SDR's vs. Hardware Scanners/Receivers

[KA1RBI]

On a positive note I was able to figure out parameters in rtl_fm and get my local NOAA weather up and running. Whoopie...well it was a small victory for me anyway.

haha - this is great - and fits in perfectly with the title of this thread

osmocom_fft craps out with a RuntimeError: unknown exception, ***Error in '/usr/bin/python2': free(): invalid pointer: 0x00000000056326b8 *** ====== Backtrace: ====== followed by lines and lines of paths, hex #'s, etc. Hell, I thought WINDOWS errors were bad!

could you paste the entire set of all the messages? Also which version of python is in use? For the latter, you can run

python --version

Best

Max

 

[KC1UA]

I blew out Mint and installed Ubuntu 12.04 LTS. Just got done running Scott's original instructions for installing gnuradio and op25 using pybombs.

Now...when I run the rtl_fm command line shown earlier I'm seeing a completely different error; aplay: playback:2483:read error so I'm hosed there....

And....here's the osmocom_fft error I'm seeing now in Ubuntu:

scott@RADIOSERVER:~$ osmocom_fft -a rtl=0 -v -f 853.275e6 -s 2.4e6 -g 49 -c 61 --dc-offset-mode=0 --iq-balance-mode=0 -W
linux; GNU C++ version 4.6.3; Boost_105300; UHD_003.006.002-1-g9fd308b3

gr-osmosdr v0.1.0-64-gd960d111 (0.1.1git) gnuradio v3.7.2.1-159-g3fa56a46
built-in source types: file osmosdr fcd rtl rtl_tcp uhd hackrf rfspace 
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/home/scott/target/bin/osmocom_fft", line 749, in <module>
    main ()
  File "/home/scott/target/bin/osmocom_fft", line 745, in main
    app = stdgui2.stdapp(app_top_block, "osmocom Spectrum Browser", nstatus=1)
  File "/home/scott/target/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/gnuradio/wxgui/stdgui2.py", line 46, in __init__
    wx.App.__init__ (self, redirect=False)
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/wx-2.8-gtk2-unicode/wx/_core.py", line 7981, in __init__
    self._BootstrapApp()
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/wx-2.8-gtk2-unicode/wx/_core.py", line 7555, in _BootstrapApp
    return _core_.PyApp__BootstrapApp(*args, **kwargs)
  File "/home/scott/target/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/gnuradio/wxgui/stdgui2.py", line 49, in OnInit
    frame = stdframe (self.top_block_maker, self.title, self._nstatus)
  File "/home/scott/target/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/gnuradio/wxgui/stdgui2.py", line 76, in __init__
    self.panel = stdpanel (self, self, top_block_maker)
  File "/home/scott/target/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/gnuradio/wxgui/stdgui2.py", line 98, in __init__
    self.top_block = top_block_maker (frame, self, vbox, sys.argv)
  File "/home/scott/target/bin/osmocom_fft", line 105, in __init__
    self.src = osmosdr.source(options.args)
  File "/home/scott/target/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/osmosdr/osmosdr_swig.py", line 857, in make
    return _osmosdr_swig.source_make(args)
RuntimeError: Unknown exception
Segmentation fault (core dumped)

This is a biatch....ain't it?

 

[KC1UA]

Wow, this is nuts. Or I am. Or both.

I just rebooted, and trying to run rtl_fm and osmocom_fft from the terminal prompt in my home directory I receive "rtl_fm: command not found" and "osmocom_fft: command not found".

However....then I re-run pybombs.env followd by source /home/scott/targeet/setup_env.sh and I now can access rtl_fm. I thought this happened to me last night as well in the old install but my head was spinning at that point and I wasn't sure.

Also, the first time, "echo $PYTHONPATH" returned the blank line and then back to the prompt the first time....the SECOND time it has yielded this:

scott@RADIOSERVER:~$ echo $PYTHONPATH
/home/scott/target/python/:/home/scott/target/lib/python2.6/site-packages/:/home/scott/target/lib64/python2.6/site-packages/:/home/scott/target/lib/python2.6/dist-packages/:/home/scott/target/lib64/python2.6/dist-packages/:/home/scott/target/lib/python2.7/site-packages/:/home/scott/target/lib64/python2.7/site-packages/:/home/scott/target/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/:/home/scott/target/lib64/python2.7/dist-packages/:/home/scott/target/python/:/home/scott/target/lib/python2.6/site-packages/:/home/scott/target/lib64/python2.6/site-packages/:/home/scott/target/lib/python2.6/dist-packages/:/home/scott/target/lib64/python2.6/dist-packages/:/home/scott/target/lib/python2.7/site-packages/:/home/scott/target/lib64/python2.7/site-packages/:/home/scott/target/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/:/home/scott/target/lib64/python2.7/dist-packages/

