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K0BLR
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Joined: Sat May 22, 2021 6:26 pm

New to the group

Postby K0BLR » Sun Jun 20, 2021 1:39 am

Hi there everyone,

how are we doing tonight? My name's Ben Ramler. My callsign is K0BLR. I'm thinking about maybe buying an annan 7000 however I have some questions if someone could answer them for me.

I would like to get into remote operations because I'm not always home. I'm an OTR driver. What I am wondering is with 7000DLE is a couple of things. Are there dual vfo's in the radio? Also for remote operations can I share the remote with friends like the rcforb software for remotes? what is the software like to setup for the radio?

any information would be much appreciated!

thank you in advance,

Ben Ramler K0BLR
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w-u-2-o
Posts: 5539
Joined: Fri Mar 10, 2017 1:47 pm

Re: New to the group

Postby w-u-2-o » Sun Jun 20, 2021 11:00 am

Ben,

The radio is a combination of hardware that you buy from Apache, open source firmware that is created by volunteer developers (not Apache, although they pre-load it on the hardware for you), and open source software that is also created by volunteer developers and that needs to run on a Windows PC (although there are other variants than can work on Linux, but they are substantially different from the Windows software).

Most of the radio actually is implemented in the software component, called "Thetis". The hardware/firmware stops at the 1st IF interface, and it is that 1st IF data that is transferred across the Ethernet to/from the PC and Thetis.

This is a "thick client" architecture. IF data rates are too high to run Thetis itself over the internet. As you surmised, you need to use something like rcforb to use the radio remotely. I have used rcforb and it does work. You install the rcforb server on the same PC as Thetis and connect them together using "virtual cables" for both audio and CAT control. There are other solutions for remote operations, some more complex than others. rcforb is probably among the simplest and easiest. It depends on whether you want to remote the spectral display or not.

In all fairness, Flex radios are probably the easiest to remote. Their entire architecture is designed to support it out of the box.

The 7000 has two entirely separate hardware receivers in it. Thetis can implement two VFOs on the first receiver, or split them across the two hardware receivers. The list of features is far too long to discuss in a forum post. I recommend you go to the Apache web site and take a look at the user manuals provided there (also the work of volunteer developers).

73,

Scott
K0BLR
Posts: 2
Joined: Sat May 22, 2021 6:26 pm

Re: New to the group

Postby K0BLR » Sun Jun 20, 2021 11:58 am

Good morning Scott,

Nope All I would want to do is is just be able to just the manipulate the radio in RCforb, and "share the radio". the spectrum really wouldn't matter in what I'm doing. I'm more into passing traffic Net operations. Emcomm stuff if you want to call it that. My question with the RCForb client is do they have skins that will allow most features of the software defined radio to work on the client. I know that they have client software for most major brands (especially Icoms) but I'm not familiar with their support for software radios. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

thank you for answering & 73,

Ben K0BLR
User avatar
w-u-2-o
Posts: 5539
Joined: Fri Mar 10, 2017 1:47 pm

Re: New to the group

Postby w-u-2-o » Sun Jun 20, 2021 2:10 pm

Ben,

Having only dabbled with rcforb, enough to know it was not what I wanted for my style of remote op's, all I can tell you is that it will do the basics and not much more. Thetis (and the legacy PowerSDR software it is based on), support most standard Kenwood CAT commands, but also have a great many Thetis specific commands. For instance, I'm not certain you could change noise reduction modes, that sort of thing.

Unless another rcforb user chimes in here you'll have to download, install and test the software yourself to see if it will do everything you want. Unfortunately it is not easy to test this without having the necessary hardware to run with the software.

73,

Scott

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