LimeSDR Mini: Need install instructions for gqrx under Ubuntu

Projects LimeSDR
1

Hi,
Has anybody managed to get LimeSDR Mini to work with GQRX under Ubuntu?

I’m trying to do that on an Intel I5 machine running 64-bit Ubuntu 18 with GQRX 2.9 using a USB 2 connection. No Luck so far. Pressing the GQRX Play button does nothing.

The GQRX installation itself is OK on this machine (as the RTL’s work fine for receive).
The problem is what settings to use for the LimeSDR Mini?

When LimeSuiteGUI 18.10.0 is run, ConnectionSettings give LimeSDR Mini [USB 2.0] as the only choice. So, selecting that gives a connection:

INFO: Connected Control port: LimeSDR-Mini FW:5 HW:0 Protocol:1 GW:1.24 Ref Clk: 40.00 MHz

Then, I launch GQRX and go to Configure I/O Devices, and set:

DEVICE: Other
DEVICE STRING: driver=lime,soapy=0
INPUT RATE: 1000000
DECIMATION: none
BANDWIDTH: 0.5MHz
LNB LO: 0MHz

When I press the Play button - nothing happens.
I get ‘No audio FFTdata’ messages scrolling in the terminal window.

Also, the Antenna setting in Input Controls is blank and cannot be modified.

Obviously, I’m missing a setting somewhere. Any Ideas?

Thanks,
John

2

Don’t try to open the device in LimeSuite and GQRX at the same time. Just launch GQRX without opening LimeSDR Mini in LimeSuite.

3

Hi Garmus,
Thanks for the quick response. Actually, I was wondering about that. I assumed all along that you needed to start LimeSuiteGUI and make a connection to the LimeSDR Mini from there first, before launching GQRX. But perhaps I’m wrong about that. It’s not clear.
Anyway, I tried shutting down both LimeSuite GUI and GQRX, unplugging the LimeSDR Mini, reconnecting it, and just starting GQRX on its own. No luck. Pressing play still does nothing.
We need a step-by-step guide for this.

John

4

What is written to the console?
What is the original device string suggested by GQRX?

Try:
driver=lime,soapy=2

5

OK, some progress made. I now see the spectrum and waterfall plots, but its
still not working right.

Here are the steps I’m using:

1: Plug the LimeSDR Mini into USB 2 port.
2: In a terminal, enter: gqrx -r
3: The Configure I/O Devices window pops up, with ‘Complex Sampled IQ file’
pre-selected in the DEVICE field.
4: Change this to LimeSDR Mini [USB 2.0].
5: The DEVICE STRING field changes to:
addr=24607:1027,driver=lime,media=‘USB 2.0’,module=uLimeSDR,
name=‘LimeSDR Mini’,serial=1D3AD6********,soapy=2
6: The other fields are:
INPUT RATE: 5000000
DECIMATION: none
BANDWIDTH: 0.000000MHz
LNB LO: 0.000000MHz

7: Pressing the Play button does nothing, and ‘No audio FFT data’ starts scrolling
on the terminal window. The Antenna field is blank and can’t be altered.

8: Now, changing the DEVICE STRING field to ‘device=lime,soapy=2’, the spectrum
and waterfall plots appear. Cool!

But I’m not sure what I’m looking at. The spectrum plot looks the same, no matter what
frequency I set. I should be seeing strong local signals in the FM band, but I don’t.
Something else is missing.

Thanks for the help this far.

John.

---------- gqrx output messages ----------
$ gqrx -r
linux; GNU C++ version 7.3.0; Boost_106501; UHD_003.010.003.000-0-unknown

Controlport disabled
No user supplied config file. Using “default.conf”
“/home/john/.config/gqrx/default.conf” deleted
gr-osmosdr 0.1.4 (0.1.4) gnuradio 3.7.11
built-in source types: file osmosdr fcd rtl rtl_tcp uhd miri hackrf bladerf rfspace airspy airspyhf soapy redpitaya freesrp
FM demod gain: 3.05577
Resampling audio 96000 -> 48000
IQ DCR alpha: 1.04166e-05
Using audio backend: auto
BookmarksFile is /home/john/.config/gqrx/bookmarks.csv
Cannot connect to server socket err = No such file or directory
Cannot connect to server request channel
jack server is not running or cannot be started
JackShmReadWritePtr::~JackShmReadWritePtr - Init not done for -1, skipping unlock
JackShmReadWritePtr::~JackShmReadWritePtr - Init not done for -1, skipping unlock

