FlexRadio Systems Knowledge Center

Running VAC 4.09 on Vista & Win7 x64 (64-bit)

Administrator — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 03:47:26 GMT

Running VAC 4.09 on Vista & Win7 x64 (64-bit)

System Dependencies
Minimum PowerSDR Version:	N/A
Applicable Hardware:	All transceivers

Content provided by: FlexRadio Systems Engineering

Virtual Audio Cable, more commonly referred to as VAC is a third-party software package that facilitates digital audio transfer between PowerSDR and other sound card enabled programs, like most digital mode programs (MixW, Digipan, MMTTY, etc.). VAC is able to do this because it is a kernel mode Windows device driver that emulates a sound card.

NOTE: VAC is a third-party software program and is not directly supported by FlexRadio Systems. FlexRadio Systems recommends its use with PowerSDR to facilitate digital audio transfer (DAX) between other third-party sound card programs. All inquiries in regard to the basic operation of VAC or concerns regarding it being unsigned (see below) must be directed to the VAC developers (support@muzychenko.net) themselves.

Windows Vista and Win7 come in two basic configurations; 32-bit or x86 and 64-bit or x64. A Windows device driver has to be the same "bit size" as the operating system, so a 32-bit operating system can only use 32-bit device drivers and 64-bit operating systems can only use 64-bit device drivers. VAC comes in both a 32 and 64-bit version, so from a driver architecture standpoint, VAC can operate on both 32-bit and 64-bit Windows operating systems.

With the introduction of Vista x64 and continued on with Win7, Microsoft imposed another requirement for 64-bit device drivers. They require all 64-bit kernel mode drivers to be signed with a digital signature in order to operate normally. VAC is not a signed driver, therefore special boot time operations must occur for the driver to load under Vista x64.

Please refer below to the information about running the unsigned VAC device driver under Vista/Win7 x64 as taken directly from the VAC Help file (vac.chm) documentation included with the VAC application.

From the VAC Installation Guide in the Application's Help System
Under 64-bit Vista, kernel-mode drivers require a publisher's digital signature to be loaded. VAC is not signed due to Microsoft's security policy that does not allow an individual developer to obtain a publisher certificate. Even the installation completes successfully, 64-bit Vista displays a warning and does not load the driver. Unsigned drivers can be loaded in the "test modes" only. Please read "Installing an Unsigned Driver During Development and Test (Windows Vista)" article explaining how to enable the test modes.

There are two ways to successfully load VAC driver under 64-bit Vista and 2008 Server systems:

At early boot time, press F8 and select "Disable driver signature enforcement". In this mode, Windows will not check driver signatures during current session. But if you reboot Windows, you should press F8 and disable signature enforcement again. So you need to make selection at every boot.
Enable Windows test-signing mode by one-time issuing "bcdedit /set testsigning on" command from a command prompt (under Administrator account). This permanently allows Windows to load drivers signed by test certificates. After issuing bcdedit command, reboot Windows. 64-bit VAC driver module is signed by a test certificate named "Eugene Muzychenko (Test)" so it will be successfully loaded in the test-signing mode.

This KB article may reference additional files that are available on the FlexRadio Systems web site Downloads page. Please use the URL(s) below to download the referenced materials.

An Adobe Acrobat Reader may be required to open the file. You can download Adobe Acrobat from here.

KB Source Document(s):

None Referenced

Voltage and Amperage Requirements for the FLEX-1500

Administrator — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 03:45:31 GMT

Voltage and Amperage Requirements for the FLEX-1500

System Dependencies
Minimum PowerSDR Version:	N/A
Applicable Hardware:	FLEX-1500

Content provided by: FlexRadio Systems Engineering

The FLEX-1500 can operate off of direct current (DC) power supplies or battery backs. Below are the voltage and amperage specifications when operating the FLEX-1500.

Power Requirements
Receive Amperage @ 13.8 VDC: Typical 450 ma / maximum 500 ma
Transmit Amperage @ 13.8 VDC: Typical 1500 ma / maximum 2000 ma (full power: 5W nominal CW keydown)

Recommended Operating Voltage: 13.8 VDC
Minimum Operating Voltage: 8.0 VDC (receive) / 11.0 VDC (transmit)
Maximum operating Voltage: 15.2 VDC

NOTE: External power isrequired when operating the FLEX-1500. The USB connector can notprovide enough voltage needed to operate the radio. The radio will notpower up if there isn't a 13.8 VDC voltage source supplied to theFLEX-1500.

WARNING: Exceeding 15.2 VDC will damage the FLEX-1500 and void the warranty. Using a laptop power supply that exceeds 15.2 VDC is not a suitable power source.

Power Supply Requirements
Any power supply using an AC source to produce 13.8 VDC will need to be well regulated and filtered. The main concern with any power supply isAC ripple. "Wall-warts" with unregulated or unfiltered power outputwill NOT be suitable for transmitting.

Fusing Requirements
The FLEX-1500 has an internal 3 amp ATO type fuse on the PA board which provide voltage to the TRX board. There is a power diode to ground which will deliberately blow this fuse if the power leads to the radio are reversed. It is recommended that you fuse the VDC input with at least a 3 amp fuse but no higher than 5 amps.

This KB article may reference additional files that are available on the FlexRadio Systems web site Downloads page. Please use the URL(s) below to download the referenced materials.

An Adobe Acrobat Reader may be required to open the file.You can download Adobe Acrobat from here.

KB Source Document(s):

None Referenced

How to Install or Upgrade the FLEX Firewire Driver

Administrator — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 00:00:23 GMT

How to Install or Upgrade the FLEX Firewire Driver

System Dependencies
Minimum PowerSDR Version:	1.10.0
Applicable Hardware:	FLEX-5000 & FLEX-3000

Content provided by: FlexRadio Systems Engineering

The FLEX family of Firewire-based software defined radios communicates with your personal computer running Windows XP, Vista or Windows7 via a Firewire (IEEE-1394) connection. Like any piece of hardware that communicates with Windows, a hardware or device driver is required. The Firewire enabled FLEX family of software defined radios is no exception. Before starting this procedure, you will need to download the current version of the FLEX Firewire driver to the computer that is connected to the SDR hardware. You can obtain the latest FLEX-5000/3000 Firewire driver from a link on the FlexRadio Systems home page.

NOTE: The FLEX software defined radio *MUST* be completely turned off or disconnected from your computer before starting this procedure. You will be instructed when to connect or turn on your FLEX software defined radio in the procedure below.

NOTE: The FLEX Firewire driver, version 3.4.0.x and above the driver installed package contains both a 32-bit and a digitally signed 64-bit kernel mode device driver, therefore the FLEX Firewire driver will work with *all* versions of XP and Vista without requiring any special operating modes, such as disabling the Vista x64 driver signing requirement.

REQUIREMENT: All hardware or device drivers, including the FLEX Firewire driver, must be installed with user rights of administrator under Windows. Not all user accounts have these elevated rights, especially Vista and Windows7. If you install the FLEX Firewire driver on these operating systems and you are not absolutely certain that your login account has the required elevated rights to properly install the driver, then you need to use a feature of these operating systems to install or run a program with full administrator rights. To do this, right click on the FLEX Firewire installed program and select the option "Run as Administrator". If your user login does not have sufficient rights, you will be prompted to provide user credentials (password) for the administrator account to continue installing the FLEX Firewire driver. For Vista and Windows7 operating systems with UAC (User Account Control) enabled, make sure you answer affirmatively (Yes) for any and all prompts during driver installation.

Upgrading the FLEX Firewire Driver
If you are upgrading to a new version of the FLEX Firewire driver, you must follow the procedure outlined below in order to make sure that the old driver is completely removed from your system before the new updated driver will install properly.

Step 1. Turn off the FLEX software defined radio hardware by powering it down completely.

Step 2. Uninstall the existing FLEX Firewire driver. The driver can be uninstalled using the uninstall menu option in the FlexRadio Systems application folder or by using the Add or Remove Programs option in the Windows Control Panel. Make sure the FLEX software defined radio is turned off along with PowerSDR before uninstalling the Firewire driver.

Step 3. Reboot your computer. This assures that the drivers are completely removed from memory.

Step 4. Follow the procedure, Installing the FLEX Firewire Driver below for installing the new Firewire device driver.

Installing the FLEX FireWire Driver - For Windows XP, Vista & Win7
The directions below will instruct you how to properly install the FLEX Firewire driver for the Firewire-based FLEX software defined radios. The screen shots used in the procedure are from a Windows XP operating system. The screens will look a little bit different when installing on Windows Vista and Win7 due to the way Vista and Win7 renders dialog boxes, but the window content is identical. Also, the FLEX Firewire driver version numbers will be a bit different too.

