SDR# Sharp Walkthrough & Trunking Explained for the Absolute Beginner

[@electricruchir]

Thank you so so much, I hope you are still putting out videos. Your guide is perfect and untangled me from weeks of how to basics of sdr!

[@PreacherJohn427]

Thank you so much for the videos! I just received my dongle, antenna, and downloaded SDR Sharp today and was totally overwhelmed! However, after watching this video I have been able to somewhat get my "feet wet" and navigate the software and frequencies with a little success. I recently retired from Shelby NC, moved to Myrtle Beach SC, and was looking for a hobby to occupy my time when not golfing😜 I was about to give up on SDR when I found your videos. Thanks again for such simple and easy to follow instruction!!!

[@user-zlcksu4asdv]

Extremely well edited and narrated among all SDR videos I've seen so far. I am already subscribed to your channel. Please keep it up for more informative and exciting videos like this.

[@TahoeSteve]

Thanks for the kind words, much appreciated.

[@DBruno]

Same here!! Any social media to follow?

[@rhythmless1]

I've had a scanner forever -- parents always had one and I've always had one as an adult. The local emergency services here just went to digital in the last couple of weeks and I was fretting over dropping $300-$600 to get a new scanner. I knew this was possible but had no idea what it involved. Seems very doable now. Thanks for the video!

[@wb5plj]

DSB = Dual Side Band (amplitude modulation without the carrier but with both sides) it is related to Lower Side Band and Upper Side Band (LSB, USB) which are types of Single Side Band (SSB) all are variations related to AM.

[@TahoeSteve]

thanks

[@wb5plj]

@@TahoeSteve you are welcome, thank you for the videos.

[@jimjulian4443]

USB=upper side band, LSB=lower side band

[@W8RIT1]

DSB = Double Side Band; a combination of both LSB and USB

[@BitsofSkin]

DSB? That would be AM :)

[@Forevertrue]

CW =continuous wave.

[@morgaj21]

Although left & right side band are not the correct technical terms, they are a good indication of what they do.

[@StateCollegeCONELRAD]

Graza AM and DSB are different, AM has a carrier but DSB has a suppressed carrier. DSB uses power more efficiently than AM.

[@Madclocker]

FYI LSB (Lower Sideband) is the normal mode in the lower HF bands from 160meters-40meters, USB (Upper Sideband) is normal mode from 20meters on up.. AM is splattered all over the ham bands... FM is the normal mode from 2 meters on up, but 2 meter SSB (single sideband) is gaining popularity

[@ZeeCaptainRon]

CW is morse code bandwidth, LSB is lower sideband, USB is upper sideband. DSB suppresses both sidebands. Typical voice channels in UHF and VHF will use narrow band FM and your music channels need more dynamic range and frequency spectrum so they are wide band.

[@zazugee]

actually CW means continuous waves and not morse code, but bc since iit was used mainly to send morse code at super narrow band using as less bandwidth as possible, it became associated, actually you can use CW to send/recive RTTY for example or some few other digital modes.

[@WillieBeard]

Left Side Band!!! Priceless!!

[@TahoeSteve]

Because???

[@WillieBeard]

@@TahoeSteve Really?

[@TahoeSteve]

@@WillieBeard Yeah. Don't beat around the bush, say what's on your mind.

[@WillieBeard]

@@TahoeSteve If you don't get it, it's just that much more amusing.

[@TahoeSteve]

Oh, i get it. But why dont you tell the rest of the people.

[@CarstenBauer]

LSB USB Lower and Upper Sideband. DSB is Double Side Band, similar to AM.

[@durranaik]

Anyone interested in decoding trunked digital can skip to last 30secs of this video and jot down the two software names

[@the_terrorizer]

This is very cool stuff and exactly what I needed. Thanks man. Appreciate the no-BS hands-on tutorial

[@TahoeSteve]

Glad it was helpful!

[@rolandpeachie9807]

I'm a newbie and this was a very informative video to get me going on this software, Thanks.

[@elboriquany]

Dude this series is awesome! Thank you soo much!

[@TahoeSteve]

Glad you enjoy it!

