RSP1 as Panadapter for Icom IC-R8500 With HDSDR

[KC1UAParticipant]

Hi,

First post here. I have an RSP1 that has been mothballed for a while but I recently acquired a gently used Icom IC-R8500 receiver. It has a 10.7 MHz IF output. I have that output connected to the RSP1, and in turn the RSP1 is connected to the latest (beta) version of HDSDR. Finally, Omni-Rig allows the IC-R8500 and HDSDR to communicate and this provides true frequency readout on the screen and point, click, tune. This setup works superbly…just one little “issue”…

…every time I point/click/tune the selected signal is moved to center screen. My question is, is this because of the way the Ext-IO.dll file is written? The HDSDR “guru” seems to think so. I have used other SDR’s directly and been able to point and click anywhere within the viewed spectrum without this happening.

Further testing is required but I figured I’d ask here as well. Thanks in advance and Happy New Year.

Scott/KC1UA
Cape Cod MA USA

[diysdrParticipant]

Where is the “HDSDR GURU”? I’d like to ask him some questions. I haven’t found a good forum for HDSDR.

I am using HDSDR with an rsp1 directly, not hooked to the ham rig as a panadapter. Anyway, I can click anywhere in the spectrum window and it does not center as you describe. HOWEVER, if I click on the extreme right of the spectrum window then that frequency hops to the center. It does not happen on the left hand part of the window. Odd. Learn something everyday. Maybe a config/default setting somewhere?

Have you tried it with the SDRPLAY software? I still havent’ figured out the details but I get odd behaviors by clicking in different parts of the window depending on how zoomed in I am. It also affects how the numbers change on the digits. I haven’t figured it out so I’m just using HDSDR instead. Its more predicatable except for the “feature” that I just discovered after you mentioned it.

Just fyi, I’ve found the rsp1 rx to be more than adqueate so rather than tap into the IF I’m just going to put in an antenna relay so that the default rx is the sdr but when I xmit the relay switches to the ham xcvr. I suppose using the IF panadapter would be useful if you are near strong stations that might overload the sdr assuming the bandpass filtering in the xcvr is better.

73 happy ny

[KC1UAParticipant]

There is a group on groups.io for HDSDR: https://groups.io/g/hdsdr If you’re not a registered user of groups.io you’d have to become one.

I have not tried the RSP1 I have as a standalone on HDSDR but I will do so. I have tried the above setup now with SDRUno, and I am unable to click and tune anywhere in the spectrum window. However I can scroll the wheel on the mouse and do so. No idea why that would be. This setup is also configured with Omni-Rig and there is full control over the radio’s frequency and mode. Just no point/click/tune whatsoever.

Scott

[diysdrParticipant]

thanks for the suggestion. I already am a member of the groups.io but I didn’t notice the hdsdr entries. Glad its not on Facebook. There is also some sdr stuff on redit although its usually a discussion with newbies, lots of interest in satellite and spacelab video decoding, and questions about basic antennas.

you should try HDSDR. I had been using it for a long time with that cheap dongle and homebrew upconverter so I had experience with it. I have the same experience with sdrplay. somehow I can’t get the same mouse click and drag wheel responses that I am looking for. There is some inconsistency in that function based on how much you zoom into the spectrum.

I read where you can use HDSDR as a client so you can access your radios thru the web but I haven’t found the version of hdsdr that will do that. All my hdsdr versions have extio ip addresses greyed out, don’t know why. I want to do that next, and then ft8. Trying to catch up with the rest of the world.

What bands do you hang out? I have noticed that 40M is working very well. Atmospheric noise is way low and I’m hearing/working stations in Europe or Hawaii Austraila at the same time. Usually I hear them on the SDR first.

73 Happy NY

[halParticipant]

Hello,

I have been searching for a way to use my sdrplay1a as a panadapter for my icom ic-r8500 and google always brings me back to you.

I assume from your post that you have managed this beautifully and would be grateful if you give me an idiots guide on how to do this?

many thanks in anticipation

regards

hal

[halParticipant]

hello,

I am trying to connect my sdrplay 1a to my icom 8500

can you confirm that I can connect the 2 aerials to the icom (01.MHz-30MHz and a 30MHz – 2000MHz aeril) and link sdrplay and icom via the IF output?

can you confirm that the aerials feed the icom not the sdr??

learning every day

hal
thanks

[KraquinParticipant]

Glad I found this thread as I have an R8500 and an AOR AR5000 and have been trying to figure out how not to sell them.
It seems panadapter is the way to go but I have one question ……… does the SDR have to have the same freq range as the receiver in order to use the full range of the receiver or does the SDR panadapter just act like a passthrough?

For instance the RSP1A goes up to 2Ghz but my AR5000 goes up to 2.6Ghz. Would I be able to go up to 2.6Ghz using the SDR panadapter?

thanks

[Author]

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