R8600 New IC-R8600 software, need some testers

[kilocharlie8]

Hi vince48,

Thanks for the feedback! Let us know what you like and what you'd like to see.

All: I've updated the user's manual, you may find it useful:

wfview User's Manual

Thanks,

--E
de W6EL

 

[vince48]

one thing to please keep in mind as you roll through versions, user wishes and common sense..... please have every SCANNING option that is available and possible. The R8600 is a super scanner. Also, being able to edit on the fly.

Keep up the excellent work and progress

 

[kilocharlie8]

Hi vince48,

We'll probably jump into the scanner rabbit hole on version two, when we re-do the memory functions. I could definitely see it being some kind of extra tab at the top.

Thanks again,

--E
de W6EL

 

[kilocharlie8]

All,

We've got pre-compiled binaries out now for Mac, Linux, and Windows. Just scroll down to "Test Builds" and read carefully.

Download | wfview

--E
de W6EL

 

[vince48]

Thank you and your crew for doing something for the R8600. Maybe for version 2, somehow ro monitor DMR other than NXDEN, please, pretty please

 

[kilocharlie8]

Hi vince48,

I guess if we could get access to the raw I&Q we should be able to pipe it into some other decoders. It's probably beyond the scope of wfview to have other decoders integrated within, but passing to another program should be possible (such as GNU Radio).

If anyone knows how to get the raw I&Q (it is an advertised feature, I think), I'm all ears.

--E
de W6EL

 

[KC1UA]

Regarding your question on whether the spans that match the 8600's and whether they work or not, they do. I think I was getting fooled by the fact that the app boots to a 2.5 KHz default span.

Finding a way to get the I&Q data out would be great. There are a slew of 3rd party programs that work perfectly in this regard. The SDR-Console software has a workaround where Wide FM is used with a bandwidth of 12 KHz. That is fed via the program's audio output and Virtual Audio Cable or VB Cable software to any of these programs, DSD+, KGTone, etc.. Some tweaking of the FM mode and the filters might make that possible, but I'd have to tinker around with it. There is also a DSD Interface plug-in for the SDR# program that feeds unfiltered audio to these programs, so it is possible.

I checked out some of the neat shortcuts you provided in your reply to me, very nice. Just having the spectrum display from the 8600 up on a big screen with front panel control is a Godsend, the rest is gravy! Good gravy too...not lumpy...

Thanks.

 

[KC1UA]

A few other thoughts...

1. Can you bring the center tuning display out of the 8600?
2. When moving the mouse across the screen, can you have it display approximate frequency? That I think would be helpful. As the mouse moves, there is a display adjacent to the cursor that would show the frequency increasing or decreasing. EDIT: Just discovered the single click to display frequency at the bottom option...cool!

 

[kilocharlie8]

Hi Scott,

What do you mean about the center tuning display? I know it works in center mode (it should).

A "mouse over" frequency status would be cool. I'll see about it. We're probably going to re-work that entire display for version 2, with support for dual-VFO radios and "overlay" functions to show the passband or frequencies of interest.

Keep the ideas and questions coming!

--E
de W6EL

 

[KC1UA]

Hi,

Maybe a poor choice of words on my part. It is the tuning indicator that shows whether you are on frequency or not. When you are it is in the center of a small horizontal meter on the left upper side of the display. If the signal you're tuning is off frequency the indicator will slide to the left or right depending if you're tuned too high or too low.

Thanks again, I'll hopefully be back in front of the 8600 and your program again sometime this evening.

Scott

 

[kilocharlie8]

KC1UA de W6EL,

Maybe this is an FM discriminator meter? I think my Yaesu FT-221R had this long ago.

If the CI-V dictionary includes this data, then we could potentially add it. I'll check it out.

de W6EL

 

[KC1UA]

I found an image online, you'll see the feature I'm referring to circled.

 

[m0vse]

Hi, I'm one of the other developers of wfview, do you know if the IC-R8600 supports IF output via LAN? (I know the 9700,705 etc. can) If it does then that may be a way to get a wide enough output for DSD+? I think it outputs audio that is +-8Khz of the VFO frequency but it is raw audio without any demodulation so it may require some processing first?

