SDRPlay RSP1B

[David Leiken]

I am having some issues setting up my new SDRPlay RSP1B with SDRTrunk version 0.6.0 final with windows 11. First off will this work with the version of SDRT that I am using? So far I installed the SDRPlay drivers and latest API v3.14. When I run SDR trunk it is not seen the new RSP1B. I also think it is not seeing the API that is running in the background. Any help would be greatly appreciated.


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[charley....@gmail.com]

You will need Version 0.6.1 Beta 1.

[David Leiken]

Got it working with 0.6.1 Beta 1. The problem I have now is adjusting the gain. I have the gain all the they up, but its not enough power. I have been using Nooelecs V5 dongles to monitor a nearby system with no problems and good signal strength. Now trying to monitor the same system with the RSP1B I have a lot of distortion and poor signal strength. 

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On Apr 12, 2024, at 2:03 PM, charley....@gmail.com <charley....@gmail.com> wrote:

You will need Version 0.6.1 Beta 1.

On Friday, April 12, 2024 at 12:31:52 PM UTC-4 david...@gmail.com wrote:

I am having some issues setting up my new SDRPlay RSP1B with SDRTrunk version 0.6.0 final with windows 11. First off will this work with the version of SDRT that I am using? So far I installed the SDRPlay drivers and latest API v3.14. When I run SDR trunk it is not seen the new RSP1B. I also think it is not seeing the API that is running in the background. Any help would be greatly appreciated.


Sent from my iPhone

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[Steve Ries]

If your signal strength is poor, I would guess it's a knock off clone device, it's damaged, or the antenna is not connecting correctly.

But either way It's likely not a software issue.

[David Leiken]

It’s looking like my gain settings. I’m monitoring a 700mhz system 5 miles away. Can someone take a screenshot of the gain settings that works best for a similar setup? 

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On Apr 13, 2024, at 2:34 PM, Steve Ries <fun...@gmail.com> wrote:

If your signal strength is poor, I would guess it's a knock off clone device, it's damaged, or the antenna is not connecting correctly.

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/sdrtrunk/1edcd464-c46c-478f-8cf2-a601dd5f8e7bn%40googlegroups.com.

[David Leiken]

Receiving the control channel at around -85 using an indoor antenna. See attached. 

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On Apr 15, 2024, at 4:38 PM, Steve <fun...@gmail.com> wrote:



Your gain settings needed would all depend on the antenna setup.

What antenna setup and connections are you running?

And what -db are you getting?

[David Leiken]

What is a good signal power reading I should be targeting? 

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On Apr 15, 2024, at 5:01 PM, Steve <fun...@gmail.com> wrote:



I'd say that's a TON of your issues.
That antenna looks like it was made for 2.4 ghz not 700 mhz

Honestly I think you'd have better luck with Rabbit Ear antennas vs that.

And a -85 is an almost non-existent signal that's likely totally unusable.
Here in my semi urban area, the noise floor is often louder than that.

On Mon, Apr 15, 2024 at 1:46 PM David Leiken <david...@gmail.com> wrote:

Receiving the control channel at around -85 using an indoor antenna. See attached. 

<IMG_7139.jpeg>

[Steve]

I'd say that's a TON of your issues.
That antenna looks like it was made for 2.4 ghz not 700 mhz

Honestly I think you'd have better luck with Rabbit Ear antennas vs that.

And a -85 is an almost non-existent signal that's likely totally unusable.
Here in my semi urban area, the noise floor is often louder than that.

[Steve]

Your gain settings needed would all depend on the antenna setup.

What antenna setup and connections are you running?

And what -db are you getting?

On Mon, Apr 15, 2024 at 1:36 PM David Leiken <david...@gmail.com> wrote:

[charley....@gmail.com]

What would be more helpful is a screenshot of your waterfall / spectrum display.  Please draw an arrow pointing out the control channel if there are multiple channels in use - it's hard to read freqs on the sdrt spectrum view.

[Steve Ries]

No clue why that would be. And no clue where you are seeing that error.
A few systems I monitor with REALLY good antennas are in the -20's and they are rock solid.
But like I said I think your antenna is most of your issue.
Higher Gain will not "fix" a crappy signal from an antenna.

[Steve Ries]

The previous screenshot was more useful because it showed the DB.
But here is my waterfall, Circled is the control channel for this system

[charley....@gmail.com]

That is a very strong signal with a low noise floor- where are you seeing the power level you mentioned?  Looks more powerful than -85db.  Are you using the the RSP1B or the RTL radio for the control channel in this screen shot?  Only the RSP1B is relevant.  The signals on the left and right are not very good.

[charley....@gmail.com]

Never mind about the power level; missed the post above.  That is a super powerful signal; I would decrease the gain.

[charley....@gmail.com]

Lol, replying to the wrong dude, sorry (going backwards through my email.). I'm not seeing all images in this thread, but one did show in my email.  What I saw was a terribly noisy background with possibly too high of a gain setting.  First, I would move the SDR and antenna away from any other electronic / electrical device and any LED light bulbs which are notoriously noisy.  Make sure you are using a quality USB cable.  I'll try to attach the spectrum image I am referring to below.

