SR-40 at 1uV & 50uV w/XG-1
Got an XG-1 signal gen kit from Elecraft yesterday. Built it this morning and had to try it out. Two pictures are posted showing the results. The signals are displayed with Rocky at a 6 zoom level.
The signal level accuracy is better than +/- 2dB according to Elecraft specs.
Chuck Carpenter, W5USJ, Point, TX -|- Rains Co. -|- EM22cv -|- 72 es 73
50 years -|- 19 - K2OFN and 31 - W5USJ -|- Most fun = QRP since 1984.
www.w5usj.com hosted by Hamnutz.com -|- NeTxQRP www.netxqrp.com
|
--- In softrock40@..., Chuck Carpenter <w5usj@9...> wrote:
Posted a picture of the noise around the center frequency as
displayed by Rocky.
This picture is with the antenna disconnected and makes the noise look more intense. It seems to be a ground problem along with some microphonics in the stereo input. Did anyone tried to use isolation transformers to on the audio inputs? Jean-Claude Abauzit, PJ2BVU
|
The PowerSDR program also has a great feature to check the?output
phase relationship from the SR-40. It's "PHASE" under the MODE menu. No circle,
no 90 degrees.
?
73 Kees K5BCQ
?
|
Posted a picture of the noise around the center frequency as displayed by Rocky.
This picture is with the antenna disconnected and makes the noise look more intense. It seems to be a ground problem along with some microphonics in the stereo input. If I tap the plug, there is considerable increase in the baseline noise.
Doesn't seem to bother the rest of the display so I'm not going to mess with it -- just now anyway. Having too much fun with this thing just watching the many strange happings across the band -- like random(?) blips, bleeps, sweeps and whatnot.
Chuck Carpenter, W5USJ, Point, TX -|- Rains Co. -|- EM22cv -|- 72 es 73
50 years -|- 19 - K2OFN and 31 - W5USJ -|- Most fun = QRP since 1984.
www.w5usj.com hosted by Hamnutz.com -|- NeTxQRP www.netxqrp.com
|
Rocky 1.04 has been released. This update addresses signal distortion in Creative Labs Soundblaster 24 Bit External.
Please send bug reports to my direct email, do not overload this group.
73 Alex VE3NEA
|
SR-40 and Rocky Calibrated
Yesterday morning, using the 25 Hz filter in my FT-847, I set a crystal zerobeat on 7042. A Rock-Mite oscillator is the signal source (no antenna). I did this after everything had been on for about 30 minutes. The Rocky frequency was adjusted for the difference reading and turned out to be 7054970. (I have 39pF caps at C6 and C7 for 30 meter operation.)
Last night before W1AW came on the air I set the pointer right on 70475 (zoom level 6). The signal showed up right on the money -- another check that calibration was probably within a few Hz. Also the filter was set at about 250 Hz and W1AW was quite strong and readable right in the middle of an SSB signal. Neat stuff.
Chuck Carpenter, W5USJ, Point, TX -|- Rains Co. -|- EM22cv -|- 72 es 73
50 years -|- 19 - K2OFN and 31 - W5USJ -|- Most fun = QRP since 1984.
www.w5usj.com hosted by Hamnutz.com -|- NeTxQRP www.netxqrp.com
|
Re: Rocky 1.03 is available
Alex,
In Volume Control, Advanced, there are check boxes for AC3 SPDIF and PCM SPDIF. Both were already unchecked. I couldn't find anything else like this in the control panel SoundMax icon either.
Bill
Alex, VE3NEA wrote:
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
Hi Bill,
Microsoft says error 87 is Invalid Parameter. If your card supports SPDIF,
turn it off in the Control Panel and see if this makes a difference. My
on-board SoundMAX works fine.
73 Alex VE3NEA
Alex,
Downloaded and installed Rocky 1.03 over Rocky 1.02.
Get the following error message:
Unable to Start Output to SoundMax Digital Audio: error 87
Attached is the file from your WDM utitlity.
Bill, WB5TCO
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Sound Card Comparison Question
The Soundblaster Audigy2 ZS and The Creative Labs Audigy2 ZS sound
cards have the same specifications, EXCEPT maximum sample rate:
Soundblaster: 24 bits at 96Khz
Creative Labs: 24 bits at 192Khz.
Are these in fact the same card design just speced differently, or is
there a clear advantage to the Creative Labs version?
