Page 1 of 2
Software Defined Radios SDR-RTL
Posted: Mon 01 Jul 2013, 13:55
by edoc
Since this thread
http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewto ... 058#711058 has been marked (Abandoned) I am starting a new one.
Here are a couple links to SDR=RTL on Linux which may be helpful:
http://napan.ca/ghpsdr3/index.php/Main_Page
http://sdr.osmocom.org/trac/wiki/rtl-sdr
NOTE: There is a upup Raring 3.9.9.1 specific discussion of these devices here:
http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewto ... 449#717449
Posted: Tue 02 Jul 2013, 06:52
by Mercedes350se
edoc, Great to see you are still interested in SDR-RTL
Did you ever get it working? If yes what are you using - hardware and software?
Posted: Tue 02 Jul 2013, 14:19
by edoc
I'm wrestling with UEFI on a HP Pavilion g7 at the moment.
I have a combo RTL-SDR & HF converter all packed into the original RTL-SDR shell on the way.
Once that arrives I will begin testing.
I need to sell my separate RTL-SDR stick and Ham-it-Up HF converter if you know anyone who is looking.
Posted: Sun 07 Jul 2013, 00:13
by edoc
My tri-band device arrived ... now to sort out how to get it to play nicely with Linux ...
BTW:
gnuRadio 3.7 just released:
http://gnuradio.org/redmine/projects/gnuradio/news
I'm trying to determine if this might work:
http://gnuradio.org/redmine/projects/gn ... i/Hardware
Would an app designed for the FuncubeDongle be likely to work?:
https://www.cgran.org/wiki/FuncubeDongle
Osmo?
http://sdr.osmocom.org/trac/wiki/rtl-sdr
https://sites.google.com/site/embrtlsdr/
Posted: Sun 07 Jul 2013, 00:34
by edoc
Posted: Sun 07 Jul 2013, 07:07
by Mercedes350se
Well, I am back to where I was Jan. 2012. There was a save file issue, machine froze and everything gone!
Moral: Make sure I have an up to date save file safely stored somewhere.
Posted: Sun 07 Jul 2013, 18:37
by edoc
I'm so sorry to hear that!
I don't have a good back-up discipline either but it's more like a few weeks vs several months.
Hopefully the links I just posted will help us all together to get these devices working in Puppy.
73, David KD4E
Posted: Mon 08 Jul 2013, 13:48
by edoc
One more helpful site for ideas:
http://www.hamradioscience.com/
Posted: Sat 03 Aug 2013, 03:03
by edoc
This site:
http://jeffskinnerbox.wordpress.com/201 ... -receiver/
... prompted me to look for gnuRadio in my updated Puppy Package Manager in upup raring 3.9.9.1 on my Panasonic Toughbook CF-29 (32-bit)
I allowed it to download the bazillion dependencies ...
It, of course, was missing some (only two at this step):
libboost_program-options1.49.0
libboost-thread1.49.0
... so I downloaded those ...
PPM said it was updating the Menu but even after a reboot gnuradio didn't show up in the menu.
Bulldog File Finder located in home:
/initrd/mnt/dev_save/gnuradio/build-gnuradio1
/initrd/mnt/dev_save/gnuradio/build-gnuradio
pfile finder found tons of files ... so I copied gnuradio-grc.desktop to the desktop and clicked and ... nothing happened.
So, anyone else want to try this and explain to me what I am missing, please?
Thanks!
Oh, I also spotted this Ubuntu gqrx SDR install page:
https://www.saturnwiki.com/wiki/index.p ... u_12.04LTS
Posted: Sat 03 Aug 2013, 03:45
by edoc
Continuing at this site ...
http://jeffskinnerbox.wordpress.com/201 ... -receiver/
(executable located at /usr/local/bin/gnuradio-companion). GNU Radio Companion (GRC) is a graphical tool for creating signal flow graphical models and generating Python source code for the model created.
In Puppy it is located at /usr/bin rather than /usr/local/bin
It did not respond ... then I remembered that I had not set the devx SFS to load at boot ... so I did so and rebooted.
Still no response ...
I tried a symlink in /usr/local/bin ... no joy.
What might I be missing, please?
Posted: Sat 03 Aug 2013, 06:36
by splot
We seem to be travelling at the same speed with this, but stumbling into different potholes.
My issue with GnuRadio is that I don't know how to add Python to the PATH.
Cannot import gnuradio.
Is the python path environment variable set correctly?
All OS: PYTHONPATH
Is the library path environment variable set correctly?
Linux: LD_LIBRARY_PATH
Windows: PATH
MacOSX: DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH
Also dmesg says that there is a driver or something missing, altho I can't find anything online about a driver for this.
