Re: QMX+ finals, BS170 / TN0110 thoughts?
#qdx
#qmx
The Xeigu G90 uses RD16HHF1 (Mitsubishi) and I need to order some (ours failed) but in this context have these devices been considered as PA for any of Han's excellent designs??
?I know it is a very complex study to determine cross compatibility (beyond my pay-grade) but these devices seem to have favorable specifications for our applications here (Q*X-cool awesome rigs).
I totally understand and appreciate Hans' prior responses-- makes total sense (I've attempted kitting- PIA) but maybe some of you out there who like to push the boundaries and leather clad your gold upholstered Fords (;-)) might share your thoughts &/or experiences.
'73 AD6XJ ?
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Just out of curiosity, did you press Capital 'P' and/or Capital 'T' in the hardware test Putty screen??
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You can and should hold down either of those two keys for a few seconds and see what is shown on the PTT signal, RF Output, Power and SWR values on the screen.
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Be sure to have a good dummy load connected.?
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Greg. KI4NVX?
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I I I I I ? ? I finally learned how to use puddy.
I changed all four bs170’s with no improvement… So it’s not the finals.
I checked all the obvious things. if everything was correct it should be transmitted in CW, but unfortunately it is not.
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Re: Multi-Banding 50W Amp
Mark,
Some more information in this thread.
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I liked Ron’s approach, have been building all my 50WPA for 10m and using them on other bands, down to 160m, by adding QRPLabs LPF (components upgraded for 50W) externally. As I cannot use relays due to horrible experience at work, I insert them manually. . .?I needed to make some modifications to 50WPA on 160, (80), 15-10 to obtain good results.
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I just completed my QMX+ and the initial results using it with the 50WPA are 49W on 160, 46W on 80, 50+W on 40-20, 47W on 15, 28W on 10.
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Best wishes with your build.
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73, Aki, JO4MTH
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Re: QMX+ Manual - BS170 - solder only 2 pins?
On Fri, Jul 19, 2024 at 10:19 AM, Steven Dick, K1RF wrote:
we used via fill for via-in-pad applications for surface mount components.?
I have used copper-filled thermal vias on high power microwave boards, under the active devices.? It is a costly process.
73, Don N2VGU
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It seems I will not be abre to receive q QDX by October.?
KB7HNF John
Hello Andreas
I agree about the "dirty flag". I added it to my list. I will make the beacon truly awesome in the end.? The reason for the streaming facility to send GPS data through the USB Virtual COM Serial port to the PC, is for users of QMX+ who have the internal GPS. These cannot?just unplug the QLG2 and plug it instead via its USB interface to the PC.?
Hi all,
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my initial concerns where about the Beacon mode where the QMX will operate standalone.
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I would also suggest here that the internal clock of the QMX gets a dirty flag which is set to true until the clock was either synchronized via GPS or set manually.
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And while the clock is "dirty" the Beacon mode should not transmit at all, displaying a "clock not synchronized" indicator.
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This will especially prevent the QMX from transmitting right on poweron, when the time starts at 0:00 and the start frame is 0 as well.
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But sure - when a computer comes into play, it's already possible to synchronize the computer clock via GPS - just plug the QLG2 to the computer via it's USB interface and use a tool like or ?or the one mentioned by TA1MHS
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No need to connect the QLG2 to the QMX in this case. (But it's still possible of course...)
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73, Andreas
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Re: Multi-Banding 50W Amp
Thanks for the inputs, guys. It looks like others have been down this road.
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Mike. That's pretty much what I'm thinking of doing. I'm planning to use an 80-to-10M LFP module I have that's rated for 100W (claimed) which should be sufficient. It's a variation of the one that Muhsin linked to.
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Chris, I assume the small toroids you refer to are the ones used in the QRPLabs LPF kits but that's not what I was planning to use.
