Do I select a serial port when configuring my communications program?
What general settings must I make when configuring my communications program?
These are the most common problems reported to our Technical Support Staff. If you are unable to resolve your problem, or if you do not find your problem listed here, then please contact our Technical Support Staff for assistance.
My SignaLink USB was working perfectly but now will no longer Transmit.
Radio won't transmit (SignaLink USB's PTT indicator is OFF).
Radio transmits, but there is no power output or it is too low.
The SignaLink USB's TX control is near minimum, but the radio's transmit power is too high.
How do I operate "direct keyed" CW with the SignaLink - This is done by simply connecting the SignaLink's PTT and Ground lines to the "Key" and "Ground" lines of your radio's Key jack. One of our un-terminated radio cables can be used to make these connections. You will need to attach the appropriate plug for your radio's Key jack to this cable. Using our SLCABNC cable, we suggest attaching the white/orange wire to the tip of the plug, and the orange wire to the plug's body/sleeve. You will then need to install the SignaLink jumpers as follows; PTT to 1, and G (ground) to 2. Note that direct keyed CW is limited to about 25 WPM on Transmit (there is no limit on Receive), so if you need to transmit faster than this, you'll want to run AFSK CW.
Do I select a serial port when configuring my communications program - Some communications programs will have a COM Port selection for PTT (Push To Talk), and some will also have COM Port selection for radio control ("CAT" control). The SignaLink does NOT use a serial port for PTT control, so your communications program should be set to "None", "COM0", "External VOX", or a similar setting to indicate that a serial port is not used. Some newer programs have a "SignaLink" setting that should be used if available.
If you have a CAT interface and will be using it for radio control, then the CAT control portion of your communications program should be set to use the COM Port that the CAT interface is plugged into. If you do not have a CAT interface, then this should also be set to "None" (or similar).
What general settings must I make when configuring my communications program - As explained in the SignaLink Installation Manual, you must configure your communications program to use "USB Audio Codec" as the sound card for BOTH Transmit and Receive. You may also need to disable serial port PTT control and CAT control as mentioned in the question above. These are typically the only settings required to use the SignaLink USB with most programs, but some programs do have other "special" program specific settings such as "use AFSK in place of FSK", or "send CW as AFSK" that may need to be set. In general, you can configure most programs properly if you remember that you will be operating AFSK (audio tones/modulation) and NOT using a serial port for.
I see "USB Audio Device", but not "USB Audio Codec" when I plug in the SignaLink USB - Is this correct? Some versions/builds of Windows may display the SignaLink USB as "USB Audio Device" instead of "USB Audio Codec". If this is the case on your system, then you simply need to select "USB Audio Device" instead of "USB Audio Codec" as the sound card.
My SignaLink USB was working perfectly but now will no longer Transmit - This is most likely due to the software volume controls being reset by Windows. This can happen if you unplug the USB cable or change the default sound card in Windows. Please check your volume controls carefully. Note that they will most likely be reset exactly opposite of how they should be set, so they can look correct at a glance. As outlined in the SignaLink Installation Manual, the "Speaker" control should be at 100% (max) and the "Wave" control should be at 50%. Be sure that your volume control panel shows "USB Audio Codec" in the lower left hand corner, or you will be adjusting the volume for the wrong card.
Radio won't transmit (SignaLink USB's PTT indicator is OFF) -
Verify that the SignaLink USB’s PWR LED is ON. If it is not, then
make sure that the SignaLink USB's PWR switch is pressed in and the USB cable
is securely connected to the computer and the SignaLink.
Verify that your communications program is configured to use the SignaLink USB’s built-in sound card. The program should have “USB Audio CODEC” selected as the sound card for both Transmit and Receive.
Verify that the PLAYBACK volume controls for the SignaLink USB are set according to the “Setting The Audio Levels” procedure. If they are too low, then the SignaLink USB will NOT transmit.
See the "Windows Issues" section if you find that the Windows
software "Speaker" volume control is changing on its own.
If the SignaLink is plugged into a USB hub, verify that the
hub is a powered hub. Non-powered hubs may not supply
enough power for the SignaLink to operate properly (Receive will work, but
Transmit may not). See our SignaLink
FAQ for more details on this.
Radio won't transmit (SignaLink USB's PTT indicator is ON) - If the SignaLink USB's PTT LED turns ON but the radio doesn't switch to transmit, then you have most likely installed the PTT jumper incorrectly on JP-1 (go back and double-check ALL jumpers!). If the SignaLink is attached to your radio’s Data or Accessory Port, then another possible cause is that your radio isn’t configured properly to use that port. Some radios require the radio to be set to a "digital" mode such as "Packet", "User-u", "Digital-USB", etc. Consult your radio manual and verify that your radio is in the correct mode.
