SDRsharp, to make

SDR# can do anything

black and white

Now with the
listeners see colours…
plugin
ListenInfo !!
 This book was born out of a necessity: to spread the word about SDRsharp and since
a work like this did not exist, I decided to write myself a small guide in the beginning
and a big book now...remembering that no book is for everyone, but for all SWL guys,
experimenters, specialists and not, there is this book just waiting to be read slowly and with much
curiosity.

Throughout the years I have realized that the world of SDR is often surrounded by an aura that
discourages many people even of good intentions and passionate about radio for a very long time.
But it doesn't have to be that way, which is why I decided to write something myself.
Every SDR should be technically unimpeachable, understandable, aesthetically beautiful and
immediately usable by everyone besides of course being fun and satisfying precisely like turning the
VFO of a normal radio but with a thousand more possibilities. Over time I have tried several, perhaps
all those on the market (also for various OS) are often either very complicated and boring to use or
fantastic for one reason or another but too impractical in daily use...
What is reported in the following pages is the result of years of listening, dedication, passion and a
lot of personal effort in the search for the best possible configurations and optimizations as well as in
the operational suggestions that I have collected and highlighted typographically in light blue color
italics and at the bottom also a mini glossary in case you want to check a definition or a term.
Good reading and good listening since when we turn on our SDR we will be able to easily understand
that this world really has many faces but one heart.
SDRSharp (or SDR#) is the most complete, high-performance, integrated, continuously
updated and customizable (with plugins for every need) FREEWARE software for all RTL-
SDR dongles and of course the highest performing AIRSPY devices.
Be ready to learn together the new way of radio listening!
Visit to update it freely: https://airspy.com/

Note:
Due to evolutions in the development of SDR# and various third-party software, some
illustrations, indications or comments, despite my constant updates, may slightly differ from the
current versions on the net.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Heartfelt thanks to Youssef Touil and all those who interact with SDR# on a daily basis,
and there are indeed many as I have witnessed over the years, because it is a common
learning and growing experience: on your own you will get nowhere...
Special thanks to the friends, acquaintances, translators and colleagues radioamateurs
whom I have mentioned as I went along, having made valuable contributions in the
realization of some writings of the work.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 2 | 214
The main thing to know is that even the most inexperienced user can easily start with SDR# and
successfully even with the most sophisticated plugins... So let's see how to start using the software
starting from the installation.
In fact, since there is NO real installation procedure, you only need to remember this:
 Extract the zipped content into any directory (obviously excluding only "C:\program
files" and "C:\program files (x86)" !!!)
 All the necessary files are in the previous directory and nothing in the Window registry.
 Plugins must be inserted in the relative subdirectory and are automatically recognized.
 For "quick" updates, it is suggested that you keep your Config files (which contain the
various customizations) and replace only the binary EXE and DLL files.

Same for the uninstallation... to delete the software it is sufficient to delete the directory where it
resides since no other dependency and/or registry key is used. Once started, SDR# resides in memory
with a small active set and little to no swap will be required.

N.B. Since v.1832 there is a START.BAT file in the

installation package which, if executed, temporarily
enables the Tiered PGO (Profile Guided Optimizations)
before the program starts...

SDRsharp is a software in continuous and perpetual search for improvement and refinement.
Many releases are completely different from the previous ones, even though they use the same
configuration files, plugins, Band Plan and memory files, but always with better overall
performance. For the chronology of the individual versions, see the appropriate chapter
"SDRsharp history".

.NET 7 November 2022: upgrade to Microsoft's newest .NET 7. Previously v.1832

Microsoft introduced Microsoft's brand .NET 6, a platform that combines the .NET
(current) Framework and .NET Core, which is increasingly aimed at cross-platform
software developers. In fact, the idea is to have a single .NET framework to be
used on Windows, Linux, macOS, Android, etc. etc.
Download https://airspy.com/?ddownload=3130
rev.19xx

.NET 5 Version 1785, officially released on 5 February 2021, has made a big leap towards
Microsoft Microsoft's .NET 5.
(previous)
This multi-system, open source development platform is capable of supporting
side-by-side execution without the need to install the runtime. This is not a simple
code recompilation effort but involves a lot of changes, some superficial and some
fundamental! Even externally you can see the difference with far fewer files in
the distribution and a large executable file. There are far fewer DLLs that
shorten the start-up sequence of the program. The new Telerik framework
enables new dimamic window management: see for multiple Telerik
recurrences in the "SDRsharp history" chapter.
Download https://airspy.com/downloads/sdrsharp-x86-dotnet5.zip
v.1831

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 3 | 214
.NET 5.xx https://airspy.com/?ddownload=6293
Runtime

.NET 4.x Previously, the graphical user interface developed in Visual Studio with fully
Microsoft customisable layouts was released at the end of November 2020.
(previous)
Download https://airspy.com/downloads/sdrsharp-x86-dotnet4.zip
v.1784

v.1777 Latest version with collapsible panels.

Download https://airspy.com/downloads/sdrsharp-x86-collapsible-panels.zip

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 4 | 214
 v.1716 Latest version unskinned build.
Download https://airspy.com/downloads/sdrsharp-x86-noskin.zip

Normally AirSpy is a plug-and-play device that Windows (Vista to W10) automatically detects and
recognises when plugged into a USB port. If this does not happen, you can download, unpack and
install the following driver from the Windows device manager:
https://airspy.com/?ddownload=3120

The screens will present the dongles RTL-SDR and all the various devices AirSpy (but little change
for the other devices if not the configuration menu and the bandwidths/decimations used). The graphic
theme used in this guide (skin) is the dark one named "Fluent Dark" (selectable in the Display menu).

Obviously, since these are radio signals that can extend from long waves to the GHz of UHF, it
is advisable to equip oneself with specific antennas (for HF: Youloop, vertical, wire, while for V-
UHF: discone or collinear) to be installed outdoors and as far away as possible from other
elements that can attenuate or interfere with the signals...

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 5 | 214
 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 18

11 14
13
12
15 B
A

16

17

These in detail the main points and my tips:

A. Left Menu (example: Source, Radio, various plugins)
B. Right Menu (example: Display, AGC, Audio, various plugins)
1. Main Menu (in jargon as “hamburger menu”)
2. Start/close the program
3. Opening new session (slice)
4. Device configuration
5. Audio On/Off (mute)
6. Volume control bar
7. VFO frequency
8. VFO increase/decrease buttons
9. Tuning type buttons
10. Step bar
11. RDS decode (PS, PI, RT) for broadcaster stations in WFM (88-108 MHz)
12. Signal scale in dBFS (decibel Full Scale)
13. Vertical tuning bar (center red line, bandwidth and signal info)
14. Zoom bar for RF Spectrum and Waterfall
15. Contrast bar
16. Range bar
17. Offset bar
18. Airspy logo (click above to visit the home page directly)

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 6 | 214
The AirSpy product family is now grown up, with receivers and options for every need:

AIRSPY HF+ Discovery

HF 0.5 kHz / 31 MHz and VHF 60/260 MHz (single SMA input)

AIRSPY HF+ Dual port

HF 9 kHz / 31 MHz and VHF 60/260 MHz (double SMA input)

AIRSPY R2
10 or 2.5 MSPS IQ, continuous coverage 24/1700 MHz

AIRSPY Mini
6 or 3 MSPS IQ, continuous coverage 24/1700 MHz

SpyVerter R2
in combination with R2/Mini increases coverage 1 kHz/60 MHz

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 7 | 214
But what's inside? For the more curious we can also take a look inside an AirSpy R2 device…

While this is the inside of an HF+ Discovery thanks to the excellent images from the site:
https://www.rigpix.com

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 8 | 214
This is an opportunity to recall how the front-end of the HF+ series was designed.

Here where everything is born!!! at the

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 9 | 214
 Unlike the Source panel for HF+ devices, here there is no indication of the firmware installed. To
check the your firmware it is necessary to use the "AIRSPY HOST TOOL", downloadable here:
https://github.com/airspy/airspyone_host/releases
Start by extracting the content into a temporary directory (e.g. C:\TMP)
 In that folder, run the command line interpreter by typing CMD
 Type airspy_info.exe and press Enter
 Immediately, the screen below will appear and will read your "Firmware version".

The firmware update procedure should be carried out under Windows 7 or Windows 10. Make sure
you do not have any other AirSpy devices connected to your computer and follow these steps:
 Download and unpack in a temporary directory (e.g. C:\TMP) the contents of this file:
https://airspy.com/downloads/airspy_fw_v1.0.0-rc10-6-g4008185.zip
 Connect the device to be updated to a USB port on your computer
 From the command line, run the file "airspy_spiflash.bat", wait for the finish procedure (see screen)
 Disconnecting the AirSpy device from the computer
 Reconnect the AirSpy device to the computer and delete the temporary directory.

The current and latest firmware release for the AirSpy R2/Mini is v1.0.0-rc10-6 (08-05-2020)

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 10 | 214
While reading in a forum, I happened upon a thread that may be helpful to some readers.
The topic was about the difficulty to update the firmware of an AirSpy Mini bought used...
Basically, it turned out that the upgrade was not successful because of the position of the internal
microswitch on the side.

Position 2-3 is the correct one and allows Window to show the hardware in the device manager.

There are in fact two positions for the microswitch:

Position 2-3 Boot SPIFI (Flash)  normal startup
Position 1-2 Boot USB0 (DFU)  boot from ROM
The pos.1-2 should only be needed if there was some difficulty during the firmware update or if it
was not flashed correctly.

Please also read this disclosure carefully:

https://github.com/airspy/airspyone_firmware/wiki/Windows-how-to-flash-airspy-firmware

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 11 | 214
The firmware update procedure should be carried out under Windows 7 or Windows 10. Make sure
you do not have any other AirSpy devices connected to your computer and follow these steps:
 Download and unzip the contents of this file into a temporary directory:
https://airspy.com/downloads/airspy-hf-flash-20200604.zip
 Connect the device to be updated to the computer's USB port
 From the command line run the
"FLASH.bat" file and wait for the
procedure to finish (see image)
 Disconnect the device from the
computer
 Reconnect the device to the computer
and delete the temporary directory.

The current and latest firmware version R 3.0.7 (dated 4 June

2020) has improved USB streaming performance and two
additional new samples at 456 and 912 ksps have been added.

It can be applied to device HF+ Dual port, HF+ Discovery (BB

and CD).

Please refer to the following table for the latest HF+ firmware
CHANGE LOG Revision 3.0.x. The full list can be downloaded
here: https://airspy.com/downloads/hfplus_changelog.txt

Revision Date Change log

R3.0.0 2019-07-19 Added processing gain compensation. Ready for Discovery.
R3.0.1 2019-07-30 Adjusted the Minimum AGC threshold to be 4 dB lower.
R3.0.2 2019-07-30 Set the AGC on by default.
R3.0.3 2019-08-16 Added support code for Pre-selector addon for the HF+
Dual Port.
R3.0.4 2019-08-19 Enabled the LNA control for AGC and Manual gain modes.
R3.0.5 2019-08-19 Adjusted the Low Gain theshold for the LNA.
R3.0.6 2019-08-20 Optimized the high AGC threshold.
R3.0.7 2020-06-04 Optimized the USB data streaming. Added 912 ksps and 456
ksps rates.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 12 | 214
 Very rarely, during attemting to
flash the device, was found a
messages like this one...

Try the operation with a different

computer.

Recovery procedure for firmware upgrade from initial R1.0.00

Due to a bug in the very first firmware, there is a specific procedure that should ONLY be used for
this purpose when updating the R1.0.00 firmware. Subsequent updates should work with the standard
procedure listed above.

 Open the HF+ case

 Connect the device to the PC
 Connect the "Erase points” for one second (see picture)
 Disconnect the device from the PC
 Connect again the device to the PC
 Double click on the FLASH.bat file
 Wait for it to be updated and verified
 Disconnect the device from the PC
 Connect the device to the PC again (the procedure is
finished)

In the forum, I happened to read these notes that may be useful if needed...

I wanted to upgrade the firmware of an HF+ Discovery from R3.0.6-CD to R3.0.7-CD. I had last
done it two years ago on Windows 10 and it had worked without problems.
Now on Windows 11 and a new PC the upgrade stops with the warning "No free instances" in the
CMD window and unfortunately the HF+ is no longer detected by SDR#...
In the Windows Device-Manager it is found in "COM & LPT" as COM9 (unknown device).
Reinstalling the drivers with Zadig, the HF+ is recognized as a serial USB device and not as AIRSPY
HF+ and also Windows does not allow to manually install winusbcompat.inf, but indicates that "the
best driver for this device is already installed."

I then retrieved the old W10 laptop and connected the Airspy HF+ Discovery (which of course was
not recognized). I opened the HF+ casing and shorted the "ERASE" points for a second. At this point
it was possible to update the firmware without any problem, so at the moment:

Also try disabling the Windows UAC-user account control...

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 13 | 214
The first time SDR# is started, check the following points:
 Increase the RF gain level (on the sliders from zero to the right for higher values, taking
care that the waterfall window does not become over-saturated with strong orange/red
signals, but adjust the gain to bring them towards the dark blue colour).
 Reduce the "Range" slider (step 16) to about 30% from the bottom.
 Enable the "Correct IQ" field to remove the centre peak if using the R820-T/R820-T2 dongles
or enable "Offset Tuning" in the configuration menu if using a dongle with an
E4000/FC0012/13 chip.
 Disable the "Snap to grid" field in order to tune any signal independently of the specific step
of the planned services or set it according to the preferred step (e.g. in FMN the step is 12.5
kHz). If necessary, also disable the "Auto update radio settings" item in the "Band Plan"
panel (read the specific function later). For the demodulation of digital signals it is
very important to tune the correct frequency: therefore if the transmission is at
160.512,5 kHz in DMR it is NOT good to tune for example at 160.515,788 kHz!!!
 Set the correct “emission mode” according to the signals you intend to listen. Example WFM
is not correct to demodulate FMN or digital signals!

The following adjustment procedure ensures that you get the maximum SNR on what you receive
while preserving dynamic range:
 Start with the RF gain set to the minimum level.
 Gradually increase the gain until the noise floor increases by about 5 dB.
 Check that increasing the gain does not also increase the SNR. Then increase the gain one
notch higher and so on.
 Use the vertical blue bar of the "SNR meter" (to the right of the waterfall) to display the value.

Now let's take some time to familiarize ourselves with the new side menus (A and B).
The several menus and plugins (also from third parties, see the appropriate section below) may vary
in number and relative position.
The A and B menus are all dynamic, you just need to position them on top to open them... For the
various panels, in the upper right part, some options relating to the positioning of the windows:
Windows State, Auto Hide, and Close Windows.

The "Window State" option can take the following values:

Floating – The panel window can be released from its current

position and is free to be positioned anywhere, even outside the main
program window.
Dockable – The window is anchored to the main panel.
Tabbed Document - Tabbed display. Not provided.
Auto Hide – The panel window is reduced to a minimum and is
opened by positioning the mouse over it. See footnote 1.
Hide – The panel window is hidden. To make it reappear, it must be
enabled from step 1 (hamburger menu).

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 14 | 214
But the new and perhaps more complex and less intuitive part, at least at the beginning, is the
positioning of the individual panels with the wizard of the recently introduced GUI.
Keep the left mouse button clicked on the blue title of the panel, for example this:

let's start moving the mouse slightly (always keeping the left button clicked), these blue pointers will
appear, we will have to position ourselves above the one of our area of interest, move towards the
desired position and release the mouse button. This is the scheme of the possible areas (top, bottom,
right, left).

icon for the outer left side positioning

icon for left half positioning

icon for central zone positioning

(Note 1)
For "Auto Hide" labels, however, it is not possible for the user to create
custom orders or editable placements.

This is not part of the Telerik framework.

The documentation states that: "Then, when you make visible each next
DocumentWindow, it is placed in front of the previously added/shown
window.".

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 15 | 214
Below are some screens for how to bring the "RADIO panel" to the left side of the screen in Dockable
mode, i.e. with the window docked to the main panel.

Since v.178x, the panels have an automatic scrolling function on the right, or for resizing, the little
horizontal bar (highlighted in yellow) can be used with the mouse. At this point, if you like the
composition, you can decide to save the layout with a name of your choice so that it can be loaded
later using the items in the hamburger menu "Save Layout... and Load Layout...".

Personally, I have created some specific layouts: one for example for purely HF listening and
others for V-UHF or FM 88-108 monitoring with my specific plugins of major use.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 16 | 214
"Amarcord" is a word of the italian dialect of Romagna, that simply means "I remember" and in this
chapter I like to take a leap into the "distant past" and bring back some pleasant memories... I just
found in the backup of an old hard disk some releases of SDR# that was taking its first steps in 2012,
I offer them to you for the joy of amarcord (between distant past and present).

It was running April

30, 2012, and with
only 412 k of
software this was the
SDR# v1.0.0.212 at
that time: few
commands and
controls, but that was
the essence. Here I
tested it with an IQ
file in FMW band.

As early as October
2012, it had reached
621 k with SDR#
v1.0.0.935: some
more commands and
functions such as
RDS decoding, in
the waterfall in the
upper left...

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 17 | 214
Of course it is really impressive to compare ten years later (!) the screens of the two releases.
How much progress, development, ideas, and lines of code have been written to get this far...

Who keeps even older releases?!

Until v.1784 (which can still be downloaded from the previous links), the distribution included some
standalone utilities for use with Airspy devices only, which many of you will remember and which
can still be used today: ADSB Spy, Astro Spy and Spectrum Spy. They are briefly showned below...

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 18 | 214
 ADSB Spy v1.0.0.83
Once started, after a few moments, the "Aircraft" and "FPS"
counters will appear, indicating the data packets received, providing
a real-time view of correct reception, as well as the received signal
strength indicator (RSSI).
The default port address is 47806 and is used to communicate with
the decoding programs (see below).
The "ADSB Hub" and "Local server" boxes are used to send data to
a specific host, IP address and port.
Previous versions of ADSB Spy also allowed the use of normal
RTL-SDR sticks with good results.

The most popular radar software, in alphabetical order, are:

adsbSCOPE (see screen): http://www.sprut.de/electronic/pic/projekte/adsb/adsb_en.html
Planeplotter: https://www.coaa.co.uk/planeplotter.htm
Virtual Radar Server: http://www.virtualradarserver.co.uk/Default.aspx

Each one needs its own specific configuration and settings and this is not the place for a detailed
individual sheet. Please refer to the links and various enthusiast sites on the net.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 19 | 214
 Astro Spy
Developed for radio astronomy to observe a specific L-band frequency over time. I have not been
able to test it, it should detect the hydrogen line 21 cm at 1420 MHz perhaps with a horn antenna
pointed at the Milky Way.

Spectrum Spy
The Spectrum Analyser allows the display (no sound) of wide frequency ranges (or the whole range
in 'Full' mode) by exploiting the scanning speed which is comparable to 'real' spectrum analysers
(...and maybe even more!). I've loved it since the first time I used it and resort to it whenever I
need to analyse small or large portions of the spectrum or to see the source of some new signal
(often unwanted like a local noise) or if a slot has opened up in the 88-108 MHz range to try FM-
DX...
Key Features
Starting / closing the programme

Span Allows you to choose a specific portion of the range for analysis (10, 20, 50,
100, 200, 500 MHz, 1 GHz, Full)
Center Allows the desired frequency to be centred on the screen.
The combination of Span / Center allows the best analysis of the signal
in the desired range.
Min Y To choose the minimum values for the ordinate axis ( -80 / -120 dBFS)
Max Y To choose the maximum values for the ordinate axis (-70 / 0 dBFS)
RF Gain To increase or decrease gain
Style Allows you to choose the style of signal representation in the Spectrum
(Simple curve, Static gradient, Dynamic gradient, Old school)
Allows a screenshot of the Spectrum/WF to be saved at any time.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 20 | 214
 Full FM band
88-108 kHz

AirSpy R2 in
full range 24-1700 MHz

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 21 | 214
The following are the default panels that allow all the basic functions provided by the software as
well as some specific and unique features of SDRsharp. All others defined as "plugin" can be inserted
and used by the user (see later the appropriate section) or even developed independently for their
needs by those who have the knowledge and appropriate technical skill.
As of v.1894 and later the icons changed with a higher resolution: the extra space needed is 10 pixels.

Choose your hardware from the drop-down list.

 AIRSPY R2 / Mini
 AIRSPY HF+ Dual / Discovery
 AIRSPY Server Network (see apposite chapter)
 RFSPACE
 RTL-SDR USB or TCP
 HackRF
 AFEDRI Networked Radios
 Funcube Pro / Pro +
 Softrock (Si570)
 UHD / USRP
 Baseband File Player to load & play I/Q files (see below the chapter "Baseband Recoder").
 Baseband from Sound Card

For AIRSPY there are then to adjust: Gain controls (IF, Mixer, LNA in a simplified or specific way
Sensitive/Linear or Free), Sample rate, Decimation, Bias-Tee (this option should be used carefully
as it sends 5 volts via SMA antenna connector to optional accessories such as LNA or UpDown
converter), SpyVerter which allows the hardware option to receive the HF (0 – 60 MHz), Tracking
Filter and HDR. The HDR feature gives a boost in dB in dynamic range.
This means that the gains can be turned up further without overloading occurring, and that weaker
signals can come in much stronger without strong signals overloading and drowning them out.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 22 | 214
 Panel Feature
Device SN – Serial number of your device.
Gain: Sensitive/Linear/Free – Three different choices
for the gain adjustment at IF, Mixer and LNA level.
”Free" is the one that allows greater user intervention
and customisation: there are no predefined settings
and everyone will have to adjust it as best they can
according to their own operating environment.
Sample rate – Allows you to choose the sampling:
 AirSpy R2: 10 or 2.5 MSPS
 AirSpy Mini: 6 or 3 MSPS
Decimation – Allows a lower bandwidth to be used to the
benefit of bit resolution and therefore lower quantisation
noise. Values: none, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32 and 64.
To make the best use of it, recommend adjusting the
Gain levels (shown above): the more you work in
decimation, the more you can increase the gain!
Display – The value shown of the bandwidth displayed in
the Waterfall and Spectrum windows is linked to the
previous "Sample rate" and "Decimation" settings and
changes for the different devices:
 AirSpy R2 10 MSPS (from 125 kHz to 8 MHz)
 AirSpy R2 2.5 MSPS (from 31.25 kHz to 2 MHz)
 AirSpy Mini 6 MSPS (from 75 kHz to 4.8 MHz)
 AirSpy Mini 3 MSPS (from 37.5 kHz to 2.4 MHz)
Bias-Tee – Allows the use of optional devices requiring
an additional power supply: 4.5v (at 50 mA?).
Tracking filter – Taking advantage of decimation and
enabling this filter will result in better selectivity, so more
gain can be used!
SpyVerter – Enables the optional "SpyVerter" device
(see relevant chapter), which allows reception from
longwave to 35 MHz and the initial portion of VHF. In
HF, the "Linear" mode, is recommended for the gain.
Enable HDR – When activated (with software off)
applies a combination of analogue and digital filters to
optimise the dynamic range for the visible spectrum.
A high decimation ratio can be activated and selected
for better reception.
SV PPM – AirSpy devices are factory calibrated to
approximately 0.05 ppm. This value can be adjusted for
the SpyVerter.
Updating the firmware will not change this value which
is stored in a different location.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 23 | 214
 Panel Feature
Device SN – Serial number of your device.

Firmware – Indicates the firmware version installed on the

device (see firmware upgade procedure below).

Samplerate – Allows you to choose the sampling rate: from a

minimum of 14 ksps to a maximum of 912 ksps.

Bandwidth – The bandwidth displayed in the Waterfall and

Spectrum windows is linked to the previous Samplerate value:
from a minimum of 10 kHz to a maximum of 725 kHz.

HF AGC – Automatic gain control.

It is recommended that you leave it ON (at the same time the
Threshold to "Low" value) or disable to OFF and manually
adjust the HF ATT cursor value.

HF Preamp – Activates or deactivates the preamplifier.

Set to ON for low signal reception, OFF for strong signals.

HF Threshold – The "Low" threshold value introduces

attenuation but gives the signal better linearity, unlike the
"High" position which favours sensitivity.
You have to wait a few seconds to appreciate the differences
when changing the threshold.

HF ATT - With the HF AGC field set to OFF, it is possible to

change the attenuation value slider from 0 dB to a maximum of
48 dB with 6 dB steps.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 24 | 214
The general rule of thumb for all of the following setups is that the default settings work and any
changes require a good understanding of the underlying algorithms and own hardware.

Plug one of the many available dongles (with R820T/T2 or R860 chip, E4000, FC0012/13) into a
USB port.
Proceed to install the freeware software from the above link. SDRsharp is preconfigured for AIRSPY
but is fully compatible for any RTL-SDR dongle by installing the drivers not present in the original
package, running the internal batch file INSTALL-RTLSDR.BAT. An internet connection is required
to find the missing and/or updated files. Then run the software ZADIG.EXE.

In the OPTIONS menu, select "LIST ALL DEVICES" (if possible, without any other USB devices
connected to the computer), and your dongle ID should appear in
the drop-down window, e.g. REALTEK, TERRATEC or in my case
RTL2838UHIDR.
Proceed by clicking the INSTALL DRIVER or REINSTALL
DRIVER button (if you have already done so). You can also try
connecting your USB dongle after Zadig is running, as the list is
automatically updated by the system.
Be very careful to select ONLY the identifier of your SDR dongle and not e.g. your Bluetooth
mouse or keyboard, otherwise you will create serious problems with these devices!

After a few seconds everything is ready and you can start SDRsharp and select "RTL-SDR USB" in
SOURCE panel.

Sometimes some dongles are not immediately recognised by the O.S., or rather a pair of devices
that make up the dongle is shown but with other names, namely "Bulk-in, interface 0)" and "Bulk-
in, interface 1)" which is for TV remote control functions. You then choose "Interface 0" with the
target "WinUSB" and click INSTALL DRIVER.
If you still don't see your device you have to go to Control Panel / Windows Device Manager and
remove those devices marked with a triangle and start again.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 25 | 214
 Panel Feature

Click on the configuration button (4) (the cogwheel).

Sample Rate – Allows you to choose the bandwidth to be

displayed (0.25 to 3.2 MSPS).
Generally, settings up to 2.4 MSPS work well on most PCs,
but for slower machines we recommend reducing this
value.

Sampling Mode – To tune above 30 MHz, leave set

“Quadrature sampling”. “Direct sampling” (I/Q branch) mode
should be selected for lower frequencies for those dongles that
are already set up for HF operation (otherwise a hardware
change is required).

Offset Tuning – For use on E4000/FC0012/13 tuner chips

only. Selecting this option will eliminate the centre peak in the
spectrum.

RTL AGC – Enables AGC for RTL2832U chips only.

TCP/IP configuration
Tuner AGC - Enables AGC
In many cases it is better not to flag it and manually setting
the slider below.

RF Gain – Use this slider to manually set the RF gain value.

Start from an average value in dB and gradually increase
towards the maximum on the right according to the signals
received.

Frequency correction ppm – Allows to set a correction value

for those cheap dongles that do not have a TCXO. Not needed
for Airspy users!
If the dongle is not centred in frequency, tune in a strong and
stable signal (after ten minutes of powering up the dongle
having reached the correct temperature and stability),
changing the ppm value a little at a time so that it is centred at
the tuning bar (point 13).

Please note:
If you notice that something is wrong, it is best to uninstall everything and start over, especially
with the cheap RTL-SDRs and their clones and variants... very often it is a problem of driver
conflict or driver obsolescence.

In fact it is worth remembering that to always have optimal performance it pays to use an Airspy
since it is increasingly difficult and costly to fix obsolete drivers and plugins for often critical third-
party hardware.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 26 | 214
As of v.1825 SDR# shows some information about the user
interface and plugins loading on the splash screen when
starting...

The main settings and controls apply to all devices. The

only differences, in some menus, may concern the side to
which SDR# interfaces. All devices must be configured in
the menu where you can find your RF gain controls, sample rate, AGC, PPM, etc...

Key Action
Menu panels
With the button (referred to as a "hamburger menu" in the
jargon) you access to individual panels/plugins. The check mark,
which precedes some items, is a "visual reminder" of the activation of
certain options within the plugin (e.g., "audio or service xxx
enabled").

From v.1892/1894, as a result of "popular demand," there is a radical

change in the main menu now divided into alphabetically ordered
blocks/topics, complete with icons, to better manage the default panels
and multiple third-party plugins that before, all together, risked
clogging up the user interface.

Starting from the top we have the indispensable panels: "Radio",

"Source", "AGC", "Audio" and "Display".

In "Layout" we find:
"Open All Panels" and "Close All Panels"
opens and closes all panels altogether.
"Save Layout..." and "Load Layout..." to
save/load your layout, i.e. the layout and sizing
of the active windows (but only that!).
Normally, by closing SDR#, many of the
settings are automatically saved in the
internal configuration files (e.g. Source
device, VFO frequency, mode, volume, audio output), but not
everything, e.g. Zoom level is reset every time.

For "Zoom Bar" and "Step Bar" please refer to the dedicated
chapter.

In the last row, in "Plugins", we find

precisely all those developed by third
parties, finally sorted alphabetically
and complete with po-up about
author, date and last installed
release!

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 27 | 214
 With this buttons you start / turn off the SDR# software.
Start Stop
New slice (VFO)
The button can be used to open one or more new SDR# sessions
(not just present in the “Spy Server Network”). The "slice" is a
separate session showing a portion of the spectrum of the "master"
with full separate controls, but still in the sampled portion of the band!
For example, it is not possible to open a session in UHF if the
“master” receiver is tuned to VHF. Attention: with the introduction
of this function from v.1741 the previous Aux-VFO plugins (which
used the same internal DSP algorithms) are no longer usable. To
reduce CPU usage, disable the slice you do not need and minimise
its bandwidth. You can choose to duplicate the "master" session
completely or open a minimal session. See also for SpyServer in the
dedicated chapter. New sessions will have different colours in the
RF Spectrum bandwidth to identify them visually at a glance.
See the chapter "Listening Recipes" for a significant example...
Configuration menu Configuration menu of your hardware and settings: gain, sample rate,
bandwidth, RF, PPM controls, etc.

Volume Activates / deactivates the volume, which you control (with the slider
on the right) the desired output level to the speakers or external device
(example to a VAC Virtual Audio Cable): from “Muted” to 60 dB
max. It is useful to remember that if you use external software
decoders for digital systems (e.g. DSD+), the volume control
should be adjusted accordingly to have an optimal output signal
level (and minimum errors).
Input and VFO frequency The frequency input is represented in 4 sections (000.000.000.000).
The first section from the left represents the values in GHz, the second
the MHz, the third the kHz and the fourth the Hz. In the example to
tune 103 MHz the input must appear as 000.103.000.000 while if you
want to tune a frequency e.g. in MW at 999 kHz, in addition to needing
an up-converter (or the optional unit AirSpy Spyverter) you must enter
000.000.999.000
 Move the mouse over the first digit that you want to impute
(without clicking) and enter all the numbers that make up the
frequency and confirm with the Enter key. This is the input I
prefer! For example, you stand where the arrow points and
type in the number 103 followed
by Enter. Quick and easy.
 Left click on the top of the digits (a small red rectangle will
appear) to advance one unit
 Left mouse click on the bottom of the digits (a small blue
rectangle will appear) to decrease by one unit
 or on the desired digit by turning the mouse wheel on it.
 Right click the mouse to bring a digit to zero and reset all the
ones to the right of it as well
 UP / DOWN arrow keys change the digit
 The Right/Left arrow keys move along the section in the input
Since v.1904, a new scalable font has been introduced, managed in the
SDRSharp.config settings (see the appropriate chapter).
THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 28 | 214
VFO frequency control With this dual control we can increase/decrease the frequency of the
VFO with quick mouse clicks according to the Step you defined in the
previous field.
Function introduced by v.1899.
Tuning types "Free tuning" - free tuning throughout the range, by clicking
anywhere in the RF spectrum or waterfall, the receiver will
tune it, also changing the below frequency range indication.
"Sticky tuning" - the frequency remains "connected" to the
VFO and you can scroll the frequency bar left and right by
"hooking" it with the left mouse button.
"Center tuning" - the tuned frequency will be always
displayed in the center of the RF spectrum and waterfall.
Step control Clicking the button opens the control to choose the appropriate tuning
step, or you can disable the "Snap" to have
completely free tuning.
See the "Step Bar" section below.

