RADIXON WiNRADiO EXCALIBUR PRO WR-G33DDC User manual

WiNRADiO®
by RADIXON
®
WR-G33DDC EXCALIBUR PROTM
Software-Defined HF Receiver
User’s Guide
Ver. 1.61

WiNRADiO G33DDC HF Receiver
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Published by
Radixon Group Pty. Ltd.
45 - 47 Islington Street, Collingwood, Victoria 3066 Australia
© 2021 Radixon, Melbourne, Australia
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any
means without the written permission of the publisher.
Trademarks
WiNRADiO, G3, G313, G31DDC, G33DDC and Excalibur Pro 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.
Published in Australia

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FCC Notice
The WiNRADiO WR-G33DDC receiver has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a
Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide
reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment
generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in
accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications.
However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this
equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be
determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the
interference by one or more of the following measures:
Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna
Increase the separation between the equipment and the receiver
Connect the computer into a different outlet so that the two devices are on different branch
circuits
Consult an authorised dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help
Caution
To comply with the limits for the Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC rules, the
WiNRADiO receiver must be attached to a computer certified to comply with the Class B limits.
Only peripherals certified to comply with the Class B limits may be attached to the computer
containing the WiNRADiO receiver. All cables used to connect the computer and peripherals must
be shielded and grounded. Operation with non-certified peripherals may result in interference to
radio and TV reception.
Modifications
Any changes or modifications to the WiNRADiO receiver not expressly approved in this book could
void the user's authority to operate this equipment.
Limitation of Liability and Remedies
The information published in this book has been compiled from several sources. While every
effort has been made to ensure its accuracy, neither the authors nor the publisher can guarantee
that all information is entirely correct or up-to-date. Furthermore, neither the authors nor the
publisher can take any responsibility for the use of this information or any consequences arising
therefrom. WiNRADiO Communications shall have no liability for any damages due to lost profits,
loss of use or anticipated benefits, or other incidental, special or punitive damages arising from the
use of, or the inability to use, the 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. In no event shall WiNRADiO Communications' liability for damages exceed the
amount paid for this product. WiNRADiO Communications neither assumes nor authorises anyone
to assume for it any other liabilities.
Warning
In certain countries or states it may be illegal to monitor certain frequencies. We cannot accept
any responsibility for the consequences of your non-compliance with government regulations. If
you are in doubt about the regulations in your country or state, please contact your nearest radio
communications regulatory authority.

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Table of Contents
Table of Contents.........................................................................................4
Introduction...................................................................................................6
The Hardware................................................................................................7
Installation.....................................................................................................8
Minimum System Requirements.................................................................8
Software and Hardware Installation............................................................9
Setting up the Sound Card .......................................................................12
Connecting the Antenna...........................................................................14
Getting Started ...........................................................................................16
Achieving Best Selectivity.........................................................................18
Avoiding Front-End Overload ...................................................................19
Inside the Excalibur Pro ............................................................................20
Resizing the Application Window.............................................................24
Drop-Down Menu Controls........................................................................24
Tuning the Excalibur Pro...........................................................................26
Manual Frequency Entry...........................................................................26
Tuning Knob .............................................................................................28
Keyboard Tuning ......................................................................................28
Multiple Receiver Operation .....................................................................29
Point-and-Click Tuning .............................................................................30
Dragging the Passband............................................................................30
IF Shift and Passband Tuning ..................................................................32
Frequency Stepping..................................................................................34
Frequency Display Offset .........................................................................35
Receiver Selection .....................................................................................36
Mode Selection...........................................................................................37
AMS Mode................................................................................................38
ISB and DSB Modes.................................................................................39
DRM Mode................................................................................................39
FSK Mode.................................................................................................41
UDM Mode................................................................................................41
Function Tabs.............................................................................................42
Tuning Tab................................................................................................42
Audio Tab .................................................................................................46
Memory Tab..............................................................................................51
Notch.........................................................................................................59
Squelch.....................................................................................................61
Gain ..........................................................................................................62
Noise Blanker ...........................................................................................65
Pause........................................................................................................66

