TX questions

[Joel Caulkins]

I have had my HL2 for about 2 years now and I didn't have this issue in the beginning, hopefully somebody can tell me what I'm doing wrong when TXing. I'm running a HL2 with the new I/O board in a 55mm case using SDR-Console V3.3 Beta. The problem:

No matter what band I switch to, I will get no TX output until I ........open the transmit tab at the top of the window, then click the DSP button, then hit the 'TX' button within the transmit pane then release it, now I'm good to go using the radio normally until I switch bands again or change modes then I have to go through the whole procedure again to get  any power output. It gets rather tedious doing this all day. I don't how many times I have tried to respond to a call only to realize I haven't been TXing for the last ten minutes because I forgot I changed bands. Does anybody know why this is happening? It didn't always behave this way.

Joel

N6ALT

[Joel Caulkins]

Upon further observation I have come to realize if I have the TX window opened at all times my HL2 will TX perfectly on all bands and on all modes. I don't know when this became necessary but it is now. I wouldn't have a problem with this except there is no room on my monitors desktop to keep it open, it covers up a large portion of the waterfall and spectrum display. Sorry for the ramble. Is there some configuration I'm not aware of? Please don't say Thetis.

Joel

N6ALT

[Max]

Hi Joel

The TX DSP window can be docked or floating. It's usually easier to have it docked on the right of the screen. I have RX DSP open and docked left and TX DSP open and docked right at all times and no issue in covering up too much of the waterfall/spectrum. Both are fully sizeable by click and dragging the divider on the edges of the waterfall panel in the normal way. The right-hand divider can be dragged fully right and does not compromise any controls in the TX DSP panel. Only issue I guess would be if you have a very low resolution monitor? Mine is 1920x1200.

Just to show, I attach a picture of my configuration. Hope it helps.

73

Max

[Joel Caulkins]

Hi Max,

Thanks for the suggestion.  I will try that and see if it works for me.

 Have you experienced the same problem as me where the TX modes won't work unless that TX pane is open, either minimized or opened. Simon Brown says this odd behavior and would like me to post this the SDR-Console group. I hope this doesn't turn out to be operator error on my part. I have been using SDR-Console for about three years now and feel I have a pretty good grip on how to configure it properly but still something is wrong I think.

Joel

N6ALT

[Max]

Hi Joel

Thinking about it I'm really not sure how this would manifest itself if you are using the PTT jack on the front panel of HL2 to initiate TX. I have a footpedal connected to that jack for manual control of TX.

If I am using datamodes then of course the TX command is issued via CAT from the program in question. So to answer your question, I've tried to replicate your issue and I cannot. Disabling the TX DSP panel has no effect on whether I can initiate TX or not, either via HL2 PTT jack or via CAT from WSJT-X for example. Both work fine, including after band changes and start/stops of the radio.

Can I please ask, if you do not have the TX DSP panel open, then how are you initiating TX if not from either the PTT jack or the controlling program? Is there any chance that you are perhaps trying to use the keyboard space bar? With SDRC this only replicates the last use of the TX button so then you would see the behaviour that you are seeing. I understand this is standard Windows behaviour in many programs, that using the space bar repeats the last button pressed by the mouse, and this is exactly what you would see here. Unlike (I think?) Thetis, the keyboard space bar is not specifically meant to be used as shortcut to TX PTT in SDRC. It's just following standard Windows behaviour. I personally avoid this use of it.

73

Max