WSJT-X and JTDX shared memory conflict

If, like me, you use a Mac and both WSJT-X and JTDX for data modes you may run into a problem I had.

The problem comes about because both applications insert a property list into /Library/LaunchDaemons. These property lists are used by the MacOS to start background processes (or daemons) at system startup. But as far as I can tell there is no defined order in which the daemons are started.

I installed the SDRplay API which as part of the install puts a property list into /Library/LaunchDaemons. This must have affected the order in which MacOS started the daemons because suddenly WSJT-X failed to start with a shared memory error. This error persisted even after a re-install and configure of WSJT-X.

I looked at /Library/LaunchDaemons because as part of the WSJT-X install you put a property list there. Sure enough, JTDX does the same (as it is derived from WSJT-X) and the property lists clash because (at least on my system and my version of JTDX) JTDX makes the shared memory size smaller than WSJT-X likes.

So, I think I was getting away with this before I installed the SDRplay API because the WSJT-X property list was being processed after the JTDX one and the shared memory was made big enough for WSJT-X. But after my SDRplay API install the JTDX property list was being processed after the WSJT-X one and the shared memory size was too small.

I fixed this situation by deleting the JTDX property list com.jtdx.sysctl as it is redundant in this circumstance.

And all is well.

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