Anan SDR with Midi Controller

Details
Category: Ham Radio
Created: Monday, 19 October 2020 00:45
Last Updated: Monday, 19 October 2020 01:22
Written by Rick Swenton
Hits: 14

I was reading about how later versions of  PowerSDR and Thetis support Midi controllers to control the Anan series of Software Defined Radios (SDR).  I noticed it supported the Behringer CMD PL-1 controller.  I tried to find one to purchase but it seems nobody has it in stock.  I suspect it has been discontinued.  I did find only one on Ebay which I promptly purchased.  I really liked this model because of the large knob which would be used to control the radio's frequency (VFO).  

I am running the latest version of Thetis 2.8.9.  Plug the Behringer controller into your computer's USB port and start Thetis.  It is very easy to assign Thetis controls to the Midi control you want to use.  I used a Brother P-Touch label maker with black label tape to make the button overlays.

In the Setup Tab and then CAT Control Tab you will find the button for Configure Midi. Keep in mind there are three different Midi control types:  Button, Knob / Slider and Wheel.  A button is a push button.  Depending on how you set it up it could be On, Off or Toggle operation.  A Knob or Slider is a variable control with upper and lower limits.  The slider on this device is a slider which has an upper and lower limit.  Using this as a volume control think of it as 0% to 100% volume.  A Wheel is a knob that continuously rotates left or right has has no stop.  The big knob is a wheel that I set to control the VFO frequency.  The other Behringer knobs are really wheels.  They have no stops.  This limited my ability to assign then to certain Thetis controls like Bandwidth and Shift.

This is a picture of my Midi setup.  You just push a Midi button.  A new screen will pop up where you tell Thetis whether the control is a Button, Knob / Slider or Wheel.  Be sure to operate the Midi control to make it send out the min and max Midi data values.  Then pick the Thetis control you want to assign to the Midi control.

If you want to try my configuration on your CMD PL-1 here is a Midi Config File to my Anan Midi Configuration file.  You can use the Midi setup screen to import my configuration.

 

ANAN View of SSB Signals

Details
Category: Ham Radio
Created: Monday, 05 October 2020 13:38
Last Updated: Monday, 05 October 2020 13:45
Written by Rick Swenton
Hits: 43

Software Defined Radios offer an excellent view of the characteristics of transmitted signals.

Good operating etiquette requires that your signal occupies the smallest bandwidth for the mode of transmission.  A Software Defined Radio is the perfect way to evaluate your signal.

Here's a view of a very wide SSB signal on 3868 kHz.  You can see he is taking up almost 8 kHz.  His signal should be under 3.7 kHz wide.  My receiver bandwidth is set to 3.3 kHz.  That is noted by the vertical yellow bars.  He is occupying double the space he should. This is considered rude as it prevents other stations from using the band on either side of him.


Here is an example of a very nice SSB signal on 3868 kHz.  His bandwidth looks like it is around 3 kHz. In the waterfall you can see the wide SSB signal below the good one.  To the right there is an AM signal on 3885.  Notice that the bad SSB signal is almost as wide as the AM signal.  AM by its nature takes up a wider bandwidth.  The audio is carried in both the upper and lower sidebands so it is twice as wide as SSB.  SSB audio is carried in only one of the sidebands so it should be half as wide as an AM signal.

If your transmitter is operating properly there are steps you can take to be more polite and reduce your bandwidth.  One is to reduce your mic audio gain.  Don't use heavy compression.  If you use speech processing make sure it's adjusted properly.  Use equalization to reduce high frequency audio.  Most importantly, ask a knowledgeable person on the air to evaluate your signal. Don't ask your best friend.  He will always tell you that you sound great.

OpenGD77

Details
Category: Ham Radio
Created: Monday, 09 September 2019 18:53
Last Updated: Wednesday, 11 December 2019 01:39
Written by Rick Swenton
Hits: 826

Radioddity markets a relatively inexpensive dual band DMR handheld radio called the GD-77.  It is manufactured by TYT and is their model MD-760 but is not widely available.  Radioddity markets this radio under their own name and provides a fully functional firmware and CPS.  They also deliver reasonably timely updates to both the firmware and CPS,  Radioddity provides excellent customer support.

Roger Clark, VK3KYY from Melbourne, Australia is a prominent figure in the ham radio DMR world.  Roger modified the Radioddity CPS and released a "Community Edition" that provides compatibility among all the various versions of codeplugs and added features.  Roger, Kai Ludwig DG4KLU and Colin Durbridge G4EML are developing an open source firmware for the GD-77 called OpenGD77. 

The firmware is designed for Amateur Radio use, especially on DMR, and has a number of features for Amateur Radio use which are not normally available on commercial DMR radios. These include direct numerical entry of DMR TalkGroup numbers and use of the Rx Group list to control the TG’s selectable for each DMR “channel”

I am fortunate to have been one of the original alpha testers for this firmware.

This new firmware begins to transform the GD-77 to operate the way hams would like to use it.  For example, in the past we had to set up a channel for every talk group you want to use.  Now you can set up one channel and just scroll through the talk groups.  Another feature, shown in the photo above, is to use the GD-77 as a hotspot replacing your MMDVM or DVMega modem board.  Just take a Raspberry Pi with Pi-Star and remove the modem board.  Connect your GD-77 with the OpenGD77 firmware to the Raspberry Pi USB port with the GD-77 programming cable.  Select OpenGD77 as your Radio/Modem type in Pi-Star and off you go.  The GD-77 automatically detects Pi-Star and changes from handheld mode to hotspot mode. 

In the past I was posting Roger's updates here on my web site.  The improvements have been fast and furious.  It was becoming difficult to keep this page updated.  I thought I would just refer you directly to Roger's blog so you could get the most current information.

Hotspot Mode

The latest firmware now supports Hotspot Mode.  Connect the GD-77 to the Raspberry Pi with the programming cable.  Power up the GD-77 while holding the side black button.  Then power up your Raspberry Pi running Pi-Star.  The GD-77 must be powered up in Hotspot Mode before Pi-Star is booted.

If you want to test Hotspot Mode using Pi-Star you can leave your MMDVM HAT or DVMEGA HAT plugged into the Paspberry Pi.  Just connect the GD-77 radio through its programming cable to the RPi and select OpenGD77 DMR Hotspot (USB) as the Radio/Modem Type on the Pi-Star configuration screen.

Here's Roger's Blog Page where you can learn all about the exciting  developments.  There are links to the firmware daily builds and the Community CPS.  There are also links to the user guides for the firmware and CPS.

Also take a look at Jason Reilly's page Modifications, hints, tips and technical information for the Radioddity GD-77

Running OpenGD77  as a Hotspot on BlueDV for Android

Riku Bister, OH1E, has a great Youtube video that explains how to get the OpenGD77 running as a hotspot on BlueDV for Android.