Help / Support for beginner - GS # 4072 - SR-D-CH-VD-CR-001

SatNOGS
1

Hello.
I just started, and I would like to have a feedback from you guys that are experts.

My simple GS #4072 is online (at least today).
A part from some observations that are unsuccessful, I would like to have on my SSH a live update or health check.
But I’m not sure what is going on:

I set the GS as BASIC as RTL-SDR.

If I run : journalctl -f -u satnogs-client.service I get nothing. Screen empty for hours.

If I run: sudo docker logs -f satnogs_satnogs-client

I get this:

pi@srgs:~ $ sudo docker logs -f satnogs_satnogs-client
ERROR    satnogsclient.scheduler.tasks   HTTPSConnectionPool(host='network.satnogs.org', port=443): Read timed out. (read timeout=45)
ERROR    satnogsclient.scheduler.tasks   Fetching jobs from network failed.
rot_init called
initrots4_dummy: _init called
rot_register (1)
rot_register (2)
dummy_rot_init called
rot_open called
dummy_rot_open called
rot_get_position called
dummy_rot_get_position called
rot_get_position: got az=0.00, el=0.00
rot_set_position called az=5.92 el=11.04
rot_set_position: south_zero=0
dummy_rot_set_position called: 5.92 11.04
rig_init: rig does not have rx_range!!
network_open: hoststr=rigctld, portstr=4532
Found Rafael Micro R828D tuner
RTL-SDR Blog V4 Detected
[INFO] Opening Generic RTL2832U OEM :: 00000001...
Found Rafael Micro R828D tuner
RTL-SDR Blog V4 Detected
[INFO] Using format CF32.
/var/lib/satnogs-client/.gnuradio/prefs/vmcircbuf_default_factory: No such file or directory
vmcircbuf_createfilemapping: createfilemapping is not available
Allocating 15 zero-copy buffers
netrigctl_close: done status=Command completed successfully
ERROR    satnogsclient.scheduler.tasks   HTTPSConnectionPool(host='network.satnogs.org', port=443): Read timed out. (read timeout=45)
ERROR    satnogsclient.scheduler.tasks   Fetching jobs from network failed.
ERROR    satnogsclient.scheduler.tasks   HTTPSConnectionPool(host='network.satnogs.org', port=443): Read timed out. (read timeout=45)
ERROR    satnogsclient.scheduler.tasks   Fetching jobs from network failed.
rig_init: rig does not have rx_range!!
network_open: hoststr=rigctld, portstr=4532
Found Rafael Micro R828D tuner
RTL-SDR Blog V4 Detected
[INFO] Opening Generic RTL2832U OEM :: 00000001...
Found Rafael Micro R828D tuner
RTL-SDR Blog V4 Detected
[INFO] Using format CF32.
Allocating 15 zero-copy buffers
netrigctl_close: done status=Command completed successfully
rig_init: rig does not have rx_range!!
network_open: hoststr=rigctld, portstr=4532
Found Rafael Micro R828D tuner
RTL-SDR Blog V4 Detected
[INFO] Opening Generic RTL2832U OEM :: 00000001...
Found Rafael Micro R828D tuner
RTL-SDR Blog V4 Detected
[INFO] Using format CF32.
Allocating 15 zero-copy buffers
netrigctl_close: done status=Command completed successfully
rig_init: rig does not have rx_range!!
network_open: hoststr=rigctld, portstr=4532
Found Rafael Micro R828D tuner
RTL-SDR Blog V4 Detected
[INFO] Opening Generic RTL2832U OEM :: 00000001...
Found Rafael Micro R828D tuner
RTL-SDR Blog V4 Detected
[INFO] Using format CF32.
Allocating 15 zero-copy buffers
netrigctl_close: done status=Command completed successfully
rig_init: rig does not have rx_range!!
network_open: hoststr=rigctld, portstr=4532
Found Rafael Micro R828D tuner
RTL-SDR Blog V4 Detected
[INFO] Opening Generic RTL2832U OEM :: 00000001...
Found Rafael Micro R828D tuner
RTL-SDR Blog V4 Detected
[INFO] Using format CF32.
Allocating 15 zero-copy buffers```


How can I get a live feedback from my pi with ssh?
2

This command sudo docker logs -f satnogs_satnogs-client will give you live feedback.

Please share the configuration by running sudo satnogs-setup -> select advanced -> support

Looking at the meta data from one of you obs, I see that you haven’t set the gain value.

These are the supported rtl-sdr gain values:

Supported gain values (29): 0.0 0.9 1.4 2.7 3.7 7.7 8.7 12.5 14.4 15.7 16.6 19.7 20.7 22.9 25.4 28.0 29.7 32.8 33.8 36.4 37.2 38.6 40.2 42.1 43.4 43.9 44.5 48.0 49.6

What value to select, depends on your RF path (antenna → lna → coax (quality/length) filters, etc)
For a non LNA solution, start with 40.2.

Jan | PE0SAT

1 Like
3

A… the gain… I thought that in the basic configuration was not required…

anyway…

here the config:

------------[ copy here ]------------
{
    "versions": {
        "satnogs-client": "unknown",
        "satnogs-ansible": "unknown",
        "satnogs-flowgraphs": "unknown",
        "gr-satnogs": "unknown",
        "gr-soapy": "unknown",
        "gnuradio": "unknown",
        "satnogs-config": "1.0"
    },
    "state": {
        "is-applied": false,
        "pending-tags": null
    },
    "system": {
        "date": "2025-04-17T10:24:22.428737+00:00",
        "platform": {
            "system": "Linux",
            "node": "satnogs-config",
            "release": "6.12.20+rpt-rpi-v8",
            "version": "#1 SMP PREEMPT Debian 1:6.12.20-1+rpt1~bpo12+1 (2025-03-19)",
            "machine": "aarch64",
            "processor": ""
        },
        "memory": {
            "total": 3975548928,
            "available": 2950160384,
            "percent": 25.8,
            "used": 911953920,
            "free": 2018148352,
            "active": 1404059648,
            "inactive": 389316608,
            "buffers": 53030912,
            "cached": 992415744,
            "shared": 36085760,
            "slab": 75448320
        },
        "disk": {
            "total": 14655504384,
            "used": 10590486528,
            "free": 3299778560,
            "percent": 76.2
        }
    },
    "configuration": {
        "satnogs_antenna": "RX",
        "satnogs_api_token": "[redacted]",
        "satnogs_rx_samp_rate": "2.048e6",
        "satnogs_soapy_rx_device": "driver=rtlsdr",
        "satnogs_station_elev": "480",
        "satnogs_station_id": "4072",
        "satnogs_station_lat": "46.5503",
        "satnogs_station_lon": "6.5739"
    }
}
------------[ copy end ]-------------
4

Multiple SDR devices are supported and it also depends on you RF path, so gain is something that needs some tweaking during the initial setup.

The config at first site apart from the gain value is looking good.

Now lets see if Small dipole antenna bought to start the hobby. will produce any signals in the waterfall.

Enjoy the journey.

Jan | PE0SAT

1 Like
5

Thanks a lot!
Just one last feedback .

I set the gain like this, is it correct?

SATNOGS_GAIN_MODE: Setting Field
SATNOGS_RF_GAIN: 40.2

is this the parameters that you were suggesting to change/test?

6

For the RTLSDR the gain mode can be left default (Overall), so no change necessary, only the rf gain value needs to be set.

Here a RTLSDR obs meta example, this station is also using a V4 model.

Jan | PE0SAT

1 Like