SDR Sharp (multiple versions) picks up CW traffic as USB

[dragon48]

Is this a known bug, or some odd quirk with my setup?

I've never picked up any signals in CW mode. Check out this sound that the software picked up in CW mode on 3580 kHz:

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The problem is that the software generates the exact sound in CW mode on ANY frequency. Thirty seconds later, I switched to USB mode while on the same frequency, and picked this up:

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Bad reception, but I'm assuming this is Morse Code. My decoder doesn't find any words; infact, it has different interpretations each time I feed it the clip. Most of the interpreted text is the letter "e." Interestingly, on one run, it translated this string, as part of the output:

{-...-.}

I'll stop digressing and continue on - as I'm composing this, I tested the same frequency on one of my radios. The beeping output sounds exactly the same on both USB and CW modes. I can also pick it up on LSB, but much fainter.

Why the unchanging "spacey" sound in CW mode on all frequencies with my SDR? Will USB mode give me the intended output?

Ty

 

[mtindor]

When you switch to CW mode, it automatically uses a very narrow filter (usually 300 bandwidth by default). That is pretty narrow. The more narrow you go with the filtering, the more likely things will sound spacey. If you want to run CW mode, adjust "bandwidth" to be wider and it'll sound much like if you were listening on USB or LSB.

Mike

 

[spongella]

What you are hearing in the second recording is Morse code. As a matter of fact, it is slow Morse code practice sent by station W1AW, from ARRL (American Radio Relay League) headquarters in Newington, CT. They actual frequency they use is 3.581MHz.

Your decoder might need a stronger signal but that definitely is Morse code.