RF Spectrum In this window the RF Spectrum is shown visually as a real-time

graph. The active signals appear as peaks of greater or lesser intensity.
The lower part represents the "noise floor.

A recently introduced feature is the "peak Color" which is activated

by clicking with the right mouse button on the Spectrum window,
where a yellow line of persistent memory relative to the received
signals will appear. It is possible to modify the color by changing
the following line in SDRSharp.exe.config:
"spectrumAnalyzer.peakColor" value="FFFF00”
SNR meter On the right side of the RF spectrum there is a vertical bargraph that
shows the SNR value (in dB). The Signal-to-noise ratio is a numerical
quantity that relates the power of the useful signal to the the noise in
the system.
In the case of analog transmissions, a decrease in SNR causes a
gradual deterioration of the received signal, which is still receivable
and understandable. In digital transmissions instead there is a
minimum threshold of SNR below which the system no longer works
for too many errors received.
There is no S-meter to detect the signal strength, intended as an
S-unit and mainly used in the radioamateur world.
Waterfall This window shows the graphic representation in real time of the
intensity of the received signals as a function of frequency (on the
horizontal axis) and time (vertical axis) with the new data represented
in cascade starting from the top and going down: hence the name
waterfall.

This representation is a great help to learn about the various types

of signals visually.
A trained eye detects and recognizes an interesting signal at first
glance, even if it is weak and in the midst of disturbances, because
each signal has its own "footprint", as well as electrical noises of
all kinds !!

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 29 | 214
 Here are some examples of signals:

AM FM CW RTTY SSTV
For easier recognition of the very many types of signals and
modulations, I refer you to the chapter "Signal Decoding and
Analysis"...

Tuning bar The vertical red line in the center of the RF spectrum windows shows
which frequency is currently tuned the receiver.
The inside of the gray rectangle is the active bandwidth (or BW) that
can be changed by simply dragging the left/right side of the rectangle.

The bandwidth must be set so that it covers the area of the tuned
signal (not too wide or too narrow, especially when receiving digital
signals).

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 30 | 214
In this panel you select the various types of demodulator for the tuned frequency, Filters, Bandwidth,
Squelch, Step Size, etc…

Mode Features
NFM Transmission technique that uses the frequency variation of the carrier wave. Mode
commonly used by civil and radioamateur services for both analog and digital modes
in VHF/UHF but not under the 27 MHz.
The v.1861 adds a mixed frequency-domain and time-domain FM demodulator.
It improves everything related to FM, including weak NFM signals and RDS for
FM Broadcast.
Important note: the new demodulator works best when the entire signal is
covered appropriately by the bandwidth (BW) filter on the VFO.
WFM This is the mode used by FM stations (88-108 MHz band).
For stations with RDS-Radio Data System, in the upper part of the Spectrum RF, on
the left (see item 11) there is the dynamic decoding of some codes RDS that carries
a lot of informations:
 PI, Programme Identification. Unique four-character alphanumeric code that
identifies the radio station.
 PS, Programme Service. They are eight characters used, usually, to send the
name of the radio also in a dynamic way.
 RT, Radio Text. It allows to send free text from radios such as, for example,
the author and the title of the song on air.
The v.1861 adds a mixed frequency-domain and time-domain FM demodulator.
It improves everything related to FM, including weak NFM signals and RDS for
FM Broadcast.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 31 | 214
 Since versions 1863/1865, RDS
detection and decoding has been
further improved even on poor and
difficult signals.
In the screen you can see the difference
with a third-party external decoder
(please see the chapter: "MPX Output e
RDS-Spy").

Important note: the new demodulator works best when the entire signal is
covered appropriately by the bandwidth (BW) filter on the VFO.
AM Transmission technique that uses a radio frequency signal as a carrier signal. Used
by worldwide long wave/medium/short wave broadcasting stations and by civil and
military aeronautical communications in VHF/UHF.
Note: there is no "AM stereo" mode, but you can use the free Sodira software
for this purpose, after setting the RAW mode to SDR#. The same applies if you
want to decode DRM.
LSB/USB Technique that foresees the modulation of a signal eliminating besides the carrier (as
in DSB) also one of the two lateral bands. Used in the HF band (0-30 MHz) by utility
and military services, by radioamateur radio in HF but also in VHF to transmit voice
and data efficiently with small bandwidths.
CW Morse Code. System to transmit letters/numbers/symbols by means of a signal in
pre-established code made of points and lines. Used from always from the
radioamateurs and a lot of military stations still today in the age of the digital.
In SDR#, however, with this mode it is possible in HF to tune and decode
correctly (i.e., without tweaking the nominal frequency) many other emission
modes. For example, we can try H24 with the RTTY-ITA2 50Bd broadcast on
the Hamburg Weather frequencies at 7646 kHz and 10100.8 kHz.
DSB Use similar to AM but allows a higher modulation performance by suppressing the
carrier and transmitting only the sidebands.
It can be used to tune stations with interference (together with IF Spectrum
window where you can best configure the signal window by removing the
interfering signal) or with new AM Co-Channel canceller plugin...

SAM To enable it, just set the DSB mode and check the option “Lock Carrier” on this
(even if it panel. The IF filter helps choosing which part of the DSB signal to use: LSB, USB
does not or both.
formally A very high-performance and adaptive PLL is used, developed with the help from
exist it is high-profile DXers that has no match in performance. It just locks everything
fully even if the signal is barely visible in the RF spectrum. Even when the signal is
supported!) completely gone, it finds its way to keep the lock until it reappears again. You
don’t get that nasty loss of lock in portable radios or other software.
This can be combined with the “Anti-Fading” to improve SNR when there is no
co-channel interference.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 32 | 214
RAW Used for playback or recording of RAW IQ streams or with external decoding
program, for example DReaM (DRM).
DReaM works with RAW mode by setting the its input to IQ, or using USB mode
in SDR#.
Key Default Features
Shift 0 (if you dont This box is useful only if you use an UpConverter; it is used to
use rectify the frequency tuned to the value entered.
UpConverter) For example, if you use an UpConverter (with a 100 MHz
oscillator) you set the Shift to -100,000,000. Without the Shift,
when using an UpConverter to tune a 7 MHz signal, you should
tune 100+7 = 107 MHz. With the Shift set, you can tune normally
to 7 MHz without artifice.
Filter Blackman- Set the type of filter used in the Fourier transform. It is used to
Harris 4 receive the signal highlighted in the RF window (where each
filter has a different response curve and characteristic), the
default Blackman-Harris 4 filter is the best in most cases and
should not be changed.
Bandwidth AM: 10.000 This is the bandwidth (BW) in the window of the gray
WFM: rectangular area. You can set it manually in this field or by
180.000 dragging the edges of the window with the mouse.

Order 500 This cell changes the steepness value of the filter sides. With low
values (from 10 to 50), the transition between the pass band and
the out-of-band zone takes place gradually. With high values
(from 100 to 500), the transition is immediate. The effect of this
adjustment is audible in the audio signal.
Very high values, however, can cause AGC instability or less
clean listening. You may increase the order of the filter when
there are strong signals near your tuned area.
However, using higher filter orders can cause a higher CPU
load, so on slower PCs you should reduce this value.
Squelch OFF Squelch is used to mute the audio when the signal strength is
below a specified threshold. A high value requires a stronger
signal strength to activate the audio.
The Squelch is only implemented for AM (Amplitude Squelch)
and FM (Noise Squelch). SSB needs yet another type of
squelches that is not implemented yet. It is especially useful
in NFM waiting to hear speech and not just listening to
background noise, but should be turned off when
decoding digital signals (e.g. via DSD+ or DReaM
software).

Often I have collected opinions of difficulty, from friends

and guys, in decoding digital signals with DSD+, perhaps
it is better to use the original VAC rather than other
similar software on the market!
CW Shift 600 Mainly useful in receiving CW (Morse code) where you can set
the offset between transmission and reception frequencies.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 33 | 214
FM Stereo (in WFM) It will enable stereo output for WFM signals (in the 88-108 MHz
band) from FM broadcasting stations, but may worsen the
sound of weak and distant stations.
If a RDS signal is detected, the display (in item 11) will show
the name of the broadcaster in a few round brackets.

Binaural (in AM,DSB) Introduced since v.1870, through the new "Binaural" checkbox
(which activates or deactivates the function provided in
AM/DSB modes only), audio is carried on different channels
creating, especially for headphone listening, special "spatial
diversity" effects.

The term "Binaural," i.e., "two-ear," is not a new concept (please

refer to the Internet for a historical discussion of the term), here
we just need to know that it is not a demodulation method and is
not classic "stereo" but can create specific and subtle listening
effects under certain circumstances that, however, require some
listener skill as well as, of course, a good pair of headphones.

AM (which is a monophonic signal) has two specular

"sidebands" on either side of the carrier, evident on the FFT
spectrum, but often the received signal will have lost some of
the original symmetry due to propagation effects. Binaural
tries to make up for the imbalances in the sidebands by
presenting itself as a difference signal, and if there is slight
background noise this is spread throughout the signal, giving
an effective improvement in the signal-to-noise ratio. On
strong signals (e.g., local stations) you can also try to activate
the "Lock Carrier."
Remember that new tools require some practice and a lot
of willingness to experiment!!!

The interesting part is the interaction of the binaural with

existing IF filters, Anti-Fading, NR, Co-Channel Canceller,
and other SDR# plugins. Now the Anti-Fading improves the
SNR opportunistically by exploiting precisely the spatial
diversity. Many other improvements in the DSP chain as well.
Quadrature (in LSB,USB) v.1884 introduced this new quadrature audio output for
LSB/USB modes only.

Snap to Grid ON The activation of the "snap to grid" and relative "Step Size" drop-
down menu helps a lot the fast and correct tuning of the signals
centering the correct tuning for each type of emission.
For example in civil air band the channels are now spaced with
the step of 8.33 kHz and this field, enabled with this value, allows
the correct tuning by clicking directly on the RF Spectrum or
Waterfall.
THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 34 | 214
 To use it with a non-TCXO dongle RTL-SDR, the PPM
frequency offset correction must be set finely after at least 10
minutes after using the dongle, otherwise the frequencies
may not be aligned on the grid with real frequencies.
Lock Carrier OFF Active only in AM or DSB modes. Allow the Synchronous AM
which can greatly improve reception and keep the signal
perfectly locked, even if it is poor and unstable. Try it in DSB
mode, it makes all the difference for pleasant listening!

Here’s the novelty introduced with v.1892: Super PLL

Now the “Lock Carrier” is achieved using a special “Super
PLL” that has a great resilience to the loss of lock. Basically,
when the PLL loses the lock, it starts another process at exactly
the same phase where the lock was lost and keeps spinning. This
keeps the signal of interest at the same frequency before the loss
of lock. When the carrier is available again, the PLL locks and
resumes the signal without any phase discontinuities or other
glitches. This tool is especially useful for High End DXing with
intermittent signals.
Correct IQ OFF This setting removes the small, annoying center peak present
with the dongles RTL-SDR R820T/R820T2.
Normally it should be activated.
Anti-Fading OFF Use when "Lock Carrier" is activated. Leverages the symmetry
of AM signals which helps in the presence of weak signals.
Activate it for better AM reception, but can increase CPU load.
Invert Spectrum OFF If you use SDR# as a panadapter, some receivers may have the
I/Q signals reversed and you must activate this option.
The I/Q signals, (or I/Q data), are a fundamental element of
RF communications systems, often represents signals in the
time-domain.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 35 | 214
The function of AGC acts in real time on the amplification of the input signals by varying it in order
to obtain an optimal level on the output on low signals and avoiding distortion on high signals.

In the AirSpy HF+ the AGC gain is fully controlled by the software running in
the DSP, which optimizes the gain distribution in real time for optimal
sensitivity and linearity. So remember to turn both on!

Since v.1906 the AGC has again been optimized to better handle QSB (see
Glossary) in AM.

In WFM mode the AGC is disabled because the FM signal is limited and its
amplitude is constant. For NFM the AGC acts on the Audio output.

This feature is useful with weak signals with low modulation index. For AM,
SSB, CW and RAW, the AGC acts on the narrow band IF, as usual.

Key Default Features

Use AGC ON Activates the automatic gain control. The AGC will attempt to control the
audio volume level so that loud sounds are not too loud and the same for
low sounds. The default settings work well for voice signals.
It is especially useful to turn it on when listening to AM/SSB/CW mode
because loud signals may be distorted.
Use Hang It allows you to change the default behavior of the AGC in its Threshold /
Decay (ms) / Slop (dB) components, although in most cases the default
values are fine.
Enabling it slightly changes the response over time and may be useful
for some SSB or Morse signals.
Threshold -50 This is the threshold of intervention of the AGC. The signals below that
(dB) level are not amplified, while those above are amplified at the level of the
strongest ones.
Decay (ms) 500 Response time. High values delay intervention, too low values can cause
an annoying sound effect.
Slope (dB) 0 Line slope for gain correction.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 36 | 214
There are many AGCs at different levels:

Analog
 RF AGC, which activates a 6dB stepped attenuator,
 IF AGC, which controls the IF gain just before the digitization.

Digital
 IF AGC, to make sure the data is scaled properly (by digital amplification) before sending to the
computer.
 Narrow band AGC, which is the AGC panel controlling the signal that passes through the VFO
filter.

Important Notes

The role of the Analog AGCs is to adapt the sensitivity of the front-end to the signals at the input.
When enabling the AGC in the Source panel, you are activating both Analog AGCs.

 The Digital IF AGC is always activated and only starts acting when the strongest signal(s) in the
IF spectrum exceed -6 dBFS.
This mechanism ensures your signals are always scaled properly for unattended operations.
 When turning the Analog AGCs off, you can control the stepped attenuator manually, but then,
it’s up to you to determine which attenuation level is adequate for your signal at input.
In general, push the attenuation until the noise floor is around -100 dBFS. Higher levels do not
necessarily improve your SNR but will definitely reduce your available dynamic range. If in
doubt, turn the AGC on and let it do the job.
 When turning the Analog AGC on, you will notice that you also have a “Threshold” option
available.
It is used to instruct the AGC to tolerate an extra 3 dB of signal power before setting the next
attenuation level. “Threshold Low” means the front-end is “less sensitive”, and “Threshold High”
means “more sensitive”.
This is really useful when chasing marginal signals in presence of very strong blockers (~ 100 dB
of difference).

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 37 | 214
This panel adjusts the settings for audio processing.

Key Default Features

Samplerate 48000 Sets the sampling rate of sound card. Some decoding software may
require you to set a specific sample rate. Usually the default value at
48000 samples/second should be fine for general purposes.
Input Sound card The input sound card is highlighted in this field.
Normally it should not be changed, automatically detecting your
card even if you are using SDR sound cards such as: SoftRock,
Funcube dongle, Fifi SDR, etc.
Output Speakers In this field you choose the output device from those available in
your system: Speakers, Line 1, Digital Output and for the best audio
quality: [Windows DirectSound...], [MME...] or the much better
performing [ASIO...].
Normally it defaults to the speaker line.
But what is ASIO? Audio Streaming Input Output is a low-latency
communication protocol for digital audio signals developed by
Steinberg. Thanks to it, a sound card can be able to record and play
back audio without delays. Low-latency drivers, designed to obtain
and manage incoming and outgoing audio streams with a small
memory buffer (where stream exchange and digital/analog
transformation takes place), allow for virtually zero delay!
For audio devices that do not have native ASIO support, ASIO4ALL
have been published universal and compatible ASIO drivers,
however, not being native for many systems, this may result in slight
reductions in performance but it is worth a try!
If they are not already present in your Windows 10, low latency
drivers can be downloaded from the site:
https://www.asio4all.org/
You can then easily perform a test with these drivers enabled:
tune in SDRsharp any broadcasting station and do the same with
an external receiver… the audio coming out of both systems will
be virtually in parallel and without any delay as is the case with
normal drivers.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 38 | 214
Latency 50 or lower with The latency value (expressed in milliseconds) is the time that elapses
(ms) [Windows between the analog-to-digital conversion of the input signal, its
DirectSound] processing and the digital-to-analog reconversion at the output.
drivers It is advisable to keep this value as low as possible. The latest
developments of SDR# (v.1783) have almost halved the
1 with [ASIO...] CPU/memory usage, while the latency is at the limit of what the
drivers hardware can do.
Since v.1818 the latency has been drastically reduced again
and now ASIO drivers work without problems with the value
of 1 ms!
Unity Gain OFF Normally it should be deselected as it sets the audio gain to the unit
value of 0 dB.
This option is mostly useful when using the program as an IQ
source for other programs or another instance of SDR# itself.
This means it has to be used with "RAW", but the other modes
work too, tho irrelevant. Basically, when using Unity Gain, the
processing involves the tuning, decimation, filtering and
eventually an AGC if you leave it enabled.
No extra gain is added. The most of the desired signals at the
input are very weak, it takes a good amount of decimation and
filtering to make them usable. At the end you get something
peaking at -120 dBFS. If you try to pipe the resulting IQ directly
to VAC it will be quantized and effectively nulled out.
Filter ON Audio filter that improves the performance of all speech signals by
Audio removing the DC continuous component and reconstructing the
audio by filtering out everything that exceeds the useful signal
bandwidth.
See also the chapter "Audio Recorders", also it should absolutely
be disabled when decoding digital signals (e.g., via DSD+ or
DReaM).
The same applies to all other plugins (e.g. Audio Processors
or Filters that act on the audio level), which must be
absolutely deactivated when receiving digital signals (e.g.
DMR, DSTAR, C4FM, satellites), otherwise they will result in
incorrect decoding or dirty signals.
Panning middle It is used to balance the audio between the left/right speakers. The
middle position of the slider is the standard
one.Toward the left for left speaker, on the
opposite side for right speaker.

Warning: for use with DSD+ or other external decoders make

sure the slider is in the center position!

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 39 | 214
Display settings adjust the Theme, RF spectrum and waterfall screen options and other FFT settings.

Key Default Features

Theme Recently introduced with the latest graphic interfaces, allows you to
choose multiple design layouts, many even in dark theme.
View Both Allows to set the display of the RF spectrum screen, waterfall, or only
one of them, or none at all.
On older PCs it may be useful not to display the waterfall to avoid
overloading the processing.
Window Blackman- Set the type of filter, where each filter has a different response curve
Harris 4 and characteristic: the default of Blackman-Harris 4, it has balanced
performance and is the best in most cases and should not be changed.
Resolution 32768 Increased resolution will improve signal quality in the RF spectrum
display and waterfall. Using a higher resolution can be useful when fine-
tuning, as you can better see the peaks and structure of the signal.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 40 | 214
 Be aware, however, that high resolutions can slow down the PC and
can cause problems especially with older machines. Normally, if your
PC can handle it, you should use at least the value of 32768.
Allows you to choose different styles of waterfall signal representation:
Style
DOTS

SIMPLE CURVE

SOLID FILL

STATIC GRADIENT

DYNAMIC GRADIENT

MIN MAX

Marker It allows you to change the color of the marker on the waterfall by simply
Color clicking on the Windows color palette.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 41 | 214
 Allows customization of the color palette used in the waterfall.
Gradient Youssef suggests for High Dynamic Range applications to modify
the file "SDRSharp.config" with these values:
<add key="waterfall.gradient"
value="FF0000,FF0000,FBB346,FFFF00,FFFFFF,7AFEA8,00A6FF,000091,000050,000000,000000" />
Initially there was only
one palette encoded
within the configuration
file, but starting with
v.1818 you can choose
some pre-set gradients:
Sharp Classic, Spy,
Artic, Moroccan Sunset
and Custom.
In order to immediately
evaluate the most
suitable one for us,
once chosen from the
menu, I suggest
viewing the vertical bar
on the right with the
complete palette of
colors represented.

The button activates the "Gradient Editor" to further customize

the color palettes.
Mark Peaks OFF Allows to highlight a circular marker on each signal peak on the RF
spectrum window.
Time OFF Displays a time indicator on the left side of the waterfall screen to date
Markers the signals transmission.
By definition it is set to 5 seconds.
S-Attack / S- Changes the uniformity and average of the received signals in the RF
Decay spectrum display.
Set them halfway.
W-Attack / Changes the uniformity and average of the received signals in the
W-Decay waterfall display.
Set them halfway.
Speed Changes the refresh rate of the RF spectrum and waterfall.
Never keep it at full speed! In fact, to further reduce CPU usage
simply set the speed to minimum here.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 42 | 214
The "Zoom Bar" allows you to manage the four vertical sliders of the settings
in the RF Spectrum/Waterfall display. It was originally located on the right
side of the RF Spectrum - items 14/17.

Since v.1892 there are two options for use: the newer one allows you to have
the entire control minimized (always next to the RF Spectrum). You click the
"Zoom" button to open it temporarily... Instead, those who would like to use it
as it was previously just flag the relevant control in the Menu / Layout / Zoom
Bar.

Key Default Features

Zoom down Moving this slider up will magnify the RF spectrum and waterfall around the
tuned frequency. However, the higher the magnification, the lower the
resolution will appear. An alternative to zooming is to reduce the sample rate or
use the decimation function in the Source panel.
Contrast down Adjusts the contrast of the waterfall. Moving the cursor upwards the signals will
be distinguished from the background noise, but do not exaggerate and avoid
saturating by having an screen all yellow/orange or red...
Range down Changes the level in dBFS on the left axis of the RF spectrum window.
You should adjust it so that the noise floor threshold is very close to the
bottom of the RF spectrum window. This will make the RF spectrum and
waterfall signals more readable, making weak signals easier to detect.
Correct Wrong

Offset down Adds an offset to the dBFS level range in the RF spectrum window. The offset
is added to the upper value of the dB level range in the RF spectrum.
Normally you do not need to adjust it, unless you need
additional contrast on weak signals in combination with the
"range" adjustment.
Adjust it so that the height of the signal peaks are not clipped
at the top of the screen.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 43 | 214
Since v.1785, the "Step Size" field (next to the "Snap to Grid" item) is no longer present in the "Radio"
panel, but the new "Step Bar" has been created now on the right-hand side of the VFO later modified
in v.1899 and again with the new encapsulated menu as a drop-down item of a smaller button to save
UI estate from v.1906 that now looks like this.

Possible choices are tuning steps between 1 Hz and 1 MHz or

with free tuning, which is done by not flagging the first item
"Snap" which is used to freely tune any signal regardless of
the tuning steps specific to many in-band services and their
emission modes.
In addition, by briefly hovering the
mouse over the icon, the current step
appears.

From v.1892 you can also enable or disable its functionality from Menu / Layout / Step Bar.

To use a new step not foreseen it is sufficient to edit the SDRsharp.config file at the key starting
with <add key="stepSizes" value=…" and insert the new value, example "3.125 kHz".
Another very interesting and fast possibility is to use the mouse: just position yourself in the
Waterfall or Spectrum window and with the central wheel of the mouse rotate it forward to
advance with the frequencies of the pre-set Step or on the contrary, rotate it backwards to
decrease the frequency.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 44 | 214
Following numerous user requests to improve AM DX reception in medium and short waves in the
presence of isofrequency interference, the AIRSPY team developed the first and innovative "Co-
Channel Canceller" (or CCC) algorithm. This unique, free and constantly updated plugin is
not found in any other software!
Leaving aside here the technical dfficulties behind the
development of such a tool (still patent pending), I can only
point out that the plugin latches onto the main (dominant)
carrier and clears all the correlated frequency bands around
it. If the signal is distorted (and has bad correlations) it tries
to solve the problem using some specific and innovative
algorithms.
There are two separate plugins, one for AM mode and another
for FM, which not only recover audio plagued by interference,
but can also be combined with the other plugins to combat QRM,
QRN, and anything that can impair signal reception.
Co-Channel Zero-Offset also works, meaning you can remove
the strong local station and listen to the DX station on the same
frequency.

During a listening session it can often happen to find the right conditions for using these plugins, of
course they are not a normal condition of use, but in the case of interfered stations to try to detect a
DX signal devoting some time and attention because the procedure can be a bit laborious, at least the
first few times...

Key Features
Remove Carrier Command to enable carrier removal.
For example, if we enter the value 4.500 we indicate that the interference is
at 4.5 kHz from the station of interest.
Auto Tune Added since v.1900 is a new optional control in the "AM Co-Channel Canceller"
for quick operation without the "Micro Tuner."
Carrier Offset Allows you to adjust the interference level of the "Co-channel" with respect to
the signal of interest.
Bandwidth Allows the bandwidth to be adjusted with respect to the signal of interest.
This value can be easily changed by
simply engaging the vertical red lines of
the RF Spectrum and/or waterfall with a
mouse click and move left/right to widen
or narrow the bandwidth.

IF Offset Allows the IF Offset to be adjusted with respect to the signal of interest.

How to use the new controls:

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 45 | 214
 Make sure that both
the desired signal and
interference are
selected in the main
filter.
 If necessary, tune the
VFO between the two
signals.
 Adjust the IF offset to
shift the signal of
interest to the VFO
frequency.
 Adjust the bandwidth
of the Co-Chanel
rejection so that only
the interference and
its splatters are
covered.
 Set the carrier offset
relative to the VFO.

Summarizing this in a few basic steps:

1. Include the Co-Channel in the main filter by enlarging the Bandwidth sufficiently.
2. Set the offset of the Co-Channel
3. Enable "IF Multi-Notch" to perfect the operation.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 46 | 214
Let us now try a "practical paper example," although the procedure may vary slightly in specifics.
However, later on I will report some much more explanatory videos!!!

A) local station with very strong signal, example at 819 kHz

B) DX station at 810 kHz interfered and unintelligible
1) Tune the station (B)
2) Enlarge the filter window from 810 to 820 kHz to include the carrier to the right of the local
signal (A)
3) Enable the "Co-Channel Canceller AM" plugin and flag the "Remove Carrier" field with
Carrier Offset value at 9,000 (to indicate that the interference is 9 kHz from the station). The
function will lock and show in blue "Locked" on the right side, and in the RF Spectrum you
will see a blue vertical line above the carrier to be
removed from the signal (A).
4) Enable the "IF Multi-Notch" panel while remaining always tuned to the signal (B): in the
window narrow the bandwidth (BW) to exclude the interfering carrier: now you can listen and
appreciate the new result!

With v.1887, the "Co-Channel Canceller AM v2" algorithm has undergone significant
implementations:
 Deeper rejection
 Improved quality of remaining signals
 Improved resistance to phase and amplitude distortions
 Simplified user interface
 Lower CPU utilization

In addition, the new "Micro Tuner" plugin is used to select the signal to cancel, but it is also possible
to disable it and manually select the offset of the signal to cancel in the CCC interface.
Some demonstration videos of the "Co-Channel Canceller AM" algorithm during DX sessions:
in MW: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnGHun1E8Us
in SW: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5rEnmCQun0

Similarly works the equivalent "FM Co-Channel Canceller"

plugin, still improved in the latest versions!
From opinions gathered from friends and acquaintances it
appears that it works well for waves arriving overland (FM and
MW), contrary to what Dxers tested for signals via ES or
transatlantic in MW.
I did some testing here in the city center where the WFM
signals are really strong and present in the whole spectrum.
In some cases with this plugin it was possible to receive as
many as two isofrequency stations (where the strongest
station however was not too "dominant" compared to the
secondary one).

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 47 | 214
In this example we see how to
set the panel to listen to a
WFM station with a very
strong signal at 91,500 MHz
and a weaker station tuned to
91,600 MHz (vertical red line
at BW center at about 100k).
You enable the plugin, setting
the Carrier Offset to -100,000,
to clear the signal at 91,500
MHz (vertical blue line on the
left), adjust the left side of the
filter a little in the IF Spectrum
window, and slightly change
the position of the
"Sensitivity" slider to the
desired effect... after a while it
even manages to appear in
RDS the name of the station
with its PI code.

Not only does it work "live" in

real time, but it also works equally well with previously recorded I/Q files, give it a try!

Always make sure that the cancelling filter covers the affected signal entirely. For example, if you
leave the left side of the signal strong, you cannot get rid of the right side covering the signal.
In the following audio sample by Peter, titled "BBC Radio 2 cancelled during an Es opening from
Italy," one can hear the marked effect of the "Co-Channel Canceller FM" plugin at work:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAmmy3Y_rQs
Very unique and comprehensive long video by Paul W1VLF with the CCC FM:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvshoNfv3ag

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 48 | 214
When listening to speech signals, which are often weak and noisy, it is very useful to activate
digital noise reduction. In SDR# two Noise Reduction options are available: Audio and IF. The
Audio option uses the noise reduction algorithm on the audio output signal, the IF option on the IF
signal.
Since v.1856, the old noise reduction processor has been replaced with a brand new algorithm,
Natural Intelligence Noise Reduction (NINR) which is constantly being updated and improved.
This results in better intelligibility with fewer artifacts, deeper noise cancellation and lower CPU
utilization.

Once enabled, the "Threshold" slider control the incisiveness of the applied algorithm, and some
already optimized and predefined profiles can be used: Hi-Fi, Lo-Fi, Speech, Roses’s SW Soft,
Roses’s SW Hard, London Shortwave and the Custom. For the latter, individual components can
be further customized: Threshold (dB), Depth (dB), Slope, Frequency Smoothing (%), Time
Smoothing (ms), Quality (%), FFT Size (bins)

Audio Noise Reduction IF Noise Reduction

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 49 | 214
But when is it appropriate to use one or the other or together at the same time?

There is no general rule that fits everything and everyone, everyone will have to experiment
personally according to their own needs and the specific levels of noise present. For AirSpy R2
owners, you can also try reducing the gain a bit...
To get started, you can use the predefined "Profiles" or try the "Custom" directly, which allows
more flexibility and user control. One must take some time, however, to test all the parameters
of this profile, which can give better results for specific types of signals and in various emission
modes. Probably the best on the market today!!

With the help of some friends, I have collected and summarized some impressions in the
following tables.

Control Scale range Features

Audio Threshold -100 to -50 dB User-controlled threshold setting. It appears that the
effect is appreciable from about -90 dB. At more
IF Threshold -120 to +40 dB aggressive settings, signals may have partially
compromised quality.
Boost SNR (IF) Do not use Boost SNR with the AM detector. The
instrument does not "boost" the carrier as before, and if
you boost the sidebands to a higher level than the
carriers, you will get poor AM demodulation with the
conventional demodulation technique. Instead, use
DSB with lock. Try to use it only on very weak radio
signals, such as with SNR <5 dB.
Depth 0 to 50 dB Depth of intervention: little change in quality was noted
across the 0 to 50 dB range, with 50 dB applying the
greatest effect.
Slope 0 to 100 % New additional parameter initially introduced by
v.1859 and modified with v.1897.
Frequency 0 to 100 % From v.1897 this control replaces the previous
Smoothing "Smoothing" control. This control consumes a little
more CPU at high percentages.
Time Smoothing 1 to 200 ms From v.1897 this control replaces the previous
"Attack/Decay" controls. Most of the effect occurs at
the beginning of the scale.
Quality 0 to 100 % New parameter introduced by v.1889.
FFT Size 1024 to 16384 bins Bins or spectrum samples by defining the frequency
resolution of the window.

The only settings that can affect CPU consumption are "Smoothing" and "FFT size," the rest
seem to have no appreciable effect on CPU utilization.

AM The IF N.R. eliminates RF noise that can be anywhere in the signal. This has no effect in
WFM or NFM with high modulation index because the signal is distributed over a large
bandwidth, but with linear modulations such as AM and SSB, it can dramatically improve
SNR by identifying the parts of the spectrum that do not contain signal and attenuating
them.
Using the "Hi-Fi" profile on an AM broadcast, I forgot that the filter was on until I turned
it off and all signals returned to the usual local noise...
CW The "Narrow Band" profile gives the best results with CW. It can also be used by selecting
the "Custom" profile.
THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 50 | 214
 It really works very well and a weak morse signal becomes good. One was able to
pull out a couple of regional NDBs that otherwise would have been practically
submerged in noise.
NFM Joint use of both IF and AF Noise Reduction is necessary. The IF N.R. can still work for
NFM signals, but it is mainly intended to be used with the other modes. I did some limited
testing of AF Noise Reduction on NFM by tuning some stations in the 160/170 MHz range
where the electrical noise is very high and annoying.

The AF N.R. audio is better for FM modes because it eliminates the hiss, which has
mostly high frequency components in the audio spectrum.
SSB The new algorithm definitely helps the S/N on weak signals in SSB that are immersed in
noise and thus become much more intelligible.

