Greetings. I own a Yaesu FT-301D and saw an article about adding a SoftRock Lite II. I am a newbie to SDR but I have been in electronics a long time and know how to install and use hardware and software. https://www.qsl.net/zl3dw/pdf/Softrock%20SDR%20as%20a%209Mhz%20IF%20on%20an%20FT-301.pdf So, I purchased and built the board as instructed. This version is a modification from the 30 Meter version. It has a 11 MHz Crystal and uses a 1/3 under-sampling technique. I was finally able to install it. The first thing i found is that his instructions are a little vague. I connected the SRL II to where he eluded to (Filter module input) and quickly discovered it is wrong. Where he says to connect it is AFTER a 20 KHz Filter at the input to the Filter Board where the 9 MHz IF comes in. With only 20 KHz of signal it wasn't going to end well. The YAesu blanks out the Receiver on Transmit so RF power is not the issue. I moved it to the IF Input pin and have plenty of spectrum now. Another issue is that the SRL II has a 50 ohm input that pulls the IF down. The IF is a higher impedance and is floating due to every connection being capacitively coupled. So, I built a FET RF Buffer circuit. It works great. No issues with impedance mismatch and plenty of drive. S-meter is well into 90%. Now, the problem is setting up the software. I don't quite understand all of the settings. Running the raw install from the get-go I get plenty of spectrum and waterfall display and I can hear something, but no clear output like all of the YouTube videos show. I have the input set for LINE IN as I am using the Line In on the back of my Dell T3500. It has the SOUNDMAX chipset and is supposed to sample up to 196 KHz. The I/Q is set as default separate for now. I don't have the SIAO drivers yet. I am thinking that could be the issue? I usually am on 40 Meters at 7.185 MHz because of various NETS I am on.. I set the L.O. for the same as well as the Tuning setting. I was hoping it would pop right in, but I still cannot hear much discussion. Setting is: 40M, 7.185 MHz / 7185 KHz, LSB. So, that's my story and I'm sticking to it. Hardware is in and seems to work correctly. SDR software is installed (several versions out of frustration) and MAY BE working. Not really sure. Computer needs some updated drivers. My T3500 has 24 GB of RAM and works fine. No crashes. Thank You. 73's. George Blake W6BDD

Has anyone managed to get the Softrock Ensemble II to work on a Raspberry Pi ? If so, please can you guide me to which software to use and how to set it up. Mine used to work on Windows 7, but I can no longer get it to work properly. There is always a double hump of some big noise in the centre of any spectrum display too. I can no longer get any software to tune a software receiver, like GQRX or Quisk. I would love to get this working again and on a R Pi. ANy help appreciated.

Good morning folks. I noted that there is only one posting this month. I also noted that I am now getting off my butt after I had my second right cerebral stroke on Oct22 2021. What an experience that was! My special needs son helped, until Mom arrived from 3 hrs to the north. I was in hospital in Norfolk, VA for 3 days and came home ( 3 hours) ,to learn skills. My beloveds mom passed the day I got home. It was a mess. I am/have mostly learned to walk again, but still a bit wobbly all the way round. I have had some time downstairs to contemplate what I am doing. I am on short term disability, and will retire from University early in Feb. 65 ++. Healthy, thin, except for propensity for cerebral strokes. So…. So, I have many softrocks, some unbuilt. I have considered making my own radios from scratch and have the etching stuff. Not sure here.. Cants… 1. I can not climb roofs anymore :-( 2. A bit wobbly cannot drive long distances but REALLY want to play radio. Still learning driving.. Cans.. 1. I have an EFHW up with transformer I built.. ( if it breaks I am SOL ) 2. I bought a complete, full ground based buddipole, with all options except beams for 6 m. To address 1. I CAN work on ground. 3. I have this odd drive and interest in low/long wave radio. ( Roger VE7VV a guide here.. thanks for website)… not sure here yet.. https://qsl.net/ve7vv/ 4. Need to put ensembles in case and use older software. Possibly look at.code to upgrade it? 5. Build website Haves.. 1. Lots of time on hand to get better and play radio. 2. Create spreadsheet of all the crap I have around here.. radio and test equipment. 3. I did buy a K2 with all the options CW, even low band 160m A store bought, Kit to build.. a Reference device. 4. Purchased copies of Horowitz’s books “ Art of Electronics” and associated materials to relearn a lot of what I lost and to keep busy.. Sounds like a lot.. but here I go. I am not going to be the bump on a log. Heh.. More later. Perhaps I at 65 and wobbly can give a breath of fresh air… I am not shy about sharing. At 65 who gives a sh…t?. God Bless to All. Guy

