Re: PC control of X5105 (for FT8, etc.)
Thanks Joe for confirming what I described below!
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Re: PC control of X5105 (for FT8, etc.)
It is absolutely not necessary to use the CE-19, you can connect the soundcard directly to?the ACC connector.
Yes, this is what I did as well.
Perhaps some may want to adopt it to their own needs.
Here is a photo of it constructed.
Joe K9SZ
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Re: PC control of X5105 (for FT8, etc.)
It is absolutely not necessary to use the CE-19, you can connect the soundcard directly to?the ACC connector.
Yes, this is what I did as well.
Perhaps some may want to adopt it to their own needs.
Here is a photo of it constructed.
Joe K9SZ
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Re: PC control of X5105 (for FT8, etc.)
Hi, some additional information here. It is absolutely not necessary to use the CE-19, you can connect the soundcard directly to the ACC connector.  The AF_OUT is connected to the Mic input of the soundcard. The AF_IN is connected to the Loudspeaker (headphones) output of the soundcard. The GND is the common ground 73? DIck
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Re: Memory program for X-5105
Thanks ..I will try that setting.
73
Rob VE3 LUA
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On Feb 14, 2021, at 1:04 PM, Joe K9SZ <joseph.e.wittmer@...> wrote:
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On Feb 13, 2021, at 7:31 AM, DougVL <K8RFTradio@...> wrote:
Also, I think I remember reading that the IC-7100 rig setting in WSJT or FLRig works with the X5105, and that Xiegu says to use that choice - but that it's not "fully" supported.
I found that FlRig seems to have some nice features for tracing and logging commands.
I found this reference for the CIV command protocol for ICOM commands, too.
I¡¯ll put this on my backlog to try out and see if this will shed some light on getting PWR output on the screen.
Joe
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Re: PC control of X5105 (for FT8, etc.)
Hi, The settings I use for FT4 and other digital modes are: AGC: Slow Comp: off NR: off Notch: off L IN/OUT: on/on? G-LIN: 6? G-LOUT: 55? (Of course, it does depend on the soudcard settings) the output can be set with the software slider in JTDX, up to maximum output then there is no overmodulation. below is the FLRig setup using the Blue USB Cat cable from Xiegu  The radio settings in JTDX are the same as WSJT-X: For the Rig you select FLRig FLRig from the list.  Split Operation is very important! This automatically causes a shift in the transmission frequency in the high and low audio section so that the audio fits better into the filter's pass-through. 73? Dick? DL1CLM
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Re: 5105 and xiegu xpa125B amplifier
Rob,
I do not have the XPA125 so I am answering from what I have read and seen on YouTube videos. The Smoking Ape did a good one on the XPA125.
The XPA125 seems to not put out full power depending on the band. The lower bands should get to 100 w. Once you get above 20m it does not generate a full 100. Also, when going into a dummy load you can ¡°bypass¡± the tuner. That will make a difference as well.
Brian
K0FBS
--
Brian
K0FBS
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5105 and xiegu xpa125B amplifier
Hello all,
I have a xiegu 5105 with updated firmware and a Xiegu xpa125B amplifier connected through the CE19 from
XIegu.
The amplifier and tuner work but will not give more then 95 watts output. I notice that if I turn up the power of the 5105 to say from 1 watt to 3.5 watts the power
output of the amp doesnt change and will actually change to radios output back to about 1 watt..
Checked the cables and looked for ALC but cant find anything. THis was all on a dummy load.
Thanks
73 Rob VE3LUA
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Re: Memory program for X-5105
On Feb 13, 2021, at 7:31 AM, DougVL <K8RFTradio@...> wrote:
Also, I think I remember reading that the IC-7100 rig setting in WSJT or FLRig works with the X5105, and that Xiegu says to use that choice - but that it's not "fully" supported. I found that FlRig seems to have some nice features for tracing and logging commands. I found this reference for the CIV command protocol for ICOM commands, too. I¡¯ll put this on my backlog to try out and see if this will shed some light on getting PWR output on the screen. Joe
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Re: PC control of X5105 (for FT8, etc.)
