DSD+ Error

[rkillins]

I am trying to set up DSD+ with 2 RTL-SDR dongles to follow a local Con+ business DMR system.
I have configured all 4 bat files, VC.bat, CC.batr, FMP-CC.bat and FMP-VC.bat.

When I launch these 4 files, the DSD+ CC Source audio display shows constant spikelike activity, however, there is no activity in the CC DSD+ window to indicate any decoding. When I tune the control frequency in on SDR#, the signal is strong, and using the DSD+ plugin for SDR#, configured to decode all, the source audio window has a strong waveform, but again, no decoding activity.

Can anyone suggest why I might be failing to decode the signal?

Here are the contents of my files ... with their respective outputs

My FMP.CFG

2.4   ; sampling rate
512  ; spectrum window width
32  ; FFT Size
10  ; spectrum updrate rate
5000 -6250 7250 12500 15000 25000   ; step size table
.   ; DSD+ path
.\FMP-FreqList.csv  ; primary frequency list
.\FMP-FreqList2.csv   ; auxilary frequency list
miles   ; search units
99.9  ; search distance
42.427977 -80.452876  ; search origin

------------------------------------------------------------------
My CC.bat

DSDPlus -e -fa -i20001 -rc -OM NUL

Output:

C:\Radio\DSD+>DSDPlus -e -fa -o20001 -rc -OM NUL
DSD+ 1.101 pt

Auto-muting encrypted voice
Program role is control/rest channel decoder
NOT saving synthesized audio to DSDPlus.mp3
0 frequency records loaded
0 radio records loaded
0 grouprecords loaded
0 site records loaded
0 network records loaded

Initiating TCP connection to 127.0.0.1:20001...
Connecting to 127.0.0.1:20001
audio output device #1 = 'Speakers (Realtek High Definiti'
audio output device #2 = 'C ABLE input (VB-Audio Virtual C'

audio output device #1 (Speakers (Realtek High Definiti) initialized

D-STAR decoding enabled
NXDN4800 decoding enabled
NXDN9600 decoding enabled
DMR/MotoTRBO decoding enabled
P25 Phase 1 decoding enabled
X2-TDMA decoding enabled
ProVoice decoding enabled

Mono audio decoding initiated; press Esc to exit...

------------------------------------------------------------------
My VC.bat file

DSDPlus -fa -rv  -o1 -i20002  -OM NUL

Output:

C:\Radio\DSD+>DSDPlus -fa -rv -o1 -i20002 -OM NUL

DSD+ 1.101 pt
Program role is voice channel decoder; audio modes set to mono

Assuming FMP is signal source; auto polarity detect is disabled
NOT saving synthesized audio to DSDPlus.mp3
0 frequency records loaded
0 radio records loaded
0 grouprecords loaded
0 site records loaded
0 network records loaded

Initiating TCP connection to 127.0.0.1:20002...
Connecting to 127.0.0.1:20002
audio output device #1 = 'Speakers (Realtek High Definiti'
audio output device #2 = 'C ABLE input (VB-Audio Virtual C'

audio output device #1 (Speakers (Realtek High Definiti) initialized

D-STAR decoding enabled
NXDN4800 decoding enabled
NXDN9600 decoding enabled
DMR/MotoTRBO decoding enabled
P25 Phase 1 decoding enabled
X2-TDMA decoding enabled
ProVoice decoding enabled

Mono audio decoding initiated; press Esc to exit...

------------------------------------------------------------------
My FMP-CC.bat file

FMP -i1 -o20001 -P0.0 -f453.7175

Output:

C:\Radio\DSD+>DSDPlus -e -fa -i20001 -rc -OM NUL
FMP rev 1.4t

SDR sampling rate = 2.400 MHz
Spectrum window width: 512
FFT size: 32,768
Spectrum update rate: 10 Hz
Step size table: 5.000  6.2500  7.5000  12.5000  15.000  25.000
DSD+ path: '.'
Primary frequency list: '.\FMP-FreqList.csv'
Secondary frequency list: '.\FMP-FreqList2.csv'
Database search distance: 99.90 miles
Base latitude/longitude: 42.4280 -80.4529
Using RTL-SDR device #1
Using TCO port #20001
PPM correction set to 0.0
Initial frequency set to 453.717500 MHz
SDR device count=2
Found Rafael Micro R820T tuner
Found Rafael Micro R820T tuner
Tuner type=5 (R820T)
Sampling rate is set to 2.400000 MHz
RF gain set to 49.6 dB
frequency correction factor = 0.0 ppm
No frequency data files found
Listening on TCP port 20001
Accepted connection from localhost on port 51970

------------------------------------------------------------------
My FMP-VC.bat file

FMP -i2 -o20002 -P0.0 -rv

Output:

