Need to know how to run DSD - no clue

avascan522 · Nov 14, 2014

Hello everyone!

I have been trying to use an SDR dongle along with SDR# and DSD to decode a Mototrbo repeater in my area.
Well, I haven't even got DSD to download properly. The only thing that's happened is I picked up Adware and had to reset my browsers.

I am not tech savvy, and would appreciate it if any of you here on RadioReference could share with me EXACTLY what I need to do to get everything running smoothly, and get me listening to digital audio. I also wish to gather info like Group code, color code, and time slot so that I can buy a radio and make my listening portable. Don't worry, I'm sure the users are un-encrypted.

If you could provide advice, links (trusted ones, please), or any other useful information, I'd very much appreciate it. By the way, I am running a Dell Inspiron 15 laptop and a "RTL-SDR Blog R820T" dongle, if that bit of knowledge helps.

chekoz77 · Nov 14, 2014

Youtube has some great instructional vids on installing the dongles and various software. Just follow them step by step and you should be good to go.

avascan522 · Nov 14, 2014

Dsd videos

I tried watching the videos, but it seems as if no one shows how to get the file working. When I expand one of the zip files, i have to copy and paste some together?? I'm not tech savvy so if i could just download a software and go, I'd do it.
If anyone knows what i can do, please share.

AZScanner · Nov 14, 2014

avascan522 said:
I tried watching the videos, but it seems as if no one shows how to get the file working. When I expand one of the zip files, i have to copy and paste some together?? I'm not tech savvy so if i could just download a software and go, I'd do it.
If anyone knows what i can do, please share.

Unfortunately, you get what you pay for with these things and since they are free, well....

Of the two DSD's out there, I recommend DSD+. It was the easiest for me to get working pretty much right from the second I downloaded it, and for me at least, the decode quality was far better than the original DSD program. You can get it here (download and install an ad blocker for your browser first, to avoid any nasty malware/adware that may pop up on the download site): Zippyshare.com - DSDPlus-1.50.zip

Downloading is super easy, just click the giant Download Now button on the upper right of the page and you should get a nice zip file. Once you have that, this article should get you started with getting it working: DSD+ Version 1.5 Released - rtl-sdr.com

Let us know if you still run into problems after that.

-AZ

joeuser · Nov 14, 2014

I'd ditch SDR# and just use UniTrunker myself. I started, like you, with SDR# & its a total PITA to work with - unless you want to do more than TRS scanning/monitoring. All I use my Dongles for is to listen to a P25p1 system. So I just use UniTrunker & DSD+

chekoz77 · Nov 14, 2014

Sound like you need a home patrol. Dongles aren't exactly plug and play.

avascan522 · Nov 14, 2014

Thanks

avascan522 · Nov 14, 2014

Would like to decode Mototrbo

Thank you for the responses, but the reason I want to use SDR# and DSD is to listen to a local Police Mototrbo repeater.

I need to decode the audio and gather info like the group code, color code, and time slot so I can buy a Mototrbo handheld and listen to it portable. Yes, they are UN-encrypted.

If you have any suggestions as to how I can use DSD or something else to gather the necessary TRBO programming info, let me know. If I could get my last post answered, though, that would be great. Haha, unless there's something better out there.

avascan522 · Nov 14, 2014

AZScanner said:
Unfortunately, you get what you pay for with these things and since they are free, well....

Of the two DSD's out there, I recommend DSD+. It was the easiest for me to get working pretty much right from the second I downloaded it, and for me at least, the decode quality was far better than the original DSD program. You can get it here (download and install an ad blocker for your browser first, to avoid any nasty malware/adware that may pop up on the download site): Zippyshare.com - DSDPlus-1.50.zip

Downloading is super easy, just click the giant Download Now button on the upper right of the page and you should get a nice zip file. Once you have that, this article should get you started with getting it working: DSD+ Version 1.5 Released - rtl-sdr.com

Let us know if you still run into problems after that.

-AZ

Thank you very much for the info. I have downloaded DSD+. However, I am still confused as to how I connect the audio from SDR# to DSD+.

These options appear in the SDR drop down list:

[MME] Microsoft Sound Mapper - Output
[MME] Speakers/Headphones
[MME] CABLE Input (VB-Audio Virtual C
[Windows Direct Sound] Primary Sound Driver
[Windows Direct Sound] Speakers/Headphones
[Windows Direct Sound] CABLE Input (VB-Audio Virtual Cable)

Which option does the output go to?

Also, my sound driver (Right click sound on taskbar > Sound > Recording), which settings do I choose for "Playback" and "Recording?" Or do I have to somehow load SDR# as a recording option?

avascan522 · Nov 15, 2014

Update:

I got DSD+ working and decoding!

Is there a way I can see the group code and time slot? I only see CC=1 for color code.

n5ims · Nov 16, 2014

chekoz77 said:
Sound like you need a home patrol. Dongles aren't exactly plug and play.

Since when did a home patrol start working for MotoTRBO?

From the original post's question (emphasis added):

I have been trying to use an SDR dongle along with SDR# and DSD to decode a Mototrbo repeater in my area.

chekoz77 · Nov 16, 2014

n5ims said:
Since when did a home patrol start working for MotoTRBO?

From the original post's question (emphasis added):

I missed the Mototrbo part.

Voyager · Nov 16, 2014

avascan522 said:
Update:

I got DSD+ working and decoding!

Is there a way I can see the group code and time slot? I only see CC=1 for color code.

Look in the EVENT LOG window for TG info.

BM82557 · Nov 16, 2014

avascan522 said:
Update:

I got DSD+ working and decoding!

Is there a way I can see the group code and time slot? I only see CC=1 for color code.

Try DMRDecode from http://borg.shef.ac.uk/dmrdecode/

garys · Nov 16, 2014

BM82557 said:
Try DMRDecode from http://borg.shef.ac.uk/dmrdecode/

Has anyone had any luck getting to this site today? I keep getting a "server taking too long to respond" message when I try.

altonj · Nov 16, 2014

garys said:
Has anyone had any luck getting to this site today? I keep getting a "server taking too long to respond" message when I try.

I haven't been able to get to it for a few days.

BM82557 · Nov 16, 2014

BM82557 said:
Try DMRDecode from http://borg.shef.ac.uk/dmrdecode/

I haven't had any luck with the website today. It worked when I downloaded DMRDecode so maybe it will be back up soon. I've attached a Zip file that contains the jar file needed to execute the program. Unzip it to a folder you have setup and it will be good to go to run.

avascan522 · Nov 16, 2014

I pressed "Extract" and unzipped the folder. It still shows as a .jar file, though. How to I change it to an accessible format?

avascan522 · Nov 16, 2014

Nevermind the last message, it looks like the Event Log worked. This is what it shows:

18:53:49 Group Call; TG=40 RID=450 Slot=1 3s
18:53:57 Group Call; TG=40 RID=1000 Slot=1 3s
18:57:20 Group Call; TG=40 RID=410 Slot=1 4s
18:57:27 Group Call; TG=40 RID =1000 Slot=1 1s
DMR DCC:1

Correct me if I'm wrong but, from this I got "Group Call (all call), group code 40, RID=radio ID, they use slot 1, and the "#s" is the number of seconds the transmission lasted, yes?

illinois_skywarn_spotter · Nov 18, 2014

What do I need to use this software? I have A LOT of theses modes around my area and can't hear them. Can i simply run a audio cable from my scanner to my laptop and use the software on my laptop or are there other hardware I need to get this to work? THANKS!!

Need to know how to run DSD - no clue

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