PowerSDR/IF Stage v0.91 Released

[Scott McClements]

Hello,

I just posted up a new version of the PowerSDR/IF Stage software which
contains a bunch of bug fixes. See this website for more information
and downloading:

http://www.wu2x.com/sdr.html

-Scott, WU2X
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[Benny Aumala]

Scott,
The only version available on that page seems to be old v0.90 from August.

I appreciate highly your work and there is much of interest after all those K3s roll out.
Benny OH9NB
_____________________________________________
original text:

I just posted up a new version of the PowerSDR/IF Stage software which
contains a bunch of bug fixes. See this website for more information
and downloading:

http://www.wu2x.com/sdr.html

-Scott, WU2X


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[John A. McCabe]

Benny,
I am seeing the new version v 0.91 on the web page here, and was able to
download it. You may be getting a old cached page, you may want to try
to refresh your browser. You can also try
http://www.wu2x.com/downloads/ .


I too also appreciate the work Scott is doing on this, and look forward
to using it with my K3 when it arrives. However, one possible problem
that I am seeing with the new version is that the IF frequency offset is
limited to a maximum of 20000 Hz and I believe that that Softrock for K3
requires a 23000 Hz Offset (8215 K3 IF frequency minus 8192 the softrock
frequency).  Perhaps this might  be fixed in the next  version, or a
different  crystal could be used in the softrock so that it will have
less of an offset, but still far enough away from the K3 IF center
frequency so that it will not cause problems due to lack of buffering on
the IF output.


73, John, KD8K


John, KD8K






Benny Aumala wrote:

> Scott,
> The only version available on that page seems to be old v0.90 from
> August.
>
> I appreciate highly your work and there is much of interest after all
> those K3s roll out.
> Benny OH9NB
> _____________________________________________
> original text:
>
> I just posted up a new version of the PowerSDR/IF Stage software which
> contains a bunch of bug fixes. See this website for more information
> and downloading:
>
> http://www.wu2x.com/sdr.html
>
> -Scott, WU2X
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Post to: [hidden email]
> You must be a subscriber to post to the list.
> Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.):
> http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft   
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm
> Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
>

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[Scott McClements]

John,

I never noticed that the crystal that comes with Softrock for the K3
was so far off. The 20000Hz limit is just in the dialog validation
code, I just changed it to 96000Hz, and the DttSP code seems to have
no problem using a value more than 20000Hz.  Thank you for pointing
that out. If someone needs this code right away I will build a special
patch - please only ask if you intend to use it very soon.

That crystal choice is not ideal, especially if someone can only use a
48Khz sampling rate. This means on the panadapter you will basically
only see 48Khz of band above the frequency you are tuned to. If you
are able to use a 96Khz sampling rate you will see 24Khz below and
73Khz above. I understand Tony, KB9YIG, only buys the readily
available crystal values to avoid the high cost of getting a custom
crystal frequency made.

-Scott, WU2X
http://www.wu2x.com/sdr.html


On Nov 25, 2007 10:05 AM, John A. McCabe <[hidden email]> wrote:
> However, one possible problem
> that I am seeing with the new version is that the IF frequency offset is
> limited to a maximum of 20000 Hz and I believe that that Softrock for K3
> requires a 23000 Hz Offset (8215 K3 IF frequency minus 8192 the softrock
> frequency).
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[Scott McClements]

On Nov 25, 2007 10:05 AM, John A. McCabe <[hidden email]> wrote:
> However, one possible problem
> that I am seeing with the new version is that the IF frequency offset is
> limited to a maximum of 20000 Hz and I believe that that Softrock for K3
> requires a 23000 Hz Offset (8215 K3 IF frequency minus 8192 the softrock
> frequency).
John,

I never noticed that the crystal that comes with Softrock for the K3
was so far off. The 20000Hz limit is just in the dialog validation
code, I just changed it to 96000Hz, and the DttSP code seems to have
no problem using a value more than 20000Hz.  Thank you for pointing
that out. If someone needs this code right away I will build a special
patch - please only ask if you intend to use it very soon.

That crystal choice is not ideal, especially if someone can only use a
48Khz sampling rate. This means on the panadapter you will basically
only see 48Khz of band above the frequency you are tuned to. If you
are able to use a 96Khz sampling rate you will see 24Khz below and
73Khz above. I understand Tony, KB9YIG, only buys the readily
available crystal values to avoid the high cost of getting a custom
crystal frequency made.

-Scott, WU2X
http://www.wu2x.com/sdr.html
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[John A. McCabe]

Thanks Scott for such a quick fix on this! While waiting on my K3 and I
was working on the softrock IF Kit, and I noticed the problem when I was
setting it up with the PowerSDR IF software.

 I think I have found a supplier for a 32.800 Mhz crystal, which would
put the softrock at around 8200 and make it a more reasonable 15000hz
offset.  I hope that this will still be far enough away from the 8215 IF
to not cause any problems, while making the bandpass a little more
symmetric.Someone else had mentioned the use of a HPL-4562 opto-coupler
to provide more buffering for the softrock. I may order one and give it
a try. If it works, a crystal even closer to the IF may work without
causing problems. Of course, I won't be able to test any of this until
my K3 arrives, hopefully in December as I am in the first batch.