[@richardmore2032]

Informative, really nice job editing , quality voice over. Great video. Thanks.

[@TahoeSteve]

So glad to help. Thanks for watching!

[@junaid_qadir]

Absolutely fantastic tutorial. Steve, would you please let me know how can zoom the lower frequency shown on the bottom screen?

[@zazugee]

SSBs are used in HF bc they require less power than AM stations on HF, and thus are bandwidth friendly, but they require mobile radio that can demodulate them that have a VFO (variable/voltage frequency oscillator), that's why HF receivers are more expensive and heavier than VHF/UHF ones, CB radios don't handle SSBs. AM is fine on VHF/UHF bc the bandwidth are larger and more spaced as you go up, HF is more tight and crowded trunked radio is new to me, but seems it's an effort to manage bandwidth bc of the explosion of users of VHF/UHF frequencies and 5G is eating on it too, so it reminds me of how wifi do channel hopping.

[@jesseobrien5864]

I wish I had you as a Dad growing up. An Uncle. A College Professor. Wholly shit. Better late than never

[@waylonk2453]

No kidding, I've learned so much from this man already!

[@TahoeSteve]

Glad to help you both!

[@elijahdrug2931]

Thank you, liked the way you did it. Thanks for links to other vids. Nice work

[@TahoeSteve]

Glad to help!

[@marciskravalis1035]

Thanks, helped me to understand some things when first turned my sdr on

[@TahoeSteve]

So glad to help!

[@galax574]

Do I misunderstand some concepts? At 9:49, the frequency of the control channel of Mecklenburg is 853.8125 MHz. As far as I know, under a particular frequency there are 4 time slots. The 1st time slot is used as a control channel while the remaining three are voice channels. With this in mind, does the Mecklenburg's 853.8125 MHz use its all four slots as control channels, or only the 1st slot of 853.8125 MHz is the control channel while the remaining three are voice channels? Thanks.

[@TahoeSteve]

i'm gonna guess and say you are probably correct. My knowledge is definitely more on the software side than the radio technology side.

[@stoptheirlies]

Lower side band and uper side band, cw = carrier wave, as you say morse keying. dsb double side band

[@tannerhinsey2960]

I believe LSB is lower side bands. Has to do with how different types of radios transmit on a bandwidth. I am surprised it doesn't have upper side band though.

[@FoxRacingGaming]

LSB=Lower Side Band - USB=Upper Side Band

[@_mycroftxxxadamselene922]

DSB double sideband. (AM without carrier)

[@Chief-CO]

Worked well. I was hearing static until I watched this

[@OldManPaul]

Steve I checked out your videos and you are one BAMF.

[@travishayes8125]

Great walkthrough, thanks.

[@TahoeSteve]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@procyan1]

Very informative. I wonder can you record or log data with that software... and then replay and get the same waterfall for the recording?

[@michaelcox5166]

Yes.

[@Bill-l5u5j]

so if i wanted to listen to P25 Phase 2 trunked i would need 2 antenna kits?

[@yourdonefor4454]

Yes. You need one antenna for the control channel, the second to follow a specific channel. You can get away with one antenna if you use sdrtrunk but you won't be able to monitor a specific channel. All channels will come in if you use one antenna.

[@galax574]

At 5:34, is that a trunked system? If yes, why are you able to hear (hear means recognizable and understandable) that trunked signal? Do you actually need DSD Plus and Virtual Cable to listen to digital voice like DMR? Are there different types of software to be used to listen to unencrypted TETRA system?

[@TahoeSteve]

No, 5:34 was not trunked.

[@LochlainnMacLock]

Dang these videos are helpful! I’ll just have to subscribe.

[@TahoeSteve]

Great to hear, thanks!

[@SupermAn2.0C1]

it wont let me select anything the selection button is blurred out

[@w9x7cv3vg6]

Ohhh if your in n.c. And wanna test out lsb operations go down into the hf band on thy dongle...and tune in ie 3919 or 3927 in the evenings..go to lsb and then even tune up and down the bands and welcome to the 80 mtr hambands. I am in Halifax n.s. Cheers

[@stephenrammer363]

I just started to use the airspy HF Discovery with the correct software. The menu items are all located on both sides of the screen and lengthwise instead of normal reading position. Does anyone know if they can be changed or not. Please let me know how I can do it. Thanks for any help.

