SDR Help please

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dirtbike_421

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Dec 30, 2012
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well i was told to buy a tv-usb dongle. i want to listen to the frequencies my local police talk on so i bought one. i installed the SDR# software and drivers for the dtv-tuner and when i go throught the frequencyies all i hear is ssshhhshhhhhhhhhhhh. i know the frequencies i try work because i used to have a scanner.so what is my problem is it the dongle? i have the anttenna attached and it seems like i can almost hear something but i just listened to that darn noise too much and its just ringing in my head now. LOL please any info or help is appreciated, thanks my by dongle you can find on ebay its the dvb- t +dab+fm
 

K9SPY

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Feb 25, 2013
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San Antonio, TX
I had a similar experience.

Try a wee-bit harder, bud...!

Check the drop down at the top. I think it says Sound Card initially. You have to drop it down and select the RTL tuner device.

Try Stop and Play.

Also, try checking all the different modes... section near the top... there's Narrow FM (NFM) and Wide FM (WFM) and AM and Upper Side Band and Lower Side Band and CW...

It's actually disgustingly easy...!

good luck!
 
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DaveNF2G

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Make sure the dongle you got is not meant for reception of American TV stations. Those devices cannot be used for SDR.
 

dirtbike_421

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Dec 30, 2012
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Now i can hear the police sometimes. But if i have a scanner on 154.740 it plays nearly every 45sec some cop is talking but on this sdr dongle it wont even pick this channel up. Im using the dvb-t+dab+fm dongle.wHat kind of antenna should i use? Should i be in narrow band or short? What settings should i use under configure (dongle) ? Filters? There is so much... one last thing. Can i preset several channels and scan through them ....thanks
 

rbm

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Jan 25, 2005
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Location
Upstate New York
Now i can hear the police sometimes. But if i have a scanner on 154.740 it plays nearly every 45sec some cop is talking but on this sdr dongle it wont even pick this channel up. Im using the dvb-t+dab+fm dongle.wHat kind of antenna should i use? Should i be in narrow band or short? What settings should i use under configure (dongle) ? Filters? There is so much... one last thing. Can i preset several channels and scan through them ....thanks

You can refer to the image in my post here to see some settings you can start with:
http://forums.radioreference.com/software-defined-radio/261320-rtl-2832u-r820t.html#post1923048

A higher resolution image is here:



If you do not see "RTL-SDR / USB" in the drop down box at the top, then your config file must be changed. That's another issue. You can PM me if you have that problem and I'll walk you through the fix. Since you're able to receive something, this obviously isn't a problem. I'll leave here for any one else looking for answers.

For police/fire etc. you should use NFM, Bandwidth around 7500 khz or so, and uncheck the squelch box initially.

With the tiny antenna the dongles come with, you may not hear much.

Try tuning to the NOAA weather frequency for you area. That has a constant signal and makes for easier adjustment.

One other point, my dongles were so deaf with the included antennas, I actually used an adapter to connect a rubber duck from one my BCT396 scanners.
I could then hear the weather frequencies, where I couldn't hear a peep with the included antennas.

Rich

Depending on which dongle you have, you can get a PAL or MCX coax adapter to connect an external antenna.
You can see the adapters at the links in my post here:
http://forums.radioreference.com/so...2u-r820t-dongles-differences.html#post1908507
 
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DaveNF2G

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There are many fun things that can be done with these dongles and SDRSharp software. The challenge is in keeping track of which features are part of the main package and which are independently developed plugins.

A mainstream feature will survive a version update. A plugin might not.
 
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