SDR gnuradio RTL-SDR x N900
 

Hello there!

Who said SDR? :D


--------------------------- WARNING ----------------------------
Warning! Anything here could burn your phone or keep you awake for one week while playing with your phone. Do not complain.
This is NOT a "DOWNLOAD this - it works perfectly" thread
This a thread like "TRY IF YOU ARE BRAVE - MAYBE IT WORKS" ...

After this, using an sdr to receive some kind of transmission is subject to different laws in every country. Please check if you are authorized to do that.
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Here attached you can find a set of binaries to use the rtl-sdr DVB-T usb sticks based on the RTL2832 chip.
Attached you can find the rtl-sdr updated driver, gnuradio and gqrx 2.1 (+some dependecies).

Update: now rtl-sdr updated package are also available in extras-testing repo.
Gnuradio and gqrx not yet packaged due a lot of time needed to fix and package them.

All tar packages should be unpacked in /opt and, if required, linked in the standard paths.

PLEASE, don't ask about missing libs, files not found or similar problems.
First of all TRY, check if you have all the repos enabled and search for what is missing.
Check python scripts, it could be that somewhere there is still some reference to scratchbox targets..

A few packages that you could need:

apt-get install libfftw3-3 xml-core python-lxml liborc-0.4-0 python-numpy libportaudio2 libjack0 libsdl1.2 python2.5-qt4 libqt4-core libqt4-gui libqt4-svg libqt4-xml libboost-thread1.42.0 libboost-filesystem1.42.0 libboost-date-time1.42.0 libboost-program-options1.42.0 libboost-system1.42.0 libice6 libasound2 libexpat1 libwxbase2.8-0 libwxgtk2.8-0 python-wxgtk2.8 python-wxtools python-wxversion


Pay attention to the battery because this kind of devices draw away a lot of mA....and you could see your phone shutting down in a bad way because battery has reached the 0%.

Speed? Yes, it's a problem... But, let'see...

Ready to start?
- battery charged
- usb host mode with h-e-n (FULL/HIGH SPEED HOSTMODE - VBOOST ON)
- host mode adapter cable
- rtl-sdr usb dvb key
- check the key with lsusb (if not present switch off/on hostmode and retry)

Bonus:
MultimonNG a fork of multimon. It decodes the following digital transmission modes:

POCSAG512 POCSAG1200 POCSAG2400
EAS
UFSK1200 CLIPFSK AFSK1200 AFSK2400 AFSK2400_2 AFSK2400_3
HAPN4800
FSK9600
DTMF
ZVEI1 ZVEI2 ZVEI3 DZVEI PZVEI
EEA EIA CCIR
MORSE CW

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Examples:

To receive an UHF ham radio frequency(430.175 MHZ):
/opt/rtl-sdr/bin/rtl_fm -f 430175000 -N -r 11000 - | aplay -r 11k -f S16_LE -t raw -c 1

To receive an FM Radio(96.6 MHZ):
/opt/rtl-sdr/bin/rtl_fm -f 96600000 -W -s 200000 -r 48000 - | aplay -r 48k -f S16_LE -t raw -c 1

Update: using the rtl-sdr available in extras-testing repo, syntax has changed to:
rtl_fm -f 430175000 -M fm -r 11000 - | aplay -r 11k -f S16_LE -t raw -c 1
and
rtl_fm -f 96600000 -M wfm -s 200000 -r 48000 - | aplay -r 48k -f S16_LE -t raw -c 1

Please check rtl_fm --help:
rtl_fm, a simple narrow band FM demodulator for RTL2832 based DVB-T receivers

Use: rtl_fm -f freq [-options] [filename]
-f frequency_to_tune_to [Hz]
use multiple -f for scanning (requires squelch)
ranges supported, -f 118M:137M:25k
[-M modulation (default: fm)]
fm, wbfm, raw, am, usb, lsb
wbfm == -M fm -s 170k -o 4 -A fast -r 32k -l 0 -E deemp
raw mode outputs 2x16 bit IQ pairs
[-s sample_rate (default: 24k)]
[-d device_index (default: 0)]
[-g tuner_gain (default: automatic)]
[-l squelch_level (default: 0/off)]
[-p ppm_error (default: 0)]
[-E enable_option (default: none)]
use multiple -E to enable multiple options
edge: enable lower edge tuning
dc: enable dc blocking filter
deemp: enable de-emphasis filter
direct: enable direct sampling
offset: enable offset tuning
filename ('-' means stdout)
omitting the filename also uses stdout

