DSDPlus No Audio output to PC speakers

[qmsarge]

Hello All,

I am using AirSpy to receive the radio signals and the DSD+ plug-in to configure the DSD Plus software, pipe in the audio and to start and stop DSD+. I had all this in working order, but today I find that it is not working as expected. I am unable to hear the decoded audio on my laptop speakers. The DSD+ is able to get the audio input from AirSpy, as I can see the wave forms changing and also DSD+ console identifying the stations.

On AirSpy on the Audio plug-in UI I have chosen
Input: MME Microsoft Sound Card (the default one)
Output: [Windows Direct Sound] Cable-INPUT (VB-Audio Virtual cable)

Now on the DSDInterface UI I have chosen
Enable aux audio output: Checked
Mute this frequency: Unchecked
Audio Device: [Windows Direct Sound] Cable-INPUT (VB-Audio Virtual cable)

I start DSD Plus using the command:-
DSDPlus.exe -v3 -O DSDPlus.mp3 -I5 -i2 -o3 -g298 -u3 -dr0 -dh0 -ds64 -dd10 -dv20 -M15 -fr

I am also attaching the screen image of the DSD+ startup window.

What I am doing wrong here? I am on a Windows 10 laptop, with the latest patches and upgrades installed.

 

[slicerwizard]

What decoded audio? Exactly what are you decoding? Your screen grab doesn't show any DMR voice being decoded.

 

[qmsarge]

What decoded audio? Exactly what are you decoding? Your screen grab doesn't show any DMR voice being decoded.

I am trying to decode MotoTRBO signals. The screen grab was taken just after starting up the DSD+. I added the screen grab to show how the DSD+ configurations are (i.e which is my input device and which is my output device). To add on; I also checked the MP3 files which gets generated when the decoding happens. The MP3 files are getting created, but there is NO audio in it as well (the files are not zero bytes).

 

[DRL-XM43]

Hello All,

I am using AirSpy to receive the radio signals and the DSD+ plug-in to configure the DSD Plus software, pipe in the audio and to start and stop DSD+. I had all this in working order, but today I find that it is not working as expected. I am unable to hear the decoded audio on my laptop speakers. The DSD+ is able to get the audio input from AirSpy, as I can see the wave forms changing and also DSD+ console identifying the stations.

On AirSpy on the Audio plug-in UI I have chosen
Input: MME Microsoft Sound Card (the default one)
Output: [Windows Direct Sound] Cable-INPUT (VB-Audio Virtual cable)

Now on the DSDInterface UI I have chosen
Enable aux audio output: Checked
Mute this frequency: Unchecked
Audio Device: [Windows Direct Sound] Cable-INPUT (VB-Audio Virtual cable)

I start DSD Plus using the command:-
DSDPlus.exe -v3 -O DSDPlus.mp3 -I5 -i2 -o3 -g298 -u3 -dr0 -dh0 -ds64 -dd10 -dv20 -M15 -fr

I am also attaching the screen image of the DSD+ startup window.

What I am doing wrong here? I am on a Windows 10 laptop, with the latest patches and upgrades installed.

Don't know if it helps but this is what mine look like for third party input like from SDR# And in Win the default playback is the speakers and the default recording is the virtual cable and the third party audio is set to vb cable. The last two entries in the DSD+ image are the working input output,

DSDPlus.exe -fa -e -m1 -g0 -OM NUL

 

[qmsarge]

DSDPlus.exe -fa -e -m1 -g0 -OM NUL

Unfortunately this did not work. I also uninstalled and re-installed VB Cable. Modified the DSD Plus start parameters (using the DSD interface plug-in). DSD Plus now starts and displays the below messages.
audio input device #1 = 'CABLE Output (VB-Audio Virtual '
audio input device #2 = 'Microphone (Realtek High Defini'

audio output device #1 = 'Speaker/HP (Realtek High Defini'
audio output device #2 = 'CABLE Input (VB-Audio Virtual C'
audio output device #3 = 'D1918H (Intel(R) Display Audio)'

audio input device #1 (CABLE Output (VB-Audio Virtual ) initialized
audio output device #1 (Speaker/HP (Realtek High Defini) initialized

My understanding is that the audio output from SDR# would be piped into the Cable Input. In the DSD interface plug-in I have chosen the [MME] Cable Input... option.

In the DSD+ Source Audio window I get the wave forms. One thing I observed is that even during a digital transmission the audio waves appear as sine waves and NOT as square waves. So don't know if I have missed on any other setting.

PS: Looks like I had faced the similar problem earlier as well, but setting the right input device and output device solved the problem. But this time the same settings does not seem to work. Refer to the earlier thread I started.

