Winradio G305 User Manual
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Winradio G305 User Manual

Vhf/uhf receiver
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WiNRADiO
®
G305 VHF/UHF Receiver
User's Guide

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Summary of Contents for Winradio G305

  • Page 1 WiNRADiO ® G305 VHF/UHF Receiver User’s Guide...
  • Page 2 WiNRADiO, G3 and G305 are trademarks of WiNRADiO Communications. All other brand and product names are trademarks of their respective owners. Patents WiNRADiO technology is protected by US Pat. No. 6,289,207 and other pending US and international patent applications. Printed in Australia...

  • Page 3: Fcc Notice

    WiNRADiO receiver, whether arising out of contract, negligence, tort or under any warranty, even if WiNRADiO Communications has been advised of the possibility of such damages.

  • Page 4: Table Of Contents

    Appendix A - Troubleshooting ............. 50 Appendix B - Sound Card Controls ............. 55 Appendix C - Dealing with Interference..........57 Appendix D - Inside WR-G305 .............. 59 Appendix E - Professional Demodulator Option......... 61 Appendix F - Wide-band FM Option............. 69 Appendix G - Developer Support ............

  • Page 5: Introduction

    Digital Signal Processor (DSP). Your PC probably has more power than even the fastest DSP had only a few years ago. Your new WiNRADiO G305 receiver is now ready to take advantage of that power.

  • Page 6: G305 Receiver Models

    WiNRADiO G305 VHF/UHF Receiver G305 Receiver Models There are two basic models of the WiNRADiO G305 receiver: • G305i (PCI card based “internal” model) • G305e (USB based “external” model) Both receivers have similar parameters and identical software user interface.
  • Page 7 WiNRADiO G305 User’s Manual The external G305e model has three connectors: The power jack accepts 12 V DC (the power adapter must be rated for minimum 500 mA). To minimize interference, a linear-mode power adapter is recommended (as supplied by WiNRADiO).
  • Page 8 DRM (Digital Radio Mondiale) is a new digital broadcasting system for medium and short waves. By introducing sophisticated signal coding and compression, this system offers a dramatic improvement in broadcast quality. WiNRADiO has a DRM demodulator available for your G305 receiver. For more details please refer to www.winradio.com/drm.

  • Page 9: Installation

    • Interface cable (G305e only) • This User’s Guide • Warranty information In order for the WiNRADiO receiver to function, your IBM PC compatible computer must meet the minimum system requirements specified below. System Requirements Minimum Recommended 500 MHz, 1GHz or higher,...

  • Page 10: Hardware Installation

    WiNRADiO G305 VHF/UHF Receiver Hardware Installation G305i model (PCI card-based) 1. Turn off the computer and disconnect the power cord. 2. Remove the computer case. Choose an empty PCI slot, as far as possible from the power supply and from other cards.
  • Page 11 WiNRADiO G305 User’s Manual G305e (external) model with standard USB interface 1. Connect the receiver to the USB port using the supplied cable. 2. Plug the supplied power adapter to the power outlet and connect its output to the receiver.
  • Page 12 WiNRADiO G305 VHF/UHF Receiver G305e (external) model with serial (RS-232) interface 1. Connect the receiver to the serial port using the supplied adapter, which combines both the serial interface and the audio lead in one cable. 2. Connect the audio lead on the PC side to the sound card Line input.

  • Page 13: G305E Interface Status Indication

    WiNRADiO G305 User’s Manual G305e Interface Status Indication The single blue LED on the front of the WiNRADiO G305e (external) receiver can display a number of different states using various specific flash patterns. Each pattern is repeated once per second.

  • Page 14: Connecting The Antenna

    WiNRADiO G305 VHF/UHF Receiver Connecting the Antenna Your WiNRADiO G305 receiver comes with a start-up antenna consisting of a 3-meter length of coaxial lead-in cable, with an additional 3 meters of insulated wire. The thinner, insulated wire at the end is the actual antenna. The long lead-in cable is necessary for the antenna to be located as far away from the PC as possible, to reduce interference from the PC.

