[Hackrf-dev] Replacement HackRF One Reception Issues

[James Zervas]

Dear Sir,

Greetings from Rhodes, Greece !.

My name is James Zervas and I am a Radio Amateur with good knowledge of computers.

I recently bought a HACKRF ONE from https://uk.passion-radio.com/gb/ store in Paris France and I have had problems with poor reception

even with FM Broadcast stations. To be honest I cannot HEAR ANYTHING AT ALL !, Only noise with the faint signals that it picks up.

I did update the firmware of the HACKRF and did install GQRX on my 2015 MACBOOK AIR via MACPORTS, And try,ed

a software called CUBICSDR. Also I adjusted the gain settings to different levels with the same noise results and the not

so strong signals. (CANNOT HEAR EVEN FM RADIO BROADCASTS)

A guy called David from the store Email,ed me and said that I should Email you guys to ask for authourisation for a replacement unit

as this has a defective reciever.

The stores email is ***@passion-radio.com


I am very upset really as I got the HACKRF for my birthday, It was not cheap [&#X02639]

James Zervas ***@live.co.uk
[Loading Image...]<https://uk.passion-radio.com/gb/>

Ham radio shop & SDR in Europe - Passion Radio Shop ...<https://uk.passion-radio.com/gb/>
uk.passion-radio.com
Passion Radio Shop is an online store for amateur radio and radio communication enthusiasts, specialized in software defined radio receiver and transceiver (SDR ...

[v***@gmail.com]

Can you recieve any strong FM local.

Honestly I must say that i am using hackrf only to transmitt as its not realy a recieving unit. (My portable radio with a tiny whip antena can pick up more station than hackRF



—
Sent from Mailbox

Post by James Zervas
Dear Sir,
Greetings from Rhodes, Greece !.
My name is James Zervas and I am a Radio Amateur with good knowledge of computers.
I recently bought a HACKRF ONE from https://uk.passion-radio.com/gb/ store in Paris France and I have had problems with poor reception
even with FM Broadcast stations. To be honest I cannot HEAR ANYTHING AT ALL !, Only noise with the faint signals that it picks up.
I did update the firmware of the HACKRF and did install GQRX on my 2015 MACBOOK AIR via MACPORTS, And try,ed
a software called CUBICSDR. Also I adjusted the gain settings to different levels with the same noise results and the not
so strong signals. (CANNOT HEAR EVEN FM RADIO BROADCASTS)
A guy called David from the store Email,ed me and said that I should Email you guys to ask for authourisation for a replacement unit
as this has a defective reciever.
I am very upset really as I got the HACKRF for my birthday, It was not cheap [&#X02639]
[https://www.passion-radio.com/img/logo-passion-radio.gif]<https://uk.passion-radio.com/gb/>
Ham radio shop & SDR in Europe - Passion Radio Shop ...<https://uk.passion-radio.com/gb/>
uk.passion-radio.com
Passion Radio Shop is an online store for amateur radio and radio communication enthusiasts, specialized in software defined radio receiver and transceiver (SDR ...

[Michael Ossmann]

Post by James Zervas
I recently bought a HACKRF ONE from https://uk.passion-radio.com/gb/
store in Paris France and I have had problems with poor reception
even with FM Broadcast stations. To be honest I cannot HEAR ANYTHING
AT ALL !, Only noise with the faint signals that it picks up.

This problem is often caused by a faulty or improper antenna. What
antenna are you using? Have you tried an alternative antenna? One easy
alternative you can try is to straighten a paperclip and insert it into
the SMA connector. Even though a paperclip isn't a very good antenna
for FM broadcasts, it is typically good enough for some stations if you
are in or near a city.

Has your software given you any error messages? With some versions of
software, a failure to communicate with the HackRF (due to user
permissions, for example) can result in random noise in place of the
expected digital signal.

It would be helpful if you could provide a screenshot from Gqrx or GNU
Radio Companion showing the spectrum of the FM broadcast band.

For a walkthrough of how to listen to FM broadcast with GNU Radio, see:

http://greatscottgadgets.com/sdr/1

Mike

[John Gosman]

Where can I send my Hack RF to be repaired? I bought it at the Dayton
Hamfest last year. Trouble started with no receive at all. Not even a
receive light on the unit. Now I have no lights at all.

Thanks

John

[Dominic Spill]

Post by John Gosman
Where can I send my Hack RF to be repaired? I bought it at the Dayton
Hamfest last year. Trouble started with no receive at all. Not even a
receive light on the unit. Now I have no lights at all.

Hi John,

Could you answer a few questions about your HackRF for me?

When you plug it in, but don't use it, do any lights turn on at all?
How about if you plug it in while holding the DFU buttion?

If you get lights when plugging it in, what does lsusb tell you?
If that works, could you run hackrf_info and let me know the output?

Was your HackRF working for a while before it stopped? Or was it DOA?

Thanks,
Dominic