SDS100/SDS200: SDS100 & different levels of 'warmth'

Status
Not open for further replies.

W2SJW

Senior Member
Database Admin
Joined
Nov 22, 2001
Messages
3,264
Location
Northwest NJ
Guys,

I've noticed this last week since running last Friday's beta on my SDS100 that the unit isn't getting nearly as warm as it did when the unit first came out.

I spend most of my time site-holding on my state's P25 network. I wonder what functions that the unit is currently being asked to perform has any correlation to how warm the unit gets?
 

Ubbe

Member
Joined
Sep 8, 2006
Messages
8,944
Location
Stockholm, Sweden
My RTL-SDR dongle doesn't get warm at all if its only connected to power but when it decodes a digital signal it gets so hot that I cannot hold my finger on it for more than 2-3 seconds.

I would think that only receiving analog conventional signals, or the squelch being closed most of the time, wouldn't stress the SDR much and it would run cool but having it constantly decoding digital signals would let the heat built up.

/Ubbe
 

maus92

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Jun 23, 2004
Messages
7,984
Location
The OP
My RTL-SDR dongle doesn't get warm at all if its only connected to power but when it decodes a digital signal it gets so hot that I cannot hold my finger on it for more than 2-3 seconds.

I would think that only receiving analog conventional signals, or the squelch being closed most of the time, wouldn't stress the SDR much and it would run cool but having it constantly decoding digital signals would let the heat built up.

/Ubbe

Interesting. My two Nooelec SDR are always hot - they monitor busy trunked systems, one is a P25P2 system, the other is a SmartZone with the fire side on analog and the police using P25 CAI. My RTL-SDR branded dongle runs even hotter when monitoring either of those systems, and requires a slightly higher Warp adjustment in Untrunker 2 (~1.375 vs. .5) I don't have a pure analog TRS within range, but I wonder if make any difference in temperatures?
 

Trucker700

Member
Joined
Jun 24, 2017
Messages
214
Interesting. My two Nooelec SDR are always hot - they monitor busy trunked systems, one is a P25P2 system, the other is a SmartZone with the fire side on analog and the police using P25 CAI. My RTL-SDR branded dongle runs even hotter when monitoring either of those systems, and requires a slightly higher Warp adjustment in Untrunker 2 (~1.375 vs. .5) I don't have a pure analog TRS within range, but I wonder if make any difference in temperatures?
So, it's possible to monitor P25 P2 systems with a pair of dongles now? I knew that UniTrunker could do Phase 1 P25, but, had not heard it would do Phase 2.
Where to find the version that does P2?
Trucker
 

maus92

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Jun 23, 2004
Messages
7,984
Location
The OP
So, it's possible to monitor P25 P2 systems with a pair of dongles now? I knew that UniTrunker could do Phase 1 P25, but, had not heard it would do Phase 2.
Where to find the version that does P2?
Trucker
I don’t monitor the audio of the P2 system because UT2 doesn’t do AMBE - I just watch the TG traffic.
I can listen to the P1 audio on the SmartZone system, but it’s garbled 50% of the time, even with 97-100% decode rate and excelent RSSI. The SDS100 decodes the same system flawlessly. The 436 was meh on it.

Using OP25, the RTL-SDR gets very hot, but delivers excellent P2 audio.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top