Experimental options:
[-r resample_rate (default: none / same as -s)]
[-t squelch_delay (default: 10)]
+values will mute/scan, -values will exit
[-F fir_size (default: off)]
enables low-leakage downsample filter
size can be 0 or 9. 0 has bad roll off
[-A std/fast/lut choose atan math (default: std)]

Produces signed 16 bit ints, use Sox or aplay to hear them.
rtl_fm ... | play -t raw -r 24k -es -b 16 -c 1 -V1 -
| aplay -r 24k -f S16_LE -t raw -c 1
-M wbfm | play -r 32k ...
-s 22050 | multimon -t raw /dev/stdin


To record a stream:
/opt/rtl-sdr/bin/rtl_fm -f 90700000 -W -r 11000 - | lame -r -s 11000 -m m -b 64 - a.mp3

rtl_fm and multimon-ng examples:
http://kmkeen.com/rtl-demod-guide/index.html
---------------------------------------------------------------------
DOWNLOAD:

Packages based on gnuradio 3.6.5.1 with gqrx 2.1.251:
http://ge.tt/4mHP5Tr

MULTIMON-NG decoder:
http://ge.tt/6GXzeqr/v/0

Packages based on gnuradio 3.6.2:
http://ge.tt/9x1WsXq

Mirror: (thanks to Joerg_rw!)
http://maemo.cloud-7.de/maemo5/opt/rtlsdr/

Attached you can find the "rtl-sdr.rules" udev file. (thanks to szopin)
This is needed to avoid fixing the /dev/xxx permissions to allow "user" to access the device.

PS.
If you want download from shell, attached you can find the "dirty" gett_downloader.sh
---------------------------------------------------------------------
References:
Driver:
http://cgit.osmocom.org/rtl-sdr/log/

Gnuradio:
http://gnuradio.org/redmine/projects/gnuradio/wiki

Gqrx:
http://gnuradio.org/redmine/projects/gnuradio/wiki

Multimon-ng:
https://github.com/EliasOenal/multimon-ng

Re: SDR gnuradio RTL-SDR x N900
 

AWESOME!
and you beat me on it :-)
This is another proof why linux "phones" not dead :-D

cheers
jOERG

ps: "mirrored" at http://maemo.cloud-7.de/maemo5/opt/rtlsdr/
PPS: make sure you got improved booston script in h-e-n: http://maemo.cloud-7.de/maemo5/usr/sbin/booston, VBUS is at the edge on this setup, with the max 200mA it can provide. Consider http://talk.maemo.org/showthread.php...203#post921203 hostmode-powered

Re: SDR gnuradio RTL-SDR x N900
 

I'm also planning to buy this OTG cable:
http://www.ebay.it/itm/Micro-USB-Hos...item3a846108be

It seems a good solution to make things easy

Re: SDR gnuradio RTL-SDR x N900
 

wow,

that's fantastic.

will look into it.

how long lasts the battery?

regards

Re: SDR gnuradio RTL-SDR x N900
 

Well, i had no time to evaluate how long the battery could last while receiving... but for sure not many hours! ;)

Re: SDR gnuradio RTL-SDR x N900
 

Linux phones are the future believe that!

Re: SDR gnuradio RTL-SDR x N900
 

Oh $#!7!!!!
this is effing awesome!!
Do you know the pain I wnet through to get this working on Ubuntu?!!?!?

Re: SDR gnuradio RTL-SDR x N900
 

I wonder how hard it would be to add on xmit side to a RTL2832. Joerg, I want this built into my Neo900!! :)
Redonkulous stuff like this is why mobile carriers will never mass market phones like the N900.