C:\Radio\DSD+>DSDPlus -i2 -o20002 P0.0  -rv
FMP rev 1.4t

SDR sampling rate = 2.400 MHz
Spectrum window width: 512
FFT size: 32,768
Spectrum update rate: 10 Hz
Step size table: 5.000  6.2500  7.5000  12.5000  15.000  25.000
DSD+ path: '.'
Primary frequency list: '.\FMP-FreqList.csv'
Secondary frequency list: '.\FMP-FreqList2.csv'
Database search distance: 99.90 miles
Base latitude/longitude: 42.4280 -80.4529
Using RTL-SDR device #2
Using TCO port #20002
PPM correction set to 0.0
ROle is voice channel monitor;
SDR device count=2
Found Rafael Micro R820T tuner
Found Rafael Micro R820T tuner
Tuner type=5 (R820T)
Sampling rate is set to 2.400000 MHz
RF gain set to 49.6 dB
frequency correction factor = 0.0 ppm
No frequency data files found
Listening on TCP port 20002
Trunk voice following active
Idle

------------------------------------------------------------------

EDIT ...
Within a couple minutes of the 4 apps running, all halts with this error from Windows.

Unrecoverable error encountered:

Exception number = 0xC0000005 (Access Violation)
Instruction Address = 0x42BF70
Action Write to address = 0x81800C1 (135790785)

Register dump:
DS: 0000002B  CS: 00000023  IP: 0042BF70  EAX: 00000180
ES: 0000002B  SS: 0000002B  SP: 08040131  EBX: 08040131
FS: 00000053  FI: 00010206  EBP: 0803FF3C  ECX: 000001B9
GS: 0000002B  ESI: 081800CI EDI: 0803FF84  EDX: 000001AC

And the output on FMP-CC adds the lines at the end:

TCP error = 10035
[A non-blocking socket operation could not be completed immediately]

Listening on TCP port 20001

 

[thewraith2008]

While this won't solve the crash issue the options used (or not used here) in FMP may help with decoding.

1. You have not set a gain value to use with FMP, default is 49.6.
This is normally to high and can make it look like there is no signal.
Add this to the command line for FMP as a starting point: -g28 (use g/G to adjust while running)

2. You have a PPM value of 0.0, are you sure this is correct? If this is wrong then the frequency won't be where it's expected to be.

 

[slicerwizard]

453.7175 is the control channel frequency? Where's the license data?

 

[rkillins]

Thanks everyone for your support!

1. You have not set a gain value to use with FMP, default is 49.6.
This is normally to high and can make it look like there is no signal.
Add this to the command line for FMP as a starting point: -g28 (use g/G to adjust while running)

Done.

FMP -i1 -o20001 -g28 -P0.0 -f452.0375

2. You have a PPM value of 0.0, are you sure this is correct? If this is wrong then the frequency won't be where it's expected to be.

I have struggled tofigure this value out. Can anyone suggest a tutorial that clearly explains (to a newbie) what to do and what to watch for?

453.7175 is the control channel frequency? Where's the license data?

Yep. That could have been a problem. Should have been 453.7125. The control channel changed today to 452.0375.[/quote]

Its been difficult to test today because it keeps crashing. Is there an order in which these 4 .bat files should be executed? I'm trying to isolate if it's FMP or DSD that is causing it to crash. DSD+ worked without error until I started playing around with this DMR trunking business.

 

[rkillins]

EDIT: The crash occurs within a minute of executing CC.bat.

 

[ScanRite]

I have struggled tofigure this value out. Can anyone suggest a tutorial that clearly explains (to a newbie) what to do and what to watch for?

I tuned to a local NOAA weather frequency, then moved it up or down depending on how far off it was. I used SDR Sharp to do this as I like the spectrum display better than FMP.

 

[thewraith2008]

Almost any DMR signal will be good enough and will at least get you within the ball park.
Just start FMP and with that window focused, enter a known frequency via the keyboard numbers. e.g Press 4 5 2 . 0 3 7 5 then ENTER.
Use p/P to adjust the PPM so the signal centered in the highlighted area in center of screen.
The PPM value (as Corr: x.x) is in the titlebar of FMP. Update your CC/VC FMP batch files with this value and you set.

 

[rkillins]

OK ... this should really be simple. I am pressing p and SHIFT-p but I am not seeing anything change change? The values in both windows (scope and FMP) for Corr are not changing.

On the scope, what I am seeing is ...

A green line that crests in the centre of tyhe display.
A white jittery line with a spike to the left of the green wave, which is the tuned frequency.



Is the idea to move that white spike right into the centre of that green wave?

 

[thewraith2008]

Sorry, forgot c/C not p/P (thats in Fastlane versions)

 

[thewraith2008]

White is the normal frequency spectrum.
Green is the zoomed in frequency spectrum around centered frequency, 418.1 MHz here (as shown to the left of window with narrow grey highlight).
You need to center the green in the grey as shown.

 

[rkillins]

You need to center the green in the grey as shown.

So, the image I posted, would you say that is correct then without any correction needed?

I seem to have got rid of the error by replacing the DSD+ and DSD+ DLL files. Something must have got corrupted. Now I am getting a nice clear decode of the CC.

Question, in addition to the one above, do I need to enter the frequencies before I can expect to hear the voice transmissions? Or will DSD+ auto polulate the SITES, FREQUENCIES, GROUPS files as they find them?

