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Re: sBitx: Maybe my expectations are too high #sBitx

 

Nice story Gordan,

I had similar paths,and most of my"good " rigs are all homebrew.Yes fun in electronics figuring out the problem and offering solutions,but most of these kits,rigs you talk about had most of the problems figured out? before purchasing them.I dont go into instant gratification radios myself,. too many things to break and then the ham most likely isnt technically capable of servicing it winds up selling it cheap or paying another $500 to get it repaired.

Most of mine are older rigs that dont have all the bels and whistles that usually break down and you find the rigs for sale cheap at hamfests or overpriced on eflay.
I love teaching ham radio also, but use a rig ive built and has proven track record.By the way My History teacher was one armed. He was a great teacher even with one arm. Passed away? this January? if i remember.
Anyway I think the ubitx is great little rig, the sbitx,Im happy you all have been moving the product,but i think it is a little premature off the chopping block.just my own opinion And not of staff and management.

Ham radio is great. plenty of paths to take. plenty of kits,parts,etc to homebuild your own or modify something else
Plenty of new and old modes to try too.I remember building a regen all band receiver and a 6t9 tube transmitter in school also. My electronics teacher was an ex Army radar tech. he would come in and mess up the alignments of the trainer boards we used in advanced electronics classes. we would have to get the boards out,take measurements and fix them.That was in My senior year. This was when Indiana required a tv/radio repair license to work on consumer electronics for a living. we all took the course and even before graduating we all obtained our State License for radio/tv repair. We signed up for the 2 year electronics course at beginning of sophmore year. all hours were documented and Principal signed off on it . State Board of examiners made an appointment for all of us at the school instead of having to travel to indianapolis. we tested in the gymnasium with everyone spread out a distance.The examiner came by with help and inspected our spots for anything that shouldnt be there. no coats,longsleeves,books,calculators,or extra paper. they brought everything we needed.

Pretty cool and it kept 20 of us off the streets and at least 3/4 went on to higher learning or businesses of their own.Several went into the Military like myself,others went into engineering right off the bat.we had other schools sending 5 of their own students there because we were the only ones with a vocational electronics course from start to finish.Those who didnt go to university or tech school, had their apprenticeship documented and was sponsored for local companies for internships.

That was the good old days. Havent been back since to my old high school, but i doubt they have that program Now.

73
David
ac9xh
Re: sBitx: Maybe my expectations are too high #sBitx

 

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David,

To be fair, this was offered as an 'Early Adopter' unit, Ashhar *promised* there would be issues and changes would be forthcoming.

I'd encourage you to keep an eye on the list and watch for progress, things are progressing nicely, and the hardware problems have been mostly sorted out if you order a unit today - software issues are coming along also, and updates are trivial to implement.

Right now, the sBitx is more project than product.

Take care,

Ken, N2VIP

On Aug 24, 2022, at 18:44, david todd via groups.io <ac9xh@...> wrote:

?With all the severe problems with this sbitx, im passing. Im not pulling the trigger on it it. $500 too much for me to spend on a tight budget,with all these problems.I know its in developmental stage, but Most of the hardware problems should have been worked out along with the softwarebefore sales.I will invest in a good used all bander instead.

Good luck to you all on this one.

73 all,
David
ac9xh

Re: sBitx: Maybe my expectations are too high #sBitx

 

¿ªÔÆÌåÓý

Steve --

?? If you're going to be messing around with the linux audio system, might I humbly suggest (I had sent a similar note direct to Farhan regarding this, last week) you research setting up pulseaudio with a few custom SINKs and SOURCEs (setting up a multi-channel mixing console, as it were), so you could route audio to/from these various programs without needing (necessarily) to send/echo the audio to the speaker/headphone...?? this would allow, for instance, sbitx operation by blind operators who could run screen-reading and text-to-speech software on the Pi4 to access the interface, and not having to hear (for instance) the FT8 or RTTY or PSK audio.

?? I'm sure specifics can be found on the internet with simple searches in your favorite search engine; ("linux custom SOURCE and SINK in pulseaudio") produces some promising results, if you need/wish to read up on adapting and expanding the linux audio system.?? One source I located on the web that seems chock full of interesting information is .?? There are many others.

