assistance needed with Windows 7 Toughbook and HDSDR

radioman2008

Batlabs user Wazzzzzzzzup (2001-Present)
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System 1632 Tampa Bay Florida
greetings everyone.
I've spent several hours tinkering, searching, downloading, digesting....all this stuff on setting up HDSDR on my Panasonic Toughbook CF30 running windows 7
I have a silver surfer, a funcube dongle pro and a DVB-T+DAB+FM USB 2.0 dongle.
ALL 3 work fine on my windows 10 desktop. the problem is trying to get it going on my Toughbook.

initially I got a DLL error, so found that I needed to install VC_redist.X86, it added the file, cool no more file error there.

so, I have yet to get it to show an active waterfall on my laptop (woks on win 10 not on laptop)
in a SDSHARP setup guide, because I can't really find a good HDSDR setup guide and from what i gather, all the sdr programs are similar in operation with all these universal SDR units.
read further about using ZADIG 2.8, installed, updated, seems to work per the directions.
came across someone's post about a custom extIO file so downloaded CFGSR2.6, installed, transferred the extIO_si570.dll DLL to the HDSDR directory.
when I select that in HDSDR it says the specified module not found
I also have a extIO_RTLTCP_improved.dll when i click on that in HDSDR it says invalid IO pairs then next screen says StartHW() returns value <=0

I can get it to select a more general extIO file extIO_RTL_TCP, but still no waterfall. when HDSDR shows that DLL it says its its REALTEK RTL2832

rebooted laptop after every install or change, still no waterfall.

any ideas that can help me get this thing working.
 

rabbit108

Member
Joined
Jan 4, 2021
Messages
329
Location
S.E. VA
greetings everyone.
I've spent several hours tinkering, searching, downloading, digesting....all this stuff on setting up HDSDR on my Panasonic Toughbook CF30 running windows 7
I have a silver surfer, a funcube dongle pro and a DVB-T+DAB+FM USB 2.0 dongle.
ALL 3 work fine on my windows 10 desktop. the problem is trying to get it going on my Toughbook.

initially I got a DLL error, so found that I needed to install VC_redist.X86, it added the file, cool no more file error there.

so, I have yet to get it to show an active waterfall on my laptop (woks on win 10 not on laptop)
in a SDSHARP setup guide, because I can't really find a good HDSDR setup guide and from what i gather, all the sdr programs are similar in operation with all these universal SDR units.
read further about using ZADIG 2.8, installed, updated, seems to work per the directions.
came across someone's post about a custom extIO file so downloaded CFGSR2.6, installed, transferred the extIO_si570.dll DLL to the HDSDR directory.
when I select that in HDSDR it says the specified module not found
I also have a extIO_RTLTCP_improved.dll when i click on that in HDSDR it says invalid IO pairs then next screen says StartHW() returns value <=0

I can get it to select a more general extIO file extIO_RTL_TCP, but still no waterfall. when HDSDR shows that DLL it says its its REALTEK RTL2832

rebooted laptop after every install or change, still no waterfall.

any ideas that can help me get this thing working.
Can you show us a screenshot of no waterfall on the Toughbook?

What does the dongle look like in the Device Manager?

Did you try to installing this in the directory?

https://github.com/josemariaaraujo/ExtIO_RTL/raw/master/Release/ExtIO_RTL.dll
 

rabbit108

Member
Joined
Jan 4, 2021
Messages
329
Location
S.E. VA
.....so, I have yet to get it to show an active waterfall on my laptop (woks on win 10 not on laptop)
in a SDSHARP setup guide, because I can't really find a good HDSDR setup guide and from what i gather, all the sdr programs are similar in operation with all these universal SDR units.
Manual here:
Installing and using HDSDR

g4zfqradio
 

radioman2008

Batlabs user Wazzzzzzzzup (2001-Present)
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Jan 25, 2007
Messages
320
Location
System 1632 Tampa Bay Florida
Can you show us a screenshot of no waterfall on the Toughbook?

What does the dongle look like in the Device Manager?

Did you try to installing this in the directory?

https://github.com/josemariaaraujo/ExtIO_RTL/raw/master/Release/ExtIO_RTL.dll
the 3 dongles identify as the following.
the silver surfer comes up as 2 separate RTL2838UHIDIR
the funcube shows as FUNcube dongle V1.0
the generic dongle says RTL2838UHIDIR

the ExtIO_RTL.dll that is in your link placed in the HDSDR directory gives an error of "no RTLSDR Devices found"
but the regular dll file loads up fine and HDSDR reports that to be REALTEK RTL2832

the screenshot file is attached
 

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rabbit108

Member
Joined
Jan 4, 2021
Messages
329
Location
S.E. VA
the 3 dongles identify as the following.
the silver surfer comes up as 2 separate RTL2838UHIDIR
the funcube shows as FUNcube dongle V1.0
the generic dongle says RTL2838UHIDIR

the ExtIO_RTL.dll that is in your link placed in the HDSDR directory gives an error of "no RTLSDR Devices found"
but the regular dll file loads up fine and HDSDR reports that to be REALTEK RTL2832

the screenshot file is attached
Thank you for the screenshot and details. That looks like a refurbished C-30. It might be a driver problem. Sometimes Microsoft will change the driver to what it thinks should be the correct driver, but isn't. When it does that, there is a small black popup window in the lower right corner that a driver has been installed.

I see that at least the waterfall area is showing, but there is no waterfall. I assume you have tried adjustments of the waterfall and spectrum sliders.

I got the HDSDR software to run OK on this W10 laptop. I'll try it next on my old W7 laptop with an RTL-SDR V3 dongle, but I'm not sure it will shed any light on the problem.
 

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rabbit108

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Joined
Jan 4, 2021
Messages
329
Location
S.E. VA
I tried HDSDR in my Windows 7 laptop with my RTL-SDR V3 dongle. Seems to behave OK.

HDSDR W7 SW_1.jpg

HDSDR W7 DevMgr_1.jpg
 

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rabbit108

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Joined
Jan 4, 2021
Messages
329
Location
S.E. VA
radioman2008prtscr_1.jpg

I tried to duplicate what you did by setting the controls wrong. This is as close as I could get to your screenshot:

HDSDRwrongAdj2_1.jpg

I suggest you try a software reset:

Navigate to Options or hit (F7). Select Misc Options and select “Reset to factory settings”. Relaunch HDSDR.
 

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