Sudden increase in noise floor level

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Vkwayne
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Joined: Tue Feb 16, 2021 12:27 am

Sudden increase in noise floor level

Postby Vkwayne » Thu Mar 25, 2021 3:14 am

My 7000 DLE Mk2 with inbuilt NUC, running protocol 2 and Thetis v2.8.11; has been working very well for a couple of weeks, although I haven't been able to integrate CAT control to my logging program (Log4OM).
Yesterday after setting up a new transmit profile , I was happy with how it turned out . I went to operate pure signal ,and when I released the Two-tone button I had a greatly increased noise floor , and the waterfall was also much brighter due to the noise . I turned the radio off and back on and still the same. I have since noticed that every time I use any type of PTT that the noise is increased and centralised on the frequency I transmitted on .
I have been unable to make any headway , and decided to reload the firmware and if necessary Thetis , I have now found that Bootloader won't find the radio .Although it will bring up an ip address and Computer Mac. But when I test Bootloader , nothing happens.
Any ideas ?

Wayne
VK2VRC
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w-u-2-o
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Re: Sudden increase in noise floor level

Postby w-u-2-o » Thu Mar 25, 2021 11:39 am

Unstable noise floor is a symptom of Protocol 2 firmware not making timing on your specific hardware.

The most common problem with Bootloader is not having the switch in the right position.
The second most common problem is forgetting to power cycle the board with the switch in the right position.
Bootloader will not work through a "smart" or "managed" (layer 2 or 3) Ethernet switch. It must be a "dumb" switch or a direct connection.
Vkwayne
Posts: 15
Joined: Tue Feb 16, 2021 12:27 am

Re: Sudden increase in noise floor level

Postby Vkwayne » Fri Mar 26, 2021 8:11 am

Here is an image of the noise ,it follows my transmissions , and the noise is horrendous ,buzzing hammering noise .

IMG_2064.jpg
IMG_2064.jpg (149.54 KiB) Viewed 5385 times
.

Not sure of what you mean by firmware "not making timing on your specific hardware". Or what to do to rectify it ?

I have also found that my drive output varies ,and my output at a given level is much lower than it was previously .

Regards

Wayne
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w-u-2-o
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Re: Sudden increase in noise floor level

Postby w-u-2-o » Fri Mar 26, 2021 11:32 am

First things first: did you solve your bootloader problem?
Vkwayne
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Re: Sudden increase in noise floor level

Postby Vkwayne » Sat Mar 27, 2021 1:36 am

w-u-2-o wrote:First things first: did you solve your bootloader problem?


Unfortunately NO .I bought the radio second hand and everything was loaded as it is now, have no idea if it has worked since I have had it .

Wayne
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w-u-2-o
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Re: Sudden increase in noise floor level

Postby w-u-2-o » Sat Mar 27, 2021 1:33 pm

Elevated noise floors like this are a common symptom of firmware not working on your hardware. More specifically, in the vernacular of firmware engineering, "it does not make timing", or "does not achieve timing closure". Probably more than you want to know here.

Unfortunately, while great strides have been made in the reliability of P2 firmware across the entire population of hardware, not all hardware will run the latest version of P2 firmware. This means you will have to try different versions until you find one that works for your hardware. You can find all the ones that are worth trying here: viewtopic.php?f=32&t=3192

While other things could cause elevated noise floors, trying different firmware is an important first step in order to eliminate the most common root cause.
Vkwayne
Posts: 15
Joined: Tue Feb 16, 2021 12:27 am

Re: Sudden increase in noise floor level

Postby Vkwayne » Sat Mar 27, 2021 9:49 pm

w-u-2-o wrote:Elevated noise floors like this are a common symptom of firmware not working on your hardware. More specifically, in the vernacular of firmware engineering, "it does not make timing", or "does not achieve timing closure". Probably more than you want to know here.

Unfortunately, while great strides have been made in the reliability of P2 firmware across the entire population of hardware, not all hardware will run the latest version of P2 firmware. This means you will have to try different versions until you find one that works for your hardware. You can find all the ones that are worth trying here: viewtopic.php?f=32&t=3192

While other things could cause elevated noise floors, trying different firmware is an important first step in order to eliminate the most common root cause.


I have again checked Bootloader and it doesn't connect .It says checking for Mac address and then "Check that there is a jumper on J1 for Metis ?

The radio is running Thetis v2.8.11 ,and was obviously updated by the previous owner.

Radio is quickly heading to become an expensive foot stool.!

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