[Steve]

HAHAHA I think we were replying to each other thinking were talking to the OP. ;)

LOL.. Well either way with both our answers he should have lots of info now hahah :)

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/sdrtrunk/37a90c7f-e448-43fd-accc-50b9e4a06d33n%40googlegroups.com.

[David Leiken]

Just noticed that the RSP1B tuner settings are very limited in SDRT compared to other tuners. I’m not seeing an option to change the mode. See attached. 

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On Apr 16, 2024, at 2:32 AM, Steve <fun...@gmail.com> wrote:



HAHAHA I think we were replying to each other thinking were talking to the OP. ;)

LOL.. Well either way with both our answers he should have lots of info now hahah :)

On Mon, Apr 15, 2024 at 4:44 PM charley....@gmail.com <charley....@gmail.com> wrote:

Lol, replying to the wrong dude, sorry (going backwards through my email.). I'm not seeing all images in this thread, but one did show in my email.  What I saw was a terribly noisy background with possibly too high of a gain setting.  First, I would move the SDR and antenna away from any other electronic / electrical device and any LED light bulbs which are notoriously noisy.  Make sure you are using a quality USB cable.  I'll try to attach the spectrum image I am referring to below.

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/sdrtrunk/CAOR6bMCAJGEL9gUod7OB2FeEXDv9_V9AGKkNJyGFgKSiJnsDMQ%40mail.gmail.com.

[charley....@gmail.com]

Still a ratty looking signal.

[charley....@gmail.com]

What mode are you trying to change to / from?

[David Leiken]

Mode: Linearity/Sensitivity. 

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On Apr 16, 2024, at 8:55 PM, charley....@gmail.com <charley....@gmail.com> wrote:

What mode are you trying to change to / from?

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/sdrtrunk/26692c69-4e26-402f-a1b0-d3979ff7fe8bn%40googlegroups.com.

[charley....@gmail.com]

That adjustment is apparently not possible with RSP1x - It's not available on my RSP1A either.  Repeating though, you gain setting of 60 dB is way too high - the walls of the signal in your waterfall display are super jaggy - the walls should be more or less smooth / even.  Note that Moto P25 signaling is smoother that L3H P25 signalling, which tend to pulse but are still not jaggy.  I'm using a gain setting of 24 dB and that's pulling in a distant station that uses directional antennas not oriented towards me.   If I increase the gain, both the noise floor and the signal increase linearly, which doesn't really help decoding.

[Zach Rutledge]

I've got an RSP1a but the available settings are the same. I've attached a screenshot of the gain settings I have at the moment.  I've got the same jagged edges on some signals but others are a bit weak.  I have to overdrive reception of one site to get the other three I also want to monitor.  If I use auto mode I only get partial reception of that strongest site.

The Low Noise Amp (LNA) setting is wonky on the RSP1a so it's probably the same on the b model.  Only the four rightmost ticks do anything because the LNA only has four user selectable settings.  Starting fourth from the right is "off", followed by a "medium-high" setting, then "medium" setting, then finally "maximum".  On the max LNA setting I get too much noise to decode anything even with the IF gain set to the minimum.  Anything more than about halfway up the IF slider and I get the gain overload warning.  The medium setting seems to work best for me even though I do have quite a bit of noise on the right hand side of the spectrum.  If the LNA is off I barely get anything at all from just the strongest site on the waterfall, even with the IF gain maxed out.

My problems are two fold: my discone works better at lower elevations for decoding these P25 broadcasts but works best high on my mast for air band and other public safety listening, so I have to compromise a bit with the noise levels here.  The other thing is that there's a massive LTE signal just off to the left of this visible spectrum.  If I don't set a dummy frequency on an upper usable frequency, the edge of that LTE band will jump into view and overload the receiver.

It takes a bit of fiddling with the LNA and IF gain settings but you should be able to find a level that makes decoding more reliable while not overloading the receiver.

[charley....@gmail.com]

Several points being discussed here.  The Tuner settings are different between SDR models.  Setting for an Airspy or 820T based radio are different than what are available for an RSP1A or RSP2A.  Gain adjustment is unique for each monitoring situation: number of systems trying to be received, receiving antenna, distance from transmit sites, sometimes weather conditions, and other variables.  As you have demonstrated, you may need unusually high gain settings if you are trying to receive multiple system of differing signal strengths - this is also my operating environment, thus I don't like to post my spectrum because it is a bad example for those trying to learn how the program works and optimize settings.  Ideally, you want to have the lowest gain setting possible to properly decode your target system.  At some point, too much gain will adversely effect reception and decoding.  When you see excessively jaggy waterfall representations, it's typically a result of excessive gain being applied, or local interference.  In my situation, I am affected by substantial tree density in my town - 75' pines are the norm.  When it's windy or rainy, I have to boost the gain to reliably decode the local L3H systems but is not required for the more distant Motorola systems.  There is something about the pulsing nature of the L3H waveform that causes SDRT to lose lock of the control channel.  Boosting the gain overcomes the issue, then I dial it back down when not necessary.

[dave38...@gmail.com]

For screenshots, SDRTrunk is capable of taking screenshots as well as Windows Snipping Tool.