73 Phil M0VSE

 

[KC1UA]

Hi Phil,

It does have a 12 KHz IF output option for the LAN port. Sections 2-3 and 16-1 of the manual outline it. I can't attach the manual due to its size but it is available at IC-R8600 | Instruction Manual / Guides | Support | Icom Inc.

Thanks for your efforts!

Edit: if it helps, not related to the LAN port, but I have been able to use the 12 KHz IF out capability of the USB (or IQ, can't remember which off the top of my head) to send unfiltered audio to SDR#, tune that software to 12 KHz, and then pipe the audio out from it to DSD+, so the 12KHz does work in that aspect anyway.

 

[m0vse]

Edit: if it helps, not related to the LAN port, but I have been able to use the 12 KHz IF out capability of the USB (or IQ, can't remember which off the top of my head) to send unfiltered audio to SDR#, tune that software to 12 KHz, and then pipe the audio out from it to DSD+, so the 12KHz does work in that aspect anyway.

Hi Scott, That is what I am hoping to achieve, I would like to remove the extra complexity of needing SDR# and ideally using the TCP server within DSD+ which would also remove the need for VirtualAudioCable as well.

It may be a while before I get too much time to play with this though as we are focusing on getting our first release out and it doesn't help if I keep adding things

73 Phil

 

[kruser]

Hi Phil,

It does have a 12 KHz IF output option for the LAN port. Sections 2-3 and 16-1 of the manual outline it. I can't attach the manual due to its size but it is available at IC-R8600 | Instruction Manual / Guides | Support | Icom Inc.

Thanks for your efforts!

Edit: if it helps, not related to the LAN port, but I have been able to use the 12 KHz IF out capability of the USB (or IQ, can't remember which off the top of my head) to send unfiltered audio to SDR#, tune that software to 12 KHz, and then pipe the audio out from it to DSD+, so the 12KHz does work in that aspect anyway.

I've done the exact same but using the 10.7 MHz IF output with SDR# tuned to 10.7 MHz. I really could not tell a difference in what DSD+ was decoding using either IF output method. The 12 kHz output is definitely more flexible with it being able to be assigned to several different ports on the radio.
I've never tried to measure the bandwidth from either output type, 12 kHz or the 10.7 MHz BNC port.

 

[kruser]

I found an image online, you'll see the feature I'm referring to circled.

View attachment 103136

That is simply called a "Center Tune" indicator or meter.
I've found it to be pretty darn accurate.
It has a little slack before you see it barely move left or right of center. Set your tuning step to off for 10 Hz tuning and you can count the steps to just knudge the center tune indicator right or left of center. Then tune the other direction while counting the steps again until you see it again just move from dead center but in the other direction. The center frequency will the difference between your step counts.
The signals bandwidth is too wide in some filter modes for needing that precise tuning but it's nice that it's there.

 

[kilocharlie8]

Hi All,

We made it to our fist release, which is available on our Downloads page.

I wonder if there is anyone here that would consider allowing us to connect to an IC-R8600 for development purposes? We really need some time working on the wfview code with an IC-R8600 in order to implement more features and correct some bugs. All you have to do is open a few ports on your router and make us an account the radio. We routinely do this for the other modern Icom rigs (as I don't own them all... yet...).

Shoot me an email if you can help out (address is in the About box of wfview, also on W6EL Callsign Page). We really want to make the IC-R8600 experience more refined. I'd like to at least bring it up to the level of the other SDR-era Icom rigs, so that the scope feature is properly supported, we have stable audio, working band buttons, etc. Once we get to that point, then we will start looking at 8600-specific features, like the Center tuning indicator, scanning features, digital modes, etc.

Thanks to all of you very much, as you were all our first testers!

--E
de W6EL

 

[KC1UA]

I'd be glad to help; the issue I have is that I can't connect to it from outside my LAN. I have T-Mobile Home Internet which works great but a double NAT situation is introduced as a result. I have not overcome it and what I have searched up via the internet is not much help. If you don't get any takers on this and we can work through that dilemma I'd be glad to. What you've done with it so far is fantastic and I'd love to see the 8600 operate at as full a capacity as possible.

I don't want this thread to get sidetracked, so if anyone has suggestions about the double NAT issue please contact me via PM. Thanks.

 

[ArloG]

I've had this cool application for about a week now. Getting ready to get my 8600 config. setup for my LAN.
Am I missing something or will this only work with TCP/IP and not USB on my radio?