[@Wirenut420]

I am curious as to what point do you plug in the second dongle and when do you replace the driver for it in Zadig?

[@iceman382]

One dongle is used for the control channel only... The other dongle frequency hops to different frequencies (channels) in the trunking group. Follow the rest of the video series and it will explain when it is used.

[@mr.bluesky9037]

can someone please help, when i open the device config in sdr# the default rf gain is -9.9 ive looked everywhere and nobody seems to have the same issue

[@MrJ0mmy]

hi i can't pickup any fm radio all i get is Static Noise im using the antenna that came with it i should be able to get fm radio as my crappy $2 fm scan radio that uses headphones as the antenna works really good what am i doing wrong

[@TahoeSteve]

increase your bandwidth

[@Faust7324]

Is there a way I can capture the raw input data from SDR Sharp?

[@CertifiedSped94]

My frequency for Lancaster OH is 773.83125c. Why is mine 5 digits after the dot, not 4?

[@OneCupOfCoffee204]

My Cog is grayed out, could it be that the driver isn't installed?

[@eniasqurku2007]

how can i increase the frequency span? please help. i want to see 8 mhz span for example. in order to recieve tv signals

[@TahoeSteve]

If you want more then the RTL-SDR dongle has, consider getting a HackRF

[@carpenterfamily6198]

I'm not into SDR ( yet ) - with trunking, I assume the software is able to follow the conversation ? Please let me know. I'd like the BCD536HP in the truck with GPS module and an SDR on my desk computer.

[@christopherlong2301]

From what I understand, and I'm a newbie, you need two of the USB dongles for trunking radio. One for the fixed control frequency, and the other to hop around the various frequencies used for the conversation.

[@gr8guy215]

Hello. Recently I have been having problems with my SDR Sharp. I would press play. It would play for a second then stop. My DSD Also keeps trying to start what I told it to start but it has problems starting them

[@TahoeSteve]

try uninstalling and reinstalling any software that is acting strangely

[@gr8guy215]

@@TahoeSteve I have found out it was a program. And one of the SDR was not installed with the correct software. It works now. Currently fiddling with V2 and SDR TRUNK. Do you have a video on either?

[@jacktextor]

Steve thanks for your great videos! Got my RTL-SDR up and running. It runs for about 10 seconds then quits working. Any idea? Running Windows 7

[@seeker4430]

Did you find a solution to this?

[@daralmakahusz508]

Experiment with CubicSDR and try out an upconverter to listen to HF range.

[@OverlandOne]

Awesome video and very helpful. Thanks.

[@TahoeSteve]

thanks for watching

[@W8RIT1]

Don't mean to sound negative, but being very critical of the terms used when discussing radio reference with channels and frequencies. With trunking in this fashion you can not follow a complete conversation because unless your radio is commanded by the trunked system control frequency, you won't go from the other appropriate frequencies everytime a radio is transmitting on a particular talkgroup. One time while listening on one trunked audio frequency it might be the police dept., the next transmission, might be the fire dept, and then the dog catcher for example. The contol frequency commanded all of those radio in one talkgroup, like the PD to switch to another frequency in the trunked system. Trunked systems are not as he stated always that efficient, they have limitations. If for example there are 16 audio frequencies in that system available, but 60 different groups, as found in large metro cities, sometimes a user may not be able to transmit because the sys. is overloaded. The technicians program different talkgroups with different priorities so that it may give them authorization to "bump" another user off. The fire department may have something more critical to communicate than the dog catcher.

[@TahoeSteve]

No offense taken. I am more of a computer programming geek than a RF, Ham geek, so any knowledge you can bestow to folks who watch this video is well received.

