|
Hi guys,
I've had an issue for a long time that I've never been able to fully debug...curious if anyone here has seen this or solved this?
Problem: Tx audio or Tune is momentarily disrupted when interacting with any Windows window (maximize/minimize). Rx decodes are also disrupted (no decode) when in this state.
Additional Details:
- The problem is never present after a fresh reboot
- The problem will eventually 100% appear over time(sometimes after 30 minutes, sometimes after 3 days) when I have my system up and running in it's normal state (2 x WSJT, 2 x JTAlert, DX4WIN, WinGrid, Chrome (~10 tabs). I've never had the issue happen while actively using the machine, only after leaving it idle for a period of time and coming back.
- I'm using USB audio for both radios, one is an IC-9700 using the onboard USB interface, the other is an older radio interfaced with a Microham unit. Both USB audio feeds behave EXACTLY the same way, so I assume this is a PC or OS problem.
- Once the system is in the bad state, interacting with ANY window while Txing vs. the tune button will cause a brief audio disruption.
Attempted Solutions:
- Disabled all OS power save functions
- Increased WSJT priority
- Disabled all OS sleep functions
- RAM upgrade (on the way...)
- WSJTX 2.1 > 2.1.2 upgrade
PC:
Processor i7-4790 @ 3.6GHz
8GB RAM (upgrading to 32GB shortly, but don't think this is RAM related based upon task manager outputs)
OS: Win 7 Pro SP1
Anyone ever seen anything like this or have any tips or suggestions for further debug?
Thanks & 73
Jim KO9A
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|
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Herb Blue - WB8ASI
Jim, I have had things die when leaving the shack for awhile. Something must have to do with the computer screen saver, running something in the background, or whatever. Give your computer some "caffeine". It won't go to sleep.
https://www.zhornsoftware.co.uk/caffeine/
Keeps everything awake by auto making it see a key stroke every minute. Works great. Suggested to me by a computer guru. 73 Herb WB8ASI
On April 18, 2020 at 5:55 PM "Jim Spence via groups.io" <jimkb3aft@...> wrote:
Hi guys,
I've had an issue for a long time that I've never been able to fully debug...curious if anyone here has seen this or solved this?
Problem: Tx audio or Tune is momentarily disrupted when interacting with any Windows window (maximize/minimize). Rx decodes are also disrupted (no decode) when in this state.
Additional Details:
- The problem is never present after a fresh reboot
- The problem will eventually 100% appear over time(sometimes after 30 minutes, sometimes after 3 days) when I have my system up and running in it's normal state (2 x WSJT, 2 x JTAlert, DX4WIN, WinGrid, Chrome (~10 tabs). I've never had the issue happen while actively using the machine, only after leaving it idle for a period of time and coming back.
- I'm using USB audio for both radios, one is an IC-9700 using the onboard USB interface, the other is an older radio interfaced with a Microham unit. Both USB audio feeds behave EXACTLY the same way, so I assume this is a PC or OS problem.
- Once the system is in the bad state, interacting with ANY window while Txing vs. the tune button will cause a brief audio disruption.
Attempted Solutions:
- Disabled all OS power save functions
- Increased WSJT priority
- Disabled all OS sleep functions
- RAM upgrade (on the way...)
- WSJTX 2.1 > 2.1.2 upgrade
PC:
Processor i7-4790 @ 3.6GHz
8GB RAM (upgrading to 32GB shortly, but don't think this is RAM related based upon task manager outputs)
OS: Win 7 Pro SP1
Anyone ever seen anything like this or have any tips or suggestions for further debug?
Thanks & 73
Jim KO9A
|
|
|
Thanks for the tip Herb.
I actually just updated my graphics card driver and it is the first thing I've ever done that has repaired this scenario short of a reboot. Too soon to claim victory yet, will monitor to see if the audio drops comes back. Will keep caffeine in mind and on deck to try next.