HI,
HamPi can be downloaded from: https://sourceforge.net/projects/hampi/
You need to put the image on an SD card. I chose a 32GB SD card.
73, Dick? DL1CLM
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Re: PC control of X5105 (for FT8, etc.)
Well done! Thanks so much for writing this up for us!
I have been thinking about setting up my X5105 to run headless with my R-Pi 4. The main issue that I have is that the transmitter levels seem to vary quite a bit, and I have found no way to monitor the power remotely.
For Remote Desktop, I¡¯ve been using xrdp instead of VNC which seems to resize the screen to the device I¡¯m using a bit easier.
There is an article here on setting xrdp up if anyone is interested in giving it a try.
Joe
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On Feb 14, 2021, at 8:47 AM, Dick de V <dl1clm@...> wrote:
Hi everyone,
I will show here the way I am active with digital mode with the X5105.
The setup is very simple and works perfectly. You can use a PC with Windows 10, or use LInux.
In this example, I am using Linux on a Raspberry Pi. The software I use is all on one image from W3DJS and is called HamPi.
<dummyfile.0.part>
Of course, the hand microphone and cw paddle can be taken off during digital mode
<dummyfile.1.part>
This is the desktop of HamPi. The image is full of ham radio related software.
First I start software to synchronize the clock because that is necessary in digital mode with the program HamClock.
<dummyfile.2.part>
Hamclock just keeps running in the background.
Next, I start the CAT control for the X5105. For this, I use FLRig with Linux. With this, the control including PTT is done via the supplied blue usb interface cable from Xiegu.
Under Windows 10, I use Omni-Rig with the settings of an IC-7000. FLRig knows the X5105.
<dummyfile.3.part>
In this little explanation I will show you a FT4 qso. actually, besides the software for FT4 or FT8, WSPR, etc.I always start Gridtracker.
This software gives a very nice overview of where the other station is and makes the digital mode a little bit interesting.
Gridtracker is available for Windows and Linux.
<dummyfile.4.part>
The next step is to start the software for digital mode. my preference is JTDX but of course WSJT-X is also possible and works fine too.
<dummyfile.5.part>
you can now see here the complete desktop of the Raspberry Pi showing a just completed FT4 QSO with OD5ZZ on 20 meters.
The QSO is stored in the internal log of JTDX (WSJT-X) and can then be exported as an ADIF file to any other log.
My setup is as follows:
Raspberry Pi 4, 4 GB memory
32 GB SD card
Image HamPi
USB soundcard Sabrent model AU-MMSA
CAT interface is the blue USB cat cable from Xiegu
CE-19 ACC extension.for audio cable input and output. You can also take audio directly out of the ACC plug and put TX audio in. you basically don't need the CE-19!
VNC viewer software. I run VNC viewer on my Windows 10 laptop and connect to the raspberry Pi over the network. You can also do this with a tablet or an Ipad that you can run VNC viewer on.
You can also connect a monitor or keyboard to the raspberry.
While all these programs are working the processor load is less than 50%, you're not going to be able to do that on Windows 10,hi
See the task manager below.
<dummyfile.6.part>
This setup I also use for WSPR with 100 mW, wonderful to see how far you can get with it.
BTW, FLDigi is also running perfect for RTTY, PSK, Olivia, MFSK, etc etc. all the software I mentioned is freeware!!
73, Dick DL1CLM
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Re: PC control of X5105 (for FT8, etc.)
Hi Doug,
I think for MIC input you might need a voltage divider such as this circuit on page 15
There might be other references, but couldn¡¯t find any on google.
Instead of using the speaker and mic connectors, I recommend going through the ACC port instead for both AF IN and AF Out. Then, you can use the X5105 line input and output adjustments in the menu to set the gross levels and tweak them with the sound card levels.
I think my X5105 is set to 5 and 50 for my setup using the line input and line output configuration menu.