The IF N.R. eliminates RF noise that can be anywhere in the signal. This has no effect
in WFM or NFM with high modulation index because the signal is distributed over a
large bandwidth, but with linear modulations such as AM and SSB, it can drastically
improve SNR by identifying the parts of the spectrum that contain no signal and
attenuating them.
WFM The Audio N.R. option is recommended for wideband FM.

AF N.R. audio is better for FM modes because it eliminates hiss, which has mostly
high-frequency components in the audio spectrum.

VIDEO COLLECTION

Extreme de-noising using State of The Art DSP Technology from Airspy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5C3RpL9tXc&feature=youtu.be

Advanced Radio Signal Restoration Technology by Airspy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHeAKY2IpgA&feature=youtu.be

Airspy SDR# (rev 1888) with dramatic effects of the new DSP:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hevMQblTQAc
SDR# (SDRSharp rev 1860) NINR Noise Reduction on US 20 kHz AM Broadcast:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IwV2BW_Mp0
Airspy HF+ Discovery / SDR# Daytime RX of Medi1 from Amsterdam:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WqNR9e_G3s
Or to play an IQ file (296 MB):
https://airspy.com/downloads/IQ_Training_27-Sep-2017 203114.151_305000Hz 000.wav.zip
In general, the whole PROG video collection:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLxV5qQH52VcN6HfXEWC83Q/videos

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 51 | 214
The Noise Blanker is a function that can be activated to try to reduce impulsive and pulsating noises
such as that coming from sources such as some motors, power lines, power supplies of various kinds.
This function can really make a difference, especially in the HF band, when receiving weak signals
immersed in noise.
The algorithm tries to remove those tracks that have large pulses inside of them. In SDR# there are
three different types:
 “Audio: Noise Blanker” operates within the tuned area
 “IF: Noise Blanker” operates on the IF signal
 “BaseBand: Noise Blanker” operates over the entire RF spectrum and removes pulses from the
FFT and Waterfall.

The pulsing noise can appear in different forms at different stages. It’s important to know that at
the Baseband stage, you have more opportunity to eliminate very short pulses without affecting
the rest of the processing. If the pulses are “fat”, ie. have a long time window, you can eliminate
them at the IF stage with better results, but it’s less optimal than the Baseband NB with short
pulses. Finally, at the Audio stage, the pulses will definitely take something from your signal, but
that’s the last resort when everything else fails.

Consider there is more averaging effect happening between the Baseband, IF and Audio stages,
which will spread the pulses in time as the processing goes. The earlier you can cut the offending
pulses, the better.

There are obviously no preset values or thresholds, so you need to gradually move the various
sliders until the pulsing noise disappears or reduces without distorting too much the received
audio.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 52 | 214
In a nutshell, how to eliminate a great many annoying and unwanted signals at will!

Just for memory's sake and as many will remember, in previous versions of SDR# the plugin was
called ("IF Notch + Filter" and before that "IF Processor"). Through multiple functions it allows
us to eliminate entire portions of frequencies that can create serious listening problems for us in some
circumstances.

"Notch tracking" data (Frequency, Atten, Width) are automatically saved in the "notches.xml" file
in the program directory.

The power of its "Asymmetric filter" (also enabling the flag on "IF Spectrum") allows you to select
which side of the signal to operate on in the "IF Filter + Notch Processor" window. In the following
screen, I resized only the left side of the IF spectrum with the mouse, reducing it by -66 kHz.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 53 | 214
"Notch tracking" allows us to configure various notches each with its own
bandwidth (Width in Hz) and attenuation (in dB) characteristics.
In the example opposite we can see two active notches: the first at 999 kHz
very pronounced as bandwidth and the second at 1002 kHz of only 300 Hz.

The "Add new" button inserts a new notch, while the "Delete" button
deletes the highlighted one.

In an even faster and more practical way,

you can do the same thing directly on the
"IF Filter + Notch Processor" window as
suggested by the yellow highlighted
message.

In this example, wanting to insert a notch

filter at 997 kHz, we will simply click
directly on the IF Spectrum window at the
thin red vertical line...

In the same way, you can

eliminate the notch filter
by clicking on it or
changing its bandwidth
with the mouse.

Instead, turning the mouse wheel varies the

attenuation (from -160 dB to +100 dB).

On the next page we will look at some practical examples of applying the Multi Notch filter in some
different situations experienced in HF and Medium Waves.
In this other example, the red portion of the filter, several kHz wide, where the extreme variable noise
made it difficult to receive the very weak CW signal at 7016.5 kHz (shown with yellow arrow)

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 54 | 214
Another significant
example where the
filter allows me to
listen perfectly to the
local RAI station on
Medium Wave at 999
kHz, which is heavily
disturbed by heavy
variable noise just a
little higher in
frequency.
With a notch set at
1001.5 kHz, with
strong attenuation and
wide BW solved the
problem in no time!!!

...
THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 55 | 214
To record audio samples of what we are listening to and playable later with any player we have as
many as two possibilities, seemingly similar but with somewhat different characteristics.

Simple Recorder: is the one built into SDR# from the

latest v.189x.
You initially configure the destination directory for the
audio files by clicking on the button at the bottom left
("audio" in my case).
Then you can choose between Mono and Stereo and the
format between 8 and 16 bit PCM or 32 bit IEEE Float.
Very handy and fast!

This other one, on the other hand, by author

TheWraight2008. I personally use a lot, it allows you to
make recordings on the fly in the most congenial audio
format with a wealth of options and parameterizations.

The latest update is v1.3.5.0.

With the "Folder select"

button you initially determine
where the files will be saved,
while with the "Configure"
button you can customize a
lot of things, some really
important...
In "File options" for example
you can decide for the quality
of the WAV file and the rules
for automatic file name
creation (really useful!).

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 56 | 214
In "Recorder options" you can
configure many other parameters.
Personally, I consider very
useful the options "Don’t write
pause / Use squelch" to make
recordings only when is active
the audio and “Create a new file
if the frequency is changed”...

Some friends over time have reported to me an "oddity" in the recording of AM signals where the
waveform did not appear to be absolutely centered on the horizontal axis, as can be seen from the
screen (taken from Audacity), being all centered at the top...

Now, thanks to the

help of BlackApple62,
we can unravel the
mystery!

Just flag, in the Audio section of SDR#, the "Filter Audio" to

have perfectly symmetrical audio in our recordings.
In the above screen you can clearly see the difference with
an audio sample recorded in the two modes.
Same thing is to be done to have correct audio
recordings and to avoid that distortion called "clipping" when using "Audio Recorder"
plugins: the use of "Filter Audio" is highly recommended!

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 57 | 214
To record IQ files instead, it is necessary to use a baseband recorder other than audio recorder. It
should be noted that these are not traditional "WAV" audio files here despite the common extension.
These IQ files contain very large binary data of the stream exchanged between USB and SDR.
The "Sample Format" allows us to choose the quality level of the recording.
Since the various RTL-SDR dongles are 8 Bit, we can select the "8 Bit PCM" option to save
storage space on the hard disk.

But be careful: when saving low-resolution IQ data, you must be sure that the signals are
strong enough to overcome the quantization noise of the target resolution. For 8 Bit, for
example, you need to have a noise floor close to -80 dBFS: so you need to increase the
RF gain until you reach that level, then you can safely quantize the data.

Recordings can be started manually or by simple scheduling (called "Schedule"). Recording can be
single or continuous, up to the maximum limit defined for each file format (see below), up to a set
limit, or until there is no more available space on the harddisk.

Simple Recorder: is the built-in SDR# from the latest

v.189x.
The "Configure" button allows you to choose the following
types of files:
 WAV RF64 (size header 64 bit, for very large files)
 WAV FULL (size header 32 bit, up to max 4,095 GB)
 WAV STRICT (size header 32 bit, up to max 2,047 GB)

The formats are between 8 and 16 bits PCM IQ or 32 bits IEEE Float IQ.

The "Schedule" button allows the scheduling of

one or more recording schedules. By clicking on
the cell with the mouse, it is possible to change
the start and end for each day and time...

Note: the now built-in baseband recorder locks the center frequency.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 58 | 214
 This other is by author TheWraiht2008, with the latest
update to v1.4.5.0 (visible in the bottom left corner in
the "Configure").
The "Configure" button allows you to choose the
following types of files:
 WAV RF64 (for files up to 1 TB)
 WAV FULL (for files up to 4 GB)
 WAV SDSR# Compatible (up to a 2 GB)
The formats are between 8 and 16 bits PCM IQ or 32 bits
IEEE Float IQ.

The "Schedule" button allows management of one or

more recording schedules. By clicking on each cell
with the mouse, it is possible to change the start and
end by day and time...

Next, to play any I/Q recording, one must use the "Source" panel by selecting toward the bottom
"Baseband File Player"

To search the HD and upload an IQ file, simply click on the

icon (see item 4 “Device configuration”)

This side window will open, allowing you to move within

the recorded file.

Click on the icon to choose another file, and on the

icon to open a window with further customizations.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 59 | 214
With these specific panels, some options can be displayed zoomed in. Recently they have been
optimized: the names and positions of individual options differ from previous releases.

Key Feature
Audio Allows you to see the audio spectrum in baseband.
Spectrum

FM MPX Allows you to see the MPX spectrum, that is the baseband audio of an FM station.
Spectrum

Can be activated only

on WFM signals (in the
88-108 MHz band).
The spectrum contains,
on the x-axis, from 0
kHz the monophonic
audio section, then a
pilot tone (at 19 kHz),
the stereo section
(centered at 38 kHz),
then the RDS data subcarrier (57 kHz) or even other special services such as DARC
visible in this screen...

IF Opens a zoomed window of the RF spectrum around the area of the tuned IF bandwidth.
Spectrum

It allows you to view the signal structure with better resolution, and by enabling
"Asymmetric filter" it allows you to select which side of the signal to act on.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 60 | 214
Micro With v.1886 (and later) this option was added which activates the panel called "Micro
Tuner Tuner" where the main purpose of micro tuning is to "help" the CCC algorithm to better
analyze the signal to be removed.

This superb function, which is unmatched by any other SDR software of my

knowledge, gives its maximum usefulness just together with the "AM Co-Channel
Canceller" to achieve a very deep rejection of the selected station thanks to a brand
new algorithm with a native implementation.
Its combination with HF+ Discovery is the best MW-dx listening system, unbeatable
for its price...

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 61 | 214
The Band Plan panel is very useful to view the many services that use radio frequencies across the
spectrum in an organized way from different countries (in the following screen the "FM Broadcast").

Until v.1834 it appeared like this (with a very thick coloured band). In the following example it is
displayed in "Bottom" position)

Since v.1835, the visualization has changed a bit, for the same information provided, it is now a very
thin line and less intrusive to the UI, this is to make room for other plugins. XML files are now
explicitly indented to facilitate offline editing and modification.

Key Default Feature

Show on Enabling this option will display a rectangular color bar with the
spectrum bandplan in the RF Spectrum window at the position indicated by the
"Position" option.
Auto update Enabling this option will automatically detect the emission mode/step
radio settings and set in the VFO.
So if in the bandplan, in certain portions of the HF band is provided
the USB mode and 0,5 kHz step, it will be applied immediately only
typing the frequency!
Position Bottom It allows you to choose between three different positions for the display
of the Bandplan: Top, Bottom, Full (over the whole RF Spectrum
window).

The support "BandPlan.xml" file, present in the program directory, must be modified with the
information of your national knowledge by inserting the appropriate lines of text and respecting the
format syntax. This must be the format of each "RangeEntry" unique for each frequency group:
<RangeEntry minFrequency="87500000" maxFrequency="108000000" color="90FF0000" mode="WFM"
step="12500">FM Broadcast</RangeEntry>

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 62 | 214
Each band can be divided into individual areas with different coloring, except for the overlapping of
a subgroup (but not altogether).

Colors are defined as T-RGB, where T=Transparency (in values from 0 to 99 as a percentage, from
almost completely transparent to full color) R=Red, G=Green, B=Blue in blocks of 2-digit
hexadecimal values (indifferent to uppercase or lowercase letters).

To define the colors you can use the internal tool named "Color dialog" that you can reach from the
panel “Display”  “Marker Color” 

In the BASIC menu, through this icon you can select a color on the screen to have immediately,
in the "Current" window, the hexadecimal countervalue.

Or by entering a value you can immediately see the result in the field. In the example below, the red
band of FM broadcast appears as "900000". Or you can use the "Professional" menu to have all
possible color palettes available.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 63 | 214
Or at these links among the many available on the net:
http://www.w3schools.com/colors/colors_names.asp
https://toolset.mrw.it/html/colori-del-web.html
http://www.colorihtml.it/
https://encycolorpedia.it/d0417e

The "mode" must be set between: WFM, NFM, AM, USB, LSB, CW. The "step" will automatically
set the receiver VFO to the preset value for each band. The final field allows you to enter a text label
that will appear as a name in the bandplan. Be careful not to enter particular or special characters
that could block the interpretation of the XML file, so it is recommended to use only alphanumeric
characters.
This plugin is very useful and allows you to divide the various bands of service assignment in
automatic mode by simply clicking on the RF Spectrum, but be careful because some bands with
multiple assignment in emission modes make the correct mode pre-selection impractical (e.g.
the articulated V-UHF bandplans of radioamateurs). In this case, deselect the "Auto update radio
settings" option in the Band Plan panel.
Any formatting errors in the file or the use of special characters will prevent the plugin from
loading when the program starts!

The Frequency Manager panel allows you to catalogue a large database of all the frequencies of
interest. A new frequency can be added directly by clicking on the “New” button. A small data-entry
opens, where all you have to do is add the name of the Group (if any), the name of the station and
confirm all the other data already automatically acquired.

Then a double click on a record will tune SDR# to that frequency, automatically setting the emission
mode and its bandwidth. If the "Show on spectrum" box is checked, the frequency label will be
displayed in the RF spectrum.

See also the optional "Frequency Manager (FreqMan) & Frequency Scanner" plugin....

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 64 | 214
This diagnostic plugin is useful for determining the power levels (dB) of signals.
On YouTube, the radioamateur Leif Asbrink (SM5BSZ) has
uploaded some very interesting and technical videos, where he
shows how the AIRSpy HF+ can be used as an accurate power
meter for RF signals. He points out that if the noise figure (NF)
or minimum distinguishable signal (MDS) of a device is
known, then it is possible to use this device as a power meter
by calibrating it with a resistor (dummy load) at room
temperature.

I suggest viewing at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipwWayemCSQ&feature=youtu.be

The SNR Logger has been implemented in the latest v.18xx

to include Peak and Floor in addition to SNR, making it
truly unique in the SDR arena.
The signal strength is the height of the peak shown in the
Waterfall while the noise level is simply the strength of the
noise at frequencies where no signals are emitted. The
absolute value of the difference between the two is called
SNR and is expressed in dB.

Once the flag has been enabled in the panel and a time interval has been selected with the cursor (up
to 60 seconds), a text file with a name similar to this one will be created in a directory of your choice:
"SDRSharp_20210315_140603Z_SNR.csv" inside are written the values in dB for SNR, and dBm
for Peak and Floor detected by the active frequency of the VFO.

The small CSV file can be imported into MS Excel for further analysis and, using a suitable
graphical representation, it will be possible to report the Timestamp data (date/time) on the x-
axis and the values of the received signals on the y-axis.

In the example the reception of R.Charleston at 5.140 kHz on 15 March 2021).

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 65 | 214
THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 66 | 214
In this section I will describe, in alphabetical order, some "Plugins" that compared to the default
"Panels" are options developed specifically for SDR# that expand or extend the original functionality.
This is in fact another peculiarity of the software, unique in its genre, that allows to API developers
to make it for all specific needs...
There are really a lot of them on the net, but recently SDR# software has been updated to the latest
technical knowledge about internal DSP and graphical interface: therefore individual developers
should review their plugins in this perspective, especially for readability with darker video themes.
In addition, from version 178x, non-default plugins will adopt the clear Windows theme
A lot has changed since v.1801!
Now you just have to create a subdirectory "Plugins" and
put the relevant DLLs in it. The upload will be automatic
and the Plugins.xml file and its MagicLine are no longer
needed!
You can also decide to use another custom directory by
editing the instruction "core.pluginsDirectory" in the
SDRSharp.config file.
To disable loading of a specific DLL (or directory) simply
rename it so that it starts with the underscore "_"
character. If an error occurs when loading the plugin, it can
be found in the log file "PluginError.log".
Previously, in order to manually insert a new plugin, downloaded
from the network in compacted format, you had to close SDR#, extract the DLL (or more than one)
in the software folder and insert the "MagicLine" in the Plugins.xml file, taking care not to change
anything in its syntax, save the file and restart SDR#.
Some plugins are about innovative and purely ingenious things, others are specific radio or hardware
management (e.g. for satellites), others are modified and extended versions e.g. for audio
recording/reproduction, like all the original russian Vasili ones at: http:// http://rtl-sdr.ru/
The plugins can be loaded manually and individually or via the flexible and always
updated "Community Package" developed by Rodrigo Pérez, which can be reached
here: https://sdrchile.cl/en/ or by: https://airspy.com/?ddownload=5544

Note to developers.
1) As a general recommendation, one's own plugin should load the first time with the 'disabled status'
and leave it to the user how and when to activate it.
2) Youssef has recently included some sample plugins from the latest SDR# release candidate as a
reference for other developments:
https://airspy.com/downloads/shrsharp-plugin-sdk-vs2019.zip
The solution provided allows you to edit, build and debug these plugins within Visual Studio 2019.
This is probably the fastest way to develop plugins for SDR# now in dotnet 5, but the reference to the
old programming still works.

WARNING! SOME OF THESE SYSTEMS IT COULD BE ILLEGAL IN YOUR COUNTRIES!

Check carefully and thoroughly the regulations in force in your country. Some of this radio system
was specifically designed for use by government, emergency services, for public safety networks,
etc etc. who all share spectrum allocated to a city, county, or other entity.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 67 | 214
Already author of the "Magic Eye" plugin (see below), Marco Melandri (BlackApple62) has made
its "Audio Equalizer" available freeware:
https://github.com/BlackApple62/SDRSharp-Audio-Equalizer-Plugin

The plugin provides a panoramic equalizer, tone and bass/treble balance control, now compatible
with the latest SDR# Studio 32bit updated to the .Net6.x (>= v.1888).
The "Enable" flag activates the plugin and with "Gain" slider sets the
relative gain.
The "Set" button accesses the configuration of the five presets
starting from the ability to assign a name (as shown below) at will
and then set the nine bands (60 Hz to 16 kHz) in the range +/- 12 dB.
The panoramic equalizer set window allows to control SDR# Studio
while is active.

click to
change name

The "Reset Gains" button

resets the gain of the nine bands
to flat (0 dB value) within each
preset.
The equalizer configuration data are automatically saved in the "SDRSharp.config" file.

These are the two additional handy panels:

"Tone Control" and "Bass/Treble Balance"

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 68 | 214
CalicoCat, initially written in 2018 by Stephen Loomis (N0TTL), allows SDR# to interface with other
ham radio software through a virtual serial port via CAT protocol commands.
The plugin supports a subset of the Kenwood TS-2000 command set and therefore any software used
must be set up to communicate with this rtx at 19,200 baud rate, 8 bit, 1 stop bit, no parity and flow.

The installation is very simple.

You start by copying "SDRSharp.Calico.dll" into the Plugins
directory, then you start SDR# and enable the "Enable CAT"
checkbox.

CalicoCat will use two virtual serial ports previously created by

software such as "com0com." The actual numbers that will be assigned to the COM ports depend on
the configuration of your own system (in my
case COM7 and COM8). I therefore selected
COM7 in SDR# and COM8 in the other
software with which I wanted to interface.

Since CAT is a bidirectional protocol, changes made in SDR# will be immediately sent to the other
software and vice versa...
In the chapter "Listening recipes" we will see this at work with the Fldigi software, for example.
https://gridtracker.org/sdr/CalicoCAT-SDRSharpPlugin-1.19.9.22.zip

For compatibility with the new .NET7 you can download the fixed version from Prog:
https://airspy.com/downloads/SDRSharp.Calico7.zip

One software that I have been using a lot for a long time is the very powerful "CSVUserlistBrowser"
(or CSVUB) by radioamateur Henry DF8RY.
CSVUB is a Windows application that interfaces to SDR#, to manage numerous databases (or lists)
of radio frequencies of long, medium, short and WFM broadcasting stations. It displays the lists in
the following formats: AOKI, EIBI, HFCC, FMSCAN, numeric stations, "ITU monitoring",
ClassAxe (for NDB), etc. etc. as well as Personal Userlists.
These are the steps for its installation:
 Download the file https://www.df8ry.de/htmlen/csvub/CSVUserlistBrowser.zip
 Extract the files to a directory on the HD with full write privileges
 When CSVUserlistBrowser.exe starts, you are prompted for the name of the receiver or
receivers you wish to check. Select "SDRSHARP." (This step is only needed once at the
beginning)
 From the zip file copy only the correct plugin for your release of SDR#!!! There are in fact
five different versions of plugins in the zipper that should not be confused... For SDR#
releases prior to rev.1801: Copy the file SDRSharp.DF8RYDatabridge.dll into the SDR#

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 69 | 214
 directory. Open the file "Plugins.xml" in your SDR# directory with a word processor and add
the following line in the <sharpPlugins> section:
<add key = "DF8RYDatabridge" value = "SDRSharp.DF8RYDatabridge.DF8RYDatabridgePlugin, SDRSharp.DF8RYDatabridge" />

 For SDR# versions after rev.1801: Copy the file SDRSharp.DF8RYDatabridge.dll into the
Plugins folder of SDR#. No additional line is needed in Plugins.xml!
 Start SDRSHARP-CSVUserlistBrowser.exe (automatically created in the previous step in the
CSVUserlistBrowser folder)
 If you have never downloaded databases/schedules with CSVUserlistBrowser, follow the
instructions on the site on the "First Steps" page under Overview / First Steps.
 In the SDR# software, open the DF8RYDatabridge plugin and verify that "Enable RX" is
selected.
You can start two
instances of SDR# and
control them with
CSVUserlistBrowser
(see the "Control
SDRSHARP RX"
menu).

For its countless features and functions I invite you to consult here:
https://www.df8ry.de/htmlen/csvub/%F0%9F%91%93features.htm

CSVUB tunes the receiver with a single mouse click in the proper emission mode, showing the station
name, time, language, transmitter position, distance and bearing, as well as other information
automatically updated by the respective servers! It also contains Hamlib and Omnirig control for
external receivers, also analog receivers that can be connected via RS-232. The plugin allows you to
interface SDR# in a fast and non-invasive way, unlike other much slower and uncomfortable to use.
The CSVUB window is external, dimensionable and positionable at will.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 70 | 214
The CSVUB window is external, sizable and can be placed wherever you want. I prefer to keep
it above SDR# to see all the frequencies and information immediately.

In the screen above, SDR# is tuned in full screen at 92,100 kHz WFM, the plugin sends the
information to CSVUB, which displays it in tabular form, showing in the first line of different color
the identified broadcaster. Everything is configurable in font and size, as well as having a
customizable "skin" for the color scheme (in the example the skin used is the "SDRsharp"!). It can
also work in reverse, you click on a frequency in the CSVUB table and the receiver will immediately
tune in the correct emission mode and specific bandwidth preset.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 71 | 214
In this screenshot, a Spy Server Network is used to verify a broadcaster on 19-meter. By enabling the
"Track mode" option, the first line appears in CSVUB with its transmission highlighted. For very
busy slots, you could also use the "Now" option which immediately filters the transmission at the
current time. Let's see in detail the possible plugin configurations through the “DF8RYDatabridge”.

Key
Enable RX1 / RX2 Enable or disable SDR#-CSVUB control. There are two instances of
connection to SDR#, for example one with an Airspy and the other with an
RTL-SDR dongle.
Autostart radio The plugin automatically starts the radio it finds connected. In case of
problems when the radio is not connected, it is preferable to disable the
option and start it manually.
The receiver only starts automatically when RX1 is enabled. The autostart
is blocked for a second instance of SDR# with RX2, otherwise it would start
the same radio twice and cause confusion.
Tune… Auto The frequency position, tunes in the RF spectrum, is controlled by SDR#.
Tune… Center The tuned frequency always appears in the center of the SDR# RF spectrum
(see Tuning types).
Tune… Sticky Use SDR# Sticky tuning mode (see Tuning types).
Tune… 15 kHz off The frequency is tuned to 15 kHz from the center. This avoids collisions
with the typical peak I/Q that some RTL-SDR/sound cards produce in the
center of the RF spectrum RF.
Tune… 150 kHz off As in the previous point, but for reception in WFM. The frontend must have
sufficient RF bandwidth (at least 300 kHz).
Direct input Here you can directly type a frequency in kHz or MHz and press Enter for
kHz or MHz tuning: really very convenient and fast! Or, when with the mouse, you have
the "focus" on this field, the Pag Up/Down keys or Up/Down arrows tune
the VFO gradually with the Step Size selected in SDR#.
NFM … RAW Eight buttons for immediate setting of the various modes.
Bandwidth Presets These are some default snapshot settings for SDR# that may sometimes be
and AGC Decay useful. Not related to CSVUB.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 72 | 214
PI / PSN > When a WFM station is received with the RDS decoded by SDR# it is
Clipboard possible to copy its PI and/or PSN code to the clipboard, to be used to
compose its own Personal Userlist.
Reset RDS The button activates a new RDS decoding in SDR# (it is basically a reset of
the RDS).

and if you want, free download at this link:

https://www.df8ry.de/htmlen/csvub/%F0%9F%93%BBsdrsharp.htm

It has so many options and features that it is impossible to treat them all here even minimally. I
recommend that you download and consult the relevant manual.

These two plugins, for analogue CTCSS and digital DCS detection (only for NFM mode), have
recently been updated by the tireless work of "thewraith2008" (already the author of other plugins
from the initial TSSDR Vasili work).

Important note: you cannot use CTCSS and DCS at the same time.

Versions 1.3.2.0 of both have recently introduced a new feature: the value of the detected CTCSS or
DCS will be sent to the "Frequency Scanner" plugin for displaying/recording (obviously the latter
must be updated to version v2.2.12.0 or later).

Before even with versions 1818/1822, the size of the audio buffer having been greatly reduced, the
previous plugins no longer worked, as they required the presence of some "zero crossings" in the
audio buffer (i.e. points of zero crossing, just before the change of sign, in the alternation of the signal
between positive and negative values) to detect the tones, and therefore have been updated again.
They can be downloaded, together with other plugins (Auto Start, FreqMan, Frequency Scanner,
ScopeView and Short-wave info), from the site forum: https://www.radioreference.com

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 73 | 214
 Option
Detect “Detect” enables/disables plugins. The tones/codes detected and decoded by the audio
buffer are made visible in the following ways: in the body of the plugin, in the spectrum
window and/or in an auxiliary window. Read the NOTES below...
Show on CTCSS: With this parameter enabled, you can display
spectum the detected tone directly on the RF Spectrum, on the
right side of the VFO mark, (or on the left side if the
margin is at the edge of the screen).
See below for new options introduced by v.1.3.4.0
especially for positioning on the Y-axis of the
spectrum.

DCS: The detected codes (positive or

negative) will be displayed at the top of the
RF Spectrum and next to the VFO marker.

No reset Option recently added with release 1.3.0.0. Keeps the last detected CTCSS/DCS
(on change of visible on the panel and on the external window but will delete the one on the RF
frequency) Spectrum. Can be useful during a scan to keep the last detected tone/code
visible.
Aux windows With this parameter enabled, it is
also possible to display the
measured data in auxiliary
windows that can be positioned
anywhere on the screen and
always in the foreground with
respect to all other open windows.
Squelch / Set Enables/disables Squelch to operate with the detected tone/code.
this tone

Since version 1.3.4.0 you can further

configure some options by clicking on the
highlighted rectangles...

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 74 | 214
NOTE (1) - CTCSS: The developer informs us that the plugin may have some difficulty in
detecting subtones at a lower frequency in Hz and therefore recommends (SDR# v1810 and
lower) to increase the Latency value to 60 (mS) in the "Audio" panel.

NOTE (2) - DCS: An option has been introduced in the “Configure” to use only those DCSs that
exist in the table, thus reducing the list of DCSs. The three options are:
0 = Default - No need to vary anything.
1 = To use only the 83 standard DCS codes (those ETSI TS 103 236 v1.1.1-Table 2)
2 = As point "1" but in addition the 21 extended DCS codes.
To use the option choose the item from the drop-down menu or manually add the following line
in the file "SDRSharp.exe.config" with the preference value, at the end of the block of the other
entries starting with "DCS.xxxxx":
<add key="DCS.OnlyUseDcsCodesInTable" value="1" />

NOTE (3) - DCS: Introduced an additional option to eventually switch the display of DCS codes
between 'Normal' and 'Inverted'.
To use this option, the following line must be added to the "'SDRSharp.exe.config" file:
<add key="DCS.SwapNormalInvertedDcsCodes" value="True" />

This plugin, updated as of July 2022 by author "thewraith2008"

(who has already published several others covered in this chapter)
allows you to use SDR# as a radio source by providing a
convenient graphical interface to DSD+ or Digital Speech
Decoder software that allows you to decode audio of digital
signals in the DRM standard, D-STAR...
The plugin supports:
DSD+ v1.101 public
version
DSD+ Fastlane
(with limitations
specifically v2.212).
The plugin version
has been updated to
support DSD+ Fastlane v2.212 (from v2.183 to v2.212).
Future versions may also not work given the many
changes made to DSD+ since then (v2.390 at the time of
the author's writing).
NOTE (1) from the author. This plugin will no longer be
suitable for and will no longer support future versions of
DSD+ Fastlane, as many features of DSD+ Fastlane will
only work when used with its tuner front-end (FMP24,
FMPA, FMPP). NOTE (2) Not all functions of DSD+
Fastlane are available with this plugin.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 75 | 214
DSDPlusUI is a handy free GUI created for DSD+ especially to facilitate the use of FastLane releases
(paid versions of DSD+) on x86/64 desktop and tablet platforms.
In fact, there is also a "MainLine" version on the developer's site, but we will deal here with the plugin
for SDR# that pernects to configure and launch DSD+ directly from SDR#, via the usual DLL to be
copied into the Plugins directory
DMR Slot1 and Slot2 emissions are processed and listened to simultaneously.

In the screenshots some practical configurations of the plugin.

https://dsdplusui.com/download.php?download_file=DSDPlusUI_SDRSharp_Plugin_v1.0.0.53.zip

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 76 | 214
Simple and effective Fabian's EB1TR plugin!
https://www.eb1tr.com/eb1tr-infobar-and-shortcuts/

It is divided into two groups of functions that can be turned

on/off from the main panel.

Infobar
This is an information bar located on the right side of the VFO with the following information:

noise signal Signal to

mode bandwidth floor strength noise ratio

Shortcuts
This is a series of keyboard shortcuts that allow you to change the step, bandwidth, emission modes,
RF Spectrum/waterfall zoom, etc., quickly and easily. The list is as follows:

Keys Receiver control Display

- Print, cut out and keep
CTRL+left arrow Decrease step
CTRL+right arrow Increase step
CTRL+arrow up Increase BW linearly (1 Hz)
CTRL+arrow down Decrease the BW linearly (1 Hz)
CTRL+(+) Increase BW exponentially (+10%)
CTRL+(-) Decrease BW exponentially (-10%)
A Mode AM
D Mode DSB
F Mode NFM
W Mode WFM
C Mode CW
L Mode LSB
U Mode USB
R Mode RAW
M Cycles between emission modes
S Cycles between the different steps
Q Enable/disable Squelch
ALT+arrow up Zoom in
ALT+arrow down Zooms out
ALT (o CTRL)+Enter Center the signal

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 77 | 214
Writing “plugin” may be very reductive, in fact Jeff Knapp's is a freeware "suite" consisting of several
modules. The reference link is: http://www.freqmgrsuite.com/

This has recently been updated to make it fully compatible with the newer versions of SDRsharp
(1893 and later), particularly in what concerns:
 Themes have been improved, within the constraints of the Microsoft UI controls.
 All plugins now request SDR#/Telerik scrollbar support.
 Minor changes to captions of various controls for greater clarity.
 Many internal changes to improve speed and reliability.
 Updated to .NET Core 6.x

I refer, of course, to all the PDF documentation, which is very rich and comprehensive in every
respect, available in the directory at the path: C:\xxx\FMSuite\FMSuite.Documentation

Frequency Manager+Scanner
It is the real heart of the Suite, written in C#, it offers a
frequency management tool with display of information
directly on the RF Spectrum. It makes it easy to search and
edit frequencies, scan previously defined intervals or groups
of frequencies. These are some other notable features:

 With release 2.3 the scanner runs up to 5 times faster

than previous versions, (depending on the computer in
use).
 A scanner specifically for the VHF air/ground
communication band 118-137 MHz is now included. It
correctly identifies and tunes ICAO frequencies with
channel spacing of 8.333 and 25 kHz.
 When there are multiple stations on a frequency in your
database and the option "Show a signal's description,
strength, and timers above the spectrum" is enabled in
the Preferences, the letter "M" is displayed next to the
dBFS value to indicate the presence of multiple stations.
 You can now selectively choose whether to have the
description of a specific station appear in the spectrum
window when "Show descriptions of frequencies in the
spectrum" is enabled in Preferences. This allows all those less important records in the database
to be removed from the RF spectrum, thus reducing the visual impact that occurs when you have
thousands of records in the database and use a high sampling rate in SDR#.
 The description of the tuned frequency, if present in the database, is now displayed above the
spectrum RF even when the scanner is not operating.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 78 | 214
Frequency Data Display
Panel showing the main information if present in the database. In case
more than one isofrequency stations are present and the option "Show a
frequency's description on the spectrum" is enabled in the Preferences,
the legend "Multiple stations are on this frequency" is displayed next to
the frequency description".