73 & thanks again,
Jim KO9A
-----Original Message-----
From: Herb Blue <WB8ASI@...>
To: WSJTX@groups.io
Sent: Sat, Apr 18, 2020 11:02 pm
Subject: Re: [WSJTX] USB Audio Dropouts
Jim, I have had things die when leaving the shack for awhile. Something must have to do with the computer screen saver, running something in the background, or whatever. Give your computer some "caffeine". It won't go to sleep.
https://www.zhornsoftware.co.uk/caffeine/
Keeps everything awake by auto making it see a key stroke every minute. Works great. Suggested to me by a computer guru. 73 Herb WB8ASI
On April 18, 2020 at 5:55 PM "Jim Spence via groups.io" <jimkb3aft@...> wrote:
Hi guys,
I've had an issue for a long time that I've never been able to fully debug...curious if anyone here has seen this or solved this?
Problem: Tx audio or Tune is momentarily disrupted when interacting with any Windows window (maximize/minimize). Rx decodes are also disrupted (no decode) when in this state.
Additional Details:
- The problem is never present after a fresh reboot
- The problem will eventually 100% appear over time(sometimes after 30 minutes, sometimes after 3 days) when I have my system up and running in it's normal state (2 x WSJT, 2 x JTAlert, DX4WIN, WinGrid, Chrome (~10 tabs). I've never had the issue happen while actively using the machine, only after leaving it idle for a period of time and coming back.
- I'm using USB audio for both radios, one is an IC-9700 using the onboard USB interface, the other is an older radio interfaced with a Microham unit. Both USB audio feeds behave EXACTLY the same way, so I assume this is a PC or OS problem.
- Once the system is in the bad state, interacting with ANY window while Txing vs. the tune button will cause a brief audio disruption.
Attempted Solutions:
- Disabled all OS power save functions
- Increased WSJT priority
- Disabled all OS sleep functions
- RAM upgrade (on the way...)
- WSJTX 2.1 > 2.1.2 upgrade
PC:
Processor i7-4790 @ 3.6GHz
8GB RAM (upgrading to 32GB shortly, but don't think this is RAM related based upon task manager outputs)
OS: Win 7 Pro SP1
Anyone ever seen anything like this or have any tips or suggestions for further debug?
Thanks & 73
Jim KO9A
|
|
|
Herb Blue - WB8ASI
Good luck Jim. I see you are using Win7, so surprised you are having problems. Just wait til you hit Win10....its got a mind of its own. I shut off the USB power saving functions, and somehow it turns itself back on. For no reason changes screen resolution. Never too serious, but keeps you on your toes as things keep changing. Anyways, if I can't find some new DX, I always can fight with the computer LOL. Stay safe. Stay healthy. 73, Herb
On April 19, 2020 at 1:02 AM "Jim Spence via groups.io" <jimkb3aft@...> wrote:
Thanks for the tip Herb.
I actually just updated my graphics card driver and it is the first thing I've ever done that has repaired this scenario short of a reboot. Too soon to claim victory yet, will monitor to see if the audio drops comes back. Will keep caffeine in mind and on deck to try next.
73 & thanks again,
Jim KO9A
-----Original Message-----
From: Herb Blue <WB8ASI@...>
To: WSJTX@groups.io
Sent: Sat, Apr 18, 2020 11:02 pm
Subject: Re: [WSJTX] USB Audio Dropouts
Jim, I have had things die when leaving the shack for awhile. Something must have to do with the computer screen saver, running something in the background, or whatever. Give your computer some "caffeine". It won't go to sleep.
https://www.zhornsoftware.co.uk/caffeine/
Keeps everything awake by auto making it see a key stroke every minute. Works great. Suggested to me by a computer guru. 73 Herb WB8ASI
On April 18, 2020 at 5:55 PM "Jim Spence via groups.io" <jimkb3aft@...> wrote:
Hi guys,
I've had an issue for a long time that I've never been able to fully debug...curious if anyone here has seen this or solved this?
Problem: Tx audio or Tune is momentarily disrupted when interacting with any Windows window (maximize/minimize). Rx decodes are also disrupted (no decode) when in this state.
Additional Details:
- The problem is never present after a fresh reboot
- The problem will eventually 100% appear over time(sometimes after 30 minutes, sometimes after 3 days) when I have my system up and running in it's normal state (2 x WSJT, 2 x JTAlert, DX4WIN, WinGrid, Chrome (~10 tabs). I've never had the issue happen while actively using the machine, only after leaving it idle for a period of time and coming back.
- I'm using USB audio for both radios, one is an IC-9700 using the onboard USB interface, the other is an older radio interfaced with a Microham unit. Both USB audio feeds behave EXACTLY the same way, so I assume this is a PC or OS problem.
