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Bandwidth, selectivity and gain

Posted: Tue Jul 12, 2016 1:52 pm
by radiogareth
I'm mostly using my SDRplay(s) (one at home, one at work) for WXSAT reception where, in the UK, we are plagued by HUGE pager signals at 138.000 MHz.
So based on the barn door principle I use the narrowest IF bandwidth (200KHz)and until the recent (todays 12/7/16) software upgrade I selected 1MHz sample rate, turned the AGC off and set the gain for a noise floor around 70 dB. (IF gain IRO 55 with LNA ON, AGC off).

Does it make any difference to the likely selectivity/performance to have that bandwidth set? I'm listening to a 34KHz wide slot.

A couple of other things.....

I use Orbitron for tracking and sometimes when it moved the rx freq to a new satellite it would move the receiver bandwidth OUTSIDE the selected 200KHz bandwidth. Not sure if that's Orbitron, SDR# or something else.....and it might be the latest software fixes it (I think it does/has).

I have 'Correct IQ' ticked but still have a small DC centre spike. Anything I can do to remove that?

And finally, a wish list.....any chance SDRplay could be made to work with RTLSDRscanner - the Spectrum analyser software?? Its great on an RTLT2, imagine it on a SDRPlay :-)

Thanks

Gareth

Re: Bandwidth, selectivity and gain

Posted: Wed Jul 13, 2016 4:30 pm
by GrahamC
Not meaning to hijack your thread, but I second the comment on being able to use the SDRPlay with something like RTLSDRScanner.

Better yet would be something like SpectrumSpy that is now part of the software suite for SDRSharp on the Airspy R2 and mini.

In fact I find SpectrumSpy so useful that I bought an Airspy Mini.

RTLSDRScanner http://eartoearoak.com/software/rtlsdr-scanner is written in python and might be able to be modified to use the SDRPlay api but I haven't looked at it in close detail to say yay or nay.

In any case, an apps for SDRPlay like SpectrumSpy or RTLSDRScanner would likely find a ready and waiting audience.

cheers, Graham ve3gtc

Re: Bandwidth, selectivity and gain

Posted: Thu Jul 14, 2016 11:07 am
by radiogareth
Not a hijack at all, just even more to do with a SDRplay.....not that I can write software at this level :-(

Re: Bandwidth, selectivity and gain

Posted: Sat Jul 16, 2016 10:37 am
by Vitaly
GrahamC wrote:
In any case, an apps for SDRPlay like SpectrumSpy or RTLSDRScanner would likely find a ready and waiting audience.
Fully agreed. Broadband Spectrum analyzer is needed for SDRplay. I wish to clarify the creators SDRplay - whether this possibility in the near future?

Re: Bandwidth, selectivity and gain

Posted: Sat Jul 16, 2016 4:26 pm
by jon
Vitaly wrote:
GrahamC wrote:
In any case, an apps for SDRPlay like SpectrumSpy or RTLSDRScanner would likely find a ready and waiting audience.
Fully agreed. Broadband Spectrum analyzer is needed for SDRplay. I wish to clarify the creators SDRplay - whether this possibility in the near future?
Hi from SDRplay - yes, we plan to address this ASAP.... we will try to suggest a timescale soon. Jon