Frequency Entry
The plugin has been adapted to make it easier to change the frequency
and center frequency.

Scanner Decisions
To reduce the amount of informations in the decision list, the frequency appears only on the first row
of the reception detail. Tooltips now appear on decision information when the plugin window is too
narrow to show the full row. Simply hover the mouse over the row you wish to read. The font size is
maintained between SDR# sessions.

Scanner Metrics
It is an accessory of the Frequency Manager+Scanner module. It allows
you to record scanner activity in a database and then run analysis on this
information. Report graphs are now in colors suitable for color-blind
people.

Activity Logger
Records the scanner activity created by the
"Frequency Manager+Scanner" module
implemented in the file name in addition
to the date, also with the time of day when
the log was created.

Data Tools Wizard

Really useful accessory now that it has become a
plugin (previously it was an external program): it
is designed to download and import various
frequency databases available via the Internet:
AOKI, CLASSAXE, EIBI, MWLIST, HFCC,
(FMList has been removed in this version).
Import from the SDR# Frequency Manager and
generic text files is provided.
The number of imported records is now displayed
when the import is completed.
Imported data now also support frequencies
beyond Gigahertz.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 79 | 214
Scheduler
Provides the means to create, use and reuse schedules and manage their
frequencies.
Multiple operational schedules can be defined; when a schedule is
activated, the Scheduler will activate the frequency on the specified
dates and times.

In Tools / Edit Preferences you can see the amount of customizations and consfigurations you can
make to the Suite for the "Frequency Manager," "Scan Rules," and "Scan Performances".

In the following screenshot you can see the FMS Frequency Manager+Scanner in conjunction with
the newly imported EIBI A21 database. By tuning, for example, the 5,140 kHz frequency in HF, the
database, in "Live Track" mode, will be placed at the corresponding frequency, and the stations found
isofrequency are highlighted in blue rows.
A label customizable in font and color is also graphically displayed at the spectrum RF.
It is thus possible to create one's own personal archives for frequencies in HF and VHF/UHF,
easily importing perhaps those that one has long since entered into one's standard SDR#
Frequency Manager.

The following screenshots are of editing a frequency in the full-bodied SQLite database of "Basic
Info" or "Extended Info" that you can enhance for various archives that are then useful for making
specific filters and searches.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 80 | 214
In case some problems arise during the installation or use of FMSuite v2.3 please also refer to the
"Troubleshooting" section of the Guides. Also keep in mind that:
 Windows often blocks applications downloaded from the Internet. During software installation,
was step 4 in " New Installation" in the "Read Me First" document performed? If not, delete the
FMSuite folder and start over with a new installation and be sure to carefully follow the
instructions to remove the Windows block.
 The database file could be used by Windows or some other program (antivirus, backup program,
etc.). Restart the computer and start SDR# again.
 The FMSuite folder contains a subfolder named "x86." Some people mistakenly delete this folder
thinking that, using Windows 64 bit this folder is not necessary, but this is not the case: it is
indispensable. Do not delete any folder from FMSuite!!!
THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 81 | 214
These plugins, taken from TSSDR's (Vasili) initials, are now maintained and updated thanks to
"thewraith2008". They are downloadable, with others (Auto Start, CTCSS/DCS, ScopeView and
Short-wave info), from the site forum: https://www.radioreference.com

With the "Frequency Manager" (or FreqMan to

distinguish it a bit from the previous one) you can create
different groups to store any frequency by assigning a
name.
Other parameters such as emission mode, BW filter,
centre and shift are automatically detected by the
current VFO of SDRsharp.

The very useful thing is that FreqMan uses the same

archive as Frequency Manager (i.e. the file
'frequencies.xml' in the program directory). So both
plugins will conveniently see the same groups and
frequencies…

You can create many different groups according to your

needs: HF, VHF/UHF or by genre, for example FM broadcasters, amateur radio, satellites, etc. ...
On the right, in this version of "FreqMan", there is a very useful
checkboxes "S" that allows you to mark each record and then scan it
by pressing the "Scan" button. Below the latter is a handy counter
that indicates the memories currently saved in the group ("FM" in our
example).

By pressing the wheel button instead you access the

configuration panel where you can customise other options including
the possibility of displaying a label on the Waterfall or Spectrum
(with a font of your choice), of the only active frequency or of the
current group, etc. etc...

With the "Frequency Scanner" it is possible to search in a wide

range and with impressive scan speeds that cannot be achieved with
any other scanner, even analogue!
There are two modes: the more immediate mode of searching in the
current spectrum window using the "Screen" preset, or defining a
scan range in priority by pressing the "Edit scan range" button for
example with this data:

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 82 | 214
 You can take advantage of as many as 5 different scanning modes:
Scan all with save new, Scan all without save new, Scan only
memorized exclude new, Scan only new exclude memorized,
Scan only enabled in Manager.
The "Configure" button allows you to set every possible parameter
of the Scanner, Channel Analyzer and Logging to file in detail.
The "Detect" button allows you to vary the scanning speed
allowing the best detection of an active signal. The default value
is 100.
The "Wait" button allows you to vary (in seconds) the delay with
which to resume scanning. You can start testing with a value of
5 seconds.
At this point you are ready to press the "Scan" button to see and
appreciate the extreme speed of scanning (still improved in version
2.2.1x for CPU and scan speed!) and the wealth of supporting
information.

In this author example, the nautical band is being scanned. The Channel Analyzer window will appear

with a rich set of indications and operational buttons. Let's see how to use them:
 The buttons << >> control the scanning direction or to skip the current active frequency
 With | | to pause or resume scanning
 Use “locks” to lock/unlock one or more frequencies
 The Z1/Z2 buttons toggle the zoom type in the channel analyser window
While the following buttons control interrupting and resuming the scan:
 The red ones adjust the level of the "trigger" (red horizontal line). When the signal goes
above the red line the scan stops and you can listen.
 The yellow ones adjust the "hysteresis" level (yellow horizontal line). When a signal goes
below the yellow line, the countdown (for waiting) starts. When the time is up, scanning
resumes. If in the meantime the signal goes above the red line again, during the waiting
period, the counter will be reset and the scanner will remain on the current frequency.

The colours at the bottom of the Channel Analyser have these meanings:
BLUE = The frequency is not present in the associated Frequency Manager
database and is not locked.
DARK RED = The frequency is not present in the Frequency Manager
database but is locked.
YELLOW = The frequency is present in the Frequency Manager database but is locked.
GREEN = The frequency is in the Frequency Manager database and is not locked.

For a correct use of all the functionalities of this very useful and fundamental plugin, please read
carefully its PDF manual of 27 pages.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 83 | 214
With SDR# we make use of hearing since its best is revealed precisely through sound and many of
its special features involve suppressing noises and emphasizing audio. This allows us to pay attention
only to what we are interested in, somewhat like a skilled musician manages to separate and balance
the sounds and tracks of a song to be mixed...

Now, thanks to ListenInfo (abbreviated "LI") by Marco Melandri (BlackApple62), an energetic visual
alchemy will also be established: one simultaneously listens to and visualizes on the RF Spectrum
the valuable information related to the broadcaster: without this aid, the signals would remain only
completely evanescent graphic signs...

It looks like this: on

the left side I
A opened the plugin
panel and on the
RF Spectrum (or
B waterfall) all the
information we
have ever dreamed
C F of are immediately
available, actually
more!
D
Following my motto
E "From black and
white to color... now
ListenInfo takes us
to a higher level of
perfection."

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 84 | 214
It has been my absolute honor and privilege to be a betatester, and with LI now I have radically
changed the way I do radio listening.
Now, after a long wait, the plugin for .NET7 is available for everyone.

It covers any band: LW, MW, SW, VHF and UHF, importing SW lists such as SDR# Frequency
Manager, EIBI, HFCC and MWlists immediately providing on the RF Spectrum/Waterfall
customizable, dynamic and colorful font information on the station being received, also allowing you
to do targeted searches within the multiple supporting database!

Let us analyze in detail the various features of the individual "A / F" panels.

.Panel Feature
“A”

The "Enable" flag activates the plugin.

On the right appears the version number and clicking on it takes
you directly to the plugin download link.

The following buttons, once activated, will take on the color blue.

These allow the respective labels to be displayed on the RF Spectrum/Waterfall and table.

Displays the name of the station (or stations if there is more than
one).

Displays the UTC time of the broadcast.

Makes the days of the week visible (S M T W T F S format).

Displays the language of the current program.

Displays the site of the transmitting station.

Displays power in kW of the transmitter (if listed).

Displays the degrees where the transmission beam is oriented.

Displays the distance in kilometers from the transmitter

(calculated from your own geographical coordinates, see "RX
position" and those of the transmitter site).

Displays the country of the transmitter.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 85 | 214
While these have the following features.

Toggles the display of RF Spectrum or Waterfall information.

Allows to display labels related to the current bandwidth.

Makes the labels a very muted color.

Used in conjunction with the "Bandwidth" button displays
broadcasters in the current bandwidth.
Makes visible only the active broadcasters transmitting on the
frequency tuned by the VFO.
If disabled on the RF Spectrum, the info of all active broadcasters
visible in the RF Spectrum window appears.
Opens in the tabular part of the plugin (see point "E") the
complete list of loaded lists.
In hierarchical lists, the green color
indicates when a sublist is available and
at least one of the sublists is active.
The "All/None" button allows you to flag
or unflag the lists in the table.
Removing the flag from a list also
updates the corresponding number of
records in the "C" panel.

Only records of broadcasters for

which the signal (S) can be
estimated to be receivable (with
the cursor from highest to lowest)
are filtered and displayed.
It is currently calculated only by
distance and power of the
transmitting site for those lists
that show such indications.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 86 | 214
 Panel Feature
“B”

Indication of one's receiving location. See "Settings".

Panel Feature
“C”
Indication of records in the database.
The first number is for those filtered and therefore visible, the
second (in parentheses) is the number of total records in the
database.

With this panel, you can

enter a new record,
related to the VFO
frequency tuned, in the
list you want (for example
with the name "Personal"
and then clicking the
"New List" button).
The emission mode and
filter bandwidth are
automatically detected by
SDR#.
The "Shift" field allows
you to value the
equivalent field of SDR#
in the use with the
SpyVerter or any
converters..

All other fields are freely editable respecting only the relative
adequacy.
The "ADD" button will complete the action or "Cancel" to exit
without any entry.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 87 | 214
 With this panel you can
change the content of any
record in the list, related to
the frequency tuned in the
VFO.
The "Visible" flag makes
the record active or
invisible during normal
use.
With the following
buttons you will be able to
select:

the first record, back by 10

records, back by 1 record,
forward by 1, forward by
10, last record.
With the "SAVE" button
you will complete the
action or with "Cancel" to
exit without any change.

With this panel it is

possible to delete a record.
The "Delete" flag is used
to mark, among any
several records, the one
selected for deletion.
With the following
buttons you will be able to
select:

the first record, back by 10

records, back by 1 record,
forward by 1, forward by
10, last record.
With the "DELETE"
button you will complete
the action or with
"Cancel" to exit without
any deletion.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 88 | 214
 Various settings of the plugin can be configured with this panel.

I write a separate paragraph to address the various topics

more exhaustively.

Panel Feature
“D”

It only takes three letters, regardless of the position of the string

(at the beginning, middle, or end of the name) to search for the
occurrence in the loaded lists.
The number of records found also appears in the title.

Example by typing only

"radio" it may appear
either "Adventist World
Radio" or "China Radio
Int." or "Radio Farda" and
all the others... Really very
performant and
convenient!!
The tabular part shows, on
the right and bottom, sliders
to move more conveniently.
The "x" flag is used to reset
the search field.

Another unique feature of

LI is that clicking on any
record in the table centers
the VFO of SDR# on the
chosen frequency by
tuning it with the exact
emission mode and
bandwidth present for that
record in the database.

In the search, it filters only active broadcasters from the lists

according to the current UTC time.

Indication of the day, month, year and UTC time taken from your
own computer.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 89 | 214
 Panels Feature
“E” and “F”

Information that can be displayed, on the right side of the vertical

tuning bar beside the Spectrum pointer (*), as follows (panel "F"):
 Station name
 Active schedule (start > end transmission)
 Days of the week
1  Program language
 Transmitter site
 Power (in kW)
 Bearing antenna
 Distance (in km)
2  Country

In the tabular part (panel "E"), which you can scroll through with
the side cursor, we will have in addition to the previous
information:
 Frequency - (reference list) - Signal
3
Clicking on the table, with the right mouse button, loops between
the three modes provided for labels (screenshots 1/2/3) in order
to optimize the available space.

The different color codes, active only in HF where schedules are

present, have this meaning (see also "Settings"):

white color (default) – Transmission in progress

yellow color – Notice next start of broadcast (5 minutes before).

Salmon color – Advance notice of end of broadcast (duration 5

minutes).

Red color – End of transmission. The label will disappear after

a few moments assuming some new transmission still follows,
otherwise nothing will be displayed (default 10 seconds).

Note: If the VFO is set to "Free tuning" and we are toward the
right edge of the screen the respective LI indications will
appear on the left side of the vertical tuning bar: no small feat
for those who designed and built it!!
(*)
Spectrum pointer (symbol "<" or ">") in the first line in the
RF Spectrum.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 90 | 214
 Settings

OPTIONS: RX POSITION
Fill these fields with your receiver's Geographic Coordinates is quite
important, as LI will use them to estimate stations distance and Signal fields.

The format used is as follows:

36N09 - 139E48 or 32S58 - 071W30

The latitude ranges from 0 to ±90 degrees, and longitude,

from 0 to ±180 degrees. The sign is indicated by (0=Equator,
or Greenwich Meridian): N, E giving positive values while
S, W give negative values.
For Longitude the format is aaa(E|W)bb with 0<=aaa<+179
and 0<=bb<=59 aaa in degrees, bb in 60ths.
So Longitude of -8 degrees and 6 sixtieths should be written
as 008W06.
Similarly Latitude has format cc(S|N)dd where 0<=cc<89
and 0=<dd<59, same units.

Those who want to verify exactly their geographic

coordinates in the correct ListenInfo annotation I suggest
taking advantage of Google Earth (from the menu: Tools
/ Options / 3D View and using Degrees and Minutes).

OPTIONS: FONT
It is possible to customize the fonts that
appear on the RF Spectrum by Font
Type, Style, and Size Points.

On the other hand, it is not possible to change the color

of the font since it is already used internally with specific
meanings (see panels "E" and "F" above).

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 91 | 214
OPTIONS: V-Shift
The control allows
the content of the information
appearing on the RF Spectrum to
be moved vertically down (by one
line).
It can be useful if used in
conjunction with the "Frequency
Manager" plugin with the "Show
on spectrum" option enabled.

OPTIONS:
These two controls allow customizing the exposure time on the RF
spectrum of the colored labels in minutes (for yellow/salmon
colors-"Before/Expire") and seconds (for red-"Expired").

DATABASE
Delete DB - with this command you delete the entire database.
Re-Build DB - with this command you re-index the database after
acquisition/deletion operations.
Merge LI DB - with this command you can add a custom database to the
current database.
Export List - this command allows you to select the lists to be exported.
The exported files are saved in the subdirectory "LI-Data\DBExports" with
format "list name.csv" and are of course re-importable.
Delete List - with this command you can select the lists to be deleted.

IMPORT EXTERNAL LISTS

The databases or Frequency Lists (External Lists) currently managed
and importable are as follows:
 SDR# Frequency Manager (using the frequencies.xml file)
 EIBI (direct import via internet)
 HFCC (direct import via internet)
 MWList (direct import via internet)

If a List has been previously

imported, you will be prompted to select keeping or
refreshing existing data.

Reference link: https://github.com/BlackApple62/SDRSharp-ListenInfo-Plugin

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 92 | 214
On an old-style note, in this world of ultratechnological software, you might like to try the freeware
plugin “Magic eye” of old memory, by the author Marco Melandri (BlackApple62):
https://github.com/blackapple62/SDRSharp-Magic-Eye-Plugin

Once installed and activated one of sixteen available

patterns, customizable in size and transparency relative
to the background, including three analog-type SNR
meters, will appear in the upper left corner of the RF
Spectrum window.

Since v2.0 the plugin has

been updated for full
compatibility with newer
versions of .NET6 (for
SDR# Studio release >=
1832) and .NET7 (>=1902).
From this release the Enable/Disable function is possible from its control panel.

Several guys have asked me lately about the possibility of using one plugins to manage emission
modes directly, perhaps next to the VFO. Until recently, one could use the handy "Accessibility
Control" but it isn't worked since many time…
I have now tried with satisfaction the plugin "Mode Presets" by the developer "TheWraith2008"
already mentioned several times for his numerous works.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 93 | 214
I placed the plugin just below the VFO and customized it (with 2 rows x 4 buttons) with emission
modes. If you want, you can place it anywhere because of the extreme flexibility in managing SDR#
windows.
By right-clicking on each button you can customize other parameters. I only enabled, in the "Main"
tab, the "Detector" for each emission mode...
But much more can be done with: BW, Filter, Squelch, Step size and even frequency for favorite
memories (up to a maximum of 100, i.e., 10 rows by 10 columns).
In this screen on the left, I have inserted a "103.300" button to immediately call up my favorite FMW
station.

For a friend who is interested in FM-DX I tried the new plugin "MPX Output" in combination with
the professional decoder "RDS-Spy" which allows you to discover and highlight all, but really all,
the "secrets" hidden inside the RDS: https://rdsspy.com/downloads/
The system is really performant and sensitive, and before the
v.186x of SDR# that changed things a lot, often it hooks the PI even
before they are detected by the SDR# integrated RDS decoder (see
below the picture with the immediate PI detection). For this,
however, it is necessary that your sound card supports 192 kHz
sampling in recording and that
this is enabled in the audio

panel (as shown below), only then

you can have the decoding of the
RDS.
By enabling the checkbox
"Enable MPX output" the
multiplexed audio stream will be
routed to the indicated device and
from this to the RDS-Spy decoder

which will be configured in the panel “Configure /

Select RDS Source / Sound Card / Input Mode
“Direct RDS/MPX (192 kHz)” with the same device
selected in the MPX plugin.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 94 | 214
At this point the decoder panel will animate with all the RDS information and in "View / Basic RDS
services” you can appreciate the multiple indications "Program Details, PS & PTY, AF, EON". In the
"Group Analyzer" all the active groups will be checked with their percentage of diffusion in time...
In the following example I found for the RADIO1 broadcaster the presence of the TMC service -
Traffic Message Channel on block 8A

In the my tests I found some difficulties to set the 192 kHz sampling that was not present in my
W10 operating system despite the drivers were updated, then reading a thread on the net,
someone suggested to uninstall
the drivers of device also marking
the highlighted field.
Upon restarting Windows the
system was correct…
Only on a laptop I didn't succeed and
so, on a friend's suggestion, I tried
another way with the plugin
"SDRsharp RDSOutput" that allows
to use RDS-Spy but without MPX, Virtual Audio Cable and the whole issue of sampling and
configuration for 192 kHz.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 95 | 214
 The "trick" is done by using the TCP/IP protocol and taking SDR#'s
internal RDS decoding. The RadarFolf plugin is available here:
https://github.com/RadarFolf/RDSOutput
After unpacking the DLL, in the
usual SDR# directory, configure
RDS-Spy in the “Source / ASCII G
Protocol” menu with these
settings: localhost, port 23. Then
click in RDS-Spy on File / Play
Stream...

As an alternative to the CalicoCat plugin I point out this additional software "SerialController" which
allows SDR# to control via virtual COM ports a set of commands proper to the rtx Kenwood TS-50.
Supported commands:
IF - sets frequency and mode
FA - sets the frequency
MD - sets the mode (AM, CW, FM, USB, LSB)
Serial port parameters: 9600 baud rate, 8 data bits, 1 stop
bit, no parity.

Installation is very minimal: copy the file

"SDRSharp.SerialController.dll" to the Plugins directory,
then start SDR# and flag the "Enable" checkbox.

"SerialController" will use two virtual serial ports previously created by software such as "com0com".
The actual numbers that will be assigned to the
COM ports depend on the configuration of your
own system (in my case COM7 and COM8). I
therefore selected COM7 in SDR# and COM8
in the other software with which I wanted to interface. Since CAT is a bidirectional protocol, the
changes made in SDR# will be immediately sent to the other software and vice versa, and in the body
of the plugin you will be able to see as you go along the execution of various commands: for example,
changing the frequency of the VFO or changing the emission mode.

Freeware downloadable: https://github.com/UzixLS/sdrsharp-catcontroller

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 96 | 214
Digital fans and radioamateurs will find these simple plugins, which are fully integrated with
SDRsharp, very practical and immediate.
Freeware downloadable: http://rtl-sdr.ru/
As the title says, they are 'simple', perhaps even too simple, with no indication of the various
information that the DMR can carry, such as Colour Code, talkgroup, network type, etc., etc., but for
this very reason they are fast and ultra-practical!
Extract the DLLs in the Plugins directory and launch SDRsharp. All that remains is to enable the
plugin in the checkbox at the top left and, if necessary, adjust the volume slider: as soon as one of
these digital transmissions will pass, you will hear the audio directly through SDRsharp.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 97 | 214
A new magnetic loop concept
The success of the Airspy HF+ series brought a lot of feedback from users noting that many problems
were related to receiver antennas that were ineffective, too sensitive to surrounding noise, had
excessive gain, and lacked the necessary
linearity. This led to the idea of designing a new
'Noise-Cancelling Passive Loop' (NCPL) to
solve the noise problem and take advantage of
the low noise performance of AirSpy receivers.
The new loop antenna was named 'YouLoop'
from its designer Youssef.

Architecture
YouLoop is a generalisation of the Möbius loop
in which a two-turn balanced coaxial cable is
used as the centre of a multi-turn loop. This
construction is electrically balanced for large
wavelengths, i.e. when Lambda is very large
compared to the size of the antenna. This helps
to cancel the electrical noise at the lower bands,

exactly where most of the electrical noise energy is

concentrated. To preserve this electrical balance from
being disturbed by the transmission line, a miniature
low-loss BALUN is used underneath the loop.

Performance in VHF too

Another interesting aspect of this two-wire coaxial construction is its response in the VHF range. The
same HF magnetic loop can therefore be used in the FMW, aviation and 2m amateur radio bands with
a slight change in its basic principle: it is now a folded dipole. In fact, the feed point of the folded
dipole is at the top and the arms of the dipole form the ground of the coaxial. At the feed point, the
signal is routed from the two sections of coaxial cable to the wideband, low-loss BALUN.

Equipment list
Once the best quality components have been chosen (beware of clones and imitations!!) and the PCB
has been pre-assembled with the BALUN, the only thing to do on receipt of the loop is to connect the
blue cables marked SMA in just a few seconds and maybe attach the antenna itself to a rigid Hula-
Hoop, like the ones used in children's games, to make it more manageable and steerable on
some temporary structure (e.g. a photo tripod).

For semi-permanent outdoor installations, it is recommended that the “Balun-T” and

“Phase Inverter” elements be sealed very well with sealing tape.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 98 | 214
For optimum performance it is recommended to use coaxial
cables suitable for the purpose.
Any phase or amplitude mismatch will result in sub-optimal
performance. Those proposed meet the criteria for optimum
performance:
 2 arms (1m) in RG402 18 GHz coax cable, with male
SMA connectors
 1 transmission line (2m) in RG402 18 GHz cable, with
male SMA connectors
 Phase inverter (upper part of the loop)
 Wideband low-loss T-shaped BALUN (bottom of loop)

Technical specifications:
HF: from 10 kHz to 30 MHz
VHF: up to 300 MHz
Maximum Power: 250 mW
Passive design and no tuning/synchronisation required
Low-loss, wide-band BALUN (0.28 dB loss)

Compatibility:
Airspy HF+ Discovery (Recommended)
Airspy HF+ Dual Port ((with R3 short-circuited)
Other SDR with MDS <= -140 dBm

It is very likely that your own third party receiver is not sensitive enough to work properly with
the YouLoop...
Not using an Airspy HF+ Discovery, some people have even tried, without much success, to make
preamplifiers to compensate for the lack of sensitivity and/or dynamic range required by substandard
receivers.

But what's inside? A friend got me these images....

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 99 | 214
Before the advent of Airspy HF+ Discovery/Dual Port you could extend your coverage below 30
MHz with the SpyVerter Upconverter in combination with your devices...
It is a low-loss, high-dynamic-range up-converter based
on a switched-mode design, the same type that is used in
high-end HF rx which, due to its frequency stability and
sensitivity, can compete with analogue designs at a very
affordable cost.
SpyVerter R2 is based on the successful SpyVerter
architecture and enhances the key points of high
performance HF reception.
The architecture is based on a dual balanced switched-
mode mixer that transposes the entire HF spectrum in the
VHF band between 120 MHz and 180 MHz.
An embedded microcontroller provides both PLL
programming (Si5351C) and VCTCXO voltage control via its built-in DAC.

The substantial difference between SpyVerter R0 and R2 is the high-speed PLL instead of the
TCXO.

Technical specifications:
RF Input 1kHz to 60 MHz
IF Frequency 120 MHz – Positive Image
Technology: Switched Double Balanced Mixer
Total Conversion Loss + Filtering: 8 dB typ.
35 dBm IIP3
LO leakage: -42dBm typ. (12 dB lower than the original SpyVerter)
Phase noise at 10kHz separation: -122 dBc/Hz
RF Filtering: Low Pass Filter with corner at 65 MHz – 75dB ultimate rejection
IF Filtering: Band Pass Filter with corners at 120 MHz and 180 MHz – 75dB ultimate rejection
Max RF power: +10 dBm
Return Loss: -10 dB
Bias-tee voltage: 4.2v to 5.5v
Internal 10 MHz Reference Clock input
Current consumption: < 100 mA

Compatibility:
Airspy R2
Airspy Mini
HackRF One
RTL-SDR

The SpyVerter offers HF coverage starting near DC and up to 35 MHz

where it overlaps with Airspy's VHF-L.
The default software settings allow the Airspy to power the SpyVerter
unit via the "bias-tee" feature, so no extra power is needed. Simply
connect the SpyVerter's IF output to the Airspy's RF input via the
supplied barrel adapter.
It is recommended to use the “Linear gain” mode in HF.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 100 | 214
An idea I had recently was to use the SpyVerter in combination with an AirSpy R2 for
simultaneous HF decoding of ALE and GMDSS signals thanks to the brand new multi-channel
decoders by Chris Smolinki's Black Cat (W3HFU)...
Let's see some steps together.

I'll give more information on Black Cat's ALE and GMDSS decoders in the "Listening Recipes"
chapter later, but this is the general principle.
Exploiting the SpyVerter and the combined use of the Slice (see "New Slice" in the chapter "Main
settings and controls") is like having several independent receivers (but always within the default
bandwidth) to which you can feed several signals to monitor and decode!
For example, for HF world nets in ALE or in the GMDSS system there are many frequencies to keep
an eye on and not all of them are active at the same time or can only be received at certain times of
the day...
If you could have a decoder active on each frequency you could optimise simultaneous reception and
automatically catalogue a large number of logs.
All this is possible by using some new multi-channel decoders designed specifically for this purpose
in combination with multiple virtual audio channels, with the only limitation of having a sufficiently
powerful computer / CPU ...

Obviously you can start with two/three frequencies and its VAC properly configured on Line 1/2/3.
In this screenshot on an AirSpy R2 tuned to 6.312 kHz of the GMDSS world system I opened two
new Slice at 8.414,5 kHz and 12.577 kHz

Keep in mind, however, that the SpyVerter is designed to be a broadband HF receiver.

This may be useful for some scenarios, but it may lack the dynamic range for high performance
use when receiving weak signals or with strong blocks in the vicinity.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 101 | 214
The limitation does not come from the SpyVerter as the weight is delegated to the VHF receiver
output.
Slice is the way to have stand-alone receivers with full functionality from the same front-end.

If the SpyVerter is used remotely, the following parameters must be used in the spyserver.config file
# Initial Center Frequency
#
initial_frequency = 7100000

# Minimum Tunable Frequency

# Comment if using the device default
#
minimum_frequency = 0

# Maximum Tunable Frequency

# Comment if using the device default
#
maximum_frequency = 35000000

# Converter Offset
# Set to -120000000 to enable the SpyVerter offset
converter_offset = -120000000

# Bias-Tee
# For AirspyOne only – Useful for LNA’s and SpyVerter
enable_bias_tee = 1

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 102 | 214
Those who live in cities or in the vicinity of strong/very strong signals from WFM broadcast stations
will need to make or buy a good notch filter to attenuate the presence of these signals, which can also
desensitise other portions of the spectrum not included in the operating range in question (e.g. the
adjacent aeronautical band).
There are different forms and performances (with attenuation,
expressed in dB, also very high). In the best ones, the insertion loss
outside the operating band and up to 500 MHz is practically absent,
while it is very low for higher frequencies.
In our case, it is preferable to choose the newer ones with an
SMA connection so as not to put too much mechanical strain on the older, heavier ones still with
BNC or PL connectors.
This is a typical usage configuration...

If you start using them, afterwards you

won't be able to do without them!!

Another curious and unique accessory that I happened to use again recently was this variable notch
from SSE UK (initials NF.96XI-1) purchased many years ago..
Compared with the previous 88-108 notch family, this one has
the main feature of being able to be seamlessly tuned in the 80-
190 MHz range, giving the possibility to attenuate all those
analog/digital signals of civil services operating in VHF as
well.
These the specifications:
• Insertion Loss: <1dB
• Notch Attenuation: -40dB
• Attenuation Below 1MHz: -60dB
• Receive Range Approx: 2000 MHz
• Impedance: 50 Ohms

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 103 | 214
Those with specific needs then there is the "Nooelec SAWbird+ NOAA Barebones".

This stand-alone module with integrated SAW filter is designed to capture the beautiful weather
images available from NOAA satellites on 137 MHz.
It has a very high attenuation outside the 5 MHz bandpass and a minimum gain of 30 dB. The nominal
current draw is 180mA.
The module is fully EMI shielded and allows three different power supply options. The recommended
one is through the SMA port with bias-tee capability if available from the SDR. Alternatively,
external power options can be used through the microUSB port or the power supply input (3.3V to
5.5V DC).

https://www.nooelec.com/store/sawbird-plus-noaa.html

Those who need to have an external control for fine tuning the VFO faster than can be done through
the mouse can think of matching an "external tuning wheel" (or VFO tuning knob or SDR tuning
wheel)...

I had just one, the "Griffin PowerMate" lying unused in an old drawer: it works excellently with
AirSpy even in Windows 10 and tuning is definitely smoother and
easier. Its customizable programming allows for volume change
and "mute," for example. I had used it before with other SDR
receivers. This is its interface (needs software and related
drivers). As
soon as it is
connected to
the USB, the
silicone base
lights up with
a beautiful
blue light that can be customized.