 

[KC1UA]

Awesomer and awesomer...now apparently we have an RTL stick issue. Yes, I unplugged and replugged, however....

scott@RADIOSERVER:~$ rtl_fm -f 102.9e6 -s 200000 -r 48000 - | aplay -r 48k -f S16_LE
Found 1 device(s):
0: ؔ�փ, , SN:

Using device 0: Generic RTL2832U OEM
usb_open error -3
Please fix the device permissions, e.g. by installing the udev rules file rtl-sdr.rules
Failed to open rtlsdr device #0.
aplay: playback:2483: read error

The heiroglyphics probably are a bad sign, and it goes downhill from there....maybe that's why there's an aplay fail...there's nothing there to play?

I'm putting the brakes on this for a few....because half of this computer still runs Windows 7 just dandy, and it won't if I fire the sonofa***** out the window....

 

[PiccoIntegra]

I just rebooted, and trying to run rtl_fm and osmocom_fft from the terminal prompt in my home directory I receive "rtl_fm: command not found" and "osmocom_fft: command not found".

However....then I re-run pybombs.env followd by source /home/scott/targeet/setup_env.sh and I now can access rtl_fm. I thought this happened to me last night as well in the old install but my head was spinning at that point and I wasn't sure.

Also, the first time, "echo $PYTHONPATH" returned the blank line and then back to the prompt the first time....the SECOND time it has yielded this:

Whenever you close the terminal window, it wipes the envirnment variables set by the setup_env.sh.

Open the file /home/scott/.bashrc with gedit
add source /home/scott/target/setup_env.sh to the very bottom, save and exit. Now every time you open a terminal window, this script gets executed for you.

 

[KC1UA]

OK, got that part Scott. After another reboot rtl_fm is now working as it did last evening. But unfortunately osmocom_fft still is not.

Additionally and somewhat disturbing is that I have absolutely no reference to grc at all. When I ran the pybombs last night I had a grc icon in Mint. No such animal here at all.

 

[PiccoIntegra]

I never had any icons placed when I installed.

Let's make sure it's installed and actually works.. from the terminal window type: gnuradio-companion

 

[KC1UA]

Interesting...I got the icon in Mint. None here, but it is up and running in a window. This warning showed up but it was able to recover from it and load:

Warning: Block loading failed:
EntityRef: expecting ';', line 7, column 52
Ignoring: /home/scott/target/share/gnuradio/grc/blocks/op25_repeater_fsk4_slicer_fb.xml

I guess my mission now should be to learn to cobble together something basic to make the RTL stick talk, huh?

 

[KA1RBI]

Scott

This may or may not help - but try running the commands as root - to do so just add the prefix 'sudo '
at the front , so

sudo ./rtl_.............

It should prompt for your password

Max

p.s. Is this on bare metal or on a VM, do you have USB 2 or USB 3 ports, etc - please give more info about the configuration

 

[PiccoIntegra]

I've never ran GRC from the cammand line before, but I get the same warning.. Max will probable know why, I sure as hell don't.

I do not know much about GRC. I do understand the concept and how to pin things together, the variables and sliders and such. But understaning what to use for specific task is gonna take a whole lot of trial and error, accompanied with many four letter adjectives with an occational 'er on the end.

I'm trying to disseminate Max's slicer code and not having much luck. I'd like to put together an LSM demodulator in GRC and feed the signal out the sound card to another computer. I'll figure it out eventually.. maybe..

 

[PiccoIntegra]

Oh snap.. I fixed the /target/share/gnuradio/grc/blocks/op25_repeater_fsk4_slicer_fb.xml error

Open it up in gedit:
change

<make>op25_repeater.fsk4_slicer_fb($&slice_levels)</make>

to

<make>op25_repeater.fsk4_slicer_fb($slice_levels)</make>

and now I get the op25_repeater blocks in GRC.. they weren't there before.

 

[KC1UA]

Max, I'm dual booting Windows 7 on one side, Linux Flavor of the Day in a 200 GB partition that seems to get wiped and re-diapered more than a baby's behind recently. Windows 7 Pro SP1 32 bit and uses an AMD Phenom X2 545 Processor running at 3.00 GHz, with 4 GB of RAM. USB 2.0.

I'll try running it with sudo in front of it and see if the same error occurs. rtl_fm seems ok now and osmocom_fft does not, but I'll try them with sudo as well.

