I installed the latest version (3.3.9) of PowerSDR(tm) OpenHPSDR mRX PS. (A ridiculous name for what is currently the best of several applications that can be used to control the ANAN hardware. From now on I’ll call it simply PowerSDR.) PowerSDR didn’t connect automatically to my ANAN. I consulted the two manuals and a couple of Internet pages that discussed connection methods. I found unclear and contradictory information. The April 2014 manual says to just connect an Ethernet cable between ANAN and PC. “Done. Nothing more to do. It just works, but may take a while to connect unless you assign static IP addresses.” The June 2015 manual drops mention of static IP addresses and says “The ANAN transceivers are set up to ask for a DHCP address…” Both docs show a picture of the relevant PowerSDR setup page, which shows two checkboxes; one says “Full Network Discovery”; the other, “Enable Static IP address.” I tried to parse these confusing choices in my mind and concluded that Full Network Discovery must mean “Use DHCP.” But they’re not radio buttons (i.e., only one of the two choices can be selected at a time); they’re checkboxes. Further, in my PowerSDR version, the upper checkbox text has been changed from “Full Network Discovery” to “Reuse Last IP Address.” What? I tried various checkbox combinations and potential static IP addresses without success. The April 2014 manual implies that a utility called HPSDRProgrammer is needed to assign static IP addresses. (So what’s all the static IP address stuff in the PowerSDR setup page about, then?)

Finally, I decided to try DHCP again. I set my PC’s Ethernet adapter and the ANAN (by guessing and unchecking both checkboxes) to use DHCP. It immediately connected. Success at last! And, contradicting the April 2014 manual, the DHCP connection is made instantly each time. (Hi, my future self again: Twice in the past couple of weeks using the ANAN, it failed to connect. In each case, rebooting both the ANAN and the PC was necessary to fix the issue. I don’t know how to fix this occasional annoyance. Should I check the “Reuse Last IP Address” box? I don’t dare touch anything. I wish the ANAN would work the same as, and use the same nomenclature as, common networked PC peripherals. Unlike the ANAN, these items do seem to mostly “just work.”)