Unfortunately, I understand that this accessory has

not been in production for some time, so the lucky
ones may perhaps only be able to find it on the
second-hand market.
THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 104 | 214
On the market, there are other external controls, some very expensive that I have not had a chance to
try, nor do I know friends who use them. However the friend “Pierluigi” points me to an inexpensive
"Tune kit" bought on the net, which requires no
software/driver (it is a mouse simulation) and in SDR#
allows:
 tuning management, if the "focus" is on the RF Spectrum,
turning the wheel will change the frequency according to
the left/right rotation (and of course the chosen step),
 if the "focus" is on one of the VFO numbers, turning the
wheel increases or decreases these by one unit,
 if the "focus" is on one of the other sliders (e.g. Volume,
Zoom, Contrast, Range, Offset or other) turning the
wheel will increase or decrease these.

For those who enjoy easy DIY, the friend Ladislav OK1UNL points me to these interesting and
informative links:
https://www.qsl.net/z33t/sdr_frequency_controller_eng.html
Here is a solution with programmable buttons, including "button mapping" with Pluralinput software
(also for Win10).
https://19max63.wordpress.com/2016/05/15/tuning-knob-for-sdr/
https://pluralinput.com/index-old.html
Multi-pointer X for Linux:
https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Multi-pointer_X

Some dear friends suggested to me this portable antenna, indeed the "Multipurpose Dipole Antenna
Kit" so defined on the official website: www.rtl-sdr.com/store

The kit can be very good for many outdoor occasions, during a trip given its minimal bulk and
weight or sporadic testing. In fact, it is designed for portable and temporary outdoor use
(however, not to be placed outside with inclement weather!). NOTE: this antenna is designed
for reception only, it is NOT a TX antenna.

It includes:

1 dipole antenna base with 60 cm of RG174

2 telescopic antennas from 23 cm up to 1 m
2 telescopic antennas from 5 cm up to 13 cm
1 three meters RG174 extension cable
1 flexible tripod mount
1 suction cup mount

The connectors are all SMA.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 105 | 214
Some suggestions for quick
installation thanks to the
provision of multiple accessories
that allow the antenna to be taken
and outside and in a higher
position conducive to receiving
VHF-UHF frequencies (up to the
L-band at 1.5 GHz):
 suction cup mount for
windows or car windows
 V-dipole orientation for
satellite reception
 attachment to a desk, outdoor
pole, tree branch or the
door/window of the house
with its flexible, articulated
and rubberized tripod.

The RG174 cable of the antenna

base is decoupled from the
elements with a ferrite inductance
to prevent the feed line from interfering with the radiation pattern of the dipole. The dipole base
mounts on a standard 1/4-inch camera screw, so it can be mounted on a variety of mounts already
available...

Aside from the length to be used for telescopic antennas, I often see people using them in
strange and incorrect orientations for the polarization of transmitted signals. In almost all cases
they should be used in a vertical position (as well shown in the previous pictures, except
when using it for satellite reception in a kind of horizontal V).

But what is the right dipole length? It depends on the frequency we want to tune in...
A simple formula comes to our aid:
V speed of light / F frequency (kHz) = λ wavelength/2 (for single arm length):

For convenience, I made use of Rainiero I4JHG's

RADIOUTILITARY software, downloadable
freeware from:

www.radioamatorimonopoli.it/files/radioutilitario.exe

Select: Antenne / Dipoli / Dipoli ½ lambda

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 106 | 214
 Enter the frequency in MHz to
get the precise length to
extend the single telescopic
element.

In this screenshot for the 145

MHz frequency we get the
dipole arm length of 49 cm
(inch 19.29).

I recommend visiting the following insights link to discover other valuable information such as
VSWR diagrams: https://www.rtl-sdr.com/using-our-new-dipole-antenna-kit/comment-page-1/

In this table we can see at what frequency (in MHz) the two types of antenna (short and long) resonate
with the same number of extracted elements:
Antenna sections cm (*) inch (*) MHz
short 1 7,1 2.79 1055
short 2 10,1 3.97 742
short 3 12,8 5.03 585,5
short 4 15,2 5.98 493
long 1 24,9 9.80 301
long 2 44,2 17.40 169,6
long 3 63,2 24.88 118,6
long 4 82,3 32.40 91
long 5 101,1 39.80 74,1
(*) including about 2 cm. (inch 0.78) of inner base

Instead, in this other one we can find the band center of some services and relative antenna length:
MHz band cm inch
85 FM 76-95 Japan 84 33.1
98 FM 88-108 72 28.3
145.7 OM 2 meter band 49 19.3
157 Nautical band 45 17,7
225.6 DAB ch.12B 31 12.2
431 OM 70 cm band 16 6.3
560 DVBT ch.32 13 5.1

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 107 | 214
From v.1553 you can use or create your own remote SDR# server via the "SPYSERVER.EXE" tool.
This allows you to connect via the Internet to many AirSpy or RTL-SDR "clients" scattered around
the world or create your own personal local network with your own remote SDR perhaps in the attic
and connected wirelessly to your computer at home.
When only one user is connected full control (frequency, RF gain) is allowed while when there are
multiple clients connected the frequency and RF gain are blocked.

These are the possible configurations in some environments and operating systems:

--------------------- Using the client on its own computer -------------------

To use a Spyserver, simply select the "AIRSPY Server
Network" item in the Source panel. Click the yellow
highlighted button of the "Browse Spy Server Network",
a webmap will open where you can see the various servers:
the active ones are highlighted with the green icon. Since
v.1809 the webmap has been completely revamped with
the latest Telerik RadMap.
Hovering the mouse over the various icons will open a box
with all the technical characteristics highlighted: user
name, receiver type, coverage (in HF, V/UHF or full),
bandwidth, server type and URL. To connect, click on the
green pointer.

Depending on the source

device, adjustments can then be
made to gain, IQ format and
bandwidth.
The "Use full IQ" option allows
streaming of the full spectrum
as long as you have sufficient
network bandwidth and a
high-speed connection.

To end the remote session,

press the "D" (Disconnect)
button.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 108 | 214
A similar map can also be reached from the site under "Online SDR" or directly from the URL:
https://airspy.com/directory/

At the moment for proper viewing I suggest using only the FIREFOX browser.

------------------------- Server Network in Windows -------------------------

On the AirSpy site, under "SPY Server - SDR Server for Windows" you should download the
following zipped file: https://airspy.com/?ddownload=5857
On my computer I extracted the files to the root directory of SDR# just being careful not to overwrite
the newer ones!

Key point is to know your static IP (not dynamic!!! If in doubt you need to contact your internet
provider or use another network) and verify that the ports are open and not blocked by any
router/firewall/antivirus/etc. These are the steps I performed:
1. From the Windows menu, type RUN.
2. Type CMD, followed by Enter to open the command window.
3. Type IPCONFIG, followed by Enter. This will display the list of network cards on the
computer with their IP addresses (Ethernet and/or wireless).

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 109 | 214
 4. On my computer the useful number (private IP) is the one that appears next to the IPv4
address in the format 192.xxx.xxx.xxx (yellow arrow). All other addresses are not useful
to us and should be left out.

5. You still need to know your public IP address, which you can track by logging on to one of
the many online services such as WWW.MYIP.COM On my side it is 128.xxx.xxx.xxx which
I will go and note down…
6. Summarizing: 192.xxx.xxx.xxx (private IP)
128.xxx.xxx.xxx (public IP)
7. Connecting to your router create a rule like the following in PORT MAPPING &
FORWARDING to open port 5555 and assign it to your private IP 192.xxx.xxx.xxx

8. At this point of you will have to edit the text file "spyserver.config" previously extracted
being careful not to change those entries of which you are not sure and remembering that
deleting the # character makes the following instruction active.

Here is a short excerpt of the file (in red color the one I modified) for remote use of my AIRSPY HF+
DISCOVERY:

# SPY Server Configuration File

# TCP Listener
#
bind_host = 192.xxx.xxx.xxx (private IP)
bind_port = 5555 The value 1 makes
list_in_directory = 0 our server visible
on the map!
# Device Type
# Possible Values:
# AirspyOne (R0, R2, Mini)
# AirspyHF+
# RTL-SDR
# Auto (Scans for the first available device)
#
device_type = AirspyHF+
# Device Serial Number as 64bit Hex
# For example: 0xDD52D95C904534AD
# A value of 0 will acquire the first available device.
#
device_serial = 0

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 110 | 214
# Device Sample Rate
# Possible Values:
# Airspy R0, R2 : 10000000 or 2500000
# Airspy Mini : 6000000 or 3000000
# Airspy HF+ : 768000
# RTL-SDR : 500000 to 3200000
#
device_sample_rate = 768000

Once the file is saved we are ready to run spyserver.exe. On the screen this indication will appear:
"Listening for connections on 192.xxx.xxx.xxx:5555"

From the Source panel in SDR# we are ready to enter our

public IP address in the following format:
sdr://128.xxx.xxx.xxx:5555/

and then press the C (connect) button.

You can test right away if you can connect to your client...

The previous panel will update with the following information about the client:
“Accepted client 128.xxx.xxx.xxx:xxxxx running SDR#...
Device was sleeping. Wake up!
Acquired an AirspyHF+ device”

To close the session you will have to press the D button and the screen will indicate:
“Client disconnected: 128.xxx.xxx.xxx:xxxxx
No clients using the device. Sleeping…
Releasing the AirspyHF+ device”

And you can now also turn off the spyserver.exe

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 111 | 214
Going back one step to the "spyserver.config" file, in case we want to make our server visible to
third parties on the world map of the active ones (by entering
the value 1 in the above script) we will be able to provide, again
in the script, additional information such as our name, QTH,
type of device, antenna location which allows to correctly
place the marker on the map which otherwise highlights that
of our own provider!, tunable frequencies, etc. etc.

On the Spy Server Client side, instead of using Zoom on a reduced portion of the spectrum, less
bandwidth can be used at the server thus taking advantage of the better resolution of the FFT.
The zoom bar remains for convenience.

---------------------------- Server Network in Linux ---------------------------

These are the main steps to be performed:

1. In the Linux device used as the server, open a terminal window

2. Install the RTL-SDR and librtlsdr drivers:
sudo apt install rtl-sdr librtlsdr-dev
3. Create a folder named spyserver and place inside:
mkdir spyserver
cd spyserver
4. From the AirSpy site, under "SPY Server - SDR Server for Linux x86" you can download
and extract the Spyserver version for 32bit Intel/AMD CPUs:
wget -O spyserver.tgz http://airspy.com/?ddownload=4308
tar xvzf spyserver.tgz
Or under "SPY Server - SDR Server for Linux x86_64" you can download and extract the
version of Spyserver for 64bit Intel/AMD CPUs:
wget -O spyserver.tgz http://airspy.com/?ddownload=4262
tar xvzf spyserver.tgz
5. Find the IP address of the device using the ifconfig command and note down the number.
6. Use a text editor such as Nano to edit the "spyserver.config" file in the downloaded package
with what was already mentioned in the previous section for Windows:
nano spyserver.config
Save the edited file.
7. Running the SpyServer:
./spyserver

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 112 | 214
--------------------- Server Network with Raspberry Pi ---------------------

On the AirSpy site, under “SPY Server – SDR Server for Linux ARMHF" you can download the
zipped file useful for Raspberry PIs:

https://airspy.com/?ddownload=4247
While under "SPY Server - SDR Server for Linux ARM64" the one for the Raspberry Pi4:

https://airspy.com/?ddownload=5795
For specific instructions, please refer to the appropriate chapter "Raspberry Pi 3&4" below.

Let us pause a moment longer to better understand what the SpyServer technically does.
It is basically a TCP server with the ability to create narrowband IQ files after appropriate slicing
(or slicing). This means that you get a given bandwidth X from the hardware to the SpyServer
which slices 0.1 * X and sends only that part after a good amount of computation! What you get
in the end is not the entire spectrum, but rather a narrowband IQ representation of the signal
you are listening to.
For convenience, a low-resolution FFT is also sent for display. Slicing always takes place in the
SpyServer. All plugins that require the IF signal still work with this model, giving the false
impression that the operation is local or the other "even more false" impression that the server
is transmitting all the IQ data but this is not true.
Instead, you are transmitting the minimum amount of data required to make things work properly,
unless you ask the server to transmit the data in "Full IQ" mode. There is a setting in the server
to set the maximum data to send and a timer to prevent any users from "sucking up" your Internet
bandwidth.
Now even when you use the server in your local LAN at "Full IQ," you cannot create additional
sessions (slices).
This was not implemented for the simple reason that nothing prevents you from using multiple
SDR# instances for streaming from the same server, either in "Full IQ" or "Reduced IQ." There
are a couple of settings in the configuration file to set "reduced" bandwidth limits when using the
SpyServer.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 113 | 214
For the more curious it may be interesting to know the "behind the scenes" of a very important support
file, in which all the configurations and settings of SDR# are saved, that is SDRsharp.config, but
always pay attention to what you modify taking care to save the file previously...
Let's take a look at some strings already covered in previous specific chapters:

<add key="stepSizes" value="1 Hz,10 Hz,100 Hz,500 Hz,1 kHz,2.5 kHz,3 kHz,5 kHz,6.25
kHz,7.5 kHz,8.3333 kHz,9 kHz,10 kHz,12.5 kHz,15 kHz,20 kHz,25 kHz,30 kHz,50 kHz,100
kHz,150 kHz,200 kHz,250 kHz,300 kHz,350 kHz,400 kHz,450 kHz,500 kHz,1 MHz" />
Listed here are the possible choices of VFO steps between 1 Hz and 1 MHz. If you need to
use an unexpected step, simply edit it and enter the new value, e.g. "3.125 kHz".

<add key="waterfall.gradient" value="FF0000,FF0000,FBB346,FFFF00,FFFFFF,7AFEA8,

00A6FF,000091,000050,000000,000000" />

Implementation initially suggested by Youssef for

applications of the gradient in High Dynamic Range.
Note the custom key specification:
"waterfall.customGradient" which is different from the official
standard one:
<add key="waterfall.gradient" value="0" />

So once we have added the key to our configuration file we

need to activate it in Display / Gradient / Custom as
highlighted opposite.

<add key="core.pluginsDirectory" value="Plugins" />

Directory where all plugins are saved.

<add key="DCS.OnlyUseDcsCodesInTable" value="1" />

DCS: an option has been introduced to use only the DCSs that exist in the table, thus reducing
their list (see previous plugin "CTCSS & DCS").

<add key="DCS.SwapNormalInvertedDcsCodes" value="True" />

DCS: Introduced additional option to eventually switch the display of DCS codes between
"Normal" and "Inverted" (see previous plugin "CTCSS & DCS").
THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 114 | 214
<add key="waterfall.useUtcTimeStamp" value="False" />
The "Time Markers" option (in Display) enables the
display of the current local date and time on the left
side of the waterfall.
For who need to display the time in UTC format, it will
be sufficient to change the
value from "False" to "True"
in the row highlighted above,
which will then display the new format with the final letter Z (zulu)...

…
<add key="plugin.AudioEqualizer.ParametricGainValues" value="0,-2,-3,-4,-5,-4,-3,-
2,0:0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0:0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0:0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0:0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0" />
<add key="plugin.AudioEqualizer.ParametricPresetNames" value="Music:Flat Preset 1:Flat
Preset 2:Flat Preset 3:Flat Preset 4" />
…
Also all configuration data of "Audio Equalizer" plugin by BlackApple62 are saved here
automatically in "plugin.AudioEqualizer.ParametricGainValues..." section, here are some
lines highlighted.

…
<add key="FilePlayerLastFileName" value="C:\SDR#\092,100 MHz (2021_12_15 1030).wav" />
<add key="FilePlayerLoopEnabled" value="False" />
<add key="FilePlayerShowRealTime" value="False" />
…
Vasili Beliakov's previous FilePlayer added in the <add key="FilePlayer..." section several
lines of configuration, here are some highlighted..

…
<add key="core.frequencyDialZoom" value="0.78" />
…
Since v.1904 the VFO font size is scalable at will.
In this example, the value is set to 0.50

While in this one it is 0.90

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 115 | 214
It is always a bit of a difficult thing when you approach the SDR world from your good old analog
receiver that has been used for decades. There are plenty of SDRs on the market, but to achieve
performance similar to a high-class analog receiver, people spent a lot of money because the
underlying technology was (and still is!) very expensive when aiming for a high level of performance.

Those who initially venture into SDR often confuse performance with displayed bandwidth, when in
fact it is quite the opposite. The more one is "open" to other signals that one does not need, the worse
it is. In addition, some hobbyists unfortunately often confuse their strong local interference with their
radio's ability to cope with dynamics in the various bands

The analog radios of yesteryear no longer stand much of a chance in today's noisy environment.
Back then, there were no switching power supplies, LED lighting, DSL Internet, and ordinary
household appliances could be brought to market even if they did not pass the very stringent EMC
tests. The bar of the past was very low and we never think too much about it, relying perhaps only on
memories and feelings of the past.
Today it is necessary to have very high-end receivers with state-of-the-art DSP to get decent listening.
Progress is inexorable as Jim Al-Khalili quotes (see his motto in the "conclusions and quotes"): not
all SDRs are the same and not all DSPs are the same. In SDR# the DSP is implemented in shark.dll
(sharp kernels) in a mix of C, C++ and SIMD intrinsics.
There is a great disparity in the market in terms of performance and also it takes a new "radio and
computer literacy" on the part of all of us to discriminate the good from the mediocre/poor.

So what can be done with an Airspy and SDR#, for example, to improve AM listening and achieve
very high quality? Certainly a lot, much more than what other SDRs offer...
In order we can use some (or a mix) of the features and basic functions of our SDR# always rendered
obviously in freeware mode for all:
* Synchronous demodulation
* Asymmetric IF filtering and Notch.
* Anti-fading
* Broadband noise filtering.
* Narrowband noise cancellation
* Audio noise suppression
* Co-channel suppression
* IF noise reduction
* Audio noise reduction
* Audio filtering
* Audio equalization

Here’s the novelty introduced with v.1892: Super PLL

Now the “Lock Carrier” is achieved using a special “Super PLL” that has a great resilience to
the loss of lock. Basically, when the PLL loses the lock, it starts another process at exactly the
same phase where the lock was lost and keeps spinning. This keeps the signal of interest at
the same frequency before the loss of lock. When the carrier is available again, the PLL locks
and resumes the signal without any phase discontinuities or other glitches. This tool is
especially useful for High End DXing with intermittent signals.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 116 | 214
As mentioned elsewhere in this guide, a very interesting possibility is the study of digital signals and
their decoding, using special software and a "virtual audio cable".
This is necessary in order to redirect the audio of SDRSharp (or other SDR programs) towards
external decoders for many signals that we can find in HF (examples: MultiPSK, Fldigi, WSJT-X,
Morse, Wefax, DReaM (1) etc.,) or in V-UHF (examples: DSD+ (2), APRS, satellites and weather
satellites, etc.).
 DReaM for the Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM), which is the only worldwide digital
broadcasting system planned for long, medium and shortwaves that can use the same
frequencies currently allocated to the amplitude modulation (AM) broadcasting service in the
spectrum up to 30 MHz. The system is currently active but with only a few stations.
 DSD+ (Digital Speech Decoder) è un programma open source per la decodifica di segnali di
parlato digitale multistandard come il DMR, Dstar, Fusion, P25, ecc...
In general for decoding there are some aspects to consider in order to improve the chances of success,
these are the main indications:
 Except in special cases, check whether your "Virtual Audio" program is configured for 48 ksps
sampling rate on both input and output ports.
 Check that the SDR software is set to an appropriate volume level (not too low and not too high).
All decoding programs have a level indicator that allows you to see the incoming signal and fine-
tune it. You can start with a volume of 60/70% if the decoders don't report any errors... Remember
that when the audio is redirected, for example to a Line1 or similar, it is no longer heard through
the loudspeaker, but often the software comes with a suitable "audiorepeater" in case you still
want to listen to the digital signal being processed.
 Disable Squelch and all those plugins (e.g. Audio Processor or Filters) that act on the audio level,
which must be absolutely deactivated when receiving digital signals, otherwise they will result in
incorrect or incomplete decoding or dirty signals.
 Check that the SDR software is set to the correct reception mode for the decoder. For example,
on HF the USB (upper sideband) prevails, while on VHF-UHF the FMN is used. For narrower
digital modes such as CW, DGPS, RTTY, you can go gradually with a narrow filter of 400 or 600
Hz and increase to 1500/3000 Hz for FT8 or wefax. You can also do it the other way around: start
with a wide filter and then narrow it down to reduce noise and get proper decoding.

We should now be able to start searching the radio waves for signals other than speech, and make use
of the many websites (with frequencies and lists of utility stations), to better understand what we will
find in our listening sessions...
I would recommend the UDXF (Utility DXers Forum) for the exchange of news and information
related to utility stations and signals below 30 MHz: http://www.udxf.nl

Much more complex and fascinating topics are the analysis of signals and transmission modes
and related protocols.

It would take a book just to minimally introduce the subject (there are a few on the net) so I will just
give a flash, citing the most professional I know and the only one of its kind, the blog by Antonio
Anselmi: http://i56578-swl.blogspot.com and also his Twitter : https://twitter.com/i56578_swl

WARNING! SOME OF THESE SYSTEMS IT COULD BE ILLEGAL IN YOUR COUNTRIES!

Check carefully and thoroughly the regulations in force in your country. Some of this radio system
was specifically designed for use by government, emergency services, for public safety networks,
etc etc. who all share spectrum allocated.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 117 | 214
Another possibility is to use the sound card to share the signal without any particular need for
decoding, but to read in your own language what a broadcasting station is transmitting at that
moment...
In fact, you can direct the audio to the Google translator to have it translated in real time into
your native language (try it to believe it!). This is really very nice and funny, let's see what you
need to do...

The prerequisite is to use the Google Chrome browser, which allows you to convert speech audio
directly live via your sound card on your computer.

“Audio panel” SDRsharp with Input/Output

for your sound card. You can also use
"Stereo Mix" by enabling it in the
"Recording" tab in the Windows Audio
setting.

If the entry does not appear, you need to

click on the other input devices and
temporarily choose "Disable".

It should now be enabled and set as "Default

device" with a green tip icon.

Access Chrome's settings by clicking on

"Settings", then "Privacy and security", then
"Site settings" by scrolling until you find
"Authorisation - Microphone". From the
drop-down menu, select "Stereo Mix".

You start up Google Chrome, select the source language (automatic detection is not yet working...)
and the target language:

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 118 | 214
and finally click on the blue icon of the microphone symbol and this is the result, when
I captured China Radio International on 7435 kHz frequency during a language lesson in Chinese,
promptly translated into my own language.

here is another example…

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 119 | 214
 ARTERMIS MK.III
Radio Signals Recognition Manual

One of the first approaches to attempt to recognize the very many types of signals and modulations
is to use this free software, an indispensable tool aimed at all radio listeners thanks to the work of
developers Marco and Alessandro.

The visual aid provided by our SDR (thanks to

waterfall) allows in real time to take advantage of one
of the largest RF signal databases (with over 430
records), compare the properties of different signals
(frequency, bandwidth, modulation, ACF, etc.), and
verify what he is looking for through the reproducible
audio sample and its image. A set of filters allows the
search to be narrowed down, making it easier to
identify known and unknown signals...

Artemis 3 is a python script that uses the power of

Python 3.7 with several additional libraries. To ensure
a simple, clean and non-invasive installation, Artemis
3 comes with a portable version of Python 3.7
(completely independent of any previous installation) with all the necessary libraries. It is available
for the following S.O.: Windows, Mac, Linux and Raspberry Pi.

It all stems from Carl Colena's online guide to signal identification:

Sigidwiki.com with the same purpose of addressing the identification of radio
signals through examples of sounds and waterfalls:
https://www.sigidwiki.com/wiki/Signal_Identification_Guide

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 120 | 214
The main screen is presented with the menu “Signal (Main / Filters)” and two other sections
(customizable with some graphic themes):
 On the left side, the list of signals in alphabetical order (with filter search capability on
Frequency, Bandwidth, Catergory, Mode, Modulation, Location, ACF)
 In the center a wealth of technical information and code description
 on the right side a player to play the sound and display the respective waterfall.

The second section covers the “GFD - Global Frequencies Database” for online frequency search
and services

The third section “Rx/Tx Conditions (Now / Forecast)” summarizes a set of graphical and tabular
data/indications on propagation, any open bands for E-skip, solar and geomagnetic activity.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 121 | 214
I like to remember that at the beginning of the course, together with the friends Marco and Alessando,
I had the honor of participating as a beta-tester!!!

This is the link to the beautiful, graphically very appealing site:

https://aresvalley.com/Artemis

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 122 | 214
How to combine a great SDR and some excellent software to set up a useful receiving capability.
As in the best cookbooks are written the recipes, ingredients and operations necessary to deal with
culinary dishes of all kinds, in this new chapter I will collect some screenshots, just with a title and a
few brief comments, leaving the images the right weight and trying to arouse personal interest for
subsequent insights that will be made by following the instructions of the developer of the individual
software indicated.
I would like to point out that ALL third party applications are made by different
individuals/companies who have no connection to SDR# and AirSpy. Third-party applications are
stand-alone programmes that add or complement functionality.
WARNING! SOME OF THESE SYSTEMS IT COULD BE ILLEGAL IN YOUR COUNTRIES!
Check carefully and thoroughly the regulations in force in your country. Some of this radio system
was specifically designed for use by government, emergency services, for public safety networks,
etc etc. who all share spectrum allocated to a city, county, or other entity.

The legendary yellow 'peak colour' line (see RF Spectrum feature)

SDR#: RF Spectrum + right mouse button
I find this option very interesting, a kind of chronological memory of the RF Spectrum. In the
example, in the amateur radio band 2 meters, already after a few minutes you can see the peaks of the
stations that have been activated and, positioning the mouse over them, you can read the frequency
and intensity of the signal received.
An idea could be to use it in some portions of the spectrum not well known and after a few hours to
see what has occurred ... a bit like going fishing with our SDR

Click the right

mouse button

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 123 | 214
 Tune a frequency with a simple move
SDR# + CSVUB plugin in “frequency parser” mode
With CSVUB plugin, previously mentioned, it is possible to tune the VFO of SDR# only highlighting
the frequency taken from a site like DXcluster or, as in the following example, from a site of
calculation of radioamateur satellite transits.
Enable the DF8RYDatabridge plugin (top right) with the flag on "Enable RX1" will access from the
menu WEB / DX CLUSTER WEBSITE PARSER (or with Ctrl+Shift+D keys) where you will choose
the URL to which we want to connect…
Really convenient and very fast!!

The same thing is possible in HF with one of the many radioamateur Webclusters even more
interesting...

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 124 | 214
 Aerolist ...the entire aeronautical world!
AirSpy HF+ Discovery

An excellent list is Risto's Aerolist (OH2BVB), known by most of us, which reports all HF
frequencies used by aircrafts in flight, towers and company operators. The package he distributes for
a modest fee includes an Excel file with three thousand records, MWARA, Volmet, RDARA tables
and a large list of high resolution PDF maps and charts as well as many audio samples...

All voice frequencies (obviously USB) of LDOC, SAR and mil services are
covered, in addition to HFDL services worldwide... This demonstrates that
HF is still a fertile and well exploited terrain, favoring connections typical
of continental scales where VHF cannot reach for their limited coverage.
All aircraft crossing continents and oceans must still be able to rely on shortwave to contact air traffic
controllers, assisted of course by satellite communications and new technology (though not all of it
always available in certain transpolar routes or where satellite coverage is poor or critical).

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 125 | 214
A recent email exchange with the author confirms to me that he has made a major update for the
operating frequency list which is now updated for the year 2022. A minor update has also been made
to the HF world radio map.

For many more examples and informations this the reference site: http://www.elisanet.fi/bvb1438/

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 126 | 214
 AIS …to navigate a bit virtually!
AirSpy R2 with software AISRec + AIS Decoder
In the vicinity of the coast it is easy to come across two VHF frequencies in the nautical band that
H24 transmit AIS spots: 161.975 and 162.025 MHz.
The AISRec software for Windows allows you to simultaneously receive the two signals in IQ format
and extract the NMEA sequences to send them via UDP to another software (AIS Decoder) for
decoding all 27 types of AIS messages provided...

To complete the thing

, it is also possible to combine a map (e.g. with the OpenCPN freeware) which, thanks to the
geographical coordinates received, makes it possible to display the position of vessels and various
fixed stations received by our receiving system...

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 127 | 214
 ALE …a new decoder, indeed a multi-channel decoder!
AirSpy HF+ Discovery and software Black Cat ALE
HF is always fertile ground for developers with new ideas and strong technical knowledge...

It is still in beta but you can download the demo that allows you to try for 30 days a software with
extreme sensitivity compared to other software used by fans for a long time and with the ability to
use up to 24 decoders simultaneously (SDR and computer permitting!).

With the "regular license" you can use up to 3 decoders simultaneously, while you can get up to 24
with the "High performance" mode.
It is possible to monitor in a totally automatic and independent way different frequencies or single
net of interest, each one combined to a specific audio channel (example VAC on Line1/2/3/x).
Each decoder/tab will display the text (in different formats provided in the software) in a special
screen 1/2/3/x, while in the "Combined" one there will be the result of all individual channels.

Other innovative features are:

 Use previously recorded audio files or WAV samples present on the network (even more than one
at the same time) with an impressive decoding speed (even 10 times the real one)!

 Creation of Logs with different custom formats, also for the UDXF Bulletin Board
 Other features still under development to work on specific Callsigns / Net / ...

I have write a PDF guide that can be downloaded here:

https://blackcatsystems.com/download/BlackCatALEGuide.pdf

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 128 | 214
 APRS
AirSpy R2 with software AGWpacket/UI-view32

APRS in amateur radio was so

fashionable in the 1990s, but it is
still possible to do something about
it today: here are some directions for
reception. The frequency is 144.800
MHz (FMN).

In this brief mention of the

radiolocation/information relay
system, I have exploited two
freeware software together with the
result of having on a map the
location, in the form of various
icons, of fixed and/or mobile
stations (digipeaters, vehicles,
laptops, etc.).
A mobile station can get its location
continuously updated by pairing a
GPS with its VHF radio tuned to the
indicated frequency.
It is possible to view on Google
Maps (http://aprs.fi) all worldwide
APRS traffic in real time, generated
via radio and internet.

Some of these fixed stations also transmit weather informations

of their QTH (wind, direction, pressure, temperature, etc. etc.).
An example is this on the side.

The APRS system has found great utility in emergency situations

or natural disasters (earthquakes, floods) because it allows the
movement of vehicles and people to be kept under control while also allowing the exchange of small
packet messages between stations. In fact, traditional Packet Radio and APRS are very similar in
operation in that they use the same AX.25 protocol with the substantial difference that in APRS it
does not require that a connection be established between station and station, but the signals are
“broadcast to all” in their data packets.

Another software that

has always given me
much satisfaction is
MULTIPSK by
Patrick Lindecker.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 129 | 214
 APT NOAA images mosaic…
AirSpy R2 with software WXtoImg

WXtoImg is one of the best software for fully automated decoding of APT and WEFAX (WXsat)
weather satellite signals.
The software allows recording, decoding, editing and viewing in Windows, Linux and Mac OS X.

It supports real-time decoding, map overlays, advanced color enhancements, 3-D imagery,
animations, multi-pass imagery, projection transforms (e.g. Mercator), text overlays, computer
control for many satellite weather receivers, and much more...

This a mosaic of images captured in September 2021 by friend Rob (IZ0CDM) assembling the output
of signals received from the following satellites at later times:
NOAA15 06:52 UTC,
NOAA19 07:18 UTC,
NOAA18 07:59 UTC...

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 130 | 214
 CLOCK, to synchronize via radio the time of your computer
AirSpy HF+ Discovery
"Clock", included in "MultiPSK" Windows software by Patrick Lindecker (F6CTE), provides date
and time by decoding time frames received via radio from FLE (ex France-Inter), DCF77, HBG,
MSF, BBC, WWVB, WWV, WWVH, CHU, RAI, JJY, or via GPS or the Internet.
In addition, you can synchronize the local (current) and universal time (UTC) of your computer with
the time received by radio! After synchronization (confirmed with a loud beep) the computer clock
will be accurate to within 1 second with the real time.
In the following screen, received on 162 kHz frequency of FLE (ex Radio France-Inter), once the
signal is locked and confirmed by PLL Locking (in my case
demodulated in CW), the field "Reception of the time frame" will be
initially colored blue and after a while the decoding of the data of
"Public holiday", "Local time type", "Minute", "Hour" and at the end of each minute of the remaining
information: "Day of week, Day, Month, Year".