 

[KC1UA]

Oh snap.. I fixed the /target/share/gnuradio/grc/blocks/op25_repeater_fsk4_slicer_fb.xml error

Open it up in gedit:
change

<make>op25_repeater.fsk4_slicer_fb($&slice_levels)</make>

to

<make>op25_repeater.fsk4_slicer_fb($slice_levels)</make>

and now I get the op25_repeater blocks in GRC.. they weren't there before.

That fixed me too....now the next question is, "what the hell do I do from here"? I'll start digging into that tomorrow, just about done for now, but progress! Thanks!

 

[PiccoIntegra]

Yeah I'm having issues with the op25_repeater block, so I'll submit a bug report on the op25-dev group.

Ok Scott, you're getting there... it just takes a little time to figure things out.

 

[PiccoIntegra]

After realizing I may have a working hybid install, I wiped the HD and reinstalled everything last night. There are most definitely some issues with my "simple install" process, at least in regard to the RTL devices working right out of the gate. Damn it...

The oldler build scripts apparently took care of the required permissions for the librtlsdr.so library stuff properly. The new script aren't taking care of it now.. ie

-- Udev rules not being installed, install them with -DINSTALL_UDEV_RULES=ON

This message gets displayed while bulding the hackrf, rtl-sdr and osmo-sdr packages in gnuradio. I had to manually copy the rtl-sdr.rules file to the /etc/udev/rules.d/ directory. Like so:

sudo cp /home/scott/pybombs/src/rtl-sdr/rtl-sdr.rules /etc/udev/rules.d/

Then you have to restart the udev service like so:
sudo service udev reload

Unplug/plug the dongle back in should fix the rules... I can now run the osmocom_** programs. The rtl_** programs aren't working though... so I'm still digging around for those fixes.

I feel bad for leading you down the apparent wrong path here..

 

[KC1UA]

Scott, we're all learning. You're FAR ahead of me. You have a grasp on what is going in within Linux that I have yet to achieve.

I'm following instructions. That's not really learning how things work. And that's my problem, not yours or anyone else's. I need to make a decision as to whether I'm going to learn why these installs go wrong...or if I'm going to stick to being an "end user" that's trying to help create a path to a simple install for people that might like to try this as an alternative...especially where LSM systems are concerned.

Interestingly, my fresh install allowed rtl_** programs to work fine, yet osmocom_** programs fail. Assuming you re-installed Ubuntu 12.04 LTS...well I'd say it's bizarre, but anything seems possible in this situation.

 

[corbintechboy]

I am going to go out on a limb here and ask if it's possible the developers of the programs you are using are being developed for the upcoming 14.04 LTS?

 

[Medic115]

Not to any post but to the thread in general

I think SDR radio brings radio and Ham radio back to it's roots.
When radio monitoring and Ham radio first started home built kits and Mil. surplus. was the way to go. Early monitors and operators experimented with what was at hand. They built their rigs and shared how to do it with others. Antennas were I disconnected electric fence, a bed spring, or wire that was gotten by what ever means.
We progressed and in the late 60's to present it must be a off the shelf radio and a engineered antenna that the spec sheet tells you what you can do with it.
Now experiment, with software, and I am hearing more people using a file cabinet of a cooking sheet as a ground plane to work with what ever antenna they have.
the SDR community is sharing the same kind of learning as early radio people did and we all are better for it, knowledge goes a long way, and is better shared.
I would love to see the day a smart phone app can use a app and a tiny dongle and a stretched ball point spring as an antenna.

 

[mancow]

Check out SDR Touch for Android SDR use.

I think SDR radio brings radio and Ham radio back to it's roots.
When radio monitoring and Ham radio first started home built kits and Mil. surplus. was the way to go. Early monitors and operators experimented with what was at hand. They built their rigs and shared how to do it with others. Antennas were I disconnected electric fence, a bed spring, or wire that was gotten by what ever means.
We progressed and in the late 60's to present it must be a off the shelf radio and a engineered antenna that the spec sheet tells you what you can do with it.
Now experiment, with software, and I am hearing more people using a file cabinet of a cooking sheet as a ground plane to work with what ever antenna they have.
the SDR community is sharing the same kind of learning as early radio people did and we all are better for it, knowledge goes a long way, and is better shared.
I would love to see the day a smart phone app can use a app and a tiny dongle and a stretched ball point spring as an antenna.

 

[BM82557]

Check out SDR Touch for Android SDR use.

I've heard about SDR Touch but haven't tried it yet. Anyone have any comments about their experiences with it?