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73...? ? ? Mark? ? ?AA7TA
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On Fri, Jul 19, 2024 at 05:14 AM, Rob Giuliano wrote:
Would it be any easier to use 2 pins and code the keyer outputs (left paddle/right paddle) for ASCII characters? than time the actual dits and dahs?
Hi Rob, yes it's much easier. I implemented one with Arduino in less than 2 hours. The input side of the device is a serial port and the output side is 2 pins for left/right paddle. So it's basically a CW paddle emulator. I use it mainly for recording messages on my radios, like SOTA/POTA refs etc. I don't know how others do, but I get VERY nervous and make a ton of mistakes whenever I need to key the messages manually. So I made this little gadget to allow me to send the message I want to record via the serial port, and it then translates the whole messages into paddle actions. The dit/dah timing is controlled by radio's internal keyer. I've done this successfully on KX2, TR-45L, and QMX.
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But as you already pointed out,
Maybe the pin timing would then be dependent on the internal radio keyer speed.
That's exactly right. If you change the WPM of radio's internal keyer, you need to change the WPM setting of this device as well. And vice versa. It's essentially open-loop control, and they need to be consistent on the WPM. Therefore, I think it's a pretty niche device. In addition to the message player use case I already described above, another potential use case would be to let you always use your radio's internal keyer - what I mean is when an external keyer like winkeyer is used, your radio's internal keyer is disabled. This means in different scenarios, you're using different keyers (for example, winkeyer for contesting, internal keyer for POTA/SOTA) which might have slightly different "characteristics" of timing and it can be annoying sometimes.
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73 de Zhenxing N6HAN
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Yes but the USB port on QMX can also be configured as a host... the STM32F446 processor is a wonderful device!
Thanks Hans! Yes I knew that, but I didn't mention it in the reply because I thought you probably wouldn't bother to implement the USB host software stack as I simply couldn't see enough use cases. And I always assumed that would be a quite difficult task, but maybe I'm wrong as in your case, you don't need to implement something very generic - it only needs to support very limited number of devices and classes of driver :)
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73 de Zhenxing N6HAN
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Re: QMX possible to replace dead MCU?
Thank you Tony!
Good to know their might be a path here.
Regards!
~Gordon
Sent from Proton Mail Android
-------- Original Message -------- On 7/19/24 3:20 PM, Tony Scaminaci wrote: Gordon,
The boot loader is encrypted so you can’t simply replace the MCU. Jeff Moore, W1NC, can assist you with this if you can’t get a new programmed MCU from QRP Labs directly.
Tony?
Is it even possible to replace a dead STM32/MCU myself on the QMX?
I read that the boot-loader has a firmware decryption key.
I believe my QMX has a dead MCU. I can handle SMD replacement.
Q: I'm not sure I can install the boot-loader: I suspect it's not available to me?
FWIW:? I do very much appreciate the fact that Hans is ensuring the legitimacy of QRP Labs devices (preventing Chinesium QMX's from hitting the market via firmware encryption)
73s!
~Gordon
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Re: Multi-Banding 50W Amp
Muhsin has made the 20m 50W amp into 80-40-30-20, but using a slightly different approach.
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73, Mike KK7ER
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Re: QMX possible to replace dead MCU?
Gordon,
The boot loader is encrypted so you can’t simply replace the MCU. Jeff Moore, W1NC, can assist you with this if you can’t get a new programmed MCU from QRP Labs directly.
Tony?
Is it even possible to replace a dead STM32/MCU myself on the QMX?
I read that the boot-loader has a firmware decryption key.
I believe my QMX has a dead MCU. I can handle SMD replacement.
Q: I'm not sure I can install the boot-loader: I suspect it's not available to me?
FWIW:? I do very much appreciate the fact that Hans is ensuring the legitimacy of QRP Labs devices (preventing Chinesium QMX's from hitting the market via firmware encryption)
73s!
~Gordon
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QMX possible to replace dead MCU?
Is it even possible to replace a dead STM32/MCU myself on the QMX?