Re: SDR gnuradio RTL-SDR x N900
 

We might allow a method to add it via the planned general purpose expansion interface under back cover. Get a mugen cover to make some empty space you could fill with rtl2832 and other nice stuff.
/j

Re: SDR gnuradio RTL-SDR x N900
 

Hope it fits with my Touchstone charger and the dual SIM adapter, :)
seriously though that would be great use for all of the extra room in a Mugen!
It was doing OTG stuff which first forced me to go Mugen/double Scud.

Re: SDR gnuradio RTL-SDR x N900
 

http://www.rtl-sdr.com/wp-content/up...self-View1.jpg
For hams and those who follow HF bands there is this downconverter kit
http://www.easy-kits.com/rtlsdr-for-...onverter-rev-4
It fits inside the dongle enclosure!
This is the Smallest all-band HF receiver in the world, now for the N900.
http://www.rtl-sdr.com/wp-content/up...Opened-Up1.jpg

Re: SDR gnuradio RTL-SDR x N900
 

Awesome and very interesting. Can't wait to see PoF "real world" usage tests (i.e. using such setup - probably, with better antenna ;) as substitute of x or y separate hardware - as PoF, without ergonomic optimizations).

/Estel

Re: SDR gnuradio RTL-SDR x N900
 

Well, i hope someone would start trying this kind of setup, sharing opinions and experiences......Maybe also posting here some gnuradio grc file like these examples:

http://superkuh.com/rtlsdr.html

or...why not ...a next generation GNSS positioning system receiver!

http://www.gnss-sdr.org/documentatio...dvb-t-receiver

or...receive NOAA images:
http://www.oz9aec.net/index.php/gnu-...ongle-and-gqrx

We need any feedback/ideas because this could help to do the right choices while engineering .....the new Neo900!
http://talk.maemo.org/showthread.php?t=91142

Re: SDR gnuradio RTL-SDR x N900
 

Xes, projects like this and fldigi are great, and I mean kick@$$ great. The only issue is if you don't send them up to the unstable repos it means that installing and more importantly uninstalling is a super pain unless we take great notes and are sure to clean up our mess when the next version comes out. Even providing the bins with a make install/uniststall would help though I think at that point pushing out a .deb might be easier.
Thanks again for the uber cool work.

Re: SDR gnuradio RTL-SDR x N900
 

You are perfectly right.
But i haven't much free time to prepare debs in a proper way.

Prepare a few deb files that with an automated procedure could damage your system because i have no much time to check how they are working in all situations... is really worst than force who wants to try to use his mind to double check what he is doing.

When all this will be stable and considered useful for the community, i would spend some time to package all the required files.

Re: SDR gnuradio RTL-SDR x N900
 

Just updated the first post with new packages based on gnuradio 3.6.5.1 and gqrx 2.1.251.

Have fun!

Re: SDR gnuradio RTL-SDR x N900
 

OH,this is very cool ,
is it possible to let osmocomBB run on n900?
http://bb.osmocom.org/trac/

Re: SDR gnuradio RTL-SDR x N900
 

Err probably not. This is strictly about rtl2832 DVB-T USB dongles attached to N900 via H-E-N hostmode, while osmocomBB is for calypso modem chipset afaik. See "compatible phone" link on the page you linked: http://bb.osmocom.org/trac/wiki/Hardware/Phones. N900 has a BB5 modem made by TI(?) for Nokia exclusively, and this modem has signed firmware that you can't replace by osmocomBB even if you knew about the chip's internals.

Re: SDR gnuradio RTL-SDR x N900
 

AIUI the specs say you get a usb dongle wtih 500kHz..50MHz. I don't see how you can use the original range of the DVB-T dongle which is ~50MHz..2000MHz when the converter got installed. You at least would need a means to switch off and bypass the converter, and unless you do that with a slide switch on the dongle, there's probably no way to do it via USB.
Did I miss something? Did they find a cute way to control the converter e.g. via the IR, LED or other GPIO on rtl2832? Or would I actually need two of those for the full range?