 

[rkillins]

DSD+ has revealed four channels (1,2,5,6) in addition to the CC associated with this Con+ site. I am not sure how to correlate these finding with the info provided in the RR database.



Can I enter these frequencies in any oirder in the frequencies file, or do the grey numbers to the left of the frequency relate to the channel numbers found in DSD+.

For example
Revealed channel 1 on DSD+ = 453.7125, channel 2 = 452.0375 (which today is the CC which I assume would not be channel 2 today), channel 3 and 4 = 452.6625 and 462.9375 respectively (not yet revealed in DSD+) meaning that DSD+ revealed channels 5 and 6 are frequencies not yet found and recorded at RR?

 

[thewraith2008]

So, the image I posted, would you say that is correct then without any correction needed?

Yes.
You can also further improve by tightening the bandpass filter around the frequency.
Press b.
Watch console window to see what the selected bandwidth is. 7.0 or 9.5 KHz should be right.

I seem to have got rid of the error by replacing the DSD+ and DSD+ DLL files. Something must have got corrupted. Now I am getting a nice clear decode of the CC.

Question, in addition to the one above, do I need to enter the frequencies before I can expect to hear the voice transmissions? Or will DSD+ auto polulate the SITES, FREQUENCIES, GROUPS files as they find them?

Yes you will need to enter.
DSD+ will give some info (network site ID) but for Con+ you will need to work out LSN+Frequency either by reference on forum DB or by monitoring the band.

 

[thewraith2008]

DSD+ has revealed four channels (1,2,5,6) in addition to the CC associated with this Con+ site. I am not sure how to correlate these finding with the info provided in the RR database.

View attachment 76690

Can I enter these frequencies in any oirder in the frequencies file, or do the grey numbers to the left of the frequency relate to the channel numbers found in DSD+.

For example
Revealed channel 1 on DSD+ = 453.7125, channel 2 = 452.0375 (which today is the CC which I assume would not be channel 2 today), channel 3 and 4 = 452.6625 and 462.9375 respectively (not yet revealed in DSD+) meaning that DSD+ revealed channels 5 and 6 are frequencies not yet found and recorded at RR?

Yes you can enter in any order but it makes sense to get in the habit of keeping your record files ordered from the start.
You only need to enter odd numbers. e.g. 1,3,5,7,9 etc... the evens are same frequency.

1. 410.100 slot 1
2. 412.100 slot 2
3. 412.500 slot 1
4. 412.500 slot 2

LSNs been revealed will depend on network load and how they allocate the channel usage on the network.

 

[rkillins]

OK! In my experimentation, I entered 453.7125 as channel 1 in the Frequency file and low and behod, I started to hear voice! It's all coming together (thanks to you invaluable help!). Soon after, the display automatically populated channel 2 as the same frequency. I started to worry , but now I know that I don't need to include channel 2 in my file!

So how would I know what channel 5 is? I know it's not 452.0375 as its the CC, and 453.7175 is CH. 1. Is it just trial and error now or can I just give the remaining 2 frequencies (from RR database) an OTA channel number of my liking?

 

[slicerwizard]

The four frequencies in the DB are LCNs 1, 3, 5, 7. Just add the four frequencies with those LCNs. This is covered in the DSDPlus.txt file:

DSDPlus.frequencies

DSD+ uses this file to display frequency information when DSD+ is monitoring
a rest channel or control channel. The frequency records will also be
used to control channel steering for trunked voice following.

Note:

DSD+ uses two channel numbers for each DMR RF channel:

Channel #1 = first RF channel, timeslot 1
Channel #2 = first RF channel, timeslot 2
Channel #3 = second RF channel, timeslot 1
Channel #4 = second RF channel, timeslot 2
Channel #5 = third RF channel, timeslot 1
Channel #6 = third RF channel, timeslot 2
...

For all DMR systems (DMR, Cap+, Con+, TIII), only one channel record has
to be added to the DSDPlus.frequencies file for each RF channel.
You can use the channel number that corresponds to timeslot 1 or 2 and
DSD+ will use the same frequency information for the other timeslot.

 

[rkillins]

I see, I get it now (I think). The grey numbers next o the frequency have nothing to do with the actual OTA number, they just indicate the order of frequencies.

Thank you so much for all your help and patience. My next mission is the FastLane version, but I felt I best get comfortable with the freebie to ensure it's something I'll appreciate buying. The learning curve is a bit steep.

 

[rkillins]

Haha ... not done with me yet!!
Is it possible, and likely, for the control channel to be in slot one and slot 2 of that frequency open to voice?

 

[slicerwizard]

I see, I get it now (I think). The grey numbers next o the frequency have nothing to do with the actual OTA number, they just indicate the order of frequencies.

No, those numbers are usually the channel numbers. DSD+ uses slot numbers.

 

[slicerwizard]

Is it possible, and likely, for the control channel to be in slot one and slot 2 of that frequency open to voice?

DMR control channels are usually found on slot 1. Slot 2 can carry voice.