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Spectrum Scopes.......................................................................................68
Zoom Spectrum........................................................................................69
Save Spectrum.........................................................................................69
Resolution Bandwidth...............................................................................69
Spectrum Averaging.................................................................................70
Waterfall Spectrum...................................................................................70
Spectrum Markers....................................................................................72
Baseline Level ..........................................................................................74
Audio Spectrum........................................................................................75
Recording Functions .................................................................................76
Attenuator...................................................................................................79
Preamplifier.................................................................................................80
Dithering......................................................................................................80
MW Filter.....................................................................................................81
RF Filter.......................................................................................................81
S-meter........................................................................................................82
Top Menu Bar .............................................................................................83
File............................................................................................................83
Options .....................................................................................................85
Memory.....................................................................................................99
Scheduler................................................................................................100
Logger.....................................................................................................104
Plugins....................................................................................................105
Power Switch............................................................................................106
Date and Time Display.............................................................................106
Appendix A –SDR and DDC Primer.......................................................107
Appendix B –Troubleshooting...............................................................114
Appendix C –USB Interface Diagnostics..............................................117
Appendix D –Dealing with Interference ................................................118
Appendix E –Demodulator Spectrum Width ........................................120
Appendix F –Waterfall Spectrum Palettes............................................121
Appendix G –Recording File Formats...................................................122
Appendix H –Compliance Declarations................................................124
Please don’t forget to register as a WiNRADiO user to receive news about new
products, accessories and software upgrades for your Excalibur Pro receiver.
Use our on-line registration form at www.winradio.com/register to take
advantage of this free service.

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Introduction
Welcome to the WR-G33DDC receiver, the Excalibur Pro. This receiver is an
advanced version of its predecessor, the award-winning WR-G31DDC
receiver, the Excalibur. Like many WiNRADiO receivers in the past, this
advanced software-defined receiver breaks many new grounds. Some of its
features, such as the real-time 50 MHz wide spectrum analyzer, three
simultaneously operating demodulators, the capability to record 4 MHz wide
RF spectrum, wide dynamic range, “brick wall” filtering, frequency stability, test
and measurement functions or even its integrated DRM decoder, would be
very hard to find in such combination in any contemporary receiver,
irrespective of its price. Its Pause function is the world’s first in an HF receiver.
We hope you will make good use of the numerous real-time spectrum
analyzers with their graphical tuning and their waterfall functions, continuous
selectivity adjustment in 1 Hz steps, down to 1 Hz filter bandwidth, the highly
accurate S-meter, the convenient and sophisticated tuning facilities, the DDC
and audio recorders, the task scheduler, the logger and the built-in frequency
database.
The WiNRADiO Excalibur Pro will take you right to the leading edge of what is
possible with today’s technology. As the name Excalibur suggests, a magical
sword synonymous with power and bravery, this is not just a receiver; it is a
powerful radio communications instrument in a class of its own. We have
crafted it with meticulous workmanship, utmost care, attention to detail and
dedication to excellence, to make it suitable for the most demanding of
applications. We are proud to present you with this instrument and wish you
much success and many hours of enjoyment in putting your WiNRADiO
Excalibur Pro to a good use.
One of the great benefits and advantages of software-defined radio is its
flexibility and potential for further improvement. By continuously improving the
software, we continue increasing our customers’ return on their investment
long after the receiver purchase. However, this makes producing printed user
manuals impractical, because a printed version may become already obsolete
by the time the manual gets printed and bound. This is why we supply a
complete user’s guide for this receiver in a soft form only. Saving paper is, of
course, yet another side benefit. The user’s guide in a PDF format, will be
installed on your computer as part of the installation process, with a shortcut
placed on the desktop.

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The Hardware
The WiNRADiO Excalibur Pro hardware is contained in a shielded metal box,
encapsulated with transparent plastic.
The front of the enclosure contains a power switch and an indicator LED. The
LED also serves for diagnostic purposes and installation trouble-shooting (see
Appendix C –USB Interface Diagnostics). During normal operation, its
flashing can be disabled by the user using a setting in the application software,
should it appear disturbing.
The power input socket requires 12 V DC with a tolerance of ± 1 V. The power
adapter must be rated for a minimum of 800 mA. To minimize interference, a
linear-mode power adapter is preferable, and this type is indeed supplied with
your receiver.
CAUTION: For best performance and safety, we recommend using only
the power adapter supplied by WiNRADiO, which comes included with
your receiver.
The antenna input is an SMA-type connector with 50 ohm impedance. An
SMA-to-BNC adapter is supplied for convenience. The USB interface is
compatible with the USB 2.0 standard and serves to connect the receiver to a
desktop or a laptop computer.