While the following, similarly, is a time frame of DCF77 (Mainflingen, Hesse, Germany) received
by tuning at 77.5 kHz frequency.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 131 | 214
 Decoding CTCSS / DCS / DTMF /…
Software KG-TONE

A very good external software to help identify unknown radio link signals using subaudio tones (or
CTCSS) and/or DCS digital codes.
It's called KG-TONE and it's free. The latest release for Windows XP/Vista/7 is 1.0.1 (Dec'2011) at:
http://www2.plala.or.jp/hikokibiyori/soft/kgtone/kgtone.zip

.
In KG-TONE, the following sources were provided as input signals in menu "Settings / Wave input
device" (useful to know as SDR receivers were not contemplated at the time):

FM voice - obtained from the headphone socket or the loudspeaker socket, is not always good, as the
audio path may be filtered in later stages (e.g. the elimination of audio subtones!).
FM detect – i.e. the signal taken before filtering by subsequent stages of the receiver: for decoding
purposes it is better than the previous one.
12 kHz I/Q – the I and Q components are samples of the same signal detected orthogonally in phase
and therefore contain different informations. With their separation it is possible to measure the
relative phase of the signal components, which is useful not only for FM demodulation. This is the
best mode, ideal for signal analysis and can be processed directly by the software without any loss.
The manual at the time stated to check if your receiver was equipped with a 12 kHz I/Q output socket
and referred only to the AOR-5001D and ALINCO DJ-X11 receivers.
Translated directly from Japanese (in the hope of interpreting it correctly from the brief instructions
included with the software), I provide a comprehensive table of all the decoding possibilities in the
various modes:
Source signal type NQSL CTCSS DCS TRAIN MSK DTMF
FM voice (audio) C A C * * *
FM detection A A B * * *
12 kHz I/Q * * * * * *

= Possible in many cases

(A) = Possible, but depends on the model
(B) = Impossible, but it depends on the model
(C) = Almost impossible
NSQL = Noise Squelch operation (noise silencing)

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 132 | 214
Operationally, using with our SDRs, I noticed no difference with the settings set to "Audio" or
"Discriminator".
Turn on the audio from e.g. the VAC (also running the
audiorepeater.exe file to keep hearing the audio!), choose the
audio input in KG-TONE and press the 'OK' button.
The software analyses the signals and displays the detected data
in its small, graphically appealing panel. If the audio paths are
correct, and the noise squelch is open, the "BUSY" icon and thus the detected tones will be
highlighted on the left in bold.

It also has a "COMBO" mode with which you can

have a larger underlying panel displaying all
CTCSS or DCS and with a useful "memory
effect" of all those activated over time appearing
on a dark background. Truly an excellent piece
of professional software!

It can also detect DTMF but I was not able to test

it for TRAIN / MSK modes, which are not active
in my country.

Unless specifically required, the sliders can be held initially in the following positions:

Perhaps few people are aware that by pressing the button it is also
possible to activate an “audio inversion band” decoder and adjust its tone (pitch)
by slightly moving the vertical slider above...

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 133 | 214
 DAB / DAB+ (part 1)
AIRSpy Interface + DABPlayer
Simple but ingenious interface to connect via TCP your AIRspy devices to Andreas Gsinn's
DABplayer and enjoy the full DAB content with slideshows, quality recordings and lots of
informations on Ensemble, FIC, MSC and audio...

DAB / DAB+ (part 2)

software WELLE.IO
It is an open source SDR (for Windows10, Linux, macOS, Android), with support for Airspy
(R2/Mini), RTL-SDR, SoapySDR. It supports high DPI resolutions including touch screen displays
and also works on cheap mini computers like the Raspberry Pi 2/3 and various tablets / smartphones.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 134 | 214
 Suite DAB / FM (and spectrum displays)
software SDR-J
This is a rich suite of different open source SDR programmes (for Windows and Linux OS) for
receiving FM, DAB/DAB+, etc.
Support is for Airspy, HackRF, Lime, Pluto, RTL-SDR and SDRplay. The first screenshot is of
DAB+ and the second is of FM reception.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 135 | 214
A Spectrum-viewer also completes the equipment

and the Panoramascope

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 136 | 214
 DRM in HF
SDR# + DReaM software

Using an AirSpy HF+ Discovery, tuned in USB mode in HF during a DRM transmission it is possible
to listen to the programming (also multi-channel) in high quality thanks to the free software DReaM
that you can find free here: https://sourceforge.net/projects/drm/

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 137 | 214
 Read DTMF ...without a decoder!
Software Audacity

We do not always have a decoder to detect DTMF tones such as the one shown above. So let's see
how to easily identify DTMF frequencies (in hertz), which is a coding system created for telephony,
at Bell laboratories, to encode numerical codes in the form of sound signals in the audio band.
The DTMF keyboard consists of a 4×4 = 16-position
matrix, where the row represents a low frequency and
the column represents a high frequency. For example,
pressing the 2 key generates two sine waves at
frequencies of 697 Hz and 1336 Hz.

Rather than using 16 different frequencies for the 16

numbers/letters on the keyboard, 8 different frequencies
have been used, with 2 being associated to each key.
The term multi-frequency is therefore derived from the simultaneous use of two audio tones.

The frequencies have been allocated appropriately and with good intrinsic safety.
So to start it is necessary to save a WAV file from our SDR and analyse it for example with the
freeware software Audacity.

Load the wave file, select the first portion of the DTMF signal, go to the menu "Analyze" and then
"Show spectrum" where the program will perform the analysis of the frequencies.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 138 | 214
In this window we will position ourselves on the two peak frequencies, reading down the two
frequencies at 697 Hz and at 1336 Hz, which from the previous table correspond in fact to the number
“2”.
Then move to the second audio portion and repeat the analysis.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 139 | 214
 FM & FM-DX
AirSpy R2/HF+ Discovery and CSVUB

I have already written CSVUB extensively in the previous Plugins section, but this time I want to
illustrate another of its excellent features in managing FMLIST databases:
https://fmscan.org/index.php
Certainly of interest to all FM and FM-DX enthusiasts, let's look at a few things...
Starting the program we go to TOOL / QTH MANAGER to enter our geographical coordinates, then
to WEB / DOWNLOADER-CONVERTER to download one of the three lists or all together by
flagging "Batch".
Now that we have the updated archives we can
load them and use them to make searches and
filters in conjunction with SDR# using the
"DF8RYDataBridge" plugin mentioned above.
The tool can be useful for example to identify
some distant and interfered signal that does not
have the possibility to carry RDS (as in the
example below at 103.200 MHz, where RDS is
completely absent and the small signal appears
between two powerful big-powers). In CSVUB,
automatically hooked the frequency of the VFO,
I sorted the database on the column "DIST" (distance in kilometers from my QTH) by clicking on it
while holding down the CTRL key, will appear a little black triangle like this

Hearing by ear that it was the transmission "RAI ISORADIO", the first line highlighted by the
database CSVUB reports in fact that the station received could be that distant 75 km with 12 kW of
power...
Much easier is the case that the RDS code is detected and with the immediate feedback of the PI code
we have a certain and precise identification on the database of the stations present in CSVUB!

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 140 | 214
In the example above we can see for the station tuned to 96.200 MHz, in CSVUB: name of the station
"RDS-Radio Dimensione Suono", its PI code "5264", transmitter site information, power in kW,
geographical coordinates, distance from my QTH and the bearing in degrees if you have an antenna
rotor connected to your system.
Clicking then on the highlighted record, with the right mouse button, opens a specific menu that
allows you to view the site of the transmitter with various graphics and details.

Think about the possibility of easily identifying during FM-DX sessions, distant stations that reach
us only thanks to propagation or summer phenomena of E-sporadic…

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 141 | 214
 FT8
AIRSpy HF+ Discovery and MultiPSK

The indefatigable Patrick Lindecker (F6CTE) has recently released a beta of his MultiPSK v4.45.6.1,
which now also covers decoding of the FT8 ham radio protocol born in 2017 by Joe Taylor (K1JT)
and Steve Franke (K9AN). The name comes from "Franke-Taylor design, 8-FSK modulation."
Designed for "multi-hop Es where signals may be weak and fading, openings may be short, and you
want to complete reliable and confirmable QSOs quickly," it has now supplanted previous systems
and is present in all radioamateur bands.
In this screen SDR# HF+ Discovery was tuned to 14.074 kHz in USB, and MultiPSK was working
in conjunction with the VAC.

Note on the MultiPSK

waterfall the labels of callsigns
just received and taken from
the tabular part below full of
other information!

It is also possible to view on an

internal map or "DX Atlas" the
ratio (dB) and locations of
received stations, to check
what the directivity of one's
own antenna is (and the gain
compared to a SWL or
neighbor).

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 142 | 214
 GMDSS, a multi-channel decoder
AirSpy HF+ Discovery and Black Cat GMDSS decoder

Black Cat GMDSS is a first multi-channel GMDSS HF decoder with new concept compared to
previous radioamateur decoders that will surely make people talk!
https://blackcatsystems.com/software/black_cat_gmdss_decoder.html
Up to 8 decoders can run at the same time for all GMDSS channels provided by the worldwide system
at 2187.5, 4207.5, 6312, 8414.5, 12577, 16804.5 kHz.
Each decoder can be connected to its own audio input source (a virtual audio device or physical sound
input device).

One of the distinctive features of the decoder is that it can decode directly from a WAV audio file.
Multiple files can be selected, they will decode one after another.
Decoding of WAV files is much faster than real time decoding, limited by the speed of your computer,
often 10x real time processing.
There are also a number of useful tools for map visualization and online search on the MMSI database.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 143 | 214
Those who have had the opportunity to try and test it in comparison with other GMDSS decoders
says the best accuracy in decoding, with fewer errors than all competitors. In addition, not least,
is the extreme lightness in terms of CPU usage (in some cases even 5 times less than others!)

I have write a PDF guide that can be downloaded here:

https://blackcatsystems.com/download/BlackCatGMDSSGuide.pdf

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 144 | 214
 HFDL at 300 bps
AirSpy HF+ Discovery e decoder PC-HFDL

PC-HFDL is a windows based decoder for the ARINC 635-3 HF data-link protocol. Is based on a
number of interconnected ground stations. Each ground station transmits a frame called
a Squitter every 32 seconds (see screenshot). The Squitter frame informs aircraft of the system status,
provides a timing reference and provides protocol control.

Each ground station has a time offset for its Squitters this allows planes to jump between ground
stations when trying to log on to the best one. When passing traffic Time division Multiplexing is
used (TDMA) this prevents two aircraft transmitting at the same time causing collisions.
The program uses the system table (now version 51) to determine the frequencies being used are. This
information is transmitted by the HFDL groundstations.

Net of current worldwide stations: AGANA – GUAM, AL MUHARRAQ – BAHRAIN,

ALBROOK – PANAMA, AUCKLAND – NEW ZEALAND, BARROW – ALASKA, CANARIAS
– SPAIN, HAT YAI – THAILAND, JOHANNESBURG - SOUTH AFRICA, KRASNOYARSK –
RUSSIA, MOLOKAI – HAWAII, MUAN - SOUTH KOREA, REYKJAVIK – ICELAND,
RIVERHEAD - NEW YORK, SAN FRANCISCO – CALIFORNIA, SANTA CRUZ – BOLIVIA,
SHANNON - IRELAND

The “Squitters” display write information in a separate dialog box. “Smart display” shows next
timeslot allocations.
This software has been designed as a decoder and does not carry out extensive logging or analysis of
received information.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 145 | 214
 ISS reception and satellite tracking
AirSpy R2 + Gpredict & plugin Gpredict Connector
The ISS and other amateur radio satellites are not difficult to receive and it is sufficient even only a
discone antenna or a vertical antenna for the 2 meters band... the most important thing is to use a good
software for the calculation of satellite passages and their automatic tracking to compensate for the
frequency shift due to the doppler effect in many cases very marked.
It will be necessary to look for and download the GPREDICT software (for example the release
"gpredict-win32-2.3.37.zip") and install it...
For the first configuration: set your coordinates in EDIT / PREFERENCES / GENERAL /
GROUND STATIONS while in INTERFACES / RADIOS you will have to create a line like the
following for our SDRsharp with Localhost and port 4532:

For subsequent use: always update the TLE data in the EDIT / UPDATE TLE DATA FROM
NETWORK menu or provide an automatic update in ED in EDIT / PREFERENCES / GENERAL /
TLE UPDATE
To configure tracking: in Gpredict, click on the "Module options/ Shorcuts" icon
(highlighted here at the side), select a satellite (in our case the ISS) from the
CONFIGURE menu and then access the RADIO CONTROL panel to set some
fields to confirm the type of traffic to be monitored (e.g. "Mode U/V FM VOICE")
and then click on the "TRACK" and "ENGAGE" buttons...

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 146 | 214
Let us now see on the SDR# side what needs to be done.

We will use the free plugin "GpredictConnector", which can be downloaded here:
https://github.com/alexwahl/SDRSharp.GpredictConnector

By extracting the DLL in the usual directory, it enables automatic

dialogue with Gpredict as soon as the “enable” flag is enabled.

If everything is working properly the plugin will connect to port

4532 and "Server Status" will not only display "connected" in green
colour, but SDR# will and autonomously follow the downlink
frequency of the satellite with appropriate VFO changes to
compensate for the doppler effect, as well as providing multiple tracking information and AOS and
LOS times.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 147 | 214
 METEOR-M N2 Reception of quality images
AirSpy HF+ Discovery and many software

It is not easy to condense the whole process in a few lines, but the final result of Marco Melandri
(BlackApple62) in receiving images from the METEOR-M N2 satellite is definitely of very high

quality...

LRPT images received at 137.1 MHz in RGB+Rainfalls/RGB mode with Turnstile antenna and
SPF5189 RF Low Noise Amplifier. These are the software used: Tracking DDE v1.2 + Meteor
Demodulator v2.3 + LRPT decoder v2019.9.14.0056 + Postprocessor MeteorGIS v2.24.

The "data flow" kindly granted to me, represents in a very simplified way how data pass from radio
reception to decoded images on disk. A more detailed description of the events in each software
module would be needed, starting from the AOS phase of the satellite, up to the LOS and finally to
the writing of the processed images, but it would take a dedicated guide, so for those interested this
is an introduction: http://happysat.nl/Setup_Meteor/Setup.html
THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 148 | 214
 Modem multimode
AIRSpy HF+ Discovery, software Fldigi

Fldigi (short for Fast light digital) is a free program that allows a computer sound card to be used as
a two-way data modem. The software is used by radio amateurs all over the world on both HF and
V-UHF (for the fastest modes) even with only a few watts of RF power. Many modes are supported:
CW, Contestia, DominoEX, Hell, MFSK, OFDM, Olivia, PSK, QPSK, 8PSK, RTTY, THOR, Wefax,
Navtex/Sitor-B, etc.

You will need to install a CAT management plugin e.g. CalicoCat and configure it as mentioned in
the Plugins section above (in my case on port COM7).

Now Fldigi has to be installed and configured as in the screenshot: I downloaded the specific Rig file
"TS-2000.xml", enabled the "Use RigCAT", assigned the COM8 port to 19200 baud, 1 Stopbit.

In the meantime, the CalicoCat plugin will make the two softwares talk to each other, and any change
of VFO (or change of emission mode) in one of the two softwares will be reflected in the other...
However, I have encountered an annoying bug that causes SDR# to crash immediately: just put
FSK mode in Fldigi. Therefore, try the other plugin "SerialController"...

In the previous example, the RTTY-ITA2 50 baud signal from station DDK9 Hamburg Meteo is
decoded (via VAC) on 10100.80 kHz (note the two VFOs perfectly aligned!). In SDRsharp remember
to use the "CW" mode.

http://www.w1hkj.com/

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 149 | 214
 NAVTEX (NAVigational TEXt messages)
AirSpy HF+ Discovery, software YAND / FRISNIT decoder

The service, I believe well known to most, has long been developed to broadcast free of charge on
medium waves, navigational bulletins and weather information for the use of ships, vessels and those
who go to sea. There are two types: the international broadcast on 518 kHz (in English) and the
national on 490 kHz (in local/regional languages). These services use the frequencies indicated at
certain times with transmissions made by fixed stations in a particular area (called NAVAREA)
because the globe has been divided into areas: for example, Italy, in the Mediterranean, belongs to
NAVAREA III.

Technically, the modulation is

of the BFSK (frequency-shift
keying binary) type at the rate
of 100 baud and shift 170 Hz.

Taking advantage of a remote

SpyServer in Canada I tuned to
516 kHz (in USB) to have the
center frequency at 2000 Hz in
the “YAND v7.0” software (set
as indicated in the red boxes
and collaged via virtual sound
card). Those who want to use
LSB the tuning frequency will
be 520 kHz.

In this example, with

SpyServer in the
Nordic countries, I
received the Navtex
signal in the regional
language, tuning to 488
kHz (in USB) with
“YAND” and another
excellent decoder
named “FRISNIT
NAVTEX Decoder”.
Given the excellent
level of the received
signal, the results of the
two decoders were
practically equal.

I have read online that

this system too, after
decades of honored
activity, may soon be replaced by a new digital mode, which could place images and new services
alongside text.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 150 | 214
 NDB's, dinosaurs in extinction...
AirSpy HF+ Discovery
Non-Directional Beacons, better known as NDBs, are beacons used for many years for instrument air
navigation or maritime radionavigation.

In the course of 2021, the Italian Air Navigation Authority has planned to phase out NDB, L and
VOR type radio beacons at italian airports.

The NDB works in medium waves (between 200 and 1750 kHz), transmitting a continuous wave in
vertical polarisation, on which an amplitude modulation of an audio signal is superimposed, through
which the instrument communicates its identification in Morse code.

Here is an example of one of the last NDBs still receivable at the moment: 392.5 kHz and with “TOP”
Morse code identification (Poirino/Torino - Italy) remembering that decoding starts at the bottom...

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 151 | 214
 QRSS signals not listenable and nor visible in RF spectrum!
AirSpy HF+ Discovery and software ARGO

Hams like to experiment and a lot, especially in the study of propagation...

The QRSS is a very special morse signal, transmitted so slowly that you cannot hear it by ear (a "dot"
takes six seconds to be sent while a "line" takes eighteen seconds) and with very low power using
frequency shift coding.
With this system you do not make conversation (in Q code called “QSO”) but you can analyze the
propagation, test antennas or specific software. In my case I used the software "ARGO" but I suggest
also "FSKview" for the visualization of the spectrograms of FSK signals.

My SDR was tuned to 10138.7 kHz in USB and after several minutes I received and decoded the
english beacon G0PKT as highlighted in the first line. Note that in the waterfall and in the RF
Spectrum on the right no signal is visible...
From the net says that the beacon is active on 30 meters with the power of about 250 mW.

Try it on the other bands in WSPR and QRSS mode as well!

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 152 | 214
 Radiograms (bulletins and images)
SDR# + Fldigi software
Using an AirSpy HF+ Discovery, tuned in my example to the 15770 kHz frequency on certain days
and at certain times, it is possible with the Fldigi software (previously mentioned) to receive curious
transmissions, RadioGrams, i.e. digital text and images (MFSK-32/64 mode) via the analogue radio
transmission...

https://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/Shortwave_Radiogram_Gateway
https://swradiogram.net/

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 153 | 214
 Radiosondes in UHF
AirSpy R2 + software RS41 Trakers

RS41 Tracker is an external software, developed by Diego (IW1GIS), capable of decoding real-time
telemetry from Vaisala RS41 radiosondes. Used in conjunction with an SDR it allows you to display
the positions of the radiosondes on a map and control parameters such as height, temperature, wind
speed/direction and burst killer information, etc.
Link: http://escursioni.altervista.org/Radiosonde/
By tuning into UHF (here at the beginning of the 400 MHz band) at set times
and with a bit of luck it is possible to receive directly signals like this and using
a virtual audio cable send them to the decoder.

By referring to this informative link, you can also find the UHF frequency for transits in your area:
https://tracker.sondehub.org

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 154 | 214
 RTL_433 for reading tyre pressure, weather sensors, etc. etc.
AirSpy R2 and RTL_433 plugin

With this nice plugin it is possible to detect and decode particular data
signals transmitted on specific bands dedicated worldwide to these
services.
It is therefore possible to decode hundreds of sensors that detect
temperature/humidity, weather data, energy consumption, tank level,
etc... etc... and why not the TPMP ones, i.e. the tyre pressure and
temperature monitoring system of some car models!

The plugin, with all the necessary instructions, can be downloaded

free of charge, here:
here:https://marco40github.wixsite.com/website/plugin-
sdrsharp-pour-rtl-433?lang=en

You can start by trying in RAW mode and with a bandwidth of at least
200k, disabling squelch and any other audio filters...

It can be configured to receive the overall message list of all received

devices, with the possibility of exporting the data to files.

Or single lists such as the following with a Toyota TPMS and of an

outdoor temperature sensor (model GT-WT02) or a graphic window of a termosensor (Oregon
THR228N).

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 155 | 214
 SIGMIRA: multidecoder with database
Airspy HF+ Discovery

In the panorama of free decoders there is an interesting software for Windows.

It is called SIGMIRA, it allows demodulation of the following modes: ALE, CW, FLEX, FSK,
HFDL, PSK31, RTTY, SITOR-B, JSM-SLOT MACHINE, STANAG-4285 and the display of the
spectrum in real time, waterfall and phase (Phase plane).
It accepts signal input via sound card (for conventional receivers) and via VAC as well as direct
connection with some SDR devices.

Here we see SIGMIRA with many of its windows open (selectable from the VIEW menu), struggling
with an RTTY signal (50 baud reverse, shift 450 Hz) tuned through the HF+ Discovery (in USB
mode) and its decoding of messages in the window "Rx text".

In the decoder, I chose the mode and parameters of FSK, then

to click on the waterfall at the right signal marked with red
triangle.

The yellow one will automatically adjust according to the

preset shift: yellow and red correspond to the Mark/Space of
the FSK signal.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 156 | 214
 You can also use as signal source: WAV files or external
inputs like VAC.
In the example on the right I have used an old demo
WAV file of the ham radio mode PSK31.

In this case the only red triangle should be placed with

the mouse on the signal column to have immediately the
decoding in the "Rx Text" window and display its shape
in "Eye Diagram".

Another unique feature of SIGMIRA is its internal database with over 2000 frequencies in all modes
of emission and different categories of users ("Cat1" column).

Link: http://www.saharlow.com/technology/sigmira/

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 157 | 214
 SLICE: its profiquent use!!
Airspy R2 with plugin “PAL/SECAM/NTSC TV”

I would like to point out Oscar EA3IBC's interesting video on making the most of the possibilities
offered by the SLICE during a tropospheric propagation (see the "Slice" item in the "Main Settings"
chapter): https://twitter.com/ea3ibc/status/1543670847625469952

The video shows simultaneous reception of RTA1 Algeria's E6 television channel: with video carrier
tuned to 182.250 MHz (with the appropriate plugin) and, thanks to Slice, also audio at 187.750 MHz.

In order to succeed at the first

shot at the intent, I suggest
using "Free Tuning" tuning (see
the chapter "Main Settings and
Controls") thus dialing the
video frequency 182.250 MHz
having the care to place in the
waterfall as much as possible on
the left side to have sufficient
bandwidth...
At this point by adding a Slice
(new VFO) we have a way to
reach the audio frequency at
187.750 MHz.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 158 | 214
 SSTV …the charm of Slow Scan TV
AirSpy HF+ Discovery and Black Cat SSTV decoder

The SSTV transmitted in HF by radio amateurs around the world has a very special charm and always
arouses in me astonishment both as OM and SWL. Very often the signals are very bad and
interference does not allow to receive good images, but sometimes with a little luck and good
propagation there is plenty of time to be able to receive and decode a good image. Obviously we need
a very sensitive decoder with advanced features such as Black Cat SSTV (for Windows and macOS):
https://www.blackcatsystems.com/software/sstv.html

The developer has built many SSTV software in twenty years with a focus on decoding weak and
difficult signals. It's easy to write an SSTV decoder that works with a strong signal, but he decided to
write a new SSTV application from scratch, with an emphasis on performance under weak signals.

The decoder has an extremely sensitive VIS detector, with an adjustable threshold depending on
personal tolerance for false triggering. The images are automatically
adjusted, after reception, also for Skew and Offset using all
transmitted information, for an almost perfect lock even with
extremely weak signals. Images can be automatically saved to a
directory of your choice and there is a built-in gallery to view
received images.

Image transmission is also supported and

there is a basic editor (see side screen) to
prepare images for transmission.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 159 | 214
It can sometimes happened that after particular changes or risky actions the program will fail due to
internal (or often external) code problems. Many things have changed since the v.177x (including
scheduled Windows updates…), sometimes if something crashes, it is for external problems at SDR#
code. All errors are automatically detected and recorded in the "crash.txt" file in the program
directory...
Maybe the only thing to do, if the program is very "customized", is to copy again the file
"SDRSharp.exe.config" from the original distribution package. You will lose some
customizations (example of the “audio recorder” panels) but this way it will start again for sure.
So I suggest to save this file in a moment that everything works so that you can reuse it when
you need it. Or even to diversify SDR# installations on your HD and keep a "test directory" to
test and verify the new plugins or own customizations.

Running old plugins that are no longer compatible can also lead to some headaches and initial
misunderstanding.
For this we are helped by the text file "PluginError.log" (possibly present in the SDR#
directory), which collects track of errors arising when the plugin fails to load.
In the next personally verified example, the PluginError.Log file was helpful in understanding a
problem. Here's how.
Since v.1890 it is possible to jointly load plugins that have the same name (third-party example in
addition to internal ones). Such as the Audio Recorder and the Baseband Recorder. But also the
Frequency Manager (standard) and the one from author TheWraith2008 can coexist at the same time
as seen in the following screen (note also the presence of a * in the header of the standard one (figure
A) and ** for the one from TheWraith2008 (figure B).

However, two friends reported to me that with v.1891 the (B) was no longer loading on some
computers with italian language OS. With the invaluable help of "Prog", interpreting the following
PluginError.log file, it turned out that the problem was related to the decimal separator of the
international settings, thus a critical issue internal to the plugin itself and not due to
SDR#.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 160 | 214
*** Plugin Load Error - 2022-08-24 16:53:04.519
Config Key 'SDRSharp.FreqMan.FreqManPlugin,Plugins\SDRSharp.FreqMan.dll'
Type 'SDRSharp.FreqMan.FreqManPlugin, SDRSharp.FreqMan, Version=1.1.9.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=null'
Message 'Text "Microsoft Sans Serif; 8,25pt" cannot be parsed. The expected text format is "name; size[units[; style=style1[; style2; ...]]]". (Parameter 'value')'
Stack Trace
at System.Drawing.FontConverter.ConvertFrom(ITypeDescriptorContext context, CultureInfo culture, Object value)
at System.ComponentModel.TypeConverter.ConvertFromString(String text)
at SDRSharp.FreqMan.FrequencyManagerPanel..ctor(ISharpControl control)
at SDRSharp.FreqMan.FreqManPlugin.Initialize(ISharpControl control)
at SDRSharp.MainForm.InitializeSharpPlugins()

In other cases and situations it has been verified that some problems came from too many devices
plugged into the same powered HUB. Therefore it is preferable to connect the devices directly to
the native USB socket!
Another suggestion is to avoid the simultaneous use of 4 or more RTL-SDR devices (4.8 MSPS)
on a single USB2 bus. Preferable then is a USB3 card...
The Microsoft .NET Runtime can also sometimes cause problems when starting SDR#, especially if
you have previous versions installed on your PC (perhaps a mix of x86 and x64). It is recommended
to use a good uninstaller to do a complete clean up and reinstall the software from the following
AirSpy link: https://airspy.com/?ddownload=6293
After some specific Windows 10 updates it happened that you could no longer send audio to external
decoding programs (e.g. Fldigi, HFDL, WSJT, etc.). I suggest checking this:
 Select Start > Settings > Privacy > Microphone . In Allow access to the microphone on
this device, select Change and make sure Microphone access for this device is turned on.
 Then, allow apps access to your microphone. In Microphone settings, go to Allow apps to
access your microphone and make sure it's turned on.

Always about the audio!

You might get further improvements (and even less criticality) moving to 16-bit audio. There is
no audible advantage to 24-bit audio, so why bother with it? All SDRs presume 16-bit audio in
their demodulation path, use float (32-bit) rather than double (64-bit) computations to reduce
computer load.
In Windows10 select Audio Control Panel > Properties > Advanced to check the features in
playback/recording and of course also remove the flag from "Enable audio enhancements"…

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 161 | 214
 Check your computer's performance
A number of utilities (command-line) have been developed to help detect and resolve some
performance issues often related to USB controllers/drivers.

WINDOWS
Download the latest version of the software: https://github.com/airspy/airspyone_host/releases
 Open a console (cmd.exe) and run: airspy_rx -r NUL -t 0
 Let it run for 30 seconds, then close it with Ctrl + C
 If the average throughput is below than 10.0 MSPS then either the USB controller has problems
or the CPU can’t process the data.
Possible solutions:
 Try another USB port (avoid HUBs and port repeaters)
 Update the USB drivers (prefer OEM drivers to generic ones). For more details see also:
https://github.com/libusb/libusb/wiki/Windows
 Check antivirus or any other software at the same time with heavy loads on the CPU
 Use a PCIe USB 2.0/3.0 controller

LINUX (Debian/Ubuntu) Ubuntu possibly with the distro 14.04 LTS.

 Building airspy, gr-osmosdr and gqrx:
Download the airspy-git repository, compile it, install it
Download the gr-osmosdr repository, compile it, install it
Download the gqrx repository, compile it, install it
Get pulseaudio using standard Arch way
Configure pulseaudio (add user and group…)
Thanks to SEGFAULT post http://airspy.com/?topic=linux-airspy-gqrx/#post-658

 Performance problems:
 Build the host tools following "How to build the host software on
Linux”: https://github.com/airspy/host
 Open a shell and run airspy_rx -r /dev/null -t 0
 Leave it running for 30 seconds, then Ctrl+C
 If the average throughput is below 10.0 MSPS then either your USB controller has problems or
your CPU can’t process the data.

Possible solutions:
 Use another USB port
 Update your kernel
 Use a PCIe USB 2.0/3.0 controller

For further technical details:

https://github.com/airspy/airspyone_host/wiki/Troubleshooting

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 162 | 214
 Wiring of the devices and their positioning
The advent of 3D printers provides the ability to create very custom accessories and storage boxes.
However, the general consensus seems to be not to use any form of support/mounting that would
limit heat dissipation, perhaps inside small plastic enclosures even for weather protection when used
outdoors or in an attic.
At the limit just a small piece of double-sided Velcro to stop it on the receivers shelf, but for my part
I prefer to leave them free on the table of the radios, maybe in the vicinity of a small fan properly
turned on just in the hottest summer months to help the cooling of the outer shell.
Another issue concerns the "micro USB" cable and connectors that must be arranged for minimum
tension, pressure and torsion so that they do not create mechanical stress on the connector itself and
the underlying PCB to which they are soldered.
Rigid cables are not a
solution because they tend to
lift the connectors from the
boards and the soldering and
tracks on the PCB are
insufficient to maintain
contact for long periods of
stress. Here's a good advice:
Don't stress SMA
connectors with cables
intended for boat anchor radios.

Also not recommended the continuous connection/disconnection of the cable from the device "micro
USB" socket (surely preferable to do it from the side of the normal USB socket of the computer).
Also the antenna connection would be preferable to make it through short SMA connector cables
(male/female) of excellent and thin flexible cable to connect in line your more robust and rigid coaxial
antenna cable maybe even equipped with heavy and bulky adapters. All this will help to remove
physical stress and allow long life to our small devices...

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 163 | 214
  Multi-monitor configuration
Dear friend "Pierluigi" informed me about the possibility of using in Windows 10/11 the "extended
video" mode that allows interesting things if you have more than one video output port in your
hardware. The idea was to be able to use two or more external monitors (even ultrawide) by dedicating
a specific function to each! Obviously, one's computer's video card must have multiple outputs. On
laptops/notebooks this is not always possible since the output is built-in but HDMI can be used, if
present.
What do you think of such a shack? With SDR# expanded on as many as three monitors!!!

