How can I get my Airspy HF+ running?

[Reinhold Schuttkowski]

Hello!

I have little experience with Ubuntu but managed to set it up (17.10). I installed gqrx as it is suggested at http://gqrx.dk/download/install-ubuntu. All went fine. Then I installed the OsmoSDR block as it is suggested in https://github.com/csete/gr-osmosdr-gqrx. This also went fine.

BUT: I don´t have a clue how I could get my Airspy HF+ running. When I start gqrx there are some receivers displayed which I can select as devices - but no Airspy HF+. I think I need to get some more files, librairies etc. and install them to get my Airspy HF+ running. 

But as a newbie I can´t find information where to get these filesm librairies etc. and what do do with them. 

I found https://github.com/csete/gr-osmosdr-gqrx/tree/airspyhf but this doesn´t help because I don´t know what to do with that....

Alexandru has written some really helpful instructions for installing gqrx - thanks for this, man! But newbies like me really need some more help to implement an Airspy HF+.

I´d like to switch from my Windows software to gqrx but I can only do this with some help. For the Linux cracks it is quite easy - for a newbie a tough job :-)

Really hope to get some help here - the Airspy is a fine device and gqrx surely is fine software. As long as I can get it running......

Thanks for you patience in reading this! I am looking forward to an answer.

Take care.

Reinhold 

[Alexandru Csete]

Hello Reinhold,

I wish newbies would stop thinking linux has to be difficult and then
set off to make things difficult for themselves...

All you have to do is install the ubuntu packages according to
http://gqrx.dk/download/install-ubuntu then you have EVERYTHING! No
need to start installing anything else!

Just run gqrx and see if it finds your Airspy HF+. If you haven't
installed anything after installing the Ubuntu packages it will
probably work just fine.

Alex

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[Alexandru Csete]

PS: I have now updated the text on
http://gqrx.dk/supported-hardware#airspyhf to say that the driver is
already included in the Ubuntu packages. I assume this is what what
misleading people into thinking that they need to install something in
addition to the packages.

Alex

[Reinhold Schuttkowski]

Hello, Alex!

Thanks for the fast answer. Unfortunately that doesn´t work here. I installed the packages according to http://gqrx.dk/download/install-ubuntu and started gqrx. Using Win 10 the Airspy HF+ is detected at once - but when starting gqrx the window "Configure I/O devices" pops up but gqrx only lists other receivers like RFSPACE or RTL-SDR but not Airspy HF+. The connection between the receiver and the laptop is via USB - the same as with Win 10.

Could the Airspy HF+ have been disabled somewhere in any software, for example in gnuradio or gqrx? Maybe it can be enabled somewhere.....

Hopefully you can help, Alex. I really would like to give your software a try.

Regards,

Reinhold    

[Alexandru Csete]

Are you sure you have gqrx and the libraries installed from the PPA?
As mentioned on the page, it is required to have a "clean" ubuntu that
does not have gqrx or gnuradio installed from other repositories.

Try running gqrx from a terminal and and see what messages are printed
in the terminal.

Alex


On Fri, Feb 16, 2018 at 12:21 AM, 'Reinhold Schuttkowski' via Gqrx SDR

> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/gqrx/20cf1f7e-5609-442b-be9b-f17f4b28606c%40googlegroups.com.

[Reinhold Schuttkowski]

I am absolutely sure that I have a clean ubuntu. I especially installed it freshly on my laptop for testing gqrx with my airspy. This ubuntu never saw another gqrx or gnuradio than those from the PPA I exactly installed as mentioned on http://gqrx.dk/download/install-ubuntu.

What might be wrong: I mentioned in my first post that I installed the OsmoSDR block right after my gqrx-installation. Maybe this was the fault? 

The terminal says after typing "gqrx":

gr-osmosdr v0.1.4-98-gc653754d (0.1.5git) gnuradio 3.7.10

built-in source types: file fed rtf_tcp rfspace redpitaya

FM Demo gain: 3.05577

Resampling audio 96000 -> 48000

IQ DCR alpha: 1.04166e-05

Using audio backend: auto

BookmarksFile is /home/reinhold/.config/gqrx/bookmarks.csv

No change in output device:

[Reinhold Schuttkowski]

Sorry, Alex - here is the rest of what terminal says:

Generating taps for new filter   LO:-5000     HI: 5000  TW:2000   Taps: 115

After showing this in the terminal the window "Configure I/O devices" pops up.

Maybe I should reinstall ubuntu and then gqrx without the OsmoSDR block.....?

Regards,

Reinhold

[Dave Baxter]

Hi Alex.

I sympathise with Reinhold, as when you "don't know" some critical detail, the task in hand IS difficult.  It doesn’t matter if the OS is Linux, BSD, Windows, IOS, DOS or ???   If there is some missing but needed knowledge or information, trying to fix a problem is mind numbingly difficult for anyone.

GQRX is a wonderful tool in itself, and I thank you greatly for it.  But even as a little more experienced user than some, I still find it takes much too much time and effort to unscramble it, when I find it's stopped working after some OS related update.   So I greatly appreciate the frustration a new user experiences.   Especially if they are following one of the "how to install GQRX" blog entries some well meaning person created in the past.   Just search for "how to install gqrx" and see how many of those hits are actually "correct" for the current build.

73 Alex, sorry for the heat, but I do sympathise with Reinhold, having been there myself, and not just with GQRX.

Dave G0WBX.

[Alexandru Csete]

> built-in source types: file fed rtf_tcp rfspace redpitaya

Well, this looks wrong because it should list much more, including
rtlsdr, airspy, airspyhf. I have not myself tested gqrx on ubuntu
17.10, but it would surprise me if this was the gr-osmosdr package
from the PPA. So, I suspect you have actually gone through the
"cmake", "make" and "sudo make install" in the gr-sdmosdr-gqrx,
correct?

If yes, go back to the directory where you typed "cmake", "make" and
"sudo make install", and type:

sudo make uninstall

Then try running gqrx again.

Alex

[Reinhold Schuttkowski]

THIS HELPED!

The Airspy HF was detected at once!

And it works!

So I think you should mention on http://gqrx.dk/supported-hardware#airspyhf that there is NO further software (OsmoSDR or whatever) needed to run the Airspy. Newbies like me otherwise think they need to install something additional and misunderstand 

• "Needs this airspyhf branch from gr-osmosdr-gqrx fork (already included in Ubuntu packages)".

The software works fine! Thank you, Alex!

Regards,

Reinhold

[Alexandru Csete]

Glad to hear it Reinhold.

I have updated the text, but I find it hard to write it in a way that
makes it clear to everyone.
We'll see.

Alex

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[Robin Gape]

Dave and others,

one feels the pain. If one searches for RTL-SDR and Linux, most of what is returned relates to the complicated adjustments required a very long time ago, including blacklisting modules. As of 2018 (and earlier) this is no longer necessary. The support library (librtlsdr) has been enhanced automatically to unload the default driver, and to install generally correct udev rules. It just works!℠

The consequence is that most old instructions are not simply wrong, but they have become dangerous. For an RTL-SDR under Ubuntu 16.04 or later, and with GQRX installed from the PPAs, one plugs the dongle in and selects it as the source. No more weird incantations. However, the instructions, generally written over 5 years ago, remain on the web to confuse the unwary searcher.

Revised website
The revisions look good to me, Alex.

73,

Robin, G8DQX