Another SDR Online

I had an old Core i5 laptop lying around I thought I'd put to good use and decided to get my SDR Play RSP1A online with the Bonito MA305 Whip Antenna.

It's a rough project at the moment and it might not be online all the time or if it's online will have it's Antenna disconnected from time to time.

I have it installed in the sitting room so it's a matter of time before my 3 year old Son discovers it hidden behind the armchair and next you know it's offline. I'll see how it goes before I think of a more permanent solution.

You need to download SDR COnsole, the latest version 3 currently 3.0.6

Here's the link https://www.sdr-radio.com/Software/%F0%9F%92%BEDownloads

Now here is where you need to use Google to figure out how to connect or youtube. My head is still spinning after setting this up so I'm not in frame of mind right now to assist.

But the basics.

Open SDR Console, click "Tools" then click on "select radio".

In the window that pops up click on "Server" then "Definitions"

Then click on "Search" Then "V3Server"

Next click on "SDRspace.com"

Then find from the list of servers my sdr, "Emeraldsdr 3 Carlow"

Boy, they don't make it easy and I had to set up the server end too.

So play around and let me know what ye think, remember the SDR Play RSP1A is not as sensitive as the Kiwi and does not handle strong signals nearly as well however, one good feature is the ability to turn on "AM/FM Notch Filter" which can greatly reduce images from AM transmitters up in the ham or Shortwave bands.

And also remember the Bonito is a wonderful Antenna and I think you'll be impressed with it's performance considering, and remember this, it's only 22 cm long !!!

I use well shielded H155 Coax and it's grounded to an earth rod.

Also I have not tested it enough to hear any noise related to being close to the laptop power supply and other things in the sitting room so there might be some noise at times, I do have some noise from the ESB Grid which I have to locate.

Anyway, enjoy, time limit 2 hrs with a 2 min wait before re-connecting, let me know of any issues and remember this is a very rough installation with a slightly dodgy antenna connection.

I had to remove the antenna form the SDR because there is some issue with the connection and I won't have a chance to fix it for a while.

jmcc

You might like to take a look at the new SDRplay software. It has added a scanner function and implemented some changes with AGC and IF handling (There was an announcement in the SDRplay Facebook group).

Regards...jmcc

jmcc

jmcc wrote: »

You might like to take a look at the new SDRplay software. It has added a scanner function and implemented some changes with AGC and IF handling (There was an announcement in the SDRplay Facebook group).

Regards...jmcc

Cheers, yes I saw that on youtube.

SDRs are getting more and more interesting.

I've had to put this project on hold for the moment, hope to have it back up soon.

Ok SDR back online with connection fixed for a while at least.

Has anyone managed to get it working yet ?

LW and MW reception is badly effected by the laptop power supply, if I make this permanent I'll be connecting the Laptop to a linear power supply , this is absolutely crucial to online SDRs. At home if you're only listening a couple of hrs a day you can run the SDR off battery power , it will make a big difference. Some Laptop power supplies are worse than others.

Anyway please try connect with the instructions above, cheers.

Ok I wasn't satisfied with the SDRPlay RSP1A on 40 meters Ham band so I connected up the Airspy HF+ definitely more sensitive on par with the Kiwi SDR, unfortunately again the laptop power supply is wiping out most of the band, the difference when I turn off the power supply is amazing but it wouldn't last long.

I managed to get interference from the PSU reduced a little but still sounds bad on LW and some of MW.

The Airspy HF+ sounds good, the noise is less harsh than the Kiwi or SDR Play.

Next plan is to get rid of the overly complex SDR Console Server and use openwebrx like the Kiwi SDR which will mean all required to receive is a simple browser and it will show up on sdr.hu

I'll have to install Ubuntu and then set it up for remote access so I can work on it bit by bit as I get time.

Unfortunately there is no install file, of course, it's linux and one reason Linux is a right pain in the arse, I don't like spending so much of my life typing out commands to install a program so luckily someone created a script that will run all those commands and hopefully it all works but because it's Linux something usually does not work and it takes hours and hours to fix.

Anyway has anyone managed to connect to my sdr using sdr console ?

micko45

Not able to select the radio. Is it connect now?

micko45

micko45 wrote: »

Not able to select the radio. Is it connect now?

