Setting up Frequency Scanner

Status
Not open for further replies.

KG5RF

Member
Joined
Mar 7, 2020
Messages
17
I have SDR# v1.0.0.1732 with all the optional plugins. I am trying to setup a band scan from 558 MHz to 608 MHZ. This is a wireless microphone band used by Sennheiser wireless mics.
When I start the scan with that range, nothing seems to happen. When I click "Stop scan", I get an "Unhandled exception" error.
Is there any documentation available to help me setup a scan?
 

KG5RF

Member
Joined
Mar 7, 2020
Messages
17
Sennheiser GW1 Band, 558.000.000, 608.000.000, WFM, 50, 100

To be honest, I do not know what the units of measure are. This is why I was looking for documentation. When I was searching for docs, I found references to a PDF file (no location though) for a "Frequency Scanner" for SDR#. I'm guessing it's not the same one that is packaged with SDR#.

What I'm looking for is spikes above the noise floor, so I can document them. Sennheiser has their own software that uses a mic receiver to scan the entire band and eliminate frequencies in use. It then puts together bands of usable frequencies that will not interfere with each other. Very clever, actually. However, after doing this, we get interference on a few mic channels. I'm looking for a backup process.
 

Ubbe

Member
Joined
Sep 8, 2006
Messages
8,944
Location
Stockholm, Sweden
The old russian frequency scanner are not compatible with modern versions of SDR#. TheWrait2008 have modified the code to make it work. Download his version.

/Ubbe
 

KG5RF

Member
Joined
Mar 7, 2020
Messages
17
There were three .7z files (frequency scanner, scopeview, Short-wave.info). What do I do with them? Not very obvious.
 

KG5RF

Member
Joined
Mar 7, 2020
Messages
17
I was able to download it as a ZIP file, but the archive resulted in a .7z file.
What am I supposed to do with it?
 

morfis

Member
Joined
Jan 24, 2004
Messages
1,631
The old russian frequency scanner are not compatible with modern versions of SDR#. TheWrait2008 have modified the code to make it work.

The original IS compatible with the new themed versions of sdrsharp but it doesn't display well.
The OP error is not due to 'compatability' but something wrong with the installation - I can't see the point in having a wjole load of plugins that aren't being used so why download it in that form?

I prefer the new version of the scanner released by @thewraith2008 .....but used with v1700 of sdrsharp which generally looks and behaves better than the later versions.
 

KG5RF

Member
Joined
Mar 7, 2020
Messages
17
Why is SDR# released with all these plugins if they don't work?
 

KG5RF

Member
Joined
Mar 7, 2020
Messages
17
Should I uninstall SDR# "package" and re-install SDR# stand-alone?
 

Ubbe

Member
Joined
Sep 8, 2006
Messages
8,944
Location
Stockholm, Sweden
Sennheiser has their own software that uses a mic receiver to scan the entire band and eliminate frequencies in use. It then puts together bands of usable frequencies that will not interfere with each other. Very clever, actually. However, after doing this, we get interference on a few mic channels. I'm looking for a backup process.
Turn off the mic's that have interferencies but keep the other ones transmitting. Then run the analyze software again while the remaining mics are transmitting and hopefully it will choose other frequencies for the interfered mic's.

Some frequencies are probably creating intermodulation that interfere on other frequencies that the software are not clever enough to calculate, it's a complicated formula. Does the receiver have automatic RF gain control to reduce sensitivity as too much signal from a too close mic nearby could overload the receiver of a lower quality? If everything else fails, try and make the diversity antennas on the receiver perform worse by blocking the RF signal. Maybe putting aluminum foil, cooking foil, around the antennas, trying on half the antenna and experimenting to find the best signal without getting interference.

Isn't 500MHz-600Mhz in the middle of the ground based television channels frequency range that could have enormous transmit power from its towers?

/Ubbe
 

DRL-XM43

Member
Joined
Jun 23, 2015
Messages
842
Location
Durham Region
Should I uninstall SDR# "package" and re-install SDR# stand-alone?

Since you can have as many SDR# folders as you like, what I do is have one just for the TETRA plugin (thewraith2008) and have that as the only plugin for that folder - the plug interface auto starts it puts it where I like it and configs it for me. I actually start both with a single batch file.

I have another folder as above but it launches 2 instances of SDR# for the CC/VC option (I have 2 TTT folders, one for single config one for double config) saves me having to change anything when they launch,

I have others for things like the fastscanner which I like for certain things - same thing - only the plug I need.

I have one with a bunch of plugins just for fun - I do not use the community plugin installer it was a disaster for me.

I generally prefer the unskinned version of sdr# it works well for me with less bloatware going on and all the plugs I use work with it.
 
Last edited:

Ubbe

Member
Joined
Sep 8, 2006
Messages
8,944
Location
Stockholm, Sweden
I wouldn't bother with the frequency scanner, it is difficult to set up properly. Go into the cogwheel setup and set the highest sample rate that the computer can handle. It will increase the frequency range that the spectrum shows. Bring one mic with you and switch it on and scroll 1MHz or 10MHz value in the spectrum to find the mic's signal. It will go up and down in signal strenght when you move it around. Use the zoom function to get its exact frequency. Note it down and check the other mic's frequencies.

If you increase the gain of the SDR receiver it will just produce a lot of internal spurios signals that are not actually in the air. So be careful with that. A SDR dongle are not an expensive receiver that have a high quality of trust of what you actually receive.

