Archive for category PD Software

New OSX and Windows version of SdrDx – 2.08

Jul 2

Posted by admin in Amateur Radio, PD Software | 12 Comments

SdrDx 2.08 supercedes the UDP interface in 2.07 (UDP still present in case you’ve coded for it) with a TCP server interface that is capable of supporting multiple clients. It turns out there’s a rather serious bug in OSX that prevents UDP connections from being opened with more than one client, so TCP is better for now.

As with the UDP interface, I’ve included a basic TCP client example written in Python.

In addition, beginning with SdrDx 2.08, the program will let you know if and when upgrades are available to you in the program’s title bar, as long as you have an Internet connection when you start it.

The TCP interface now has many additional commands as compared to the previous version’s UDP command set, and so far we’ve got an alpha version of an iPad client that displays waterfall, spectrum, demod envelope, allows tuning and other control, and plays back audio — all using the new TCP interface. In addition, during the beta period, tuning control for a screwdriver antenna was implemented using the TCP interface and Python.

I have a multi-VFO (26 of them, A-Z) application I’ve made available (OSX only so far) that works with the new TCP interface as well, giving you copious radio-like VFO control over SdrDx. Each VFO remembers frequency and all related display settings, so you can frequency hop like a little radio bunny. (cough) Sorry.

SdrDx 2.08 provides for frequency offset, which in turn allows it to be used more easily with up-converters such as those that might be part of a FUNcube installation.

There are various other changes, mostly small tweaks and bugfixes. Enjoy!

Screen shot: http://www.flickr.com/photos/fyngyrz/7488025818/
Downloads: http://fyngyrz.com/?p=915
Documentation: http://fyngyrz.com/sdrdxdoc/sitemap.html
Changes: http://fyngyrz.com/sdrdxdoc/changes208.html

Tags: cube, dx, fun, funcube, ip, iq, net, netsdr, rfspace, sdr, sdrdx, sdrip, sdriq

Online Docs for SdrDx

May 15

Posted by admin in Amateur Radio, Authoring, PD Software, Shortwave Listening, Technology | No Comments

I am pleased to introduce online documentation for SdrDx. This marks a sea change, where we move from a text file, buried in the distribution, to a system where everyone is looking at the same document, one that is easier to read, to look at and in general to deal with. It includes a table of contents, an index, visual cues for user interface elements and so on.

The link is on the SdrDx page, and the next release of SdrDx will take you there directly.

Comments and corrections are welcome, of course.

Tags: documentation, dx, html, manual, sdr, sdrdx

New version of SdrDx – 2.00

Apr 6

Posted by admin in Amateur Radio, PD Software, Technology | No Comments

Please see this post for details on SdrDx 2.00.

Tags: rfspace, sdr, sdr-ip, sdr-iq, sdrdx, v2

New Version of SdrDx (Mac / OS X version of CuteSDR)

Dec 30

Posted by admin in Amateur Radio, PD Software, Technology, The Net, Things that aren't busted | No Comments

Please see this post for the latest details on v1.07.

Tags: aa7as, cute, cutesdr, dx, sdr

SdrDx –OS X and Windows SDR Software

May 9

Posted by admin in Amateur Radio, PD Software, Technology | 512 Comments

SdrDx 2.12m
I’ve been working on developing OSX/Mac and Windows versions of SdrDx, an application originally based upon CuteSDR, Moe Wheatly’s open source application that supported RFSPACE software defined radios.

At this time, SdrDx for OSX and Windows supports RFSPACE, FunCube Pro, Andrus MK1.5, AFEDRI, FunCube Pro Plus, Peaberry, and Softrock SDR receivers.

SdrDx can be made to support any SDR with a soundcard interface with a little scripting work; both the Peaberry and Softrock support demonstrate this mechanism.

SdrDx (running on the Mac) is shown to the right. SdrDx is a closed-source, free application with many additional features above and beyond CuteSDR, and no longer depends upon the CuteSDR codebase.

SdrDx, in combination with your SDR, is an extremely powerful receiver. Reception, recording, playback, analysis, processing — it’s all there, and it’s all been made as easy to use as possible. Extensive documentation covers every aspect of operating the software, as well as providing numerous examples and images to help you along. If you’re an expert radio user, you’re sure to settle right in. If you’re still learning, you can look forward to software that lets your capabilities grow with your knowledge.

You can download the executable application(s) appropriate to your OS (OSX or Windows) and the SDR-IQ TCP server for your OS (if you have an SDR-IQ and don’t already have a server) below. Remember, you MUST have a network server application installed to support the SDR-IQ. These are available in the list of downloads below. Other SDR types do not require a server application.

The main application zip file will un-compress to a folder, inside which you will find the SdrDx application, and some other files. Please read the documentation carefully.

The VFO Suite application is an accessory for SdrDx that provides many independent VFOs that each track frequency, mode, waterfall and spectrum state, and more. Each VFO may optionally be limited so that it will not track outside a band, so you can, for instance, set up a VFO that lets you tune the 20m amateur band, but not outside it. VFO Suite connects to SdrDx via TCP, so it can run on any machine with a TCP connection to the machine running SdrDx, including, of course, on the same machine.

Note to PC users: Run SdrDx and VFO Suite out of the folders I supply them in. Don’t stick the executables somewhere else. That way lies madness. MaDnEsS!

