Basic Sound Card Settings for AGWPE
1. Using AGWPE to Adjust Basic Sound Card Settings
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
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Configuration Help
Then in the AGWPE Sound Card Tuning Aid window, click on the Set Volume button to get to this window:
Bug Report: There are still some problems with this AGWPE feature as of 2003.308:
it does not "select" the Rx Input Line (audio source) as advertised. It will control the volume sliders to the source you select, but it does not change the selected audio source to that source. For example, if the source is currently
"MIC", changing it to LINE IN with AGWPE will not work.
if you have two sound cards in your system, AGWPE only controls the volume settings on the first sound card, even though you may have set AGWPE to use the second sound card.
If these problems affect you, then you need to use the Windows' Volume Control Program (see below) to adjust your settings. See #2 below.
a. Receive Audio Settings (via AGWPE)
Receive Audio Volume: The left Rx slider controls the receive volume (recording volume) of the left channel or port 1 of the sound card.
The right column sliders control the right channel or port 2. (If you are using only one radio port in AGWPE, it will be the left slider).
I've had good success with the sliders set 1/3 up from the bottom. Be sure not to set them too low since it may stop all input (they don't have to be to the very bottom for audio input to be stopped). Use the sound card tuning aid's Sine Wave scope to see the results of your settings. The sine waves should fill about half the scope as in the Tuning Aid screen shot above. Use the volume slider to adjust the wave size. If you get the output from the radio's speaker jack, you can also adjust the radio volume. AGWPE is pretty tolerant of RX volume levels, but conceivably it is possible for the volume to be too loud or too soft.
If you don't see any waves, then your audio source setting is probably incorrect (see next paragraph) or, if you are using the radio's mike or speakers for RX audio, your radio's squelch in on; turn it off so you can hear the channel noise.
Visit the Sound Card Tuning Aid page for more information, including screen shots of signal problems.
Receive Audio Source: See Bug Report above. The Rx Input Line (audio source) does not work as advertised in version 2003.3008. You need to use the Windows' Volume Control Program (see below) to adjust your settings.
[When the bug is corrected, you will be able to select the source of your receive audio, either Line (meaning LINE IN) or Microphone, depending where your RX audio cable is plugged. As the screen says, other sources will be muted and that's good.]
(If you opt to use the Microphone instead of the Line In for RX in, be sure that you do not use the Microphone Boost option of your sound card. See Windows' Volume Control Programbelow for instructions on how to configure boost.)
Set/Restore Options: If you use your sound card for programs other than AGWPE, the Set These Levels on Start and Restore Levels on Exit will be helpful. They allow you to set the volume especially for AGWPE and then return them to their previous settings when you exit AGWPE.
b. Transmit Audio Settings (via AGWPE)
Transmit Audio Volume: The Tx Master sliders and two Tx Wave volume sliders work together: Wave means Program, in this case AGWPE and the packet tones it generates. The Tx Master sliders are a master control that will further adjust the Wave volume.
As with the RX sliders, the left column sliders (for both Master and Wave) control the left channel or port 1 of the sound card. The right column sliders control the right channel or port 2.
I've had good success with the sliders set 1/3 up from the bottom. Your setting will depend largely on how well the attenuation circuit in your TX audio cable matches the optimal microphone input level of your radio. See How Much TX Volume? below for some further advice.
It's essential that none of these two sliders be at the absolute bottom or near the bottom, as that may stop all output.
How Much TX Volume?
You can get a rough idea of your TX volume by temporarily plugging your computer speakers into the LINE IN jack. But that will not tell you how what your TX audio sounds like on the air. It would be better to listen to your transmitted audio with a second radio.
But the best way to check your transmit volume is with a deviation meter. The correct deviation is 3.75 kHz of deviation (+/- .25). But since most of us don't have a deviation meter, Jim K6CCC offered this alternate suggestion:
My standard advice for people who do not have access to a deviation meter is to set your path to digipeat through a single local digipeater (e.g. TEST VIA WIDE ), then go into converse mode (UI 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 digipeated on your first attempt, try several more times because it may not have gotten through because of a collision. If it does not get through after a few attempts, turn up the volume just to that point where it gets through reliably.
Conversely, if the packet does get digipeated, turn down the transmit audio level a little and try again. Keep doing this (turning down the volume) until your packet does not get digipeated reliably. Then turn it back up just a little bit and verify you can get the packet reliably digipeated.
It's FAR better to have your volume too low than too high!
When you are done, press OK to save your settings and then close the Tuning Aid window.