[@W8RIT1]

Steve Schwartz OK...First I do appreciate the info and the manner you've presented this video. I have learned a bit about SDRs (will be buying one soon). I mean this as constructive criticism, not destructive. ...being the grammar Nazi that I am, the first mention of a 800 MHz freq is not really what in my personal opinion I'd label a "channel", I would call it a frequency. Yes, a channel is a frequency. But I tend to usually think of a channel as a textual label, but not always. Sometimes they are Ch. 1, 2, 3 and so on. In trunking they may not have any label except for a technician of the system. A control channel which is the data channel (sometimes there may be an alternate backup control channel) tells all the radios on this system what frequency (voice channel in this system) to go to, by what talkgroup the radios are on. Let's for simplicity say that there are 3 talkgroups in this system. Talkgroup 1 is the PD. TG 2 is the FD, and TG 3 is the EMS. Let's assume that there is one data channel 860 MHz, and 8 voice channels. 861, 862, 863 up to 868. The data channel continuously transmits. A police officer (PO) transmits, the data channel recognizes that his radio wants to transmit. It assigns his radio, as well as all the other radios on his TG to go to...863 MHz. His voice is transmitted, everyone hears him. He stops transmitting. Another PO transmits, same thing, the data channel recognizes his radios "request" to transmit, and "tells"all the other radios in his TG to go to...865 MHz (generally randomly any unused frequency channel in the system). Now let's say the FD transmits (while the 2nd PO is transmitting), the data channel knows 865 MHz is being used, so it sends all the radios on the FD talkgroup to 863 MHz. Now all this works fine since there are 8 channels in the system and 3 TGs. Now imagine a larger city with say 14 PD TGs, 3 FD TGs, and 2 EMS TGs as well as TGs for the dog catcher, sewer dept, water dept., etc. ...and say 10 different users each in a different TGs wants to transmit at the same time. Now you have a problem. 2 of them won't be able to transmit since there are only 8 voice frequency channels. Technicians program TGs to have higher priorities than others, in this case, the PD and FD over the dog catcher. So if all of the voice channels are being used, and a PO wants to transmit, the data channel will cause the dog catcher to drop his transmission and give the PO the "right of way". As a suggestion to you, I think it would be interesting if you could make a video on reverse engineering what data is coming from the data channel. I'm sure it sends the Talkgroup IDs as well as the radio IDs (each radio's "serial #). I use another software program for my state's (MI) P25 trunked system in conjunction with my scanner radio to decode some of the info.

[@W8RIT1]

DSB is double (or dual) sideband, a combination of upper and lower side band. For amateur radio (ham) use, frequencies below 10 MHz we use lower sideband, and above 10 MHz we use upper sideband. All other services, such as military and aero use as a standard, upper sideband. You may also want to Google a NTIA frequency spectrum chart for a rough guide of what service is used in what part of the spectrum. Hmmm...I don't know how I could securely give you my email (other than publicly here) I could provide you with some other info. If you can figure out my call and how to find my email that might work...hint hint nudge nudge wink wink

[@W8RIT1]

CW - continuous wave is for Morse Code. I'm not sure how your software works, but I'm guessing RAW uses the entire spectrum displayed. Shift might be used for a purpose such as on the 2M ham band (144-148 MHz) for repeater use. A radio (depending where) may transmit 600 kHz higher or lower than the repeater. Around 440 -465 MHz hams and other users will transmit 5 MHz lower than the repeater.

[@W8RIT1]

LSB = Lower Side Band USB = Upper Side Band 3 kHz lower or higher than the center carrier frequency

[@ninocrudele]

Very informative thank you!

[@TahoeSteve]

glad to help

[@youpattube1]

I wish you had said something about whethet sdrsharp gives any power information.

[@the_socompsp]

next you should show people how to use their SDR to read and pull info from satellites.

[@TahoeSteve]

good idea!

[@michaelwallen6147]

how much space does this take on my computer.

[@LarryMassey]

very informative, thanks

[@TahoeSteve]

Glad it helped!

[@megadwood18]

lower side band . LSB upper side band. USB double side band .DSB

[@TahoeSteve]

thanks for your input!

[@folkishappalachian6827]

So I find frequencies with my hack rf one and sdr sharp, yet i only get static instead of voice? Can anyone tell me what I am doing wrong please?

