USB Tuner knob for SDR

[chrismyers2000]

Wow, yes I think you have found the grand daddy of all interfaces there.

I'm REALLY liking these X-Keys devices.
http://www.amazon.com/X-keys-XK-68-...TF8&qid=1392421010&sr=8-9&keywords=x-keys+jog
&
http://www.amazon.com/X-keys-XK-12-jog-shuttle-keyboard/dp/B00DHOH3C4

A little pricey compared to the others but those extra keys might be worth it.

 

[br0adband]

I have used the Griffin PowerMate and several other controls as a “front panel” for SDRs. The PowerMate works OK and is low cost, but needs more features, in my opinion. The one I like best, and I have one for each my G31DDC and my G33DDC, is the Xkeys Jog Shuttle Pro. Has both a Jog and Shuttle control, so a “VFO” and Slew function, as well as buttons that can be programmed to do common tasks, such as setting a receive mode, starting a recording, tune in steps, change bandwidths, etc.

*snip*
T!

Holy CRAP that's awesome, and yes I'm sure I and many many others could make great use of such a tool, especially for SDR purposes. Good lord that's awesome...

Now if I could just win a big poker tournament or a lottery I could afford such toys.

 

[KS4JU]

A heads up on the Powermate. Griffin stopped development on the drivers at Windows Vista. You may not be able to get it to work with Win 7 or Win 8. One of the problems is the drivers are unsigned. I have tried to install it with Win 7 and Win 8 and had no luck being able to get it to work properly. Without the driver, Windows will recognize it as a HID mouse. The only function it will provide is horizontal movement. Which will let you use it as a tuning knob as long as you use your real mouse to click on the tuning area of the SDR software first. This is actually pretty awkward to use.

 

[shortwaver]

A heads up on the Powermate. Griffin stopped development on the drivers at Windows Vista. You may not be able to get it to work with Win 7 or Win 8. One of the problems is the drivers are unsigned. I have tried to install it with Win 7 and Win 8 and had no luck being able to get it to work properly. Without the driver, Windows will recognize it as a HID mouse. The only function it will provide is horizontal movement. Which will let you use it as a tuning knob as long as you use your real mouse to click on the tuning area of the SDR software first. This is actually pretty awkward to use.

Granted, if Griffin isn't keeping up with driver development, user ability may be lacking, but the is a way to have Windows not care about unsigned drivers. Bad part is that the first option will only work if you do it each time you restart your computer... leave it to Microsoft to make your life more difficult..

Here is the link.

5 Methods to Load Unsigned Drivers in Windows 7, 8 and Vista 64-bit (x64)

 

[br0adband]

It's possible to edit one of the config files so that it allows for unsigned drivers persistently but it's not recommended - there's a reason for it being the way it is (requiring signed drivers), but this stuff is like most anything else I suppose: caveat emptor, YMMV, and whatever else.

 

[KS4JU]

Right now the best SDR software for adding external controllers is SDR Console, because it uses MIDI to talk to the controller. This gets around the whole "Focus" issue that requires the program to be on the screen and selected with mouse to respond. SDR-Console can talk to the MIDI controller in the background. All you need to do is pick up a cheap usb midi controller like the cheaper Numark DJ series. You have a good bit of choice in sizes and the number of buttons. Once you install the included driver, the controller can send midi messages to software that is midi enabled. SDR-Console has a built facility to let the software "learn" the midi messages from the controller and map the Jog Wheels and Buttons to various functions. The only thing I would love to see added is the ability to have SDR-Console send back to the controller the appropriate midi command to light up the button when the mode has been enabled. Another slight draw back to the midi controllers is that the button labels on the DJ controllers never match the commands you are sending to the software. Some people either make a template or just use tape to label the button