Can someone help me to setup a second RX-888 MK2 to vhf band? I think that the setup will include both .toml and .sh files.
After a successful setup, can we start both HF and VHF bands using only one .sh (start), using of course two ports (e.g. 9001 & 9002)?
It's not that hard....I have done it before.
Make sure you have the LATEST RX888MK2 driver as it has an VHF-bug-fix!!!
Now type 'rx888_stream help vhf' and you see the VHF options.
To use them run: rx888_stream vhf -f '......and so on like you do on HF mode.
As for the TOML....you must give the starting-freq as it's not 0 MHz....so:
frequency=145000000 # Baseband frequency in Hz to start....in this case 145MHz.
I did test it on 2M band, it should do 70cm too....I think, not tested.
When using vhf as first option, then these are the commands:
root@Websdr:/harddisk/backup/Phanton-3-mei-2025# rx888_stream help vhf
Accept from VHF input instead of HF input
Usage: rx888_stream vhf [OPTIONS]
Options:
-f, --firmware <FIRMWARE> Firmware file to load
-d, --dither Enable dithering
-r, --randomize Enable randomization
-s, --sample-rate <SAMPLE_RATE> ADC sample rate [default: 50000000]
-g, --gain <GAIN> VGA gain setting 0-127 [default: 1]
-m, --gain-mode <GAIN_MODE> VGA gain mode high or low [default: high] [possible values: high, low]
--bias-hf HF Bias-T
--bias-vhf VHF Bias-T
--pga PGA enable
-o, --output <OUTPUT> Output file, "-" is stdout
--measure Measurement mode, measures the ADC sample rate
--frequency <FREQUENCY> Tuner Frequency [default: 145000000]
--vhf-harmonic <VHF_HARMONIC> Tuner harmonic [default: 0]
--vhf-lna <VHF_LNA> Tuner LNA gain 0-29 [default: 29]
--vhf-sideband <VHF_SIDEBAND> Tuner sideband [default: 0]
--vhf-vga <VHF_VGA> Tuner VGA gain 0-15 [default: 15]
-h, --help Print help
-V, --version Print version
That is the little secret to get it to switch high bands :D
Quote from: Bas ON5HB on May 04, 2025, 05:34 PMthat is the little secret to get it to switch high bands
I'm afraid that I cannot make it to work on VHF and I wonder why?....
My settings:
.sh
~/PhantomSDR-Plus/rx888_stream/target/release/rx888_stream vhf -f ~/PhantomSDR-Plus/rx888_stream/SDDC_FX3.img -s 60000000 --frequency 118000000 --vhf-lna 1 --vhf-vga 1 -m low -r --pga -o - > ~/PhantomSDR-Plus/rx888b.fifo &
~/PhantomSDR-Plus/build/spectrumserver --config ~/PhantomSDR-Plus/config-rx888mk2_vhf.toml < ~/PhantomSDR-Plus/rx888b.fifo &
.toml
[input]
sps=60000000 # Input Sample Rate
fft_size=8388608 # FFT bins alt. 4194304, 8388608, 16777216, look at https://www.mymathtables.com/numbers/power-exponentiation/power-of-2.html
fft_threads=4
brightness_offset=-7 # Waterfall brightness offset. Reduce to negative if you see black regions in the waterfall
frequency=118000000 # Baseband frequency
signal="real" # real or iq
accelerator="opencl" # Accelerator: none, cuda, opencl
audio_sps=12000 # Audio Sample Rate
audio_compression="flac" # flac or opus
waterfall_size=2048
waterfall_compression="zstd" # zstd or av1
smeter_offset=7
[input.driver]
name="stdin" # Driver name
format="s16" # Sample format: u8, s8, u16, s16, u32, s32, f32, f64
[input.defaults]
frequency=144100000 # Default frequency to show user 144100000
modulation="USB" # Default modulation
Any ideas??
Works here:
rx888_stream vhf -f ./rx888_stream/SDDC_FX3.img -s 60000000 --frequency 118000000 --vhf-lna 1 --vhf-vga 1 -m low -r --pga -o -
I think your firmware string isn't valid.
It kept complaining that it couldn't load the firmware. So I changed it and it started streaming.
Or your directory makes the inputline too long....I suggest you shorten it.
I don't know if you have checked the receiver on a different OS, but the RX888 I am using on the Lumpkin site does not work period on VHF. ha
I never planned to use it on VHF, so I did not return it.
