David - install GQRX receiver its very sensitive - I've worked 2 x contacts over 20 km at 3456 Mhz SSB with my Hack RF, and copied signals on 2304 Mhz (CW) from over 100 km, but I've found the flow graph stuff to be much more finicky . Also you have to pay attention to the gain settings as if not set right then the Hack is deaf.
It is actually as sensitive as any handheld using the right software and decent antennas. 73 Dana VE3DS ________________________________ From: HackRF-dev <[email protected]> on behalf of [email protected] <[email protected]> Sent: November 10, 2016 1:29 AM To: [email protected] Subject: HackRF-dev Digest, Vol 49, Issue 8 Send HackRF-dev mailing list submissions to [email protected] To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/hackrf-dev HackRF-dev Info Page - pairlist9.pair.net<https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/hackrf-dev> pairlist9.pair.net This is a discussion list for users and developers of HackRF from Great Scott Gadgets. This is the preferred place to ask questions about HackRF, get help with ... or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [email protected] You can reach the person managing the list at [email protected] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of HackRF-dev digest..." Today's Topics: 1. FM 96.5MHz rx works but 70cm 441.1MHz rx does not? (David Hubbard) 2. Re: FM 96.5MHz rx works but 70cm 441.1MHz rx does not? (David Hubbard) 3. Re: FM 96.5MHz rx works but 70cm 441.1MHz rx does not? (Gavin Jacobs) 4. Re: FM 96.5MHz rx works but 70cm 441.1MHz rx does not? (Chuck McManis) 5. Re: FM 96.5MHz rx works but 70cm 441.1MHz rx does not? (David Hubbard) 6. Re: FM 96.5MHz rx works but 70cm 441.1MHz rx does not? (David Hubbard) 7. Re: FM 96.5MHz rx works but 70cm 441.1MHz rx does not? (David Hubbard) 8. Re: FM 96.5MHz rx works but 70cm 441.1MHz rx does not? (Simon Kennedy) 9. Re: FM 96.5MHz rx works but 70cm 441.1MHz rx does not? (Cinaed Simson) 10. Re: FM 96.5MHz rx works but 70cm 441.1MHz rx does not? (David Hubbard) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message: 1 Date: Wed, 9 Nov 2016 05:56:39 -0800 From: David Hubbard <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Subject: [Hackrf-dev] FM 96.5MHz rx works but 70cm 441.1MHz rx does not? Message-ID: <cac-0eqhkefvskozmszzjzs1sexy0qyv+gem8f+v48hqazyw...@mail.gmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" I just purchased a HackRF, so there's a good chance I overlooked something. I followed http://greatscottgadgets.com/sdr/1/ and am able to receive FM Great Scott Gadgets - SDR with HackRF, Lesson 1, Welcome<http://greatscottgadgets.com/sdr/1/> greatscottgadgets.com 25 August 2014: The original video encoding had some problems. I produced a new encoding so that iPad and Safari users can hear the sound. I also improved the audio ... but not 70cm Ham Radio transmissions. Here is how I tested it: 1. Received 96.5MHz fine on the HackRF. center_freq = 97.9e6, channel_freq=96.5e6, channel_width=200e3, samp_rate=10e6 2. Tuned to 441.1MHz on a handheld ham radio close by, received ham transmissions on it 3. Changed the flow graph center_freq to 440.0MHz and channel_freq to 441.1MHz, did not see any visible bumps in the FFT plot, and just a quiet hiss on the audio. 4. Swapped antennas from the handheld ham radio and the HackRF. The ham radio received transmissions at S9 with its antenna and S5 with the HackRF antenna. But the HackRF did not receive anything with either antenna. 5. Swapped antennas back, double checked the ham radio was still receiving transmissions. 6. Changed the flow graph center_freq back to 97.9e6, channel_freq back to 96.5e6, and double checked the HackRF could still receive 96.5MHz ok. I can send the flow graph and a screen shot of the FFT but it's just the flow graph from Lesson 1. Cheers, David -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <https://pairlist9.pair.net/pipermail/hackrf-dev/attachments/20161109/b04e26ee/attachment-0001.html> ------------------------------ Message: 2 Date: Wed, 9 Nov 2016 06:23:31 -0800 From: David Hubbard <[email protected]> To: John Ostrander <[email protected]>, [email protected] Subject: Re: [Hackrf-dev] FM 96.5MHz rx works but 70cm 441.1MHz rx does not? Message-ID: <CAC-0EqiQg92C8qetK9tCpFF=q5tvg9hhh8a6ep-hm9atkag...