Joe
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On Feb 13, 2021, at 10:47 PM, DougVL <K8RFTradio@...> wrote:
In order to try FT8 with my X5105, I've been looking into setting up computer control of the radio. And I've now gotten it to work pretty well. But my setup has one hitch - I wasn't getting the transmit audio into the radio's mic circuit.
I connected audio cables from the PC's mic & spkr jacks to the rig's spkr and mic connectors. The audio from the speaker output jack going into my laptop MIC jack worked fine, but the PC headphone jack output going to the mic terminals in the RJ45 mic connector didn't work. My dvm said the headphone output was 43 mV, which sure seems low.
A big help, mainly be enabling PC control of PTT, was carefully following the directions at
FT8 Config For X5105 (Tutorial)
Tutorial January 20, 2019 SM0MDG
So I was able to decode lots of FT8 calls, but unable -so far- to make any. I'm not giving up yet, either.
--
Doug, K8RFT
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Re: PC control of X5105 (for FT8, etc.)
yes, line-in and line out are both ON
then the audio signal from theACC connection is processed.
AF_OUT and AF_IN, see manual on page 9
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Re: PC control of X5105 (for FT8, etc.)
Is your line in/line out set to "on" in the menu setting? Just starting with the simple stuff first!
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Re: PC control of X5105 (for FT8, etc.)
Hi everyone, I will show here the way I am active with digital mode with the X5105. The setup is very simple and works perfectly. You can use a PC with Windows 10, or use LInux. In this example, I am using Linux on a Raspberry Pi. The software I use is all on one image from W3DJS and is called HamPi.  Of course, the hand microphone and cw paddle can be taken off during digital mode  This is the desktop of HamPi. The image is full of ham radio related software. First I start software to synchronize the clock because that is necessary in digital mode with the program HamClock.  Hamclock just keeps running in the background. Next, I start the CAT control for the X5105. For this, I use FLRig with Linux. With this, the control including PTT is done via the supplied blue usb interface cable from Xiegu. Under Windows 10, I use Omni-Rig with the settings of an IC-7000. FLRig knows the X5105.  In this little explanation I will show you a FT4 qso. actually, besides the software for FT4 or FT8, WSPR, etc.I always start Gridtracker. This software gives a very nice overview of where the other station is and makes the digital mode a little bit interesting. Gridtracker is available for Windows and Linux.  The next step is to start the software for digital mode. my preference is JTDX but of course WSJT-X is also possible and works fine too.  you can now see here the complete desktop of the Raspberry Pi showing a just completed FT4 QSO with OD5ZZ on 20 meters. The QSO is stored in the internal log of JTDX (WSJT-X) and can then be exported as an ADIF file to any other log. My setup is as follows: Raspberry Pi 4, 4 GB memory 32 GB SD card Image HamPi USB soundcard Sabrent model AU-MMSA CAT interface is the blue USB cat cable from Xiegu CE-19 ACC extension.for audio cable input and output. You can also take audio directly out of the ACC plug and put TX audio in. you basically don't need the CE-19! VNC viewer software. I run VNC viewer on my Windows 10 laptop and connect to the raspberry Pi over the network. You can also do this with a tablet or an Ipad that you can run VNC viewer on. You can also connect a monitor or keyboard to the raspberry. While all these programs are working the processor load is less than 50%, you're not going to be able to do that on Windows 10,hi See the task manager below.  This setup I also use for WSPR with 100 mW, wonderful to see how far you can get with it. BTW, FLDigi is also running perfect for RTTY, PSK, Olivia, MFSK, etc etc. all the software I mentioned is freeware!! 73,? Dick?? DL1CLM
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PC control of X5105 (for FT8, etc.)