Step 1. After downloading both PowerSDR and the FLEX FireWire driver to your computer from the FlexRadio Web site (you can get the driver from the FlexRadio Systems home page), install or load the FLEX FireWire device driver software to your computer first. Once the FLEX FireWire device driver is fully installed, then you will enable it by powering up the FLEX software defined radio.

Before we start, it is always a best practice to to close down any running applications before installing any type of hardware device driver. Open applications may inadvertently interfere with the proper installation of the Firewire device driver.

NOTE: The FLEX software defined radio *MUST* be completely turned off or disconnected from your computer before starting this procedure. You will be instructed when to connect or turn on your FLEX software defined radio in the procedure below.

Open up the folder where you downloaded the FLEX FireWire driver. Either double left click or right click on the FLEX Firewire driver installation icon and select Run as Administrator to start the driver installation.

Step 2. After the FLEX Firewire driver Setup Wizard is displayed, left click on NEXT to begin the driver installation.

Step 3. After clicking the NEXT button, the Select Destination Location screen is displayed. It is recommended that you use the default location of C:\Program Files\FlexRadio. Left click on NEXT to continue.

Step 4. After clicking the NEXT button, the Select Additional Tasks screen is displayed. If you do not want the FLEX Firewire Control Panel icon on your desktop, un-check the “Create a desktop icon” option. It is highly recommended that you place a FLEX Firewire Control Panel icon on your desktop. You will use this control panel to manage your software defined radio. Left click on NEXT to continue.

Step 5. After clicking the NEXT button, the Ready to Install screen is displayed. Verify that the options selected in the previous two steps are correct. If not, left click on the BACK button to change any of the incorrect options. Left click on NEXT to continue.

Step 6. After clicking the NEXT button, the Installing screen will be displayed. A Software Installation warning may also appear (if not, skip to Step 7). This warning is displayed because the hardware driver has not passed the formalized Windows Logo Testing program, which is not an issue as most hardware drivers are not Windows Logo certified. The FLEX Firewire driver has been extensively tested and will not destabilize or impair your system. Left click on Continue Anyway to proceed.

Step 7. After the file transfer is complete, the Completing the FlexRadio Setup Wizard screen will be displayed and you will be prompted to reboot your computer. Please select the option, Yes, to restart the computer now.

Before left clicking on the FINISH button, make sure that your FLEX Firewire-based software defined radio is powered off. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT. You must complete the driver installation before powering on the FLEX software defined radio.

Once you have verified that the FLEX software defined radio is not powered on left click on the FINISH button to reboot the computer.

Step 8. After your computer has completely rebooted, power on your FLEX software defined radio by pressing the power button.

Windows Vista and Win7 Installation Procedure Deviation: Windows Vista and Win7 performs Steps 8 - 13 without any user intervention or displaying installation status dialog boxes. If you are installing on Windows Vista or Win7, skip to Step 14.

The following steps are applicable to Windows XP only:

The Found New Hardware Wizard dialog box is displayed once Windows XP discovers that the FLEX software defined radio, a new piece of hardware, has been connected. Select the option, No, not this time when you are prompted to use Windows Update to search for software. Left click on the NEXT button once you have made the proper selection to continue.

Step 9. The Found New Hardware Wizard will recognize that you are trying to install a FlexRadio FLEX software defined radio. Depending on the model of radio attached to your computer, the driver will properly identify the specific FLEX software defined radio you are installing. In the example above, the radio is a FLEX-5000. Select the option, Install the software automatically (Recommended), and left click on the NEXT button once you have made the proper selection to continue.

Step 10. After clicking the NEXT button, the Found New Hardware Wizard screen will be displayed momentarily.

Then a Hardware Installation warning may be shown. This warning, like the one in Step 6 is displayed because the hardware driver has not passed the formalized Windows Logo Testing program. Left click on Continue Anyway to proceed.

Step 11. After clicking the Continue Anyway button, you will observe the driver files being installed. See the screen below.

Step 12. After the driver files are installed you will see the Completing the Found New Hardware Wizard dialog box to indicate that the wizard has finished installing the software for the FlexRadio FLEX software defined radio. Left click on the FINISH button to continue.

Step 13. The FlexRadio Systems FLEX Firewire driver has three (3) sub-driver components. The first sub driver, the FlexRadio Systems FLEX-xxxx core driver component was just installed in steps 8 - 12. There are two additional sub-driver components that must installed to complete the driver installation process.

NOTE: After the FlexRadio Systems FLEX-x000 core driver component completes, repeat steps 8 - 12 for the two (2) FlexRadio MIDI drivers. You will install a total of three (3) sub-driver components. Do NOT stop installing the FLEX Firewire sub-drivers until all have been loaded.

After all of the sub-drivers have been properly installed, You should see a prompt in the bottom right had corner of your display that indicates that your new hardware is ready to use.

Step 14. The last step is to verify that the FLEX software defined radio is properly communicating with your computer. During Step 4, you should have instructed the driver installer program to place a FLEX Firewire icon on your desktop.

The FLEX Firewire Console icon may or may not look like the icon pictured to the left depending on your driver version, but will have the label "FlexRadio".

Double click on the FlexRadio icon to display the FLEX Firewire Control Panel. If the driver was properly installed, you will see the name of your FlexRadio Systems FLEX software defined radio in the Device Description text box. If the driver is not installed properly or the FLEX software defined radio is either not connected or turned off, you will receive a Device Not Found error message when you start the FLEX software defined radio.

Step 15. Once the FLEX Firewire Driver is successfully installed, you will need to configure the Firewire driver's hardware parameters, such as sampling rate, buffer size and operation mode. Please refer to the How to Configure the Operating Parameters in the FLEX Firewire Control Panel KB article. Make sure that you change the buffer size from the default of 512 as this buffer size is usually too small and will result in audio drop outs.

Verifying the Firewire Card Compatibility with the FLEX Firewire Driver

Administrator — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 09:31:59 GMT

Verifying the Firewire Card Compatibility with the FLEX Firewire Driver

System Dependencies
Minimum PowerSDR Version:	N/A
Applicable Hardware:	FLEX-5000 & FLEX-3000

Content provided by: FlexRadio Systems Engineering

Beginning with FLEX Firewire driver version 3.5.0.7171, there is an applet embedded in the FLEX Firewire control panel that can identify all 1394x Firewire adapters or host controllers installed in your computer and determine their compatibility with the FLEX Firewire driver. In addition, the applet can determine if you have the required Window's HotFixes installed for optimal Firewire performance, which is required when operating a Firewire based FlexRadio Systems software defined radio.

NOTE: This is not an absolute test to indicate performance of the Firewire host controller installed in your PC. It can help you identify products with known incompatibilities and misconfiguration issues that can degrade the operational performance of your Firewire host controller.

After running the verification test below, you may have a Firewire host controller that is verified to be compatible with the FLEX Firewire driver, but you are still experiencing intermittent drop outs, "motor boating" audio and the occasional lockup. If RFI is ruled out as a cause, the most probable cause is suboptimal Firewire data transfer performance which is directly related to the Firewire host controller itself. This verification test checks only for compatible hardware (Firewire chipset) and does not test the actual operation of your Firewire host controller in your system. Changing from a motherboard integrated Firewire host controller to one installed in the PCI or PCI-E bus may be required to get the optimal performance out of your PC.

Execute the procedure below for determining if your Firewire host controller (card) is compatible with the FLEX Firewire driver.

Prerequisite: You must have the FLEX Firewire driver version 3.5.0.7171 or higher installed before you can execute this procedure. You do NOT have to have a FLEX-5000/3000 software defined radio connected to the PC to run this validation check.

Step 1. Open the FLEX Firewire control panel using the program icon located on your desktop.

The FLEX Firewire control panel icon will look like the icon pictured to the left and have the label "FlexRadio".

Double click on the FlexRadio icon to display the FLEX Firewire Control Panel. If there is no FlexRadio SDR Firewire based hardware attached to your PC you will receive a Device Not Found error message when you start the FLEX software defined radio. This error message will not prevent you from checking the Firewire host controller installed in your computer and can be ignored.

In the example below, a FlexRadio Systems software defined radio is not attached to the PC.

Step 2. Left click on the SYSTEM button located at the top of the Global Settings window. This will open the System "applet" in the Global Settings window. See an example of the screen below.

Step 3. Left click all of the three option check boxes

Look Online for Latest Info.
Show Inactive Devices
Show Additional Details

Then left click the Scan Now button. After several seconds, the OHCI Controller Info screen will appear. See an example of the screen below.

Example 1 - Single compatible Firewire host controller installed in a Windows XP PC

In the example above, there is one OHCI 1394 (Firewire) host controller listed running on Windows XP, Service Pack 3

You will note that the Status is Active and that the Firewire card is supported by the test string "Compatible, no known issues" in the Support field.

