RPi 3 & RTL-SDR/OP25?

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telvana

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If anyone has a python module that streams vlc, I'd be happy to integrate it into op25.

Would this be of any usage? I was reading through this thread again trying to find why my tsbks kept stopping (I have solved it, I think, changed to a more powerful power supply) and I saw that you were looking for a VLC library for Python.

python-vlc
 

boatbod

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Would this be of any usage? I was reading through this thread again trying to find why my tsbks kept stopping (I have solved it, I think, changed to a more powerful power supply) and I saw that you were looking for a VLC library for Python.

python-vlc
I don't recall the exact chronology of my prior request, but I got liquidsoap working pretty well with minimal changes needed in op25.
 

toolman60

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I been fighting with this for couple weeks on/off. Everytime I change my trunk.tsv file the program stops working.
I guess I need to find OP25 for idiots before trying anymore. I just can't get the frequency to change to my CC frequency. Unitrunker seems to work fine but I wanted a compact setup for mobile use with 1 rtl-sdr.
 

boatbod

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I been fighting with this for couple weeks on/off. Everytime I change my trunk.tsv file the program stops working.
I guess I need to find OP25 for idiots before trying anymore. I just can't get the frequency to change to my CC frequency. Unitrunker seems to work fine but I wanted a compact setup for mobile use with 1 rtl-sdr.
You'll have to provide a little more detail for what's going on. Lets start with the log file (stderr.2) and a description of the symptoms.
 

rjdj2000

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Anyone try this yet with the new Pi 4? Looks like it would be beneficial as more memory (if have the 4 gig version) Am going to dig through here one of these days to set up a 3b+ as I still want to revive an old Bearcat III scanner with one. Only problem is I will need an audio amp to drive the speaker in the case...
 

toolman60

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Ok I got OP25 running on my Pi. Still have not worked on the audio as of yet just letting it decode.

I am sitting on the cc for the Williamsburg site and OP25 shows TG 5039,49,3 anyone know who/where they are from.
When I run unitrunker on same site (Win PC) I hear a lot of traffic from Williamsburg east down 64 and a little of Richmond 95 & 295.
 

boatbod

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Anyone try this yet with the new Pi 4? Looks like it would be beneficial as more memory (if have the 4 gig version) Am going to dig through here one of these days to set up a 3b+ as I still want to revive an old Bearcat III scanner with one. Only problem is I will need an audio amp to drive the speaker in the case...
Planning on trying it, but first I've got to find somewhere with the 4GB model in stock :)
 

rjdj2000

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Planning on trying it, but first I've got to find somewhere with the 4GB model in stock :)
Yeah I noticed a lot of places they r out of stock. That and from what I have seen there is some bugs with the os and the usb-c power. Will probably wait until the next revision that is coming out that fixes these issues. I just need to work on getting this going on the 3b+ that I have. Going to take some searching thru the thread to get it going.
 

Dygear

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Planning on trying it, but first I've got to find somewhere with the 4GB model in stock :)

There are issues with connections to the 2838U based RTL dongles. I'm using a NooElec Nano 3 and I've managed to start the application (OP25 / TrunkRecorder) once with this. It works ok with the HackRF One, but RTL dongles are mostly miss right now. This is due to hardware quirk within the Raspberry Pi 4. There is a working fix for that that has been merged into the Raspberry Pi kernel. Buy now, sure, but you might have to wait for this to actually work.

Problem number two is that Raspberry Pi 4 is pretty much going to need some sort of active cooling. I was using a Raspberry Pi 3B+ with the FLIRC case that kept everything fan-less and running fairly cool under heavy load. But the rPi4 is a different beast. I'm waiting for the FLIRC 4 case before I start doing deployments into the field. The good news is that from a performance point of view, the Pi 4 is freaking fast. 4Msps no problem. But VERY hot.
 

Dygear

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Spoke to soon, almost all of that has been fixed with the firmware update that I just did. The Raspberry Pi 4 is AMAZING for SDR. I'm running 1 RTL (NooElec Nano 3) at 3.2Msps covering an entire P25 install that I used to have to do with a Intel NUC. It's handling it VERY well!
 