The W6SFM Samuel F. Morse Amateur Radio Club in Sacramento, CA would like to remind you that our Bug Roundup event will be held THIS Weekend! The Bug Roundup Event is a special time to bring bug operators together on the air. In the same spirit as ARRL's Straight Key Night, participants are encouraged to make simple, conversational, “chewing-the-fat” QSOs using their bug type key. This is an opportunity to exercise, share and exhibit your personalized fist on-the-air. Please join us for this event. Date: Nov 19-21 Local PST (Nov. 20 - 21 UTC) Time: 4:00 PM Friday to 4:00 PM Sunday Pacific Time Local (00:00 UTC through 00:00 UTC ) For more information on the event please visit our Bug Roundup Event page found here: Bug Roundup – W6SFM (http://www.w6sfm.com/bug-roundup/) -- Michael N6MQL President SFM ARC

73 pete m0fmt

I have been completing several stages with satisfaction according to the instructions on the website wb5rvz.org. Last week I finally had the possibility to start the receiver when I reached the RX_OpAmps part. With great surprise and satisfaction, I verified how well it worked in the bands that I have selected for its construction: 17m-20m-30m, with great reception also in 15 m, 40 and 80 m, even in the om broadcasting band. A few days ago I decided to continue and I have completed TX_OpAmp and there I am having problems. The voltage data that had to be obtained when measuring the voltage of ICs U6 and U7 (double operational TLV2462CD) does not correspond to what was expected, the values ​​being much lower than expected, the two circuits U6 and U7, give exactly the same measurement sequence voltage on its pins: From PIN 1 to PIN 3 it should be 2.5v and the measurement I get is 1.75v PIN 4 is the only correct 0v (ground) From PIN 5 to PIN 7 it should be 2.5v and the measurement I get 1.72v, 1.75v and 1.76v respectively Pin 8 should be 5v and the measurement I get 3.52v I have gone through the entire assembly without success to find out if there was any confusion in the resistor values ​​or any short or ground fault. In the end - big mistake - I estimated that it could be a failure of the voltage regulator of the power supply, so I replaced the voltage regulator TL78L05 (U9 in the Softrock diagram), without any result. This was not the problem. I decided to check how the inputs and outputs of the 7805 voltage regulator behave and I find this surprise: • With the 7805 output pin in the air, without soldering on the board, I measure: PIN 1 (input) 12.3v and PIN 3 (output) 5.5v • With the circuit connected on the board in place: PIN1 (input) 5.1v and PIN 3 (output) 3.5v CONCLUSION: The source voltage drops when the 7805 regulator circuit comes into play. The 7805 heatsink gets very hot, plus the Dividers Stage components get hot too, including the U5 divider IC (74AC74 Dual D FF). As a result the softrock rxtx receiver has stopped working and I don't know how to solve the problem. I would appreciate your help to solve these problems and continue with this interesting project. Thank you. José María, EA4B

I have been completing several stages with satisfaction according to the instructions on the website wb5rvz.org. Last week I finally had the possibility to start the receiver when I reached the RX_OpAmps part. With great surprise and satisfaction, I verified how well it worked in the bands that I have selected for its construction: 17m-20m-30m, with great reception also in 15 m, 40 and 80 m, even in the om broadcasting band. A few days ago I decided to continue and I have completed TX_OpAmp and there I am having problems. The voltage data that had to be obtained when measuring the voltage of ICs U6 and U7 (double operational TLV2462CD) does not correspond to what was expected, the values being much lower than expected, the two circuits U6 and U7, give exactly the same measurement sequence voltage on its pins: From PIN 1 to PIN 3 it should be 2.5v and the measurement I get is 1.75v PIN 4 is the only correct 0v (ground) From PIN 5 to PIN 7 it should be 2.5v and the measurement I get 1.72v, 1.75v and 1.76v respectively Pin 8 should be 5v and the measurement I get 3.52v I have gone through the entire assembly without success to find out if there was any confusion in the resistor values or any short or ground fault. In the end - big mistake - I estimated that it could be a failure of the voltage regulator of the power supply, so I replaced the voltage regulator TL78L05 (U9 in the Softrock diagram), without any result. This was not the problem. I decided to check how the inputs and outputs of the 7805 voltage regulator behave and I find this surprise: • With the 7805 output pin in the air, without soldering on the board, I measure: PIN 1 (input) 12.3v and PIN 3 (output) 5.5v • With the circuit connected on the board in place: PIN1 (input) 5.1v and PIN 3 (output) 3.5v CONCLUSION: The source voltage drops when the 7805 regulator circuit comes into play. The 7805 heatsink gets very hot, plus the Dividers Stage components get hot too, including the U5 divider IC (74AC74 Dual D FF). As a result the softrock rxtx receiver has stopped working and I don't know how to solve the problem. I would appreciate your help to solve these problems and continue with this interesting project. Thank you. José María, EA4B

Is there any software, other than Rocky, that uses the key input on an Ensemble RXTX? As a bonus, is the latency low enough to use it with a side-tone? Seems like everything I've seen so far requires the CW key to be connected to the PC somehow. TIA, Brent, AB1LF

