RTL-SDR v3 & GQRX have worked togther. Now do not. (Also no audio today)

[lumet...@gmail.com]

G72 laptop
GQRX ver 2.9 worked today for awhile. (and GQRX worked yesterday on some earlier version I found somewhere on this edition of Mint)
Linux Mint
hardware: RTL-SDR v3

As soon as GQRX 2.9 was installed without errors GQRX tuned to the MW broadcast band.
Yesterday, an earlier version of GQRX also worked the FM Broadcast band, but I did not know to use "No Limits" and was broadly ignorant of GQRX.

Help sorting out the issue(s) here will be appreciated.

[lumet...@gmail.com]

[lumet...@gmail.com]

Here's a screenshot of rtl_test

---------------------

On Friday, January 19, 2018 at 6:38:53 PM UTC-8, lumet...@gmail.com wrote:

[lumet...@gmail.com]

Here's a viewable rtl_test pix.

On Friday, January 19, 2018 at 6:38:53 PM UTC-8, lumet...@gmail.com wrote:

G72 laptop
GQRX ver 2.9 worked today for awhile. (and GQRX worked yesterday on some earlier version I found somewhere on this edition of Mint)

Linux Mint Serena

[lumet...@gmail.com]

More info ... installed here is Linux Mint 18.1 Serena

Dropped Windows 10 (the hot potato) and have used Linux Mint for a year without a moment of regret.  But, to a Windows user since Win2000, Linux' guts are ... words fail me.

Liam

[Robin Gape]

Liam,

1) the only screenshot that was successfully attached was that in your first email in this thread.

2) that screenshot displays an LNB LO offset frequency of 88.11MHz, and a demanded frequency of 87.525MHz.

3) To listen to the FM BC band, the LNB LO offset should be set to 0 (zero). With the LNB LO offset as shown, the dongle is being asked to set a frequency of 585kHz, which is way below its minimum frequency of 24MHz! (Just checked this with an RTL dongle here. Setting an inachievable LO frequency does stop operation starting. Resetting the LNB LO to zero allows reception to start again. QED)

4) Is there anything other than the RTL Dongle in the RF path? For example, there might be an HF convertor. Were you trying to use direct sampling, as noted at https://www.rtl-sdr.com/rtl-sdr-blog-v-3-dongles-user-guide/?

Robin, G8DQX

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[lumet...@gmail.com]

Thank you for your help, Robin.

#1.  Hoping these files are viewable.  I see, again, the gqrx terminal start attached file says "Your device may not be working properly".  This quote showed in yesterday's failed "Start DSP" attempts using Linux Mint Serena.  Today, I loaded the latest version of Linux Mint via download to DVD and without installing it.  A system info file is attached.  Or should be.

#2 and #3.   LNB LO readout is 0.0

#4 Nothing but a 3 foot wire is connected to the RF input, Robin.

The RTL-SDR dongle is slightly warm.  I recall it was warmer when receiving yesterday morning.

The GQRX showed RF intermittently until early yesterday.  When that stopped permanently yesterday, I un-installed GQRX version 2.6 and installed 2.9.  GQRX began showing RF immediately.    Then, just when I was delighted and thinking about a real dipole in the trees yesterday, the RF reception did not start when the "Start DSP Processing" button was pushed.

The last attached file shows what I see now.  Note:  the device is "Generic" , rather than the more specific "RTL-SDR" today.

With plenty of time on hand and a hard head, going to a previous edition of Linux Mint and/or gqrx would be my next step without someone's suggestion here.

[Alexandru Csete]

Your setup is all mixed up with different versions of various
libraries that do not belong together. Please properly uninstall ALL
related libraries as instructed here:
http://gqrx.dk/download/install-ubuntu
then install from the PPA.

I hope you didn't install anything from source...

Alex

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[lumet...@gmail.com]

Robin, I detaced the RTL-SDR dongle from the USB extension cable and plugged the dongle into the laptops USB port.  The next start by the terminal changed the device name from a Generic chipped dongle to this specific dongle.  (SN 00000001)

So, I put the extension cable back in between the dongle and the laptop for a look-see.  A terminal start still shows this specific dongle.  Maybe the cable is not quite right.

[lumet...@gmail.com]

Alex, nothing installed from a source file.  I will carefully, very carefully :) uninstall the libraries per your web page.

[lumet...@gmail.com]

On Saturday, January 20, 2018 at 2:38:53 AM UTC, lumet...@gmail.com wrote:

[lumet...@gmail.com]

Went through the purge and reinstall of gqrc.  No improvement I see.  I'm curious why the "default.conf" file  remains the same, despite the purge and re-install process. 

I see in the "purge" attatchment that gqrx was not found.  For the second effort I'll delete folders that seem part of gqrx,

Still puzzled by Google's Groups.  Who would have guessed?

Liam

[lumet...@gmail.com]

Because gqrx worked with Linux Mint 18.1, the installed version of Linux here, I've dropped the attempt to get gqrx working with the latest Mint run from a DVD.  So, I will go through the "Alex" purge process again, and then look for evidence files were not purged that ought to have been.  For example, a gqrx folder.