[@TahoeSteve]

Check my vid on Unitrunker and the other decoding software you need to make it work.

[@jorgelozano620]

I'm in clt too! subscribed!

[@TahoeSteve]

Hey from S CLT

[@lacrossewieas2411]

Does this work for encrypted signals? I might get a SDR to listen to my local police

[@TahoeSteve]

La Crosse WI EAS nope

[@lacrossewieas2411]

Steve's 5 C's darn

[@debbiramsey4603]

This is excellent.

[@TahoeSteve]

thank you so much for watching and commenting!

[@w9x7cv3vg6]

welli watched it all but i did not see any steps to set up my rtl-sdr unit..where is sdr sharp...is it a file or a bunch f files under other names...i clicked on the start download button on the rtl-sdr site but got a email login game...ok,so where is the file...does itr work on either 32 or 64 bit windows 7 i7 system..what is the name of the driver...where is all the helpful information for the complete ABSOLUTE BEGINNER...thanks..i wait...been waiting for 3 months now...took me 2 months to get that rtl-sdr dual band unit...lets go!

[@TahoeSteve]

Did you see the opening frame? This is video #3 of a multi part video series. I think you should start with video # 1 and your questions will be answered before you criticize. Start here: Video 1: Cheap Digital Trunked Scanning Using SDR for the Absolute Beginner - kzbin.info/www/bejne/nWque6WqfrRrlZY

[@w9x7cv3vg6]

AVT Marketing I got things running on a asus 64 bit laptop of mine..but I am going to go back into that install routine on my i7 x64 desktop and do that options tip u went through..I forget if I did that ..I tested all USB 2 and 3 ports but had a error come up each time on the desktop..I still think it was because I missed that options selection..I will test that later today..btw...lsb stands for lower sidebands , this is one of our hamradio terms but in the radio industry as a whole..ship to shore radios etc etc..

[@TGtonk]

when i click on the cog, device dropdown is greyed out and it says e4000

[@TahoeSteve]

Did you install the zadig driver correctly?

[@TGtonk]

AVT Marketing the installer is broke. the website it was trying to download from was dead.

[@TGtonk]

AVT Marketing I find A new website and edited the script. got it working now

[@TheFalselink]

same problem. zadig says successfully installed. sucks to have problems right away..

[@tanthiennguyen9133]

Wünsche ich es Euch beim Lernen mit Spannung & Spaß haben.....

[@TahoeSteve]

thank you

[@christominded4726]

LSB = Lower Sideband USB = Upper Sideband

[@TahoeSteve]

thanks for the clarification!

[@Sugarsail1]

@@TahoeSteve CW = carrier wave (as you said for morse code keys) Great vid , exactly what I was looking for.

[@chusmanali1]

thanks bro plz can you send me link who i can download it

[@TahoeSteve]

links bottom of description

[@sausagefingers714]

im really stuck with this.. no matter which frequency or band i look at, the graph stays exactly the same

[@TahoeSteve]

increase your bandwidth?

[@debbiramsey4603]

I worked 6 hours yesterday and 19 today, no joke, I can't even get a single device to show up, win 1o. I've read 10 Is even supposed to give you a basic driver for radio. Zip. I used to write mainframe manuals for dummy's. Unzips s the z thing. Bat. What I are the driver names. I think I can put them in the folder myself.

[@TexasUrbanHunter]

hey Steve, sub'd your channel. great tutorials on setup brother. I have a question to you or subscribers or need any suggestions. I have basically the same hardware setup. I can pickup FM radio broadcasts very well and see signals on the ham bands but I never get any audio of anyone talking. Does anyone have any suggestions?

[@TahoeSteve]

Thanks for the compliment! Check this video out: RTL-SDR Troubleshooting on SDR+ kzbin.info/www/bejne/qmXEYmmHh5aLaJo --- you just might be off a little.

[@GlennO40]

I try to download SDR Sharp and my computer won't let tells me it has a virus, any suggestions?????

[@modd6r]

Try to disable your anti virus.

[@propnut7085]

Don't disable your anti virus. Add it to a white-list or exceptions list.

