Old Versions Of SDRSharp Are Better

I remember writing a post a few years back titled "SDR# Plugins Seem Outdated". Well, after a long break from SDR I decided to dust off the old RTL dongle and give it another go. I'd had a spark of enthusiasm relating to decoding DMR [digital] on SDR and wanted to see it I could get it to work. Well, I did manage to do that. But did end up losing faith again in SDRSharp during the process. Don't get me wrong, it's great software. And out of all the software I've been testing, SDR# has the best sound output quality overall. But when it comes to plugins and version compatibility, SDR# is very poor.

SDR# v1727 Interface working with my old dongle

Not sure what they have done to the newer versions of SDRSharp, but they certainly don't work as well as the older versions. Especially in terms of plugin compatibility. It's like they [Airspy] have kind of abandoned the project or something. I'm not sure. Maybe they just lost interest in keeping it fully updated and moved on to other projects.

Anyway, it has been a little bit annoying trying to find a version of SDR# that is still compatible with the majority of good plugins. However, after some searching and messing around, I have found a version that seems to be very stable and compatible with my setup. Working really well with my retro setup.

That is version v1727 [1.0.0.1727]. If you want to give it a try yourself, you can find / download that version and many other older / newer versions and plugins here: https://www.iz3mez.it/software/SDRSharp/

The simple DMR decoder plugin isn't on that websites list of goodies, but it can still be found here: https://www.rtl-sdr.com/sdrsharp-plugins/ And I can confirm it works fine on my system [Windows 10 / 64bit]. Decoding clear DMR well.

I couldn't get the Tetra plugin to work though. The only one I could find was for x86 systems. There wasn't a 64-bit version available that I could find. I did still add the Tetra x86 plugin to SDR# but it had errors and crashed the software, so I removed it. I might try and apply a fix and reinstall it over the next week or two. Hopefully I can get it working.

Other software worth mentioning. Openear is very basic but really good. Not the best on Narrow FM, but definitely one of the best I have tested so far overall. It has everything already built-in, so no plugins to try and find. I will be using it more going forward for sure.

My SDR RTL R820T USB Dongle Setup

Over the past few days I've been reading about decoding digital signals in SDR with other software like DSD+. This has got me interested in SDR again. I'm no stranger to it, I just didn't bother with it for a number of years. The last time I was using it, it was clear that it was outdated. And I got bored quite quickly. But lately my interest has been sparked again and I decided to get out my really old RTL R820T dongle and get it set up with SDR# and SDR console to kick things off. One of things about RTL dongles that has always bothered me, was the RF / EMF radiation that they seem to give off. I mentioned in another post that it makes me feel quite sick when using it. Even though its across the other side of the room.

SDR Console V3.2

So I decided to make a little shield for it. I read online that a good blocker / shield for RF radiation is aluminium. I had a slim drinks can laying around so thought I'd use it to half encase the dongle. I didn't want to completely cover it because I think that would affect its performance. And it gets hot and needs to breath.

So in the can it went. Just so long as it shields me and the cans opening is not pointing in my direction that's OK. I also remembered when I had to package some belongings in boxes. So I unintentionally placed a load of cardboard boxes in front of my Wi-Fi router, not thinking for a second that it would block the Wi-Fi signal to all my devices. But it did. It completely blocked the signal. So I thought I'd also place the RTL R820T dongle inside a cardboard box to give it / me some extra protection.

Why buy a new RTL-SDR dongle when this old one still works great

Only took a few minutes to make. I've tested it out and it seems to work well. Not sure if its just a placebo, but I think the 5 minute home made faraday cage is doing its job. I don't feel sick when the dongle is powered up. Lets hope it stays that way. I'll be posting some more updates on my little journey back into SDR. I was surprised at how well this old dongle still works with SDR#. The antenna isn't great, and the dongle is so old it has a coax connection. It can take a normal TV aerial lol. But it was still able to pick up some good signals. Stay tuned.

Radtel RT-920 HF HAM Radio Scanner

There's a nice new Radtel that's not long been released. It's called the RT-920. Output power is reported at 10 Watts, but it puts out around 8+ Watts at full power from the tests I've seen. The frequency range is extensive. from .150KHz to 999MHz. It doesn't go all the way through though with no stops. There are some dead spaces. But all in all, it does it all. Short Wave if that's your thing, MW, LW, CB, USB, LSB / CW etc. But do note; At 30MHz and below, it can not transmit, or at least not very good. Only receive. I say not very good because it can transmit on the CB band, 28HMz and 29Mhz, but it is not very good at all. Crazy high harmonics.