Hi Micko,

No unfortunately I keep getting "server Timeouts" absolutely baffled, since I rebooted it last night it wouldn't reconnect. Can't figure it out.

Firewall = ok

Router ports open

It's dreadful software to be honest.

Trying to figure it out again. It works fine on the local lan.

Try it again Micko , I had internet trouble, isp related. I got green status again.

micko45

Looking better now, i can select it but its in use. I will keep trying.


this SDR software is pretty impressive all the same, seems to be by the same guy who created ham radio delux, which i used to use.

micko45

finally got on, it looks good. That antenna seems to do the job on 80 and 40m.

micko45

micko45 wrote: »

finally got on, it looks good. That antenna seems to do the job on 80 and 40m.

The Laptop power supply isn't doing it any good.

The Airspy HF+ is a sweet little receiver to listen to , low noise , it sounds a lot less harsh than the Kiwi or SDR Play and it's a lot more sensitive than the SDR Play and sightly more than the Kiwi.

The Bonito Ma 305 is a great whip if I could show it's true potential by hooking up the Laptop to a linear power supply.

I could see if I could set up Openwebrx on a raspberry PI or on the Laptop but it's very complicated, had a go of it last night in Ubuntu in virtual box , that linux and commands really turns me off Linux it's unbelievably time consuming and it raises my stress levels considerably lol.

I am having ISP issues at the moment where my connection is crawling in the evenings, trying to get three.ie to sort it out, they have a few times in the past because it's effecting my Kiwis as well and I have no possibility of fixed line internet, so much for Eir's fibre upgrades , they only upgrade people to fibre that already have 50+ Mbs fibre to the cabinet they're a complete joke !

Definitely Openwebrx is so much better if I can manage to set it up, I have a spare 5V Linear PSU I could use to power a Raspberry Pi rather than have to buy one for the laptop, 19.5 V about 4 amps will cost a few quid from China.

I've been using the SDR remotely today with no issues, it uses a lot more bandwidth than the Kiwi but you get a full on SDR experience.

I would love a more mobile option this is why the Kiwi is great.

I must see if I can get Openwebrx to work on a Raspberry pi with the Airspy HF+.

micko45

i have a sdr play version 1 myself and its fascinating switching between mine and yours in the sdr console software. Previously i only used hdsdr or more recently sdruno, (loving the new scanning feature).

I now like SDR console after using it and find it a much better experience than OpenWebRX. First time user of OpenWebRX and just didnt like it.

micko45

micko45 wrote: »

i have a sdr play version 1 myself and its fascinating switching between mine and yours in the sdr console software. Previously i only used hdsdr or more recently sdruno, (loving the new scanning feature).

I now like SDR console after using it and find it a much better experience than OpenWebRX. First time user of OpenWebRX and just didnt like it.

You mean you don't like the Openwebrx via the Kiwi SDR ? yes I know what you mean but it doesn't have the horse power to provide such a fully fledged sdr experience and isn't it's intended purpose, for what it does openwebrx is amazing and being able to see the entire LF - SW Spectrum on the Kiwi is amazing.

Yes , the Airspy HF+ and sdrconsole remotely still give the fully fledged sdr experience at the price of "much" higher bandwidth.

Openwebrx is a different beast that is designed for low energy low power devices and for people with low internet bandwidth, it can be used in any browser and on mobile devices easily , SDR console can not.

SDR Uno is great software I like it a lot.

The Airspy HF+ is a really good upgrade to the SDR Play 1 which over loads a lot at night, phantom stations show up all over the place. The SDR Play RSP1A doesn't suffer this and has attenuation to block out strong MW stations which shouldn't be much of an issue for use here in Ireland anyway.

micko45

I haven't tried the Kiwi SDR either, i see you have another thread with other radios, i will give them a go tonight.

Has anyone used the Airspy SDR via SDR Console lately, thoughts , opinions ? any issues ?

I've used it in work a lot this week and I really love it, it gives a full on SDR experience with much better sounding Audio.

I'm still keen to try it via Openwebrx because I have a nice 5 volt linear supply that can power a Raspberry Pi.

