A productive day yesterday on two fronts. I visited the XYL at the cemetery to bring some of her favorite flowers and was happy to see that the headstone was installed. I had been told it might take six months. Now no longer an unmarked grave.
The second front was the MHST is back on track. As I had suspected it involved the software. This requires a bit of explanation that deals with the two different approaches using the QUISK software. (Windows/Linux)
But let us start with some fundamentals of the I/Q implementation which is basically sound cards -- TWO of them. One sound card, typically external, involves the processing of the I/Q data stream to/from the computer. The second sound card handles the Audio output and Microphone input. This often is an external sound card built into a mic/headset dongle.
In a Linux implementation using a RPi3, RPi4 or RPi5 there is an issue with using any internal sound cards on the SBC. In the earlier Pi Models, there is an on-board Headphone jack but no Microphone jack. The RPi5 does not have that Headphone jack. The ASUS Tinker Board has a combo headphone and microphone jack AND two separate internal sound cards associated with that single combo jack. So typically, with the Linux (aside from the Tinker Board) you have an external sound card for the Audio Out and Microphone In.
There is a bonus with the Linux distro called pulse audio and a separate app installed as pavucontrol which is a dashboard to make all sorts of audio adjustment for the two sound cards. These include designating the Line In and its level for the I/Q, the Microphone gain level and the Audio output level.
On the QUISK dashboard most times you can only adjust the Audio output level. (QUISK for use with the Hermes Lite 2 does have an extra control for input RF gain level.) When setting up the sound cards in Linux and on the QUISK dashboard you can actually see the sound cards by name and by specific designation similar to how hard drives are designated in Windows.
Summary for Linux QUISK: auxiliary sound control and ease of identification of which sound cards are which.
The Windows distro does not accommodate the pavucontrol app and when you call up the Sound Cards in QUISK, the choices are less and not as clear. You can gain access to some Sound controls by going into the Windows Control Panel and clicking on the Sound Icon. Here you must find the appropriate sound device and making it a default. There are some level controls available.
Summary for Windows QUISK: Clunky and limited.
So, what was the problem. I made a sound card in the Windows Control panel the default but not the one needed for Line Input. I would have easily spotted that in the Linux version with the Pulse Audio app but not in the Windows version.
Them that know can make it go.
73's
Pete N6QW