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Hi all,
I got an X6100 over the holidays and I feel like I'm losing my mind a bit trying to sort all the issues I've been having. I've gotten the bulk of them squared away, but I'm still having some xmit issues. Assuming the latest official firmware(20230831 with the CAT control fix), should I still be aiming for higher ALC? I work almost exclusively digital modes, so I can't speak much to the voice performance, but mine seems firmly pegged at 1 when transmitting. I would expect it to adjust upwards if I raise the gain on the USB audio or in any of the source applications(this behavior is repeatable in VARAC, WSJT-X, and fldigi, at least), but while the power output seems to increase, my ALC doesn't increase any. Looking at the waterfall, it looks like it's overloading a bit, but I can't seem to get the settings dialed in any better. Can anyone speak to this? If I transmit dead air, I do get a 0-watt 100 ALC "output", but I can't seem to get that clear of an output when transmitting any of my beeps or bleeps. |
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A general rule of thumb that applies equally to any rig is to preset the power output to some level (for example 4 watts) and then increase the TX audio gain (either via the rig or computer) until the measured RF power out stops increasing. Then for good measure, back off the TX audio gain slightly. This will ensure that you are always getting the maximum power output without overdriving. Using this approach over time you can probably figure out an appropriate ALC level that puts you at this same point and then just use that ALC level as an indicator that you have the gain settings right. Audio gain is set at a number of stages within the computer (soundcard and app) and also a level control in the rig.? It is always best to try to balance those out so they are all mid-range of their respective settings as maxing out the gain at any one stage/place could introduce distortion.?
Some people will argue that there should never be any ALC indication whatsoever for digital mode operation but the truth is that it all depends on how things are implemented by the manufacturer of your radio. With my Yaesu FT-991A for instance, if I set the rig up for zero ALC indication for digital modes I get zero power out. The right answer for that rig is about 50% ALC indication.? Cheers Michael VE3WMB? |
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I was confused for a while about ALC as well, since the x6100 is my first HF radio, and the ALC seems to be backward (starting at 100%) on Xiegu radios. With stock software: * I set the power where I want on the radio (5W usually), hit the "tune" button in wsjtx, and adjust my USB volume and wsjt-x power slider to just barely activate the ALC (drop below 100%), then back it down a little to leave it at or very near 100%. You'll see your power reading on the radio at 5.2W or so. * More recently, I started setting radio power to full 10W, then I adjust my volumes/power on the computer until it reads 5W on the radio when I'm tuning in wsjtx. That way ALC is never touched and always at 100%. With R1CBU software on the radio, ALC starts at 0.0, and I always set radio power to 10W, tune computer outputs to always give me the power reading I want on the radio, and never see ALC go above 0.0. There's a youtube video showing how ALC is compressing and splattering your digital signal. On Mon, Jan 8, 2024 at 3:56?PM <tcgiant@...> wrote: Hi all, |
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On Mon, Jan 8, 2024 at 04:20 PM, John Flinchbaugh KC3WWC wrote:
With R1CBU software on the radio, ALC starts at 0.0, and I always set radio power to 10W, tune computer outputs to always give me the power reading I want on the radio, and never see ALC go above 0.0.Interesting.? Some months ago I read a post from Oleg saying for digital modes the ALC should be set about 8 using his R1CBU firmware, so that's what I've been using for several months now with no apparent issues. Here is a more recent comment from him saying 8: /g/xiegu-x6100/message/4098?p=%2C%2C%2C20%2C0%2C0%2C0%3A%3Arecentpostdate%2Fsticky%2C%2CALC%2C20%2C2%2C0%2C102326952 |
Dj Merrill