I am disappointed that the Laptop Power Supply is destroying the performance on Lf all the way to parts of 80 meters, when I disconnect the laptop PSU the reception on LW is simply amazing.

This 22 cm Bonito whip blows me away each time.

The Bonito MegaDipol and Megaloop ate also great antennas but the MA305 is tiny !!!

The Ma305 and Megadipol are great antennas for DX'ing and it's interesting to hear U.K hams much clearer on the Megaloop compared to the MegaDipol or Ma305 but DX contacts come in clearer on the Ma305 and Megadipol.

micko45,

Have you used the Kiwi's yet ? what do you think ?

I still have to find the offending ESB pole causing QRM on certain bands.

I've actually noticed the Kiwi overloading at times which is unusual.

The Airspy never ever overloads, it's got a larger dynamic range. It's a great receiver, very quiet, not as harsh to listen to, reminds me of my old Tecsun PL-660 Radio, lovely quiet receiver and very sensitive where as modern DSP radios can sound very harsh. They do have their advantages of course such as being able to reduce and increase the bandwidth.

micko45

Deleted User wrote: »

Have you used the Kiwi's yet ? what do you think ?

The Kiwi, its ok, and for phone and maybe limited broadband it could be great. But after using the SDR Console v3 there is no comparison if you have the bandwidth, i find it way more immersive than kiwi.

Been using yours on and off for last few days, today its working well. At the moment 40 and 20 meters are booming. Yesterday it was not so hot as there was pulse every 2 seconds. I have a video if you want to see it but it could the that power supply issue. Today it seems to be gone.

micko45

micko45 wrote: »

The Kiwi, its ok, and for phone and maybe limited broadband it could be great. But after using the SDR Console v3 there is no comparison if you have the bandwidth, i find it way more immersive than kiwi.

Been using yours on and off for last few days, today its working well. At the moment 40 and 20 meters are booming. Yesterday it was not so hot as there was pulse every 2 seconds. I have a video if you want to see it but it could the that power supply issue. Today it seems to be gone.

SDR Console is great , in fact, I think it's convinced me not to put it on Openwebrx because the Openwebrx is a lot more basic than the Kiwi version, the Kiwi is based on the original Openwebrx version and is always getting updated and Openwebrx is an absolute pain to set up in Linux.

SDR Console server is very bandwidth intensive and I have 4G Voa externall antenna on the Roof and while it's mostly pretty decent it can slow down at night and I think this might be where the issue lies or part of, I've certainly had issues lately. I was getting 30-50 Mbs now in the evenings I can get as little as 1.5 Mbs down but that's not that often but it is mostly less now than I was getting.

What bugs me is that when someone is connected via the internet I can't use it at home on the Lan and I've never seen more than 1 person connected which I am curious to know if there is an issue. I'd also like to know if someone can connect from the internet while I'm using it on the LAN.

Reducing the bandwidth will help a lot when you connect in the evenings if it's my bandwidth from my 4G connection. I might actually cap it lower from this end. But yes the dodgy PSU might be causing the CPU to be throttled too much, if it doesn't detect the PSU properly it throttles the CPU and I must see if this can be turned off.

Regarding the Power Supply, I can get a linear supply which will clean up reception a bit but to be honest it really effects LF - LW and MW a bit but I listened to MW last night and it was booming, that antenna is fantastic for only 22 cm long, it's a good DX antenna. I use H155 good quality shielded Coax and it's earthed at the base of the tree where I have it installed. These antennas need to be earthed, loop antennas will get away with it.

I found that the QRM on the upper part of 80 Meters ham is down to the laptop itself. Probably due to the core I5 CPU and not the power supply, switching on and off the laptop makes no difference.

I'm not sure I could justify spending about 150 Euro's on a PSU from China for Lw, it's funny that MW during the day seems more effected by the laptop PSU probably because the signals are a lot weaker than at night.

It's mad to see when I turn on and off the PSU how it practically wipes out LW.

SDR console server is not perfect and it's buggy, sometimes I have to CNtrl-Alt-Delete to kill it and re-start it again.

The Kiwi SDR's are great for mobile use and can be used in any browser but the SDR Console is definitely a far better experience and the Ma305 Antenna + Airspy HF+ are a great combination.