  • Page 15: Software Installation

    3. This will run the application installer, which will guide you in the installation process. 4. After all the files have been installed to your hard disk, run the WiNRADiO G305 application. Note: If the receiver is not detected by Windows, you can simply skip the driver installation procedure, insert the CD ROM, and run the installation program, which will also install the drivers.
  • Page 16 WiNRADiO G305 VHF/UHF Receiver The demodulator set-up window opens, as shown: The Wave device drop-down list shows all the installed wave devices: Windows default is the Control Panel setting specified under Start | Settings | Control Panel | Multimedia Properties | Audio. If a sound card is specified...
  • Page 17 Normally, the G305 Demodulator expects the receiver output to be connected to the right sound card input. If it is to be connected to the left input instead, the reverse input line needs to be selected from the drop-down list.
  • Page 18 Firstly, in the sound card Playback volume control panel, the software mutes the sound card input line the receiver is actually connected to. This is the same line as selected in the WiNRADiO G305 demodulator Setup, i.e. usually, this will be Line or Microphone input.
  • Page 19 WiNRADiO G305 User’s Manual The same line will be selected in the Recording Control of the sound card control panel. To get there, you need to select Options | Properties | Recording in the top bar menu of the Volume Control panel.

  • Page 20: Getting Started

    Detailed operation is described in the subsequent chapter Using WiNRADiO G305 Receiver. We hope you will return to that chapter, as the WiNRADiO G305 receiver has many fine features which it would be a shame to miss.
  • Page 21 If you are still unable to tune to any stations at this point, please refer to Appendix A - Troubleshooting. There are also several other ways to tune the WiNRADiO receiver other than typing the frequency or using the tuning knob. These will be explained in detail in the following chapter.

  • Page 22: Using Winradio G305

    The default band description is also user modifiable: it resides in the file bands.csv in the WiNRADiO installation folder. This file can be edited using a spreadsheet application, such as Microsoft Excel.

  • Page 23: Fine Tuning

    WiNRADiO G305 User’s Manual Fine Tuning The Fine Tune Knob makes it possible to finely adjust the frequency in 0.5 kHz steps. To use the tuning knob, position the mouse cursor over the knob (the cursor will turn into a curved double ended arrow) and click on either the left or right mouse button.

  • Page 24: Fast Tuning Pad

    To select the modulation mode, click on the appropriate Mode button in the Demodulator panel: WiNRADiO G305 Standard Demodulator Panel The real-time spectrum display shows the output of the receiver (i.e. the intermediate frequency signal) as it is applied to the PC sound card. When you press the mode buttons, you will note that the central highlighted region of the spectrum changes its width.
  • Page 25 WiNRADiO G305 User’s Manual For example, standard AM mode has 6 kHz bandwidth, while narrow AM (AMN) uses 4 kHz bandwidth. The CW mode uses a narrow bandwidth of 500 Hz. You will see the trace color change from white to yellow where the spectrum falls within the filter bandwidth.

  • Page 26: Volume Control

    WiNRADiO G305 VHF/UHF Receiver Volume Control The Volume control is also located in the demodulator panel. The volume can range from 0 (no sound) to 31 (full volume). To enter a value directly, click on the display and type in the new volume level. The volume can be also increased or decreased by clicking on the up or down buttons next to the volume display.

  • Page 27: Agc

    Did you know? Your G305 receiver employs two AGC loops: The first one is the hardware AGC, which acts upon the analog incoming signal. The second AGC loop is performed entirely in software, acting upon the digitized signal and supplementing the action of the hardware...

  • Page 28: If Gain

    WiNRADiO G305 VHF/UHF Receiver IF Gain The AGC can be turned off using the AGC Off button. The receiver gain must then be adjusted manually. This is done using the IF Gain control. Note that by setting an excessive gain, the receiver will overload and the demodulated signal will be distorted.

  • Page 29: Afc

    WiNRADiO G305 User’s Manual The Automatic Frequency Control function is activated by pressing the AFC button. It will keep the receiver tuned to the selected station if the transmitter frequency drifts. While this function is active, the receiver will periodically check the received signal and correct the frequency in approximately five-second intervals.