@mail.gmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" On Wed, Nov 9, 2016 at 6:10 AM, John Ostrander <[email protected]> wrote: > David, > > You're likely receiving it, but 70cm is nbfm not wbfm so you're probably > getting loads of noise around the signal you're trying to get at. Try a > flowgraph like the one attached, but with the osmocom source of course. > > regards, > > Thanks, John! I ran your flowgraph tuned to 443.000 and looked for a 443.700 signal that was coming in at S9 on my handheld ham radio. I have attached the flowgraph with my modifications and the screenshot. I believe there's no signal. What do you think? -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <https://pairlist9.pair.net/pipermail/hackrf-dev/attachments/20161109/a9e4398d/attachment-0001.html> -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: osmo_nbfm_rx.grc Type: application/octet-stream Size: 70461 bytes Desc: not available URL: <https://pairlist9.pair.net/pipermail/hackrf-dev/attachments/20161109/a9e4398d/attachment-0001.obj> -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: nosignal.png Type: image/png Size: 50570 bytes Desc: not available URL: <https://pairlist9.pair.net/pipermail/hackrf-dev/attachments/20161109/a9e4398d/attachment-0001.png> ------------------------------ Message: 3 Date: Wed, 9 Nov 2016 14:51:47 +0000 From: Gavin Jacobs <[email protected]> To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [Hackrf-dev] FM 96.5MHz rx works but 70cm 441.1MHz rx does not? Message-ID: <yqbpr01mb0099979a7e2a5a87e52662dec6...@yqbpr01mb0099.canprd01.prod.outlook.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" The hackrf is MUCH less sensitive than a typical handheld. If you are using the vertical antenna that came with the hackrf, then you will have trouble receiving any ham transmissions. I had the same experience as you, so here are some tips that got me going: - calculate the 1/4 wavelength and set the telescoping antenna to that length - put the antenna (and the hackrf unless you have some appropriate rf cable) high in the room - increase the if_gain to 40; use a QT GUI slider to decrease it once you acquire a signal - set the center frequency to an even multiple of MHz; then set your offset to hit the desired channel It takes some patience, but eventually you will get the frequency visible on the chart. Also, be careful not to hit PTT on your handheld, at any time, at any frequency, in the vicinity of the hackrf; any moderately strong rf can damage the front end of the hackrf. So, I suggest starting with the APRS frequency (in North America 144.39 MHz); you get steady traffic, you can hear it on your handheld, but you don't have to transmit anything. Unfortunately, my flowgraphs are 2000 km away right now, but we can probably help you get going. Jake ________________________________ From: HackRF-dev <[email protected]> on behalf of David Hubbard <[email protected]> Sent: November 9, 2016 7:23:31 AM To: John Ostrander; [email protected] Subject: Re: [Hackrf-dev] FM 96.5MHz rx works but 70cm 441.1MHz rx does not? On Wed, Nov 9, 2016 at 6:10 AM, John Ostrander <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: David, You're likely receiving it, but 70cm is nbfm not wbfm so you're probably getting loads of noise around the signal you're trying to get at. Try a flowgraph like the one attached, but with the osmocom source of course. regards, Thanks, John! I ran your flowgraph tuned to 443.000 and looked for a 443.700 signal that was coming in at S9 on my handheld ham radio. I have attached the flowgraph with my modifications and the screenshot. I believe there's no signal. What do you think? -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <https://pairlist9.pair.net/pipermail/hackrf-dev/attachments/20161109/a4770c2f/attachment-0001.html> ------------------------------ Message: 4 Date: Wed, 9 Nov 2016 07:41:43 -0800 From: Chuck McManis <[email protected]> To: David Hubbard <[email protected]> Cc: John Ostrander <[email protected]>, Hackrf-dev <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [Hackrf-dev] FM 96.5MHz rx works but 70cm 441.1MHz rx does not? Message-ID: <CAHTjPiqKBAfpC2Zc5doqEb=udkbnw9aegmachvvefw4u_nx...@mail.gmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" Just to check off the obvious question, you are sure the antennae is the right sex right? On Nov 9, 2016 6:23 AM, "David Hubbard" <[email protected]> wrote: > On Wed, Nov 9, 2016 at 6:10 AM, John Ostrander <[email protected]> wrote: > >> David, >> >> You're likely receiving it, but 70cm is nbfm not wbfm so you're probably >> getting loads of noise around the signal you're trying to get at. Try a >> flowgraph like the one attached, but with the osmocom source of course. >> >> regards, >> >> > Thanks, John! I ran your flowgraph tuned to 443.000 and looked for a > 443.700 signal that was coming in at S9 on my handheld ham radio. > > I have attached the flowgraph with my modifications and the screenshot. I > believe there's no signal. What do you think? > > > > _______________________________________________ > HackRF-dev