Also, since this is a Windows XP installation, there is a SidSpeed field that reports the Firewire host controller's speed setting as found in the system Registry. In this example, the SidSpeed value is S400 indicating that the adapter is configured to operate at 400 Mb/s, the fastest speed for a 1493a Host controller. If your system does not have the required HotFixes for WinXP installed or installed properly, you will receive a warning message in the SidSpeed value.

For more information about the SidSpeed warning messages, refer to the Knowledge Base article SidSpeed Warning message from FLEX Firewire driver

Example 2 - Two Firewire host controllers installed in a Windows 7 x64 PC where one is compatible and the other is not.

In the example shown above, two controllers are listed; a Texas Instruments TSB43AB23 and a JMicron JMB380 running on Windows7 x64.

The first thing to note is that the TI controller's Status is "active" while the JMicron controller is listed as "no longer present or disabled". This is the information that determines if Windows recognizes that the the card is enabled or not. In this example, the JMicron host bus controller has been disabled in the Windows Device Manager to prevent accidental usage of a controller that is not compatible with the FLEX Firewire driver. If the Firewire host controller is disabled in the computer's BIOS, it will not show up on this list.

The second and more important thing to notice about the JMicron host controller is that this controller is Not Compatible as indicated by the Support field and the Notes specifically indicate that this controller is not compatible with the DICE driver. The FLEX and DICE Firewire drivers are one in the same. The FLEX-5000 and FLEX-3000 use a specialized OEMed version of the DICE driver made specifically for FlexRadio Systems.

Any Firewire host adapter that is identified as not compatible should not be used with FlexRadio Systems products. Occasionally you will have an adapter that is designated as not compatible, but seems to work OK with a FlexRadio Systems SDR. In these cases, the Firewire host controller may not support the higher speeds or the number of isochronous transmit and receive channels needed for optimal operation. A different Firewire host adapter should be considered in this situation.

Step 4. (Optional) It you would like to retain the OHCI Controller info after the test has been completed, Left click on the Save to File button and you will be prompted with a File Save dialog box where you give the text file a name and place it in a folder of your choosing.

FLEX-3000/1500 Microphone Pinout Configuration

Administrator — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 10:49:52 GMT

FLEX-3000/1500 Microphone Pinout Configuration

System Dependencies
Minimum PowerSDR Version:	N/A
Applicable Hardware:	FLEX-3000 & FLEX-1500

Content provided by: FlexRadio Systems Engineering

The FLEX-3000 and FLEX-1500 use a modular 8-pin modular connector or "jack" for interfacing a microphone to the transceiver. This connector is a modular "8P8C" (8 position/8 contacts) connector. A corresponding 8P8C plug is needed, commonly referred to as a RJ-45 plug or connector, for connecting a microphone to the FLEX-3000/1500. This plug is commonly used for twisted pair Ethernet cabling applications.

The RJ-45 plug has the eight (8) contacts or pins numbered 1 through 8 as shown in the diagram to the right. The contacts are numbered sequentially starting from 1. When viewed head-on with the retention mechanism (clip) on the top, jacks will have contact number 1 on the right and plugs will have contact 1 on the left.

Below is the contact assignments or "pinouts" for the FLEX-3000/1500 microphone.

FLEX-3000/1500 Microphone Pinout Configuration
Pin Number	Function
1	Increase the VFO frequency up by the Tune Step value
2	Decrease the VFO frequency down by the Tune Step value
3	Vcc (+5 VDC)
4	Microphone Ground (mic -)
5	Microphone In (mic +)
6	PTT (PTT +)
7	PTT Ground (PTT -)
8	Change to the next Tune Step value

The FLEX-3000/1500 uses the same connector pinout as the Yaesu FT897, FT857 and FT817

This KB article may reference additional files that are available on the FlexRadio Systems web site Downloads page. Please use the URL(s) below to download the referenced materials.

An Adobe Acrobat Reader may be required to open the file.You can download Adobe Acrobat from here.

KB Source Document(s):

None Referenced

Selecting High Performance Firewire Cards for FlexRadio Transceivers

Administrator — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 09:42:04 GMT

Selecting High Performance Firewire Cards for FlexRadio Transceivers

System Dependencies
Minimum PowerSDR Version:	N/A
Applicable Hardware:	Any FireWire connected device

Content provided by: FlexRadio Systems Engineering

If you are considering using a non-motherboard Firewire host adapters for the FLEX-5000, FLEX-3000 or the SDR-1000 using a Firewire based sound card, look at "high end" DV certified Firewire host adapters. These will provide the best performance and compatibility. Many, but not all motherboard integrated Firewire host adapters are not well suited for real-time audio applications because they share IRQs with many other integrated devices, such as USB ports. Sharing IRQs with other devices induces unwanted latency and has been known to cause audio drop outs.

NOTE: A lot of poor performance and audio drop outs and freeze up problems have been resolved by switching from using the motherboard Firewire interface to one that is installed in the computers peripheral bus (PCI, PCI-E, PCMCIA or ExpressCard)

Cautionary Statement: It has come to the attention of FlexRadio Systems' Support that Firewire card manufacturers are changing chipsets without notice. Some of these chipset substitutions are ones that are not fully compatible with the FLEX Firewire driver. While we try to keep this list accurate ad up to date, it is in the buyer's best interest to verify the chipset utilized in a particular card before purchasing it.

Helpful Hints:

Use a card that is specifically "approved" for DV editing packages. These cards have better stability (free of jitter) and performance than other Firewire cards.
It is recommended that the card you get is using an up to date TI or Lucent AGERE FW323 chipset. Some manufacturers are starting to change to VIA for cost reasons. Other chip sets, such as VIA may work fine, but the TI and Lucent products seem to be the most compatible.
For one of these cards, you are going to pay between $15 to $60 (USD)
Do not use a Firewire card that also has USB or any other interface ports integrated on the same card (aka a "combo" card). These are not designed to be high throughput devices are are not best suited for using with FlexRadio Systems' FireWire based transceivers.
Do not use Firewire cards that are combo 1394a and 1394b host controllers unless you are using Windows 7. The 1394b host bus adapters do not have native support under Windows XP and Vista.
If your motherboard has a specialized PCI slot for communications (usually it is orange), install your Firewire adapter in that slot. These slots usually do not share IRQ (system interrupts) with other motherboard peripherals.
If your motherboard has a PCI Express 1x slot, this is the best bus type for a Firewire host controller since it does not share interrupts with other motherboard peripherals.
Use high quality Firewire cables with multiple shields and gold connectors. Also use the shortest cable possible.
If you have an existing Firewire port on your computer, try it out first before buying a different Firewire controller.
Buy your Firewire card at a local retailer. If it doesn't work you can easily return it.

Firewire Cards Reported *not* to work well with FlexRadio Transceivers:

Adaptec FireConnect 4300 card
Any Adaptec PCMCIA based cards
SYBA-PCI-Express 1x 1394A model SD-PEX-NEC4F
StarTech PCI-1394B_3
StarTech PEX-1394A2 PCI-Express Card

NOTE: There have been numerous reports of laptop Firewire ExpressCards not working with Windows. The FLEX Firewire drivers appears to load correctly and is recognized by the software, but does not properly send data between the FLEX hardware and the laptop. This problem is most common on Vista operating systems, but has been reported on XP too.

Firewire Cards Reported to work well with FlexRadio Transceivers:

DISCLAIMER: The Firewire cards listed below are ones used by Flexers successfully with Firewire based sound cards (SDR-1000) and native Firewire SDRs such as the FLEX-5000A and FLEX-3000. These cards may no longer be available from their respective manufacturers nor are they qualified or endorsed component by FlexRadio Systems. FlexRadio makes no claim to their compatibility with your specific system (PC) and the cards are not directly supported by FlexRadio Systems. Caveat Emptor!