  • Page 30: Squelch Control

    - what a “useful signal” actually means is defined by the squelch setting. The G305 receiver has five different types of squelch, to maximize operator convenience and to make scanning more efficient and faster: Level squelch refers to the received signal strength, as it is indicated by the S- meter.
  • Page 31 WiNRADiO G305 User’s Manual Voice squelch determines the contents of voice frequencies in the spectrum of the demodulated audio. If higher than the preset threshold, the squelch will open. The voice frequencies content of the currently received signal is shown in the demodulator spectrum display.

  • Page 32: Frequency Stepping

    WiNRADiO G305 VHF/UHF Receiver The adjustment of the Voice squelch is similar: Tune to an unoccupied channel first, then an active voice channel, note the corresponding Voice spectrum values, and set the Voice threshold between the two extremes. It is easy to forget that squelch is active. If the receiver doesn’t seem to be operational (no sound from the speaker), check the squelch and mute settings first.

  • Page 33: Frequency Memory

    Frequency Memory The WiNRADiO G305 receiver has the ability to store up to ten thousand frequencies in one memory file. It also allows you to load and save different memory files for a huge amount of total storage, limited only by the size of...
  • Page 34 A Store frequency dialog box will pop up, allowing you to assign a memory number to the current frequency. Did you know? WiNRADiO also offer complete frequency database software suitable for your receiver, for example the WaveBase. For this, and other software accessories, please refer to WiNRADiO website www.winradio.com.
  • Page 35 WiNRADiO G305 User’s Manual Storing Frequency to Memory At the top of the dialog box is the name of the currently selected memory file, followed by the frequency you are storing. The next line shows the next available memory number. You can change this to another memory number if you wish (including one which is already allocated).
  • Page 36 WiNRADiO G305 VHF/UHF Receiver There are also other additional items that can be optionally stored with each frequency: • Most stations have a name or callsign. You can store up to 11 characters in the Callsign field. • For quick tuning to your favorite stations, you can assign Hotkeys (function keys F2 to F12) for up to eleven different frequencies.
  • Page 37 WiNRADiO G305 User’s Manual Recall Frequency from Memory You can click on the column descriptions to sort the memories by the column. The assigned memory groups are shown as color bars for a quick visual overview of which frequencies are associated with which groups (see the corresponding colors in the Store frequency window).
  • Page 38 Save command before exit. Opening a Memory File When WiNRADiO starts up, the most recently used memory file will be opened automatically. To open a different memory file, select Open from the Memory file sub-menu in the File menu.
  • Page 39 WiNRADiO G305 User’s Manual Importing third-party frequency data is also possible, however the imported file must be first edited in a spreadsheet, for the imported parameters to be exactly in the specified order, including the reserved items: "Number", "Frequency", "Bandwidth", "IF shift", "reserved", "reserved", "reserved", "reserved",...

  • Page 40: Scanning

    WiNRADiO G305 VHF/UHF Receiver Scanning The WiNRADiO G305 application contains a comprehensive set of scan functions to enable the user to search for stations which are currently on the air. There are three basic types of scanning: Immediate Scanning (Searching), Range Scanning and Memory Scanning.
  • Page 41 WiNRADiO G305 User’s Manual Scanner Configuration When a signal level is higher than the squelch level, this indicates that a signal has been found. You can configure the software to specify what action you want to be taken at this point. To access this configuration facility, go to Options | Scanning in the top bar menu.
  • Page 42 The WiNRADiO G305 receiver application makes it possible for multiple frequency ranges to be excluded. This is done using the Exclusions button.
  • Page 43 WiNRADiO G305 User’s Manual Frequency Range Scanning To be able to use Frequency Range Scanning, you need to set up the desired scanning ranges first. This is done using the Ranges button in the Options | Scanning top-bar menu. Setting up Scan Ranges Note the check box at the start of every specified range.
  • Page 44 WiNRADiO G305 VHF/UHF Receiver When the range definition is done, close this window, then close the scanner settings. Then activate the Range button in the Scanning control panel: Scanning Control Panel When you press the Scan Forward button [>>], the scanner will commence scanning from the start frequency of the first range.

