a re installation of Python.  I installed the latest Python 2.7 and used PIP to install wxPython.  PIP installed the 4.0 Phoenix version.  I could not get Quisk to work with it.  It complained about the wxversion module which is no longer supported in Phoenix.  Also it complained about the combo module. Removing Phoenix and installing a legacy 3.0 version fixed the problem.

Perhaps this is related?

73,

Jack (W0FNQ)

[Heikki Ahola]

Hi,

I did also install Python 2.7 and considered wxpython 4.0 but then selected V2.7.  Quisk did not like this and I went for V3.0 which worked. Still, I am not 100% sure if I did everything correctly. Anyways, Quisk seems to be OK except this one error message. 

73 de Heikki (OH2LZI)

[John Williams]

I am running the binaries that John provided on his site. I cannot connect to the HL1 on wireless. I just tried a wired connection and that also fails to find the HL1. PowerSDR runs just fine on the same hardware. Running Win 10 64 bit OS.

John - W9JSW

--

[John Williams]

fyi...I am running python 2.7.10 with wxpython at 3.0.2.0

[Steve Haynal]

Hi All,

What is the one error message you are seeing?

Just a reminder, the Quisk install for Windows page requires the Python install including all libraries to be 32-bit. It can still run on 64-bit machines, just the Python and associated libraries must be 32-bit. This may be why some see problems.

73,

Steve

KF7O

To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to hermes-lite+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.

[John Williams]

Verified all libraries are 32 bit.

To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to hermes-lite...@googlegroups.com.

[Heikki Ahola]

Steve, James A. et al,

The error message I am receiving in QUISK (HL2 Radio, Bands menu) is as follows:

wxPython: stdout/stderr

Traceback (most recent call last):

  File ".\configure.py", line 208, in OnPageChanging

    page = self.notebk.GetPage(index)

  File "C:\Python27\lib\site-packages\wx-3.0-msw\wx\_core.py", line 13540, in GetPage

    return _core_.BookCtrlBase_GetPage(*args, **kwargs)

wx._core.PyAssertionError: C++ assertion "uiIndex < m_nCount" failed at C:\BUILD\wxPython-src-3.0.2.0\include\wx/dynarray.h(838) in wxBaseArrayPtrVoid::Item(): 

I also checked my wxPython and it is 32-bit version.

73 de Heikki (OH2LZI)

P.S. I am back from the countryside and will start assembling my HL2 hardware.

[Steve Haynal]

Hi Heikki,

Sometimes there is an error in the GUI library (wxpython) that gets caught and the program still proceeds. Is it the case that Quisk still continues to function after this error? If so, I wouldn't worry about it. Jim may take a closer look later.

73,

Steve

KF7O

[John Williams]

Another data point for Jim when he gets back - Spark has no issue with discovery of the HL1. Works fine.

If anyone can suggest how I can turn on logging during discovery and how to recompile, please do. I've never worked with python.

John

[James Ahlstrom]

Hello Heikki,

I am back from my ski trip and will be working through all the Quisk problems.

On Saturday, January 20, 2018 at 2:09:58 AM UTC-5, Heikki Ahola wrote:

Hi group,

I have started preparations for my newly arrived HL2 beta 5 board by installing Quisk. Having a long history with PowerSDR, I do not feel quite comfortable with Quisk yet, but it is running, at least on RX. All tests I have done are with my HL1 which has been in heavy use  for years with little problems. With Quisk, the PTT button activates the T/R relay  but I cannot get any drive to HL1 . The SPOT button should send a steady carrier, but nothing happens.

On both Windows and Linux you must do this to make the Spot button work:

1)  On the Config/radio/Controls screen, set "Key Tx on Spot" to True.  This keys the transmitter when Spot is down.  If this is False you must press Spot and then the PTT button.

2)  You must define a valid microphone input device on the Config/radio/Sound screen.  This is necessary because the device is used for timing the samples.  The alternative is to change the mode to CW and use the CW key.

To see if the microphone device is working, check the Config/Status screen.  The "Microphone level dB" should vary as you speak into the mic,  and the device "Capture microphone samples" should show some latency and few errors.  For most users on Windows, selecting the "Primary" device for "Radio Audio Output" and "Microphone Input" is the best choice, as you can configure the Primary device in the Windows sound app.

If this does not fix everyone's Spot problems, please reply.

Jim

N2ADR

[James Ahlstrom]

Hello John,

On Saturday, January 20, 2018 at 8:44:48 PM UTC-5, John Williams wrote:

Hi Steve,

Running Win10 and latest quisk binaries. I can ping the hl and it comes
back in less than 1ms. Also tried putting in the HL IP address in quisk
and that does not work either. Do not know how to get it to output error
messages. I tried running it from the command line and I get  no debug
info. Can I turn on extended debug without recompiling?

