ModeSDeco2 and ModeSMixer2 - console programs for RTLSDR and transcoding

[AVDB]

Any chance for an OpenWRT/LEDE x86/64 binary, the Ubuntu binary won't work?

[ktso44615]

Sergsero,

I'm running modesdeco2_windows_20160803 on Windows 10 64-bit with an Airspy (rc10 firmware).   This version seems to run great, but the --rbs switch doesn't seem to enable mode A/C.

If I run the previous version of modesdeco2 (modesdeco2_windows_20160520), it crashes on me.   But the --rbs does output the mode A/C data.

Do you have any idea why --rbs is not enabling Mode A/C decode on modesdeco2_windows_20160803 ?

Thank you,

Mike

[ktso44615]

Sergsero,

I'm running modesdeco2_windows_20160803 on Windows 10 64-bit with an Airspy (rc10 firmware).   This version seems to run great, but the --rbs switch doesn't seem to enable mode A/C.

If I run the previous version of modesdeco2 (modesdeco2_windows_20160520), it crashes on me.   But the --rbs does output the mode A/C data.

Do you have any idea why --rbs is not enabling Mode A/C decode on modesdeco2_windows_20160803 ?

Thank you,

Mike

I should have mentioned that I run the following command line:

modesdeco2.exe --airspy --location 40.xxxxxx:-81.xxxxxx --beast 30005 --airspy-if 15 --airspy-lna 15 --airspy-mixer 15 --web 8181 --rbs --filter-nocountry --filter-nodup --airspy-packing

I'll be installing a HAB/nevis filter/amp today and will be attempting to use the --airspy-rfbias option as well.

Mike

[sergsero]

Hello Mike,

Sorry, in versions with airspy the option "--rbs" (Mode A/C decode) is only valid when working with rtl2832 dongle.


p.s. In first post of the thread was updated version of modesdeco2 on 20161031 for Windows. Soon there will be versions for other operating systems.

Note that actions of some options were changed.
Anti-duplication filter option "--filter-nodup" now is "On" by default and its use opposite disable the anti-duplication filter.

Regards,
Sergey

[ktso44615]

SergSero,

I apologize for not seeing that the first post had the most updated version of ModesDeco2.

I have an issue though.   On the latest Windows version (20161031), I can't enable the bias tee.

--airspy-rfbias on # gives the problem below
--airspy-rfbias 1 # gives the problem below

2016-12-11 11:51:09.590  ERROR    Parse command line option '--airspy-rfbias' is ambiguous and matches different versions of '--airspy-rfbias'
Press any key to continue . . .

My command line is pretty simple:

modesdeco2.exe --airspy --airspy-packing 1 --airspy-rfbias on --location 40.xxxx:-81.xxxx --beast 30005 --web 8585

The above command line worked in the 201608 windows version.

I tried:

--airspy-rfbias
--airspy-rfbias on
--airspy-rfbias 1

None of those options work, and of course it default's to having the bias tee turned off [which makes the unit totally deaf if you have an amp in place that needs to be powered via the bias tee].

mike

[ktso44615]

Sergsero,

In addition to my message directly above, could you provide me with some clarification of what these options in ModesDeco2 do?

  --avr arg                 Enable AVR output listen port (default: off)
  --avrmlat arg             Enable AVR MLAT output listen port (default: off)
  --avrmlatas arg           Enable AVR MLAT AirSpy output listen port (default: off)

Are these providing MLAT-compatible data _out_ that should be sent _to_ MLAT servers via MLAT clients?   Or, are these expecting input [return MLAT results] _from_ MLAT clients?

I'm unclear if ModesDeco2 is supposed to be capable of "being" an MLAT client and sending out MLAT data directly to an MLAT server, or if those ports are to accept MLAT results _from_ MLAT servers in order to display MLAT results in the web interface?

And can you tell me the difference between avrmlat and avrmlates ?   for example, in what case would I use avrmlates instead of avrmlat ?

Thanks!

Mike

[sergsero]

Mike,

Thank you for your interest in the program.
The option "--airspy-rfbias" really contains a bug in version 20161031. Thanks for your help. This is already fixed in the new version. At the moment the program undergoes more testing.

About avr* output formats.
Modesdeco2 works with SDR receiver and can output only their own data, which were decoded from.
AVR is a basic ASCII RAW format, such as *8D7582F658C381C31D2F326C4478;.
AVRMLAT and AVRMLATAS are the same output formats, but additionally contain TIMESTAMP of moment of their arrivals to decoder - @00000809F8928D7582F658C37515433512A84884; and *8D7582F658C385162534AAD6BD61;28CE3B85;14; (variant of MLAT from airspy)

Regards,
sergsero

[arctic]

I'm unclear if ModesDeco2 is supposed to be capable of "being" an MLAT client and sending out MLAT data directly to an MLAT server, or if those ports are to accept MLAT results _from_ MLAT servers in order to display MLAT results in the web interface?

As far as I know, neither of the two. ModesDeco2 is only used to provide the data output on a port (server mode), it cannot send the data to a server, neither it can pull data from an external source. But you can use it in combo with ModexMixer2, that is capable of retrieving the data from ModesDeco2 or any other feeder like dump1090 (inConnect), it can accept an incoming stream, in example from MLAT mutuality (inServer) and it can send the data anywhere else (outConnect) and listen the request from an out source (outServer), and it has an identical web interface of ModesDeco2, where you can show all the data "combined".