613scanner

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for the people that use the raspberry pi 3b+ as a mobile p25 scanner , what are you using for Power? I am thinking of using a pi for a "desktop" scanner 99% of the time but also as a "mobile" from time to time . How long will I realisticly get from say a 10,000maH usb battery pack?
 

toolman60

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I am going to use a cell phone adapter to power my Pi and a powered hub to power the dongle.
 

zapman987

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Ive heard of too many issues with the power port, and several device issues; to think about migrating to a RPi4 anytime soon. Let it go through some revisions first.


for the people that use the raspberry pi 3b+ as a mobile p25 scanner , what are you using for Power? I am thinking of using a pi for a "desktop" scanner 99% of the time but also as a "mobile" from time to time . How long will I realisticly get from say a 10,000maH usb battery pack?
Cell phone blocks by good companies (samsung, apple, etc). Ive also got an Aniker multiport block that Ive run off of before, worked great.
 

ScanYak

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For What It's Worth:

Anyone try this yet with the new Pi 4? Looks like it would be beneficial as more memory......
I just finished installing op25 on a Raspberry Pi 4-4GB. Self-Cooling Aluminum Alloy Case. OS is Raspian Buster, with two NooElec NESDR Smart v4 Premium RTL-SDRs w/Aluminum Enclosures plugged into two of the 2.0 USB ports. I'm running two instances of op25 (monitoring 2-P25 phase 1 & 2 systems) using the 'rtl=0' / 'rtl=1' and -u 23456 / -u 23460 command-line options. The CPU is about 17% and temperature 47 centigrade. Found no USB or audio (output to headphone jack) problems or hurdles other than the normal set up issues.
 

wgbecks

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Your configuration of the dual instances of op25 indicate you're sending audio to two separate UDP ports but we have no idea if they are
going to the loopback network interface or to external network device. Post your rx.py command lines. Now what have you setup to receive the UDP audio streams, netcat, audio.py? Explain your configuration. Post script(s).
 

ScanYak

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Your configuration of the dual instances of op25 indicate you're sending audio to two separate UDP ports but we have no idea if they are
going to the loopback network interface or to external network device. Post your rx.py command lines. Now what have you setup to receive the UDP audio streams, netcat, audio.py? Explain your configuration. Post script(s).

These are the rx.py command lines as per "boatbod" for multiple op25 instances. how to Run op25 multiple times

./rx.py --nocrypt --args 'rtl=0' --gains 'lna:20' -S 960000 -q 0 -u 23456 -U -T trunk_wsp.tsv -w 2> stderr-JWINwsp-0.2
./rx.py --nocrypt --args 'rtl=1' --gains 'lna:37' -S 960000 -q 0 -u 23460 -U -T trunk_dod.tsv -2 2> stderr-DOD-1.2

The audio was set in raspi-confg to: ""1 Force 3.5mm ('headphone') jack""
Both audio streams simultaneously come out of headphone jack, as desired.
Everything works. No other changes were made that I recall.

P.S. There is probably more you want to know but I'm not sure how to obtain it.
I'm not an expert but this is the 5th Raspberry Pi I have set up... 2-Broadcastify feeds, 2-TwoToneDetect, op25.... They are fun to play with.
 

wgbecks

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I am not exactly clear as to what it is you're reporting as not working. The fist instance of rx.py has wireshark (-w) output enabled while
the second instance does not, even though this was apparently your intention being that you have specified specific UDP ports (-u xxxxx)
on for both of the rx.py command lines. You'll need (-w) and (-V) on both to stream the UDP audio.

You didn't answer my question as to what the destination is for these UDP streams. I can see that they are going to end up on the
default loopback adapter in that there was no Wireshark Host (-W xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx) added to the command line arguments to direct
the UDP packets to another host.

Are you getting analog audio from the 3.5 mm headphone jack from either instance of op25? It not, then we can address this
as well.

Bill
 
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