No matter how much I tried to run it through FIFO, it didn't work. :(
It is also not built for the 2m range.
Need help setting up RX-888MK2 and server to receive 2m range
at best for receiving a satellite with an IF in the region of 970 MHz and higher.
The aviation range was received in the region of 125 MHz, but it doesn't want 145 MHz
Quote from: Phil - NY4Q on May 07, 2025, 02:23 PMI don't know if you have checked the receiver on a different OS, but the RX888
RX888MK2 works absolutely fine on Windows, SDR Console. Not tested yet with SDR#
Quote from: Bas ON5HB on May 07, 2025, 11:59 AMI think your firmware string isn't valid.
With these settings, server starts, webpage does show the correct frequencies, but not any receiving signal, nowhere!
Quote from: Bas ON5HB on May 07, 2025, 11:59 AMI think your firmware string isn't valid.
With these settings, server starts, webpage does show the correct frequencies, but not any receiving signal, nowhere!
I think that everything is in SDDC_FX3.img and it is not correct
Quote from: Gennadiy - RA9UIP on May 07, 2025, 05:07 PMI think that everything is in SDDC_FX3.img and it is not correct
What I can do about it so to find a correct SDDC_FX3.img?
Driver is updated with a newer one, modified by Bas.
https://github.com/rhgndf/rx888_stream (https://github.com/rhgndf/rx888_stream)
[core]
repositoryformatversion = 0
filemode = true
bare = false
logallrefupdates = true
[remote "origin"]
url = https://github.com/rhgndf/rx888_stream
fetch = +refs/heads/*:refs/remotes/origin/*
[branch "main"]
remote = origin
merge = refs/heads/main
he is the original
does not work
I have it running....however....there are some things you need to know:
1: On VHF/UHF it only does 8-10MHz wide, so max 20MSPS
2: I run it with the below parameters...just testing but it receives.
#!/bin/bash
cd /opt/PhantomSDR-Plus/
## Files to load
FIFO=rx888mk2.fifo
TOML=config-rx888mk2-vhf.toml
[ ! -e "$FIFO" ] && mkfifo $FIFO
#Without PGA
#rx888_stream/target/release/rx888_stream -f ./rx888_stream/SDDC_FX3.img -s 60000000 -a 0 -m low -g 40 -o - > $FIFO &
rx888_stream/target/release/rx888_stream vhf -f ./rx888_stream/SDDC_FX3.img -s 10000000 --frequency 1400000000 -g 24 --vhf-lna 19 --vhf-vga 5 -m low -r -d -o - > $FIFO &
sleep 2 &
build/spectrumserver --config $TOML < $FIFO &
exit
[server]
port=81 # Server port
html_root="frontend/dist/" # HTML files to be hosted
otherusers=1 # Send where other users are listening, 0 to disable
threads=2
[websdr]
register_online=true # If the SDR should be registered on https://sdr-list.xyz then put it to true
name="Heppen Test VHF" # Name that is shown on https://sdr-list.xyz
antenna="Diamon V2000" # Antenna that is shown on https://sdr-list.xyz
grid_locator="JO21oc" # 4 or 6 length Grid Locatlr shown on https://sdr-list.xyz and for the Distance of FT8 Signals
hostname="http://websdr.heppen.be" # If you use ddns or something to host with a domain enter it here for https://sdr-list.xyz
[limits]
audio=100
waterfall=100
events=100
[input]
sps=10000000 # Input Sample Rate
fft_size=8388608
#fft_size=16777216
fft_threads=2
brightness_offset=0 # Waterfall brightness offset. Reduce to negative if you see black regions in the waterfall
frequency=140000000 # Baseband frequency
signal="real" # real or iq
accelerator="opencl" # Accelerator: none, cuda, opencl, mkl
audio_sps=12000 # Audio Sample Rate
audio_compression="flac" # flac or opus
waterfall_size=2048
waterfall_compression="zstd" # zstd or av1
smeter_offset=0
[input.driver]
name="stdin" # Driver name
format="s16" # Sample format: u8, s8, u16, s16, u32, s32, f32, f64
[input.defaults]
frequency=145662500 # Default frequency to show user
modulation="FM" # Default modulation
My test server is running at the moment.
I will test UHF too, so the test-server can be offline.
Sadly it doesn't receive anything so far....