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Installation
The WiNRADiO Excalibur Pro receiver package contains the following items:
WiNRADiO G33DDC receiver
AC/DC adapter with power cord
USB interface cable
Application software and this User’s Guide on a CD ROM
SMA-to-BNC adapter
Warranty information
In order for the WiNRADiO Excalibur Pro receiver to be able to function
properly, your IBM PC compatible computer must meet the minimum system
requirements specified below.
Minimum System Requirements
CPU
2.4 GHz quad core or faster
RAM
1 GB RAM
Display
SVGA
HD free space
20 MB
Sound card
Any standard Windows-supported sound-card
Interface
Spare USB 2.00 port
OS
Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 10
The CPU speed directly influences the maximum selectivity and DDC
bandwidth that can be achieved with this receiver. The receiver is still usable
on slower computers, including dual core CPU computers, but with a trade-off
in the maximum achievable selectivity, DDC bandwidth and the number of
simultaneously operated receiver channels.
Do you have any suggestions about how we could further improve our product, or do
you wish to tell us of your experiences using this receiver in your application? Please
do not hesitate to leave your comments on www.winradio.com/feedback. We always
love hearing from you.

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Software and Hardware Installation
1. Leave the receiver disconnected from the PC and insert the
installation CD ROM. The installer should start automatically. If the
installation program does not start automatically, choose the Run
command from the Windows Start menu and type D:\INSTALL (if the
CD ROM is the D: drive on your PC).
2. Connect the receiver to the USB port.
3. Connect the supplied power adapter to the power outlet on one side
and the power lead to the receiver on the other side.
4. Turn the receiver on using the power switch at front of the receiver.
The blue LED will flash to indicate that the receiver is ready.
5. Windows will find the receiver and automatically start the usual New
hardware found driver installation routine.
Select “No, not this time” and click on Next.

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Select “Install the software automatically”and click on Next.
Click on Finish to complete the installation.

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6. After all the files have been installed to your hard disk, run the
WiNRADiO G33DDC application by clicking on the new icon that has
been installed on your desktop.
7. Finally, connect your antenna to the antenna connector (SMA-type) at
the rear of the receiver. You might wish to take advantage of the BNC-
to-SMA adapter supplied with your receiver. Having a good antenna is
most important; see more details in the chapter Connecting the
Antenna.
Long wire baluns
WiNRADiO also manufactures long-wire antenna
impedance transformers, often referred to as “long-
wire baluns”. The (pictured) WR-LWA-0130 adapter
can be used to match the impedance of a long wire HF
antenna to the 50 ohm input impedance of the
Excalibur Pro receiver, as well as provide a convenient
grounding point.
This usually results in a significant signal strength increase (up to 17 dB in some cases,
and approximately 5 dB on average), compared to a long-wire antenna connected
directly to the antenna input of the receiver.
To ensure best performance, we recommend using this long-wire balun for all long-wire
antenna installations.

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Setting up the Sound Card
As the digitally down-converted signal from the receiver is transferred over the
USB interface to the PC, no external connection to the PC sound card input is
necessary. The sound card is only used for the demodulated audio output.
On Windows 7, the audio volume can be adjusted using the WR-G33DDC
volume slider inside the Applications section and the master volume inside
the Device section. Both controls need to be unmuted.
Click on the speaker icon and then click on the Mixer link to bring up the
sound card control panel (different Windows versions may use a different
method of bringing up this control panel):

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On Windows XP simply adjust the Wave mixer:
To get started, make sure the volume is set approximately as shown above. If
you find that the maximum volume as set on the receiver application panel is
not sufficient, you may then wish to increase the sound card volume later.
Common-mode choke
The WINRADiO WR-CMC-30 common-mode choke
provides a means of reducing or eliminating common-
mode noise from an antenna feedline, resulting in a
considerable increase of the received signal quality.
Common-mode noise is generated by computers,
light dimmers and other electric or electronic
appliances. Such noise can be a problem especially in the lower portions of HF
spectrum, where weak signals can be sometimes completely masked by buzzing
sounds and other unwanted noises.

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Connecting the Antenna
As the old saying goes, “a good antenna is the best amplifier”.
No matter how good a radio receiver is, the performance limit of a radio
receiving system is always determined by the first element of the receiving
chain –the antenna.
To make the most out of your WiNRADiO Excalibur Pro receiver, you should
install a good shortwave antenna, preferably located outdoors, as far away as
possible from interference sources. If you are looking for a new antenna,
please also check out the WiNRADiO antenna product range at
www.winradio.com/antennas.
The specifics of a computer-based receiver may often require careful
consideration with respect to the antenna connection and installation, to make
sure that computer-generated noise does not enter the receiver’s antenna
input.
Grounding
To obtain the maximum possible performance from your receiver, you may
also like to experiment with grounding, in particular when you are using long-
wire antennas. In some cases, signal reception may be significantly enhanced
with improved grounding. Unfortunately, results are not always predictable due
to variations in individual installations, so some trial and error experiments may
be required in the search for ultimate performance.
With long-wire antennas, good grounding is absolutely essential. If you don't
apply any external additional grounding with the receiver, then you are relying
on grounding provided via the power supply or via the computer’s USB
interface. Such grounding may not be optimum as it may introduce noise to the
receiver’s input due to “ground loops”, where the useful signal is sharing the
ground path with undesirable interference.
The grounding requirement does not usually apply with antennas which
do not require ground as a counterpoise to the “live” terminal. For
example, the magnetic field loop antenna, which provides two output
terminals, and also some electric field antennas such as dipole, inverted
"V", etc. These antennas have balanced outputs, and will require
impedance matching to the Excalibur Pro’s unbalanced 50 ohm input.