 

[slicerwizard]

I am using AirSpy to receive the radio signals

So all you need is FMPA and DSD+. No SDR#, no plugin, no virtual cable. But you don't want to go the easy route?

And you still haven't shown us what you're monitoring. How about a screen shot taken during some voice traffic?

 

[qmsarge]

And you still haven't shown us what you're monitoring. How about a screen shot taken during some voice traffic?

Apologies for the delay in sharing the images. I am attaching two images with this post.
EventLog_SoundWave.jpg - Screen grab of the Event log and the Sound Wave when there is a voice transmission happening.
DSD_Plus_Console.jpg - The console window of DSD Plus.

Note; I have a DMR radio and I kept it on at the same time when I took the screen grab. It was a voice transmission.

So all you need is FMPA and DSD+. No SDR#, no plugin, no virtual cable.

Thank you for suggesting an alternate tool. I was not aware of the same.

 

[DRL-XM43]

Thank you for suggesting an alternate tool. I was not aware of the same.

You purchased it? no?

Your screenshot shows DSD+ V 1 Public addition. I thought you had full featured DSD+ FastLane

the command line I gave you will not work with V 1 it will throw an error

in any event check to make sure win 10 audio output/record have the right defaults

 

[qmsarge]

You purchased it? no?

No . I have downloaded the FMPAv2p7.zip from the web site. I don't have the AirSpy Mini USB device with me.

 

[slicerwizard]

You have massive decoding errors. No wonder you hear no voice traffic. And now you have not an Airspy, but an Airspy Mini? I don't think FMPA 2.7 handles Minis.

 

[qmsarge]

Your screenshot shows DSD+ V 1 Public addition. I thought you had full featured DSD+ FastLane

DSD+ V1 public edition was the one which I installed nearly a year back. I will download the FastLane version if it is available free. I did not upgrade/change the softwares as it was working fine all this while.

in any event check to make sure win 10 audio output/record have the right defaults

Looks like the problem is in the default settings and I am unable to make a progress here. There are no obvious errors getting thrown which can help me debug.

You have massive decoding errors. No wonder you hear no voice traffic.

Are those errors due to the audio not coming in properly? I remember that when this program setup used to work the Digital radio waves had a kind of 'sqare' pattern (it was not the 'sine wave'). But I don't see that now.

And now you have not an Airspy, but an Airspy Mini?

What I meant by Airspy is the old SDR# software (attached a screen image). I use an RTL-SDR USB dongle to get the radio signals fed into the laptop. I do not use any other device or licensed software.

 

[slicerwizard]

You have a -25 dB noise floor? That's crazy. Maybe start by fixing that.

 

[DRL-XM43]

DSD+ V1 public edition was the one which I installed nearly a year back. I will download the FastLane version if it is available free. I did not upgrade/change the softwares as it was working fine all this while.


Looks like the problem is in the default settings and I am unable to make a progress here. There are no obvious errors getting thrown which can help me debug.


Are those errors due to the audio not coming in properly? I remember that when this program setup used to work the Digital radio waves had a kind of 'sqare' pattern (it was not the 'sine wave'). But I don't see that now.


What I meant by Airspy is the old SDR# software (attached a screen image). I use an RTL-SDR USB dongle to get the radio signals fed into the laptop. I do not use any other device or licensed software.

I see you are using the DSD+ plugin - that could be an issue.

Just for fun, do not use the plugin.

Just start DSD+ and set the audio to VB Cable in SDR#

Start DSD+ with something like DSDPlus.exe -fa -e -OM NUL

Tone down the gain and report back

 

[qmsarge]

You have a -25 dB noise floor? That's crazy. Maybe start by fixing that.

Tone down the gain and report back

The problem was finally resolved. The steps which I did:-
1. Changed the feeder line from my VHF antenna with a better one. This increased the Rx quality.
2. On my Windows 10 laptop, I updated the Sound card drivers for my sound card. It was out dated and Windows 10 downloaded the latest one and installed the same.
3. In the sound settings set the CABLE Output as the Default device and Default Communication device. Earlier my laptop microphone was set as the default.
4. In SDR# set the bandwidth at around 15000, and chose the mode as NFM.
5. In SDR# Audio pane I set the output as [MME] Cable Input (VB-Audio Virtual Cable). The same was chosen in the Audio device field in the DSD Interface pane.
6. Double checked that the correct Input/Output device was set on the DSD+ plugin configuration window. Set the channel as Mono. It worked with options like Auto and Left, but Mono was the best.

Thank you for all the help and guidance.