/j

Re: SDR gnuradio RTL-SDR x N900
 

thank you reply.
osmocomBB devided into two separate applications:
1,running on the baseband chip of the phone
2,running on a PC, communicating with the baseband firmware over serial

i mean is possible use n900 instead of PC host ,connect "compatible phone" (@@MotorolaC115@@) to N900 via H-E-N hostmode,MotorolaC115. MotorolaC115 run osmocomBB baseband firmware ,and N900 run Firmware management and GSM Layer 2/3 application
sorry ,my bad english ..
http://bb.osmocom.org/trac/wiki/Applications

Re: SDR gnuradio RTL-SDR x N900
 

Even so it still is so cheap and small even carrying two.

I suppose you could repackage two dongles together and run software to activate one or the other. If you felt especially tricky you could put a duplexer onto the antenna feed and run the HF to the modded dongle and VHF+ to the unmodded one.

Re: SDR gnuradio RTL-SDR x N900
 

The longer I know my N900 the less I think there's *anything* it can't do ;-)
I wouldn't see a reason why you can't use it the way you suggested.
/j

Re: SDR gnuradio RTL-SDR x N900
 

HEY, doesn't E4000 (or the 802?) tuner come with two antenna inputs to switch between? :-D
/j

Re: SDR gnuradio RTL-SDR x N900
 

This is the coolest thing I have seen this month.

You can get 500 bonus internet points if you can decode POCSAG pager messages in real time.

Re: SDR gnuradio RTL-SDR x N900
 

Sorry, i have no experience with osmocomBB, but i tried to build osmocomBB and also osmocomGMR without success.. :(

Re: SDR gnuradio RTL-SDR x N900
 

for osmocomBB questions you might want to /join #osmocom
for talking to author of rtl_fm et al: /join ##rtlsdr
/j

Re: SDR gnuradio RTL-SDR x N900
 

Probably you should check again the first post searching for some "bonus"... ;)

....multimon-ng!

Re: SDR gnuradio RTL-SDR x N900
 

OK, I am a SDR freak so I want to give this a try but since I only currently have my everyday N900 I want to be careful.
Can you post the exact directories each of these files should link to?
Obviously they will go into the directories contained in the tars but I just want to be sure I am grabbing everything needed.
I dont want to go through a bootloop crisis like I did installing the pre-.deb 720p video drivers.

Re: SDR gnuradio RTL-SDR x N900
 

Dosbox will run a nice POCSAG decoder, I will look around for the files, there are on some hard disk around here.

(edit) here we go everything to build the infrastructure and hack old pagers for a paging network on amateur radio(or whatever) freqs for probably under $100, also has the DOS decoder towards the bottom.
http://www.qsl.net/kb9mwr/projects/pager/plan.html
(edit2) or just use the now included multimon!

Re: SDR gnuradio RTL-SDR x N900
 

BTW the dongle I have has a PAL antenna connector for those wanting to geek on some satellite passes. Is there libgnuradio-NOAA for grabbing weather sats in your build? answer = $/gnuradio/lib/libgnuradio-noaa-3.6.5.1.so

Re: SDR gnuradio RTL-SDR x N900
 

Here the list of the libs included into latest gnuradio (3.6.5.1) build:

libgnuradio-analog-3.6.5.1.so
libgnuradio-atsc-3.6.5.1.so
libgnuradio-audio-3.6.5.1.so
libgnuradio-blocks-3.6.5.1.so
libgnuradio-comedi-3.6.5.1.so
libgnuradio-core-3.6.5.1.so
libgnuradio-digital-3.6.5.1.so
libgnuradio-fcd-3.6.5.1.so
libgnuradio-fft-3.6.5.1.so
libgnuradio-filter-3.6.5.1.so
libgnuradio-noaa-3.6.5.1.so
libgnuradio-osmosdr-0.0.3git.so
libgnuradio-pager-3.6.5.1.so
libgnuradio-trellis-3.6.5.1.so
libgnuradio-video-sdl-3.6.5.1.so
libgnuradio-vocoder-3.6.5.1.so
libgnuradio-wavelet-3.6.5.1.so
libgruel-3.6.5.1.so
libvolk.so

Talking about POCSAG... yes you can decode it with included multimon-ng:

Here an example:
http://eliasoenal.com/2012/05/24/multimonng/
(the process seem to work also into a raspberry pi using half cpu....so why not into the N900?)