Syba Firewire 1394a 3+1 controller (http://www.syba.com/)
Bus Type: PCI

Recommended for the FLEX-5000A - Uses the Lucent AGERE FW323 chipset
This card can be found on the Internet for between $12.00 and $20.00 USD

Confirmed to work with FLEX-5000 on Windows XP-Professional

ADS Pyro PCI 64R2 or ADS Pyro PCI 64 (http://www.adstech.com/)
Bus Type: PCI (64-bit)

Note: This FireWire host controller uses the TI chipset
Note: The ADS PYRO PCI 64R2 has replaced the ADS Pyro PCI 64

Confirmed to work with FLEX-5000 on Windows XP-Professional
Confirmed to work with FA-66 on Windows XP-Professional

SIIG (http://www.siig.com/)
Bus Type: PCI

Many of their FireWire host controllers use the TI chipset. Below is a representative picture of a 1394a PCI host controller

Confirmed to work with FLEX-5000 on Windows XP-Professional

SIIG
Bus Type: PCI Express 1X

Confirmed to work with FLEX-5000 on Windows XP-Professional

Sonnet (http://www.sonnettech.com/)
Bus Type: PCI-E

Model: Allegro Express FW400 (FW400-E)

Confirmed to work with FLEX-5000 on Windows XP-Professional and Vista

TI Chipset
External power connector for powered devices
three (3) 1394a 6-pin connectors (2 external/1 internal)
RoHS Compliant

Inland Products (http://inlandproduct.com/)
Bus Type: PCI-E 1x

Model: Pro PCI-E

Confirmed to work with FLEX-5000 & FLEX-3000 on Windows 7

Two external and one internal 1394a connectors
TI chipset
Supports data transfer rates of 100,200 and 400 Mbps
Built-in 4-pin power connector for receiving extra power supply

Dynex (http://www.dynexproducts.com/)
Bus Type: PCI-E

Model:

Confirmed to work with FLEX-5000 & FLEX-3000 on Windows 7

Supports IEEE P1394b and backward-compatible with 1394a-2000 and 1394-1995 standards
2 port Firewire 800 ports (1394b)
1 port Firewire 400 port (1394a)
Built-in 4-pin power connector for receiving extra power supply

SUNIX (http://www.sunix.com.tw/)
Bus Type: PCI (64-bit)

These cards are DV qualified and known to use the TI chip set.

Confirmed to work with FLEX-5000 on Windows XP-Professional
Confirmed to work with FA-66 on Windows XP-Professional

Micro Innovations (http://www.mi-products.com/)
Bus Type: PCI

Confirmed to work with FLEX-5000 on Windows XP-Professional
Confirmed to work with FA-66 on Windows XP-Professional

Best Connectivity - A division of Syba Technologies, Ltd. (http://www.syba.com/)
Bus Type: ExpressCard (34 mm)

Confirmed to work with the FLEX-5000 on Windows XP-Professional

Texas Instrument Firewire Chipset XIO2200 Chipset

2-ports FireWire 1394a with 400Mb/s

Compliant with ExpressCard/34 standard

IEEE 1394-1995 Standard compliant, for High Performance Serial Bus and P1394A Supplement 4.0

1394 OpenHCI Specification V1.0 and V1.1 compliant

Data transfer rate: 100/200/400 Mbps

Fully plug & play and hot plug supported

For Windows 98SE/Me/2000/XP/XP 64-bit/Vista

Best Connectivity
Bus Type: PCI

Best Connectivity 1394b/a PCI card w/ TI chipset

Confirmed to work with the FLEX-5000 and FLEX-3000 on Windows7

Firewire 1394b ports x 2
Firewire 1394a port x 1
Transfer rate up to 800Mb/s
Support 32-Bit 33MHz PCI Interfacing
Compliant with 1394 OpenHCI Specification V1.2
Full Backward compatible to FireWire 400 1394a specification
Support 800/400/200/100Mb/s data transfer rate
TI Chipset

Belkin FireWire ExpressCard (http://www.belkin.com/)
Bus Type: ExpressCard (34 mm)

Confirmed to work with the FLEX-5000 on Windows XP-Professional

Delivers single-lane (x1) PCI Express throughput support rates of 2.5Gbps
Complies with ExpressCard 34mm-wide module specification
Built-in 2 external, independent 6-pin FireWire 400 ports
Supports 1394 Open Host Controller Interface (OHCI) Specification 1.1
Features IEEE 1394a-2000-compliant ports at 100, 200 and 400Mbps
Equipped with 1 DC jack for using power adapter to provide 12VDC power output
Complies with IEEE 1394 and 1394a
Allows you to connect/disconnect devices without powering down the system (hot-swappable)

How to use the FLEX-3000 RF Preamp & Attenuator

Administrator — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 06:05:16 GMT

How to use the FLEX-3000 RF Preamp & Attenuator

System Dependencies
Minimum PowerSDR Version:	1.18.3
Applicable Hardware:	FLEX-3000

Content provided by: FlexRadio Systems Engineering

Background
(Content used from a National Contest Journal (Nov/Dec 2000) article by Gary Breed (K9AY))

A receiver's dynamic range is an important fundamental performance parameter. The FLEX-3000's dynamic range (IMD DR3) includes signal levels ranging from the noise floor of its own circuitry to the highest received signal level that causes audible intermodulation distortion (IMD or intermod). The narrow spaced (2 KHz) dynamic range with the preamp off for the FLEX-3000 is somewhere in the mid 90 dB range where the noise floor is ~ -135 dB. This means that the maximum signal strength would be ~ -40 dB that equates to a approximately S9+35.

The key to optimal reception is to maintain the received signals within the "IMD "free" range of your receivers dynamic range. You achieve keeping the input signal strength within this range by controlling the incoming signal levels with gain or attenuation.

So when do you need to use the preamp and when do you need to use the attenuator?
On 15 to 6 meters, the background noise level can very near the bottom of the FLEX-3000's dynamic range. At these frequencies, the addition of signal pre-amplification may be necessary to increase received signals that are above the noise level, but below the threshold of the FLEX-3000 sensitivity.

However, when the higher frequency bands are wide open, signal levels can be very strong! If we still have a lot of preamplifier gain turned on when those big signals are present, we will exceed the upper limit of our desired dynamic range and generate signal-covering intermodulation. The challenge is to be aware of the overall range of the received signals. You want to turn *on* the preamp when we need to hear weak signals, but turn it off (or even use some attenuation) to avoid intermodulation products from strong signals. The use of a preamp on these bands is not a "set it and forget it" type of setting.

The low frequency bands (160-40m) require special attention to not using pre-amplification and possibly need to use attenuation in the presence of strong signals and band noise. The 40-meter band is a unique case, since it can be either quiet or noisy. The band has the added factor of megawatt international broadcast stations. Like the other low bands, you will never need a preamp on 40m unless you are using an inefficient receiving antenna. On all the low bands, the question is, "How much attenuation do I need and how do I implement it?"

The easiest way to add attenuation with the FLEX-3000 is to reduce the AGC Threshold gain (AGC-T) on the PowerSDR console. When the incoming signals are very strong, you should use the 20 dB attenuator available in the RX Gain drop down control on PowerSDR console.

Configuration and Settings for the FLEX-3000
The FLEX-3000 has three (3) states for amplifying or attenuating the input RF gain. These setting are selectable from the PowerSDR console. They are:

ATTN - This setting inserts a -9 dB attenuator into the RX signal path
OFF - This setting provide neither pre-amplification or attenuation in the RX signal path
PRE1 - This setting inserts +5 dB @ 20m and +11 dB @6m of pre-amplification into the RX signal path.
PRE2 - This setting inserts +14 dB @ 20m and +20 dB @6m of pre-amplification into the RX signal path.

Below are some guidelines for setting the preamp and AGC-T settings for various bands.

Bands (meters)	Preamp1 Setting	Preamp2 Setting	Attenuator Setting	AGC-T Range
160-30	Off	Off	On or Off	70-90
20-17	On or Off	Off	Off	75-85
15-10m	Usually Off	On or Off	Usually Off	75-95
6m	Usually Off	On or Off	Usually Off	100-120

This KB article may reference additional files that are available on the FlexRadio Systems web site Downloads page. Please use the URL(s) below to download the referenced materials.

An Adobe Acrobat Reader may be required to open the file.You can download Adobe Acrobat from here.

KB Source Document(s):

None Referenced

PowerSDR Buffers and Sample Rate Relationship

Administrator — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 15:22:40 GMT

PowerSDR Buffers and Sample Rate Relationship

System Dependencies
Minimum PowerSDR Version:	1.X.0
Applicable Hardware:	All SDR transceivers

Content provided by: FlexRadio Systems Engineering and Joe AB1DO

Rather than a theoretical discourse on the consequences of Buffer Size and Sample Rate settings, this article will attempt to illustrate how these settings effect both the minimum possible filter bandwidth, filter slope or steepness and latency for each of the settings available in PowerSDR. We will start with the filter effects and then move on to latency. Finally a little underlying theory is offered to help gain some more insight without the need to delve into a DSP tomb.

Filter Effects
The minimum filter width possible at a given DSP Buffer Size N and a Sample Rate f_s equals 1.5*f_s/N, where the factor 1.5 is due to the additional roll-off due to the Blackman-Harris window function. Therefore, for the steepest and narrowest filters we want a low Sample Rate and a high DSP Buffer Size. Exactly how this effects the filter shapes is shown on the following two pages in Figure 1 through 3 for a 2.7kHz LSB filter and in Figure 4 through 6 for a 25Hz CW filter. It is clear that as the Sample Rate increases and/or the DSP Buffer size decreases, the filter skirts become less “brick-wall” and more “roll-off”, thus reducing a filter's effectiveness.