NOTE: If the SignaLink is plugged into a USB hub, then you need to verify that the hub is a powered hub. Non-powered hubs may not supply enough power for the SignaLink to operate properly (Receive will work, but Transmit may not). See our SignaLink FAQ for more details on this.
Radio transmits but there is no power output, or it is too low – The SignaLink USB can provide more than enough Transmit Audio to drive any radio to full power. If you have followed the “Setting The Audio Levels” procedure in the SignaLink USB manual and still cannot get enough power, then check the following:
If you are using a CAT interface, then you need to disable
"PTT by CAT Control" (or similarly worded option), so that the
SignaLink can key the radio (not the CAT interface!). This is
necessary because some radio's will only look for Transmit Audio on the Mic
jack if the radio is switched into Transmit by the CAT interface. Note
that this is a design issue with the **radio** and has absolutely nothing to
do with the SignaLink.
Verify that your radio’s “Forward Power” (sometimes called “RF Power” or “Carrier Power”) control is set to maximum.
On newer radios with menu settings, this is normally a menu item (not a
knob). Note that you do NOT normally want to run full
power, but this control should normally be set to max, and then the power
adjusted down by the SignaLink USB's TX control.
If the SignaLink is attached to your radio’s Mic jack, then try turning up your radio’s Mic Gain control.
Adjust the Windows “Wave” PLAYBACK volume control higher.
See the “Special Jumpers” section of this manual and install JP3. This will dramatically increase the SignaLink’s Transmit Audio level. Note that this is NOT needed for most radios, so you really need to be sure that everything else is correct before doing this.
If the SignaLink is attached to a Kenwood 13-pin Accessory Port, then you may have set the PTT jumper incorrectly. Double-check the document that was supplied with your radio cable to see if your radio requires a standard PTT jumper or the diode module to be installed.
My transmit signal is wide or distorted - This is generally the result of over-driving your radio. Verify that your radio’s speech processor/compressor is turned OFF. Your radio’s “Forward Power” control (sometimes called “RF Power” or “Carrier Power”) should be set to maximum. If you have lowered this control to decrease your transmit power, then you more than likely have not set the audio levels correctly, and are overdriving your radio. Follow the “Setting The Audio Levels” procedure to correct this problem. If the above mentioned radio controls are set correctly, then try turning the radio’s Mic, Data or Accy Port gain and see if that improves the quality of your signal (Data/Accy Port gain is usually a radio menu setting). If this has no effect, then you may have the software PlayBack volume controls, or the SignaLink USB’s TX level control set to high. See the “Setting The Audio Levels” procedure to correct this. Contact Tech Support if you cannot resolve this problem.
The SignaLink USB's TX control is near minimum, but the radio's transmit power is too high - This is most likely because the radio’s Mic, Data or Accy Port gain control is set too high. If the SignaLink is attached to the Mic jack, then try turning the radio’s Mic Gain control down ( this may also affect Data/Accy Ports on some radios). If the SignaLink is attached to a Data or Accy Port, then your radio should have a menu setting or trimmer to adjust the gain. Note that some radios call the Data or Accy Port gain control “Packet Input Level” or “Packet Gain”. Contact Tech Support if you are unable to resolve this problem.
I can't seem to receive - There are several possible causes for this problem:
Why
Can't I Receive Some Stations - No matter how good your antenna and
radio are, there will always be some stations that you cannot copy (even with
strong signals!). While the reason for this may be because of operator error
(wrong mode or baud rate, off frequency, etc.), radio wave propagation problems
can often prevent you from receiving. Some
modes are more susceptible to this than others.
For example, even though PSK31 usually works very well with weak signals,
sometimes even strong PSK31 signals cannot be copied at all because of multipath
and Doppler Shift propagation problems. Other
modes like HF Packet and RTTY do not work well with weak signals and are
susceptible to multipath and Doppler Shift.
Windows "System Sounds" Cause The SignaLink USB To Transmit – This will NOT happen if you configure Windows to use your computer’s sound card as the default sound card. See the “Connecting The Computer” section of the SignaLink USB Installation Manual to resolve this problem.
Windows 98 can't find a file during installation - There is a bug in all versions of Windows 98 that causes the Operating System to sometimes "forget" what drive the installation CD is in during installation. If you receive a "Can't Find File..." error message during installation of the SignaLink USB, then you will need to manually enter the location of your Windows CD drive into the dialog box when prompted. For example, if your CD drive is "D:" then you will type "D:\WIN98". Note that you may also be able to click the location drop down menu and select the correct CD drive location.
Windows resets the SignaLink USB's software volume controls to incorrect positions - If the SignaLink's USB cable is unplugged or the default sound card in the computer is changed, Windows may reset the SignaLink's software volume controls to incorrect levels. The symptom for this problem is that the SignaLink USB was working perfectly, but now will not transmit. This issue can be resolved by manually setting the "Speaker" volume control back to maximum, and the "Wave" control to 50%, or by using the "QuickMix" utility to save and restore your volume control settings.