Phil Stewart
|
Re: Rocky 1.03 is available
Hi Bill,
Microsoft says error 87 is Invalid Parameter. If your card supports SPDIF, turn it off in the Control Panel and see if this makes a difference. My on-board SoundMAX works fine.
73 Alex VE3NEA
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
Alex,
Downloaded and installed Rocky 1.03 over Rocky 1.02.
Get the following error message:
Unable to Start Output to SoundMax Digital Audio: error 87
Attached is the file from your WDM utitlity.
Bill, WB5TCO
|
Re: Rocky 1.03 is available
Aha! Now I know how to fix this. Stay
tuned!
?
73 Alex VE3NEA
?
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
Alex,
?
Thought
you would like to know. ??As
respects the ver. 1.03.
?
Works
perfectly with the on-board, a Realtek AC-97.?? However, still not working with
a Creative Labs Soundblaster 24 Bit External.
?
With
the Sounddblaster the L & R inputs read 6dbfs each, sound very
distorted.?? The auto I Q
balance is not operational.? It is
as if the input is reading mono only. ?Tried mic and line input.? ?Tried all various settings on control
panel.
?
With
the Realtek AC-97, the input is –33dbfs each channel and sound is super, the I
Q balance is working nicely,? just
can’t sample the 96 Khz.? ?
?
John?
|
Re: Rocky 1.03 is available
Alex,
Downloaded and installed Rocky 1.03 over Rocky 1.02.
Get the following error message:
Unable to Start Output to SoundMax Digital Audio: error 87
Attached is the file from your WDM utitlity.
Bill, WB5TCO
|
Re: Rocky 1.03 is available
Alex,
?
Thought
you would like to know. ??As
respects the ver. 1.03.
?
Works
perfectly with the on-board, a Realtek AC-97.?? However, still not working with a Creative Labs
Soundblaster 24 Bit External.
?
With the Sounddblaster
the L & R inputs read 6dbfs each, sound very distorted.?? The auto I Q balance is not
operational.? It is as if the input
is reading mono only. ?Tried mic
and line input.? ?Tried all various settings on control
panel.
?
With the
Realtek AC-97, the input is –33dbfs each channel and sound is super, the I Q
balance is working nicely,? just
can’t sample the 96 Khz.? ?
?
John?
?
-----Original
Message-----
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
From: softrock40@...
[mailto:softrock40@...] On Behalf
Of Alex, VE3NEA
Sent: Monday, October 17, 2005
6:34 PM
To: softrock40@...
Subject: [softrock40] Rocky 1.03
is available
?
Rocky 1.03 has
been uploaded to
This version is supposed to fix a number of problems (none of which I could
reproduce on my system) - in particular, the inability of Rocky to open
some
sound cards, and occasional floating point errors.
V.1.03 has an input level meter which should be useful for troubleshooting
hardware problems. The function of the meter is controlled by the the
InputMeter setting in the INI file.
InputMeter = 0? - Off
InputMeter = 1? - the peak level of the input signal, separately for
each
channel.
InputMeter = 2? - noise floor.
To change the mode, open Rocky.ini in a text editor and change the setting,
then start Rocky.
The values are shown on the status bard in dBFS units - that is, in dB in
respect to the full scale of the A/D converter.
Use mode 1 to make sure that you are not overloading the sound card. The
values close to 0 dBFS indicate a problem.
In Mode 2, the power of the wideband noise (the flat portion of the
spectrum) is displayed. The meter in this mode is insensitive to narrowband
signals, not even to the garbage in the center of the spectrum.
73 Alex VE3NEA
|
Re: Rocky v1.03 msg: Unable to start output to SB Live Wave Device
WOW! Rocky v1.03 works remarkably well. Thanks, Alex. I decided to quit fighting City Hall by using a non-supported sound card, and ordered, today, an M-Audio Delta 44. Dick Patten --- In softrock40@..., "Alex, VE3NEA" <alshovk@d...> wrote:
Hi Dick,
Perhaps you tried Rocky 1.02, I am uploading v.1.03 as I am writing
this. Please download the new version in a few minutes and see if the problem is fixed.
73 Alex VE3NEA
Running XP SP2 with SB Live 5.1 PCI card.
thanks
Dick Patten
|
Rocky 1.03 has been uploaded to
This version is supposed to fix a number of problems (none of which I could reproduce on my system) - in particular, the inability of Rocky to open some sound cards, and occasional floating point errors.
V.1.03 has an input level meter which should be useful for troubleshooting hardware problems. The function of the meter is controlled by the the InputMeter setting in the INI file.