Liam
--------------------------

[Robin Gape]

Liam,

the clue is in this extract from the GQRX terminal script:

Using device #0 Generic RTL2832U OEM
usb_open error -3
Please fix the device permissions, e.g. by installing the udev rules file rtl-sdr.rules

FATAL: Failed to open rtlsdr device.

What this means, using Ubuntu 16.04, is that the library librtlsdr0 has not been installed, or is installed and has somehow been corrupted. That library installs, amongst other things, a generic udev rule:

/lib
/lib/udev
/lib/udev/rules.d
/lib/udev/rules.d/60-librtlsdr0.rules

Not knowing precisely what was done on the system previously, it's hard to offer better advice. What one can say is that if the identification of the dongle changes from one plug-in instance to another, then there is an apparent hardware problem.

With Ubuntu 16.04, which is what Mint 18.1 is built upon, plugging in RTL Dongles Should Just Work℠, All the finagling, including unloading kernel drivers and setting udev rules happens within the installed software, as part of the librtlsdr library.

At this point, debugging by substitution would be a good way forward.

HTH, 73,

Robin, G8DQX

[Alexandru Csete]

On Sun, Jan 21, 2018 at 2:05 AM, <lumet...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Because gqrx worked with Linux Mint 18.1, the installed version of Linux
> here, I've dropped the attempt to get gqrx working with the latest Mint run
> from a DVD.

I knew there was something you didn't tell us!

The instructions I linked to apply for a Ubuntu-like distribution
installed on a PC. No live DVD or similar setups!

Alex

[lumet...@gmail.com]

My big boo-boo, Alex

Went through the purge to gqrx install again.  This time back in Linux Mint 18.1 ... no Mint DVD with 18.3 OS.
Just before doing the purge to gqrx install I deleted all gqrx downloads from the Download folder.  Don't know if that was useful, though.
After doing the purge to gqrx install per your guide here's the terminal view.  It is not exactly the same as the one Robin viewed and commented upon.
--------------

[lumet...@gmail.com]

The attached file has a couple of different lines from what the earlier terminal view.
I quote:

"Using device #0 Realtek RTL2838UHIDIR SN: 00000001

Kernel driver is active, or device is claimed by second instance of librtlsdr.
In the first case, please either detach or blacklist the kernel module
(dvb_usb_rtl28xxu), or enable automatic detaching at compile time.

usb_claim_interface error -6

FATAL: Failed to open rtlsdr device."

After the clean install gqcx (purge to gqrx install per Alex) the first terminal start of gqrx produced the terminal report you found your clues.  However, the 2nd terminal start is shown in the attached file.  It shows that gqrx found the specific device plugged in here ( no Generic RTL.)

Liam
--------------------------------------

[lumet...@gmail.com]

And I forgot to reply about your "substitution" trouble shooting idea, Robin.  Jumping to the the idea you meant  trying another dongle ...
I'll get a replacement RTL-SDR dongle via Amazon.  That will allow an A vs B test.  My hope is the current dongle is ka-put.  It might brighten my wife's mood.  She mentioned today that the house was too quiet, with me sitting here not talking ...  just quietly confusing myself.

Robin, I appreciate your contributions.  So does my wife.  I'd read your post and then comment to her about it.  She didn't understand, but seemed grateful I'd said a few words.

Liam

On Saturday, January 20, 2018 at 5:32:21 PM UTC-8, Robin, G8DQX wrote:

[lumet...@gmail.com]

Alex, I saw a folder in this system which led to recalling something I did last week:  Installing libusb-1.0-0-dev which is a C library that provides generic access to USB  This process is detailed in a guide by Kenn Ranous. 

Here's the address:  https://ranous.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/rtl-sdr4linux_quickstartv10-16.pdf

Liam

[lumet...@gmail.com]

As the TV ads say, "But wait, there's more"   I just posted Alex that I followed a guide (https://ranous.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/rtl-sdr4linux_quickstartv10-16.pdf)  last week before I joining this group.  One item I did not add is the blacklisting:

6. Blacklist the default driver that is automatically loaded for using the dongle as

a TV device as it doesn't work for SDR purposes and clashes with the new

Osmocom drivers we just installed.

A. Open your /etc/modprobe.d folder as an administrator.

B. Create a new file 'blacklist-rtl.conf' and add this one line:

blacklist dvb_usb_rtl28xxu

C. Save the file, close the editor and restart the machine.

At the time I didn't know how to become the administrator, thinking I was already it.  But, Mint's file system is not letting me add a folder.  I can imagine my ignorance then and now may be contributing to  (if not completely the cause of .... ) my spending a few days trouble shooting.

Liam
----------------

On Saturday, January 20, 2018 at 5:32:21 PM UTC-8, Robin, G8DQX wrote:

[lumet...@gmail.com]

Robin, According to the attached file, the dongle is seen, but perhaps not heard.  The rtl_test -t terminal command suggests to me the system is confused.  Does this go back to the blacklisting item in the RTL-SDR quick start item mentioned below?

