USB Sound question.

[g8kb...@googlemail.com]

Morning.

Linux Mint 19.3 64 bit, all up to date (history available if needed.)

Why would most of GQRX have been automatically removed without my knowledge or permission?  (In as much, as I received no notification or warning, that I know of, that it would happen.)

I suspect this is related to, or has caused all other sound card software, Fldigi, WSJTx etc, as well as the usual suspects, browsers and media players, i.e. anything that would play sound via the kernel module "snd-usb-audio" to now be unable to do so, while showing no errors warning or other notification, other than in Pavucontrol, when you select one of those devices for "playback", the running stream master level indication (not the setting slider, just the indicator) going to zero.   Re-selecting the default (built in) device, audio level indications on the source stream are restored.

Oddly, Sound input (aka "Receiving") still all works just fine.  It is only sound "Output" that is affected.

On another machine, same OS and update history, the same hardware (and software) still works normally, well GQRX would do, if I had the hardware connected, but all the other stuff above, does still work.

What might have happened?  And how to restore at least, the ability in general to restore the use "snd-usb-audio" needing devices.

I have one other USB sound device, a Sennheiser head set that is not affected, but that uses:- hid-generic,snd-usb-audio,usbhid not the module above.

I don't want (at this stage) to have to re-install the OS etc.  It is otherwise stable and reliable.

So, what do I need to do, to clean up the remains of GQRX, and restore normal USB sound output to the affected devices, and hopefully later restore GQRX too.

I have "Time Machine" working, but not knowing when the change happened, I don't know how far to go back.  But then re-doing the updates would (presumably) mess things again, not knowing why it happened in the first place.

Any info advice would be welcome.   Any other info requested to diagnose, just ask.

73..

Dave G8KBV (G0WBX)

[Richard Bown]

I would take the opportunity to upgrade to Linux Mint 20 at this point,
You can use a later version of GQRX as well

You dont need to re-install the OS as you can upgrade.


apt install mintupgrade

https://linuxmint-user-guide.readthedocs.io/en/latest/upgrade-to-mint-20.html

HTH Richard

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Best wishes /73
Richard Bown

Email : ric...@g8jvm.com

HTTP : https://www.g8jvm.com

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[Robin Gape]

Dave,

GQRX, installed by the package manager, is essentially atomic. It is
either there, complete, or it is not. You have identified issues with an
ALSA kernel module, and further identified symptoms affecting other
programs.

One presumes, from the title of the email, that USB sound devices are
involved. Since the OS is Mint, then PulseAudio is also involved
(PulseAudio acts as an abstraction layer on top of ALSA.)

USB connected audio devices can be tricky. If there is more than one
present, then there is no guarantee as to the order in which they will
be enumerated (identified). This could, for instance, cause audio output
to be sent to the USB headset, rather than the other (presumably
intended) USB audio output device.

All of this leads to the conclusion that the issues which you are
experiencing with GQRX are not associated with GQRX itself, but rather
audio device handling, which implicates ALSA &/or PulseAudio. GQRX, in
and of itself, has no obvious method of disabling, or re-configuring,
any kernel module. Do you Zoom, or use, or have used, any other on-line
meeting system? Some of these systems assume, reasonably, that it's OK
to change audio devices to suit their purposes, but then make that
amended audio configuration the system default.

When is USB enumerated? Every time that a USB device is plugged in to
the host machine, including when a USB device is unplugged and then
promptly re-plugged. Also, every time that a host is re-booted. There is
no guarantee of enumeration order in either of those circumstances, nor
of what might end up as a default device.

To offer further assistance requires a clear description of the host
system that is causing problems, and the specific symptoms experienced,
and the circumstances surrounding.

HTH, 73, Stay Safe,

Robin, G8DQX

On 11/12/2020 11:27, 'g8kb...@googlemail.com' via Gqrx SDR wrote:
>

[g8kb...@googlemail.com]

Hello again.

To Richard.  I've got Mint 20 on another machine, sadly unimpressed.  It thrashes the CPU, and none of the power management tweaks I learned from 19.3 seem to have any effect.  Not good for an AMD based laptop, albeit it is not a new machine.

I'll look at 20 again, when it has had one 'point' upgrade.  From past experience, they seem to be far less troublesome overall.

19.3 has plenty of lifetime in it yet (April 2023 IFIK) that is why I go for the LTS versions, I don't want to spend most of my time upgrading and tweaking, rather to use the machine for what I want to do with it.  (Not just Ham Radio.)