Graph Legend
Color	DSP Buffer Size
Red	512
Green	1024
Blue	2048
Black	4096

Figure 1: 2.7kHz LSB Filter at 48kHz Sampling Rate

Figure 2: 2.7kHz LSB Filter at 96kHz Sample Rate

Figure 3: 2.7kHz LSB Filter at 192kHz Sample Rate

Figure 4: 25Hz CWL Filter at 48kHz Sample Rate

Figure 5: 25Hz CWL filter at 96kHz Sample Rate

Figure 6: 25Hz CWL Filter at 192kHz Sample Rate

Latency Effects
The latency in the system will be at least equal to the minimum of the Audio and DSP Buffer Sizes divided by the Sample Rate. Because both the DSP Buffer and the Sample Rate also determine the minimum filter width, setting the Audio Buffer as small as your computer system will tolerate is preferable. That way, latency will not be unnecessarily long. If latency is an issue with your computer system, you may have to resort to a smaller Buffer Size and/or a higher Sample Rate than you would otherwise prefer based on filter shapes.

Underlying Theory
To transform signals from the time domain to the frequency domain we start with the Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT), which is the Fourier Transform for time sampled signals (The FFT or Fast Fourier Transform is an efficient algorithm to calculate the DFT). It is important to realize that the result of the DFT is a continuous function of the frequency, from –infinity to +infinity. The annoying thing about this transform, however, is that it needs to “know” the temporal signal over a time domain of ±infinity. Needless to say, this is not practical.

We can limit the time domain T to a limited number of samples (equal to the “slice” of time represented by the DSP Buffer) if we assume the temporal signal to repeat continuously, with a period T. The result is, however, no longer a continuous function of the frequency, but a discrete function, that is, the power spectrum is only calculated at frequency intervals equal to 1/T. These discrete frequencies are called bins. These bins can be envisioned as a series of 1/T Hz wide parallel filters, spaced every 1/T Hz. Each bin “fills” with the average power at its center frequency and averaged over 1/T Hz. The frequency resolution is therefore limited to 1/T Hz.

Because we assume the time domain signal at hand to repeat with period T, any discontinuity between the last sample in a buffer and the first sample in the next buffer will violate this condition. To understand this, it helps to know that the result of an FFT is complex, including magnitude and phase information (this is even true if the temporal signal is real). In other words, rather than on a straight line, the FFT writes the data on a circle in the complex plane, where one revolution represents N/T Hz (N being the number of samples in the DSP Buffer). When the last sample in the DSP Buffer meets the first sample in the next DSP Buffer, chances are they will not meet in a continuous fashion. Any discontinuity will lead to a wide associated spectrum across multiple bins, a phenomenon known as “bleed-through”.

Another way of looking at this is that a signal with period T (and any harmonic thereof), can be represented as a combination of its fundamental frequency 1/T Hz and higher order harmonics, all spaced at multiples of its fundamental frequency. These spectral components are therefore at the center of each FFT bin. If on the other hand, the temporal signal does not have a periodicity equal to (an integer multiple of )the fundamental frequency, it's spectral components will not be centered on each bin and bleed through will occur from one bin to the next, resulting in a loss of frequency resolution.

To avoid this happening, the samples in the DSP Buffer are first multiplied by a window function such that the spectral smearing is limited, but it is not completely eliminated. Each window function has advantages and disadvantages depending on the situation at hand. For our purposes, the Blackman-Harris window offers the best trade-off between loss of frequency resolution and stop-band characteristics.

The time slice T that the DSP buffer represents, often called the FFT size, equals the number of samples it can hold (the Buffer size N) divided by the Sample Rate f_s, e.g. if the Buffer size equals 1024 and the sample rate 96kHz, the DSP Buffer represents a time slice of 1024/96kHz = 10.67ms.

If a signal suddenly appears, we will need to wait until the Buffer is filled, at which time it can be processed by the FFT. Waiting for the buffer to fill limits our resolution in the time domain (we have to wait T seconds). This temporal resolution is also known as latency: a high temporal resolution equals a low latency. To decrease our latency (increase our temporal resolution), we therefore need to keep T small by either reducing the Buffer size or increasing the Sample Rate, or both.

However, we have already seen that the frequency resolution equals 1/T Hz (ignoring effects due to windowing). Therefore to increase frequency resolution, we need to increase T as much as possible by using a large Buffer Size and a low Sample Rate. It is this frequency resolution that determines the possible steepness and narrowness of our filters. A higher resolution enables steeper and narrower filters.

Clearly we cannot have both a high temporal and a high frequency resolution. We must make a trade-off by setting the temporal resolution (latency) to an acceptable level and accepting the resulting frequency resolution (minimum filter width).

FLEX-1500 Block Diagram

Administrator — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 00:11:13 GMT

FLEX-1500 Block Diagram

System Dependencies
Minimum PowerSDR Version:	N/A
Applicable Hardware:	FLEX-1500

Content provided by: FlexRadio Systems Engineering

Below is a downloadable PDF version of the FLEX-1500 software defined radio block diagram.

SidSpeed Warning message from FLEX Firewire driver

Administrator — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 14:40:17 GMT

SidSpeed Warning message from FLEX Firewire driver

System Dependencies
Minimum PowerSDR Version:	N/A
Applicable Hardware:	FLEX-5000 and FLEX-3000;

Content provided by: FlexRadio Systems Engineering

The FLEX Firewire driver, version 3.5.0.7171 and above has a Firewire chipset applet that will identify possible configuration and or Firewire card incompatibilities with the FLEX Firewire driver.

Error Condition:
If you are using Windows XP with Service Pack 3 loaded, you may receive the following warning if you do not have MS Hot Fix # 955408 loaded on your system:

SidSpeed: ** Warning ** SidSpeed registry entry is missing or illegal.
1394 devices may not work, or may have limited channel count.

This is a warning message and will not prevent you from using your Firewire based FlexRadio Systems SDR. It is recommended that you revolve the issue so that you are operating the Firewire host controller at it maximum performance level.

Resolution:
Obtain Hot Fix # 955408 from Microsoft and install it on your system as per the Hot Fix instructions. A reboot will be required after the installation of the Hot Fix. http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=955408

Even though the Hot Fix refers to 1394b adapters, it is applicable to 1394a adapters as well and should be loaded.

This KB article may reference additional files that are available on the FlexRadio Systems web site Downloads page. Please use the URL(s) below to download the referenced materials.

An Adobe Acrobat Reader may be required to open the file.You can download Adobe Acrobat from here.

KB Source Document(s):

None Referenced

FLEX-3000/1500 to W2IHY Audio Interface Configuration

Administrator — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 02:39:18 GMT

FLEX-3000/1500 to W2IHY Audio Interface Configuration

System Dependencies
Minimum PowerSDR Version:	N/A
Applicable Hardware:	FLEX-3000 & FLEX-1500

Content provided by: FlexRadio Systems Engineering

The following wiring diagram represents how to wire the modular FLEX-3000 & FLEX-1500 RJ-45 8-pin microphone connector to the W2IHY EQplus and the 8-Band EQ using the 5-pin DIN connector.

FLEX-3000/1500 Microphone Pinout Configuration
Pin Number	Function
1	Not Used - Reserved for future use
2	Not Used - Reserved for future use
3	Vcc (+5 VDC)
4	Microphone Ground (mic -)
5	Microphone In (mic +)
6	PTT (PTT +)
7	PTT Ground (PTT -)
8	Not Used - Reserved for future use

This KB article may reference additional files that are available on the FlexRadio Systems web site Downloads page. Please use the URL(s) below to download the referenced materials.

An Adobe Acrobat Reader may be required to open the file.You can download Adobe Acrobat from here.

KB Source Document(s):

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High Quality USB Cables

Administrator — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 14:04:30 GMT

High Quality USB Cables

System Dependencies
Minimum PowerSDR Version:	N/A
Applicable Hardware:	Any USB based SDR

Content provided by: Tim, W4TME

The utilization of high quality USB cables in any high RF environment is an absolute necessity and not all USB cables are constructed the same.

In addition to keeping unwanted RF out of a computer and a USB connected software defined radio, USB interfaces also have the ability to emit RFI, therefore a well shielded USB cable with ferrite chokes are essential for mitigating RFI issues.

When purchasing a USB cable, it is important to recognize that there are different specifications of USB cables that are delineated by their maximum data rates and the amount of current handling capacity, since USB cables can provide 5.0 VDC voltage to a target device from a host computer.

If you need to purchase additional USB cables for your USB enabled software defined radio, make sure that you purchase cables that conform to the USB 2.0 or higher specification. These cables are designed for high data rates and in order to achieve these higher data rates with no data loss, better quality materials and and manufacturing to stricter tolerances is required. To ensure that the cables you purchase have met the required USB 2.0 specifications, look for the certified "HI-SPEED" USB logo shown below on the product packaging.