The parameters work, but somehow it receives nothing :'(
I tried several version of the firmware, could find 3 different versions but none works.
I opened a ticket, I think the frequency isn't passed to the tuner.
Bad news, very bad news!...
TNX for the replies.
Quote from: Bas ON5HB on May 07, 2025, 10:21 PMSadly it doesn't receive anything so far....
The parameters work, but somehow it receives nothing :'(
I tried several version of the firmware, could find 3 different versions but none works.
I opened a ticket, I think the frequency isn't passed to the tuner.
I also tried new firmware, but all to no avail. I saw that the reception bandwidth is much smaller. Somehow I sorted through the frequencies in the startup and received signals of the air band and the frequencies of the 70 cm range, but the values are far from the frequencies of what is needed
Quote from: Bas ON5HB on May 07, 2025, 08:58 PMI have it running....however....there are some things you need to know:
1: On VHF/UHF it only does 8-10MHz wide, so max 20MSPS
2: I run it with the below parameters...just testing but it receives.
#!/bin/bash
cd /opt/PhantomSDR-Plus/
## Files to load
FIFO=rx888mk2.fifo
TOML=config-rx888mk2-vhf.toml
[ ! -e "$FIFO" ] && mkfifo $FIFO
#Without PGA
#rx888_stream/target/release/rx888_stream -f ./rx888_stream/SDDC_FX3.img -s 60000000 -a 0 -m low -g 40 -o - > $FIFO &
rx888_stream/target/release/rx888_stream vhf -f ./rx888_stream/SDDC_FX3.img -s 10000000 --frequency 1400000000 -g 24 --vhf-lna 19 --vhf-vga 5 -m low -r -d -o - > $FIFO &
sleep 2 &
build/spectrumserver --config $TOML < $FIFO &
exit
[server]
port=81 # Server port
html_root="frontend/dist/" # HTML files to be hosted
otherusers=1 # Send where other users are listening, 0 to disable
threads=2
[websdr]
register_online=true # If the SDR should be registered on https://sdr-list.xyz then put it to true
name="Heppen Test VHF" # Name that is shown on https://sdr-list.xyz
antenna="Diamon V2000" # Antenna that is shown on https://sdr-list.xyz
grid_locator="JO21oc" # 4 or 6 length Grid Locatlr shown on https://sdr-list.xyz and for the Distance of FT8 Signals
hostname="http://websdr.heppen.be" # If you use ddns or something to host with a domain enter it here for https://sdr-list.xyz
[limits]
audio=100
waterfall=100
events=100
[input]
sps=10000000 # Input Sample Rate
fft_size=8388608
#fft_size=16777216
fft_threads=2
brightness_offset=0 # Waterfall brightness offset. Reduce to negative if you see black regions in the waterfall
frequency=140000000 # Baseband frequency
signal="real" # real or iq
accelerator="opencl" # Accelerator: none, cuda, opencl, mkl
audio_sps=12000 # Audio Sample Rate
audio_compression="flac" # flac or opus
waterfall_size=2048
waterfall_compression="zstd" # zstd or av1
smeter_offset=0
[input.driver]
name="stdin" # Driver name
format="s16" # Sample format: u8, s8, u16, s16, u32, s32, f32, f64
[input.defaults]
frequency=145662500 # Default frequency to show user
modulation="FM" # Default modulation
My test server is running at the moment.
I will test UHF too, so the test-server can be offline.
the same thing and it turns out that without using FIFO.
with this configuration it receives frequencies of 433 MHz, not 144 MHz and with each start the frequencies can change
I also tried the Soapy approach via rx_sdr, no luck either, segment-faults as soon as I try to switch to VHF.
Tried this version, also has the Soapy driver: https://github.com/ik1xpv/ExtIO_sddc
And an updated firmware, they claim VHF works, but no luck.
As people claim it works under Windows, it must have something missing or so in Linux.
Well, I think that Bas is right. The max bandwidth in VHF sector is 10 MHz Here are some screens using SDR Console under Windows.
But the receiver IS working under Windows!...
I know it does as you told me so ;D
Anyway, if you want to do VHF/UHF, why not take an SDRplay device, no matter the type, they all do 9MSPS with Bandwidth 8MHz.
The MSPS has to be larger to avoid ghost-signals and other rubbush.
Also, I read that the SDRplay devices are far better for VHF/UHF and even very good at HF (depending on the type).