[@SupermAn2.0C1]

its stuck on e4000 and my sdr is not a e4000 its stuck help me

[@FASTPISTOLDRAW]

change version of sdr sharp software

[@TimOestmann]

Thanks

[@TahoeSteve]

thank you for watching

[@CUAUHTEMOCVEGATORRES]

Could i listen to ghosts? In wich frecuency are them? How much power to capture those picovolts?

[@TahoeSteve]

I hear dead people. they're everywhere. they don't know that they are dead. they just play with their SDR toys until the white light shows itself.

[@banjoboymcgee]

can u do p25 phase 2 yet?

[@TahoeSteve]

not as far as i know.

[@AndrewMurphy8383]

lsb is lower side band it ham

[@rob-karenkennedy-parker3166]

TY

[@TahoeSteve]

So glad to be of help, thanks!

[@alphalunamare]

Hilarious ...105.5 FM is the strongest signal in my area, I thought the application knew somehow!

[@davidlingelbach9887]

I liked your videos but all of the channels I want ti listen to are encripted what canI do

[@TahoeSteve]

Unless things have changed not much

[@cmdrcrimbo]

Im interested in using this for home Radio astronomy, i'm in the process of building an antenna. Its a 90cm satellite style dish im going to mount to my electronic telescope mount so i can track stars, satellites etc. Has anyone ever tried this at home?

[@mikestephens180]

I’ve seen several videos and how to guides online regarding radio astronomy using these SDR‘s. I’m going to also try it myself in the coming months. Good luck

[@mickgrant4262]

Its crap all most impossible to get working keeps telling me my device is not connected for no reason

[@TahoeSteve]

Crap huh? Must be, ... because YOU couldn't figure it out. So much for the 970 who did figure it out. If its such crap I'll be waiting for you to post your own video and when you do, include the link here for all to see how it's really done.

[@SamuelRaumin]

@Mick Grant What SDR are you attempting to use?

[@TahoeSteve]

@@SamuelRaumin You're much nicer than i am. Perhaps if he opened with a polite request for help, i would see things differently. Im glad you are here, you are an asset to the community.

[@Dahlar]

Probably the Nesdr, push it in further until Windows recognizes it or use a USB extension cable.

[@jesseobrien5864]

@@TahoeSteve 😂

[@nathanscott2961]

Can u help me Steve

[@tanthiennguyen9133]

Als Wissenschaftlich mit Augen Erfahrungen haben.....Zeige ich es als Klarheit....Ohne Differenzen.....

[@TahoeSteve]

thank you

[@dannythomas6194]

DSB = Double sideband

[@77shoemanable]

Not recognizing my device ??

[@johnlight460]

me as well with drivers installed

[@johnlight460]

i was able to fix wit by doing this kzbin.info/www/bejne/gojcpKp-mKpomrc and putting everything on my C drive.. ie main drive that windows is installed on

[@rauls640]

Last love

[@RobertSmith-gl5vs]

Lab

[@RobertSmith-gl5vs]

Lsb is lower side band: usb is upper side band

[@TahoeSteve]

thanks!

[@omgwtfkthxbai]

@7:00 Does this absolute noob know more than you? LSB Lower Side Band. USB Upper Side Band. DSB Double Side Band.

[@TahoeSteve]

I'm a software developer, not a HAM. I dont propose to know everything, forgive me for sharing what limited knowledge I have.

[@SirSteveFury]

Good video, thanks. Thumbs up. The "Old school" phrase is so very annoying. That tells me that I don't want to subscribe.

[@suspiciousperson5324]

For Cop Watching / First Amendment Auditing the CONTROL CHANNEL is my favourite. Jam the Control Channel (say, with a BAOFENG UV-82 VHF UHF FM Transceiver Dual Band Two Way Radio $25.19) is my my favourite - all the little piggies lose communications. Funny as hell to watch their faces.

[@TrafficCamWatch]

Admitting to a federal crime...huh.

[@rolandpeachie9807]

As people who possibly need emergency help suffer your acting like a ____________.

[@zazugee]

you should sue the government agencies for not letting citizen's watch/monitor them