- Once the system is in the bad state, interacting with ANY window while Txing vs. the tune button will cause a brief audio disruption.
Attempted Solutions:
- Disabled all OS power save functions
- Increased WSJT priority
- Disabled all OS sleep functions
- RAM upgrade (on the way...)
- WSJTX 2.1 > 2.1.2 upgrade
PC:
Processor i7-4790 @ 3.6GHz
8GB RAM (upgrading to 32GB shortly, but don't think this is RAM related based upon task manager outputs)
OS: Win 7 Pro SP1
Anyone ever seen anything like this or have any tips or suggestions for further debug?
Thanks & 73
Jim KO9A
|
|
|
Martin G0HDB <marting0hdb@...>
Hi Jim, you seem to have a pretty decent system there (although running 2 x WSJT-X and 2 x JTAlert will no doubt keep it fairly busy!) but have you tried closing the Chrome browser and seeing if that makes any difference to the occurrence of the droputs?
My reason for suggesting this is that I've recently discovered that on my Win 7 Pro system (with a much less potent CPU than yours and with only 4G of RAM) having Firefox (68.7.0 ESR) running, albeit minimised, with seven active tabs was really consuming memory, almost as though over a period of time there was a 'memory leakage' problem.
I've now tweaked the Firefox configuration so that it's only allowed to use 256M of RAM for its cache and I've also limited its number of 'content processes' to 1 (the default is 8). These tweaks haven't altered the usability of the browser to any noticeable extent but have have definitely resulted in an improvement in the amount of memory available for WSJT-X and the other apps I run concurrently to the extent that now (according to Task Manager) my system never seems to use all the available memory or run with maximum CPU usage.
If you find that closing the Chrome browser does have a beneficial effect on the dropouts then you might be able to tweak its configuration in the same way as I've done for Firefox - I don't know Chrome at all so I can't offer any suggestions about how to change its cache size or its number of content processes.
HTH,
--
Martin G0HDB
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Bob McGraw - K4TAX
I'm surprised to read about the issues folks are having with Windows 10. I've been using Windows 10 Pro 64 bit on a HP laptop that was originally designed and released with Windows Vista. I have upgraded the memory to the max which is 4 Gig. I do allow Windows to perform and install automatic updates. I find the system is quite stable and reliable with none of the issues being described. I find that updates are very important, must be done, and do enhance performance.
I do regular computer maintenance, at least once per month, meaning I have an active Antivirus program which is the paid version of AVG. I also run Malware Bytes being the paid version. These run in the background. For the regular maintenance, I use CCleaner, paid version to scan for broken file links being the result of program installation and program removal. I also use this application to scan the Registry. This rids the system of left over strings from installation and removal of programs. I know some have said WSJT does not write to the Registry but other applications do write to the Register.
I find many applications have an Uninstall process, but I find that does not really remove all the garbage. As a general rule, if you are having computer issues with Windows 10, I'd say a computer maintenance effort needs to be implemented.
And as always, I run incremental back-ups each Monday using an external solid state drive. That is part of my maintenance program. A poorly maintained computer is like a poorly maintained vehicle. It won't be reliable.
73
Bob, K4TAX
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Martin,
Thanks for the feedback. After experimenting further last night I found that after my graphics driver update the problem returned, so I ran a minimal test overnight with just 2x WSJT + 2x JTAlert + WinGrid to check status. After close to 10 hours the problem has NOT reappeared. I just added DX4WIN to the mix and we'll check later today.
I've wavered back and forth on whether this is a Chrome/RAM issue. I have significant amounts of Available RAM which led me to believe I'm ok when Chrome is up and running, but there does seem to be a Chrome dependence here.
I have a RAM upgrade on the way and will tinker with Chrome settings per your suggestions below. (I may also try Firefox).
73 & Thanks,
Jim KO9A
-----Original Message-----
From: Martin G0HDB <marting0hdb@...>
To: WSJTX@groups.io
Sent: Sun, Apr 19, 2020 7:09 am
Subject: Re: [WSJTX] USB Audio Dropouts
Hi Jim, you seem to have a pretty decent system there (although running 2 x WSJT-X and 2 x JTAlert will no doubt keep it fairly busy!) but have you tried closing the Chrome browser and seeing if that makes any difference to the occurrence of the droputs?