Thanks again for your work on this, I know that many, including myself,
will enjoy using the features of PowerSDR with the K3,

73,

John KD8K



Scott McClements wrote:

> On Nov 25, 2007 10:05 AM, John A. McCabe <[hidden email]> wrote:
>  
>> However, one possible problem
>> that I am seeing with the new version is that the IF frequency offset is
>> limited to a maximum of 20000 Hz and I believe that that Softrock for K3
>> requires a 23000 Hz Offset (8215 K3 IF frequency minus 8192 the softrock
>> frequency).
>>    
> John,
>
> I never noticed that the crystal that comes with Softrock for the K3
> was so far off. The 20000Hz limit is just in the dialog validation
> code, I just changed it to 96000Hz, and the DttSP code seems to have
> no problem using a value more than 20000Hz.  Thank you for pointing
> that out. If someone needs this code right away I will build a special
> patch - please only ask if you intend to use it very soon.
>
> That crystal choice is not ideal, especially if someone can only use a
> 48Khz sampling rate. This means on the panadapter you will basically
> only see 48Khz of band above the frequency you are tuned to. If you
> are able to use a 96Khz sampling rate you will see 24Khz below and
> 73Khz above. I understand Tony, KB9YIG, only buys the readily
> available crystal values to avoid the high cost of getting a custom
> crystal frequency made.
>
> -Scott, WU2X
> http://www.wu2x.com/sdr.html
> _______________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Post to: [hidden email]
> You must be a subscriber to post to the list.
> Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.):
>  http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft   
>
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> Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
>
>  

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[Jerry Flanders]

John, please post info on the crystal when you have it. And if a
quantity purchase gets a better price, there are probably several of
us who might help get the order quantity up.

Jerry W4UK

At 06:50 PM 11/25/2007, John A. McCabe wrote:

>I think I have found a supplier for a 32.800 Mhz crystal, which
>would put the softrock at around 8200 and make it a more reasonable
>15000hz offset.  I hope that this will still be far enough away from
>the 8215 IF to not cause any problems, while making the bandpass a
>little more symmetric.Someone else had mentioned the use of a
>HPL-4562 opto-coupler to provide more buffering for the softrock. I
>may order one and give it a try. If it works, a crystal even closer
>to the IF may work without causing problems. Of course, I won't be
>able to test any of this until my K3 arrives, hopefully in December
>as I am in the first batch.

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[KK7P]

> I think I have found a supplier for a 32.800 Mhz crystal, which would
> put the softrock at around 8200 and make it a more reasonable 15000hz
> offset.  I hope that this will still be far enough away from the 8215 IF
> to not cause any problems, while making the bandpass a little more
> symmetric.

Be _very_ careful to put a high reverse-isolation buffer between the K3
I.F. output and any sort of mixer like the Softrock that leaks a lot of
L.O. energy onto its input lines.  The buffer in the K3 is an impedance
transformation device, not a reverse-isolation stage.  It assumes the
attached device does not inject any appreciable energy back into the
I.F. output tap, and certainly not any energy at the 8.215 MHz I.F.

A better approach when using a quadrature sampling detector (QSD, or
Tayloe mixer) may be to mix the 8.215 MHz I.F. to a very different
frequency, then use the Softrock at that I.F.

For example, use a high reverse-isolatin amplfier at 8.215 MHz to feed
an H-mode mixer driven with an oscillator at 19.44 MHz.  This will
result in an IF of 11.225 MHz where the Softrock can operate.  4x 11.225
is 44.900 MHz.  19.44 MHz and 44.90 MHz are standard (currently in stock
at Digikey) frequencies, and with careful construction and a reasonable
reverse-isolation input amplifier, there is little danger of interfering
with the K3.  I have not tried this, so use this information entirely at
your own risk, YMMV, etc.

But, in any event, a high reverse-isolation amplifier is an absolute
must if the device you are attaching to the K3 I.F. output has _any_
chance of leaking energy into the K3 anywhere near its I.F. Use good
quality coax, keep RF out of the IF connector (the end of your 40 meter
dipole 15 feet away from your radio, that sort of thing...).

The SDR-14 and SDR-IQ appear to be safe in this regard as the input goes
to a buffer amp and then directly to an A/D converter clocked at about
65 MHz.

73,

Lyle KK7P

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[Brendan Minish]

On Sun, 2007-11-25 at 16:32 -0800, Lyle Johnson wrote:

>
> The SDR-14 and SDR-IQ appear to be safe in this regard as the input goes
> to a buffer amp and then directly to an A/D converter clocked at about
> 65 MHz.

I have an SDR-14 and I have been playing around with it as a bandscope
for the k3. It's absolutely fantastic in this role, far more flexible
than the standard bandscope.
When I finish reorganising the shack to put the K3 'centre stage' (I.e
put the IC-7800 back in its box and sell it!) the SDR14 will be
permanently attached to the K3 by a short length of Double screened
coax.
I am finding the combination of waterfall and scope fantastic, the only
issue is that the SDR-14 is not quite sensitive enough so see stuff that
can (just) be heard on the 6m band.
On HF, no problem the SDR-14 can see all the way down to the band
noise  

The SDR-14 also gives you a couple of extra demodulators and the ability
to record a chunk of spectrum for playing back later.

73
Brendan


--
Don‘t complain. Nobody will understand. Or care. And certainly don‘t try
to fix the situation yourself. It‘s dangerous. Leave it to a highly
untrained, unqualified, expendable professional.

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[W6NEK]

Hello K3'ers
For those interested in K3 shipment status, the elecraft web site has been
updated.
http://www.elecraft.com/elecraft_shipping_status.htm

73,
Frank - W6NEK




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