?? I would be interested in doing it myself, if only to increase my "geek cred", but I don't have an sbitx at hand at the moment, and my budget is such that it may be several months before I can get one.??? I do have a Pi4 (4MB) attached to a 4" touchscreen here on my desk, but it has not been assigned to any specific project as yet.? I'm thinking it will likely become the core of my own sbitx radio at some point in the future, albeit a future a bit further off than my anxiety for working on such a fun project would care for...


?73 de AI4AI,

??? Brian



On 8/24/22 12:13, Steve Beckman wrote:

Goody - you are making lots of great software changes. I appreciate all the work you are doing!

I'm working on some changes in the signal processing section to fix the audio going to FLDIGI and to a lesser extent the speaker. I've learned that the functions that write samples to the linux audio system do not always accept all the samples you tell them to take - so you have to loop back through and write out the remaining samples. I have the changes prototyped; audio to FLDIGI is looking great - and was close to submitting a pull request when I noticed a related audio problem I now have to debug.

I need to put together some "tools" to be able to recreate the problem in a controlled environment. Thinking that FLDIGI can generate an audio file with any of the modes it handles - CW, RTTY, PSK-31, etc. Then Audacity can be used to add noise if desired, and translate the whole spectrum up to the IF range. Then the file can be played back into the sbitx application. It's just a matter of getting the sbitx app to accept those samples from a different source than the CODEC in the radio.

Once this all gets worked out, it'll be much easier to troubleshoot or modify the signal processing code to support new features like noise reduction, notch filtering, etc.

73; Steve, N3SB?


-------- Original message --------
From: Anthony Good <anthony.good@...>
Date: 8/24/22 11:37 AM (GMT-05:00)
Subject: Re: [BITX20] sBitx: Maybe my expectations are too high #sBitx

Roger; no worries.

I found the problem with my FIELD_SELECTION buttons not updating text. ?In my last commit I added code for ¡°rollover¡±, so that when you¡¯re scrolling through (for example) modes, it will go?USB -> LSB -> CW -> CWR -> FT8 -> PSK31 -> RTTY -> DIGITAL -> 2TONE -> USB -> etc. and stop stop at the beginning or end of the selection list. ?This introduced a bug which I fixed. ?Latest code:?

Regarding the CW TX/RX endless cycling loop, I noticed with my ui_tick mod that the cycling occurs faster than with the stock code. ?Not sure if that helps.

Most of my code updates have been cosmetic items so far. ?I¡¯m digging deeper and learning more. ?I really want to understand all the timing and looping, and SDR. ?I¡¯d like to add AM, but I¡¯m waiting to ask questions until I know more. ?But great code. ?I¡¯m learning a lot. ?You¡¯ve coded the rig I¡¯ve always wanted to code!

73
Goody
K3NG

On Aug 24, 2022, at 08:22, Ashhar Farhan <farhanbox@...> wrote:

Gaah,
Must be my bad. I will sort it out tonight.
- f

On Wed, Aug 24, 2022, 5:22 PM Anthony Good <anthony.good@...> wrote:
Hi Ashhar,

With the latest (stock) code from GitHub, I lose the first dit consistently when sending with a straight key.? If I attempt to keyboard send, the rig goes into a tx/rx endless loop without sending any RF.? I have to exit from the app to stop the tx/rx looping.

On a side note, I did just verify my ui_tick mod isn¡¯t a factor in the button text updating issue I¡¯m experiencing with my code fork.? I¡¯m going to go back through all my updates and figure out what broke it.?

73
Goody
K3NG

On Aug 24, 2022, at 07:38, Ashhar Farhan <farhanbox@...> wrote:

Neils,
When call cq on ft8, as multiple people can respond back, you have to click on one qso to reply back to.
I would suggest? you pull the latest changes. The latest build fixes many of the problems you pointed pit.
Are you refering to volume of the receiver or the sidetone? The rx volume can be accessed as AUDIO control. You can also tap on the function knob to move the focus to AUDIO control.
I have been using CW regularly. With a straight key as well as the keyboard. Both work well.?


