I have been trying to set up CW skimmer with an RSP1A and have a few questions:
CW Skimmer installs OmniRig automatically. If I start OmniRig and then CW Skimmer all is well, but if I start CW Skimmer first, OmniRig fails to start with Windows (7) error 217.
You never have to manually start OmniRig. The OmniRig interface just sets the parameters. It should be closed after you set the parameters.
I am sure I only have one copy of each, and similarly for the ini files. I am using HDSDR, but things are the same with SDRUno.
The latest version HDSDR (2.80) now requires OmniRig V2, which was not developed by VE3NEA and is incompatible with OmniRig V1 and hundreds of other programs that support only OmniRig V1, like CW Skimmer. I suggest writing to the HDSDR folks asking them to go back to OmniRig V1. And ask them to post a link so you can download the prior release of HDSDR (2.76a), which uses OmniRig V1.
I have been running Skimmer Server for a little while. That only needs the SDR and itself. I can't really see why CW Skimmer should not be the same as the RSP1A has IQ outputs? I presume I am wrong as nobody seems to be doing that.
Skimmer Server was developed as a multi-band skimmer supporting only the QS1R SDR. Others have written code to make it support other SDRs. CW Skimmer was developed to directly support the listed SDRs only.
If I have it in Softrock IF mode I only get 48kHz width, but the amount that I can see on Skimmer is much less than even that. Is there any way that I can increase the viewed frequency range?
Did you try to scroll up and down by dragging the vertical scale, or pressing PageUp and PageDown? This is covered by the CW Skimmer help text.
Alternatively, is there any way that I can make it track my main transceiver?
HDSDR 2.76 can do it via OmniRig, but CW Skimmer cannot unless you are in limited modes like 3 kHz Audio mode or SoftRock IF. Did you go to the CAT tab in CW Skimmer settings and select "Use Radio 1"?
Also, when you click on a signal in the CW Skimmer band map, it generates an "Announce" message on the TELNET port "Clicked on 21.025 kHz" which logging software was supposed to use to move your radio to the right frequency.
73,
Bob, N6TV