My reason for suggesting this is that I've recently discovered that on my Win 7 Pro system (with a much less potent CPU than yours and with only 4G of RAM) having Firefox (68.7.0 ESR) running, albeit minimised, with seven active tabs was really consuming memory, almost as though over a period of time there was a 'memory leakage' problem.
I've now tweaked the Firefox configuration so that it's only allowed to use 256M of RAM for its cache and I've also limited its number of 'content processes' to 1 (the default is 8). These tweaks haven't altered the usability of the browser to any noticeable extent but have have definitely resulted in an improvement in the amount of memory available for WSJT-X and the other apps I run concurrently to the extent that now (according to Task Manager) my system never seems to use all the available memory or run with maximum CPU usage.
If you find that closing the Chrome browser does have a beneficial effect on the dropouts then you might be able to tweak its configuration in the same way as I've done for Firefox - I don't know Chrome at all so I can't offer any suggestions about how to change its cache size or its number of content processes.
HTH,
--
Martin G0HDB
|
|
|
I would try checking the event logs in the OS. There could be events (warnings and errors) posted there that may help point to the exact issue causing the problem.
Check event logs under System and Application branches.
My 2 cents worth. Hope it proves useful. It can be a great troubleshooting tool.
Martin,
Thanks for the feedback. After experimenting further last night I found that after my graphics driver update the problem returned, so I ran a minimal test overnight with just 2x WSJT + 2x JTAlert + WinGrid to check status. After close to 10 hours the problem has NOT reappeared. I just added DX4WIN to the mix and we'll check later today.
I've wavered back and forth on whether this is a Chrome/RAM issue. I have significant amounts of Available RAM which led me to believe I'm ok when Chrome is up and running, but there does seem to be a Chrome dependence here.
I have a RAM upgrade on the way and will tinker with Chrome settings per your suggestions below. (I may also try Firefox).
73 & Thanks,
Jim KO9A
-----Original Message-----
From: Martin G0HDB < marting0hdb@...>
To: WSJTX@groups.io
Sent: Sun, Apr 19, 2020 7:09 am
Subject: Re: [WSJTX] USB Audio Dropouts
Hi Jim, you seem to have a pretty decent system there (although running 2 x WSJT-X and 2 x JTAlert will no doubt keep it fairly busy!) but have you tried closing the Chrome browser and seeing if that makes any difference to the occurrence of the droputs?
My reason for suggesting this is that I've recently discovered that on my Win 7 Pro system (with a much less potent CPU than yours and with only 4G of RAM) having Firefox (68.7.0 ESR) running, albeit minimised, with seven active tabs was really consuming memory, almost as though over a period of time there was a 'memory leakage' problem.
I've now tweaked the Firefox configuration so that it's only allowed to use 256M of RAM for its cache and I've also limited its number of 'content processes' to 1 (the default is 8). These tweaks haven't altered the usability of the browser to any noticeable extent but have have definitely resulted in an improvement in the amount of memory available for WSJT-X and the other apps I run concurrently to the extent that now (according to Task Manager) my system never seems to use all the available memory or run with maximum CPU usage.
If you find that closing the Chrome browser does have a beneficial effect on the dropouts then you might be able to tweak its configuration in the same way as I've done for Firefox - I don't know Chrome at all so I can't offer any suggestions about how to change its cache size or its number of content processes.
HTH,
--
Martin G0HDB
|
|
|
I have had similar issues where my Software Defined Radio program SDR Console provides tracking info to the PSTRotator program ...which in turn, tracks my antennas.
I've done every power management trick in the book and it kept losing communication overnight and so the antennas would not track, and the wx satellite image was ruined.
I finally got desperate enough to try a "Keep Alive" program and I can't say it is solved for sure, but the last two days (overnights), when I came down in the morning, the two programs were still communicating.
Very small, low resource. Seems to work just fine on Win10 Pro.
73, N0AN
I would try checking the event logs in the OS. There could be events (warnings and errors) posted there that may help point to the exact issue causing the problem.
Check event logs under System and Application branches.
My 2 cents worth. Hope it proves useful. It can be a great troubleshooting tool.