The USB 2.0 cable shown on the right is an example of a high quality USB cable.

The USB cables provided with FlexRadio Systems software defined radios are of very good quality and are sufficient for most applications. If you have a situation where the SDR is in a high RF environment, you may want to consider a high quality USB 2.0 cable.

Below are some links to USB cable manufacturers and suppliers that are know to have high quality USB cables.

DJ TechTools (www.djtechtools.com)
Hi-Quality USB 2.0 Cable

USBFirewire (www.usbfirewire.com/)
A-B USB 2.0 Cables
This company has a variety of angled USB connectors. You may be interested in an "up angle B" connector for use with the FLEX-1500

Tendon (www.tendonusq.com)
USB 2.0 Cables

FLEX-1500 USB Interface Information

Administrator — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 12:21:13 GMT

FLEX-1500 USB Interface Information

System Dependencies
Minimum PowerSDR Version:	N/A
Applicable Hardware:	FLEX-1500

Content provided by: FlexRadio Systems Engineering

FLEX-1500 USB Connector Type
The FLEX-1500 utilizes a USB interface to connect to your personal computer (PC). It is a "full speed" USB device operating at 12 Mb/s. The connector on the FLEX-1500 is a standard USB "type B" (USB-B) receptacle (female) which has a square shape with beveled exterior corners. This type of USB connector is utilized for an "upstream" or "target device" on equipment that uses a removable cable. Refer to the image of the connector types below.

USB Connector Types

The standard USB connectors were deliberately designed in such a manner to enforce the directed topology of a USB network: type A connectors on host devices that supply power and type B connectors on target devices that receive power. This prevents users from accidentally connecting two USB power supplies to each other, which could lead to dangerously high currents, circuit failures, or even fire.

USB Cable Type for Connecting the FLEX-1500 to Your Computer
When connecting a FLEX-1500 to a computer, a USB cable with a standard "B" plug (USB-B) on one end and a standard type "A" plug (USB-A) on the other end is required (see USB connector types image above). These are referred to as "A-B" cables. It is a best practice to use the shortest cable necessary to connect the PC to the FLEX-1500 and not exceed 5m (16' 5") in length. See an example of an A-B USB cable to the right.

The USB cable supplied with your SDR should be sufficient to operate the FLEX-1500 without any issues. If you need to purchase additional USB cables for your FLEX-1500, make sure that you purchase cables that conform to the USB 2.0 or higher specification. These cables are designed for high data rates and in order to achieve these higher data rates with no data loss, better quality materials and and manufacturing to stricter tolerances is required. To ensure that the cables you purchase have met the required USB 2.0 specifications, look for the certified "HI-SPEED" USB logo shown below on the product packaging.

NOTE: It is NOT recommended that you use USB hubs to extend the cable length when using the FLEX-1500.

As with all SDR interface cables, it is recommended that you have ferrite beads on at least one ends of the cable at the radio end to prevent RFI from interfering with the operation of the radio. In high RFI environments, ferrite beads at both ends of the cable may be necessary.

Connecting the FLEX-1500 to a Computer
You will be able to connect the FLEX-1500 to any USB controller type in your PC. The FLEX-1500 is compatible with USB controllers that comply with the 1.0, 1.1, 2.0 and 3.0 USB specifications.

K9DUR PowerSDR 3.x Data Transfer Utility

Administrator — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 02:50:20 GMT

K9DUR PowerSDR 3.x Data Transfer Utility

System Dependencies
Minimum PowerSDR Version:	Any Version
Applicable Hardware:	N/A

Content provided by:Ray, K9DUR

The PowerSDR Data Transfer 3.x Utility is an advanced database management program that allows you to transfer data from one PowerSDR™ setup database to another. Certain data in the PowerSDR setup database should never be transferred to another database. In some cases, the decision as to whether it is safe to transfer the data or not can be determined by which table the data is stored in. However, a couple of the tables have a mixture of data that is safe to transfer and data that is not. Unfortunately, this includes some of the more popular custom settings that are rather tedious to re-enter by hand when moving to a new database. The filter settings are just one example. PowerSDR Data Transfer Utility decides which tables and which records within each table can be safely transferred based on information stored in a setup database, SDRDataTransfer.xml.

Version 3.x of the PowerSDR Data Transfer Utility allows the transfer of settings between both types of databases used by PowerSDR. PowerSDR v1.18.0 and earlier used a Microsoft Access database file named PowerSDR.mdb. Starting with v1.18.1, PowerSDR uses an XML file named database.xml to hold the setup data. SDRDataTransfer v2.x allows all 4 types of data transfer: .mdb -> .mdb, .xml -> .xml, .mdb -> .xml, & .xml -> .mdb.

As newer versions of PowerSDR are released, all that is necessary is to update the SDRDataTransfer.xml file with the new data. If a new version of PowerSDR is released with new features, the PowerSDR Data Transfer Utility will still work, but the settings for the new features will not be transferred until an updated version of the SDRDataTransfer.xml file is installed.

This program replaces the PowerSDR 1.x Database Transfer Utility which only transferred data between Microsoft Access databases.

This program is an upgrade from the PowerSDR 2.x Data Transfer Utility and contains fixes for European users.

NOTE: This program requires the Microsoft .NET Framework Version 3.5 SP1 which must be downloaded & installed separately. You may download the installation package directly from Microsoft or from this website. The file is about 237 Mb in size. If you already have PowerSDR v1.18.1 or later installed and working (or any other software that requires Version 3.5 of the .NET Framework) , then you do not have to download & install the .NET Framework again.

You can download the installation package and the user documentation from the Related Links listed below.

How to Identify the USB Controller Types Installed in your Computer

Administrator — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 02:38:50 GMT

How to Identify the USB Controller Types Installed in your Computer

System Dependencies
Minimum PowerSDR Version:	N/A
Applicable Hardware:	FLEX-1500

Content provided by: FlexRadio Systems Engineering

It may be necessary to determine the USB controller type in your PC or correct problems with improperly installed USB controllers.

NOTE: The FLEX-1500 is a "Full Speed" USB device and will operate on all versions of USB controllers

The following procedure below is applicable to Windows based PCs.

Refer to the USB FAQ: Introductory Level web page from Microsoft for the procedure.

FlexWire v2 Connector Pinout for the FLEX-1500

Administrator — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 01:43:49 GMT

FlexWire v2 Connector Pinout for the FLEX-1500

System Dependencies
Minimum PowerSDR Version:	N/A
Applicable Hardware:	FLEX-1500

Content provided by: FlexRadio Systems Engineering

The FlexWire connector on the FLEX-1500 utilizes the version 2 standard (v2) which is slightly different than the v1 standard used on the FLEX-5000 and FLEX-3000 software defined radios. The major difference is that pin 3, which was either grounded, un-used or physically blocked in some FLEX-x000 models, is now utilized as a PTT OUT for keying transverters and amplifiers.

Pin 3 is now connected to an "open-drain" which will provide a closure to ground during transmit for a positive voltage source. If you use this output to directly drive a relay, you must add a diode across the relay to limit the inductive "kick" upon releasing the relay. This protection diode is NOT provided internal to the FLEX-1500.

Specifications on this output are:

Maximum current: 0.25 Amps
Maximum open circuit voltage: +20 Volts
Maximum "ON" resistance: 1 Ohm

The FlexWire v2 connector is a standard DB-9 female connector

Pin 1 - Ground

Pin 2 - Transmit Audio Line Input

Pin 3 - PTT Output (Open Drain)

Pin 4 - PTT Input (Also I2C interrupt request input, if used)

Pin 5 - Ground

Pin 6 - I2C Bus, Serial Clock

Pin 7 - I2C Bus, Serial Data

Pin 8 - +13.8 Volts Out (Same as voltage into power connector)

Pin 9 - Receive Audio Line Output

Connecting Headphones or Speakers to the FLEX-1500

Administrator — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 15:22:10 GMT

Connecting Headphones or Speakers to the FLEX-1500

System Dependencies
Minimum PowerSDR Version:	N/A
Applicable Hardware:	FLEX-1500

Content provided by: FlexRadio Systems Engineering

For proper operation, please use the following guidelines:

An impedance of 32 ohms or greater is recommended for the headphones.
Do NOT use headphones with an impedance less than 8 ohms
Only use stereo headphones or speakers. Do not use a stereo headphone jack converter on mono headphones.
The headphone jack can be used with headphones or powered computer speakers.

This KB article may reference additional files that are available on the FlexRadio Systems web site Downloads page. Please use the URL(s) below to download the referenced materials.

An Adobe Acrobat Reader may be required to open the file.You can download Adobe Acrobat from here.

