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CWType Audio Level Problems
2009-12-13 13:38 |
Registered: 14 years ago Posts: 64 |
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I just tried DXSoft's free CW keyboard program, CWType. It works incredibly well as a keyboard, but I find that I'm unable to successfully set the CW tone level without overloading Hamsphere.
I'm using CWType's sidetone as the CW tone source, and setting Hamsphere for DSB operation while I'm operating on CW. The problem I'm having is that I'm unable to adjust my Windows volume controls and Hamsphere's mic level so that I can transmit CW without overloading and still have enough Windows volume to be able to hear receive audio at usable levels. In fact, I can't even seem to set the levels so Hamsphere doesn't overload using *any* combination of settings. The cause of the problem seems to be that the only Windows volume control that affects Hamsphere's transmit audio is the Playback Wave channel slider setting. And CWType's sidetone is so hot (and, as far as I know, can't be adusted) that I have to run the Windows Wave channel volume slider almost at zero. (And even with such a low wave volume setting, I'm overdriving Hamsphere -- On the S meter, I'm showing about S4 or S5 while sending dashes. An on-air report confirms the overload. That doesn't leave me enough receive gain to be of any use, even with Hamsphere's volume control set so high that just about all signals distort.) So, with the Wave channel slider setting both the transmit and receive audio levels, and having to keep the wave slider so low that I can't effectively receive (conditons that still overload Hamsphere), it looks like I'm dead in the water with CWType. However, others have, apparently, been able to get CWType working with Hamsphere. What's your secret? Thanks in advance, Tom --------------- My setup: Dell Latitude 620 laptop, Sigmatel sound card, XP-Pro SP3. CWType Sound Settings: - Default sound card, 500 Hz. It appears that CWType has no facility for independently setting its sidetone level. Hamsphere mic level setting: - 1 (minimum) Windows Volume Control settings: - Record controls: - All channels at zero levels. The record controls have no effect on Hamsphere's transmit level while running CWType - Playback controls: - Master volume at max: this control has no effect on Hamsphere's transmit level, even when turned all the way down to zero. - Wave volume: just above minimum. This seems to be the only volume control that affects Hamsphere's audio level |
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Re: CWType Audio Level Problems
2009-12-13 14:27 |
Admin Registered: 14 years ago Posts: 1,061 |
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Hi Tom. I admit that thw CWtype output is extreme.
I think I have done exactly as you do. I go to the windows mixer panel, select Properties and playback Then I adjust the tone to a minimium by adjusting the "Wave" slider After that I goto recording settings and I have something called "Stereo mix". I take that slider down to minimum and then I start HamSphere. This will modulate HS by S1-2. But have in mind. If you just want to type text as CW you should use the built in CW generator in HamSphere as it will produce a much cleaner tone. Just start typing CW messages in the chat and hit enter. /Kelly 
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Re: CWType Audio Level Problems
2009-12-13 14:41 |
Registered: 14 years ago Posts: 64 |
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Hi, Kelly,
Thanks for your very speedy reply. As I mentioned, I have turned all four channels of my Windows recording controls to zero (Stereo Mix, Line In, External Mic, and Internal Mic) as my testing shows that none of the record volume settings affect Hamsphere's transmit audio level. On my system, the record controls aren't even in the audio signal chain when I'm running CWType. Yes, I would prefer to use Hamsphere's built-in CW keyboard, but the text entry, as currently implemented, is too clumsy. Having to enter and transmit your text line-by-line just doesn't work for me. (I've discussed this topic in a previous email to you.) Well, I guess, then, I'm dead in the water for the time being. Thanks. Very 73, Tom 5B4AIT Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Hi Tom. I admit that thw CWtype output is > extreme. > I think I have done exactly as you do. > > I go to the windows mixer panel, select Properties > and playback > Then I adjust the tone to a minimium by adjusting > the "Wave" slider > After that I goto recording settings and I have > something called "Stereo mix". I take that slider > down to minimum and then I start HamSphere. This > will modulate HS by S1-2. > > But have in mind. If you just want to type text as > CW you should use the built in CW generator in > HamSphere as it will produce a much cleaner tone. > Just start typing CW messages in the chat and hit > enter. > > /Kelly > > http://www.hamsphere.com/cwtype.gif |
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Re: CWType Audio Level Problems
2009-12-13 14:46 |
Admin Registered: 14 years ago Posts: 1,061 |
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Hi TOm. I agree on the crude CW implmentation. I guess a CW memory would help?