Martin,
Thanks for the feedback. After experimenting further last night I found that after my graphics driver update the problem returned, so I ran a minimal test overnight with just 2x WSJT + 2x JTAlert + WinGrid to check status. After close to 10 hours the problem has NOT reappeared. I just added DX4WIN to the mix and we'll check later today.
I've wavered back and forth on whether this is a Chrome/RAM issue. I have significant amounts of Available RAM which led me to believe I'm ok when Chrome is up and running, but there does seem to be a Chrome dependence here.
I have a RAM upgrade on the way and will tinker with Chrome settings per your suggestions below. (I may also try Firefox).
73 & Thanks,
Jim KO9A
-----Original Message-----
From: Martin G0HDB < marting0hdb@...>
To: WSJTX@groups.io
Sent: Sun, Apr 19, 2020 7:09 am
Subject: Re: [WSJTX] USB Audio Dropouts
Hi Jim, you seem to have a pretty decent system there (although running 2 x WSJT-X and 2 x JTAlert will no doubt keep it fairly busy!) but have you tried closing the Chrome browser and seeing if that makes any difference to the occurrence of the droputs?
My reason for suggesting this is that I've recently discovered that on my Win 7 Pro system (with a much less potent CPU than yours and with only 4G of RAM) having Firefox (68.7.0 ESR) running, albeit minimised, with seven active tabs was really consuming memory, almost as though over a period of time there was a 'memory leakage' problem.
I've now tweaked the Firefox configuration so that it's only allowed to use 256M of RAM for its cache and I've also limited its number of 'content processes' to 1 (the default is 8). These tweaks haven't altered the usability of the browser to any noticeable extent but have have definitely resulted in an improvement in the amount of memory available for WSJT-X and the other apps I run concurrently to the extent that now (according to Task Manager) my system never seems to use all the available memory or run with maximum CPU usage.
If you find that closing the Chrome browser does have a beneficial effect on the dropouts then you might be able to tweak its configuration in the same way as I've done for Firefox - I don't know Chrome at all so I can't offer any suggestions about how to change its cache size or its number of content processes.
HTH,
--
Martin G0HDB
|
|
|
Thank you all for the responses.
I solved this and figured I would share in case someone runs across this later. The issue appears to be graphics card related. I killed the issue by disabling the minimize/maximize window animation in advanced system settings/performance. I'm running an NVIDIA graphics card which are apparently notorious for causing directly or indirectly USB audio glitches and artifacts.
73
Jim KO9A
-----Original Message-----
From: Hasan Schiers N0AN <hbasri.schiers6@...>
To: WSJTX@groups.io Group Moderators <WSJTX@groups.io>
Sent: Mon, Apr 20, 2020 6:51 am
Subject: Re: [WSJTX] USB Audio Dropouts
I have had similar issues where my Software Defined Radio program SDR Console provides tracking info to the PSTRotator program ...which in turn, tracks my antennas.
I've done every power management trick in the book and it kept losing communication overnight and so the antennas would not track, and the wx satellite image was ruined.
I finally got desperate enough to try a "Keep Alive" program and I can't say it is solved for sure, but the last two days (overnights), when I came down in the morning, the two programs were still communicating.
Very small, low resource. Seems to work just fine on Win10 Pro.
73, N0AN
I would try checking the event logs in the OS. There could be events (warnings and errors) posted there that may help point to the exact issue causing the problem.
Check event logs under System and Application branches.
My 2 cents worth. Hope it proves useful. It can be a great troubleshooting tool.
Martin,
Thanks for the feedback. After experimenting further last night I found that after my graphics driver update the problem returned, so I ran a minimal test overnight with just 2x WSJT + 2x JTAlert + WinGrid to check status. After close to 10 hours the problem has NOT reappeared. I just added DX4WIN to the mix and we'll check later today.
I've wavered back and forth on whether this is a Chrome/RAM issue. I have significant amounts of Available RAM which led me to believe I'm ok when Chrome is up and running, but there does seem to be a Chrome dependence here.
I have a RAM upgrade on the way and will tinker with Chrome settings per your suggestions below. (I may also try Firefox).
