plutosdr GNURADIO programs/personalities that you like? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / rf-microwave

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 01, 2023, 04:55:24 am
content: I have been playing with the PLUTOSDR finally and got some FM signal etc.I was wondering if anyone has RF programs (block flow charts) that they made up for whatever purpose that they like for doing whatever advanced thing.I did this onehttps://wiki.gnuradio.org/images/e/e4/FMRadio_PlutoSDR.pngand it works on USA FM radio OK with a biconical antenna held over my headBut I am thinking maybe someone made something advanced they want to share for a program/capabilities library or just block screen shots if its simple enough.

author: RoGeorge
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 01, 2023, 05:17:00 am
content: Congrats for your FM radio!Not GNU Radio, yet very useful tool to turn Pluto into an RF generator + Spectrum Analyzer: SATSAGEN.https://www.eevblog.com/forum/rf-microwave/adalm-pluto-as-simple-spectrum-analyzerw-tracking/Author's blog and download page for SATSAGENhttps://www.albfer.com/en/

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 01, 2023, 06:01:00 am
content: this one is tied to a raspi in a box so it runs on SDR linux, I can't use that program unfortunately. But I did add USB bulkhead connectors to the box so I can connect it to a computer but still make use of the LNA and N-connectors etc.Not finished yet for pics but its useful. I need to make a keyboard mount on the front too (usb keyboard and it has a 10 inch raspi touchscreen from adafruit). I need to get the atomic clock input on the sdr working too, and wire the USB-c to 20V power board for the atomic clock. Side tracked on the project last year (uses 2x power banks)The main problem with these designs is good cables for interconnects, USB sucks for cramped chassis routing... right now its packed with too long cables since its not finalized. I guess though it works and connectors are unlikely to break off with the longer cables lol but this did not come out like I planned.What I am gonna need is like low strain relief specialty USB cables that are more fragile for the interior interconnects eventually because it could be made smaller

author: RoGeorge
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 01, 2023, 07:30:58 am
content: I'm using SATSAGEN in Linux, trough WineHQ. WINE seems to be available for RPi, too, though never tried that. Looks like SATSAGEN should work with WINE on RPi, too.About pluto, beware there are no RF filters. This might come in handy, since the generated output is almost square wave, which will give you a tens of GHz generator by using the 3rd, 5th, 7th (or more) harmonic.Also by design, the clock for Tx and Rx frequency synth are not phase locked, so you can not make a VNA. Good news is that the chip can be unlocked to 6GHz. Same with the ARM core in the FPGA, can be unlocked to dual core.Another thing I've noticed at Pluto, the oscillator is not very stable. Breathing near the osc can, or waving your hand nearby will imply frequency deviation, easy to spot when looking at a narrow band yet high frequency signal.If you plan to sit the board in a fixed enclosure, it would be a pitty to not add some RF shielding (there is no shielding in the original plastic box). You may want to consider adding connectors for the second Rx/Tx (the transceiver chip has 2 Rx/Tx channels). I've seen on a blog how to make use of the second Rx/Tx channel - it involved some micro holes in the PCB, to access the missing BGA pins - but didn't have the link, sorry.There is at least one Python module, too, for Pluto SDR (PySDR), great for custom processing and closer control than in GNU Radio. GNU Radio can insert custom defined blocks (with your own Python code running on such custom blocks, though in GNU Radio you'll have to use a certain template for the datastream). Depending on each programming skill and goals, PySDR might be more productive than GNU Radio.No matter the OS you connect it, Pluto SDR will appear as a LAN over USB (IIRC default Pluto IP was 192.168.2.1 and default HOST IP was 192.168.2.10). Another thing I've only realized much later is that you can control the transceiver chip by reading/writing values (live) to Pluto Linux files (pluto runs Linux inside its Zynq FPGA, on a dual core ARM), for example with cat or echo to files. Even when The Pluto SDR is under the control of some other program, you can SSH to 192.168.2.1 as user root, pass analog, and read live values, or troll the main application live, by echo-ing another number to the Linux file corresponding to the frequency register.

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 01, 2023, 04:36:20 pm
content: Oh yeah the thing is wrapped in copper and then it’s in a nickel box or something really non reactive to acid mixes (maybe ferritin stainless). Magnetic and very acid resistant . Spot welded the box for it and wedges it in there with flurosikicone rubber

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 01, 2023, 09:21:42 pm
content: hmm for the program in wine, I am not sure if its too resource intensive.When I tried to demodulate using SDRANGEL it was really choppy. That program takes forever to load, and when it demodulates FM you get like 0.5 second of audio and a pause. I thought it was something with the CPU.the GNU-RADIO runs fine.Is that program resource intensive?And for the dual channel, damn I wish I knew that before hand. No real room in chassis for more channels but I made everything on brazed standoffs with plates, so its trivial to relocate everything to another enclosure.Does using the other channel degrade performance by having to share cycles ?Not much info on the other channels. I guess I need to read the data sheet for the transiever chip. But my programming skill is LOW so I dunno how useful it is, unless it interfaces nicely with GNU radio and stuff. I have a feeling that extra channel might be racoon city for me.It says the newer revisions have UFL connectors, and TBH, I modified the RASPI to have a UFL connector, and I don't want to modify anything nearly as dense again. That 0201 resistor made me blow a gasket I was there trying to bridge that area for 2 hours and I even bought desoldering tweezers and the smallest soldering iron tip possible LOL.If this one is successful I don't see why I could not build another multi channel one using a newer PLUTO so I don't need to mod that PCB. Two would be good to have anyway since you can leave one some where and attempt to communicate to it with another one. And uh, for the dual channel one, I would make it bigger, with a bigger more expensive touch screen, this one is kinda difficult to use for complex stuff. This one is def the field unit not the one for command center.

author: RoGeorge
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 01, 2023, 11:11:45 pm
content: For GNU Radio, I've never tried it with RPi, but I remember issues on a desktop, too. It's not the processing power, it's the bandwidth. The datastream is sent to the PC through a LAN connection over USB2.0, which is too low speed for the max sampling rate coming from the transceiver. Try setting from GNU Radio a lower sampling rate.If you need another Pluto, might get cheaper to buy something else with the same transceiver chip from Aliexpress. I've seen some years ago a Pluto-like clone with both Rx/Tx channels in use. Another option is to buy a proper SDR, with Gbit Ethernet, like the USRP from NI. USRP is an open SDR project baught by NI from the Ettus Research. I expect the Aliexpress price of an USRP to be about the same as an ADALM-Pluto. USRP is supported by NI's LabVIEW, Matlab, GNU Radio, Python, etc.At first I've been tempted to buy 2 Pluto, just like you, but it grows old fast, and after fiddling with the Pluto SDR for a while, it ended in a box and powered once a year or less. Now I'm happy I didn't buy 2 of them. If you must have a second receiver, maybe buy a $20 RTL SDR.

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 01, 2023, 11:58:29 pm
content: you misunderstood, gnuradio works fine, SDRANGEL works like crap.

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 02, 2023, 03:29:53 am
content: also I am interested in any kind of program that benefits from high clock stability. I got a hardline miniature pigtail and the appropriate connectors so I can connect the atomic clock to the plutoSDR by removing the on board oscillator, and a nice new through hole breakout board for the x72, because I really don't want to figure out what foot print those SMD parts were LOL.i think the clock should work with the bulkhead 0.047 pigtail, then I can remove the crystal and solder the hardline in place. nice and neat with no stripping etc