Hansanter

Hi all,
There's obviously some very knowledgable folks on here so I'm hoping someone can help.....
I'm running an Airspy HF+ at home here in north county Dublin, it's hooked to either a longwire antenna (with 9:1 balun) in the back garden, a mini-whip active on the roof, or a Wellbrook 'type' loop antenna on a small rotor in the attic.. (all home made). Recently I've become very frustrated at the amount of locally generated noise and hash in large sections of the HF bands. I've tried several things to reduce this but none seem to work at any decent level. The amount of electronic devices that fill the bands with crap only seems to be increasing. Around Christmas is really bad as the droves of cheap Chinese LED lighted crap and other rubbish creates a ton of interference. If I had my way I'd ban Christmas.... nah... I'm not that bad .

Anyway, I'm now pondering the idea of remotely locating the HF+ with either a mini-whip or a longwire antenna and access it with a spyserver setup using SDR Sharp (my preferred s/w). Up to this point I've had zero interest in reading or learning about this topic as it simply didn't interest me, but now I'm sorta forced into at least considering my options in this regard.

Here's what I envisage.... find some willing remote-ish house/farm owner (friend of a friend sorta thing, 'out of town'/'in the sticks' if you will) that would be willing to allow me to setup my gear (perhaps for a small yearly fee to cover the lectric), in say, a small weather proof box in a shed with the antenna outside. Obviously, power and an internet connection would be essential and need to be readily accessible.

So, I'm hoping somebody here can give me some advice or tips on how to set this up. I believe I may need a Rapberry Pi device ? to connect the SDR to ? After that.. I'm lost.
Any help appreciated.

Han./

Hansanter

Hansanter wrote: »

Hi all,
There's obviously some very knowledgable folks on here so I'm hoping someone can help.....
I'm running an Airspy HF+ at home here in north county Dublin, it's hooked to either a longwire antenna (with 9:1 balun) in the back garden, a mini-whip active on the roof, or a Wellbrook 'type' loop antenna on a small rotor in the attic.. (all home made). Recently I've become very frustrated at the amount of locally generated noise and hash in large sections of the HF bands. I've tried several things to reduce this but none seem to work at any decent level. The amount of electronic devices that fill the bands with crap only seems to be increasing. Around Christmas is really bad as the droves of cheap Chinese LED lighted crap and other rubbish creates a ton of interference. If I had my way I'd ban Christmas.... nah... I'm not that bad .

Anyway, I'm now pondering the idea of remotely locating the HF+ with either a mini-whip or a longwire antenna and access it with a spyserver setup using SDR Sharp (my preferred s/w). Up to this point I've had zero interest in reading or learning about this topic as it simply didn't interest me, but now I'm sorta forced into at least considering my options in this regard.

Here's what I envisage.... find some willing remote-ish house/farm owner (friend of a friend sorta thing, 'out of town'/'in the sticks' if you will) that would be willing to allow me to setup my gear (perhaps for a small yearly fee to cover the lectric), in say, a small weather proof box in a shed with the antenna outside. Obviously, power and an internet connection would be essential and need to be readily accessible.

So, I'm hoping somebody here can give me some advice or tips on how to set this up. I believe I may need a Rapberry Pi device ? to connect the SDR to ? After that.. I'm lost.
Any help appreciated.

Han./

Start at your house, get a decent portable battery radio with good MW reception and if there's a lot of local noise it should be picked up on the portable radio. Next , turn off the power to the house , then if the noise goes away or reduces then you got some detective work to do. Find the frequency or frequencies effected, make a note of them, tune the radio to those and walk around the house and find the source.

LED lights, stay away from no name bulbs in the likes of Woodies and get quality bulbs from Philips which I find very electrically quiet unless up very close.

Are you in an estate, in the middle of town or in the country ? in my old house the HF bands, MW and all were completely wiped out from my neighbours TV, I do not know what type it was but the noise travelled about 30 - 40 meters away from the house, it was unbelievable.

Even if you are remote you need to stay well away from power lines and poles, there's a huge amount of poles with dodgy connections arching and this noise travels down the line and acts like a gigantic antenna.

Remote operation can be a pain, if it goes down and you can't get it back up remotely then you have to physically go to the remote location.

Remote access is essential.