KB Source Document(s):

NoneReferenced

Headphone Requirements for the FLEX-5000

Administrator — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 15:11:52 GMT

Headphone Requirements for the FLEX-5000

System Dependencies
Minimum PowerSDR Version:	N/A
Applicable Hardware:	FLEX-5000

Content provided by: FlexRadio Systems Engineering

The headphone circuitry in the FLEX-5000 uses Output Coupled Load (OCL) amplifier with a 2.5V bias.

For proper operation, please use the following guidelines:

A minimum impedance of 30 Ohms is required for the headphones
Only use stereo headphones. Do not use a stereo headphone jack converter on mono headphones
The headphone jack is to be used only for headphones. Use the rear panel audio connections for connecting external audio equipment. Use either the PWR SPKR for stereo the RCA audio output for monaural connections.

NOTE: The headphone amplifier has built in short circuit protection that may cause a "popping" sound when used with headphones that do not meet the minimum impedance specification.

This KB article may reference additional files that are available on the FlexRadio Systems web site Downloads page. Please use the URL(s) below to download the referenced materials.

An Adobe Acrobat Reader may be required to open the file.You can download Adobe Acrobat from here.

KB Source Document(s):

NoneReferenced

What Kind of Speakers Should I Buy for My FlexRadio SDR?

Administrator — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 13:18:47 GMT

What Kind of Speakers Should I Buy for My FlexRadio SDR?

System Dependencies
Minimum PowerSDR Version:	N/A
Applicable Hardware:	All transceivers

Content provided by: FlexRadio Systems Engineering

Answer:
You want to buy the highest quality powered computer speakers you can afford. This will be in the $30-100 price range. You have purchased a "hot rod" of a receiver; don't skimp on the "tires".

You need to buy a high quality pair of "powered" computer speakers that will match the quality of the sound produced by your FlexRadio transceiver

In addition, these higher-end speakers are usually a lot less susceptible to RFI.

The following brands have been used successfully with the FlexRadio Systems software defined radios

Klipsch Pro Media Ultra 2
Bose Media Mates
Bose Companion 2
Harmon Kardon
Altec Lancing 221
Creative Labs Model 34
Creative T20 Series II

This KB article may reference additional files that are available on the FlexRadio Systems web site Downloads page. Please use the URL(s) below to download the referenced materials.

An Adobe Acrobat Reader may be required to open the file.You can download Adobe Acrobat from here.

KB Source Document(s):

NoneReferenced

FLEX-1500 DC Power Interface

Administrator — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 08:55:32 GMT

FLEX-1500 DC Power Interface

System Dependencies
Minimum PowerSDR Version:	N/A
Applicable Hardware:	FLEX-1500

Content provided by: FlexRadio Systems Engineering

The FLEX-1500 utilizes a coaxial type power jack. The center pin measures 2.5 mm and the outer diameter is 5.5 mm.

It uses a coaxial power connector like the one shown to the right.

A power cable terminated with the proper connector is supplied with the FLEX-1500, but if you would like to make additional power cables, the appropriate connectors can be purchased from the following companies listed below

Switchcraft # 760
Mouser part number 502-760

How to Manually Reset a PowerSDR™ 1.x Database

Administrator — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 03:48:56 GMT

How to Manually Reset a PowerSDR™ 1.x Database

System Dependencies
Minimum PowerSDR Version:	all 1.x versions
Applicable Hardware:	N/A

Content provided by: FlexRadio Systems Engineering

The procedure for manually creating or rebuilding the PowerSDR database is very simple. When PowerSDR starts, it looks for the powersdr.mdb or database.xml file for newer versions of PowerSDR in the directory where PowerSDR is run from. If the database is not found, PowerSDR automatically creates a new one.

Either delete or rename the powersdr.mdb or database.xml file in the proper PowerSDR application directory to rebuild the database.

Step 1. Using the Window Explorer, navigate to the application directory where you are running PowerSDR from and display its contents. For the released versions of PowerSDR it will be in the C:\Program Files\FlexRadio Systems\PowerSDR vX.Y.Z, where X.Y.Z is the version number, such as 1.10.3.

Step 2. Locate the PowerSDR database, powersdr.mdb or database.xml and left click on it to highlight the file. See the screen below for an example using PowerSDR 1.10.3with a powersdr.mdb database

NOTE: Depending on how Windows is configured, the database.xml file may not be visible in the program folder. This is particularly true for Windows Vista and Winows7

Step 3. Right click on the file name to display the drop down menu and right click on Rename. See the screen below for an example.

Step 4. The File name will be highlighted. Place your cursor inside the file name box and left click the mouse. Change the name of the file. In the example below, the file was changed to powersdr.mdb.old or database.xml.old

Step 5. After changing the name hit the <ENTER> key or click you mouse outside of the file name box. A warning screen will be displayed. Left click on the YES button to proceed.

Step 6. The file name has been successfully changed. See the screen below for an example of a successfully changed file name for the PowerSDR database.

Step 7. Restart PowerSDR. The new PowerSDR database is not yet initialized, so you will be presented with the initial PowerSDR database setup procedure the first time you rerun PowerSDR after deleting or renaming the old database

This KB article may reference additional files that are available on the FlexRadio Systems web site Downloads page. Please use the URL(s) below to download the referenced materials.

An Adobe Acrobat Reader may be required to open the file.You can download Adobe Acrobat from here.

KB Source Document(s):

NoneReferenced

PowerSDR 1.18.5 - Software and Release Notes

Administrator — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 08:00:37 GMT

PowerSDR 1.18.5 - Software and Release Notes

System Dependencies
Minimum PowerSDR Version:	1.18.5
Applicable Hardware:	All transceivers

Content provided by: FlexRadio Systems Engineering

The following are bug fixes included in PowerSDR 1.18.5. This release is a maintenance release and contains no new features.

IMPORTANT: You must have Microsoft .NET 3.5 SP 1 installed for this release of PowerSDR

Download Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 Service Pack 1

Note: For FLEX-5000 and FLEX-3000 users, the FLEX Firewire driver v3.5.0.7171 is recommended for this release.

Note: For FLEX-5000 users, firmware 1.3.0.8 is recommended for this release.

Note: For FLEX-3000users, firmware 1.2.5.6 is recommended for this release.

Removed RtsEnable function to serial port code for debug timing.
Fixed issue with PA Bias not turning off.
Fixed problems with VFO swapping using A <> B button.
Fixed database import not showing changes to various forms.

Caveat(s):

None

This KB article may reference additional files that are available on the FlexRadio Systems web site Downloads page. Please use the URL(s) below to download the referenced materials.

An Adobe Acrobat Reader may be required to open the file.You can download Adobe Acrobat from here.

KB Source Document(s):

PowerSDR 1.18.5 Software Installation Program

PowerSDR Software Version and Dependency Matrix

Administrator — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 07:39:39 GMT

PowerSDR Software Version and Dependency Matrix

System Dependencies
Minimum PowerSDR Version:	All versions
Applicable Hardware:	All transceivers

Content provided by:FlexRadio Systems Engineering

Below are the Software Version and Dependency Matrix for FlexRadio Systems transceivers.

FLEX-5000x and FLEX-3000 Software Defined Radios
SDR Control Software	FireWire Driver	Firmware Version	Comments
PowerSDR 1.18.5	3.5.0.7171 (32 & 64-bit)	1.3.0.8 (FLEX-5000) 1.2.5.6 (FLEX-3000)	This version of PowerSDR requires the Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 + SP1 and .Net 1.1
PowerSDR 1.18.4	3.5.0.7171 (32 & 64-bit)	1.3.0.8 (FLEX-5000) 1.2.5.6 (FLEX-3000)	* DEFERRED RELEASE *
PowerSDR 1.18.3	3.4.2.6300 (32 & 64-bit)	1.3.0.8 (FLEX-5000) 1.2.5.6 (FLEX-3000)	This version of PowerSDR requires the Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 + SP1 and .Net 1.1
PowerSDR 1.18.2	3.4.0.5254 (32 & 64-bit)	1.3.0.6 (FLEX-5000) 1.2.5.5 (FLEX-3000)	This version of PowerSDR requires the Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 + SP1 and .Net 1.1
PowerSDR 1.18.1	3.4.0.5254 (32 & 64-bit)	1.3.0.0 (FLEX-5000) 1.2.5.4 (FLEX-3000)	This version of PowerSDR requires the Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 + SP1 and .NET 1.1
PowerSDR 1.18.0	3.4.0.4877 (32 & 64-bit)	1.3.0.0 (FLEX-5000) 1.2.5.3 (FLEX-3000)	Initial support for the FLEX-3000
PowerSDR 1.16.2	3.4.0.4877 (32 & 64-bit)	1.3.0.0	Firewire 64-bit driver is now signed
PowerSDR 1.16.1	3.2.0.1556 (32-bit)	1.3.0.0	PowerSDR v1.16.0 was deferred
PowerSDR 1.14.0	3.2.0.1556 (32-bit)	1.2.2.2
PowerSDR 1.14.0	3.2.0.1556 (32-bit)	1.2.2.0
PowerSDR 1.14.0	3.2.0.1556 (32-bit)	1.2.1.10	See upgrade procedure before loading new driver and firmware
PowerSDR 1.12.0	3.0.0.70 (32-bit)	1.2.0.3
PowerSDR 1.12.0	3.0.0.70 (32-bit)	1.2.0.1
PowerSDR 1.12.0	3.0.0.70 (32-bit)	1.2.0.0
PowerSDR 1.10.4	3.0.0.70 (32-bit)	0.1.1.13
PowerSDR 1.10.4	3.0.0.70 (32-bit)	0.1.1.12
PowerSDR 1.10.4	3.0.0.70 (32-bit)	0.1.1.10
PowerSDR 1.10.4	3.0.0.70 (32-bit)	0.1.1.9
PowerSDR 1.10.4	3.0.0.70 (32-bit)	0.1.1.8
PowerSDR 1.10.4	3.0.0.70 (32-bit)	0.1.1.7
PowerSDR 1.10.4	3.0.0.70 (32-bit)	0.1.1.6

