This regrettably late reply responds to comments by Allan ZS1LS in Digest #2090 on 25 August 2021, and
by Bill G4WJS and Mike W9MDB in Digest #2075 on 20 August 2021.
In our club
station, we have now made more extensive examinations of the latest versions of
WSJT-X and how they work with the IC-7600 and SPE Expert amplifiers.
The setup was:
- Softwares: WSJT-X 2.3.1, WSJT-X 2.4.0, WSJT-X 2.5.0-rc5;
- Radio: IC-7600 (firmware
2.0);
- Amplifiers: SPE Expert 1K-FA and SPE Expert 1.3K-FA both set to “ICOM”
Cat control.
The HP computer is connected to the radio via USB A-B cable. The radio is
connected to the PA via the CI-V socket on the radio to the DB-15 CAT socket in
the amplifier, as well phono plugs from the “Send” and “ALC” sockets on the
radio to the “Relay”/”RY1” and “ALC”/”ALC1” sockets on the amplifiers.
First of
all, some clarifications/reminders. The amplifiers are always connected to the
TX VFO in use. If WSJT-X Settings – Radio – Split is set to “None”, VFO A is
used for transmission as well as reception. VFO B is not in use. The same
applies to “Fake it”, only VFO A is in use. In “Fake it”,
the “split” effect is achieved by VFO A changing frequencies between the TX and
RX sequences, if the audio frequency is outside the 1500-2000 Hz sweetspot. Only
when Split is set to “Rig” does WSJT-X apply both VFOs, and then VFO A is used
for RX only, whilst VFO B is the one used for transmission and thereby is the
one to activate the amplifier.
WSJT-X
2.3.1 – All OK
We first
tried with WSJT-X 2.3.1. No matter which Split setting we used, the radio and
the PA immediately followed all band changes in WSJT-X. This has been our smooth
experience for years, until version 2.4.0.
WSJT-X
2.4.0 – Radio VFO B changes band, the PA does not
We then
tried with WSJT-X 2.4.0 (the current GA). With Split set to “None” or “Fake
it”, VFO A followed the band changes in WSJT-X and the amplifier followed the
VFO A. VFO B stayed in the previous band, which was as expected, as for “None”
or “Fake it” VFO B is simply not in use.
With Split
set to “Rig”, VFO A and VFO B followed the band change in WSJT-X, whilst the
amplifier did not and stayed in the previous band, as previously described. As
the amplifier follows the TX VFO, i.e. VFO B, it was to be expected that the
amplifier changed bands when VFO B changed bands. The question here is: Why has
VFO B stopped instructing the amplifier to change bands, or why has the
amplifier stopped taking orders from VFO B?
WSJT-X
2.5.0-rc5 – Neither the Radio VFO B nor the PA changes band
Finally, we
tried WSJT-X 2.5.0-rc5, the release candidate at hand when the tests were
conducted.
With Split
set to “None” or “Fake it”, VFO A changed bands, but the amplifier did not
follow. VFO B was unaffected, as expected, as it is not in use in “None” or
“Fake it”.
With Split
set to “Rig”, VFO A followed the band changes in WSJT-X, whilst VFO B as well
as the amplifier stayed in the previous band. As the amplifier follows the TX
VFO, i.e. VFO B, it was to be expected that the amplifier did not change when
VFO B did not change.
The
question now is: Why has WSJT-X stopped instructing VFO B to change bands? This
time the PA can not be the one to blame (yet), as the PA does exactly as
instructed by VFO B: Stay in the previous band.
CI-V
Transceive and CI-V Output (for ANT) ON or OFF have no influence
All the
exercises above were systematically conducted with all combinations of the
radio’s SET – OTHERS – “CI-V Transceive” and SET – OTHERS – “CI-V Output (to
ANT)” toggled between ON and OFF. These two settings made no difference in the
results described above.
That it works with “CI-V Transceive” ON as well as OFF seems to be in
line with the WSJT-X User Guide, section 16. Frequently Asked Questions, #4:
I occasionally get Rig Control Errors if I adjust my
Icom rig’s VFO. What’s wrong?
By default, most Icom transceivers have
*CI-V Transceive Mode" enabled. This will cause unsolicited CAT traffic
from the rig that disrupts CAT control by a PC. Disable this option in the
rig’s menu.
Expert 1.3K-FA
and Expert 1K-FA give the same results
We have made
the above tests on both our old Expert 1K-FA and our new Expert 1.3K-FA. The
results are identical.
TX Audio frequency makes no difference
Trying several TX audio frequencies below, above and in the 1500-2000 Hz audio sweetspot made no difference.
N1MM
Logger+ works smoothly with version 2.4.0
In the WW-DIGI
Contest, I used the club station with WSJT-X 2.4.0 with N1MM Logger+ running the
IC-7600 and the Expert 1.3K-FA. Everything worked smoothly, just like in version
2.3.1. As soon as I tried to operate version 2.4.0 standalone with no other changes
made anywhere, the band change issue returned.
Is there
any clue in the fact that version 2.4.0 does not change PA bands when operated standalone,
whilst it works just fine when controlled by N1MM Logger+?
Summary
In version 2.3.1,
everything works smoothly.
In version 2.4.0,
VFO-B changes bands as instructed by WSJT-X, but the amplifier does not change
bands. Version 2.4.0 works flawlessly when WSJT-X operates under N1MM Logger+.
In version 2.5.0-rc5,
VFO B does not even change and then obviously not the amplifier.
The WSJT-X version
number is the only identifiable variable that has an influence on the PA band
changes.
That is why we think that the non-working PA band changes in WSJT-X
2.4.0 (standalone) and 2.5.0-rc5 have something to do with changes in the later
versions of WSJT-X and/or it’s auxiliary CAT software.
73, Frode LA6VQ