Hi Joe,
Is there a reason your OmniRig is set to TS-2000 instead of TS-570? Probably not an issue -- just curious.
Barry
WB2ZXJ
Very low volume
Re: Very low volume
Trying to remember, but I think that that software (SDRC) specified that the TS-2000 setting should be applied. I also tried the Kenwood setting, but it would not allow the external radio to track.
Re: Very low volume
Turn off all tracking and other fuzbuz like that.
Tune the radio to something USB.
Tune SDR Console to the approximate IF frequency for your radio.
Tune SDR Console up and down until you find the same signal and fine tune it for best reception.
If it's garbled try switching to LSB and fine tuning to frequency. If that works make note of that fact.
You should be able to tune in the signal with SDR Console either USB or LSB. It will read the exact frequency of the radio's IF signal. Use that indicated frequency for setting the converter frequency in the definition. If USB works leave invert spectrum false. If LSB works set invert spectrum true.
If neither works you might want to adjust the gain setting for the dongle. It may be too high or too low. Although the image I remember seeing suggests the levels are correct but the tuned frequency is wrong. I've noticed at least one radio that declared something like a 91.5 MHz IF that was really several kHz off from that frequency. That error would result in SDRC being mistuned. The above suggestion allows you to find the exact frequency setting that works. In fact you could feed both signals to speakers and listen for a beat note. Slide the tuning slowly until that beat note is down near 1Hz. That is the frequency you want to enter.
I hope this does some good for you. I'm out of ideas and realize the above is pretty much an expansion on previous suggestions. Maybe the bits of "why" I included above gives you a better notion of what I mean.
{^_^}
Tune the radio to something USB.
Tune SDR Console to the approximate IF frequency for your radio.
Tune SDR Console up and down until you find the same signal and fine tune it for best reception.
If it's garbled try switching to LSB and fine tuning to frequency. If that works make note of that fact.
You should be able to tune in the signal with SDR Console either USB or LSB. It will read the exact frequency of the radio's IF signal. Use that indicated frequency for setting the converter frequency in the definition. If USB works leave invert spectrum false. If LSB works set invert spectrum true.
If neither works you might want to adjust the gain setting for the dongle. It may be too high or too low. Although the image I remember seeing suggests the levels are correct but the tuned frequency is wrong. I've noticed at least one radio that declared something like a 91.5 MHz IF that was really several kHz off from that frequency. That error would result in SDRC being mistuned. The above suggestion allows you to find the exact frequency setting that works. In fact you could feed both signals to speakers and listen for a beat note. Slide the tuning slowly until that beat note is down near 1Hz. That is the frequency you want to enter.
I hope this does some good for you. I'm out of ideas and realize the above is pretty much an expansion on previous suggestions. Maybe the bits of "why" I included above gives you a better notion of what I mean.
{^_^}
Re: Very low volume
I'll try that. I'm going to let my frustration subside for a couple of days before I try again. One new point..... I also get no signal when I attempt to run SDR# on the 2 laptops that I'm attempting to run SDRC on. One is running Win 7 and the other is running Wjn 11.
Re: Very low volume
And, I've tried to run SDRC on the Windows 11 computer with two different radios. A TS-570D and a TS- 590sg. Same issue with both except that the 590 allows you to share the antenna with the SDR dongle, so I can capture the incoming signal off the antenna rather than via an IF tap on the 570. It all seems to point to a software setup issue, but at the moment the whole situation has me stumped.
Re: Very low volume
I may have mentioned this before; but, you are allowed to run no more than 1 program speaking to a front end dongle. But, that will prevent you from starting the DSP running not give you "low volume." "Low volume" is volume control related.
If you can make it work connected directly to an antenna without any of the other tomfoolery involved then making it work with that stuff attached should be a matter of following directions on Simon's main website from which you downloaded your SDR-Radio software suite.
(If you got it from any other place, carefully isolate your computer from everything else, power, internet, and so forth. Get some premium lead foil and paraffin. Melt the paraffin. Dunk your computer in it. Pull it out and wrap it in lead foil. Repeat dunk and wrap so you have exactly 13 layers of the lead foil. Find a dark crossroads. Bring along the former computer, a fire hardened oaken stake, and a shovel. Gloves are optional. Then dig a 6' deep hole. Place the former computer at the bottom of that hole and pin it to the ground with the stake. Then back fill the hole. Wash thoroughly when you get home as if it was all radioactive when you were working with it. Then start over.)
