Folks,
Nils has very kindly sent me a link to an article he wrote recently about using the FUNcube Dongle Pro+ on the shortwave/HF bands. Here is the note he sent to me:
Dear Howard – recently I got two FCDPRO+ V2. I wanted to know how this SDR is doing on shortwave. The results were stunning. I filed them into a multimedia PDF (text, 40 screenshots, audio, video, hyperlinks) which you can download here:
http://bit.ly/15PCCa4
I show how to receive broadcast, amateur radio and utility, and how to decode digimodes from RTTY over SSTV-DRM to PACTOR-III with solely free software. The PDF is just meant as preview. If you like it, I would be proud to see it some day also on the official FCD page. I am convinced that FCD plus an approach to show what to do with it (and how attractive shortwave still is) will trigger much more interest.
Your critics & comments are welcomed! 73 Nils, DK8OK
hi Howard,
in this video another useful application of FunCubePro +.
http://youtu.be/m1pKQEwc0Gg
I can assure you that the results as well as with the FunCubePro + are at the same level as the best AIS receivers tested by me. Excellent.
73 Lucio, I0LYL
P.S:
Dropbox says that the linked file generated excessive traffic.
Too bad, very good document that you put directly on your site?
I must be doing something wrong, the multimedia part of the document don’t play sound or video for me 🙁 very interesting document though, i shall be busy this weekend downloading lots of freebie software.
Wish i never downloaded any of that stuff now, can’t get funcube dongle pro+ working at all in any USB ports. and all i downloaded was Sigmira & MMSSTV 🙁
Hello Paul
Did you figure out the problem? I am not sure why downloading a PDF would stop your FCD working. The only no-no to do with the FCD/FCD+ is Zadig.
Check out the Windows debugging document in the Downloads & Documents section if you are still having trouble http://www.funcubedongle.com/?page_id=1225
Many thanks, Howard
Hello Howard. PDF Wasn’t the problem for FCD not working. I think it was some setting that screwed up in the programs i downloaded. The reason media wouldn’t play in the PDF file is because Adobe Reader refused to update. I mainly use my laptop for FCD use which is almost 6 years old. Its a dell running on vista and when i tried to do manual update for Adobe Reader it said no updates available. I managed to view the file with full media on my tower pc which is running windows XP. Which managed to update Adobe Reader to newest version with no problem. FCD stopped working on the laptop when i downloaded some software on that file, Sigmira & MMSSTV and somehow FCD wouldn’t work even with SDR#. So i uninstalled them 2 programs and tried FCD again and still not worked. I then tried FCD on my xp tower pc to see if it was a hardware problem and all worked fine. then for some reason i was looking at this site and i seen a program that had updated that i hadn’t installed. The frequency control program i had on the laptop was v2.001 so i downloaded the version v2.002 and opened it then closed it and then FCD worked fine. I have used Zadig on both laptop and tower pc for using the tv dongle for military frequencies and ADSB. I did read on this site about Zadig, so i just leave the one usb port on laptop+tower dedicated for the tv dongle. So all is fine now, i might try installing them programs again to see how i get on.
I recently downloaded a few add ons for SDR#, One add on is the scanner function, is this safe to use with the FCD pro+ ? At the moment i have 2 SDR# on my laptop. i use one for each of the dongles. And i only put the add ons on the version of SDR# i use for the tv dongle so far.
Why has SDR technology been so slow ? i Remember way back in 1998 or 1999 i bought an Icom PCR1000 which i later sold to a guy in london when i was living down that way and going through bad times 🙁 and its taken 10 years + to get a radio the size of usb stick. Anyways i have no problems with FCD, i’m delighted with it and i use it at least 12 hours a day as i am a carer for parents and stuck indoors most the time. Thank you for a fantastic product Howard.
Hello Paul
Thanks for your reply. The FCD/FCD+ was designed to co-operate fully within the USB Audio and HID standards, and shouldn’t have any trouble interoperating with other products at the same time. As you’ve seen, Zadig is the exception but only if it’s used to override the OS’s native drivers by specifically selecting the FCD/FCD+ USB interfaces within Zadig. If Zadig is used in this way it’s terribly difficult to undo it. Zadig uses the USB device’s vendor ID and product ID, so you can use it with other devices. But bear in mind Zadig is a hack to allow access to USB devices that would normally need a kernel driver, and so great care must be excercised when using it, especially because it does not offer an undo facility.
Many thanks, Howard
Nils,
Very nice article! The audio and video links work very well.
Regards,
Richard W5SXD
Hello, Richard: Saw the Amsat Moon bounce article by David Palmer, KB5WIA, in the recent issue of the Journal (May/June). When I can I will check yours out.
neat stuff we can do nowadays! Earl, KD2CYA.