I read that the boot-loader has a firmware decryption key.
I believe my QMX has a dead MCU. I can handle SMD replacement.
Q: I'm not sure I can install the boot-loader: I suspect it's not available to me?
FWIW:? I do very much appreciate the fact that Hans is ensuring the legitimacy of QRP Labs devices (preventing Chinesium QMX's from hitting the market via firmware encryption)
73s!
~Gordon
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Re: Multi-Banding 50W Amp
Sorry, the voltages are too high for the capacitors and the currents too high for the small toroids.
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From the manual: ?There are two important differences, both are related to power handling. Here, the amplifier
produces over 50W. That requires:
? Powdered iron toroids which have enough iron in them that they will not saturate and
become lossy, at 50W
? NP0/C0G capacitors which have a high enough voltage rating to withstand the peak voltage
excursions seen at 50W.
50W is a 141 V peak-peak sinewave.
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...and a computer is not much bigger than a keyboard
George, if you just want to send CW to QMX from a computer, I have a workaround. As Robert Giuliano KB8RCO mentioned in your original thread,
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It seems to me that "the timing" is what the "keyer" is all about, and most radios today already have a keyer built in.?
Would it be any easier to use 2 pins and code the keyer outputs (left paddle/right paddle) for ASCII characters ?than time the actual dits and dahs?
I have an Arduino program does exactly that. Basically it's a keyer that emulates an iambic paddle (instead of a straight key). It takes an ASCII string from computer via the serial port and send the CW symbols via 2 pins - dit and dah, to any radio's paddle input. The only requirement is that the WPM setting of the radio's internal keyer must be consistent with this program. If you can't wait for Hans to implement the KY command for QMX, maybe you can try my approach. BTW you can use diodes to 'OR' the keyer's outputs with a normal paddle's tip and ring, so the radio can be keyed from both sides.
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73 de Zhenxing N6HAN
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Re: Digital mode audio to headphone jack
JTDX on the Mac is quite buggy and often will stop sending audio out to the USB
port.
Corey, what Mac are you using? I know WSJTx on some old Macs have similar issues. When I was using WSJTx on my 2010 Mac mini with IC705, the audio stream sometimes would be routed to the internal speaker. The workaround is surprisingly simple - just change the sample rate of the radio's virtual sound card from 48kHz to 44.1 kHz. It can be done in "Audio MIDI Setup". Don't know if this is relevant though.
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I have a QRPLabs 50W amp kit in the process of construction. I would like to use it with my QMX+ but would like to be able to switch bands on it. I was thinking of just bypassing the LPF in the amp and feeding it into an external LPF that can be switched to different bands either manually or via a signal from the QMX+. Looking at the schematic, I would jump from the C8/transformer junction to C15, omitting the LPF components. I would mostly use 40M to 17M. probably never higher than 17M. I realize it's class C so only for CW.
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Would this work or is it a Bad Idea?
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73...? ? ? Mark? ? ?AA7TA
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Re: Digital mode audio to headphone jack
Ludwig,
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That's it! I didn't realize that the transmit indicator actually had 3 separate conditions.
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Thank you and 73s
--Corey (WB0RXQ)
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Re: CAT control and compatibility with Kenwood TS-480
Thanks?Hans,
Much appreciated.
RD/RU You are right, it is five digits, it was a typo. I know for a fact RD and RU decreases and increases the RIT value on the TS-480.? Only recently (TS-890 and TS-990) Kenwood?has implemented an absolute RIT control, then using the RF command.? But for me, as a developer, compatibility with TS-480 is unimportant as long as I know exactly what RD and RU do. Thank you for the clarification. It would?be great if it was included in the documentation.?
Given your special definition of RD/RU I agree RU0; and RD0; should clear RIT.? Since RD/RU is relative on "Kenwood?like" radios, they all have a special command to clear RIT: RC; But again, as long as the behavior is known, compatibility with other radios is unimportant.
