configure preset equivalent of "keys=yyys" [added in v1.694]
This discussion was created from comments split from: A new category: Feature requests.
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Option of powering up with no DX labels, just spectrum, waterfall or both. Effectively the 'yyys' I do every time done for me.
Yes, I could have an admin configuration for this.
For any Kiwi, including those you don't have admin access to, you can specify arbitrary key sequences as part of the URL. Could be part of e.g. a bookmark or device "add to home screen".
my_kiwi:8073?keys=...ormy_kiwi:8073?...&keys=...Sorry Glenn. You stated right in your thread title "keys=yyys". So you already knew about that.
The next release has a new menu on the admin config tab "Initial values" section called "Display setup". With entries like "show all" (the current default), "RF spec + WF" (your request), "WF only", "DX labels only", "top bar only". We can add other setups as required.
Not seeing it on v1.690 but that sounds great. I really like the ability to use the Antenna Switch to change bands too. That lets me remotely configure frequency conversion and Kiwi dial, at least I think it does.
Glenn
I'll be in v1.691 assuming we don't need that version number for another anti-botnet patch (fingers-crossed).
At the risk of topic drift I'd like to ask if there is a way to produce seamless Antenna Switching when it is used with computer control? I'd like to be able to change only the LO offset so that in conjunction with tuning a separate frequency converter, a script might tune everywhere the converter goes.
At the moment, changing LO offset generates two prompts that require user mouse intervention. The first is to acknowledge the need for reloading the Kiwi page and the second is to start WebSDR (at least on recent browsers like Firefox).
I'm probably overlooking something obvious but I'd like to be able to completely switch frequencies with no need for user activity when used with the 0-2 GHz downconverter and I don't see how to do that without involving a mouse click or two.
Do you have a suggestion as to how to remotely send a mouse click to satisfy that situation?
Now that the antenna switch code has been integrated it should be possible to do this.
But let me understand something first. How is it that you're changing the Kiwi offset programmatically now? Because the only way I know to do that is to use the
foff=(kHz)URL parameter when you open a user connection (apart from manually setting it in the admin config tab which is not programmatic).I assume this is what you want to do: Change both the Kiwi offset and antenna selection from your program or script. I could add another special control URL that you can set with curl, or whatever, to set the offset and antenna. Like the control URLs we have now for
/users, /snr, /adc, /adc_ov, /s-meter, /statusetc. And when the offset is changed this way I could reload the user connections automatically without the dialog box that requires manual confirmation.Note: you can eliminate the "Click to start OpenWebRX" thing on a per-Kiwi basis by changing a browser setting. On Firefox once the user page is open and running: Click "Tools, Page info" in the top bar. Click "Permissions" at top of the popup. Scroll down until you find "Autoplay". Uncheck "Use default" and check "Allow audio and video". Close popup. Now you'll never get the "Click to start..." prompt again for this particular Kiwi (URL).
I really haven't thought this through very well. The possibility to use Antenna Switch as a way to easily select among different offsets seemed appealing and not requiring reloading the entire page from a different URL and clicking a couple of times manually.
I have both a web accessible tunable converter that will QSY anywhere and a Kiwi that can adapt to different LOs - the pair becoming an all mode receiver in whatever 20 MHz block I select. It would be nice if tuning of the two could be accomplished without bloodshed. Want 2m NBFM? Select a different "antenna" and you get it accomplished. Want aircraft and everything goes there. Want to bandhop FST4W at VHF/UHF do it all from kiwirecorder.
This may be the wrong way to think about progressing to 0-2 GHz all-mode coverage in a Kiwi.
The per-kiwi trick does work fine though. I didn't know about it.
So it sounds like there are use cases going both directions.
Under the admin "Extensions, Antenna Switch" page there is already the ability to set the freq offset per-antenna. But it would also be nice to send an associated control command to external software (the converter). Like maybe include a field where you could specify an arbitrary URL that would be sent via curl that the converter code would receive when the antenna was selected.
In the other direction would be the thing I mentioned earlier. Where the converter code could send the Kiwi a
my_kiwi:8073/foff=(offset_kHz)and/orant=(ant name)like you can now specify in the URL for a user page connection. This is for the case where you want the converter UI to control the Kiwi.We could do similar things in kiwirecorder.
I think that's it. With the per-kiwi trick it almost works now. Assuming I also send a command to the local frequency converter to tune it as well, sending
http://192.168.10.75:8076/?foff=120000.000&f=145200usbz0&mute&keys=yyys
to a local kiwi gives me a running 2m receiver but with a 'Frequency scale offset changed. Page must be reloaded" prompt waiting to be clicked by the user. When clicked, the page reloads and the prompt repeats so is never cleared, which isn't quite what I expected.
OpenHPSDR/Thetis uses the first method to set its transverters. It's a little clunky but one can 'bring up a web page' which can therefore also be a command to tune a frequency converter.
In the scheme of things, I'm not sure which method is preferable. Perhaps the one that lets Kiwirecorder drive it would be the most immediately useful.
When clicked, the page reloads and the prompt repeats so is never cleared, which isn't quite what I expected.
Yeah, I see that too now. I don't know why that's broken. Will fix..
I'll try and get this stuff in the next release.
Okay, I see what's happening. This is an interesting issue. The antenna switch per-antenna "frequency scale offset" field is fighting with the frequency offset you set via the "foff=" URL parameter. You connect with an foff=120000 but then the antenna switch initializes with a default antenna whose freq offset is zero. So the code thinks the page need to be reloaded. Which then has the foff= again. And round and round you go..
So how to fix this? Maybe what's needed is the ability in the antenna switch to define the frequency range over which each antenna is "useful". So there could be a menu that has entries like: HF, VHF, UHF, non-HF, "any freq" and custom (with two freq fields with numeric low/high values). That way a non-HF antenna wouldn't fight any foff= value set above 30 MHz for example.
This solution has the advantage that it doesn't disable the antenna switch's ability to set the freq offset. So even if you initially connect with an foff= value, if you subsequently select an antenna for HF it will do the right thing. And if I have the curl field it can even send the proper command back to the converter to shift frequency to HF. This is an example of why converter communication in both directions would be nice to have.
Are we on the verge of trying to shoe-horn an entire instrument state into Antenna Selection? Should/could this be done better if there were simply a mechanism to call a separate process or script outside of FW that 'does whatever is needed"?
As I remember, basic WSJT-X does something like this prior to the start of a frame. It triggers antenna tuners but I think a lot more if you provide a routine or script, or something. That keeps from bloating the basic code but does provide extensibility for 'strange' uses.
I certainly wouldn't want you to sink excess hours into what is presently just a special case. There are no doubt more pressing matters. But I really don't know...
Well, that's a good question and something I think about when deciding to add features or not. Or even how to add them.
I think the proposed changed are relatively simple and generic. I especially like the idea of setting a frequency range an antenna covers as it is a straightforward concept that most people will understand. And the default of "HF" will cover the vast majority of cases anyway.
I also have in the back of my mind a certain future product we've been discussing privately. And how that might need to be handled, lol.