InputMeter = 0 - Off
InputMeter = 1 - the peak level of the input signal, separately for each channel.
InputMeter = 2 - noise floor.
To change the mode, open Rocky.ini in a text editor and change the setting, then start Rocky.
The values are shown on the status bard in dBFS units - that is, in dB in respect to the full scale of the A/D converter.
Use mode 1 to make sure that you are not overloading the sound card. The values close to 0 dBFS indicate a problem.
In Mode 2, the power of the wideband noise (the flat portion of the spectrum) is displayed. The meter in this mode is insensitive to narrowband signals, not even to the garbage in the center of the spectrum.
73 Alex VE3NEA
|
Re: Rocky v1.03 msg: Unable to start output to SB Live Wave Device
Hi Dick,
Perhaps you tried Rocky 1.02, I am uploading v.1.03 as I am writing this. Please download the new version in a few minutes and see if the problem is fixed.
73 Alex VE3NEA
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
Running XP SP2 with SB Live 5.1 PCI card.
thanks
Dick Patten
|
Tony & Alberto
What about paralleling the unused switches in the '3126, since you are only using to in the new configuration?
Cecil - WA6RDY
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
----- Original Message ----- From: "Alberto I2PHD" <i2phd@...> To: <softrock40@...> Sent: Monday, October 17, 2005 10:11 AM Subject: Re: [softrock40] Two switch QSD test Tony Parks wrote:
Hi Alberto,
The switches used are two of the switches in a FST3126. I am needing to
stay with this part for the v5.0 SoftRock to use a large supply of the
parts
I had to buy as part of a minimum order.
Would a lower on resistance improve the performance of a QSD circuit? Hi Tony,
the RdsOn is practically in series with the 50 ohm of the antenna or
the output impedance of a preceding preamplifier. So for the maximum of
efficiency you want to keep the switch resistance as low as possible.
The FST3125 is rated for an RdsOn of 4 ohm, while the ADG704 (or the
ADG711 if you prefer 4 separate switches instead of a mux) is rated
for 2.5 ohm. Of course if you design your preamplifier with a somewhat
higher output impedance, then the issue is much less relevant...
73 Alberto I2PHD
Yahoo! Groups Links
|
AAhhhh? SURE!!! .........Sometimes my brain is not in gear yet.
?
Kees
?
?
----- Forwarded Message -----
Date: Mon, 17 Oct 2005 17:12:29 -0000
Subject: [softrock40] re:7.056Mhz
? Hi
It's not a spur at all, its the zero (or dc) part
of the spectrum that
the sound card is processing. (and thus will be at the
center of the
display (because of the way the I/Q is processed) regardless
of the
SR40.
From my measurment when the SR40 is working it gets
-40dbm signal to
the antenna.(at the 7.056 Mhz) and very little at twice
thrice and at
28.224Mhz
???????????????????
73 de
Joe
|
--- In softrock40@..., windy10605@j... wrote:
What generates the nice 7.054- 7.056Mhz signal on the computer (PowerSDR
or Rocky) when the SR-40 is not installed ? Excellent choice for the
crystal freq, by the way. No sense having 2 large spurs. I realize there
are going to be small spurs because of the inherent nature of computer
clocking and signal transition radiations.
I'm not surrounded by SR-40 users but out of curiosity, how much of the
OSC does it put OUT into the antenna ?
73 Kees K5BCQ
You got me curious now. When I put the sf40 next to the antenna tuner I get a nice s7 @7.054.26 with the tuner hooked to the radio (857) and another s9 sig from my network switch at 7.053.36. The computers (3) don't seem to be radiating any noise... In this particular section of the band. I look forward to getting all my projects in boxes during my upcomming break. Chris N7UJU
|
Hello Alberto and tony
The other parts of the switch will come handy for a TX.
the SR40 has a 10 ohm resistor in series with the source impedance so
the influence of 2 ohms in minute. (you could always connect the other
half in parallel...)
p.s Alberto I want to thank you for the very nice and
excellent program for SDR and for the other weak signal programs in
your web site.
73 de Joe
|
Hi
It's not a spur at all, its the zero (or dc) part of the spectrum that
the sound card is processing. (and thus will be at the center of the
display (because of the way the I/Q is processed) regardless of the
SR40.
From my measurment when the SR40 is working it gets -40dbm signal to
the antenna.(at the 7.056 Mhz) and very little at twice thrice and at
28.224Mhz
73 de Joe
|
Alex, VE3NEA