[ktso44615]

I'm unclear if ModesDeco2 is supposed to be capable of "being" an MLAT client and sending out MLAT data directly to an MLAT server, or if those ports are to accept MLAT results _from_ MLAT servers in order to display MLAT results in the web interface?

As far as I know, neither of the two. ModesDeco2 is only used to provide the data output on a port (server mode), it cannot send the data to a server, neither it can pull data from an external source. But you can use it in combo with ModexMixer2, that is capable of retrieving the data from ModesDeco2 or any other feeder like dump1090 (inConnect), it can accept an incoming stream, in example from MLAT mutuality (inServer) and it can send the data anywhere else (outConnect) and listen the request from an out source (outServer), and it has an identical web interface of ModesDeco2, where you can show all the data "combined".

Thanks.  I simply got confused for a moment.   Of course, I still don't understand why there is an avrmlatas option, considering that I know of nothing that uses that / can use that at this time.

Per your help in another forum, I'm using ModesDeco2 with the Airspy in conjunction with ModesMixer2 and mlat-client.

I'm waiting for the new [in testing] release of ModesDeco2 though, since I really need to have the rfbias option working so that the amp works.    If the amp isn't on, everything behind it is totally deaf in my case.

Mike

[arctic]

Thanks.  I simply got confused for a moment.   Of course, I still don't understand why there is an avrmlatas option, considering that I know of nothing that uses that / can use that at this time.

It's just different formats... they are the for compatibility.

Per your help in another forum, I'm using ModesDeco2 with the Airspy in conjunction with ModesMixer2 and mlat-client.

I'm waiting for the new [in testing] release of ModesDeco2 though, since I really need to have the rfbias option working so that the amp works.    If the amp isn't on, everything behind it is totally deaf in my case.

Atm i'm using a standard rtl.. as I use the airspy for the airband... however what's the issue with the rfbias? I have a LNA on the Airspy and when I used it, it was working fine for me with ModesDeco2 and this command line:

modesdeco2.exe --airspy --airspy-rfbias --airspy-if 11 --airspy-mixer 11 --airspy-lna 8 --location X:X --web 8088 --beast 30005

[ktso44615]

Thanks.  I simply got confused for a moment.   Of course, I still don't understand why there is an avrmlatas option, considering that I know of nothing that uses that / can use that at this time.

It's just different formats... they are the for compatibility.

Per your help in another forum, I'm using ModesDeco2 with the Airspy in conjunction with ModesMixer2 and mlat-client.

I'm waiting for the new [in testing] release of ModesDeco2 though, since I really need to have the rfbias option working so that the amp works.    If the amp isn't on, everything behind it is totally deaf in my case.

Atm i'm using a standard rtl.. as I use the airspy for the airband... however what's the issue with the rfbias? I have a LNA on the Airspy and when I used it, it was working fine for me with ModesDeco2 and this command line:

modesdeco2.exe --airspy --airspy-rfbias --airspy-if 11 --airspy-mixer 11 --airspy-lna 8 --location X:X --web 8088 --beast 30005

See my message above from Dec 11th.    --airspy-rfbias is not a valid switch [supposed to be, but is a bug] - and is turned off by default in the latest version (201061031 or whatever).

20160520 -- crashes on me ; doesn't do --airspy-packing ; --rbs works
201608xx -- works fine ; does --airspy-packing; doesn't support Mode A/C (at least with packing)
20161031 -- latest thing out, but I can't use it / try it because I have no amp if I do

So I'm waiting for the release of the next version.   In the meantime I'm using the 201608xx version.

Mike

Mike

[arctic]

Maybe I was using the 1010 version....

Returning to my previous message, unfortunately I have verified that MLAT doesn't work in ModeSMixer2 web plugin, but it outputs the  merged data correctly (this is not the full command line, but only the relevant part):

modesmixer2 --inConnect 127.0.0.1:30005 --inServer 30107 --outServer beast:30108

The above receives the receiver data (127.0.0.1:30005), the MLAT data (returned from mlat-client and pushed via mlat-client connect to the port 30107), and output everything to the port 30108 in beast format.

When I connect to the ModeSMixer2 web page, the MLAT airplanes aren't there, there's only those ones received directly from the receiver. But if I connect to the port 30108 with an external viewer (in example VRS), all the airplanes are there: the ones received directly and the ones returned by the MLAT calculation.

I believe it is a bug, because with dump1090 it works (this is not the full command line, but only the relevant part):

dump1090-mutability --net-bi-port 30107 --net-bo-port 30005

...when I connect to the dump1090 webpage, I see both the airplanes coming from the receiver, and also those ones coming from from the MLAT on the port 30107.

[ktso44615]

Although I don't have the data to back it up, I agree with you.  I've tried countless permutations and don't seem to be able to do anything useful with MLAT data with ModesMixer.

Mike

[arctic]

I did an additional test... so as I wrote in my previous post: when connecting to the port 30108 (output from ModesMixer2) with VRS, all the airplanes are visualized, so I tried to run a second instance of ModesMixer2, conneting to the same 30108 port... but the MLAT airplanes were missing again. So it's not properly a bug, it's ModesMixer2 not supporting MLAT at all, unfortunately.

[Anmer]

all the airplanes are visualized

Including MLAT plots?