# Why is LimeSDR so unreliable

**URL:** <https://discourse.myriadrf.org/t/why-is-limesdr-so-unreliable/7052>\
**Category:** LimeSDR\
**Created:** [25 March 2021 13:40 UTC](https://discourse.myriadrf.org/t/why-is-limesdr-so-unreliable/7052 "2021-03-25T13:40:42Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![ugy99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@ugy99](https://discourse.myriadrf.org/u/ugy99)\
**Post date:** [25 March 2021 13:40 UTC](https://discourse.myriadrf.org/t/why-is-limesdr-so-unreliable/7052/1 "2021-03-25T13:40:42Z")

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Hello,  
I have been fiddling around with limeSDR past 4 months or so and I still could no figure out how this device exactly works. I managed to demodulate a simple AM signal the first week I got this board and now even that task is so hard to do reliably. For instance let me show you two different plots I got from the receive channel. When the center frequency is not tuned to the carrier frequency correctly, I get rectangles filled with sine as expected. However, when the LO frequency is tuned correctly, I get total garbage !?!?!?!?? The board’s behavior changes every time I turn it on. I am doing all the tasks using LimeSuite API c++ library and as far as I am concerned, it has the most unhelpful examples and documentation out of all the c++ libraries ever created on this earth. Besides all that, there is no place to get help from except this forum. The official support/tutorials/examples are not at all present. Below are the plots I was talking about.

 ![Screen Shot 2021-03-25 at 15.57.01](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/uploads/myriadrf/original/2X/1/1a35bce94210159762535603564160a7ec2114eb.png)

 ![Screen Shot 2021-03-25 at 15.56.51](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/uploads/myriadrf/original/2X/3/311ee62eff99c986fa42c02aaeaf0de68b9bd843.png)

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**Author:** ![AA7QQ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/13edae/32.png) [@AA7QQ](https://discourse.myriadrf.org/u/AA7QQ)\
**Post date:** [27 March 2021 12:19 UTC](https://discourse.myriadrf.org/t/why-is-limesdr-so-unreliable/7052/2 "2021-03-27T12:19:01Z")

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Are you cooling the board? If not, you might want to. I have used heat conductive epoxy to adhere small heat sinks to all major ICs & have a fan on the enclosure.  
I use 2 Limes set up this way & they are as stable as can be.

Ed

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**Author:** ![HansKarel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/90db22/32.png) [@HansKarel](https://discourse.myriadrf.org/u/HansKarel)\
**Post date:** [27 March 2021 12:21 UTC](https://discourse.myriadrf.org/t/why-is-limesdr-so-unreliable/7052/3 "2021-03-27T12:21:53Z")

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Why don’t you first try the LimeSDR with proven software? Simply download the free SDR console V3.  
I use it now for more than a year without problems, as a transceiver for the Oscar-100 sattellite.  
Quality is constant and the settings are still in it.  
In your case put an antenna on it (or a piece of wire) and listen to FM broadcast stations then you now if its working correct.

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**Author:** ![Vinh\_Hk](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/discourse.myriadrf.org/vinh_hk/32/3852_2.png) [@Vinh\_Hk](https://discourse.myriadrf.org/u/Vinh_Hk)\
**Post date:** [6 April 2021 13:13 UTC](https://discourse.myriadrf.org/t/why-is-limesdr-so-unreliable/7052/4 "2021-04-06T13:13:59Z")

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Hello, @ugy99, I’m also having an hard time using the limesdr mini for NMR studies. I’m at the moment trying to make a short, simple, RF burst. However, if I can use GNU Radio to do simple task, I want something more precise and with much more control. I decided to use python library but I can’t even send a sine. The documentation are indeed unhelpfull. How did you managed to do it in c++ ?