mailing list > [email protected] > https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/hackrf-dev HackRF-dev Info Page - pairlist9.pair.net<https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/hackrf-dev> pairlist9.pair.net This is a discussion list for users and developers of HackRF from Great Scott Gadgets. This is the preferred place to ask questions about HackRF, get help with ... > > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <https://pairlist9.pair.net/pipermail/hackrf-dev/attachments/20161109/2851ce98/attachment-0001.html> ------------------------------ Message: 5 Date: Wed, 9 Nov 2016 09:52:57 -0800 From: David Hubbard <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [Hackrf-dev] FM 96.5MHz rx works but 70cm 441.1MHz rx does not? Message-ID: <CAC-0EqgBnbjcBn-2=cy8onuz+9mnvkzfld2hrnng56ana9k...@mail.gmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" On Wed, Nov 9, 2016 at 9:00 AM, Silverfox <[email protected]> wrote: > Some antennas do not make a solid connection with the hackrf. Try a short > piece of wire in the center connector. > > Good luck, > > Alan ? W5ARH > > > Hi Chuck, Alan, I'm using the included vertical antenna. Thanks for the tip, I double checked I had it attached right and that the center connector was making good contact. It's easy to double-check by doing FM radio reception too. David -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <https://pairlist9.pair.net/pipermail/hackrf-dev/attachments/20161109/645134fa/attachment-0001.html> ------------------------------ Message: 6 Date: Wed, 9 Nov 2016 11:19:33 -0800 From: David Hubbard <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [Hackrf-dev] FM 96.5MHz rx works but 70cm 441.1MHz rx does not? Message-ID: <CAC-0Eqgw_o4S+GuOrUcJ_G=dxtjtvwf_ynh9obr-n_gjxf1...@mail.gmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" On Wed, Nov 9, 2016 at 6:51 AM, Gavin Jacobs <[email protected]> wrote: > The hackrf is MUCH less sensitive than a typical handheld. If you are > using the vertical antenna that came with the hackrf, then you will have > trouble receiving any ham transmissions. I had the same experience as you, > so here are some tips that got me going: > > - calculate the 1/4 wavelength and set the telescoping antenna to that > length > > - put the antenna (and the hackrf unless you have some appropriate rf > cable) high in the room > > - increase the if_gain to 40; use a QT GUI slider to decrease it once you > acquire a signal > > - set the center frequency to an even multiple of MHz; then set your > offset to hit the desired channel > > It takes some patience, but eventually you will get the frequency visible > on the chart. > > Also, be careful not to hit PTT on your handheld, at any time, at any > frequency, in the vicinity of the hackrf; any moderately strong rf can > damage the front end of the hackrf. So, I suggest starting with the APRS > frequency (in North America 144.39 MHz); you get steady traffic, you can > hear it on your handheld, but you don't have to transmit anything. > > > Unfortunately, my flowgraphs are 2000 km away right now, but we can > probably help you get going. > > Thanks, Jake! Setting the IF gain higher did the trick. I do see that my handheld ham radio is more sensitive, but I can receive the audio signal on the HackRF, with a signal quality that is only clear enough to know there are voices. (I cannot hear well enough to tell what is being said.) -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <https://pairlist9.pair.net/pipermail/hackrf-dev/attachments/20161109/8f394ba6/attachment-0001.html> ------------------------------ Message: 7 Date: Wed, 9 Nov 2016 12:06:13 -0800 From: David Hubbard <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [Hackrf-dev] FM 96.5MHz rx works but 70cm 441.1MHz rx does not? Message-ID: <CAC-0EqjuaQ=znkm-5jn2wbepdycoqfwyf2x2c1d56fosv24...@mail.gmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" Just to follow up with a final note, this is now the waterfall plot I am receiving: lots of interesting digital signals, I added a DC blocker, and I can still "sort of" hear the ham radio transmissions. Thanks for the help! -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <https://pairlist9.pair.net/pipermail/hackrf-dev/attachments/20161109/d94ca7d7/attachment-0001.html> -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: waterfall.png Type: image/png Size: 174924 bytes Desc: not available URL: <https://pairlist9.pair.net/pipermail/hackrf-dev/attachments/20161109/d94ca7d7/attachment-0001.png> ------------------------------ Message: 8 Date: Wed, 9 Nov 2016 23:15:11 +0000 From: Simon Kennedy <[email protected]> To: hackrf-dev <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [Hackrf-dev] FM 96.5MHz rx works but 70cm 441.1MHz rx does not? Message-ID: <CACopv_ieCEWGJjsgzD02=hvdb5J2OV5p+YqARwhK_br=9ao...