/Ubbe
 

KG5RF

Member
Joined
Mar 7, 2020
Messages
17
To perform Sennheiser's frequency coordination for a group of wireless mics, NONE of the mics in the group should be transmitting. The scanner looks for OPEN frequencies and rejects frequencies in use. This process works well enough. However, it is static. I am looking for a process that will continuously scan the entire frequency range and log frequencies with signals above a certain level.

The feedback I am getting indicates the frequency scanner is pretty much worthless.
 

Ubbe

Member
Joined
Sep 8, 2006
Messages
8,944
Location
Stockholm, Sweden
The scanner looks for OPEN frequencies and rejects frequencies in use.
It's a very unintelligent function but is what could be expected. Then keep the mic's that have interference in transmit and let the logic search out other frequencies and the interfered frequencies will be skipped in that process.

Or do the interference move from one mic to another over time?

Be sure to have the mic receiver as free and high up as possible to receive all interfering signals while it scans the band, to get a possible television channel and lock out the frequencies it interferes with.

/Ubbe
 

KG5RF

Member
Joined
Mar 7, 2020
Messages
17
Perhaps I have not made the Sennheiser process for assigning frequencies clear.

All mics are turned off. One receiver is used to scan the entire band for available (unoccupied) frequencies. These are saved in an internal table to the software. When the scan is completed, the available frequencies are shown in sub-bands. The operator then selects frequencies from a single sub-band. The frequencies in these sub-bands are selected by Sennheiser's software as they will not interfere with each other. The operator can then select a set of frequencies and have them automatically assigned to each receiver. Once that is complete each transmitter, in turn, is updated to the respective receiver's frequency through an IR link.

This is the last time I will address Sennheiser's process. It is not answering the question I asked originally.
 

thewraith2008

Member
Joined
Nov 22, 2016
Messages
1,841
I have SDR# v1.0.0.1732 with all the optional plugins. I am trying to setup a band scan from 558 MHz to 608 MHZ. This is a wireless microphone band used by Sennheiser wireless mics.
When I start the scan with that range, nothing seems to happen. When I click "Stop scan", I get an "Unhandled exception" error.
Is there any documentation available to help me setup a scan?
See below
In my released 'Frequency Scanner' there is documentation (PDF)

Sennheiser GW1 Band, 558.000.000, 608.000.000, WFM, 50, 100
The source of your error is:
- Your 'Bandwidth' is set to 50 Hz. I'm guessing it should be 50000 Hz (50 KHz).
- Your 'Step size' is set to 100 Hz. I'm guessing it should be 100000 Hz (100 KHz). Looking at mic specs this should be 25000 Hz (25Khz) anyway.
Using very low bandwidth and step size values will either crash or make scanner work extremely slowly.

There were three .7z files (frequency scanner, scopeview, Short-wave.info). What do I do with them? Not very obvious.
Three folders, one obvious choice. You want 'Frequency scanner'

I was able to download it as a ZIP file, but the archive resulted in a .7z file.
What am I supposed to do with it?
The very first item returned by any good search engine explains exactly what .7z is and what to do with it.
Once extracted documentation inside explains plug-in set-up and usage.

The feedback I am getting indicates the frequency scanner is pretty much worthless.
The 'Frequency Scanner' scans a range of frequencies and stops when it finds one active and continues to listen to it until the signal is no longer present, it then continues scanning. Depending on mode used it can log new active frequencies.
It's not going to scan continuously noting active frequencies and logging them, that's not how the frequency scanner works.
 

DRL-XM43

Member
Joined
Jun 23, 2015
Messages
842
Location
Durham Region
See below
In my released 'Frequency Scanner' there is documentation (PDF)


The source of your error is:
- Your 'Bandwidth' is set to 50 Hz. I'm guessing it should be 50000 Hz (50 KHz).
- Your 'Step size' is set to 100 Hz. I'm guessing it should be 100000 Hz (100 KHz). Looking at mic specs this should be 25000 Hz (25Khz) anyway.
Using very low bandwidth and step size values will either crash or make scanner work extremely slowly.


Three folders, one obvious choice. You want 'Frequency scanner'


The very first item returned by any good search engine explains exactly what .7z is and what to do with it.
Once extracted documentation inside explains plug-in set-up and usage.


The 'Frequency Scanner' scans a range of frequencies and stops when it finds one active and continues to listen to it until the signal is no longer present, it then continues scanning. Depending on mode used it can log new active frequencies.
It's not going to scan continuously noting active frequencies and logging them, that's not how the frequency scanner works.

It is a very good plugin (thanks again thewraith2008) and is easy to set up in my experience. As with all SDR# tasks attention to the configuration to suite frequency purposes is fundamental to operating SDR# and therefore plugins.
 

KG5RF

Member
Joined
Mar 7, 2020
Messages
17
It is a very good plugin (thanks again thewraith2008) and is easy to set up in my experience. As with all SDR# tasks attention to the configuration to suite frequency purposes is fundamental to operating SDR# and therefore plugins.
I have not been able to find the package or the PDF. Is this the same frequency scanner that is contained in the full SDR# package?
 

DRL-XM43

Member
Joined
Jun 23, 2015
Messages
842
Location
Durham Region
I have not been able to find the package or the PDF. Is this the same frequency scanner that is contained in the full SDR# package?

If you mean the community plugin thing, probably not. thewraith2008 version replaces the stock one with a greatly enhanced version. You down load that right here at the forum. Post 3 at the top of this thread has the link.
 

KG5RF

Member
Joined
Mar 7, 2020
Messages
17
If you mean the community plugin thing, probably not. thewraith2008 version replaces the stock one with a greatly enhanced version. You down load that right here at the forum. Post 3 at the top of this thread has the link.
I tried that link, but didn't know what to do with the files. Read my subsequent replies.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top