On the Config/radio/Hardware screen there is an option "IP address".  Entering the HermesLite IP address will not help Quisk find the hardware.  This an option to set the IP address of the Hardware to the specified value.  It requires firmware support, and I don't think it ever worked or was used.  Once I get a working HL2 I can sort through this.

If Quisk can not find the HL2, first check these settings on the Config/radio/Hardware screen:

Hardware file path:  hermes/quisk_hardware.py

Widget file path: hermes/quisk_widgets.py

Hardware type: 10

Hardware UDP port: 1024

Transmit IP: <blank>

Clock frequency Hertz: 76800000  (this is for the HL2, not the HL1)

Hermes code version: -1

IP address: <blank>

Network netmask: 255.255.255.0     (or check your network to see if a different value is used)

Tx audio UDP port: 1024

Hermes board ID: -1

If you change any of these settings, restart Quisk.

Quisk finds the HL2 hardware by sending a broadcast UDP packet.  This can fail because:

1) The Network netmask is incorrect.

2) The broadcast packet is blocked by a router or switch. You should be OK if the HL2 and your computer are on the same local net.

3) Windows firewall is blocking the broadcast.  Turn off Windows firewall to check, but then turn it on again.

You can turn on HL2 hardware debug messages by changing DEBUG from 0 to 1 in the file hermes/quisk_hardware.py.  Then run Quisk from a terminal window.  There is no need to recompile.  But the debug output is cryptic, and you must understand Python to read it.

You can turn on lots of debug messages by changing DEBUG_IO to a number greater than zero in quisk.h, and recompiling.  But Windows does not come with a compiler, and installing one is not simple.  The output is even more cryptic.

To really get useful information, you should install Wireshark.  Then you can see the UDP conversation between your computer and HL2.  This is your best debug option.

There is no difference between the Windows and Linux network code in Quisk.  I sometimes have trouble with Quisk discovering the HL1 (I have no HL2) but I can fix it by cycling the hardware power and waiting about 15 seconds for the HL1 to get a DHCP address.  Then Quisk always finds it.  I can look in my router to see what the address is, and ping the HL1. But if you access the HL2 with PowerSDR or other software, Quisk may fail until you cycle the hardware power again.

If Quisk still can not find the HL2, please provide a Wireshark trace.  It should show Quisk sending the UDP broadcast, and the reply from the hardware.

Jim

N2ADR

[John Williams]

Hi Jim,

I will try these suggestions. My radio is a HL1. From the same PC I can run Powersdr mRX PS and SparkSDR and they have never failed to find the radio. So within that frame of reference, I would think that items 1 and 2 are not an issue. I run norton as a firewall and looked at it's app listing and it shows Python27 being allowed to execute network traffic.

John

[John Williams]

Jim,

Attached is the debug stdout/stderr screen. Will now work on figuring out wireshark.

JOhn

[John Williams]

Jim,

Fixed it.  I had an enabled virtual box network interface that I saw in the trace. I disabled it and it now finds the hermes on the first discover. Go figure. Here is the failing trace if you are interested. As I said, the other 2 programs were able to find it just fine.

John

[Heikki Ahola]

Jim and the Group,

Just made my first contact with WSJT-X/ Quisk combo under Windows 7. I am still using my HL1 since HL2 is under construction but I am quite confident with that, too. It seems that I have solved my problems (at least the current ones !) and I am also feeling more and more comfortable with Quisk (after 2 weeks of trying).

Tnx and 73 de Heikki (OH2LZI)

tiistai 30. tammikuuta 2018 17.31.24 UTC James Ahlstrom kirjoitti:

Hello Heikki,

I am back from my ski trip and will be working through all the Quisk problems.

On both Windows and Linux you must do this to make the Spot button work:

1)  On the Config/radio/Controls screen, set "Key Tx on Spot" to True.  This keys the transmitter when Spot is down.  If this is False you must press Spot and then the PTT button.

[James Ahlstrom]

Hello John,

I am glad it is fixed, but I would like to understand it better.  Both files you sent indicate that Quisk is sending a Discover UDP broadcast but is receiving no response.  Can anyone explain the virtual box network interface, and what I have to do to cooperate with it?

Jim

N2ADR

[James Ahlstrom]

Hello Jack,

I think I solved the problems with wxPython Phoenix (version 4), but I still need to test it.  I am not sure how to install both version 3 and 4 at the same time.  But consider it fixed for the next release.