In general in Windows 10/11 these are

the steps required:
 Select Start, then open Settings.
 In System select Display /
Multiple Display (...picture on the
right).
 Use the drop-down list to choose
the desired mode.
 After choosing the configuration,
select Apply.

Or again to configure an external monitor press WINDOWS + P. On my

laptop with Windows10 this menu in the upper right corner where I can
choose from:
 PC schemo only (the classic mode, that is, display only on the main
monitor).
 Duplicate (display the same thing on two monitors).
 Extend (what we are interested in for displaying our desktop on
multiple monitors.) After "extending" the view, you will be able to move
items of interest between the two monitors!).
 Second screen only (display on the secondary screen only).

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 164 | 214
And so here is the idea ...thank you Pierluigi!

Dedicate one of the monitors to SDR# open with the main controls and panels: VFO, RF
Spectrum, Waterfall, Radio, AGC, Audio, Recoder (audio and Baseband).
The other monitor, on the other hand, will be useful for us to conveniently display other windows
such as Audio Spectrum, IF Spectrum, FM MPX Spectrum, the new Micro Tuner, or external
plugins such as Audio Equalizer, Frequency/Scanner Manager, etc. etc.
But now a world really opens up because the secondary monitor (or even a third one!) one could
think of dedicating it to various external decoder software (which I mentioned in the chapter
"Listening Recipes") or to database/list management software like CSVUB which for richness of
data and information like very very large desktops!

In the following screen SDR# on "Monitor-1" the main controls, and on "Monitor-2" the auxiliary
windows mentioned above...

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 165 | 214
But there are also those who have gone further!!! Mr. "Jose Angel C." tried to put his monitor upright
with this curious result...

It should be pointed out that verticality can be achieved in two ways:

If you have a monitor that can rotate on its axis (called a Pivot) the image is reproduced by
inverting the dimensions.
Or you can use the windows utility that reproduces the image on the monitor by readjusting it.
Example with a 28" Pivot monitor you have a perfect A3 size image, but not in the case of the
windows utility. However having SDR# several independent windows of the various plugins,
these can be arranged as desired.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 166 | 214
  MacOS & SDR

I receive and turn over to everyone, the following notes from Andy, after we have
talked about it more than once throughout our years of deep friendship and
knowledge of the world of radio and telecommunications.

The power and richness of SDR# in terms of signal processing and functionality (further extended by
the program's plug-in architecture), has always attracted much interest from radioamateurs and
enthusiasts loyal to the Apple platform. The Macintosh operating system (System, then Mac OS X,
now simply MacOS) has established itself over the years as a platform for music production and
scientific application-oriented DSP, but from the standpoint of Software Defined Radio applications,
the weight of Apple's environment is far less than the authority and popularity of Windows
applications. In the area of multipurpose SDR clients, i.e., compatible with different hardware front-
ends, there is no native Mac equivalent of flagships such as SDR# and SDR Radio Console, but
neither of old and new workhorses such as HDSDR or SDRuno.
The disappointment among "Macintosh peoples" is all the more bitter when one considers that for
some fifteen years, from the 2005 announcement of the switch to Intel chips from the previous RISC
PowerPC architecture to the advent of the new machines based on the Arm64 architecture of the
Apple Mx family, the three monotheistic computer religions, Windows, Apple and Linux, shared the
same low-level code base. Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on your point of view), differences
in both low and high level BIOS, interrupt handling, dynamic libraries, languages, development
frameworks), meant that software developed for one environment was not always immediately
"portable" to and from the other platforms.
Nevertheless, there is some room for maneuver, both on the front of the possibility of "crisply"
installing on the Mac a code developed in the Windows environment by recompiling the sources; and
through appropriate ways of emulating Windows executables. In a manual devoted to SDR#, the first
question concerns this very application: can it also be used on an Apple computer? The answer
cannot be unambiguous.
It depends. On an Apple system of the Intel generation, the most immediate route is to create a
Windows partition with Boot Camp Assistant, a system utility that basically handles Mac system calls
as within a Windows PC. The Microsoft operating system (but the same would be true for a Linux
distro) is basically "convinced" that it is running on a non-Apple machine, and native Windows
programs run smoothly.
There are, however, some alternative routes, which make it possible to avoid the Boot Camp
approach (wasteful in terms of disk space to be allocated to the non-MacOS partition).
The first route is through emulation in a Virtual Machine, through commercial platforms such as
Parallels Desktop, perhaps the most well known and widely used Windows emulator today. Attempts
to run SDR# with satisfactory results have also been made with another commercial emulator,
VMWare Fusion, and with Oracle Virtualbox (a largely open source project under GNU license). In
the past there have been experiments with running SDR# through a "compatibility layer" such as
Wine, the project that makes a good percentage of Windows applications executable in Posix-
compliant UNIX environments.
Finally, up to eight years ago it was possible to recompile SDR# source code (developed in C# on
Microsoft .Net framework) on Apple Intel machines, thanks to the existence in the Macintosh world
of tools such as MONO (emulator of .NET for MacOS) and the Xamarin development environment,
oriented to the portability on Mac and iOS of Windows code. A solution, the latter, not easy to
implement and now no longer viable.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 167 | 214
Making an eventual coexistence even more complicated were two major evolutionary steps in the
Macintosh operating environment. In moving from Mac OS X to later versions (Big Sur MacOS 11
and Monterey MacOS 12) but especially in choosing the new arm64 architecture, Apple somewhat
turned the tables on emulation and recompilation.
Gradually, Parallels Desktop and VmWare Fusion have adapted to the new architecture, and today
especially Parallels is able to provide a virtual machine for Windows 10/11 that is defined as very
performant. At present, the VM approach is the only one that offers any hope of using SDR# on the
more powerful Apple M1 systems. Conversely, on Intel machines predating the Big Sur operating
system (but perhaps also Catalina 10.15), it remains possible to resort to Boot Camp (the safest
method), virtual machines, or even recompilation of pre-2014 SDR# sources.
Looking forward, one can envision for SDR# a future of convergence and interoperability centered
on the cross platform availability of the Microsoft .Net 2020 development environment Microsoft in
fact announced that with .Net 5 it was officially on the road to unification of .Net by merging the .Net
Core and MONO/Xamarin into a single base of libraries and development tools. However, victory
should not be sung too soon. If it is ever feasible, it will still be years before the SDR# executable
return key can even be pressed on the Mac keyboard.

P.S: ...and in the meantime?

If the roads thus far to the finish line have been blocked or made too slow and circuitous, radiant
enthusiasts and Macintosh enthusiasts can still enjoy the opportunities associated with the
development of explicitly native SDR code that is avowedly cross platform or otherwise adaptable
with relative ease to the Apple environment.
Along with general purpose SDR clients such as GQRX and such as the recent SDRplusplus
(SDR++), the latter explicitly inspired by SDR# even in its modular structure, there are a great many
projects on the net dedicated to specific functionalities-first and foremost, decoding of digital modes-
now covered by the many software modules developed by "prog "s" of SDR#. These are usually
applications and utilities that originated in the Linux environment and are redistributed in executable
or recompilable form on Macs as well.
These programs, however, are beyond the specificity of this manual, and it is not appropriate to dwell
on them here. Suffice it to say that the most motivated and trained users on the use of command lines
can find ways to escape from the ancient "radio isolation" of the pupil ("Apple") of their eyes.

Many thanks to the various friends (Andy, Ciccio, Gabriele, etc.) who over time have
introduced me to aspects of an O.S. unknown to me.

I recently read a post in the forum...

I finally found the configuration that works on my Mac M1:
 Airspy HF+ Dual/Discovery
 SDR # studio v 1.0.0.1899
 Parallels 18.0.2 running Windows 11
 Mac OS 12.6 Monterey

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 168 | 214
Over the years I have received many signals like the previous one and very few are easily identifiable
at first glance. It must be said that not all signals emitted in HF/VHF/UHF are on purpose because
many of them are caused by the most disparate radio interference and disturbances: noise generated
by the internal circuits of the receiver itself or by the USB or power supply of your computer,
industrial equipment or the many poorly designed or poorly shielded domestic equipment, but also
occasional natural phenomena of various entities (solar storms, ionospheric propagation, etc.).
Today, thanks to the use of SDRs, it is possible to have a clear graphical representation of these
phenomena and with the use of waterfall, it is possible to visualize and analyze in real time all the
received signals including interferences. But being able to make a cataloging is quite difficult if not
impossible. Sometimes even a simple switching power supply of low cost radiates signals difficult to
identify if not turning off one at a time the various utilities (but what if it were our neighbor?)
On the net sometimes you come across similar screenshots received from guys maybe from the other
side of the world, but no one has yet assigned a unique name, there are those who call them Squiggles
or Doodles or Ladders but in the end they are the same things... What do you think can be a new
form of radio listening or why not of what I define "Waterfall Art"? Will you give me a hand
to collect and try to catalog the most curious and strange?

Very unstable speech transmission on 145 MHz

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 169 | 214
MW signals from the ...Umbrella Corporation?
While listening to my local medium wave station I came across some unknown specular signals in
the 999 kHz vicinity. Demodulated
in USB by ear it sounded like a low
audio note that gradually extended
its frequencies to open up like a
digital umbrella. I had to increase
the contrast of the following images
a lot as it didn't appear too sharp on
screen. After a few seconds the
cycle changed and the umbrella
closed, leaving a further trace: a
very short, higher-pitched audio
note that I have circled in red. In about 100 kHz bandwidth the signal was visible 7 times every 16
kHz exactly... Curious indeed, and the definition of the "Umbrella Corporation" - the fictional
biotechnology company featured in the Resident Evil video game series - came to my mind.

Also this noise has been raging for years in all my HF: it is a cycle of several
seconds that opens and closes with the following signals matrix...
OPENING

CLOSING

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 170 | 214
A strange and dense array of signals appeared on HF for a few days between 11
and 13 MHz, perhaps one of the many OTH - Over the Horizon radars?

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 171 | 214
Continuous HF noise from 1.0 to 5.0 MHz from my Atlantis desktop PC power
supply.

What about these? All noises coming from the USB or the laptop's internal
power supply?

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 172 | 214
Here everything is ok: …DAB+ signals, but who knows why with
such a different multiplexing?

My friend Claudio, a technical expert in the field, explained to me that you cannot see differences in
the multipath in the spectrum because there is a scrambling signal that makes them all visually equal.
However the difference in the shaping of the signal amplitude depends either on the multipath or on
the composition of two or more signals at the same frequency that are periodically summed with a
longer or shorter period depending on the difference in path or phase.

Here the problems in UHF return... with these unknown 'sculptures' of pure
noise!

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 173 | 214
And who generated these curious VHF "whiskers" with signal ranging from 147.1
to 146.8 MHz captured in the time frame of only five minutes? (October 1, 2021
at 13:30 UTC)

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 174 | 214
A varied palette of digital bursts on 433 MHz, but how many are there…?!

Certainly another of the many

OTHRs on HF (here on 17 MHz,
16 meter broadcast band)

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 175 | 214
Lee (Maine, border with Canada) sent me these two screenshots of a very strange
signal detected on 159 MHz.
It lasted about half an hour, not visible anywhere else in the spectrum. You can
see that the audio signal moved rapidly in frequency in a cyclic fashion and then
reversed in the narrow range of the 20 kHz BW, creating that curious jagged
appearance.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 176 | 214
Roberto (Italy), a dearest guy and fellow radioamateur, sent me the following
screenshot (April 21, 2022) detecting curious increasing signals in the 21/50 MHz
range (but after a while the frequency stabilizes) also indicating that usually
induction welders are retrograde. These instead go forward...

(Italy). A net of local vhf links with a curious problem of hooking/unhooking to

the system and with
only carriers with
hiccupping audio
and with continuous
triggers that went on
for half a day...

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 177 | 214
(Italy). Another of my virtual sculptures collected from the ether, perhaps thanks
in part to being in a chaotic inner city!

The signal is present fairly strongly at the

beginning of 38 MHz with a bandwidth
around 120 kHz. Perhaps some switching
power supplies in full operation?

Here are some zooms of greater detail...

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 178 | 214
Years ago I came across this curious signal on VHF that had drawn a “Christmas
tree” in the spectrogram, unfortunately without discovering the cause until now…

In fact, I just found one that is practically the same and

has a much greater signal strength and detail of details.

It begins with a variable note that goes down and up

in frequency in a very few seconds, until it settles
into what might appear to be an on/off note (with
AM and morse center carrier) classic of NDBs still
found in longwave...

It doesn't!!!

Curious to
know what
generated it?

It comes from turning on a digital receiver from the AOR that I

have on my radio shack on the table. As soon as it is turned on
(without any antenna attached, multicoupler or anything else) it
initially generates that little tree and then continues with that
very curious NDB-like signal...

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 179 | 214
Austria, Germany, Italy ...there is always a crane nearby!!!

Also these digital signals, which have been raging for some years in UHF in the 433/435 MHz band
and confirmed by several friends and colleagues, I was finally able to identify them accurately...

The field is
industrial radio
remote controls that
enable mobile,
wireless control of
machines, vehicles,
and site equipment.
The range, safety
and reliability of
the frequency, as
well as the
ergonomics of
buttons, joysticks
and housings are
therefore crucial for
safe and efficient
remote control.

Thanks to Google, I was able to learn that the transmitter sends

encrypted data packets to the receiver (like the one on the side) by
pressing a single button, switch, or turning a potentiometer. The data
packets are first checked for security code by the radio module in the
receiver, then evaluated and finally acted upon and also displayed on
an alphanumeric LCD display.
There are many manufacturers, each with their own standards and
operating frequencies but all traceable to the ranges: 433/435 MHz,
868 MHz, 915 MHz and 2.4 GHz (at least for EU countries).
There are not only cranes to take advantage of these systems... but
also mega concrete mixers with articulated cement transfer systems,
huge cranes/cranes at ports for loading/unloading containers, etc. etc.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 180 | 214
It looks like the Mole Antonelliana in Turin...
(Turin - Italy). Every now and then I come across really peculiar and unique curiosities in our SDR
world... like this spectrogram that drew a kind of Mole Antonelliana, a monumental building in Turin,
located in the historic center, a symbol of the city and one of the
symbols of Italy.
The name comes from the fact that it was once the tallest
masonry building in the world, while its adjective comes from
the architect who conceived and built it in 1863: Alessandro
Antonelli.
Take a look too if it doesn't look a lot like her!!

POE IP camera in VHF…

An HF+ Discovery and a YouLoop
antenna were able to identify the source
of these recursive noises in VHF...
The origin of the QRM is due to a PoE
(Power over Ethernet) system.
This technology allows some network
devices such as VoIP phones, IP cameras
and access points to be powered using
the same cable that connects them to an
Ethernet local area network.
Unfortunately, if shielded cables or
appropriate filters are not used, the risk
is to receive and display signals like the
one depicted opposite.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 181 | 214
This valuable tool allows the real-time reception of aircraft transponders transmitted on the nominal
frequency of 1.090 MHz, i.e. for the acquisition of ADSB by Airspy R0/R2/MINI devices and
subsequent visualization on cartography in graphical and tabular format by other software (e.g.
Virtual Radar Server, Flightaware, etc...).
Need a dedicated
antenna and possibly
little and good coaxial
cable, but you can
initially try with a
discone or a bibanda VHF / UHF but better would be to realize the project of a small dedicated
collinear copper or brass alloy that offers good gain and reception in the range of a few hundred
kilometers ... Please refer to the link: http://www.radioamatoripeligni.it/i6ibe/ads-b/ads-b.htm

On the AirSpy website there are brand new updated versions of the ADSB-SPY (for
Windows, Linux, Raspberry, Odroid). The Airspy R0/R2 and Mini can be used as high
performance ADSB receivers capable of 12, 20 and 24 MHz MLAT. The brand new and
original algorithms compare favorably with high-end ADSB receivers turning your Airspy
into a self-contained ADSB station with low power requirements.
I will cover the one for Windows here.

Once I downloaded the file airspy_adsb_win32.zip I proceeded to

unpack the six files in the SDR# directory.

I start in my case by running the Virtualradar.bat file which contains

the following line of parameters:
start airspy_adsb -v -e 20 -w 5 -m 20 -l 47806:asavr
The meaning of the various commands can be better understood thanks to the help

It will then open a

window like this, while in
the meantime we're going
to install and configure
the free Virtual Radar Server software:
THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 182 | 214
 https://www.virtualradarserver.co.uk/Download.aspx

As mentioned at the beginning, ADS-S SPY receives

the data in "raw form" like these on the left... which
are then sent to port 47806 of the program that will
display them at their best!

In TOOLS / OPTIONS /
RECEIVER we are going
to configure the
highlighted points...

while in TOOLS /
OPTIONS / RECEIVER
LOCATIONS I inserted a
line with my coordinates.

At this point the windows of the software will begin to populate with data and messages received in
real time. Just click on the link highlighted in blue, to open your browser and visualize on a map all
the movement in our skies.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 183 | 214
 Some windows with multiple Virtual Radar Server settings and customizations..

An excellent Youtube video can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/coqNi2lM3gw

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 184 | 214
 Sometimes it can be useful not to depend on a personal computer running 24 hours a day
(CPU/HD/monitor consumption, fan noise) or to have the need to remotely locate your
receiving station (perhaps in an attic near the antenna cable) and so the use of a Mini-
computer can open the way to many projects and applications even in the amateur radio field. The
Raspberry Pi (or “single-board computer”), which costs very little and consumes very little power, is
ideal both for its high-end technical features and for its extensive software/radio equipment, which
also includes all our AirSpy devices!
There are certainly other ways, and I will describe one of them in detail, which has led to excellent
results, even though it will be the most challenging chapter, and with some possible criticalities.
Those who know Linux well can try it differently by following the indications given here:
https://photobyte.org/raspberry-pi-running-spy-server-as-a-service/

Prerequisites:
 Raspberry Pi (with power supply, monitor and keyboard)
 a microSD card (of at least 8 GB)
 software PiDSR (image file): https://github.com/luigifcruz/pisdr-image/releases/tag/v5.0.0
 portable BalenaEtcher (for flashing the microSD): https://www.balena.io/etcher/

This is not the session to describe in detail the various types of Raspberry, there are dedicated sites
for every need as well as describing the different distributions and customisations available created
specifically for the ARM architecture which is very different from the PC architecture.
In my test, I reused a Raspberry Pi 3 model B that had been lying in a drawer for a long time, in
combination with a good external power supply (since it is well known that the Pi3 model is very
sensitive to power supply
variations). So let's see the bare
minimum to get up and
running in no time, starting
with the software that we are
going to download from the
links indicated in a directory
on our Windows computer
(e.g. C:\Temp).
Connect the microSD to the PC
and run the opensource and
portable software BalenaEtcher. Choose "Flash from file" where in my case I indicated the image file
(a "Raspbian" modified with SDR software compatible with each Pi model) named "2020-11-13-
PiSDR-vanilla v5.0.img.xz", taken from the site of the developer: the radioamateur Luigi Cruz
(PU2SPY). Then in "Select target" choose the drive that contains the microSD and finally the third
button "Flash!" to start the process. It will take about 15 minutes between writing and verification, do
not interrupt it and at the end you will see the following screen:

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 185 | 214
Make sure that no errors are reported when writing/verifying the image, otherwise reformat the
SDcard or use another one. The image has now been created (it is obviously not accessible or
viewable via a Windows browser), so it can be extracted from the PC and installed in the Raspberry's
slot.

PiSDR's pre-installed software for radio use is very rich indeed, but I have only tried a fraction of it
at the moment... The supported SDRs are the following: RTL-SDR, LimeSDR, LimeNET, PlutoSDR,
all Airspy (R2, Mini, HF Discovery and HF+), HackRF One, USRP.

In my case, I connected the Pi to my home WiFi router with a good Ethernet cable (if the distance is
long, consider a class 7 cable, which is also shielded) then a video/keyboard and of course an
Airspy!

Let's take a look in sequence at the various screenshots that appear on first start-up for configuration:

1) Welcome 2) Choose country and language

3) Change password 4) Select wireless network

While I left out the window with the request to update the software (which I did not do)...

On the developer's website, it is recommended to run the

following command from the “Terminal”:
volk_profile which will optimise the
system. The Terminal icon is this (the fourth
in the top left corner)
Allow time for the update to take place (several minutes)
and then close the Terminal only when you see the usual
terminal prompt...

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 186 | 214
At this point, our new operating system is almost ready. All that remains is to connect to
the Airspy website using the "Web Browser" (second icon on the top left), and download
to the desktop the file “SPY SDR Server for 32-bit ARM boards” from the following
link: https://airspy.com/?ddownload=4247

Once the file “Spyserver_arm32.tgz” has

been downloaded, I created a folder called
Spyserver on my desktop and extracted the
three files from it...

For these operations and to move between the

system's folders, I used the third icon
in the menu at the top left..

I disabled the Bluetooth icon in the menu at the top right...

Instead, I wrote down the number of the IP address assigned by
the system that appears by hovering the mouse over the blue
Wireless icon at the top right "eth0: Configured
xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx". We will need it shortly afterwards...

Now we need to edit the file "spyserver.config" for our needs. You can either click on it or stand on
it and with the right mouse button choose the "Text Editor". We need to edit some values, remove a
# (which means to make that line of the script active) and finally save the file, being careful not to
change any other parameters for this time.

We will have time later to go back and analyse and better understand all the lines of the "SPY Server
Configuration File". These are the lines to be considered for modification and use with an AIRSPY
R2 (read below for other devices):

bind_port = 5557 Value 1 makes

list_in_directory = 0 the server public !
device_type = AirspyOne
device_sample_rate = 2500000
initial_frequency = 101800000 (optional, it concerns the frequency that will appear at
start-up in the VFO of the SDR#: in my case I can see if everything works on the first shot: if in
my attic the active antenna and the multicoupler are on and working, if the remote switch is
correctly positioned, etc.).
initial_gain = 10 (for device: R0, R2, Mini)
THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 187 | 214
The "Device Type" group has these choices (so indicate your own instead of xxx)

# Device Type
# Possible Values:
# AirspyOne (for device: R0, R2, Mini)
# AirspyHF+
# RTL-SDR
#
device_type = xxx

The "Device Sample Rate" group has these choices (indicate value instead of xxx)

# Device Sample Rate

# Possible Values:
# Airspy R0, R2 : 10000000 or 2500000
# Airspy Mini : 6000000 or 3000000
# Airspy HF+ : 768000
# RTL-SDR : 500000 to 3200000
#
device_sample_rate = xxx

Now that the file has been properly configured, all that remains is to run it by double-clicking on the
"Spyserver" icon and then "Run in Terminal" which will open with a few lines highlighting that it is
"listening" while waiting for the client to connect...

click here

We are finally almost at the end... thanks for your patience!

Now from the laptop that I have decided to use as SDR# Client (wirelessly connected to my home
network) it will be necessary to activate the Source field "AIRSPY Server Network" by typing under
my IP address (previously marked) : port number, and then press the "C" button.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 188 | 214
 If everything is working properly, the client/server connection is
established and the panel
populates with more
informations. The only thing
needed is to adjust the Gain
to the right, set the proposed
frequency and use it
normally: audio, decoding and functionality will be practically
the same. For the other options already discussed please refer to
the AIRSPY Server Network chapter.

Subsequently, to correctly close the connection it will be

necessary to press the "D" button while on the server side, on the
Pi, the Terminal will be closed and then the Raspberry
from the "Close Session / Stop" menu from the first
icon at the top left...

Wait a few moments and then the power can also be switched off...

Looking back at our Raspberry Server we can see that in the meantime the Terminal panel had been
populated with more information during our connection.

For those who would like to know more, here are some commands to execute in the Terminal that
may be very useful:

dmesg Allows you to read (in the USB lines) the details of your connected SDR

free -h to see how much RAM in your Raspberry

htop to monitor system processes in details. To close: CTRL + C

hostname -I to get the IP address of the our Raspberry

Here a complete list: https://www.tomshw.it/hardware/comandi-linux-raspberry-pi/

Owners of a Raspberry Pi4 (with AARCH64 ARM architecture) can instead download and use the
"SPY SDR Server for 64-bit ARM boards" from the following link:
https://airspy.com/?ddownload=5795

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 189 | 214
I have to admit that all this was not immediate, unfortunately you can find very few indications on
the net and they are often misleading for your needs, hardware/software available on your computer
as well as firewall and antivirus configuration.

Then an important thing was to check which IP address was to be pursued and configured so that
everything could talk at its best and without bottlenecks. For example, your own router can reserve
some unpleasant surprises, in my case with the R2 and the 10M sample rate, the transferred audio is
hiccuping and ripped (unusable) and I could not understand if it depends on the RAM of my Pi or on
other configuration parameters of the Spyserver.config file (for example I tried to change the
parameter "Force-8bit = 1")…

But all this is part of that amateur radio spirit that leads to experimenting with patience and renewed
enthusiasm even the most complex and unfamiliar things. Limited knowledge of Linux and its various
distributions held me back a little at first, but I managed to reach my goal in the end.

Tests carried out on a Pi3 have shown that it is possible to run two RTL-SDRs at the same time,
provided that the performance is not too exaggerated... In fact, it is possible to obtain reasonable
results by using, for example, AIS and ADS-B decoders in parallel, which do not require the
entire stream to be transferred, but only the processed stream...

Who knows what you could do with a Pi4? Let's start by looking at the main features and
differences between the two models....

Raspberry Pi 3 B+ Raspberry Pi 4

RAM 1 GB (LPDDR2 SDRAM) 2/4/8 GB (LPDDR4 - 2400

SDRAM)
Processor Broadcom BCM2837B0 Quad Broadcom BCM2711 Quad core
core Cortex-A53 @ 1.4 GHz Cortex-A72 @ 1.5 GHz
GPU VideoCore IV @ 250-400 MHz VideoCore VI @ 500 MHz
Power MicroUSB USB-C
connector
USB 3.0 - 2
USB 2.0 4 2
Display 1x HDMI 2x microHDMI
connector
WLAN / Wi-Fi 802.11n 802.11ac
Ethernet 300 Mbps Gigabit / 1000 Mbps
Bluetooth 4.1 5.0
Dimension 86 x 56 x 21 mm

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 190 | 214
I got to try out a Pi4 with 8GB of RAM which definitely offers more modern equipment, better
technology, and even more usage options due to the larger and faster RAM.

These are basically the main differences with the Pros and Cons.

Raspberry Pi 3 B+ Raspberry Pi 4

Pros Single full-size HDMI port; Lower Better CPU and memory; Dual 4k
power consumption and board monitor support; USB 3.0
overheating
Cons Less brilliant specifications; USB 2.0 Higher power consumption and board
overheating; Absence of full-size HDMI
ports; New case; Higher cost

In our area of interest, with the same software installed and hardware connected (wireless router and
AirSpy R2 device) the Pi4 proved to be really strong and finally I was able to manage the SpyServer
at its maximum potential at 10 MSPS IQ (with the previous Pi3 B+ beyond 2.5 MSPS IQ the audio
reached the client all fragmented and hiccupping).

Thank you for following me in the hope that all the notes collected will help you too!

A few days ago I came across an all too nice Twitter from my colleague Oscar EA3IBC who, in order
to properly collect and classify the various micro SDcards in his Raspberry, had a brilliant idea! He
gave me permission to share it with you all....

The use of a simple pill storage container...

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 191 | 214
Our beloved SDR# is also beginning to be known, used and exploited in videos and some
documentaries where it appears prominently and immediately recognizable...
I have started collecting the following and if you have others to suggest they will be welcome!

--------------------------------------------------- VIDEO -------------------------------------------------

The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch: ALIEN FORCES Interfere in Experiment (Season 3)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBzHOJGxhJg

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 192 | 214
Or these other screenshots taken from...

Netflix TV series Yakamoz S-245

https://twitter.com/SV2HWM/status/1517879132864106497

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 193 | 214
------------------------------------------ WEB PUBBLICATIONS ---------------------------------------
The Spectrum Monitor – august 2022:
https://www.thespectrummonitor.com/august2022.aspx

The SWLing Post – october 2022:

https://swling.com/blog/2022/10/mario-
shares-a-short-review-of-the-airspy-hf-
discovery/

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 194 | 214
-------------------------------------------------- REVIEW ---------------------------------------------
FUNKAmateur – february 2018:
https://www.funkamateur.de/

RadioUser – March 2015

https://www.radioenthusiast.co.uk/

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 195 | 214
My book/guide is also starting to be cited, here are some examples...

---------------------------------------------- MAGAZINES ----------------------------------------------

monthly magazine
"RADIOKIT
ELECTRONICS"
April 2021

------------------------------------------- DIGITAL BOOKS -----------------------------------------

Gayle Van Horn’s (W4GVH) 18th Edition of her bestselling Global Radio Guide (Summer 2022)
https://www.teakpublishing.com/books

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 196 | 214
----------------------------------------------------- WEB -------------------------------------------------

Twitter:
https://twitter.com/BlackApple62
https://twitter.com/DXCentral

from the RTL-SDR website:

https://www.rtl-sdr.com/sdrsharp-
big-guide-book-updated-to-v5-3/
https://www.rtl-sdr.com/sdrsharp-
guide-v4-2-released/
https://www.rtl-sdr.com/sdrsharp-
guide-v3-0-released/
https://www.rtl-sdr.com/new-sdr-
user-guide-available/

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 197 | 214
Twitter:

https://www.radio-scanner.it/guida-sdrsharp-radio.html https://www.radiomasterlist.com/en/ebook.html

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 198 | 214
THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 199 | 214
QUESTION: "Where are the DX stations? Can the SDR help us?"
ANSWER: Use common sense. Check if there is anything that can be heard by taking advantage of
the Micro Tuner. A carrier a few millihertz away is a good signal. If there is nothing or if the carrier
is too weak, all you can hear after suppression is a "reconstructed background" noise. Exactly the
same sound when trying to recover threshold signals around the noise floor with inappropriate NR
settings. As with any instrument there is a learning curve and one's skills can make a big difference.
Perhaps the next version of CCC will include an "Auto Tune" option for those who have not seen the
Micro Tuner episode...

QUESTION: "Can the GPU graphics card create noise and interference?
ANSWER: Yes, this type of card can emit a significant amount of RFI. As a remedy try using ferrites
but if it is possible it is better to use a computer without a GPU card!!!

QUESTION: "At the audio level, what are the best drivers?"

ANSWER: The following is a link to an article describing the differences between the various
Windows audio options. It assumes that MME is an older driver, dating back to Windows 3.1 while
WDM and WASAPI are newer technologies and "should" provide better performance than MME:
https://www.sweetwater.com/sweetcare/articles/roland-difference-between-asio-wdm-mme-drivers/

QUESTION: “I have an RTL-SDR dongle connected to a USB port on my Raspberry RPi 4. When I
run ./spyserver I get this error”:
SPY Server v2.0.1700
Copyright (C) 2016-2018 Youssef Touil - https://airspy.com
Reading the configuration file: spyserver.config
Listening for connections on 192.168.1.103:5555
usb_claim_interface error -6

ANSWER: Shut down the other program that has it open.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 200 | 214
QUESTION: “Has anyone else encountered strange activity on Spy Server like these?”

