MacOS ⁽²⁾

I now have a second YouLoop (supplied by Moonraker) set up in the loft, this time connected to the RSPdx which itself is connected to the Linux PC. I use SDR++ on the Mac and am getting used to the excellent software (see https://www.sdrpp.org). There are versions specifically for Ubuntu, Windows, MacOS (Intel and Apple silicon) and the Raspberry Pi, plus the source code is available to compile yourself. So I wanted to compare the Airspy HF+ Discovery and the RSPdx. When installed on the Linux PC SDR++ does not see the RSPdx. However, once the relevant API is installed and running it duly appears in the devices list as SDRplay and displays the necesary antenna selection menu. So here they both are, looking from 0 to around 85kHz. First the Mac and Airspy: And the Linux PC and RSPdx: This is about as clean as I managed to get the various settings and it is particularly useful having the same software on each machine. Of course this is a rather arbitrary comparison given the multitude of settings and the fact that they are on two different platforms, plus the two YouLoops are facing in different directions. But it does…

Something leaks here, not always, just sometimes when the autotuner has an issue. RF gets into the Bluetooth stuff in the Mac and it goes mad. The net result is the cursor moves very sporadically making it very hard to maneuver the cursor. In the past I have resorted to rebooting the Mac - switching Bluetooth off and on is a no-go because I only have a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse so I'd not be able to turn it back on. Helpfully, the current MacOS knows this and won't let me turn it off anyway. So I reboot. However, yesterday I had the other systems turned on with MMSSTV and wsjt-x running on them so rebooting the Mac would have been rather awkward given I use Barrier to control the other systems via the Mac. So a bit of searching turned up a simple console (terminal) command 'sudo pkill bluetoothd' which did the trick. Apple has info at https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-250003311 One to remember but YMMV of course... also, serves me right for letting RF in the shack in the first place.