SDRplay Community Forum

Hello,

I received a second hand unit and I want to check it works OK, but unfortunately I don't have a decent aerial at the moment. So with SDRuno, the RSP1A and a makeshift aerial from an SMA connector and an old telescopic aerial connected to tip, I have tried to pick up local commercial radio stations. I have used RTL-SDR dongles and I can pretty much pick up FM radio even without an aerial, but with this setup it is just pure even noise.

Apologies I am a bit of a beginner but for example if I move it to 100Mhz which should be commercial radio area, it is pretty much blank noise no matter what my gain settings are, is there something I am doing wrong here?

Photos
https://photos.app.goo.gl/Ee3fs4u3AwrZVmR77

Hello Clack,
I'm not quite sure how you have managed it, but whilst the Rx Control panel frequency is indicated at 100 MHz, the actually frequency as indicated in the SP1disply is 199.999.750 MHz which is why you are not seeing anything. Try setting the frequency again and ensure that the frequency shown in the SP1 display and the Rx Control panel are the same. If for whatever reason, you are unable to achieve this, I would reset SDRuno. To do this open the Main Panel Options (OPT button) and select Reset to Default settings.

Sincerely

Tech_Support

Hello, Here I updated the photos

https://photos.app.goo.gl/2Atm4HCfRRSoSWBm9

I am getting a peak where I am tuned to no matter where I move, I should see something right? its pretty clean im just getting pure noise. I am wondering if it got damaged in the post.

Are there any settings on the hardware I should be checking out?

Hello Clack,
You have set your RF attenuation almost to absolute maximum. This will substantially degrade your receiver sensitivity and would also only be required if you had an extremely strong signal. Please push the slider down to the bottom and that will raise your RF gain to something more usable. You also have a very low final sample rate. I suggest that you reduce your decimation factor from 32 to 1 to widen your input bandwidth to 2 Mhz. You will also need to select either WFM or SWFM to receive broadcast FM signals and I recommend that you set the demodulation bandwidth of either 120 kHz or 192 kHz in the Rx control panel.

Sincerely

Tech_Support

Hi Clack,

The easiest way to get started with an RSP and SDRuno is to tune into a local FM radio station. That will help you get familiar with the settings and functions of the RSP1A and SDRuno. Do the following:

1) On the SDR Main Window, select SETT. On the Input Tab, set Input Level Display to "Gain". Set IF Mode to Zero-IF. On the IF AGC tab, make sure the box for IF AGC is checked. This will automatically set the IF level to help keep high power local FM stations from overdriving the ADC input. In the Main window, set the RF gain to about its mid-range setting and set SR (MHz) to 9 MHz. Make sure the MW/FM notch selection is not set.
2) On the RX Control window, select FM, SWFM, Set the filter to 192k. Set NBOFF. Set audio AGC to SLOW. Enter the frequency you want to tune to for the FM station in the frequency display, then select "Enter." Set the Volume level control to 15% of its range. Select NR.
3) If you are in the United States, in the EX Control window in the FM row, select DEEM and 75uS.
4) On the Main window, set Gain to 90% of maximum and select "Play!" You should be hearing the station you selected in step 2.
5) Now for some additional adjustments. On the Main SP window, select SETT. Adjust the Spectrum Range so you are indicating 5dB per division. Adjust the Spectrum Base, until it is a little higher than the bottom of the window. You should now be seeing a bunch of signals from commercial FM stations and the corresponding waterfall images.
6) To change FM radio station frequencies, you can either enter them in the RX Control window as you did in step 2 or in the MAIN SP window, put your mouse cursor at the frequency you want and left click.
7) On the RX control Window, select RDSW and you will now see the decoded digital information, if any, broadcast for the station and music you are listening to.

Have fun. I think you can get the rest figured out from here.

Ok here it as per setup above, I just about got a faint whisper of a radio station at one point. I improvised a new aerial by soldering the SMA onto one designed for picking up commercial radio ( soldered the centre, headshrinked then wrapped in foil with the sheild) it is pretty much just a wire though nothing special.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/PjBReRt7snqkVjDm6

https://photos.app.goo.gl/YAZnJcd1mz5ePNqw7

With other radios (including an RTLSDR dongle) I can pick up commercial FM radio not perfect but intelligibly.

Is this conclusive enough that it is broken (in the post or it has a blown input) so I can talk to the person who sold it to me? or is there something beginner I am not doing!

Cheers Ben (clack!)