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A "good" ground for a shortwave receiver is one that provides a low
impedance path to ground for radio signals in the frequency range of interest.
A metal cold water pipe located in close proximity to a possible ground
connection point could provide good results. If no such point exists, a copper
stake hammered into the ground may be required. Copper earth stakes can be
obtained from electrical supply outlets.
Assuming a typical installation where the coaxial cable to the receiver enters
the building at some point, an opportunity may exist to make a connection
between the outer shield of the coaxial cable and the suitable ground point. In
order for the grounding to be effective, the connection between the ground
point and the coaxial cable outer should preferably be no more than a few
meters in length. A low impedance connection (such as braid removed from a
section of coaxial cable) should be used to make the connection. In an ideal
situation, the length of coaxial cable to the receiver would be no more than a
few meters in order to provide a low RF ground impedance at the receiver.
In order to make a connection to the coaxial cable, a number of options exist.
These include WiNRADiO antenna accessories such as the WR-CMC-30
Common Mode Choke (see www.winradio.com/cmc30) or the
WR-LWA-0130 Long Wire Adapter (sometimes referred to as a “long wire
balun”; see www.winradio.com/lwa) which, along with their other intended
purpose, also provide a convenient ground connection stud that will allow the
connection to be made.
CAUTION: With any outdoor antennas, be sure to install a lightning
arrestor and disconnect the antenna (and ground it if possible) during
thunderstorms. To prevent receiver damage from static charge build-up,
always ground your antenna momentarily before connecting it to the
receiver.
If it is too difficult to make ground connections near the building, it may still be
well worthwhile experimenting at a point where connections can be more
made more easily. The WR-CMC-30 Common Mode Choke makes it
possible to provide several grounding points along the entire length of the
antenna feedline, in those locations where good quality grounding is available.
Where small physical size is important, magnetic field loop antennas usually
perform best. For indoor applications, WiNRADiO also offers the miniature
AX-17C antenna (see www.winradio.com/ax17c) which does not require
grounding.

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Getting Started
The following quick-start introduction is intended to make it possible for you to
enjoy your new receiver as quickly as possible. Detailed operation is described
in the subsequent chapters. We do hope you will return to these chapters as
the WiNRADiO Excalibur Pro receiver has many unique and innovative
features the usage of which may not be immediately obvious and which would
be a shame to miss.
Start the WiNRADiO Excalibur Pro receiver application (by double clicking on
the program icon). The receiver’s “virtual control panel”will appear:
The control panel has some basic elements similar to conventional shortwave
receivers and many new ones as well. For example, you will note the
wideband spectrum analyzer at the bottom that shows the real-time activity of
the entire HF spectrum, making the WiNRADiO Excalibur Pro a true
panoramic receiver.
The quickest way to get started with this receiver is to check its operation on
your local stations.

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Using the keyboard, type in the frequency of one your local AM stations: For
example, for 774 kHz, type in 774, then kfor kHz, then press Enter. The
typed-in frequency will appear on the digital frequency display.
When you start the receiver the first time, the AM mode is selected by default.
Otherwise you can set the demodulation mode by clicking on the appropriate
mode selection button at top-right:
When tuned, you should be able to see the station peak in both real-time
spectrum scopes in the upper section of the application window: The spectrum
scope on the left is the DDC (Digital Down-Converter) spectrum scope, and
the one on the right is the Demodulator spectrum scope.
You can adjust the receiver’s selectivity bandwidth for optimum reception
using the row of numbered buttons at the bottom of the Tuning tab, the
leftmost tab located just under the AM mode selection button. The numbers on
the buttons represent the bandwidth in kHz.
To adjust the bandwidth continuously, use the DEM BW control located at the
top of the demodulator spectrum scope:
At this point, you should be also able to hear the station. The volume is
adjustable under the Audio tab, located just next to the tuning tab. You can
use either the slider, or select the value next to the Volume edit box, next to
the Mute button.
An alternative and fast way to adjust the volume is by using the left/right arrow
keys of the computer keyboard.
Manual tuning can be done in several ways. Let’s start with the tuning knob:

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Place the mouse cursor onto the upper half of the tuning knob, at which point
you will see the cursor change to a curved double ended arrow.
Hold down the right or left mouse buttons to increase or decrease the
frequency, and the knob will rotate clockwise or anti-clockwise, respectively.
If you place your cursor onto the bottom half of the tuning knob, the direction of
the rotation will reverse. (You don’t need to move the cursor up or down to
change the rotation of the knob, simply press either the left or right mouse
button.)
The rotation increment of the tuning knob is 1 kHz. This can be changed easily
using the Alt, Shift or Ctrl keys: If you press the Alt key while tuning, the
increment will decrease ten times (to 100 Hz). Pressing Shift will decrease the
increment a hundred times (10 Hz). And if you use the Ctrl key, the increment
becomes a thousand times smaller: 1 Hz.
Another way of tuning is to use the up and down arrow keys on the PC
keyboard. The Alt, Shift and Ctrl keys can be used to a similar effect as with
the tuning knob, to modify the frequency increment step.
If your mouse has a wheel (as we would recommend), you can also use this;
you might find it somewhat similar to using the tuning knob of a conventional
receiver. And again, the Alt, Shift and Ctrl keys, when used together with the
mouse wheel, modify the tuning step accordingly.
If you press the Shift key while hovering with your mouse cursor over the
individual digits of the main frequency display, the display enters a different
mode and you can change the digits using the mouse wheel –another
convenient way of quickly tuning to the frequency you want.
Achieving Best Selectivity
In any software-defined receiver, the maximum achievable selectivity is a
function of the processing power of the host computer: The greater the CPU
power, the “longer” (and therefore sharper) can the digital filters be made.
The selectivity of your receiver can be adjusted using the function
Demodulator filter length under the top bar menu Options. The greater the
filter length, the better the selectivity:

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This function also makes it possible to observe the CPU load, which will
depend on this setting. It may not be advisable to select a value resulting in
more than say 30% CPU load as the computer may then become sluggish.
Should the computer become sluggish or even “freeze” as a result of this
adjustment, please reduce the demodulator filter length to a lower value.
Note also that the CPU load can be lowered (while keeping selectivity
high) by reducing the DDC bandwidth (DDC BW). All standard HF signals
can be demodulated with 20 kHz DDC bandwidth without a decrease in
the demodulation quality. Wider DDC bandwidths affect display and
recording, while increasing the CPU load considerably.
Avoiding Front-End Overload
If the S-meter shows the words ADC CLP, the analog-to-digital converter
(ADC) is overloaded (i.e. clipping the signal). In such case, use the Attenuator
to reduce the level of the signal entering the ADC. You can use the Auto
button which reduces the signal automatically to the optimum level.
If you experience any installation problems or are unable to tune to any radio
stations at this point, please refer to Appendix B - Troubleshooting.

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Should you encounter interference-related problems with your receiver,
effective remedies do exist; please peruse Appendix D –Dealing with
Interference.
Inside the Excalibur Pro
Let’s have a look at what’s inside this receiver and how it relates to the
graphical user interface of the control application. Here is a simplified
functional block diagram of the hardware portion of the receiver:
Immediately after the antenna and its associated protective and impedance-
matching circuitry, there is the Attenuator. The attenuator is adjustable from
zero to 21 dB in 3 dB increments and serves to reduce signal levels in the
proximity of strong stations and can be operated either manually, or left to the
receiver to determine its optimum level automatically to avoid overloading.
The Preselector contains a bank of user-configurable filters that can be used
to filter out strong frequencies in the vicinity of the received signal, and so
reduce overloading and intermodulation distortion.
The signal then passes through a low-noise and low-distortion two-stage
amplifier whose first stage can be enabled or disabled by the user. When
enabled, this adds approximately 10 dB of amplification, making it possible to
achieve higher sensitivity (at the expense of strong signal handling capability).
Following the amplifier is an anti-aliasing filter necessary for the digitization,
and then into a 16-bit analog-to-digital converter which samples the input
signal at 100 MSPS (megasamples per second), producing a steady stream of
digital data for the subsequent Digital Down-Converter (DDC).
The digital data then proceeds via the USB interface to the computer which
provides all the additional processing, filtering, demodulation, signal strength
measurement, squelch, noise blanking, notch, audio filtering and other
functions.