SDR-1000 Software Defined Radio
SDR Control Software	FireWire Driver	Firmware Version	Comments
PowerSDR 1.18.5	N/A	N/A	This version of PowerSDR requires the Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 + SP1 and .Net 1.1
PowerSDR 1.18.4	N/A	N/A	* DEFERRED RELEASE *
PowerSDR 1.18.3	N/A	N/A	This version of PowerSDR requires the Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 + SP1 and .Net 1.1
PowerSDR 1.18.2	N/A	N/A	This version of PowerSDR requires the Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 + SP1 and .Net 1.1
PowerSDR 1.18.1	N/A	N/A	This version of PowerSDR requires the Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 + SP1 and .Net 1.1
PowerSDR 1.18.0	N/A	N/A
PowerSDR 1.16.2	N/A	N/A
PowerSDR 1.16.1	N/A	N/A
PowerSDR 1.14.0	N/A	N/A
PowerSDR 1.12.1	N/A	N/A
PowerSDR 1.12.0	N/A	N/A
PowerSDR 1.10.4	N/A	N/A
PowerSDR 1.10.3	N/A	N/A
PowerSDR 1.10.2	N/A	N/A
PowerSDR 1.8.0	N/A	N/A	Last SDR-1000 only version of PowerSDR
PowerSDR 1.6.2	N/A	N/A
PowerSDR 1.6.1	N/A	N/A
PowerSDR 1.6.0	N/A	N/A

PowerSDR 1.18.4 - Software and Release Notes

Administrator — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 09:23:48 GMT

PowerSDR 1.18.4 - Software and Release Notes

System Dependencies
Minimum PowerSDR Version:	1.18.4
Applicable Hardware:	All transceivers

Content provided by: FlexRadio Systems Engineering

The following are bug fixes included in PowerSDR 1.18.4. This release is a maintenance release and contains no new features.

IMPORTANT: You must have Microsoft .NET 3.5 SP 1 installed for this release of PowerSDR

Download Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 Service Pack 1

Note: For FLEX-5000 and FLEX-3000 users, the FLEX Firewire driver v3.5.0.7171 is recommended for this release.

Note: For FLEX-5000 users, firmware 1.3.0.8 is recommended for this release.

Note: For FLEX-3000users, firmware 1.2.5.6 is recommended for this release.

Added RtsEnable function to serial port code for debug timing.
Added ALC to DIGx modes.
Removed short RF pulse after TUN (flush TX buffers).
Fixed bug in FLEX-5000 RX2 display level code referencing RX1 preamp mode.
Removed 5 second PA bias hold after transmitting in CW.
Adjusted FLEX-3000 Preamp cutoff limits.
Relaxed RX Image cal tolerance on FLEX-3000 TRX board rev G and later to take care of lower gain on 160m - 60m (causing intermittent test failures).
Fixed intermittent failure of RX Image cal on 80m with rev G+ FLEX-3000s.
Fixed preamp test limits.

Caveat(s):

None

This KB article may reference additional files that are available on the FlexRadio Systems web site Downloads page. Please use the URL(s) below to download the referenced materials.

An Adobe Acrobat Reader may be required to open the file.You can download Adobe Acrobat from here.

KB Source Document(s):

PowerSDR 1.18.4 Software Installation Program

RF Suppression for Microphone Circuits (and more)

Administrator — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 07:39:25 GMT

RF Suppression for Microphone Circuits (and more)

System Dependencies
Minimum PowerSDR Version:	N/A
Applicable Hardware:	All transceivers

Content provided by: Jim, W4GB

If you are having trouble with transmitter RF energy getting into your microphone circuit, and causing audio distortion, please read on.

I have found some parts for RF suppression that are effective over ALL of the high-frequency amateur radio bands. These parts are equally effective on all cables; power, Firewire, powered speaker, etc., not just microphone cables.

The cores are made by the Fair-Rite Corporation, and utilize a new "mix" of lossy, suppressor ferrite materials designated as Type 31. The material is specified to be effective from 1 MHz up to 300 MHz. The two recommended parts are identical, except the "Snap-On" part is split into 2 parts lengthwise (split core), which allows more turns to be easily applied. Of course, the Snap-On part is more expensive, but the utilization is easier. And, in some cases, for instance when there is a connector fixed to the cable, it is well worth the extra cost.

I did a 7.169 MHz lab test on a similar part, F-R # 2631102002, and it had ~6 dB loss for RF on the OUTSIDE of the shield per pass through the inside hole due to the skin-effect. This skin-effect applies to the distribution of alternating currents on the outside surface of the shield whether on coaxial cable or a shielded pair. The parts listed below are 50% longer, so, I estimate the loss may be ~8 dB per pass. Use 4-6 passes through the core, and gently secure the turns with a TY-Wrap. Ferrite doesn't affect the RF signal on the inside of a shielded pair, it just attenuates the RF current on the outside. However, the ferrite will equally affect the signal on a NON-shielded wire, such as a DC power cord. Do Not put a core on a NON-shielded Internet DSL line for instance, as that is a very high frequency signal, and it will be choked. The Firewire cables ARE shielded, so a core can be used there.

In comparison, the commonly used Type 43 material is not specified for use on frequencies below 10 MHz. Unfortunately, the only readily available RF suppressor, at "Radio Shack", utilizes Type 43 material. It may have some beneficial effect on 7 MHZ, but it will be even less effective on 3.5 MHZ, and less again on 1850 KHz.

The recommended parts are as follows:

Fair-Rite Part Number	O.D (in.)	I.D. (in.)	Length (in.)
Solid Cylinder 2631626202	2.0	1.0	2.0
Split w/Plastic Case 0431177081	~2.2	1.0	~2.3

If you want to make an outstanding "choke" Balun for use at the feedpoint of your antenna (160M-40M) that is 5 to 10 times more reactive than anything on the commercial market for Amateurs, use a stack of 5 of the following part number, with 6 passes (only 5 external loops) of RG-8, RG-213, RG-8X, 9913, etc. through the core-stack as illustrated in his paper, A Ham's Guide to RFI, Ferrites, Baluns and Audio Interfacing by K9YC, Jim Brown.

These chokes work very, very well, and they don't ever get hot. No more TVI or RF hot items in the shack (unless your antenna is really close by). It doesn't need to go in a box, just put it in series at the feedpoint. I just wind the last 5 feet or so, just before the antenna through the cores and secure the turns with black (outdoor use) Ty-Wraps.

Use F-R # 2631803802, 2.4 inch, type 31 core; $6 to $10 each, depending on where and how many you buy.

A list of dealers can be found on the Fair-Rite Corporation Authorized Dealers homepage and there are many.

Try the dealer nearest to you. They may not want to sell you small quantities, but it never hurts to ask.
The items come prepackaged in a special cutout cardboard shipping form as a "unit" that may hold 10 or 12 parts. If you want to purchase just a couple, try Amidon in California. However, the price will be full retail. These ferrite cores are not inexpensive, but then, neither is a gallon of gasoline, and both are necessary.

I bought my cores of various types from Kreger Components in Salem, VA, 540-389-7979, ask for Sherry. Other companies may have lower prices, or may be closer to your location.

This KB article may reference additional files that are available on the FlexRadio Systems web site Downloads page. Please use the URL(s) below to download the referenced materials.

An Adobe Acrobat Reader may be required to open the file.You can download Adobe Acrobat from here.

KB Source Document(s):

None Referenced