# SoapySDR Read Stream - Samples Lost

**URL:** <https://discourse.myriadrf.org/t/soapysdr-read-stream-samples-lost/8014>\
**Category:** LimeSDR\
**Created:** [4 August 2023 20:32 UTC](https://discourse.myriadrf.org/t/soapysdr-read-stream-samples-lost/8014 "2023-08-04T20:32:44Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ChiangX9461](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b38774/32.png) [@ChiangX9461](https://discourse.myriadrf.org/u/ChiangX9461)\
**Post date:** [4 August 2023 20:32 UTC](https://discourse.myriadrf.org/t/soapysdr-read-stream-samples-lost/8014/1 "2023-08-04T20:32:44Z")

</div>

So we use Soapy APIs to implement basic radar. Specifically, we separate _Transmitting_ and _Receiving_.

Followings are codes of them:

```auto
#define CONTIGUOUS_BUFF_TX_LENGTH (int) 2e5
#define BUFF_TX_LENGTH (size_t) 1e3
#define BUFF_RX_LENGTH (size_t) 1e3
#define STREAM_TIMEOUT_TX 3e6
#define STREAM_TIMEOUT_RX 3e6
#define ZERO_DELAY_SAMPLES 96

//Begin transmitting
    int txStreamStatus = 0, rxStreamStatus = 0;
    for(int i = 0; i < CONTIGUOUS_BUFF_TX_LENGTH / BUFF_TX_LENGTH; i++)
    {
        buffsTx[0] = bufferTx;
        txStreamStatus = SoapySDRDevice_writeStream(sdr, txStream, buffsTx, BUFF_TX_LENGTH, &flags, transmitTime, STREAM_TIMEOUT_TX);
        transmitTime += BUFF_TX_LENGTH / SAMPLE_RATE_TX * 1e9; //Begin next transmission immediately after this one finishes.
        bufferTx += BUFF_TX_LENGTH; //Move buffer pointer to the next section of the contiguous buffer to be transmitted.

        if(txStreamStatus != BUFF_TX_LENGTH)
        {
            printf("[TransmitReceive] Write stream failed: %d\n", txStreamStatus);
        }
    }

```

```auto
// //Begin receiving

    for(int i = 0; i < CONTIGUOUS_BUFF_RX_LENGTH / BUFF_RX_LENGTH; i++)

    {

        buffsRx[0] = bufferRx;

        rxStreamStatus = SoapySDRDevice_readStream(sdr, rxStream, buffsRx, BUFF_RX_LENGTH, &flags, &timestampRx, STREAM_TIMEOUT_RX);

        bufferRx += BUFF_RX_LENGTH; //Move buffer pointer to the next section of the contiguous buffer to be received.

       

        if(rxStreamStatus != BUFF_RX_LENGTH)

        {

            printf("[TransmitReceive] Samples captured: %d\n", rxStreamStatus);

            if(rxStreamStatus < 0)

            {

                printf("[TransmitReceive] Read stream failed. Error Code: %d\n", rxStreamStatus);

            }

           

            *firstSampleIndex = BUFF_RX_LENGTH - rxStreamStatus + ZERO_DELAY_SAMPLES;

        }

        if(rxStreamStatus < 0) // Detect a failed chirp

        {

            printf("[TransmitReceive] Detected failed chirp! Filling buffer with zeros.\n");

            for(int j = 0; j < CONTIGUOUS_BUFF_RX_LENGTH; j++)

            {

                // contBufferRx[j] = 0*(1+I);

                contBufferRx[j].real = 0;

                contBufferRx[j].imag = 0;

            }

            break; // Skip this chirp, move on to the next one.

        }

    }

```

So the flow is:

- We set up stream first =\> `SoapySDRStream* stream = SoapySDRDevice_setupStream(sdr, direction, SOAPY_SDR_CS16, NULL, 0, &args)`
- Once RX and TX stream are set, we put the samples in the buffer.
- We then activate both the streams. =\> `SoapySDRDevice_activateStream(sdr, txStream, 0, 0, 0)` and `SoapySDRDevice_activateStream(sdr, rxStream, flags, receiveTime, 0)`

A part of the outputs is like this:

```auto
Started chirp code at time 8.742012 s
[TransmitReceive] Scheduled to transmit/receive a chirp at 9.025904 s
[TransmitReceive] Samples captured: 420
[SaveData] Saving data to file...
Finished chirp code at time 9.045836 s

```

The return value of `SoapySDRDevice_readStream()` is `the number of elements read per buffer or error code`. What I’m confused about, from receiving part of code:  
` if(rxStreamStatus != BUFF_RX_LENGTH)`  
why are some Samples lost?  
Is this a bug where I could solve or just improve the lost rate?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![RightHalfPlane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/46a35a/32.png) [@RightHalfPlane](https://discourse.myriadrf.org/u/RightHalfPlane)\
**Post date:** [4 August 2023 22:22 UTC](https://discourse.myriadrf.org/t/soapysdr-read-stream-samples-lost/8014/2 "2023-08-04T22:22:59Z")

</div>

What you are seeing depends upon the device and the system that you are using. With both the transmit and the receive, when you call writeStream/readStream it returns the number actually processed - if it is less than the number requested, you shift the buffers appropriately and do the read/write until all of the data has been processed. In universalSend, that is what the test -

```
       while(num2 > 0){
             ....

```

is about.

In universalReceive, the test -

```
	while(rec > 0){
                  ....

```

Is doing the same thing - making sure that all of the data has been progressed.

universalSend.cpp and universalReceive are found at -

> **[GitHub - righthalfplane/rfspace: Replacement routine for discover\_netsdr and...](https://github.com/righthalfplane/rfspace)**
>
> Replacement routine for discover\_netsdr and other misc programs - GitHub - righthalfplane/rfspace: Replacement routine for discover\_netsdr and other misc programs

It is not an error - that is how the routines work !