On Wed, Aug 24, 2022, 4:51 PM Niels Jalling <niels@...> wrote:
After a short vacation I am back in the shack.?

I changed the IRFZ24's with a new set, adjusted bias and was ready to test.

CW first with a dummy load. Output looked good on the scope. Output 25W on 20m with 2tone signal. Began flattopping with more power. Maybe my powersupply is too small.

Then I tried sending some letters from the keyboard. The very first dot or dash was never sent. So A became T, K became A, etc.?

The K3NG mod seems to fix the keyboard cw-problem.

Then I connected a paddle. There is a timing problem too with a paddle. A short press on the can result in a very short dit or dash. Again the polling frequency is the problem. (There is something called interrupts)

Then I switched to FT8.

First issue: there is no way to turn the volume down. The T41-SDT book placed over the speaker solved this :-)

In the FT8-demo video Ashar showed how easy a qso can be. But the current software does not work that way. I tried several times and when someone answered my CQ the next steps for a QSO didn't happen.

Then for calling CQ you have to press the CQ-button (F5) for every period instead of calling CQ several times and waiting for an answer.?

de oz9ny, niels

PS The only positive: The IRFZ24 survived






Re: sBitx: Maybe my expectations are too high #sBitx

Jack, W8TEE
 

I kinda miss teaching...

Jack, W8TEE

On Wednesday, August 24, 2022 at 10:05:01 PM EDT, Gordon Gibby <docvacuumtubes@...> wrote:


I'm just delighted to see this product move along.? ?Problems are being identified, solutions are being found, chances for GROWTH abound in the ham community.

When I soldered together my HW-16 Heathkit some 40-50 years ago it had HORRIBLE KEY CLICKS.? ? As a 9th/10th grader I had little clue how to fix that and shipped it all the way back to Benton Harbor MI.? ?Even THAT was a learning?experience for a high schooler.? ?They kept it a LONG time..and shipped it back....not really any better at all.? ?I finally learned enough electronics?ON MY OWN to shape the keying voltages appropriately and got that fixed.? ? That's what ham radio is all about to me.? ? I bought back an HW-16 off Ebay a year or two ago, still unrepaired, but I'll get to it sometime and have that kind of a full breakin CW rig working once again....what fun!? ? Other people may wish to have ready-made rigs that are already perfect.? ?I have an ICOM7300 that comes very close? (worked even better after their FIRMWARE UPGRADE that fixed some annoying issues!) -- but it is completely proprietary?and I'll never get to see the code that does all the math.? ?I'm bussier than a one-armed paper hanger right now teaching two AP courses and one 8th grade class....so I'm happy to sit by, but I've already opened up the rig and shown it to 6th-8th graders as an example of what "can be done".? ?They had no clue what a raspberry pi was...but they got to see a? "waterfall"? ?They have no clue what an FFT is...but they heard the words.? ? Everything that I show them is completely new, and an opportunity to teach.? ?They want to learn MORSE CODE? (surprise!? )? -- so we will teach that to them.? ?It is all chances to serve others.? ?That's what makes life fun!

73

Gordon KX4Z


On Wed, Aug 24, 2022 at 7:44 PM david todd via <ac9xh=[email protected]> wrote:
With all the severe problems with this sbitx, im passing. Im not pulling the trigger on it it. $500 too much for me to spend on a tight budget,with all these problems.I know its in developmental stage, but Most of the hardware problems should have been worked out along with the softwarebefore sales.I will invest in a good used all bander instead.

Good luck to you all on this one.

73 all,
David
ac9xh


--
Jack, W8TEE
Re: sBitx: Maybe my expectations are too high #sBitx

 

I'm just delighted to see this product move along.? ?Problems are being identified, solutions are being found, chances for GROWTH abound in the ham community.

