SDRplay Community Forum

Just loaded the new version 1.3 of SDRuno.

As I do an A/B comparison between V1.22 & V1.3 I it looks like V1.3 has degraded in sensitivity.

EXAMPLE:
An FT8 signal is S-8 with a SNR of 14 on V1.22 while it is S-4.5 and SNR of 8 with V1.3.

I can see many more signal with V1.22 than I can with V1.3.
(I've tried adjusting the RF Gain for best reception).
Tested at 12.074 MHz, USB, 1800 filter.
SDRplay RSP2 using "A" input.
Version V1.22 & V1.3 are in different folders so I can switch between them.

Any help please?
Any suggestions?
What am I doing wrong?

And I was so looking forward to the new I/Q option.

John
KW7A
Nephi, Utah, USA

Hi John,

I do not think it is possible to operate SDRplay Ver. 1.22 and Ver 1.3 even using different folders. In fact to avoid problems it is best to completely de-install the previous version and make a new fresh install with Ver. 1.3. I have compared Ver. 1.3 with Ver. 1.24.1 both on an RSP-1A and an RSPduo and did not find any sensitivity issues. To compare, I removed one version completely and re-installed the other several times. Please bear in mind that Ver. 1.3 tends to use LIF mode by default, while in previous versions ZIF mode is used extensively.

What I found in comparing the new to the old, is that in Ver. 1.3 the ADC OVERLOAD alarm appears to be a tad more sensitive, but this is just an impression and I shall do more testing to be sure. Finally it is very difficult to compare using signals in the Ham bands, where signals are relatively weak and subject to continuous changes. Much more reliable comparisons can be made with high power broadcast signals (e.g. in the 41 or 31 m bands) using attenuators before the RSP antenna input.

Cheers,

glovisol

It' is possible to install and run SDRUno 1.22 and SDRUno 1.3 with an RSP2 on the same machine. When I installed v1.3 yesterday, I made it a point to rename the install directory to 'SDRUno 1.3' to allow this scenario. SDRUno 1.22 does not use the service based API, so it can run just fine with or without the API.
However, it appears versions 1.23 and 1.24 of SDRUno are not compatible with the latest API used by version 1.3. I have 1.23 installed also and it would not start. I believe it generated the error that 'No RSP's could be found'.
Correction: this is the error:

As to John's original question about sensitivity, I tried both programs (1.22 and 1.3) by tuning each to a local medium wave broadcaster (about 70km from my location). This was in the afternoon receiving a ground wave signal. The signal levels were stable as well as the SNR. I could detect no significant difference in signal levels between the two programs, other than minor random variation.

Hello all,
Firstly there will be absolutely no difference in sensitivity between release 1.3 and earlier releases of SDRuno. Any perceived difference will be due to differences in the software settings or band conditions. Please note that release 1.3 now uses "RF Gain" as the default gain control mode and not "RF attenuation", so the slider will work in the opposite way to the default method used in earlier versions of the software. The reason for this change was simply that the feedback that we received was that people overwhelmingly preferred to use RF Gain. If you do prefer to switch back to RF Attenuation, then it is trivial to do so and can be done via the Main Panel settings.

Secondly, Mike2459 is quite right in that release 1.3 uses a different version of the Windows service based API and this is incompatible with earlier versions that also used the service based API (1.23 and 1.24). It is therefore impossible to do side-by-side comparisons between 1.3 and 1.23/1.24 on the same machine, but it is possible to side-by-side comparisons between 1.22 and 1.3.

Sincerely

Tech_Support

glovisol wrote: In fact to avoid problems it is best to completely de-install the previous version and make a new fresh install with Ver. 1.3.
glovisol

Hi there !

Do you recommand to only uninstall the previous version or also 'SDRplay Drivers and DLLs" ?
I'm using Revo Uninstaller and I'm wondering if I have to delete both or only v1.23 on my W10 PC.

Thanks

Hi Patrick,

CONTRARIAN OPINION: NEW VER. 1.3 VERY GOOD INDEED!!

My advice is to do a COMPLETE FRESH INSTALL, deleting all traces of the previous version(s). The reason why is that it is very difficult to foresee the effects of leftovers in the system. Perhaps an old driver or DLL will not affect the new version in the beginning and then get annoying later on. In my case, before a fresh install, my Ver.1.3 would open up with just the main window and I had to open the other windows manually....Now it works perfectly. The fact that in Ver. 1.3 the main deafult is LIF mode will hit many, accustomed to ZIF mode all the time, but in the long run the improved strong signal protection will become generally appreciated.

Also, why use the Revo uninstaller, when you can just clean up with the facilities already there? Belive me, SDRplay Ver. 1.3 is a very significant step forward, but the improvements, not to mention the unique scanning facility, will take time to be appreciated, while even a small (perhaps apparent) glitch will immediately raise pointed fingers.

Looking at the scanning facility, it opens up some frequency bands & operating modes which were almost impossible to practise before: look at the Airband, for instance: how could yor receive signals on such a wide spectrum, with communcations lasting less than 3/4 seconds? Now, with the very fast & sensitive scanning system, you can have a picture of all locally used airband frequencies and record them in a matter of minutes. Later on you only scan on memorised local frequencies and you never miss a signal!

glovisol

What do you mean by "the facilities already there" ?
I use Revo Uninstaller because it properly cleans the registry after a program was uninstalled. But there's probably a better way to dot it.

This is what I mean....

Cheers,

glovisol

Thanks for the tips about SDRplay own uninstall tool.

I have had troubles with the new SDR Uno. When I pressed play, no spectral activity nor any audio. In fact, the screens would freeze up, and closing out the app was "stubborn." Even after reinstall, same problems. I did notice a flashing "ADC Overload" several times on the Default Workspace screen. I reinstalled V 1.22, and I'm good to go for now. Any solutions to fix the 1.3? Thanks.