SDR# Picking up AM radio in SDRSharp in direct sampling Q Mode?

[zack6849]

Hi Guys!

I'm poking around with some sdr stuff, and following the RTL-SDR v3 Quickstart guide thing, i set it to Direct Sampling Q Branch so i could try and pick up other signals

I'm picking up a local station in Tampa (1250AM WHNZ) on 27.550548MHz according to SDRSharp

Is this normal, some kind of quirk of my configuration?

That doesn't seem right, but i'm fairly new to this.

It'd also explain why i was hearing so many things that sounded like talk shows in things that should have been HAM frequencies.

 

[jonwienke]

Gain set too high is overloading the receiver, and you're picking up harmonics of tbe actual signal.

 

[zack6849]

Thanks for the quick reply!

I found that setting it back to quadrature sampling and it went away, so unsure if Q branch sampling is picking something else up, or if it's the gain, should the sampling mode effect that at all?

 

[spongella]

Adjust the RF gain on your SDR by clicking on the gear wheel. Try lowering it, that might help.

On rare occasions though I've picked up radio stations as far away as TX in that area of the spectrum and figured it was a remote broadcast pickup station covering a local sports event. But the band was open at that point.