ANSWER: Definitely an IP scanner in action... Suggestion: block IP inbound via your Firewall.
Having a server on the internet makes it a target. It happens all the time and it is possible to see
someone pinging, sniffing or whatever... If you don't constantly monitor youriInternet connection,
and most don't, you won't notice anything, at least until you get hacked or suffer some kind of attack.
Most gateways provided by the service provider offer a modest firewall and minimal monitoring and
filtering capability. It would therefore be better to put a gateway in bridge mode and purchase a
serious software firewall, especially if you are running any kind of servers, spyservers, FTP, remote
desktops, or anything else. A good hardware firewall is also a good choice.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 201 | 214
Just to keep chronological memory of the "latest" software versions....

version date Change log

…
1716 15sep19 Last revision with No Skin
…
1761 04oct20 Added real sampling capability for single ADC radios. This brings significant CPU
savings compared to the full bandwidth IQ conversion. To enable this feature for the
R2/Mini the config key "airspy.useRealSampling" must be set to "1". The baseband
recording is not yet available for real sampling, but the IF should be still available for
third party plugins.
1763 06oct20 Added full support for recording and playing Real spectrum files. Plugin authors are
invited to contact me for more details.
1764 07oct20 Added Vasili's File Player and RTL R820T enhanced plugin.
1765 09oct20 Fixed the audio recording in the Wave plugin; Added more acceleration to the DSP.
1766 18oct20 Added AM DX Co-Channel Canceller plugin. Use in combination with the Zoom FFT
filter.
1767 19oct20 Enabled the Boost SNR feature for all IF signals in the DNR plugin; Added marker colors
for the Dark and Clear themes in the Co-Channel plugin; Many DSP code
enhancements.
1768 19oct20 Improved the rejection in the Co-Channel Canceller; Added more controls: - Channel
Bandwidth for the co-channel, IF Offset to shift the IF and filter out the interference.
1769 20oct20 Improved the the Co-Channel Canceller algorithm: Better tracking, Better phase noise,
Better rejection
1770 24oct20 Many enhancements for the AM Co-Channel Canceller: Added more controls:
Integration and Sensitivity, Better phase and amplitude tracking, Added some visual
feedback in the spectrum Window to ease the tuning.
1771 28oct20 Added a new Co-Channel Canceller for FM. Same usage as the AM version; Allow wider
bandwidth selection with dynamic decimation; Many DSP code enhancements.
1772 30oct20 Added a "Sensitivity" setting to the FM Co-Channel Canceller. This allows better fine
tuning of the co-channel rejection. Many enhancements for the AM Co-Channel plugin.
Added a new noise threshold algorithm that works with the dynamic decimation. The
Wide FM mode is also supported.
1773 05nov20 Added Anti-Fading processing for the AM Co-Channel Canceller. Use this with Zero
Offset. Changed the stepped increments to continuous for the different settings when
applicable (NR, NB, CCC, Zoom, etc.)
1774 06nov20 Initialize the maximum VFO bandwidth for the SpyServer client from the config.
1775 06nov20 Polish: Enable the keyboard control of the Telerik sliders.
1776 07nov20 Added a status marker for the different DSP and plugin sections.
1777 10nov20 With collassable panels. Added a new high performance resampler for digital outputs.
1778 13nov20 New Visual Studio Interface with support to all the existing plugins.
1779 14nov20 Fixed the device initialization synchronization when the control panel is not active.
1780 14nov20 Added support for saving/loading the UI layout; The profiles can be saved/loaded live.
1781 16nov20 Smoother and faster handling of Airspy devices; Faster startup; The spectrum is now
kept in shape when resizing; Same for the peak hold.
1782 17nov20 Added a stepped navigation bar.
1783 22nov20 Many audio and FFT latency optimizations; The sizes of the dock windows are now
saved.
THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 202 | 214
 1784 23nov20 Smoother FFT streaming and lower memory usage.
1785 05feb21 Now in Dotnet 5 Microsoft.
1786 06feb21 Added new IMustLoadGui interface for forcing the plugin loader to bypass the lazy
loading if needed. This is useful for plugins that need to be activated on startup.
Examples updated in the Plugin SDK.
1787 06feb21 Added support for lazy GUI loading with active background processing.
1788 07feb21 Added a menu command to open all the setting panels available.
1789 10feb21 Faster loading of the "full plugin config", Better layout, Faster rendering, Fixed the auto-
scroll theming.
1790 11feb21 Faster master loading; Faster slice loading; More slicing options; Many UI
enhancements (rendering and performance). More layout enhancements; Added fall-
back docking for older plugins. More layout and UI improvements.
1792 12feb21 Removed the panel borders for the plugins.
1793 13feb21 New adaptive FFT slicing/overlapping/skipping algorithm for the display; Improved
refresh rate.
1795 15feb21 Optimized the adaptive FFT sequencing. Added sequence control and dynamic frame
skip for the FFT display. Now the FFT display supports high sample rates at speed-and-
resolution-constant resource usage.
1796 16feb21 Set the Garbage Collection to low latency mode; Added dynamic buffering depending
on the data usage; A few minor UI enhancements.
1797 17feb21 Fixed many numerical rounding issues due to the way LLVM handles int64 and doubles;
Code cleanup.
1798 17feb21 Set the step bar to fixed size. That was really annoying; Added new properties in the
control interface: LockCarrier, AntiFading, VisualPeak, VisualFloor, ThemeName,
Added extended logging to SNR Logger plugin, Clode cleanup. Getting ready for rev
1800.
1799 18feb21 More resampler optimizations. Significant gains in CPU usage.
1800 18feb21 Added two more properties in the control interface: ThemeForeColor, ThemeBackColor
1801 19feb21 Added automatic Plugin discovery and loading. Now you can just place the extra plugins
in the "Plugins" directory and they will be loaded automatically. It is also use separate
directories or some custom file tree. To disable the loading of a specific directory or a
dll, rename it so it starts with an underscore "_". The plugin directory can be set in the
config file so you can share it between multiple installations. You can use the config key
"core.pluginsDirectory". Added automatic IF shift adjustment for the slices when using
IF shifted sources. Many minor UI refinements.
1802 20feb21 Added more APIs: ThemePanelColor Property, RegisterKeyboardShortcut.
1803 20feb21 Added fail-save boundaries for range APIs.
1804 23feb21 Added more support code for RTL-SDR with the Community Package.
1805 24feb21 Updated Telerik library to version R1 2021 SP2; More consistent behavior of the
PanelBackColor property.
1806 24feb21 Enhanced the initial control panel resizing mechanism for the plugins; Updated the build
system for easier Telerik upgrades; Updated Microsoft.Windows.Compatibility" to
version 5.0.2.
1807 26feb21 More loading speed optimizations; Fixed the initial position of the spectrum splitter with
the main window maximized.
1808 02mar21 Removed the old .net Framework compatibility assemblies from linked executable. No
impact on the API; More UI polishing: Main window size, startup location and startup
size; More UI polishing: Plugin panels.
1809 04mar21 Replaced the web map with Telerik RadMap in the SpyServer source; Added full support
for mouse wheel scrolling in the TrackBars (sliders); A few other UI enhancements.
Initialize the bandwidth display for the HF+ source; Added binding redirects for better
support of different .net assembly versions; Minor UI enhancements.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 203 | 214
 1810 06mar21 Added the necessary dependencies for Calico and many other plugins in the main
package. These are not necessary for SDR# to run, but will ease the deployment of the
plugins. Re-added the Windows Compatibility Package for the older plugins.
1811 29mar21 More DSP optimizations; Many fixes for RTL dongles (mainly workraounds for old libs);
Revert to libusb 1.0.20.11004 for backward compatibility; Revert to portaudio 2016 for
backward compatibility; Code cleanup. The ThemeForeColor property now reflects the
color of a label within a plugin panel; Many performance optimizations for the Sharp
Kernels library (shark.dll).
1812 03aug21 Added a new API for enumerating the loaded plugin instances. Added Linrad spectrum
dot mode. Updated Telerik toolkit to version 2021.2.614.50; Added Gray and Dark Office
2019 Themes; Rewrote the spectrum rendering code to take advantage of more poweful
CPUs and give smoother experience; Allow Airspy front-end controller to tune using sub-
harmonic mixing (up to 4.29 GHz); Optimized the layout of the trackbars; More GC
tweaks.
1813 16aug21 Switched to Server Garbage Collection for faster Telerik loading; Reordered RTL
sources in the menu.
1814 17aug21 Updated the Table Layout controls and UI animations; Replaced the RadColorBox
control with the OS default; Improved the layout loading.
1815 17aug21 Rearranged the loading of the plugins.
1816 18aug21 Fixed a regression in the dock visibility.
1817 18aug21 Improved the default waterfall gradient for better handling of HDR signals; Improved the
resizing of the zoom/offset/range sliders.
1818 19aug21 Added low-latency "best effort" mode for audio playback; Added a gradient selector and
a few built-in styles; Added more Airspy specific buffering; Many UI improvements.
optimizations; Configured the audio latency dynamically; Improved the loading of docked
plugins.
1819 20aug21 Improved the sensitivity of the FM Co-Channel Canceller; Improved the Co-Channel
initialization code.
1820 21aug21 Added more sanity checks in the AM Co-Channel Canceller; Added theming fallback.
1822 21aug21 A few layout optimizations; More IQ buffering for slow sources; New theme loading
mechanism with automatic theming for legacy plugins.
1823 01oct21 Upgraded to Telerik UI for WinForms R3 2021 (version 2021.3.914); Improved the UI
loading.
1824 04oct21 Many GUI optimizations; Added progressive loading.
1825 05oct21 Many UI and GC optimizations; Added a status message in the splash screen.
1826 05oct21 Much faster UI loading.
1827 05oct21 Fix the Zoom FFT plugin initialization. Updated the quantization of the spyserver and
moved its Windows tool chain to clang.
1828 06oct21 Fixed the initialization of the Airspy Network Browser.
1829 08oct21 Rounded corners around the status text in the Splash Screen - Windows 11 Style.
1830 08oct21 Moved more C# functions to the Sharp Kernels (shark) library.
1831 26nov21 Upgraded Telerik UI for WinForms R3 2021.
1832 24dec21 Improved the spectrum responsiveness when streaming the FFT data from a SpyServer;
Improved the resolution of the frequency display for frequencies below 2 MHz.
Upgraded to dotnet 6 with single file build and R2R.
1833 31dec21 Multi-threaded GFX for smoother display; Many other optimizations for lower resource
usage in the lower hardware configurations.
1834 01jan22 The Band Plan plugin now supports the multi-threaded UI; Fixed the text update of the
main window; The Frequency Manager plugin now supports the multi-threaded UI;
Better property UI updating code.
1835 04jan22 New display for the Band Plan and the built-in Frequency Manager to avoid over-
crowding the spectrum view. The xml databases are not loaded from the current
directory of the process, which eases the use of profile-specific entries; Many FFT
THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 204 | 214
 optimizations; Smoother rendering and more responsive UI even with limited resources;
The produced XML files are now indented; More FFT polishing.
1836 05jan22 More robust code for the waterfall update.
1837 05jan22 More graphics optimizations; Smoother frame timing; More graphics optimizations;
Smoother frame timing; Fixed a sequential resizing crash that needed to be atomic.
1838 06jan22 Fixed the frequency manager loading; Sharper edges for the bookmarks.
1839 07jan22 Offloaded the main thread from all the real-time UI processing.
1840 08jan22 Rendering API cleanup; Fixed the SpyServer FFT updating.
1841 08jan22 Fixed the FFT display configuration.
1842 08jan22 Added a new hardware accelerated API for the plugin rendering. This can be used like
the standard .net Graphics API.
1843 13jan22 Better FFT scheduling to save CPU time while still getting optimal rendering; More
drawing APIs; Using the system's threadpool for handling the FFT; Better FFT timing
for smoother rendering; Compensate for CPU clock irregulatities in the FFT stream;
Added config settings to bypass automatic database update in the Band Plan plugin.
1844 18jan22 Added a new FFT engine with better performance; Added a new FFT API for plugin
developers; Lower CPU usage overall; Lower memory usage; Faster and more
accurate rendering.
1845 18jan22 Fixed the MPX visualization; Adjusted the latency of the display pipeline; Moved more
function to the native kernel library (shark.dll); Added native memory allocation; More
performance optimizations to use the new infrastructure.
1846 18jan22 Added more gfx caching for faster rendering.
1847/9 18jan22 One more rendering optimization to accomodate for slow plugins; Added more steps in
the rendering pipline of the spectrum analyzer. This allows instant responsiveness
while the data is being rendered.
1850 19jan22 Added dynamic latency adjustment to minimize the lag between the visual and the
audio paths.
1851 20jan22 More polishing: Lower CPU usage for the same processing quality.
1852 20jan22 Update the visual feedback for the filter band.
1853 20jan22 New Telerik release 2022 R1.
Starting from SDR# release 1853, the DSP will be using a reworked version of the
PFFFT (yes, that's not a joke) FFT library. This surprisingly fast library was modified
to fit within the object model of the DSP and will allow faster FFT speeds in the spectrum
displays and some filters. Some frequency domain plugins like the Noise Reduction, IF
Filter, etc. can also benefit from this improvement. The legacy FFT routines are still
available for the old plugins, but the new ones are encapsulated in a simple to use C#
class called DFT. Another area of improvement is the deterministic memory
management for the buffers. This comes as a side effect of the global rework of the DSP,
and will allow a more accurate on-demand adjustment of the used memory. The changes
are transparent for the plugins, unless something stupid is being done. The other side
effect is the lower memory usage on average. The display components have also been
revamped to use a pipelined approach. This includes the sequencing the IQ (or Real)
data, planning the FFTs, executing them, timing the display and compensating for the
CPU fluctuations. A lot of operations are now hardware accelerated, but will not show
as a direct GPU usage. Instead, the dwm.exe (Desktop Window Manager) process will
show some extra GPU usage, but it's not that big. The overall electric power usage is
lower with these changes, which may be a most welcome improvement for portables.
And of course, a lot of polishing has been done and still ongoing.
1854 26jan22 Added support to clear native memory in the UnsafeBuffer class; More FFT polish;
Better stream synchronization code.
1855 26mar22 Added assembly resolving for the plugins compiled using a newer version of the .NET
SDK.Scaled down the FFT display for the SpyServer client; Many improvements in the
FFT display components; Added more dependencies for the plugins:
THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 205 | 214
 System.Data.DataSetExtensions; Better FFT sequencing and timing; Increased the
Zoom FFT resolution; Better stop/tear-down sequence for font-ends; Upgraded Telerik
to version 2022 R1 SP1; Added forward compatibility for plugins written in more recent
versions of the .NET SDK.
1856 28apr22 Replaced the old Noise Reduction processor with a new algorithm: Natural Intelligence
Noise Reduction (NINR). This results in less artifacts, deeper noise cancelling, and
lower CPU usage.
1858 28apr22 Adjusted the NINR spectra smoothing.
1859 01jun22 Added a "Slope" setting to the NINR; Better smoothing algorithm for the NINR to save
CPU; New NINR presets.
1860 03jun22 Fixed the initialization of the frequency shift; Reordered the default plugins so that the
Noise Blankers process their respective streams before the Noise Reduction plugins;
Updated Telerik UI to version R2 2022 (2022.2.510; Clear the spectrum components
when resized smaller than the minimum usable surface.
1861 03jul22 GFX code cleanup; New frequency domain FM demodulation with improved linearity.
As a side effect, the RDS also decodes faster and better; Moe RDS tweaks to match the
new demod.
1862 04jul22 Many improvement in the RDS decoder; Added bandwidth margins related to the
demodulation sample rate.
1863 04jul22 New filtering processors; New fast PLL for transient RDS signals; Fixed some clicking
1864 in FM when changing the filters or the squelch; More code optimizations and cleanup.
1865 06jul22 More RDS tweaks; Tweaked the RDS decoder some more.
1866 08jul22 Improved the AM/DSB audio; Updated the NINR NR defaults to match; Adusted the
Audio HPF limits.
1867 08jul22 Adjusted the frequency response for AM/DSB.
1868 08jul22 Adjusted the AM/DSB HPF corner frequency to 30Hz; Updated Telerik to version R2
2022 SP1.
1869 15jul22 Fixed the initialization sequence of the AM Co-Channel Canceller.
1870 15jul22 Added Binaural detection to the DSB mode; Adjusted the AM audio filter to match
DSB; Added deemphasis for LSB/USB when "Lock Carrier" is enabled; "Anti-Fading"
results in "Enhanced Mono" output with DSB.
1871 15jul22 Added a check box to switch the Binaural mode on and off; Updated the audio filters to
match both modes.
1872 17jul22 Extended the Binaural mode to AM. Now the L and R channel depend on the actual
phase information of the transmitted carrier; Many filtering improvements.
1873 19jul22 Many rendering optimizations.
1874 20jul22 Fixed the binaural initialization code.
1875 24jul22 Improved the NINR smoothing algorithm; Updated the quality factor of the audio HPF.
1876 25jul22 Sharper tone detection for the NINR along multiple performance enhancements;
1877 Adjusted the HPF for AM/DSB audio.
1878 26jul22 Added hardware acceleration to the NINR algorithm while keeping the same behavior.
1879 29jul22 Handle poorly modulated AM transmitters in the NINR; Lock Carrier is now processed
before the IF plugins.
1880 30jul22 Save the waterfall gradient by value rather than by index; Update the gradient indicator
in real time after modification; Better handling of the low frequencies in the NINR; Adjust
the Q factor of the audio HPF; Added two NINR profile contributions.
1881 31jul22 Improved the Carrier Locker and the FM Detector.
1882 02aug22 New compiler directives.
1883 03aug22 Work around a libusb limitation for device hot selection; Affected Airspy R0, R2, Mini,
HF+ Dual, HF+ Discovery.
1884 03aug22 Added quadrature audio output for LSB/USB modes. Some brains are capable of
processing it.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 206 | 214
 1885 04aug22 Added new NINR profiles; added more FFT sizes for better de-noising; Refactored the
Baseband File Player.
1886 07aug22 Added a new Micro Tuner panel in Zoom FFT. This panel can be used in
conjunction with the AM Co-Channel canceller to get a very deep rejection of the
selected station; Major rework of the Spectrum Analyzer graphic component to allow
micro-tuning; The old references should still work with the new extended API; Added
new processing hook points for the Micro Tuner plugin; Added a new AM Co-Channel
algorithm with a native implementation.
1887 08aug22 Major improvement of the Co-Channel Canceller with a much simplified control. No F1
driver license required.
1888 11aug22 New FFT processor for IF/AF filtering, NR, AM CCC, Anti-Fading, and many other
12aug22 key features; Improved the behavior of the Lock Carrier PLL; Fixed the frequency
display in the Spectrum Analyzer; Changed power ratios to amplitude ratios for the
output "volume" slider; Updated the NINR profiles to match the new FFT engine;
Tweaked the Lock Carrier parameters.
1889 17aug22 Added a new processing hook in the DSP chain to allow the NR to be placed after the
Carrier Locker. Improved the FFT processor; Tweaked the NINR profiles. Increased the
refresh rate of the IF and AF panels.
1890 20aug22 The "Configure Source" button now shows the Server selection map for the SpyServer
client; Renamed the built-in Audio and Baseband recorders to allow third party
equivalents to be loaded; Updated the quality factor of the audio IIR HPF to prevent
ringing near DC; Refactoring and code cleanup; Added a long term stability factor for
the Carrier Locker.
1891 22aug22 New scaling for the NINR; Improved the base FFT processor; Added more DSP tools in
shark.dll; New scaling in the NINR GUI. Adjusted the NINR profiles.
1892 25aug22 Added a new "Super PLL" to replace the Carrier Locker; Default to 10sec resilience
26aug22 time for the "Super PLL"; Changed the Slope setting of the NINR to power dB scale;
Adjusted the Q factor of the HPF; Force the app's culture too en-us; Set the text
rendering compatibility for old plugins; Fail safe creation of the "Audio" directory when
the user selects a read-only directory; Tweaked the technical constants for the Anti-
Fading, Super PLL and NINR; Extended the plugin API to allow the direct docking of
spectrum panels without needing a configuration panel; Split the Zoom FFT plugin into
separate plugins with built-in configuration; Following the popular demand, we
arranged the main menu to avoid clogging the UI with plugins. This is an
intermediate solution until a fullly fledged plugin manager is implemented; Added
a new API to lock the center frequency to be used by the recording plugins; Reset the
Carrier Locker for each session; The Zoom Bar can now be set sticky or displayed on
demand to keep more space for the spectrum.
1893 27aug22 Added a compatibility method for older plugins; Added a new NINR profile by RNEI's
Rose.
1894 29aug22 More UI polish: Main menu and Zoom FFT plugins; Many NINR fidelity and CPU usage
30aug22 improvements; Added shorter names for the panels with full name and category for
the plugin menu; Increased the size of all the buttons and menus; New
iconography; Autosize the columns of the default frequency manager;
1895 02sep22 Let the OS impose the locale.
1896 03sep22 Frequency Manager: Prevent Windows from setting odd size values. Revision 1896
1897 03sep22 Updated the SpyServer code to use the latest shark library. Sharper "+" icons. Simplified
06sep22 the NINR controls by replacing the Attack/Decay settings with a single "Time Smoothing"
slider. The old smoothing setting was renamed "Frequency Smoothing". Adapted the
NINR UI to the new settings. Replaced the "Enabled" checkbox with a nice toggle
button in the DSP plugins. More UI polish.
1898 08sep22 Better memory alignment for modern CPUs; More accurate side band resizing.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 207 | 214
 1899 14sep22 Faster loading of the built-in plugins (no reflection); Optimized the frequency step
buttons in the main tool bar.
1900 16sep22 Upgraded Telerik toolkit to version 2022 R3 (2022.3.913).
17sep22 Added a new optional "Auto Tune" control for the AM Co-Channel Canceller for quick
21sep22 operation without the Micro Tuner. A few DSP optmizations in the AGC. Enable
25sep22 up/down keys for the frequency step buttons. A few UI tweaks.
Cleaned up the Multi-Notch plugin; Optimized the GC behavior (lower Memory Usage +
Fewer interruptions); New compiler optimizations for the DSP; Solution cleanup.
(TEST with New Speech Enhancement plugin using Krisp Noise AI Canceller; Krisp
cleanup).
Updated Telerik UI toolkit to version 2022 R3 SP1.
1901 20oct22 Updated build configuration for the upcoming .NET 7; Improved the feature power
estimation of the NINR; Updated the NINR profiles to suit the updated noise reduction
engine.
1902 09nov22 Upgraded to .NET 7 and Telerik 2022 R3.
1903 11nov22 New digit glyphs for the Frequency dial; Updated the deployment config.
1904 17nov22 Fix Calicocat exception handling; New zoomable digit glyphs for the frequency dial.
The zoom factor can be set using the config "key core.frequencyDialZoom"; More UI
polish.
1905 19nov22 UI tweaks: Resized some tool windows.
1906 18dec22 CPP Code cleanup; Optimized the AGC to handle AM QSB; Optimized the NINR for
19dec22 detection quality and CPU usage; Updated the NINR profiles to reflect the new core
features; Optimized the Anti-fading; Increased the depth of NINR action in the default
profiles.
Encapsulated the Step Size menu as a drop-down item of a smaller button to save
UI estate. New AGC; Improved FFT processor.

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 208 | 214
A journey of miles begins meter by meter and here we have traveled a very long way together indeed...
If this book has helped you to better appreciate SDRsharp I consider it an excellent achievement.
I have personally tested everything in the book, now it is your turn to do the same!

I conclude this journey of ours together with a short and nice collection of famous quotes that fit well
with our topics...

Without bases there are no heights - Anonymous

When faced with an obstacle, the shortest line between two points can be a curved line – B.Brecht
Words are chosen by the writer. The meaning is chosen by the reader - Ginevra Cardinaletti
It is not the strongest or the smartest who survive, but those who can cope best with change –
C.Darwin
There are some things you learn best in calm, and some in storm – W. Cather
The noblest pleasure is the joy of understanding - L. Da Vinci
Reading is one of the greatest pleasures and tools in our lives - Roal Dahl
You were not made to live like brutes but to follow virtue and knowledge - Dante
A smattering of everything, and a knowledge of nothing – C. Dickens
Sic parvis magna (Latin: greatness from small beginnings) – F.Drake
Progress is inexorable, the light of knowledge will always be better than the darkness of ignorance -
Jim Al-Khalili
You do not possess what you do not understand – J.W. Goethe
Whoever tries to penetrate the Philosophers' Rose Garden without a key, resembles a man who wants
to walk without feet - M. Maier
Perfection has one grave defect; it is apt to be dull – W.S. Maugham
The things that escape us are more important than the things we possess - W.S. Maugham
Either say something better of silence, or keep quiet - Menander
If I have seen further, it is because I standing on the shoulders of giants – I. Newton
Blessed be the man who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed - A.Pope
Often a small gift produces big effects - Seneca
Geniuses are those who say long before what will be said long afterwards - R.G.Serna
Being technologically backward is the easiest way to grow old - G.Zevin
Virtute siderum tenus (Latin locution: with valor toward the stars).

If SDRsharp did not exist, it would have to be invented – d’après Voltarie / P.Romani
SDRsharp, to make black and white listeners see colours - d’après Maneskin / P.Romani
SDRsharp makes your life better! – P.Romani
Switch off the smartphone and switch on the SDR – P.Romani
SDRs age, SDRsharp does not! - P.Romani
SDRsharp: sic parvis magna (latin loc.: SDRsharp: Greatness from Small beginnings) –
P.Romani

The end of the book calls for something short, punchy and vigorous, just what a haiku can give!

With SDRsharp We take the road Only the ears

is always spring the simple one know how to choose
to listen to feel the stars their own SDR

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 209 | 214
ADS-B - Automatic Dependent Surveillance - Broadcast
AF – Alternate Frequencies (RDS)
AGC – Automatic Gain Control (for optimal listening levels)
AIS – Automatic Identification System
ALE - Automatic Link Establishment / HF standard for initiating/supporting digital comms
AM – Amplitude Modulation
AOS - Acquisition of Signal (or Satellite)
APRS - Automatic Packet Reporting System (radioamateur data transmission system)
BALUN - BALanced-UNbalanced, device for adapting an unbalanced/balanced line
BW – BandWidth
Carrier - modulated radio wave carrying an information
CAT - Computer Aided Tuning (to control rtx via computer)
CPU – Central Processing Unit
CTCSS - Continuous Tone-Coded Squelch System (analogic)
CW – Continuous Wave
DAB/DAB+ - Digital Audio Broadcasting
dB - decibel
dBFS - Decibels Full Scale
DCS - Digital Coded Squelch (digital)
DGPS – Differential Global Positioning System
DMR – Digital Mobile Radio, is one of the main open standards for radio communications
DPI - Dots Per Inch, graphic screen resolution
dPMR – digital Private Mobile radio, other open radio communication standard
DRM – Digital Radio Mondiale – digital radio in HF
DSB – Double Side Band
DSD+ – Digital Speech Decoder, software for decoding multistandard digital audio signals
DSP – Digital Signal Processing
DTMF - Dual-tone multi-frequency
DX – Long-distance radio connection
EON – Enchanced Other Networks (RDS)
FFT – Fast Fourier Transform
FIC - Fast Information Channel (DAB)
FM - Frequency Modulation
FM-DX - search for distant FM radio stations under particular propagation conditions
FSK – Frequency shift keying
FT8 - Franke-Taylor design, 8-FSK modulation
GMDSS - Global Maritime Distress Safety System (world maritime security system)
GMT - Greenwich Mean Time (related to summer time, so different from UTC)
GNSS - Global Navigation Satellite System, geo-radiolocation system
GPS - Global Positioning System, USA satellite positioning and navigation system
HDR – High Dynamic Range
HF – High Frequency (3-30 MHz, decametric 100-10 m)
HUB - hardware connecting various devices to the computer
ICAO - International Civil Aviation Organization
IF – Intermediate Frequency
KSPS – kilosample per second (103 * sps)
LDOC - Long Distance Operational Control
LF – Low Frequency (30 / 300 kHz, kilometric 10-1 km)
LNA – Low Noise Amplifier
LOS - Loss of Signal (or Satellite)

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 210 | 214
LSB – Lower Side Band
mA – milliAmpere (submultiple Ampere)
MDS - MultiDimensional Scaling
MF – Medium Frequency (300 kHz / 3 MHz, ettometric 1 km-100m)
MPX – Multiplexing
MSC - Main Service Channel (DAB)
MSPS - Megasample per second (106 * sps)
MUX - short for "Multiplex", technique for transmitting digital radio/TV signals
MW – Medium wave
MWARA - Major World Air Route Areas
NDB - Non-Directional beacons
NFM o FMN– Narrow Frequency Modulation
PI – Programme Identification (RDS)
PLL – Phase-Locked Loop
PPM – Parts per Million
PS or PSN – Programme Service Name (RDS)
PTY – Program Type (RDS)
QRSS - Very slow speed Morse code
QSB - amateur radio Q code indicating fading (variation in signal strength over time)
QSO - amateur radio Q code to indicate a communication or connection
QTH – amateur radio Q code indicating own geographical position
RAW – unprocessed data
RDARA - Regional and Domestic Air Route Area
RDS – Radio Data System
RF – Radio Frequency
RT – Radio Text (RDS)
RTTY – Radioteletype
SAM – Synchronous AM
SAR – Search And Rescue
SMA – SubMiniature type A (coaxial connector)
SSB - Single Side Band (transmissions)
SSTV – Slow Scan TV
TA – Travel Announcements (RDS)
TCP - Transmission Control Protocol
TCXO – Temperature Compensated Crystal Oscillator
TII - Transmitter Ident Information (DAB)
TMC – Traffic Message Channel (RDS)
TP – Traffic Programme (RDS)
UHF – Ultra High Frequency (300 MHz / 3 GHz, decimetric 1m-100mm)
USB – Upper Side Band
UTC – Universal Time Coordinated
VFO – Variable Frequency Oscillator
VHF –Very High Frequency (30 / 300 MHz, metric 10-1 m)
VIS - Vertical Interval Signaling (SSTV)
VLF – Very Low Frequency (3 / 30 kHz, miriametric 100-10 km)
VOLMET - vol météo (Weather Information for Aircraft in Flight)
Volt – unit of measurement of electric potential
Watt – unit of measurement of power
WEFAX – Weatherfax
WFM o FMW – Wide Frequency Modulation

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 211 | 214
 1 Cover
2 Introduction
3 SDR# download & installation
6 Main screen
7 AirSpy family
10 AirSpy R2/Mini firmware upgrade
12 AirSpy HF+ Dual/Discovery firmware upgrade
14 First SDRsharp start-up
17 Amarcord (back to the past…)
22 Default panels ………………..………………………………………
22 Source
23 AirSpy R2 / Mini
24 AirSpy HF+ Dual port / Discovery
25 Dongle RTL-SDR’s configuration
27 Main Settings
31 Radio
36 AGC
38 Audio
40 Display
43 Zoom Bar
44 Step Bar
45 Co-Channel Canceller for AM/FM
49 Audio/IF Noise Reduction (NINR)
52 Audio/IF/Baseband Noise Blanker
53 IF Multi-Notch
56 Audio recorders
58 Baseband recorders
60 FFT Spectrum panels
62 Band Plan
64 Frequency Manager
65 Signal Diagnostics
65 SNR Logger
67 Plugins … (in alphabetical order).…………..…….…………………
68 Audio Equalizer
69 CalicoCat
69 CSVUserlistBrowser
73 CTCSS & DCS
75 DSD Interface
76 DSD+ UI
77 EB1TR Infobar and Shortcuts
78 FMS-Frequency Manager Suite
82 FreqMan & Scanner
84 ListenInfo
93 Magic Eye
93 Mode Presets
94 MPX Output e RDS-Spy
96 SerialController
97 Simple APCO/DMR/dPMR
98 Accessories…………………………………..…………………………
98 Antenna YouLoop
100 SpyVerter R2
103 Notch filter 88-108
103 Variable notch filter

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 212 | 214
 104 137 MHz filter
104 External controls
105 Dipole antenna kit RTL-SDR
108 Various topics …………………………………………………...……..
108 AirSpy Server Network
114 SDRsharp.config file
116 Improving listenings in AM
117 Signal decoding and analysis
120 ARTEMIS MK.III
123 Listening recipes
123  Yellow line (Peak color)
124  Tune frequency with mouse in CSVUB
125  AEROLIST
127  AIS
128  ALE
129  APRS
130  APT NOAA
131  CLOCK
132  CTCSS / DCS / DTMF
134  DAB / DAB+ / FM
137  DRM in HF
138  DTMF
140  FM & FM-DX
142  FT8
143  GMDSS
145  HFDL
146  ISS
148  METEOR-M
149  Modem multimode FLDIGI
150  NAVTEX
151  NDB
152  QRSS
153  RADIOGRAMS
154  RADIOSONDES
155  RTL_433
156  SIGMIRA multidecoder
158  SLICE
159  SSTV
160 Things to know for don’t lose the head…
164 Ideas and suggestions
164  Multi-monitor configuration
167  MacOS & SDR
169 Things I didn’t understand…
182 ADS-B SPY
185 Raspberry Pi 3&4
192 What they say about us…
200 FAQ
202 SDRsharp history
209 Conclusions and quotes
210 Glossary
212 Contents
214 “AirSpy’s world”

THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 213 | 214
THE BIG BOOK V5.5 (DEC’22) PAOLO ROMANI IZ1MLL PAGE 214 | 214