Good afternoon?
I just finished a QMX build and I am missing?
two of the case screws.
They are the black bevel head Phillips screws.
Does any happen to know what size and Thread these are.
Thanks
Johnny AC?BQ?
|
Building a Ultimate3S WSPR kit and might be one dumb question from pilling it off.
Hello smart people,?
?
So I assembled an Ultimate 3s WSPR kit. I booted it up, hooked it up to a dummy load, and everything worked as it should. But then, a thought.?
?
What am I supposed to do for an antenna?
?
My main station uses a ZS6BKW dipole, and my first thought was to take a piece of coax, solder the main wire to the "RF" pin, twist the shield wires of the coax into a single strand and solder that to the neighboring "gnd" pin, put a connector on the other end of the coax and use it to hook it into the ZS6BKW. But then, another thought.?
?
How am I gonna tune this??
?
No problem, I said. The ZS6BKW is resonant for me on 40 meters, so I put in the low-pass 40m filter, and gave it a go. Everything looked and acted like it should, but when I looked on , no contacts.?
?
Then I took my IC-7300, dialed it down to 1 watt, and tried it on WSPR. Plenty of contacts, no problem, so I figure if I can get a signal to the ZS6BKW with the Ultimate 3s, I'll be ok. But I have no idea what to try next.?
?
I'll include that it includes the GPS receiver, which seems to be working fine.?
?
I have a feeling my problem is something simple, and I'm gonna feel dumb when I get it, so please be easy on me if I'm coming across as a noob.?
?
But any help would be appreciated.?
|
Re: #qmx SSB Firmware beta 1_01_007 release
#qmx
I'll also confirm that _007 is working on Windows 10 Home with my QMX+.. I can see 3 COM ports, COM8 (the original one), COM 22 and COM23. Also see the audio ports. I ran the full SSB Cal. on COM23, and all seemed to complete normally, with similar looking curves (except 160m, as expected). Now I am seeing good SSB output power on the QMX+ display. Haven't tried any real operation yet.
Tnx Hans!
73, Randy, KS4L
|
Ready to start build, noticed broken inductor on main board
#QMXplus
Hello everyone. I finally got around to starting my QMX+ build and noticed that a piece of the top of L101 has broken off. I would guess about 25 to 30 percent of the top is missing. I did not find the piece in the envelope either. Will this affect the performance/behavior of the radio? My board is Rev 2, shipped last fall/early winter. I figured it is best to ask now before I start soldering.
?
Thanks in advance for your insights,
?
Rod KE9BRI
|
Re: #qmx SSB Firmware beta 1_01_007 release
#qmx
playing around with the LC; CAT command.... if there are "." on the cw decoder, the LC command does not display them.?? Instead of outputting 32 characters you get less and less the more periods that are added:
Yes, unforeseen side-effect of the way CAT is implemented. in QMX the thousands separator can be set to ',' (UK/US/etc style) or '.' (European/etc style) by a setting. CAT replies ignore any character that is a , always as well as any character which is the thousands separator. You?must have set your thousands separator to '.' and that's why it is being ignored. If you set your thousands separator to ',' then you'd get the CW decoded ',''s coming through - but nothing would ever get you the ',''s.?
The reason it was done this way is that many CAT commands, to comply with the TS480 CAT specification, are just the numbers; like FA; which returns the frequency in Hz without any thousands separators at all.?
I will fix it for LC; in the next firmware...?
|
Re: #qmx SSB Firmware beta 1_01_007 release
#qmx
Beta 07 works fine with Win 10. All three COM ports can be enabled.
Not so with Win 8. It sees only two ports no matter will one choose 2 or 3 in QMX menu. And there are no CAT control in WJST-X or JS8-Call with Win 8. The same was right for Beta 04.
With Win 10 there is still the problem with WinLink/VARA USB audio from PC to QMX. As far as I see it is very weak. That is why QMX doesn't transmit anything. There is no such problem with WJST-X or JS8-Call. So it is somehow connected with VARA communication with QMX. So in WinLink I have to fulfill TX using loudspeakers of PC.
Hans, can you please try Winlink/VARA on your PC under Win 10?
I could... but, it would take unnecessary time, and, I believe you!
I suppose VARA just isn't putting out full volume. QMX in SSB mode is set up so that full volume from the PC means full PEP output power. That works for JS8 and WSJT-X because they have?the gain slider on the bottom left and when it's at the topmost position, it's full output volume. On QMX I get numbers from the USB sound card in the range -2^23 to?+2^23 (as WSJT-X and JS8 output 16-bit audio in the range -32768 to?+ 32767 and the PC sound system multiplies that by 256 in its conversion to 24-bit to interface to the QMX USB soundcard).?
I can very easily put in a simple gain block in the USB signal path when USB is selected as the source for SSB transmission.?
|
Hello Moritz
This problem is not a new one with the SSB firmware. It may well be related to the issue that you have to power on your PC, before you power up your QMX. On Windows. Again something that doesn't happen in Linux where you can connect and disconnect as many times as you like and it handles it without hesitation. There must be some event which is improperly handled in QMX and Windows isn't happy about it. I haven't until now given it the highest priority, in other words, I'm not losing much sleep over it, because?the workaround is fairly?trivial. But eventually I'll get to it!