Get the wellbrook out of the attic, this is essential and as far from the house as you can. If you got trees they make good antenna mounting points.

Ground the whip antenna with a 6 foot ground rod burred in preferably damp soil.

The long wire antenna will probably not be great for receiving compared to the loop.

What's the whip antenna you got ? I got the Bonito MA305 and it's a superb antenna that is only 22 cm long and outperforms most if not all antennas for receive and for quietness.

I also got a Bonito Megadipol Megaloop , 10 meter diameter, another great antenna but it's more suited to more local range over hundreds of kms and I got the megadipol also from Bonito which is better for DX ( long range ) signals.

The MA is one of the most impressive, it's sheer performance for 22 CM blows me away each time.

I got it online via SDR Console, have you checked it out yet ? it's called EmeraldSDR 3 Carlow.

I also got 2 x Kiwi's online

http://emeraldsdr1.ddns.net:8073/

http://emeraldsdr.ddns.net:8074/

How does yours compare to those above ?

SDR Console is good because it offers a full sdr experience and the Audio is much better. I use this with the Airspy HF+ a really good radio which you will hear in action with the MA305 antenna if you install SDR console 3.0.6 I think is the latest version.

I have some noise from ESB Pole I need to get fixed. Also the laptop itself causes some noise mainly on 80 meter ham band and the laptop power supply wipes out LW.

Things that can cause a lot of noise are , LED Bulbs, Laptop and mobile phone chargers. The Power supply for your Raspberry Pi may also cause a lot more noise than you think. Older Fluorescent backlit LCD TVs can be very bad.

My Kiwi's are powered by Linear power supplies and not the more typical switch mode power supplies found on most electronic devices today. I got them from China, if you get a Raspberry Pi then hook it up to a 5V regulated linear power supply.

I do advise using SDR COnsole for a proper SDR experience, it only works on Windows but it's well worth it, I had an old Core I5 Laptop lying around which I am using.

Radio is a great hobby and very fascinating. I hope to pass my Amateur radio license in May which will open up a whole new world of Radio to me and I can't wait.

Imagine the joy of hearing the distant station some thousands of Kms away call back your call sign ? all from only 100 watts of power and even 5 watts can get you considerable distances. You can build your own antennas and experiment with so much equipment. The internet is just too easy and boring, the challenge of getting your signal out and making up antennas is where all the fun is.

Apply now and you should get in for Ma but might be a bit late however next exam should be November if you miss May, do it you will be glad you did.

Hansanter

Hi Mad Lad,

Many thanks for your very informative reply... In order of your points...

I'll do as you say this weekend, I'll fire up my Tecsun 660 and see what I get and also check on any LED lightbulbs etc.

Yes, I'm in an estate in Skerries, quite a busy area RF wise. There's an Irish Rail UHF (456MHz) transmitter on a mast not too far from me that plays havoc on the UHF band and beyond, the same mast also has a troublesome Tetra transmitter that's also quite high powered. I'm also into satellite V/UHF, L and S band reception with a rotor mounted dish and I have to be careful with filtering due to those two. I've pondered various options involving rope and grappling hooks believe me .

Getting the loop out of the attic is not possible, it's not something I'd like sitting in the garden or on the roof. It would need it's own robust rotor and the homebuilt/3D printed/Arduino controlled affair it's on in the attic is too light for outdoor use. Anyway, my Yaesu Az/El rotor is in use for other stuff.

I also have the MA305 from Bonito. I had it up on the roof sometime ago but took it down to try my homebuilt mini-whip as I wasn't too impressed with it (the mini-whip is giving similar disappointing performance). I am convinced however that the poor results was due to bad grounding. I've since sunk a 4 foot copper rod at the front of the house but have yet to wire it to the mast it was/will be on. The mast is a 2 inch steel pole that's running from the chimney stack down into the attic (where I will connect the grounding wire) using one of those special roof tiles with the rubber 'boot'.. they work well if installed properly. When I do that I think I'll stick it back up there.

