Problems with Transmitting
B. Red Light is Seen: I saw the red light blink in the AGWPE modem icon, but the radio isn't transmitting
4. No audio or poor audio on Transmit
How does my transmit audio sound?
The surest test of your transmitted audio is to use a second radio to listen to the audio transmitted by your first radio. A hand held radio is great for this. Or ask a nearby friend to listen. You should be hearing packets signals from your station that sound similar to the packets you hear from other stations (although perhaps a bit louder and with less noise).
Remember that your audio signal must pass through four ( 4 ) devices that could modify it:
the sound card's mixer, the interface cable, the radio and
your transmission system, i.e. antenna and feed line.
For example, you can test the audio coming from the sound card mixer by temporarily putting your computer speakers back into the LINE OUT jack.
This will give you a fairly good indication of whether you have good volume level settings, but it isn't how your final audio will sound.
Your interface's TX cable has an attenuation circuit or potentiometer that could reduce the audio significantly -- or maybe not enough. As a result, your radio may be receiving audio that is too weak or too loud.
Even your radio may have audio modification circuits in it. Some VHF radios have a "bass boost" option (should be off), and HF radios have speech compression settings (should be off), drive settings (should be turned all the way up) and microphone gain settings (should be left at normal).
And of course your transmission system -- feed line and antenna -- could attenuate your signals.
So the best way to test your audio is to listen to how it sounds on another radio.
If you might have a problem with your TX audio:
Re-check AGWPE's volume settings for Playback (TX audio). Make sure the TX Master and TX Wave settings are not muted and that none of the four sliders is too close to the bottom of the scale (remember that sliders 1 and 3 control the transmit audio for radioport 1, while sliders 2 and 4 control audio for radioport 2).
The attenuation circuit in your TX cable may be over/under attenuating your TX audio. If you have a variable resistor (pot) in the attenuation circuit, try adjusting it.
Adjusting Your Transmit Audio Level
With TNCs and sound cards you want a transmit audio level that is decodable but not too high. One of the biggest reasons for poor packet performance is too much audio. If you do not have access to a deviation meter to set the level (you want about 3 KHz of deviation), use a local digipeater and "trial-and-error" to get the lowest audio level that works reliably.
Use a program that can send unconnected packets or a beacon (AGWTerm can send a beacon; UISS can send unconnected packets). Set the beacon PATH to relay through the digipeater (e.g. TEST VIA LOCALDIGI), then go into converse mode and transmit a single carriage return.
Watch to see if your single packet gets digipeated by that one local digipeater. If it doesn't get through, try several more times because it may not have gotten through because of a collision.
If it does get through, turn down the transmit audio level a little and try again. Keep turning down the audio until your packet reliable DOES NOT get digipeated ... and then turn it back up just a little bit until it does once again.
Remember, in packet, soft is better than loud.
Are the TX Audio cables connected tightly to the LINEOUT jack on the sound card of a desktop computer (or the headphones jack on a laptop?) Make sure you are using a stereo plug (has 2 bands below the tip) for the LINE OUT (TX audio) jack. If you use a mono cable (has 1 band below the tip) you may get only half the audio volume on transmit or you may even short out one channel of the sound card.
Re-check the soldering and component placement in the TX cable.
EMI or RFI: The strong magnetic fields in your monitor may be distorting the signal, or there may be electro-magnetic interference (EMI) from your computer or other nearby devices, or there may be radio frequency interference (FRFI):
Use a shielded audio cable. Connect the shield to either the sound card ground or the radio's ground but not both.
Try using ferrite chokes on the audio cable
If you antenna is near your computer, move it further away
If you have unusual sounds in your transmitted audio or experience delays before AGWPE transmits a packet, it may be that your sound card is getting input from sources other than AGWPE:
Turn off any sound schemes for Windows.
Turn off any sounds that might be generated by your packet applications, for example voice announcements in UI-View.
Some radios offer a bass boost function that will distort a packet signal.
Make sure you are not using this feature.
HF: Speech compression should probably be off for digital modes and the Drive adjustment should be turned all the way up (use the Volume settings to control transmit power output). Microphone Gain should be set to normal.
If you hear interruptions, or stuttering, of the packet stream, it may be because:
your sound card is not fully capable of full duplex operations (sending and receiving). This is mostly a factor on older 16-bit sound cards. To turn off Full Duplex, go to the AGWPE Port properties' Sound Card Setup screen and uncheck the Full Duplex box.
your computer/or driver is not fast enough. In that case, set the Port Properties for Single Port use and use only the left channel.
Also, set your VGA card accelerator a click below full level and adjust the soundcard hardware acceleration and sample rate quality until you find an optimum setting (these sound card settings are made through the Window Control Panel. For example, in Windows XP, you get there by clicking on Sound and Audio Devices, then click on the Audio tab. Under Sound
Playback, click on the Advanced button then click on the Performance tab.)
Listen! ---> Sample Wav files: one with no stuttering in packet and one with stuttering.
If you hear other noises mixed in with your packets, our sound card is getting input from sources other than AGWPE, such as you CD player or another application:
Go to the Volume Control program and mute other input sources for playback, e.g. CD or microphone.
Turn off any sound schemes for Windows.
Turn off any sound generated by you applications (varies by program; see the program's Help file for possible advice).
If your problem is not resolved by the problem solving pages on this website, join the AGWPE Yahoo Group to ask a question or search the archives for previous postings that may relate to your problem: http://www.egroups.com/group/SV2AGW
Troubleshooting page on this web site:
Program Behavior Receiving
Transmitting Connections
Last Updated: 09/28/2004 Return to top of page
Sound Card Packet
Introduction AGWPE Overview More about AGWPE 1. Interface
Getting Started
Kits and Pre-assembled Receive Audio Cable Transmit Audio Cable PTT (TX Control) Cable 2 Radio Modification 2. AGWPE Set Up Download and Install Basic AGWPE Setup 2 Radio Setup 2 Card Setup 3. Sound Card Setup Basic Settings Additional Settings Tuning Aid
4. Windows™ Setup TCP/IP Settings Update Windows 5. Problems?
Program Behavior Receiving
Transmitting Connections 6. Using AGWPE AGWPE on a Network Baud Rates & Modes Remote Control TCP/IP Over Radio Tips and Tricks Traffic Parameters 7. Compatible Programs Configuration Help