SkyRoof on legacy/integrated graphics

[Jonathan Thorpe]

Hi,

Successfully got SkyRoof running perfectly with my Blog v4 after copying over rtlsdr.dll from the latest RTL-SDR driver release, and have had great fun with it on one of my systems. However, I seem to have encountered another problem while using it on a laptop.

The system in question is a Lenovo G580, it runs Windows 11 (same as the other system) and also runs other radio software perfectly well. The software installs fine but fails to get beyond the point where it calculates the best FFT method. Is this down to the integrated graphics in the laptop perhaps?

[Alex VE3NEA]

Thank you very much for finding the right rtlsdr.dll!

Beta testers please download the latest rtl-sdr driver from this link:

https://github.com/rtlsdrblog/rtl-sdr-blog/releases/tag/v1.3.6 

Extract the **rtlsdr.dll** file from the zip and place it in the **SkyRoof\lib\SoapySDR\modules0.8** folder. Let me know if it works on your system with Blog V4.

Re. running on Lenovo, the FFT tests run for a long time, even on the high end machines. Please wait a little longer and see if it eventually completes. If it never finishes, please send me the log file.

[Jonathan Thorpe]

Hi Alex,

Glad to help regarding the rtlsdr.dll file. I have noticed that other users have had issues with the Blog v4 so once your testers have verified this fix it will be fantastic to see the updated file included in the package to make SkyRoof work straight away for v4 owners.

Regarding the Lenovo/FFT issue, the problem appears to be more that the FFT test never actually starts, the software simply doesn't go any further. On my other system there is a brief window that appears while the FFT test is run, but on the Lenovo that window never appears at all, but Task Manager shows that SkyRoof.exe is still loaded. I have tried leaving it for a while but even after 30 minutes there is no change, and I'm forced to kill SkyRoof from TaskManager. I've even tried deleting the config files that get generated in %AppData%\Roaming\Afreet\Products\SkyRoof and restarting the software, but the issue persists once I've entered my callsign and grid square reference.

[Jonathan Thorpe]

Hi Alex,

Log attached. SkyRoof starts, downloads data, then simply stops without exiting or triggering any errors.

[Dinesh Nair]

Think you have to copy over the latest version rtlsdr.dll from the x64 directory as SkyRoof is 64-bit. Earlier I'd tried copying it from SDR#'s directory and it didnt work, because though it was the latest version it was still on the 32-bit library from the x86 directory.

[Alex, VE3NEA]

I will add some extra logging in the next build to see where exactly it stops.

73 Alex VE3NEA

[Jonathan Thorpe]

Hi Alex,

Installed latest build (1.5 beta) on the laptop, still same issue, checked the log and compared it to SkyRoof's log from my main system, turns out the issue is down to the lack of OpenGL support in the GPU driver on the laptop. Unfortunately due to the age of the laptop, there is no more up-to-date GPU driver than the one currently installed. Is there any way you can add support for alternative waterfall/FFT rendering without OpenGL? For example DirectX-based?

On an unrelated note, the app also crashes when you select an object from the CW Beacons list that has re-entered (I think there are currently two objects in the dataset that are no longer in orbit). This also stops the app from working if you close the app down and try to re-open it, since the app remembers the last object that was selected. The only way out from this situation is to "ignore" the error that pops up and quickly switch back to any other object before the error can re-occur.

Hope these two bits of information can help further improve the software!

Regards,

Jonathan

[Alex VE3NEA]

Switching to DirectX is not an option, sorry. Usually there is no driver if the video card does not have the minimum capabilities required for OpenGL, so DirectX would not solve the problem either.

I will look into the errors related to the re-entered satellites, it should not be difficult to fix. Thank you for your report.

[Jonathan Thorpe]

Hi Alex,

I think the GPU driver supports OpenGL 1.1 but nothing newer. I'm currently looking into an alternative software renderer such as MESA3D to see if I can get it working on the laptop.

Regards,

Jonathan

[Jonathan Thorpe]

Hi Alex,

Update for you regarding 1.7 beta on my Lenovo G580 - success!

By downloading the x64 build of Mesa3D from this repository (https://github.com/pal1000/mesa-dist-win/releases/latest) and dumping all the DLL's from the zip into the SkyRoof directory, I was able to complete FFT setup and launch SkyRoof successfully. I've posted the link to the Mesa3D files here should you wish to include them in a future build to support legacy systems that have poor OpenGL support.

Also, the bug regarding re-entered objects has been fixed.

Please keep up the great work, and I'll do my best to test every build you make available. Thankyou.

Regards,

Jonathan

[Jonathan Thorpe]

I can also confirm that the more streamlined (but older) Mesa3D build located at https://github.com/lightningterror/Mesa3D-Windows/releases/tag/mesa-21.0.3 also works with the single OpenGL32.dll file placed in SkyRoof's directory.

Both builds seem quite intensive on the CPU however (to be expected I guess as its software-based).

Regards,

Jonathan

[Alex VE3NEA]

This is amazing! Honestly, I was quite pessimistic about this approach. Glad that it worked. Your solution needs to be added to FAQ.