Would you be able to tell me on how a CW mode could be implemented in a better way on HamSphere? I am listening to all suggestions. 73 Kelly |
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Re: CWType Audio Level Problems
2009-12-13 17:12 |
Registered: 14 years ago Posts: 64 |
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5B4AIT Wrote:
------------------------------------------------------- > Hi TOm. I agree on the crude CW implmentation. I > guess a CW memory would help? > > Would you be able to tell me on how a CW mode > could be implemented in a better way on HamSphere? > I am listening to all suggestions. > > 73 > Kelly Sure thing, Kelly. From my email to you on Nov 27, Subj: "A Truly Wonderful System!": " There might be a couple of better ways of implementing the CW keyboard. Probably the easiest would be have the previous text complete before the system begins sending the new text. That way, a user could type something short to get the system transmitting, type additional text and hit Enter. The system wouldn't begin transmitting the new text until the previous text has completed. I guess you'd call it text queuing. " I tried to put myself in your place and imagine what your CW keyboard code looked like, then tried to figure the simplest way of smoothing out its operation without you having to do a major re-write of your code. Right now, you type a line of text that you'd like to send. As soon as you hit the Enter key, the text pops up into the chat window, and the program begins sending it. So far, so good. The problem arises when you want to send subsequent lines of text in the same transmission. Right now, the system doesn't let you send that text until the previous text has finished its transmission. But there's a long pause before the system begins sending the next line of text. The result is a very choppy transmission, filled with awkward pauses. What I envision is that you modify the text buffering to add subsequent lines of text into your transmit text buffer as soon as the user hits the Enter key. The user would see each line popped into the chat window, just as they are right now (interspersed with all the Cluster traffic) but internally, you'd just append the newly-entered text into your text buffer, perhaps interspersing a space between text buffer entries. So if a user punches 10 characters into the buffer, the system will buffer and send 10 characters. But if a user is as long winded as I am, you might be buffering a number of user-entered lines of text, with your buffer loaded with several hundred characters. No problem; memory is cheap these days. As soon as the user hits the Enter key, pop the text into the chat window and append it to the transmit buffer. No matter what's loaded into the buffer, the system will send it smoothly and without awkward pauses, and continue to do so until the buffer is empty. The signature feature, as I've described, is the ability to load more and more text into the transmit buffer without regard to what's being, or has been, transmitted. And the user clicking the PTT button would still empty the buffer and abort the transmission, just as you do now. But you'd be discarding lots of text, rather than one line. No problem; it's easy to set a pointer to zero. Of course, I have no idea how you've actually implemented the keyboard feature, and whether or not this would be the easiest way to improve the keyboard. But this seems to be about the simplest way I can figure, if you're using conventional text handling procedures, and would *really* smooth out CW keyboard operation. Hope this helps. Very 73, Tom |
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Re: CWType Audio Level Problems
2009-12-18 14:40 |
Registered: 14 years ago Posts: 64 |
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Hi, Kelly,
I tried an experiment to see what sort of levels one might need from an external CW keyboard or an oscillator to use with a straight key or a keyer. I hacked out a little Windows tone generator program that let me set the output level of a 500 Hz tone. I brought up Hamsphere and played with the generator's level, the Windows wave channel volume setting, and Hamsphere's mic gain. I found that with the Windows wave channel volume set to about the minimum useful level, about 1/3 volume, and with Hamshpere's mic level set to 1, the hottest tone I could generate with the S meter reading 2 was about 3000 out of a maximum Windows setting of 32,768, or about 21 dB down. Don't know if this info is of any earthly use to you, but it might give folks an idea of the signal level they'll need with their straight key or keyer oscillators. And how easy it is to flood a band with junk generated by overloading Hamsphere's audio input. Oh, yeah, and it also indicates that CWType's hot sidetone is incompatible with Hamsphere. Very 73, and happy holidays! Tom |
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Re: CWType Audio Level Problems
2009-12-21 12:04 |
Registered: 14 years ago Posts: 64 |
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Forget about CWType, or any other external keyboard program.
The new keyboard that Kelly built into the 2.0.16 client makes the need for an external keyboard program obsolete. CW operation, now, with the built-in keyboard is a real pleasure, and all you really need. Excellent work, Kelly. Thanks! Very 73, Tom |
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