OK, so my sense of humor is a little strange.... The idea is that if you did not get your install from Simon's site consider your computer hopelessly compromised. But, I strongly suggest you did not download it from pirateswoolyworld.net. So a simple reset, found on the initial panel that comes up asking which identity you want to use, should turn the trick and reset SDRC to its initial condition.
Do learn how to tune the active receiver. The frequency is shown in the upper left corner. Highlight a digit by placing the mouse over it. Scroll your mouse wheel to fine tune your frequency in steps the size of the digit you are over. Move one to the right to get finer steps, one to the left for coarser steps. I stress this because the samples you sent up indicate severe mistuning and likely spectrum inversion, which is an issue for a receiver's first IF if it uses the LO on the high side of the fixed first IF.
First receive directly from the antenna. Then receive from another radio's IF. Simon's website contains a wealth of information. Play with the menus to answer worlds of questions a total newbie might have.
{^_^}
If you can make it work connected directly to an antenna without any of the other tomfoolery involved then making it work with that stuff attached should be a matter of following directions on Simon's main website from which you downloaded your SDR-Radio software suite.
(If you got it from any other place, carefully isolate your computer from everything else, power, internet, and so forth. Get some premium lead foil and paraffin. Melt the paraffin. Dunk your computer in it. Pull it out and wrap it in lead foil. Repeat dunk and wrap so you have exactly 13 layers of the lead foil. Find a dark crossroads. Bring along the former computer, a fire hardened oaken stake, and a shovel. Gloves are optional. Then dig a 6' deep hole. Place the former computer at the bottom of that hole and pin it to the ground with the stake. Then back fill the hole. Wash thoroughly when you get home as if it was all radioactive when you were working with it. Then start over.)
OK, so my sense of humor is a little strange.... The idea is that if you did not get your install from Simon's site consider your computer hopelessly compromised. But, I strongly suggest you did not download it from pirateswoolyworld.net. So a simple reset, found on the initial panel that comes up asking which identity you want to use, should turn the trick and reset SDRC to its initial condition.
Do learn how to tune the active receiver. The frequency is shown in the upper left corner. Highlight a digit by placing the mouse over it. Scroll your mouse wheel to fine tune your frequency in steps the size of the digit you are over. Move one to the right to get finer steps, one to the left for coarser steps. I stress this because the samples you sent up indicate severe mistuning and likely spectrum inversion, which is an issue for a receiver's first IF if it uses the LO on the high side of the fixed first IF.
First receive directly from the antenna. Then receive from another radio's IF. Simon's website contains a wealth of information. Play with the menus to answer worlds of questions a total newbie might have.
{^_^}
Re: Very low volume
Hi jdow. Great suggestions. Do I need to use a specific colour of paraffin? I've got a box of colourless paraffin in the basement left over from when I used to preserve kumquats. They occasionally go on sale and when they do, I just can't resist buying them. But it's colourless...... I can add food colouring......
I have attempted much of what you have suggested. I've attached the dongle to an end-fed long wire antenna. Using the antenna, it works well on the Windows 10 desktop, but I get nothing on the Windows 11 and the Win 7 laptops. I have restored the laptops to a previous state (ftom before I started my intrepid journey into the SDR experience), and re-installed the software, but still no action. The low volume that I've spoken about can vary from low garbled Donald Duck like whispers on a good day to absolutely nothing (which happens most of the time). All of the software comes from Simon's site.
I have not tried the re-set suggestion. I'll do that sometime today after I break through the ice on the pond get the hit and miss engine going to pump some water into the barn. (The buffalos are really thirsty in the morning).
Seriously, I very much appreciate your suggestions. The internet trolls have provided some particularly sardonic suggestions on other boards that I posted to. I'm off to experience another exciting snowy day!
I have attempted much of what you have suggested. I've attached the dongle to an end-fed long wire antenna. Using the antenna, it works well on the Windows 10 desktop, but I get nothing on the Windows 11 and the Win 7 laptops. I have restored the laptops to a previous state (ftom before I started my intrepid journey into the SDR experience), and re-installed the software, but still no action. The low volume that I've spoken about can vary from low garbled Donald Duck like whispers on a good day to absolutely nothing (which happens most of the time). All of the software comes from Simon's site.