  • Page 45: S-Meter

    Enable group restriction in the same window. S-meter The WiNRADiO G305 receiver Signal Strength Meter (S-meter) makes it possible to measure signal strength in either S-units, dBm or µV (microvolts). The units are selected by correspondingly marked buttons on the right side of the display.

  • Page 46: Power Switch

    WiNRADiO G305 VHF/UHF Receiver The squelch value is always indicated in dBm units (even if the signal strength is displayed in S-units or microvolts). Note that when the AGC is off (and manual IF gain control is activated), the S- meter is disabled.

  • Page 47: Spectrum Scope

    Spectrum Scope In addition to the narrow-band real-time spectrum scope, which is located inside the demodulator panel, the G305 receiver also has a wide-band spectrum scope which operates by fast tuning the receiver across the user- specified frequency range, or “sweeping”. Click on the yellow triangle button...
  • Page 48 WiNRADiO G305 VHF/UHF Receiver The Min, Man and Diff buttons enable the display of minimum, maximum and differential values when continuous sweeping is selected. (A scale for the differential trace will be displayed on the right-hand side whenever the Diff button is pressed.)
  • Page 49 WiNRADiO G305 User’s Manual The squelch condition that needs to be satisfied for a "hit" can be any valid combination of the five types of squelch available in the main panel. For example, it can be Level only, or CTCSS, or Level+CTCSS, etc.

  • Page 50: Appendix A - Troubleshooting

    WiNRADiO G305 VHF/UHF Receiver Appendix A - Troubleshooting Problem (G305i or G305e with serial interface option only): My PC does have a Line input, but there is no Line input shown in the mixer line list in the demodulator set-up window.
  • Page 51 Setup panel: it should be set as high as possible, just below the clipping level. Problem (G305i or G305e with serial interface option only): The WiNRADiO application installed OK, but there is no sound coming from the speaker. Solution: Check if you see any noise appearing in the demodulator spectrum scope (under the AM, AMS, etc., mode selection...
  • Page 52 (this panel is accessible under the Setup button in the demodulator panel): • The sound card has the left and right inputs reversed. Normally, the G305 Demodulator expects the receiver to be connected to the Right input.
  • Page 53 WiNRADiO G305 User’s Manual Problem: I can tune the receiver and see the signal peaks in the spectrum scope, but I can’t hear any sound at all. Solution: Check that your speaker or headphone is connected to the speaker output of the sound card. Set the volume to medium (say 15), disengage all squelch buttons.
  • Page 54 CPU. If the CPU usage shows consistently more than 80%, this may indicate insufficient CPU resources for the G305 application. (Check the CPU usage under the Setup button in the demodulator window. The CPU resource meter is at bottom left.)

  • Page 55: Appendix B - Sound Card Controls

    Sound card control panels and their settings can be somewhat confusing. They are also rather inconsistent from one version of Windows to another. WiNRADiO G305 receivers require a full duplex sound card, meaning that the card must be able to simultaneously process signals in two directions (i.e.
  • Page 56 WiNRADiO G305 VHF/UHF Receiver Windows Enable “speaker” icon Recording/playback volume controls Control Panel | Control Panel | Multimedia Multimedia Audio-tab Audio-tab Checkbox: “Show volume control on the Sound Playback: Click on button taskbar” Sound Recording: Click on button Control Panel |...

  • Page 57: Appendix C - Dealing With Interference

    One significant source of man-made electromagnetic interference is the personal computer, and the video monitor in particular. Since the WiNRADiO G305 receiver requires a personal computer to operate, this creates a potential paradox. The WiNRADiO receiver itself is designed to be substantially immune to PC interference.
  • Page 58 The design and application of such filters falls beyond the scope of this book, since the large majority of WiNRADiO users should not experience this problem (after all, not too many of us live next door to a radio station).