[Alexandru Csete]

Like we said, blacklisting the driver is not necessary when using our
packages. That's what is making this whole situation confusing.

I noticed that librtlsdr did not get purged when you reinstalled
everything. Please check which version of librtlsdr you have installed
in a package manager. It should say something like
0.5.3.17-myriadrf1~xenial

Alex

[lumet...@gmail.com]

package manager shows librtisdr0 matches the description below.  Wondering whether the added "0" to the name is important.
Liam

[lumet...@gmail.com]

Have noticed that no Antenna is specified now.  I have seen "Rx" in earlier starts of gqrx.  I don't know when the "Rx" disappeared.

I see that gqrx saves the configuration each time it is started or stopped.  Therefore, if the configuration is not correct, but is saved as the default ...

[Alexandru Csete]

Forget about what you see in gqrx. As long as gqrx can not access the
device due to permission errors it will not show the correct controls.

You have the correct version of librtlsdsr installed so I have no idea
why it still can not work, other that there might be another librtlsdr
installed, e.g. in /usr/local/lib/

Alex

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[Robin Gape]

Liam,

it would appear that, software-wise, you have been indulging in what might best be described as "One Hell of a Hooley!"

The result of said hooley is that there is, politely, junk software on your system, as noted by the changed error message. At this point there are two options:

a) try to clean the mess up, which is much easier to state than to do if one is not well-versed in the arcane arts

b) to make a clean install of the OS, either on the existing PC, or by installing to a removable device of some form, such as a USB HDD or flash dongle

c) a possible third option, to roll back the OS to an earlier date, is not an option if one does not have a machine-level full backup, which is unlikely or you might have done this already

Why the diagnosis hooley? Earlier today you noted:

Alex, I saw a folder in this system which led to recalling something I did last week:  Installing libusb-1.0-0-dev which is a C library that provides generic access to USB  This process is detailed in a guide by Kenn Ranous.

Why (as in whatever possessed you?) did you choose to follow Ken's well-meant instructions? None of the numbered process on pages 4 & 5 is necessary on an Ubuntu 16.04 (on which Mint 18 is based) installation of GQRX. [The rest of the guide is informative and useful.] The package system on Ubuntu/Mint (and Debian, from which Ubuntu is derived) can not track user-compiled software. [Unless extra effort is made, which is a whole different topic.]

On a fresh Ubuntu 16.06/Mint 18 installation, the only process that is necessary to get GQRX working with an RTL dongle is to add the PPAs as described on gqrx.dk and then to install gqrx-sdr. Nothing else!

If you've been used to the ghastly ad-hoc installation methods used by Windows, this may seem strange. The package approach of Debian/Ubuntu/Mint means not only that dependencies are automagically satisfied, but also that security and functional updates require little needless effort on behalf of the user. Linux ≠ Windows ≠ MacOS.

HTH, Good luck,

Robin, G8DQX

[lumet...@gmail.com]

The two pix attached show what I found in the /usr folder and a /usr sub-folder

I've ordered another RTL-SDR dongle (arriving Tuesday) and will give it a chance to prove this one is busted.
--------------

[Alexandru Csete]

So, the screenshots confirms what I suspected in the beginning: You
have another copy of librtlsdr installed and it was installed from
source!

Open a terminal and type (one line at a time):

sudo rm /usr/local/lib/librtlsdr*

sudo rm /usr/local/lib/pkgconfig/librtlsdr.pc

sudo ldconfig

You can now run rtl_test and gqrx again.

Alex

[lumet...@gmail.com]

I've no clue why or how that extra librtisdr was installed.  But, since I don't know what "source" is yet, who knows?  On the bright side ... I've printed a Linux/Unix Tutorial.  Time I learned something about Linux ... at least enough to be less dangerous.

I will cancel the Amazon order for another dongle.

Thank you, Alex

Liam

[Robin Gape]

Liam,

as noted, it was when you followed the instructions in Ken Ranous' Quick
Start Guide, specifically:

> 5. Retrieve, build and compile the RTL2832U Osmocom drivers from the
> source.
Pay attention at the back, and Hi to your better half!

Cheers,

Robin, G8DQX

[lumet...@gmail.com]

Well, a) is out.  I ain't no artist of the arcane, Robin.
b) is worth consideration.  Moneydance could be reinstalled providing the data is or can be saved on a flash drive.  Maybe there are a couple of unpublished novels worth putting on that flash drive.  Other stuff.  For sure I'd discover it if I don't have a backup right after a clean install.

Your question about doing Ken's R's well mean't ideas.  Answer:  Trust+ignorance.  Oh, and because it was there, I guess.

I'll read your last paragraph a few more times.

Now, if the rain here in Florence, OR, stops for a couple of days we'll get a dipole up from tree to shining tree.  My HAM Technician class test is now Feb 14, Riley said today.  I have an electronics background (6L6 anyone? How about a WWII ARC-5 or an APR-4Y ) which may allow my jumping to a General exam.  And QRP is just inside the top margin of my budget.

Thanks, Robin