[ 43.821286] usb 2-2: new high-speed USB device number 3 using ehci-pci
[ 43.957274] usb 2-2: New USB device found, idVendor=0bda, idProduct=2838
[ 43.957287] usb 2-2: New USB device strings: Mfr=1, Product=2, SerialNumber=3
[ 43.957295] usb 2-2: Product: RTL2838UHIDIR
[ 43.957302] usb 2-2: Manufacturer: Realtek
[ 43.957308] usb 2-2: SerialNumber: 00000001
[ 44.139263] usb 2-2: dvb_usb_v2: found a 'Realtek RTL2832U reference design' in warm state
[ 44.139342] usbcore: registered new interface driver dvb_usb_rtl28xxu
[ 44.204232] usb 2-2: dvb_usb_v2: will pass the complete MPEG2 transport stream to the software demuxer
[ 44.204262] DVB: registering new adapter (Realtek RTL2832U reference design)
[ 44.208794] usb 2-2: dvb_usb_rtl28xxu: unknown tuner=NONE
[ 44.220947] usb 2-2: dvb_usb_v2: 'Realtek RTL2832U reference design' error while loading driver (-19)
[ 44.221968] usb 2-2: dvb_usb_v2: 'Realtek RTL2832U reference design' successfully deinitialized and disconnected
I have installed SDRadio, Quisk, and Me-TV.
SDRadio and Quisk work ok, but can't connect to the RTL.
Me-TV works great with another tuner stick that I normally use with VLC, but not with this one.
This device has an Elonix E4000 tuner, and I have loaded the e4000 module, but no go.
Posted: Sat 03 Aug 2013, 06:59
by Mercedes350se
splot wrote: ..This device has an Elonix E4000 tuner, and I have loaded the e4000 module, but no go.
Note the module is kernel specific ...
Posted: Sat 03 Aug 2013, 08:52
by nooby
I love that you guys care about such stuff. I am too noob
to get how to get things going and we are not allowed
outdoor antenna on the house.
Sad to read what did happen to you there Mercedes. Yes
I would need a better back up of savefile habit too.
Posted: Sat 03 Aug 2013, 09:11
by tlchost
nooby wrote:I love that you guys care about such stuff. I am too noob
to get how to get things going and we are not allowed
outdoor antenna on the house.
There are lots of way you can use/have an indoor antenna...some folks have even loaded up bed springs. I used to have en end fed wire in the second floor of the house....it worked well for what it was.
Google stealth antenna for more ideas you may also find some stuff at
my site,
http://www.zerobeat.net
Posted: Sat 03 Aug 2013, 12:25
by edoc
Depending on the frequency - wire taped to the edges of the glass in a window may work - if the window frame is non-metallic & no metal in the screen.
Posted: Sat 03 Aug 2013, 13:51
by nooby
Thanks I used to collect every text that I could find on antennas
and antenna tuners but I am even worse on such than on software.
Posted: Sun 18 Aug 2013, 07:56
by Mercedes350se
I would still like to get my dongle working as a SDR so:
1. Decided to follow the method outlined
here by superkuh.
2. Downloaded and made a LiveCd of Ubuntu 12.04.2 LTS.
3. Everything went well until
4. Complained about missing libUSB 1 0
Don't you just love Linux!
I am giving it a rest for a while - I am still finding my way around the OS. Will keep posting progress or lack of as the case may be.
Posted: Sun 18 Aug 2013, 18:36
by edoc
Mercedes350se wrote:
3. Everything went well until
4. Complained about missing libUSB 1 0
Don't you just love Linux!
It's usually not Linux that is the problem - it is manufacturers who refuse to write Linux drivers & who refuse to cooperate so that volunteers may write them - some due to unholy alliances with proprietary commercial OS's (Apple & MS), some due to paranoia about corporate espionage, some are simply dolts.
Now that the game behemoth STEAM has ported to Linux they'll have to be more cooperative or risk the loss of a huge number of high-end customers who are quick to dump hardware that doesn't meet their needs (including missing Linux drivers).
Things are changing ...
Posted: Tue 27 Aug 2013, 23:18
by Mercedes350se
From my reading it appears to be something to do with the version of Ubuntu ...
I am in the process of building another machine and will do a full Ubuntu install on it.
In the meantime I have found
this. Only 34 steps!
Posted: Mon 09 Sep 2013, 12:07
by Mercedes350se
The new machine is up and running with dual boot - puppy 4.1.2 and Ubuntu 12.04 LTS.
I can finally report some progress. After downloading literally Gigabytes of stuff trying to get gqrx working without success or SDRSharp, also without success I decided, in the short term, to take the easy option and use rtl_fm on the command line and
I am listening to the local FM station as I type this
using about 30cm of wire, dangling out of the dongle, as the antenna.