  • Page 59: Appendix D - Inside Wr-G305

    This receiver and its software have been indeed designed to promote and encourage such experimentation. The WiNRADiO G305 receiver represents only one half of the entire radio. The other half is your PC. The receiver hardware contains the following functional...
  • Page 60 The 12 kHz IF output is then fed to the right channel of the Line input of the PC sound card. You can hear what it sounds like if you use the sound card mixer panel to listen directly to this input (rather than using the G305 Demodulator software).

  • Page 61: Appendix E - Professional Demodulator Option

    WiNRADiO G305 User’s Manual Appendix E - Professional Demodulator Option The WiNRADiO G305 receiver has provision for additional demodulators, in place of the supplied standard one. Installed demodulators can be selected via the Demodulators top bar menu. Check the WiNRADiO Web site www.winradio.com periodically, for available demodulators.
  • Page 62 WiNRADiO G305 VHF/UHF Receiver The front panel of the Professional Demodulator looks similar to the standard one. Note in particular the added DSB and ISB modes, the continuous IF filter bandwidth control, enhanced Software AGC (the time constants are user definable in the Setup window), and a row of IF bandwidth preset buttons at the bottom.
  • Page 63 WiNRADiO G305 User’s Manual Therefore, while increasing the filter lengths, always watch the CPU usage (shown at bottom left of the demodulator Setup window) in order not to starve the operating system of CPU resources (80% is a good upper limit). Starving the system of CPU resources manifests itself by the computer becoming sluggish or possibly "freezing"...
  • Page 64 WiNRADiO G305 VHF/UHF Receiver If you have a preference for particular IF bandwidths, you can associate them with any of the ten preset buttons (located at the bottom of the demodulator front panel) by double clicking the Bandwidth column of the IF bandwidth presets table, and then typing in the numerical bandwidth value in Hz.
  • Page 65 Each mode also has its own set of filter settings available for experimentation. Did you know? All the software-implemented digital filters used in the G305 receiver are of the linear phase FIR (Finite Impulse Response) type, with maximum 511 taps, providing a filter shape far superior to conventional analog hardware filters.
  • Page 66 WiNRADiO G305 VHF/UHF Receiver AM Demodulator Structure The demodulator structure windows include two spectrum analyzers, making it possible to view signal spectra in real-time. Each analyzer can be "connected" to any of the test points shown as green dots in the diagram. To connect the left spectrum analyzer to a particular test point, left-click on the green test point.
  • Page 67 When you change the modulation mode, the displayed structure of the demodulator will change accordingly, allowing you to exploring it. For example, for the AMS mode (synchronous AM demodulation), the G305 Professional Demodulator uses a digital carrier recovery technique based on the so-called...
  • Page 68 If you intend to use external third-party decoding or signal processing programs, the WiNRADiO Virtual Sound Card offers major advantages: ? By eliminating sampling rate differences between the WiNRADiO receiver and the PC sound card, signal discontinuities due to buffer over/under runs are eliminated.

  • Page 69: Appendix F - Wide-Band Fm Option

    Appendix F - Wide-band FM Option The “WFM” option makes it possible to receive wide-band modulated signals (“broadcast FM”) on the G305 receivers. On the standard G305 receiver, the wide-band FM capability is not included, because it is not possible to provide...

  • Page 70: Appendix G - Developer Support

    Specification). All our receivers conform to this standard, and many plug- ins are already available for various applications (see http://xrs.winradio.com). 3. New types of demodulators. The G305 demodulators in fact represent a special type of XRS plug-in. Detailed information is also available at http://xrs.winradio.com).

  • Page 71: Appendix H - Frequency Calibration

    [ClockCalibration] receiver_serial_number=reference_frequency The receiver serial number can be obtained from the About box in the G305 application. The reference frequency is the actual frequency of the internal reference oscillator in Hz. This is nominally 20 MHz, i.e. 20000000 Hz.
  • Page 72 [ClockCalibration] 02L27011=20001304 Save the wrg305.ini file, then restart the G305 application and observe the difference. To return to the original factory frequency calibration, simply delete the inserted two lines in the wrg305.ini file. You can also delete the entire file (which will however result in losing all current receiver settings and return to factory defaults for all of them).

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