FA/FB? Thank you for the clarification. Much appreciated.
IF Thank you. The documentation currently says something else.?
Bj?rn SM7IUN
I'm on the DXLog development team and struggle with implementing the drivers for the? QMX and QCX models. If I had access to them I could do reverse engineering but unfortunately I don't.?
The CAT part of the QMX/QCX documentation is not very detailed and unfortunately also? somewhat inconsistent.
Just to explain some background. QCX was created in 2017 and there was no CAT port on it; in fact the 32K Flash program memory was 100% full. But CAT was requested and I wrote it. I managed to squeeze existing functionality, to make space for the program code for the CAT features. I chose TS480 because the protocol is well documented and widely supported. I believe (based on similarities) that the Elecraft radios were also based originally off TS480 protocol but I may be wrong on that, and certainly they were later extended and now have their own entries in the list. QRP Labs also has its own radio type in recent hamlibs.?
Because of the very limited program memory and also the fact that of course QCX and TS480 don't have the same capabilities, only a subset of the TS480 protocol was implemented, and it was implemented in a less strict way compared to TS480, in order to save program space. Nevertheless it was sufficient for correct operation with many logging programs. The hardware required a few extra components to be able to share some IO pins with the LCD; later those components were incorporated into PCB revisions so it became standard.?
Later I had requests from QRP Works who wanted to make their SideKar product which had originally been an Elecraft Accessory only.?
George Korper if you are reading this - SideKar is another option for sending keyboard Morse from a QRP Labs transceiver, as you were asking about Keyboards in a different thread.
Anyway - so I added some support for the KY; command to send and retrieve decoded CW. KY is an Elecraft command not a TS480 command so was another departure from pure TS480.? ? Now some of those CAT commands were inherited into QDX CAT commands, and later QDX CAT was inherited into QMX. Unfortunately QMX doesn't yet handle KY (and perhaps other CW details) because of the inheritance route of the code modules through QCX->QDX->QMX... however this is just an anomaly and will be resolved, in fact it's even quite high on my QMX ToDo list to make KY work properly on QMX. So won't be long I hope.?
QMX has plenty of code space, it isn't so restricted as QCX was so if there are any requests, they can be accommodated (in time).?
I had thought the QCX/QMX documentation is precise and sufficiently detailed but if there are any improvements necessary please let me know/? ? Since my help desk ticket remains unanswered I am turning to this reflector.?
Apologies for the delay handling that, I'm *still* behind on emails and helpdesk tickets... at the same time trying to carve out a little time for development. Pitying?myself that there is only one me whhaaaaaahhh...? ? The challenges I face are the following:
RD/RU Is the implementation of the RD and RU commands really the same as the TS-480?? The documentation suggests otherwise. With the TS-480, RD must be followed by exactly four digits? and decreases the RIT with a certain number of hertz. RU works?the same but increases the RIT.? The QMX/QCX documentation seems to suggest RD instead sets the RIT to an absolute value and? that a sign also must be included?in the command (like with Kenwood's RF command). How does RD/RU really work with the QMX/QCX and what is the format?
I'm not sure your description of the RU RD commands on a TS-480 is quite right either. The TS-480 document is here:
RD and RU commands are described on pages 17 and 18 respectively.?
The RU description is: "Moves the RIT offset frequency up. Slows down the scan speed in Scan mode". I have no idea what scan mode is but it isn't a current QCX or QMX thing anyway so ignore that. The Set command has format RU p1 p1 p1 p1 p1 ; where P1 is the offset frequency 00000-99999 in Hz. So there are five digits (not four as you state). But my interpretation of the TS480 specification is that this sets the RIT offset frequency in the up direction. Not that it applies a shift to the currently set RIT offset frequency. In other words I interpreted it as an absolute RIT setting, not a shift to the current setting. It seems more logical to me.?