Video Review / Breakdown / First Impressions / Signal Tests

Purchase the Radtel RT-920 from Aliexpress [Worldwide]

Purchase the Radtel RT-920 from Amazon [UK, USA and Canada]

Above that it transmits from between 136MHz-174MHz and 400MHz - 480MHz. Some of the airband signals received have been absolutely amazing. Very clear. Someone said this radio has true AM, and going on how clear it was, I tend to think they are correct. It also has a noise reduction feature.

This radio is a stubby little thing. Rather thick and well made. The screen is really nice, and the speaker is very good. If you download the firmware update, It gives it a cool spectrum scope and a fix for the BFO in SSB I believe. The battery can be charged directly via a USB-C cable. Bluetooth is present. And Smartphone connect / App programming etc. There were a few problems with the software, but I think they have been sorted now.

In the video above, I was surprised that the Quansheng actually slightly beat the Radtel RT-920 in signal sensitivity on the CB frequency. Not by much though. But good on the older Quansheng! Still the best in my opinion. But both are great radios. And yes, if you want HF in a hand-held, then an unmodified Quansheng is not capable of that. And for HF, the 920 is a good quality cheap choice.

Quansheng Choppy Signals Squelch 1 Fix

A good while back I wrote a post on how I was sometimes getting choppy reception from certain signals received on a modified Quansheng UVK5-8. It was due to the lowest squelch level, which is 1, not being set low enough. I suggested that maybe the creators of the radios firmware, Egzumer, could possibly come up with a solution and release a firmware update. I thought maybe adding a squelch level lower than one could be a good fix. I know there is level zero, but this disables the squelch completely, and I did not want that. The constant white noise is annoying.

The spectrum analyzer on the Quansheng listening to CB

So I thought a lowest squelch level of 0.5 would be perfect, fixing all the choppy signals. Turns out its not as easy as that. After a bit of research I found some information online that said the squelch value settings were in the EEPROM of the radio and risky to try and change. Basically, if you get it wrong it can brick the radio. So I decided against it. The choppy signals aren't that often, so not too much of a big deal to risk breaking the radio. I can just disable the squelch completely for a while if I really need to.

The choppy signals was one of my only complaints about the modified Quansheng. Other than that it is still the best radio you will find for the price. It really is excellent.

The Fix You Can Try Right Now [No technical / electrical knowledge required]

Turns out the fix was already on the radio, staring me in the face all along. I've been messing around a bit more with the Quansheng lately and have started using the Spectrum analyzer more. While using it, one of the people who talks on the CB bands, who is always choppy when I receive his signal came on and was talking. I quickly noticed that while listening to him in Spectrum analyzer mode, he was not choppy at all.

So I switched back to normal mode [memory mode] where I have CB frequencies saved, and this guys signal / speech was choppy again, as usual. So I switched back to the Spectrum analyzer and the choppiness was gone. Totally gone. I've tried it a few times now with various signals that are usually broken in both frequency mode and memory mode, and none of them are choppy when listening to them in the Spectrum analyzer. I have no idea why this is the case, but for some reason it does work. With me, it has worked 100% of the time. Amazing.

So, if you're experiencing choppy signals, even when the squelch level is set to 1, give it a try. I think you will be surprised. I certainly was. To enter the Spectrum analyzer press the function button, which is the button with "F" on the keypad, then press number 5. Once in the Spectrum analyzer you can use the keypad buttons to change all the functions, like squelch level, steps, bandwidth, up and down arrows to move across the frequency range etc. Works really well. I'll be using it a lot more from now on.

I Wrapped My Antenna In Cling Film

I wrapped my stock Quansheng antenna in cling film. Not because it gives it special powers to receive signals from outer space, but because it stinks. That's my only annoyance with the Quansheng. Otherwise I love it. The antenna has been made from one of the cheapest rubbers / plastics in the world. Using a process that doesn't seem to get rid of its harmful chemicals. It smells like it's toxic and harmful. I bought a wallet from eBay once that was quite similar. It smelled so bad, I threw it in the bin. Wasn't safe to use in my opinion.

I'm certainly not throwing my antenna away. It performs well and I've had it ages now. I just don't use it all that much. But I have had to wrap it up, as when I do use it I've gotten sick of having to wash my hands every time I handle it. Been using it a bit lately so its something that needed to be done. Still performs the same wrapped in cling film as it does unwrapped. And now I don't mind handling it so its getting used a bit more.

AOR AR-8000 Scanner

Before buying this scanner I read so many reviews and was convinced I would love this radio. Almost everyone only had really good things to say about it. Oh, what a scanner. Picks up so much, works great etc. Considered legendary, It's got a bit of a cult following. So when I got it and started using it, to say I was disappointed was an understatement. It turned out to be the worst receiver I have ever owned. It was so frustrating to use. The squelch was terrible, scanner keeps resetting itself to tiny kHz steps size and the mode kept resetting also. Speaker was muffled and didn't sound good at all.

