[Ham-Mac] Quick Fix for fldigi Decoding

[Dick Kriss]

I have no idea what happened but for some reason my fldigi-3.21.78 could not decode any of the WPX contest RTTY signals.  At first I thought it was just bad band conditions. After several attempts to fix the problem, I gave up and decided to start over.  

I downloaded and installed a new copy of fldigi-3.21.78.dmg and before running the new copy I trashed. my fldigi_def.xml file and replaced it with my backup fldigi_def.xml.zip file. Launched fldigi from the dock and it started decoding perfect again. I can only guess is something got hosed in my fldigi_def.xml file. Like the old bumper-sticker says….it happens!

Keep this quick fix in the back of your mind for when you feel fldigi is not working correct.  It is a good thing to keep a backup copy of your fldigi_def.xml file.  Under OS X it is easy to just right-click on your known good file and select the Compress option. This will zip the file and put it in your .fldigi folder for future use.  Having a good zipped copy is easier than having to restore the file from the OS X Time Machine. FYI, the fldigi created fldigi_def.xml-old is just a copy of you main file from the last restart and it may me bad. That is why I keep a zipped copy of my last known good file.

Fldigi is now working perfect again.

73 Dick AA5VU

Ps: Contrats to Dave W1HKJ for the being selected for the award to be presented at Dayton. He earned it the old fashion way by fathering a family of fldigi applications that are useful and being used by many of us. Thanks again Dave!