73 & Thanks,
Jim KO9A
-----Original Message-----
From: Martin G0HDB < marting0hdb@...>
To: WSJTX@groups.io
Sent: Sun, Apr 19, 2020 7:09 am
Subject: Re: [WSJTX] USB Audio Dropouts
Hi Jim, you seem to have a pretty decent system there (although running 2 x WSJT-X and 2 x JTAlert will no doubt keep it fairly busy!) but have you tried closing the Chrome browser and seeing if that makes any difference to the occurrence of the droputs?
My reason for suggesting this is that I've recently discovered that on my Win 7 Pro system (with a much less potent CPU than yours and with only 4G of RAM) having Firefox (68.7.0 ESR) running, albeit minimised, with seven active tabs was really consuming memory, almost as though over a period of time there was a 'memory leakage' problem.
I've now tweaked the Firefox configuration so that it's only allowed to use 256M of RAM for its cache and I've also limited its number of 'content processes' to 1 (the default is 8). These tweaks haven't altered the usability of the browser to any noticeable extent but have have definitely resulted in an improvement in the amount of memory available for WSJT-X and the other apps I run concurrently to the extent that now (according to Task Manager) my system never seems to use all the available memory or run with maximum CPU usage.
If you find that closing the Chrome browser does have a beneficial effect on the dropouts then you might be able to tweak its configuration in the same way as I've done for Firefox - I don't know Chrome at all so I can't offer any suggestions about how to change its cache size or its number of content processes.
HTH,
--
Martin G0HDB
|
|
|
I will certainly look into this...sounds promising....to solve my dilemma.
Gary
Thank you all for the responses.
I solved this and figured I would share in case someone runs across this later. The issue appears to be graphics card related. I killed the issue by disabling the minimize/maximize window animation in advanced system settings/performance. I'm running an NVIDIA graphics card which are apparently notorious for causing directly or indirectly USB audio glitches and artifacts.
73
Jim KO9A
-----Original Message-----
From: Hasan Schiers N0AN < hbasri.schiers6@...>
To: WSJTX@groups.io Group Moderators < WSJTX@groups.io>
Sent: Mon, Apr 20, 2020 6:51 am
Subject: Re: [WSJTX] USB Audio Dropouts
I have had similar issues where my Software Defined Radio program SDR Console provides tracking info to the PSTRotator program ...which in turn, tracks my antennas.
I've done every power management trick in the book and it kept losing communication overnight and so the antennas would not track, and the wx satellite image was ruined.
I finally got desperate enough to try a "Keep Alive" program and I can't say it is solved for sure, but the last two days (overnights), when I came down in the morning, the two programs were still communicating.
Very small, low resource. Seems to work just fine on Win10 Pro.
73, N0AN
I would try checking the event logs in the OS. There could be events (warnings and errors) posted there that may help point to the exact issue causing the problem.
Check event logs under System and Application branches.
My 2 cents worth. Hope it proves useful. It can be a great troubleshooting tool.
Martin,
Thanks for the feedback. After experimenting further last night I found that after my graphics driver update the problem returned, so I ran a minimal test overnight with just 2x WSJT + 2x JTAlert + WinGrid to check status. After close to 10 hours the problem has NOT reappeared. I just added DX4WIN to the mix and we'll check later today.
I've wavered back and forth on whether this is a Chrome/RAM issue. I have significant amounts of Available RAM which led me to believe I'm ok when Chrome is up and running, but there does seem to be a Chrome dependence here.
I have a RAM upgrade on the way and will tinker with Chrome settings per your suggestions below. (I may also try Firefox).
73 & Thanks,
Jim KO9A
-----Original Message-----
From: Martin G0HDB < marting0hdb@...>
To: WSJTX@groups.io
Sent: Sun, Apr 19, 2020 7:09 am
Subject: Re: [WSJTX] USB Audio Dropouts
Hi Jim, you seem to have a pretty decent system there (although running 2 x WSJT-X and 2 x JTAlert will no doubt keep it fairly busy!) but have you tried closing the Chrome browser and seeing if that makes any difference to the occurrence of the droputs?
My reason for suggesting this is that I've recently discovered that on my Win 7 Pro system (with a much less potent CPU than yours and with only 4G of RAM) having Firefox (68.7.0 ESR) running, albeit minimised, with seven active tabs was really consuming memory, almost as though over a period of time there was a 'memory leakage' problem.