Current Version and related downloads

For Everyone:
- Online Documentation
- Short (35Mb download) recording: 20m Pileup

Mac (Stable Version)
- SdrDx 2.12p for the Mac
- Vfo Suite 1.01 for the Mac
- Snow Leopard (OS X 10.6) USB-to-network server (SDR-XX for the SDR-IQ only)
- Mac OS X USB driver
- USB driver install guide

Mac (Beta Version)*
- SdrDx 2.12q beta for the Mac
  Beta documentation (technical types only): First, you need to edit your /etc/hosts file (will require use of su command or otherwise one-time special access to this admin-only file) to add this line:
  216.146.123.154 ss.com www.ss.com
  Then you can get to the beta documentation at this URL
  * The beta changes without notice, as do the beta docs. Not for the faint of heart. All beta work is done on the Mac platform. Feedback is welcome.
- Support for Andrus MK1.5 SDR
  1. Connect Andrus MK1.5 to your LAN Ethernet
  2. Start SdrDx 2.12p (or later)
  3. Open NET dialog and use auto-find to locate Andrus
  4. Close NET dialog
  5. Open SDR dialog and set bandwidth as desired
  6. Close SDR dialog
  7. Press RUN
- Support for Peaberry and (possibly) Softrock
  1. Download this .zip of Python script
  2. Unzip and copy .py file from within the .zip to your home directory
  3. Download and install PyUSB library
  4. Start SdrDx 2.12p (or later)
  5. Open a shell at your home directory and type ./tcp-to-peaberry.py
  6. In SdrDx, left-click SND button, select “Peaberry Radio” as input sound card, OK
  7. In SdrDx, right-click FCD button, check ON and AUDIO IQ, set rate to 50000, OK
  8. In SdrDx, left-click SDR button, set sample rate to 50 kHz, OK
  9. In SdrDx, left-click FCD button — Peaberry should be running now

Windows
- SdrDx 2.12 BETA for Windows (feedback! I need feedback!)
- Vfo Suite 1.01 BETA for Windows
- Windows USB-to-network server (SDRxx for the SDR-IQ only)

Changes

Please refer to this page.

System Requirements

SdrDx for the Mac requires an Intel CPU, running Leopard 10.5.8 or later.

So far, I have numerous third-party reports of SdrDx working under 10.7.

And of course it requires an SDR as well if you want to receive live, although it can play back pre-recorded files without an SDR; in the specific case of the SDR-IQ, you’ll need a server application that puts the SDR-IQ on the network. SdrDx’s support of RFSPACE SDRs is only via network connections, it does not directly interface with the USB connection of the SDR-IQ.

For the Mac, I am presently designing and testing and compiling under OS X 10.6.8 (Snow Leopard.)

—

SdrDx Beta for the PC requires an Intel CPU, running Windows XP or (possibly) a later version of the OS. It requires an RFSPACE SDR, AFEDRI, Andrus MK1.5, FUNcube Dongle, Soundcard-based SDR, or pre-recorded RF files as well; in the specific case of the SDR-IQ, you’ll need a server application that puts the SDR-IQ on the network. SdrDx handles the RFSPACE SDRs via the network, it does not directly interface with them via USB.

For Windows, I am presently designing, testing, and compiling under Windows XP (in a VM.)

Tags: amateur, Amateur Radio, cute, cutesdr, ham, ham radio, radio, rfspace, sdr

Python, TkInter, OSX (OS X) and making it all behave

Feb 13

Posted by admin in PD Software, Python, The Home Front, The Net, Things that are Busted, Things that aren't busted, Uncategorized | 4 Comments

I use Python a lot. Python 2.5.1 to be specific. And inside Python is TkInter, which, with a little work, will give you a handy way to put a GUI together. But there are problems. To say that TkInter is poorly supported and poorly documented under OSX is to understate the case rather dramatically. So you’re left to Google for answers, and mostly, they aren’t to be found — or if they are, they aren’t obvious or easily found. So I’m going to provide some answers here that have taken me quite some time to collect, and hopefully keyword and title them so that a Google search will actually get you to the solution you need sooner rather than as much later as it did me!
Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: 1, 2, 2.5.1, 5, behind, error, fixed, focus, force, fornt, lift, os x, osx, problem, Python, raise, solution, solved, tk, TkInter, window

Roku XDS – A Review

Nov 7

Posted by admin in Entertainment, PD Software, Reviews, Technology, The Net, Things that aren't busted | No Comments

If you’ve been following my blog at all, you’ll know that we bought an Apple TV v2. That experience was really, really bad. The details are here if you want them, but suffice it to say that I was impelled back into shopping for a similar device, because the Apple TV simply wasn’t going to cut it.

Enter the Roku XDS. Same price, same general type of device, a fair amount of buzz. Enough to catch my attention, consume a few reviews and comments… at $99, these things don’t exactly break the bank, so, in for a penny, in for a pound, we bought one. This is the story of how that went, often contrasted to the Apple TV v2, as that was what it was replacing. You might want to grab some popcorn.
Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: apple, dedicated, media, review, roku, streamer, tv, v2

Interp project

Jul 3

Posted by admin in Meta-Fyngyrz, PD Software, Science, Technology, The Net | No Comments

graph Yeah, about that coding problem. More of the same. This one is about generating temperature and humidity estimates with a single latitude / longitude input using the point measurements of the National Weather Service nearest the point of interest, and interpolating in a useful and hopefully likely manner. As a project, it gets its own static page, right here.