I have not tried the re-set suggestion. I'll do that sometime today after I break through the ice on the pond get the hit and miss engine going to pump some water into the barn. (The buffalos are really thirsty in the morning).
Seriously, I very much appreciate your suggestions. The internet trolls have provided some particularly sardonic suggestions on other boards that I posted to. I'm off to experience another exciting snowy day!
Re: Very low volume
"I get nothing...."
Um, what kind of nothing? Do you get something showing on the spectrum? I am presuming that you've created another definition for your rtlsdr dongle for VHF use? Have you tried to listen to FM radio (BC-FM, 200 kHz or higher BW selection)? Does that work? Does listening to 118.0 MHz through 130 MHz for aircraft on AM 8 kHz or wider bandwidth work? If yes, then it should connect to the IF on a radio at say 70 MHz and work. That is to say you should see spectrum, be able to tune within that spectrum to make the sound work correctly. A spectrum inversion MAY be needed.
(Diatribe: Personally I have about 10 of those POS rtlsdr dongles. They got me into digital radio. But I've rather out grown them. And I have tried HF three times on them. Yeah, it sorta maybe kinda almost work. About 130' of end fed long wire was too good an antenna and it was HORRIDLY over loaded with no useful gain control. They worked better at VHF. But they had a habit of failing locked up such that I had to pull and reinsert the USB. I ponied up the cash for AirSpy front ends. For the VHF I have five minis, an R1, and an R2. They work quite serviceably with no random goofiness. For HF I have an HF+ and an HF+ Discovery. They work well with no goofiness. I also have an RX888 MKII - which may be from a knockoff rather than real thing. It has some peculiarities. /Diatribe)
If you get no audio output I'd check into Windows 11 settings nannybot to make sure it is willing to allow SDRC to speak to the audio outputs you want. I still run Windows 10. I am making plans to move to Linux rather than 11.
{^_^}
Um, what kind of nothing? Do you get something showing on the spectrum? I am presuming that you've created another definition for your rtlsdr dongle for VHF use? Have you tried to listen to FM radio (BC-FM, 200 kHz or higher BW selection)? Does that work? Does listening to 118.0 MHz through 130 MHz for aircraft on AM 8 kHz or wider bandwidth work? If yes, then it should connect to the IF on a radio at say 70 MHz and work. That is to say you should see spectrum, be able to tune within that spectrum to make the sound work correctly. A spectrum inversion MAY be needed.
(Diatribe: Personally I have about 10 of those POS rtlsdr dongles. They got me into digital radio. But I've rather out grown them. And I have tried HF three times on them. Yeah, it sorta maybe kinda almost work. About 130' of end fed long wire was too good an antenna and it was HORRIDLY over loaded with no useful gain control. They worked better at VHF. But they had a habit of failing locked up such that I had to pull and reinsert the USB. I ponied up the cash for AirSpy front ends. For the VHF I have five minis, an R1, and an R2. They work quite serviceably with no random goofiness. For HF I have an HF+ and an HF+ Discovery. They work well with no goofiness. I also have an RX888 MKII - which may be from a knockoff rather than real thing. It has some peculiarities. /Diatribe)
If you get no audio output I'd check into Windows 11 settings nannybot to make sure it is willing to allow SDRC to speak to the audio outputs you want. I still run Windows 10. I am making plans to move to Linux rather than 11.
{^_^}
Re: Very low volume
Well, I have no idea what I did..... I've been trying to get this thing to work for several days, all to no avail. When I gave up in complete frustration yesterday, all I was getting was baseline noise. Today, I turned it on expecting another day of continuing frustration, and it's working like a charm. I made no changes from the point that I turned it off yesterday.
Which is great, but it's a different kind of frustration, not knowing why it is suddenly working. However, I'll take it.
Which is great, but it's a different kind of frustration, not knowing why it is suddenly working. However, I'll take it.
Re: Very low volume
Boy howdy I can agree with that last sentence. Take a good system backup just for grins and giggles.
{O.O}
{O.O}