Hi Hans,
Hi all,
?
after performing a firmware upgrade, the device appears to experience an issue with USB connectivity. Specifically, although the new image may be written successfully, the USB interface attempts to do the mode change (exiting bootloader mode) but fails.
On Windows 11, the error messages provided are not very descriptive¡ªthey simply indicate that the last connected device could not be reconnected, and the device seems to hang (neither powering down nor restarting).
Original Error message:
Ger?te-Manager - Unbekanntes USB-Ger?t (Fehler beim Anfordern einer Ger?tebeschreibung.)
Which might be translated to something like "Device-Manager - Unknown USB Device (Device Descriptor Request Failed)".
Steps to Reproduce:
- Upgrade the firmware on the device (after not doing a cold start, for e. g. after another firmware upgrade).
- Observe that after the firmware image is written, the USB interface attempts to reconnect.
- Note that on Windows 11, the system displays the error message above (takes a while, maybe after a timeout).
- The device remains unresponsive (hanging without a proper shutdown or restart).
Workaround:
A hard reboot (removing and reapplying the power supply) allows the device to power on normally and appear to function correctly upon restart.
Observations:
- The issue may be related to whether the device had a cold start before the firmware upgrade was initiated. If the device was not cold started, the likelihood of this issue occurring appears to be higher (for me it happened all the time).
- A cold start before initiating the firmware upgrade may prevent the USB connectivity issue.
- At first I thought it might be connected to a unrecognized setting (USB Serial Ports number), but even changing this to 1 (the former default) the issue prevailed
Expected Behavior:
After a successful firmware upgrade, the USB interface should reconnect automatically without any connectivity issues or hangs, ensuring smooth operation without requiring a hard reboot.
Actual Behavior:
The device¡¯s USB interface fails to reconnect after the firmware upgrade, resulting in a hang state on Windows 11 until a hard reboot is performed. And I am not fully conviced it the firmware upgrade was indeed 100% complete.
?
Additional Information:
- Environment: Windows 11
- Firmware Upgrade Method: (see above)
- Device Model: QMX
- Firmware Version tested:
- 1.00.027
- 1.01.006
- 1.01.007
--
Moritz, KO6DZX
?
?
|
Re: #qmx SSB Firmware beta 1_01_007 release
#qmx
playing around with the LC; CAT command.... if there are "." on the cw decoder, the LC command does not display them.?? Instead of outputting 32 characters you get less and less the more periods that are added:
LCA1404110P ? ? RT ED ARTEKA * E;
LCA1404110P ? ? T ED ARTEKA * EN;
LCA1404110P ? ? T ED ARTEKA * EN;
LCA1404110P ? ? D ARTEKA * EN ?;
LCA1404110P ? ? ARTEKA * EN ?EN;
LCA1404110P ? ? RTEKA * EN ?ENE;
LCA1404110P ? ? RTEKA * EN ?ENE;
LCA1404110P ? ? EKA * EN ?ENE ;
LCA1404110P ? ? EKA * EN ?ENE ;
LCA1404110P ? ? A * EN ?ENE ?;
LCA1404110P ? ? A * EN ?ENE ?;
LCA1404110P ? ? * EN ?ENE ? ;
LCA1404110P ? ? * EN ?ENE ? ;
LCA1404110P ? ? EN ?ENE ? ?;
|
I have a newly built QMX+. Still on the dummy load. 1_01_007 beta firmware. I'm attempting to measure power output using WSJT-X in Tune mode. I've done this before with a QDX and a QMX. I cloned my old QMX config, checked the com parameters, and verified CAT is working.
?
Receive seems to be working fine, drawing about 117 mA at 10 V. (It's a 12 V radio, but testing at low voltage. I'll ramp it up later.)
?
From the front panel I set the radio to DIGI mode. When I hit "TUNE" on WSJT-X the radio kicks into USB mode. The front panel display changes from DIGI to USB. The output power will be above zero for a fraction of a second before dropping to zero. Input current will rise to about 130 mW. I've tried several bands and they do the same thing.
?
Tried a factory reset. Same thing.
?
So I switched to the stock firmware, 1_00_027.? That works, I get about 500 mA in and 1 W out on 160 m at 10 V. So it's working well enough.
?
I had a copy of the 1_01_003 firmware, so I tried it. It does the same thing as the 1_01_007. So what is it about the beta firmware that is causing this radio to kick into USB mode on transmit?
|
Re: #qmx SSB Firmware beta 1_01_007 release
#qmx
Beta 07 works fine with Win 10. All three COM ports can be enabled.
Not so with Win 8. It sees only two ports no matter will one choose 2 or 3 in QMX menu. And there are no CAT control in WJST-X or JS8-Call with Win 8. The same was right for Beta 04.