I've now tweaked the Firefox configuration so that it's only allowed to use 256M of RAM for its cache and I've also limited its number of 'content processes' to 1 (the default is 8). These tweaks haven't altered the usability of the browser to any noticeable extent but have have definitely resulted in an improvement in the amount of memory available for WSJT-X and the other apps I run concurrently to the extent that now (according to Task Manager) my system never seems to use all the available memory or run with maximum CPU usage.
If you find that closing the Chrome browser does have a beneficial effect on the dropouts then you might be able to tweak its configuration in the same way as I've done for Firefox - I don't know Chrome at all so I can't offer any suggestions about how to change its cache size or its number of content processes.
HTH,
--
Martin G0HDB
|
|
|
...and scratch that, StayAwake kept it going for two overnights, not it has done it again. Very frustrating. May have to contact Codrut, author of PSTrotatator.
Thank you all for the responses.
I solved this and figured I would share in case someone runs across this later. The issue appears to be graphics card related. I killed the issue by disabling the minimize/maximize window animation in advanced system settings/performance. I'm running an NVIDIA graphics card which are apparently notorious for causing directly or indirectly USB audio glitches and artifacts.
73
Jim KO9A
-----Original Message-----
From: Hasan Schiers N0AN < hbasri.schiers6@...>
To: WSJTX@groups.io Group Moderators < WSJTX@groups.io>
Sent: Mon, Apr 20, 2020 6:51 am
Subject: Re: [WSJTX] USB Audio Dropouts
I have had similar issues where my Software Defined Radio program SDR Console provides tracking info to the PSTRotator program ...which in turn, tracks my antennas.
I've done every power management trick in the book and it kept losing communication overnight and so the antennas would not track, and the wx satellite image was ruined.
I finally got desperate enough to try a "Keep Alive" program and I can't say it is solved for sure, but the last two days (overnights), when I came down in the morning, the two programs were still communicating.
Very small, low resource. Seems to work just fine on Win10 Pro.
73, N0AN
I would try checking the event logs in the OS. There could be events (warnings and errors) posted there that may help point to the exact issue causing the problem.
Check event logs under System and Application branches.
My 2 cents worth. Hope it proves useful. It can be a great troubleshooting tool.
Martin,
Thanks for the feedback. After experimenting further last night I found that after my graphics driver update the problem returned, so I ran a minimal test overnight with just 2x WSJT + 2x JTAlert + WinGrid to check status. After close to 10 hours the problem has NOT reappeared. I just added DX4WIN to the mix and we'll check later today.
I've wavered back and forth on whether this is a Chrome/RAM issue. I have significant amounts of Available RAM which led me to believe I'm ok when Chrome is up and running, but there does seem to be a Chrome dependence here.
I have a RAM upgrade on the way and will tinker with Chrome settings per your suggestions below. (I may also try Firefox).
73 & Thanks,
Jim KO9A
-----Original Message-----
From: Martin G0HDB < marting0hdb@...>
To: WSJTX@groups.io
Sent: Sun, Apr 19, 2020 7:09 am
Subject: Re: [WSJTX] USB Audio Dropouts
Hi Jim, you seem to have a pretty decent system there (although running 2 x WSJT-X and 2 x JTAlert will no doubt keep it fairly busy!) but have you tried closing the Chrome browser and seeing if that makes any difference to the occurrence of the droputs?
My reason for suggesting this is that I've recently discovered that on my Win 7 Pro system (with a much less potent CPU than yours and with only 4G of RAM) having Firefox (68.7.0 ESR) running, albeit minimised, with seven active tabs was really consuming memory, almost as though over a period of time there was a 'memory leakage' problem.
I've now tweaked the Firefox configuration so that it's only allowed to use 256M of RAM for its cache and I've also limited its number of 'content processes' to 1 (the default is 8). These tweaks haven't altered the usability of the browser to any noticeable extent but have have definitely resulted in an improvement in the amount of memory available for WSJT-X and the other apps I run concurrently to the extent that now (according to Task Manager) my system never seems to use all the available memory or run with maximum CPU usage.
If you find that closing the Chrome browser does have a beneficial effect on the dropouts then you might be able to tweak its configuration in the same way as I've done for Firefox - I don't know Chrome at all so I can't offer any suggestions about how to change its cache size or its number of content processes.
HTH,
--
Martin G0HDB
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