When I soldered together my HW-16 Heathkit some 40-50 years ago it had HORRIBLE KEY CLICKS.? ? As a 9th/10th grader I had little clue how to fix that and shipped it all the way back to Benton Harbor MI.? ?Even THAT was a learning?experience for a high schooler.? ?They kept it a LONG time..and shipped it back....not really any better at all.? ?I finally learned enough electronics?ON MY OWN to shape the keying voltages appropriately and got that fixed.? ? That's what ham radio is all about to me.? ? I bought back an HW-16 off Ebay a year or two ago, still unrepaired, but I'll get to it sometime and have that kind of a full breakin CW rig working once again....what fun!? ? Other people may wish to have ready-made rigs that are already perfect.? ?I have an ICOM7300 that comes very close? (worked even better after their FIRMWARE UPGRADE that fixed some annoying issues!) -- but it is completely proprietary?and I'll never get to see the code that does all the math.? ?I'm bussier than a one-armed paper hanger right now teaching two AP courses and one 8th grade class....so I'm happy to sit by, but I've already opened up the rig and shown it to 6th-8th graders as an example of what "can be done".? ?They had no clue what a raspberry pi was...but they got to see a? "waterfall"? ?They have no clue what an FFT is...but they heard the words.? ? Everything that I show them is completely new, and an opportunity to teach.? ?They want to learn MORSE CODE? (surprise!? )? -- so we will teach that to them.? ?It is all chances to serve others.? ?That's what makes life fun!

73

Gordon KX4Z


On Wed, Aug 24, 2022 at 7:44 PM david todd via <ac9xh=[email protected]> wrote:
With all the severe problems with this sbitx, im passing. Im not pulling the trigger on it it. $500 too much for me to spend on a tight budget,with all these problems.I know its in developmental stage, but Most of the hardware problems should have been worked out along with the softwarebefore sales.I will invest in a good used all bander instead.

Good luck to you all on this one.

73 all,
David
ac9xh

Re: sBitx: Maybe my expectations are too high #sBitx

 

John,
I know exactly how much they are I have 6 of them. several in my ubitx v6 and i modified a couple more to match up with some of my other qrp rigs,plus the accessories. but no problems,thats what? a courtesy email is all about.:)

73
David
ac9xh
Re: sBitx: Maybe my expectations are too high #sBitx

 

¿ªÔÆÌåÓý

Hi David,

The Nextion display cost me $45.00 from Amazon. No problem thanks for getting back to me.

73
John W9QP?




On Aug 24, 2022, at 8:56 PM, david todd via groups.io <ac9xh@...> wrote:

?John,

Sounds good, but its awfully close to the new price of an ubitx.

Sorry to say , im a tightwad and a bargain hunter HI HI.

73
David
ac9xh

Re: sBitx: Maybe my expectations are too high #sBitx

 

John,

Sounds good, but its awfully close to the new price of an ubitx.

Sorry to say , im a tightwad and a bargain hunter HI HI.

73
David
ac9xh
Re: sBitx: Maybe my expectations are too high #sBitx

 

¿ªÔÆÌåÓý

Hi David,

I have a uBitx V6 I just put together I am selling. It comes with a Nextion 2.8 inch touch display I did not install. Contact me off list if your interested, $170.00 includes shipping.?

73
John W9QP?




On Aug 24, 2022, at 7:50 PM, david todd via groups.io <ac9xh@...> wrote:

?I will continue to buy used ubitxes on ebay and qth, though,since they are pretty soild rigs,especially the ubitx v6. i own 3 of them. wanting to increase my stock to 6.

Again,
good luck on the sbitx
73 David
ac9xh

Re: #sBitx Logitech k400+ keyboard is noisy #sBitx

 

¿ªÔÆÌåÓý

There is an issue with WiFi on the RPI inside the radio that requires the wifi to be turned off to eliminate a pulse noise...

Ken, N2VIP

On Aug 24, 2022, at 18:51, Shirley Dulcey KE1L <mark@...> wrote:

?
Interesting. I have a similar Microsoft keyboard as?well as the K400+, I'll try that out and see if it's better.

The noise surely isn't coming directly from the 2.4 GHz radio; that's WAY out of the passband of the rig. The most likely culprit is the USB communication, or maybe the modulation frequency that the 2.4 GHz radio uses.


On Wed, Aug 24, 2022 at 6:54 PM Ken N2VIP <ken@...> wrote:
Niels,

That isn't so surprising, the dongle for that keyboard/trackpad operates in the same frequency band (about 2.4 GHz) as the on-board WiFi on the RPi.