I'm interested in the 40, 30, 20m version but wondering about the low pass filter. Is one required for each band? I think the kit comes with parts for one filter? Would these filters be usable if I were to add a 5w or 20w amp? I having a hard time finding info about the rig but think I may have arrived at the right place. Thanks. 73, Paul VA3ZC

All, I just indulged in a highly rated 192kHz USB sound adapter. It's a Behringer "U-Phoria" UMC202HD. For use with the Softrock, I had to get a couple of mini-stereo-phone-plug to two 1/4inch phone plug cables. Unfortunately, I couldn't get it working. Rocky fails with various low-level OS complaints - stuff like "wrote to an illegal address". HDSDR won't even start the radio. This is on a Windows 10 desktop. Just on ordinary Windows, it works fine as a sound output device. Delivers absolutely gorgeous sound to my Bose QCII headset. - Jerry KF6VB

Hello, I'm definitely enjoying the softrock/tiny-linear combination. I never had a rig with a panadapter before, and it could get addicting. What's not addicting is the forest of little circuit boards, pods and cables on my desk. This mess just begs to be packaged in an enclosure that looks like a radio. As a first cut - I'm thinking of sticking the Softrock board, a usb sound card, and the tiniest possible USB hub - in a box. For a later project - it sure would be cool to have it in a box with a computer & display - hence a complete radio. I see people have done that with a Teensy....? - Jerry KF6VB

Does the Teensy SDR do transmit?

So - with the help of the Tiny Linear - I made my very first QSO with the Softrock. Being mindful of its sensitivity to ground loops, I installed an optocoupler at the PTT output of the AtTiny. I superglued it to the top of the board, fed it with a 1.2K resistor, and soldered a cable with an RCA jack to it. Worked fine. The Tiny Linear took the Softrock's 2W and magically transformed it to 25W - which people can actually hear :).

Hi all, As the subject line sez, I am looking for a RXTXv6.2 20m_30m kit built or not. I would also consider a non-working unit as price is kind of an issue for me. If you have one, please reach out to me. Many thanks! -- "Of all the things I've lost in life, I miss my mind the most!" Very best 72/73 from Vermont. . Bob de k2ki k2ki@... (Primary Email) k2ki.bb@... (Secondary: Goes to my cell) Grid: FN34LW NEQRP#: 911 4SQRP#: 2292 FP#: 4214 SKCC#: 12195 NAQCC#: 2337 Sasquatch#: 769 30CW#: 190 100WattsID#: 4675 SOC#: 1312

OK, I fixed it. It was transformer T6. One of the leads was not connecting to its circuit board land. Now receive is much improved, and it actually transmits! I am seeing two watts output on 40M. But not with HDSDR :(. I have only gotten transmit working with "rocky", which is primitive. HDSDR does hit the PTT on the softrock, but does not seem to actually supply it with any baseband audio. Can HDSDR be made to transmit? If not, what's the hot ticket for SDR software to use with the softrock?

Cleaning out some odds and ends: I have a M-Audio Audiophile AP192k sound card with the M-Audio break-out cable and two 1/4" male to 3.5mm female (stereo) adapter cables available. It's an older card and only supported by Win7 drivers: https://www.m-audio.com/support/download/drivers/delta-6.0.8 Price $20 plus shipping. PayPal to gntennese@... Please reply directly to me, not the list. Shipping cost to be determined from British Columbia, Canada. ..... Garry VE7VAU

Here's an updated list of my remaining available SoftRock kits. PayPal to K4IDC@.... Please reply directly to me, not the list. Prices include shipping from 37076. RxTx for 15/17m v6.2 $40 RxTX for 160m v6.2 $40 RxTX for 40/80m v6.2 $40 SR_40_R 455kHz (2 available) $10 each SoftRock Lite: 160m v6 $10 80m v6 $10 40m v6 $10 30m v6 - 4 available, one nearly built, three unbuilt with two 35.2512MHz. crystals for 8.83MHz. I.F.; intended to use this for a panadapter for my TS-850 & others, $10 each SoftRock Lite II Combined Receiver Kits can be built for 160m, 80m or 40m, includes 464kHz. crystals for 455kHz. I.F. (2 available) $20 each Serial port PTT interface $10 Thanks, Robin Midgett K4IDC

Yes, found it in the Files section https://groups.io/g/softrock40/files/%27A3%20SoftRock%20v5.0%20docs 73 Alan G4ZFQ

I have a M-Audio Audiophile AP192k sound card with break-out cable available. I bought it second hand, never used it. Since it's an older card, it seems that Win7 drivers are all that's available for it: https://www.m-audio.com/support/download/drivers/delta-6.0.8 $25 shipped, PayPal. Please reply directly. -- Thank you, Robin K4IDC

I am looking for bare bone kits with just a QSD, or H-mode switching mixer and associated IQ op amp audio amplifiers , with the pcb board for experiments. I can paypal.