In order to try FT8 with my X5105, I've been looking into setting up computer control of the radio.? And I've now gotten it to work pretty well.? But my setup has one hitch - I wasn't getting the transmit audio into the radio's mic circuit. I connected audio cables from the PC's mic & spkr jacks to the rig's spkr and mic connectors.? The audio from the speaker output jack going into my laptop MIC jack worked fine, but the PC headphone jack output going to the mic terminals in the RJ45 mic connector didn't work.? My dvm said the headphone output was 43 mV, which sure seems low. A big help, mainly be enabling PC control of PTT, was carefully following the directions at
FT8 Config For X5105 (Tutorial)
So I was able to decode lots of FT8 calls, but unable -so far- to make any.? I'm not giving up yet, either. -- Doug, K8RFT
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Re: Memory program for X-5105
On Fri, Feb 12, 2021 at 11:03 AM, Joe K9SZ wrote:
Did you get happen to get power output and SWR indications when transmitting?
No, I couldn't get things to work well at all.? Especially the PTT command to go into Transmit mode.? I seemed to be having trouble with the USB adapter cable. What I'm really hoping for is to be able to use an Android phone or tablet for control and logging.? So far, though, I've spent a few hours trying with my Windows laptop, and all my 'luck' has been bad. Also, I think I remember reading that the IC-7000 rig setting in WSJT or FLRig works with the X5105, and that Xiegu says to use that choice - but that it's not "fully" supported.? I was mainly trying to find a way to program the memory channels and all efforts resulted in total failure.? Also zero success with PTT. I'll be trying again, but have been busier lately with new access to 160 meters using my old IC-706MkII.? In my first week, I've worked 47 states - Montana couldn't hear me, and seems to be about the rarest of the 48. ? [Post edited - changed "IC-7100" to "IC-7000".] -- Doug, K8RFT
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Re: 5105 vs G90 vs RS-918
Bob,
I echo many of the comments here about the 5105 vs the G90.?
based on what you described I think the 5105 is the better choice. The only advantage the G90 would give you is TX more than 5 watts if you wanted to go higher.?
I know having done some POTAs the weight and gear restrictions are usually much less. I typically walk less than 50 yds from my vehicle to where I set up. ?Even still, the convince of only carrying a radio & an antenna to operate is nice ?it also can be the difference between ¡°we got time¡± and ¡°oh their just isn¡¯t enough time to set up.¡± When you are trying to do a ¡°lunch¡± POTA ?
one other advantage the 5101 has over most other radios and definitely over the G90 is the angle of the display. ?It is exactly the angle you want?
--
Brian
K0FBS
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Re: 5105 vs G90 vs RS-918
On Thu, Feb 11, 2021 at 11:17 PM, <kt8dx@...> wrote:
would most likely be sticking to 5 watts.
For a possible future change of your mind, and for those who didn't notice your 5 watt note, there's some very inexpensive, small SSB linear amps available on ebay and aliexpress.
45W SSB Linear Power Amplifier CW FM HF Radio Transceiver Shortwave DIY Kit - $20 and up (no case at that price!)
? Shortwave Power Amplifier HF RF Amplifier Linear Amp 2-54MHz 12-16V Ham Radio -$85 [100W Shortwave Amplifier RF Power Amplifier HF RF Amplifier HF Linear Amp 2-54MHz for Ham Radio]
Aliexpress has this KIT,? with NO case
DIY KITS 70W SSB Linear Power Amplifier
?
And, even farther off topic, but hopefully interesting and/or helpful, there are many versions and sellers of this -
ATU-100 Automatic Antenna Tuner 7x7 ATU-100mini by N7DDC H236
19 Reviews58 ordersUS $26.82 - 69.93
-- Doug, K8RFT
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Re: 5105 vs G90 vs RS-918
I've had all three plus others..
83+, poor eyesight, hand tremors, etc...
1) G90 - tiny screen, small buttons that jam, no battery, no ATU, too big -- SOLD!
2) MCHF - NOT? the clone, small touch screen, no battery?-- SOLD!
3) KX2/KX3 - battery drains fast and very expensive? -- SOLD!
4) Commradio CX-10 - built like a tank, excellent battery and tuner, big and expensive? -- SOLD!
5) X5105- Everything in one box ! Great display, lots of settings if you like to fiddle.? just needs an antenna! But only 5W. Got Two !!
'Nuff said !
73
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Brian Smith
David KK7SS