Every action required a lot of work. This was a scanner that really showed its age. Not in condition, but with its long drawn out and annoying way of operating. Worst Auto mode ever. Battery life wasn't great either. AA batteries [it takes 4 AA] didn't last long. Even my rechargeable batteries which are 2500mAh didn't last very long. I ended up buying a mains adapter from eBay [pictured]. I got lucky and managed to find a cheap original AOR adapter. But still, it didn't really make my experience using the scanner any better. It was just too frustrating to use.

I have to say, this is the only AOR receiver I have ever had, and going on my experience with the AR8000, it will be my last. Specs were good on paper, and reviews were great, but using this scanner in real life was a pain. Comparing the AOR8000 to my Quansheng K6 [upgraded with Egzumer software] was a real eye opener. Like night and day. The Quansheng was 10 times better. So much easier and hassle free to use. Functions and settings are easy to perform, screen is excellent, squelch is good overall, and the speaker is much clearer.

Receive Strength

This surprised me the most. After reading all the reviews about how good the AOR8000's receive strength was, I expected it to pick up signals that my upgraded Quansheng had no chance of receiving. This was not the case at all. The AOR and Quansheng K6 were nose to nose at picking up signals. The only difference was that the signals on the Quansheng were much clearer and had a better quality about them overall. Now, I know that the AOR8000 is old tech by today's standards but still, I never thought for a second that a cheap [but great] radio from China would basically outperform one of the legends of the scanner industry. I expected the complete opposite.

I think it just shows how far radio technology has come, and how cheap a good performing radio can be once you strip away all the marketing hype and over the top profit margins. I sold my AOR AR-8000 handheld for a cheap price to a guy on Gumtree who already had one but needed another one for parts. He was very happy with it. But I think he had owned his AR8000 for a long time and was so used to using it that he'd rather fix his old one than buy something else. Good on him. But for me, I couldn't get used to it and I would never buy another one. 

Baofeng 1701 Inverted Screen + More

The Baofeng 1701 screen can be changed to almost any colour combination that you can think of. But for the colour changes to save permanently, it needs to be programmed with the CPS software and cable. Without that, the changes made to the screen will look like they have been saved while the radio is still on. But turn the radio off, then back on, and you will see the screen has gone back to its default white setting. If the user has the CPS software and cable this is not an issue as all display changes are done through the software and permanently saved.

I didn't buy the cable with my radio, so none of the changes I make with the screen colours can be permanently saved. But there is still one way to change the screen colour that will be permanently saved, even without the cable and software. And that is inverting the screen colours. This is easy to do from the radios menu. And I think I prefer it to the full on white.

Image: My Baofeng DMR with its new inverted display

To do this follow the instructions below. Please note. My Baofeng 1701 has OpenGD77 installed. So the menus might be a bit different if your model does not have OpenGD77 installed.

How to make the screen inverted [with openGD77 installed]

Click on the highest green button on the left to go to the menu. From there select "options". Click on "display options". Scroll down until you see "Screen: Normal". Use the scroller wheel knob at the top of the radio and select "Inverted". Press the green button on the left [above the P1 button] to save changes. And that's it, the screen is now inverted to white writing with a black background rather than the other way round.

DMR: Leveling Out The Audio

In another post about the 1701 I talked about how one of the things that was quite annoying about this radio, and maybe DMR in general, I'm not sure, was the fact that the audio levels were totally out of whack. Like, when listening, [RX / receiving] one side of the conversation would be at a nice volume, while the other side of the conversation would come through so loud and almost blow my ears and the speaker up. After a bit of research it turns out there is an option in OpenGD77 that somewhat addresses this issue. 

It's called DMR Rx AGC. While the developers of OpenGD77 do state that its not perfect, turning this setting on can help level out the audio levels so they are more balanced on each side. I am testing this out right now but first impressions are that it is making a difference. This is great because the difference in audio volume levels from either side of a received signal was ridiculous and required constant adjustment of the volume knob to keep the volumes at a reasonable level from both sides.

If you want to turn this feature on please follow these instructions. Press the top green button [above the P1 button] to go to the main menu. Click "options". Then "sound options". Find DMR Rx AGC and use the top scroller wheel knob to select one of the dB options. Mine is set to 0dB and that seems to be working well, so I would recommend you use that to begin with.

You can always test / change it to something else in the future. Once 0dB is selected press the top left green button to save the changes. And that's it. Hopefully you should hear a change, making the audio volumes more balanced from each side.