@mail.gmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" Just a thought but why don't you install gqrx? Then you can see the HackRF in action and experiment with the settings before diving into gnuradio. Simon. On 9 Nov 2016 8:06 pm, "David Hubbard" <[email protected]> wrote: > Just to follow up with a final note, this is now the waterfall plot I am > receiving: lots of interesting digital signals, I added a DC blocker, and I > can still "sort of" hear the ham radio transmissions. > > Thanks for the help! > > _______________________________________________ > HackRF-dev mailing list > [email protected] > https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/hackrf-dev > > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <https://pairlist9.pair.net/pipermail/hackrf-dev/attachments/20161109/e773733b/attachment-0001.html> ------------------------------ Message: 9 Date: Wed, 9 Nov 2016 15:16:04 -0800 From: Cinaed Simson <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [Hackrf-dev] FM 96.5MHz rx works but 70cm 441.1MHz rx does not? Message-ID: <[email protected]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252 On 11/09/2016 12:06 PM, David Hubbard wrote: > Just to follow up with a final note, this is now the waterfall plot I am > receiving: lots of interesting digital signals, I added a DC blocker, > and I can still "sort of" hear the ham radio transmissions. > > Thanks for the help! > > > _______________________________________________ > HackRF-dev mailing list > [email protected] > https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/hackrf-dev > In the NBFM receive block, try reducing Tau to 50u, and Max deviation to 4k. -- Cinaed ------------------------------ Message: 10 Date: Wed, 9 Nov 2016 20:31:19 -0800 From: David Hubbard <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [Hackrf-dev] FM 96.5MHz rx works but 70cm 441.1MHz rx does not? Message-ID: <CAC-0EqiDR4C+2cXa3O-G=knewx6v1rmw1g5sct+uihf7-hq...@mail.gmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" On Wed, Nov 9, 2016 at 3:16 PM, Cinaed Simson <[email protected]> wrote: > > In the NBFM receive block, try reducing Tau to 50u, and Max deviation to > 4k. > > (to the hackrf-dev list this time) Thanks, Cinaed! Playing around with max deviation in particular helps with reception quality, for the one good recording (see below). I wasn't hearing anything but noise out the audio sink even eyeballing it on the FFT plot, the signal is 20dB over the noise floor. So I added a file sink, saved a few seconds of the 2.4Msps complex data output of the DC blocker (so almost directly out of the osmocom source). I then used a file source instead of the osmocom source -> DC blocker, and the result is loud and clear audio. Even more puzzling is it only did it once. I collected several more recordings at 2.4Msps but they do not play back audio. Only the first recording produces audio. They all show a strong 20dB signal in the FFT plot and waterfall. My grc file is attached. Possibly a lack of precision on frequency? I tried setting the tune_offset to values from 598e3 to 654e3, which has the normal effect on the first recording, but only static on the subsequent recordings. I would like to add a "sync block," (is that the right term?) so that the graph only plays back at real time, to make it easier to change tuning parameters while playing back a recording. Any tips on how to do that? The attached grc plays back at real time but buffers a lot of audio at the audio sink so that changing things like tune_offset cannot be heard for about 2 sec. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <https://pairlist9.pair.net/pipermail/hackrf-dev/attachments/20161109/bc4b927c/attachment-0001.html> -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: filesource.grc Type: application/octet-stream Size: 53509 bytes Desc: not available URL: <https://pairlist9.pair.net/pipermail/hackrf-dev/attachments/20161109/bc4b927c/attachment-0001.obj> ------------------------------ Subject: Digest Footer _______________________________________________ HackRF-dev mailing list [email protected] https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/hackrf-dev ------------------------------ End of HackRF-dev Digest, Vol 49, Issue 8 ***************************************** [https://pairlist9.pair.net/pipermail/hackrf-dev/attachments/20161109/a9e4398d/attachment-0001.png]
_______________________________________________ HackRF-dev mailing list [email protected] https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/hackrf-dev