Jim

N2ADR

[John Williams]

I will run wireshark on both SparkSDR and PowerSDR with virtual box enabled during discovery if that would help. Virtual box sets up a fake network interface when you install it. My guess is if I had a valid, running virtual machine on the other side of the interface, it may as well run correctly. Just a guess.

[Alan Hopper]

Hi Jim,

I don't know the details of John's virtual box stuff but the key parts of the discovery in Spark are (c#) :-

NetworkInterface[] nics = NetworkInterface.GetAllNetworkInterfaces();

            foreach (NetworkInterface adapter in nics)

            {

                if ((!adapter.Supports(NetworkInterfaceComponent.IPv4)) ||

                    (adapter.OperationalStatus != OperationalStatus.Up))

                {

                    continue;

                }

                foreach (var ua in adapter.GetIPProperties().UnicastAddresses)

                {

                    if (ua.Address.AddressFamily != AddressFamily.InterNetwork)

                    {

                        continue;

                    }

                    if (IPAddress.IsLoopback(ua.Address)) continue;

                    var ipAddress = ua.Address;

                    if (ipAddress != null)

                    {

                        var localEndPoint = new IPEndPoint(ipAddress, 0);

                        var client = new UdpClient(localEndPoint);

                        Socket s = client.Client;

                        s.SetSocketOption(SocketOptionLevel.Socket, SocketOptionName.Broadcast, 1);

                        s.SetSocketOption(SocketOptionLevel.Socket, SocketOptionName.DontRoute, 1);

                        const int SIO_UDP_CONNRESET = -1744830452;

                        byte[] inValue = new byte[] { 0 };

                        byte[] outValue = new byte[] { 0 };

                        client.Client.IOControl(SIO_UDP_CONNRESET, inValue, outValue);

                        clients.Add(client);

                    }

                }

        public void discover()

        {

            byte[] discoverMsg = new byte[63];

            discoverMsg[0] = 0xef;

            discoverMsg[1] = 0xfe;

            discoverMsg[2] = 0x02;

            byte[] discoverNPMsg = new byte[60];

            discoverNPMsg[4] = 0x02;

            foreach (var client in clients)

            { 

                try

                {

                    client.Send(discoverMsg, discoverMsg.Length, discoverIpEndPoint);

                    client.Send(discoverNPMsg, discoverNPMsg.Length, discoverIpEndPoint);

                }

                catch (Exception e)

                {

                    errorlog.logException(e, "discover " + discoverIpEndPoint.ToString());

                }

            }

        }

It is a long time ago that I coded this and can't remember all the reasons why it is how it is, because of this it is one of the last bits of code left in c# rather than c++, the SIO_UDP_CONNRESET stuff is probably a red herring, it just prevents a socket being closed on error on windows.  I vaguely remember tweaking this when I had a number of real and virtual network interfaces on one machine.  The code discovers old and new protocol.

Hope this helps,

Alan

[James Ahlstrom]

Thanks Alan!

Jim

N2ADR

[Jack Generaux]

Thanks Jim,  If I find an easy way to install Phoenix, Ill try.  

[John Williams]

Jim,

Here is a wireshark capture. I included 3 interfaces - ethernet (no connection), WiFi and the VB one. Using SparkSDR.

Hope it helps...

John

[Amogh Desai]

Sorry to bring up an old issue again.  But I have had this issue of Quisk not discovering HL2 for quite a few days now.  I tried almost everything to fix it, like reinstalling quisk, trying different computers, disabling firewalls, formatting and starting with fresh windows installation, and so on. Bu and it turned out to be exactly the same issue John has had in the past.

I finally figured it when I hit this thread while searching for wireshark query.  Got it fixed by disabling the virtualbox network interface:

On wireshark, with virtualbox interface enabled, I see packets to the HL2 IP if I ping, or use sparksdr, but with quisk, it starts as per log sends 5 discovery packets and shows UI with "no capture device found" message and nothing captured (no packets) in wireshark. I am attaching wireshark capture and quisk log with virtualbox interface enabled as well as disabled just incase it is helpful.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1GnOWhxc0pIlMN40Ca8n1PqmgKG7u1LYG

Regards,

Amogh

VU3DES

[Jack Generaux]

I have had this issue also and have been only able to use the Linux version.  Thanks for reposting this solution; it fixed my Windows 10 installation.  Its funny that SparkSDR doesn't care about the VirtualBox network and Quisk does.

73,

Jack (W0FNQ)

[Amogh Desai]

I have just tried it by disabling virtualbox network adapter on my other old Win 7 desktop and it now works.  I also have vmware network adapter enabled on this desktop and it doesnt conflict with that for some reason, only conflicts with virtualbox adapter.

Amogh

VU3DES