Ken, N2VIP

On Aug 24, 2022, at 17:48, Niels Jalling <niels@...> wrote:

I have just discovered that the Logitech k400+ wireless keyboard is very noisy. Video here:

de oz9ny, niels

Re: sBitx: Maybe my expectations are too high #sBitx

 

The sent signal tone is called sidetone. You can set it using the command \sidetone xxx. Where xxx is from 0 to 100.
- f

On Wed, Aug 24, 2022, 5:30 PM Niels Jalling <niels@...> wrote:
In the video on youtube ( ) it all happens automagically. If multiple people is responding just select the first decoded.

I am using the latest from github.

It is the volume of the FT8 signal sent out from the sBitx. Where do I change the volume of that. The volume knob does not change it.

de oz9ny, niels

Re: sBitx: Maybe my expectations are too high #sBitx

 

I will continue to buy used ubitxes on ebay and qth, though,since they are pretty soild rigs,especially the ubitx v6. i own 3 of them. wanting to increase my stock to 6.

Again,
good luck on the sbitx
73 David
ac9xh
Re: sBitx: Maybe my expectations are too high #sBitx

 

With all the severe problems with this sbitx, im passing. Im not pulling the trigger on it it. $500 too much for me to spend on a tight budget,with all these problems.I know its in developmental stage, but Most of the hardware problems should have been worked out along with the softwarebefore sales.I will invest in a good used all bander instead.

Good luck to you all on this one.

73 all,
David
ac9xh
Re: #sBitx Logitech k400+ keyboard is noisy #sBitx

 

Interesting. I have a similar Microsoft keyboard as?well as the K400+, I'll try that out and see if it's better.

The noise surely isn't coming directly from the 2.4 GHz radio; that's WAY out of the passband of the rig. The most likely culprit is the USB communication, or maybe the modulation frequency that the 2.4 GHz radio uses.


On Wed, Aug 24, 2022 at 6:54 PM Ken N2VIP <ken@...> wrote:
Niels,

That isn't so surprising, the dongle for that keyboard/trackpad operates in the same frequency band (about 2.4 GHz) as the on-board WiFi on the RPi.

Ken, N2VIP

On Aug 24, 2022, at 17:48, Niels Jalling <niels@...> wrote:

I have just discovered that the Logitech k400+ wireless keyboard is very noisy. Video here:

de oz9ny, niels

Re: #sBitx Logitech k400+ keyboard is noisy #sBitx

 

¿ªÔÆÌåÓý

Niels,

That isn't so surprising, the dongle for that keyboard/trackpad operates in the same frequency band (about 2.4 GHz) as the on-board WiFi on the RPi.

Ken, N2VIP

On Aug 24, 2022, at 17:48, Niels Jalling <niels@...> wrote:

I have just discovered that the Logitech k400+ wireless keyboard is very noisy. Video here:

de oz9ny, niels
_._,_._,_
#sBitx Logitech k400+ keyboard is noisy #sBitx

 

I have just discovered that the Logitech k400+ wireless keyboard is very noisy. Video here:

de oz9ny, niels
Re: Nextion Display Install #nextion #v6

 

Sorry,

The version that goes in the Raduino Nano is UBITXV5_CEC_V1.200_NX
Re: Nextion Display Install #nextion #v6

 

On Wed, Aug 24, 2022 at 01:57 PM, Evan Hand wrote:
Is it UBITXV5_CECV1.200_NS or UBITXV5_CECV1.200_NX?? Because I am not finding UBITXV5_CECV1.200_NS



?
--
'72
Aaron K5ATG
Re: sBitx Touchpad / Mouse Issue #sBitx

 

Hi Ashhar,

I am too.? I did find a less than elegant solution.? I created a shell program that runs the above xinput command that I run from a shortcut.? It works.

Cheers, Scott

?
Re: Nextion Display Install #nextion #v6

 

Aaron,

I believe the correct file for the Raduino Nano is the UBITXV5_CECV1.200_NS and the signal processor gets the UBITXV5_CEC_V1.200_NX_S.

Here is the page that explains on Hamskey.com:


It is in section 5 on that page.

73
Evan
AC9TU
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