I checked out your kiwi SDR's they're really nice and in fact I've had at least one of them bookmarked from some time ago, very nice work and thanks for that service. After a quick look again a few mins ago, the reception seems similar to mine with the longwire, except mine is plagued with the interference as mentioned. Currently I have quite bad QRM from approx 7.6 MHz to around 10MHz, 10.250 to 11.250 and 14.7 to 17.8 MHz and most of MW, those bands show awful banding etc on the SDR waterfall, the severity tends to vary up and down a bit but for the past year or so it's constant... very frustrating.

Regarding power supplies, I have a good quality, albeit a switching 12V power supply in the attic that's powering my various sat LNA's and the remote HF antenna selector (Wire/Whip/Loop) that I have in the attic, I can select which antenna I want to use from here in the 'shack' (box room!!) plans are afoot to replace that power supply with a linear type used in the CCTV scene. Any chance of a link to the Chinese linear supplies that you use ? I would normally be hesitant about power supplies from the Peoples Republic (I don't mean Cork), but as you vouch for them, I may consider one or two.

Regarding SDR Console, it is indeed excellent software, I have it installed but just find it awkward as hell to use, perhaps 'cos I'm so used to SDR#. I really like SDR# and it's extensive set of indispensable plugins. So, anything I do going forward will be with SDR#, but of course, the software doesn't make any difference re. interference etc.

I've been meaning to go for my licence for many years, but with work etc. it's hard to find the time, but I will.. someday soon. Indeed I have a really nice HF Yaesu 767GX here beside me, my dad, who is licenced, left it with me for receiving. I never use it though, SDR is much better and for the size of it, it only has 10 memories !!. But I can well understand the joy of a long range contact as you describe..... some day .

H./

Hansanter,

The PL-660 might not be the best radio for hunting QRM unless it's on SW, it's a great radio on SW but it's deaf on LW-MW. The newer PL-880 is much better on LW- especially MW. It has better filtering but I much prefer the PL-660 on SSB even with it's wide filter, the sound is much better, the PL-880- sounds harsh to the ears much like all those DSP radios but the PL-880 sounds great on FM and SW and is very sensitive, slightly more than the PL-660 on SW.

Getting the loop out of the attic or any antenna will make a big difference especially getting it as far away form any house. Being outside on some class of a pole will provide better results than being inside on a rotator.

If you already got SDR Console then check out mine "emeraldsdr 3 Carlow" you will get a taste at what the MA305 can really do , it's an incredible antenna, however I am suffering intermittent QRM from ESB pole and Some QRM from Laptop itself around 80 meters and Laptop PSU on LF -LW.

I Used H155 Coax for the MA305 and it's grounded via the shield and Bonito's grounding spike.

You could also try the Galvanic Antenna Isolator GI1000 You tube video below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQq8iMPgA7k

https://hamradioshop.net/en/Antennas/Antenna-Accessories/Over-Voltage-Protector-OVP1000.html

Grounding clamp for Coax

https://hamradioshop.net/en/Antennas/Antenna-Accessories/Grounding-clamps-for-coax-cables-H-155-Hyperflex-5-RG-58-Airborn-5-Kabel.html

Ground spike also handy for portable use.

https://hamradioshop.net/en/Antennas/Antenna-Accessories/Grounding-spike.html

This is also dead handy, it allows cables to be brought through windows, handy for temporary use or when on holidays etc.

https://hamradioshop.net/en/Antennas/Antenna-Accessories/Flat-Coaxial-Door-Window-Jumper-Cable-with-BNC-or-PL-connectors.html

I also wrapped about 13 turns of the USB cable around a FT240-31 core and it made a lot of difference to QRM travelling down the USB cable to the SDR. Put one on the USB and coax cables. Better USB cables help too.

I've contemplated getting The Airspy HF+ online via Spyserver however I prefer SDR console and I think it offers a much better SDR experience but I might give it ago on an Odroid Xu3 that I have lying idle. These are far faster than Raspberry Pi's. The reason I might give it a go on the Odrois is because I have a spare 5V linear PSU lying around and just to experiment because SDR console has a lot of bugs when using remotely.

Here's a link to the Ebay seller of linear supplies, he will build you what you want, just remember to get an amp or 2 more than you need for more headroom. And tell him the connector you need and polarity.

https://www.ebay.com/usr/sep_store?ul_noapp=true

On Sdr console I discovered that at least on my work laptop that using bluetooth can cause a lot of audio lag and stuttering. Switching to "hands free" seems to cure it.