But am I WRONG? Does someone have an actual TS-480 to check? And even if wrong - should I change QMX? (Note: QCX firmware is very stable with few if any known bugs and hasn't had an update for more than 2 years; I'd be reluctant to meddle in QCX firmware unless it is very terribly urgent).?
Attached is a screenshot of the RU command from the Kenwood document. RD is similar. Aside from the 5 digit thing which seems clear, I can't in my view, see a way to interpret this that RU increases the RIT offset. To me it seems it should specify an absolute, positive RIT offset. Since it declares that P1 is the offset frequency, and had previously referred in the description to the "RIT offset frequency". It doesn't say that P1 is a CHANGE to the RIT offset frequency.?
So this is why I implemented it this way. I did not implement the Read command because it appeared to be applicable only in Scan mode.?
To summarize the QMX implementation: - RUn; sets an absolute positive RIT of n Hz.?
- RDn; sets an absolute negative RIT of n Hz.?
- Neither RU nor RD have a Read implementation, in other words RD; is not supported.?
- Neither RU nor RD require a sign in front of them; in fact whether you put?+ or - in front of the number, it is ignored. Only the number is read, not the sign; the sign is determined by RU (+) or RD (-)
- RU and RD are not strict about requiring 5 digits. In other words you can type in RU50; and the RIT will be set to?+50 Hz. You don't need to send RU00050; which would be a strict TS480 compliance; but if you do send RU00050; it will also work fine.?
As a result of typing out this reply and my experiments on an actual QMX+ here I have found the following anomalies and added it to my Dev list to correct: - RU0; and RD0; don't set RIT to zero (switching OFF RIT), they do nothing. I think they should set RIT to zero.?
- RT (sets or reads the RIT function status) only has a Read function, RT; returns the RIT on/off status. If I were to implement the Set function then this would be a way to switch RIT off. Currently there is NO way to set RIT off or to set it to zero from the CAT interface.?
- I think setting a RU, FA etc command should also move the cursor on the QMX to the altered frequency field; that would make sense and be consistent with what happens if you enter RIT editing on the QMX by double tapping the left button.?
- Documentation issue: the QMX operating manual says on page 97 in its example of RD, "for example “RD-200;” sets the RIT to -200Hz"; in fact as I mentioned, the minus sign is not required and is ignored. So RD200; would be the correct command to set RIT to -200 Hz.?
FA/FB With?the?TS-480, the FA and FB commands?must be followed by exactly 11 digits.? The QMX/QCX seems to accept?a varying?length. Is this true?
Yes. As for RU and RD, with FA and FB QCX/QMX is not strict about the length of the frequency specification, it does not have to be 11 digits.?? ? IF With the TS-480, the mode field (character number 30) returns the same code as MD.? This does not seem to be the case with the QMX/QCX. Is this true?
No. On both QCX and QMX IF command character 30 is the same as the result of the MD command.
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Re: Progrock2 for Atlas210x
Scott, in general, applications will be slightly different, but will fall into a handful of approaches.
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For example, in my repeater application, I have oscillator modules using a FET. I will remove the crystal and the feedback in the oscillator circuit, replace the crystal with a progrock2, and use the former oscillator as a buffer. It's possible to replace both oscillators with a single progrock2, but in this case, I want to remain compatible with the original design, since the repeater can use eight selectable oscilator pairs. I have 10VDC available for power.
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For my Atlas, I plan to use a singe progrock2 directly for three of the ten user selectable band segments, directly replacing three crystals. I have 7.5VDC power there.
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Without seeing the inside of your radio and a schematic of the oscillator section, all I can say is your solution might resemble one of the above. Padding, filtering, and power are the things that can complicate basic replacement.
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The datasheet for the SI5351A will show other possibilities. It's a good starting point.
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73 Chuck AI7SY
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Howard Lamhut
Donald S Brant Jr
Gordon Young
William C Brown
Bj?rn SM7IUN
Chuck AI7SY