RtApiAlsa::getDeviceInfo: snd_pcm_open error for device (hw:0,0), Device or resource busy.

getDeviceList : Available input devices:
0 : “RFSPACE SDR-IQ Receiver”
1 : “RFSPACE SDR-IP Receiver”
2 : “RFSPACE NetSDR Receiver”
3 : “RFSPACE Cloud-IQ Receiver”
4 : “hw:HDA Intel PCH,0”
5 : “default”
6 : “LimeSDR Mini [USB 2.0] 1D3AD633012E13”
7 : “RTL-SDR Spectrum Server”
8 : “Red Pitaya Transceiver Server”
9 : “Complex Sampled (IQ) File”
Loading configuration from: “default.conf”
Configuration file: “/home/john/.config/gqrx/default.conf”
No change in output device:
old:
new:
New FFT rate: 25 Hz
Requested bandwidth: 0 Hz
Actual bandwidth : 0 Hz
setFreqCorr : 0 ppm
New LNB LO: 0 Hz
updateHWFrequencyRange failed fetching new hardware frequency range
New mode index: 2
Filter preset for mode 2 LO: -5000 HI: 5000
Generating taps for new filter LO:-5000 HI:5000 TW:2000 Taps: 115
setFftRate to “25 fps”
New FFT rate: 25 Hz
New FFT rate: 25 Hz
setFftSize to “8192”
New FFT rate: 25 Hz
Launching I/O device editor
firstTimeConfig
CIoConfig : Available output devices:
0 : “Built-in Audio Analog Stereo”
New input device selected: 1
Label: “LimeSDR Mini [USB 2.0] 1D3AD633012E13”
Devstr: “addr=24607:1027,driver=lime,media=‘USB 2.0’,module=uLimeSDR,name=‘LimeSDR Mini’,serial=1D3AD633012E13,soapy=2”
saveConfig
Loading configuration from: “/home/john/.config/gqrx/default.conf”
Configuration file: “/home/john/.config/gqrx/default.conf”
gr-osmosdr 0.1.4 (0.1.4) gnuradio 3.7.11
built-in source types: file osmosdr fcd rtl rtl_tcp uhd miri hackrf bladerf rfspace airspy airspyhf soapy redpitaya freesrp
[INFO] Make connection: ‘LimeSDR Mini [USB 2.0] 1D3AD633012E13’
[INFO] Device name: LimeSDR-mini
[INFO] Reference: 40 MHz
[INFO] Init LMS7002M(0)
[INFO] Ver=7, Rev=1, Mask=1
[INFO] LMS7002M calibration values caching Disable
CGEN: Freq=80 MHz, VCO=2.56 GHz, INT=63, FRAC=0, DIV_OUTCH_CGEN=15
CGEN: Freq=61.44 MHz, VCO=2.4576 GHz, INT=60, FRAC=461373, DIV_OUTCH_CGEN=19
CGEN: Freq=61.44 MHz, VCO=2.4576 GHz, INT=60, FRAC=461373, DIV_OUTCH_CGEN=19
M=156, N=3, Fvco=1040.000 MHz
M=156, N=3, Fvco=1040.000 MHz
MCU programming : 16384/16384
MCU Programming finished, 2501 ms
[ERROR] MCU working too long 4
[ERROR] setBandwidth(Rx, 0, 30 MHz) Failed -

FATAL:

Trying to fill up 1 missing channel(s) with null source(s).
This is being done to prevent the application from crashing
due to gnuradio bug #528.

No change in output device:
old:
new:

Failed to set RX input rate to 5e+06
Your device may not be working properly.

IQ DCR samp_rate: 5e+06
IQ DCR alpha: 2e-07
Changing NB_RX quad rate: 96000 -> 5e+06
Requested sample rate: 5000000
Actual sample rate : “5000000.000000”
New FFT rate: 25 Hz
Requested bandwidth: 0 Hz
Actual bandwidth : 0 Hz
setFreqCorr : 0 ppm
New LNB LO: 0 Hz
updateHWFrequencyRange failed fetching new hardware frequency range
New mode index: 2
Filter preset for mode 2 LO: -5000 HI: 5000
Generating taps for new filter LO:-5000 HI:5000 TW:2000 Taps: 115
setFftRate to “25 fps”
New FFT rate: 25 Hz
New FFT rate: 25 Hz
setFftSize to “8192”
New FFT rate: 25 Hz

6

Try to set bandwidth to 5000000 (same as sample-rate) and select the LNAW antenna, i believe by default GQRX sets antenna as ‘None’.