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Support for WR-G303e/G305e Receivers |
If you have a problem with installation or performance of your WR-G303e/G305e receiver, please follow these steps first: 1. Installation problems (software reports "Can't find receiver" and reverts to demo mode) 2. Performance problems (upon successful installation) 3. Contact us (if everything else fails)
1. Make sure the USB cable is properly plugged into the sockets at both ends. Note that, on the receiver side, a special connector is used, which needs to be properly plugged all the way in (until the lugs on both sides securely "click"). The power indicating blue LED on the front of the receiver has also a diagnostic function: Its flashing pattern indicates the progress of the installation and powering up process. Unplug and then again plug in the USB interface cable (on the computer side), then wait a few seconds and see if the flashing pattern of the blue LED changes. The following table shows the various types of patterns:
2. If the driver is properly installed and the driver detects the receiver, you should see the flashing pattern #8. When you then run the receiver application, the receiver should operate normally. If you are not seeing pattern #8, unplug the interface cable and uninstall the entire application (which will also uninstall the driver) using Start | Settings | Control Panel | Add Remove Programs. Then reinstall the software again from the supplied CD ROM. Then plug the interface cable into the PC. Windows should detect it and launch the usual "New Hardware Found" driver installation process. At the end of this process, the LED flashing pattern should change to #8. If not, please use the WiNRADiO G3 diagnostics program and send us the diagnostic report.
Firstly, please check the following: Then check if you see any signal peaks appearing in the spectrum scope in the Demodulator panel (under the AM, AMS, etc., mode selection buttons). If there is a flat line or only very little noise visible, check the following: If you are using the WR-G3E-SIO optional serial interface, check that the receiver output (audio jack at the end of the WR-G3E-SIO cable) is connected to the sound card Line input using the supplied cable. (If your PC sound card does not have a Line input, you can use alternative inputs such as Aux or Microphone, but the software settings need to be changed accordingly.) If you still can't hear any sound despite checking the antenna and speaker connections, and making sure the squelch and volume are set to initial levels, the receiver is probably faulty. While such events are very rare, they do occasionally happen. Please accept our apologies and return the receiver to your dealer for a warranty replacement. In USA only, please refer to the product return procedure below. In general, such problems are rare. If you hear severe background noise which disappears when the antenna is disconnected, then the problem is likely to be with the antenna. The first thing to check is the antenna installation. Perhaps the antenna is located or connected in such way that it picks up radiated noise from the computer more than the useful signal. Your computer noise may be arriving to the antenna either by direct radiation to the antenna or the antenna lead-in cable (impedance mismatching of a "long wire" antenna connected to the 50 ohm antenna input of the receiver may exacerbate this problem), or you may have a ground loop problem. You might also wish to experiment with various EMI reduction measures. The supplied basic antenna is a thin coaxial cable with a length of unshielded wire at the end. This wire is the actual active element, and should be placed as far away from the PC as possible. We suggest you fix it with an adhesive tape on a window frame as close as possible to the glass. Placing the antenna outside the building walls would be best, as they will attenuate the signal considerably. Do not leave the antenna run close to the computer, or even let it lie on the floor. Some domestic appliances, such as fax machines, VCRs and TVs, can also generate interference, so it is best to place the antenna as far away from any appliances as possible. For first trials with WiNRADiO and casual listening, the supplied "start-up" short wire antenna is quite acceptable. However, it is not intended for serious applications. As the lead is short and the antenna is therefore located close to the computer, it may also pick up some of the computer-generated noise, especially on lower frequencies. For optimum reception, a proper outdoor antenna, or an indoor loop antenna, is recommended. Proper impedance matching is also important in order to improve antenna efficiency and to reduce noise: The receiver input is 50 ohm, while the impedance of typical long wire antennas is approximately 450 ohms - it is recommended to use an impedance matching transformer (sometimes incorrectly refered to as "antenna balun"). Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) is what prevents us from receiving a clear signal, even when the receiver should be sensitive enough to receive it. There are many types of interference you can experience with radio receivers, emanating from both natural and man-made sources. Natural interference is produced by atmospheric phenomena such as storms and sun activity. Not so surprisingly, man-made interference is often worse. Sources include electric motors, power lines, passing cars, welders, fluorescent lights, fax machines, computer networks, etc. Receiving antennas should always be as far away from sources of electromagnetic interference as possible. One significant source of man-made electromagnetic interference is the personal computer, and the video monitor in particular. Since the WiNRADiO receiver requires a personal computer to operate, this creates a potential paradox. While the WiNRADiO receiver itself is designed to be substantially immune to interference generated by its host computer, any receiver needs to be connected to an antenna, and antennas cannot discriminate between useful signals and interference. The interference from your computer can either radiate directly to the antenna, or it can be conducted to it along the outer conductor of the lead-in cable. Some computers are worse than others in terms of generated electromagnetic interference. The worst culprits are usually video monitors, which radiate radio frequencies at multiples of horizontal deflection frequencies. These frequencies range from about 30 to 100 kHz, and you can sometimes hear their harmonics right across the entire shortwave band. If you find strong signals sounding somewhat like a tractor engine, periodically spaced approximately 30 to 100 kHz apart (on modern hi-resolution monitors, the typical frequency is around 94 kHz), your monitor is most likely the cause. To check this, tune to one of the interfering signals, then switch off the monitor and see if the signal disappears. You could continue using the WiNRADiO receiver, and live with the fact that some useful frequencies will be obscured by your monitor's interference, or you can replace your monitor with a 'quieter' one (modern LCD displays are far quieter than old CRT monitors, and are highly recommended for use with computer-based receivers), or you can try to relocate your antenna further away from your computer.
Another type of interference which you may encounter is intermodulation interference. This is usually caused by strong local stations, whose frequencies combine to create 'ghost' signals on frequencies which are arithmetic combinations of the stations' frequencies. These 'ghost' signals can sometimes coincide with useful frequencies, rendering them partially or completely unusable. They will usually disappear when you switch on the Attenuator in the receiver control panel. You may also try shortening the antenna. If you live very close to a strong local transmitter, these measures may be insufficient. In such case, you should be able to eliminate intermodulation by fitting a special filter to your antenna, to reduce the level of the signals causing the interference. The design and application of such filters falls beyond the scope of this page, 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). However, broadcast frequency filters and tunable preselectors are standard items and can be obtained from good radio equipment suppliers. 2.3. Sluggish or freezing display and sound drop-outs Close all other simultaneously running programs to reduce the burden on the CPU. If the CPU usage shows consistently more than 80%, this may indicate insufficient CPU resources for the receiver application. (Check the CPU usage under the Settings button in the Demodulator window. The CPU resource meter is at bottom left.) Please note that the minimum CPU speed requirement for the receivers is 500 MHz (Pentium III or equivalent). While in most cases the receiver will run at significantly lower CPU speeds, this is not guaranteed, and individual PCs may significantly vary in performance. Modern PCs with faster CPUs are better suited for CPU-intensive software defined receivers such as the WiNRADiO G3 series. With contemporary PCs with CPU speeds over 2 GHz, the receiver application software places a negligible burden on the CPU (typically between 5-20%). 2.4. Receiver is off frequency The receiver uses high-precision reference oscillator and is factory calibrated, therefore any remaining frequency inaccuracy is well below that normally available in receivers of this class. For demanding technically-minded users, it is however possible to improve the frequency accuracy yet further, to the level of expensive professional equipment. This is done by individual calibration. The calibration procedure is recommended for experienced uses only: Please use our direct enquiry form. We are always ready to assist. 3.2. Product return procedure If your product is faulty and you wish to return it for repair or replacement, please refer to the information on the service page.
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