With Win 10 there is still the problem with WinLink/VARA USB audio from PC to QMX. As far as I see it is very weak. That is why QMX doesn't transmit anything. There is no such problem with WJST-X or JS8-Call. So it is somehow connected with VARA communication with QMX. So in WinLink I have to fulfill TX using loudspeakers of PC.
Hans, can you please try Winlink/VARA on your PC under Win 10?
?
BR/Sergey
|
Re: #qmx SSB Firmware beta 1_01_007 release
#qmx
On Sat, Apr 26, 2025 at 07:43 PM, @Ludwig_DH8WN wrote:
?
73 Ludwig
|
Hi Hans,
Hi all,
?
after performing a firmware upgrade, the device appears to experience an issue with USB connectivity. Specifically, although the new image may be written successfully, the USB interface attempts to do the mode change (exiting bootloader mode) but fails.
On Windows 11, the error messages provided are not very descriptive¡ªthey simply indicate that the last connected device could not be reconnected, and the device seems to hang (neither powering down nor restarting).
Original Error message:
Ger?te-Manager - Unbekanntes USB-Ger?t (Fehler beim Anfordern einer Ger?tebeschreibung.)
Which might be translated to something like "Device-Manager - Unknown USB Device (Device Descriptor Request Failed)".
Steps to Reproduce:
- Upgrade the firmware on the device (after not doing a cold start, for e. g. after another firmware upgrade).
- Observe that after the firmware image is written, the USB interface attempts to reconnect.
- Note that on Windows 11, the system displays the error message above (takes a while, maybe after a timeout).
- The device remains unresponsive (hanging without a proper shutdown or restart).
Workaround:
A hard reboot (removing and reapplying the power supply) allows the device to power on normally and appear to function correctly upon restart.
Observations:
- The issue may be related to whether the device had a cold start before the firmware upgrade was initiated. If the device was not cold started, the likelihood of this issue occurring appears to be higher (for me it happened all the time).
- A cold start before initiating the firmware upgrade may prevent the USB connectivity issue.
- At first I thought it might be connected to a unrecognized setting (USB Serial Ports number), but even changing this to 1 (the former default) the issue prevailed
Expected Behavior:
After a successful firmware upgrade, the USB interface should reconnect automatically without any connectivity issues or hangs, ensuring smooth operation without requiring a hard reboot.
Actual Behavior:
The device¡¯s USB interface fails to reconnect after the firmware upgrade, resulting in a hang state on Windows 11 until a hard reboot is performed. And I am not fully conviced it the firmware upgrade was indeed 100% complete.
?
Additional Information:
- Environment: Windows 11
- Firmware Upgrade Method: (see above)
- Device Model: QMX
- Firmware Version tested:
- 1.00.027
- 1.01.006
- 1.01.007
--
Moritz, KO6DZX
?
?
|
No, if you are referring to the System config setting 'PTT as Serial 3', don't use it.? That refers to using the PTT output connector as a second serial port, which is not fully supported and requires hardware jumper changes.
?
Just use beta firmware v_007 (just released today), and set "USB serial ports" to 2 or 3, and the additional com ports will appear on your computer via the USB cable.
|
Re: QMX only hearing static
Kai-
I recently completed assembly of my QMX+ kit (rev 2, 12v).? It does receive, but it doesn't seem to be as sensitive as it should be.??
I just wanted to let you know that ?I've been following your thread; your I/Q and filter scans resemble mine on several bands.? Some of my filter scans (Band Pass) have a maximum output of -15dB (which seems ok), but others only have a max of around -50dB.??
?
I'm still in the DYI stage of measurements and looking for suspect solder connections / shorts, so I don't want to highjack your thread by posting details of my problems here.?
?
But I did want to pipe in and let everyone know how helpful this thread has been.? Please keep us posted on how this turns out!? Hopefully someday we can QSO using our working QMX's.
?
Larry
?
|
Re: #qmx SSB Firmware beta 1_01_007 release
#qmx
Hi Hans,
i can confirm, the connection/driver issue with Windows 11 and the 3 serial ports is solved with Version 1_01_007.?
Thank you very much, that was quick!
--
Moritz, KO6DZX
|
If you know the QMX / + menu well, and are experience at using Google Documents and want access to edit the above file online for everyone's benefit let me know and I will make you an editor.
|
If anyone want to have a Google Drive version of it to correct, update, simplify, make more useful. Then make a copy of this Google Document and have at it.
|
Re: #qmx SSB Firmware beta 1_01_007 release
#qmx
Hello Hans,
?
you are quick!
?
Maybe not a USB problem?
?
73 Ludwig
|
Will setting this to on allow PTT via one of the three USB comports (not cat)? I have some older apps that would benefit from this.
|
Re: #qmx New build, incomplete initialization problem?
#qmx
This sounds like you have an intermittent or bad connection between your front panel and the QMX+ main board.
Use a magnifier to check carefully all of the soldering of those connectors, and also that there are no places where you may have mechanical shorts on your front panel assembly (any metal-touching-metal).
Stan KC7XE
|
Johnny AC0BQ
Randy
Paul K7VIQ
Richard Dyer