I have read through the upgrade instructions too.  No thank you!  Way too fiddly and possibly prone to "one slip", and ...

There are also plenty of reports of existing "third party" and some of the Ham software I have, misbehaving under Mint 20.  (Some of the Fl suite.)

To Robin:

Thanks for clearing up what "Atomic" means in this context.  (Monolithic I think would have been a better term for us Joe public types perhaps.  I know I'm not the only one who didn't appreciate that.  After all "Atom" implies the smallest particle..)

Anyway.  There or not, something trashed it.   So, some clean up hints would be good to have.   Again, I recall others have experienced similar in the past, where some actually recommended reinstalling the OS and starting over.

(The GQRX install I had, was provided by Richard I recall, sometime last year, after I had failures trying to use the "Offical" method via the then PPA, that itself is now unreachable I see, perhaps that is related?)

GQRX is wonderful software, but it's installation and updating is fraught with issues for many sadly.  Not blaming anyone, I know it is a relatively small time project, compared to a lot of other software titles.  And I know how much time and effort it takes to support such stuff.  I do that very task for work.  (Software and hardware, and customers, not a good mix!)

Anyway.  I've managed to restore sound output from one of the USB devices (the iMic) but the SB0270 is still silent (except for clicks every 1 second.)   I see hints that there are kernel module configuration files, but where they hide, and what they provide, I've yet to discover.  (Let alone what to touch, and what to avoid!)

Both those devices use the same kernel module, and have always been solid and reliable runners despite the accepted enumeration issues.

(I've already got udev rules for many USB<>serial ports in use, maybe I should have similar for sound devices?)    The SB0270 also works perfectly on another Mint 19.3 machine (along with GQRX, that also still works.)  That machine has the same OS and basic update history as this one that has had the issues..

Anyway.  Back to GQRX.  If there is a page I can review, describing how best to clean up a trashed instance of it, and then re-install "Correctly" I'm all ears and eyes.

Thanks for your time, and Seasons Greetings.

73.

Dave G8KBV (G0WBX)

[Richard Bown]

Dave you will find that Kernel 5.4 is heavy on CPU usage no matter which
OS you decide to use.

Now when I've helped you in the past , at no time have you said what I
helped you with didn't work, I do not appreciate the slating !

Had you stated something didn't work I would have continued helping you
until you had it working, the same as I do with everyone

So Robin he's all yours good luck

So no more assistance from me, on any software.

Richard G8JVM

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[g8kb...@googlemail.com]

Hello again.

Richard.   One of us has misunderstood the other.  At no time that I'm aware of, have any of the executable's (GQRX, and I think maybe MSHV executable's) that you gracefully provided to me, fail to work.

I may have omitted to thank you at the time (for which I apologize unreservedly) but what you have provided in the past has worked very well for me.  And very many thanks for them too.

The current issues, I have still not got entirely to the bottom of, but so long as either of the old SB0270 devices are not physically connected to the PC at boot time, everything sound/pulse wise is working again.  If either of those devices are attached, to any USB port, direct or via a hub, then Pulse is seriously messed up, what and why, I do not know, as both devices still work perfectly on the other Mint 19.3 machine, even if booted from cold, with one connected.  (And I've checked, both the kernel and Pulse software are the exact same versions as on this machine.)

Interestingly, I did some digging, the iMic and the two SB0207's, both use the same basic sound chip, the common as muck Realtek thing, but they are different ages, so may not be 100% identical perhaps.  (They do not have any hidden battery backed configuration ram either, so no low battery/corrupted physical device configurations.)

I am aware of no other USB subsystem issue, everything else is working well without issue, including all 9 USB<>Serial ports, some of which are older Prolific things.

But, sadly GQRX remains trashed, and I do not know why.

What I would like to do, is clean up the remaining files and lib's etc, and start over with GQRX, either with the version I had before, or (I believe) a new version that is about.   That is going to have to wait for now though, as my isolation time is ending soon and work call's.  Plus, I doubt I'll get the remains of what was GQRX removed in just one and a bit days.

As to later kernels.  Yes, always a penalty of extra functionality, new compilers used and so on, more CPU usage for the same amount of real world work done.  (A trait of Windows for decades.)

Anyway, apologies again Richard, I'm sorry for any offence however caused, entirely unknowingly by myself.

Seasons Greetings.

73

Dave G0WBX or G8KBV.