Then, multimon-ng can decode APRS AX25 AFSK DTMF CTCSS ... could you imagine? :D

Re: SDR gnuradio RTL-SDR x N900
 

I still don't see *or* understand why it couldn't land in extras-devel.

Re: SDR gnuradio RTL-SDR x N900
 

So far, no one has reported this PRE-APLHA experiment as "sometimes for me it works" or "yeah useful! I managed to receive..." or "it works but we have not enough speed to... " or at least "just tried - it does not work at all"...

...And i'm missing the most important requirement needed to package all this bunch of libs... TIME

Re: SDR gnuradio RTL-SDR x N900
 

Xes, this is ridiculously bad@$$ and since I have the hardware on hand I will give it a test once I am sure what to link where. For example the contents of folder gnuradio symlink to /usr?
What dependencies are required since we are hand installing?

Re: SDR gnuradio RTL-SDR x N900
 

You could start installing:

apt-get install libfftw3-3 xml-core python-lxml liborc-0.4-0 python-numpy libportaudio2 libjack0 libsdl1.2 python2.5-qt4 libqt4-core libqt4-gui libqt4-svg libqt4-xml libboost-thread1.42.0 libboost-filesystem1.42.0 libboost-date-time1.42.0 libboost-program-options1.42.0 libboost-system1.42.0 libice6 libasound2 libexpat1


(the other requirements are into the tar provided in first post: libusb-1, swig 2.0.3, python cheetah)

Then unpack all the tar.gz in /opt, add the library paths into /etc/ld.so.conf or create in /usr/lib the symbolink links to the libs contained into the tar.
In this way every app could use all this libs.

You could also:
ln -s /opt/rtl_sdr/bin/rtl_fm /usr/bin/rtl_fm

Re: SDR gnuradio RTL-SDR x N900
 

No not bad=bad/crap but bada$s as in (bad=ultra awesome)
thanks for the leads, will try this within 24hrs(I hope)

Re: SDR gnuradio RTL-SDR x N900
 

Reporting in (3.6.5.1 version tested):
radio (rtl_fm) works!
gqrx - GUI works when started by user, but this leaves radio off as it needs root, sadly gui segfaults when run as root


Has anyone managed to get dvb running with mplayer? I have channels.conf file in ~/.mplayer but it still complains 'DVB CONFIGURATION IS EMPTY, exit'. Probably not enough processing power, but would still be fun to try (with OC might even work, though this will kill the battery very quickly)

EDIT: forgot to mention and someone might find this helpful, to avoid mass symlinking I just dumped all .so's in one folder and use 'export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=<folder>' before running any of the progs, seems to work fine

Re: SDR gnuradio RTL-SDR x N900
 

Please try to chmod the rtl_sdr usb device /dev/xxx (i can't remember ..) then start gqrx as user.
Check if it segfaults due a missing library....
Or try the older gqrx.

Talking about dvb, we don't have the dvb driver for the rtl_sdr devices into kernel power.
If we had this kind of module, we should unload it before use rtl_fm.

Re: SDR gnuradio RTL-SDR x N900
 

rwxed usbdev1.58_ep81, changed ownership to user:users, added rtl-sdr.rules to udev... works :) (probably udev rules was all that was needed, used this one http://www.sendspace.com/file/p2cvl0 then 'sudo cp rtl-sdr.rules /etc/udev/rules.d/15-rtl-sdr.rules' and finally
'sudo udevadm control --reload_rules')

wow, this really gets crazy on the battery, hopefully just a fluke

Re: SDR gnuradio RTL-SDR x N900
 

Yep... probably the battery charge goes down just like in a free fall...
BUT pay attention that during host-mode you can't read the battery status because bme is disabled so i suppose that battery-eye reads always a 0% battery as soon as you switch the usb mode.