It doesn't happen on my own laptop. It might be different with different computers and headphones.

On the bottom right of sdr console you'll see cpu and audio, if you see audio delay creep up too 100 or more then this is the issue, try turn off the bluetooth headphones and see if it fixes it.

I had to give up on SDR Console, far too much interference from the core i5 Dell laptop. I really like SDR Console but there was issues, it didn't run smoothly all the time.

After a lot of headbanging I got it to work on an old Odroid Xu3 Lite I had lying around.

Advantages, much reduced power consumption and I have a 5 V 3.5 Amp Linear PSU that I can hopefully use which will greatly reduce noise on LF-LW and some of MW.

The Odroid works anyway, detects the Airspy HF+ and runs.

Problems to over come.

1 : Auto start script doesn't work when Odroid boots.

2 : Need to get Wifi working, using this headless all commands via SSH major pita.

I have loaded the OS image multiple times, updated it etc and keep getting corrupt emmc card, SD card worked for a while then it started to act up, I was tearing my hair out, it would work could do a lot then without warning it would power off and then corrupt sd or emmc card and have to start all over again.

Anyway , just by accident when I pulled the power one time I happened to look at the power supply and it read 2 amps so this isn't enough at all should be 3.5 - 4 amps. For some reason I had stored the PSU with the odroid , perhaps I used it temporarily .

I have a linear 3.5 amp supply that I got for one of the Kiwi's before I got the Dual 5 V supply but I have no kettle lead haha.

Linux is a pain in the ass, command after command after command and not only that, I have to go to many sites to get info on how to do this and how to do that, some info is for the raspberry PI and then I have to go and try to make that work on the Odroid. My head is melted so going to give this a break for about a while.

I'm not going to connect back sdr console now, going to leave that be for a while, too many bugs.

Going to try out some sdr's on sdr sharp, I was mighty impressed with it's noise reduction capabilities with the Airspy HF+ from listening to other sdr's.

Any update lads, what have ye done since we last posted on this thread ?

Well, I since got my Ham licence, absolutely love Ham radio, love working portable.

I swapped my SDR Play 1 and RSP1A for a End Fed Half Wave, the hyendfed.nl 5 Bank MK III in order to operate in the sitting room, some digital and the odd SSB QSO. Digital modes are handy when I want to play radio and the Missus is watching TV or reading. And when she's gone to bed and I can't be arsed going to the shack I can have QSO's. Having the setup in the sitting room means I can also listen and if I hear something good I can key up the mic and talk.

Anyway, it makes for a very good receiving antenna for SWL /MW not sure about LW because I listen mostly via the Yaesu FT-891 and it has much reduced sensitivity on LW but it picks up BBC R4 LW and RTE fine but no other stations which I assume is down to the lack of sensitivity on the 891. But the 891 makes a great MW/SWL receiver.

I still have the Airspy HF+ and it's connected to the Icom IC-7300 via the PTRX-7300 panadapter and I use it via SDR console and use Omnirig to control the radio so wherever I clock on the waterfall it follows on the radio, very cool, in fact I was considering selling the 7300 because I wasn't happy with the receive audio and no amount of messing with the built in Equaliser could make it better because it's the noise that just doesn't exist with the Airspy HF+.

The Noise reduction is also far better via SDR Console, this is what I use but having the large waterfall on the computer monitor makes so much of a difference you wouldn't believe it until you use it, it just makes the experience so much better.

I don't listen to the audio from the 7300 any more, I listen from the laptop.

Being able to select the bandwidth via the mouse wheel and click anywhere and you're tunes is really great, then fine tune with the mouse wheel.

Anyway, back to the Kiwis, sadly 3.ie have blocked the ports and nobody can connect any more via the internet and due to Covid I can not find another 4G provider, I wanted to move to Vodafone but they don't have an online shop, would you believe it ? and I can't go to the local Vodafone store.

So Kiwi will be offline for a while I'm afraid because if that's the game 3.ie want to play they can stuff it, I'd rather pay someone else. This has happened before and it just came back so keep checking, the internet connection will be live at least until the credit runs out.

Anyway, I'd be interested to know what ye're up to now.