Over the last few weeks I’ve been working on my install-pihpsdr script to build a version of the DL1YCF PiHPSDR fork that will work with the Adalm Pluo, Pluto+ and LibreSDR transceivers.
Since I don’t own any of these devices, Steve M0XVT has loaned me his Adalm Pluto and LibreSDR devices to test with.
Initially neither of the devices would work with the PiHPSDR build that my script was creating. After some investigation I found this was due to the fact that the developer build script was only building the SOAPYSDR library, it wasn’t building the modules for each device type.
This was easily fixed by adding some extra code that would build the necessary SOAPYSDR modules so that the devices were discovered on the local LAN.
Since I had the devices to hand I took the opportunity to test the updated build script on a number of Linux Distro’s that I have to hand.
PiHPSDR running on Linuxmint 22.1 Cinnamon Edition using the LibreSDR transceiver
I tested the updated build script on Kubuntu 22.04LTS, Linuxmint 22.1 Cinnamon Edition and RaspberryPi 4/5 running the latest RaspberryPi OS 64bit version.
These all worked great with the transceivers and will now make a great platform for QO-100 stations that use either the Adalm Pluto, Pluto+ or LibreSDR devices.
Of course this build of PiHPSDR will also work with the Hermes Lite 2 and RadioBerry devices that I use most of the time in my own radio shack.
The updated PiHPSDR install script can be downloaded from my original blog article on the subject that is located here: https://m0aws.co.uk/?p=3686
The updated build script will most likely work on most Debian based Linux distro’s and build a working version of PiHPSDR. If you find a distro where you have problems please email me and let me know the details and I’ll happily look at the issue and try to resolve it.
Thanks to Steve for the loan of his precious SDR transceivers, I had a lot of fun with them!
I often get unsolicited good audio reports whilst using my Hermes Lite 2 (HL2) on the HF bands with people asking what settings I am using so, I thought it was time I put together an article on the subject.
I use the DL1YCF enhanced fork of PiHPSDR to drive my HL2, a great OpenSource SDR software package that supports many SDR radios including some very high end, expensive models.
PiHPSDR is extremely configurable via it’s well laid out menu system. It’s possible to change the settings on almost everything which, when combined with really good hardware like the HL2 gives the operator the ability to create an extremely high spec transceiver at a fraction of the price of the typical black box commercial offerings.
Starting at the beginning of the transmit audio chain the first settings to be changed are in the Transmit (TX) menu.
M0AWS Transmit filter settings
Using my Sennheiser headset I found I needed to set the Radio Mic setting to Mic Boost. This increases the audio level so that it drives the radio properly. It’s important to make sure that boosting the audio doesn’t cause distortion though.
Next I set the TX Filter Low to 150Hz. This ensures I don’t have that nasty bass sound that you hear often on the HF bands today.
The TX Filter High is set to 2700Hz. This gives me a transmit filter width of 2550Hz which is well within the 2700Hz standard for the HF bands.
I also set the compression level to +10dB to increase the average talk power of the audio.
Next in the transmit audio chain is the TX Equalisation. The PiHPSDR software has a very good software defined Parametric EQ menu that provides all the audio tailoring capabilities any HAM operator will ever need.
Having watched many videos by the great Bob Heil, K9EID (SK) I understand that all the articulation in the voice is around the 2500hz range. Today on the HF bands you often hear bass heavy audio that sounds muddy and horrible. This is exactly the type of audio I don’t want to have so, to this end I have adjusted my EQ settings such that the articulation is accentuated to increase clarity and give a little pep to my rather dull sounding voice.
M0AWS PiHPSDR Transmit EQ Settings
Since the transmit filter width is set from 150Hz to 2700Hz there’s really no point in making EQ adjustments outside of this range. As show above I have made the following changes to the transmit EQ settings in PiHPSDR:
Frequency
Gain
150hz
+6dB
500Hz
+5dB
1500Hz
+6dB
2500Hz
+6dB
The final part of the audio setup is the Mic Gain, I keep this set at 5. This keeps the audio nice and tidy with no IMD.
My HL2 TX Drive is set so that it puts out a maximum of 500mW, this is enough to drive my Xiegu XPA125B amplifier to 100W.
With these settings I find that the Sennheiser headset, PiHPSDR software and the Hermes Lite 2 combination gives me a great signal on all the HF bands.
I hope this helps all those who have asked how my audio is setup and have been so impressed by this great little radio.
Sometime back I purchased a RadioBerry HAT for my RaspberryPi 4 single board computer (SBC) to use as an experimental platform to test PiHPSDR software modifications and to test changes to the actual RadioBerry software. With these two projects completed I decided that the receiver on the RadioBerry was so good it would be a shame not to put it to good use.
RadioBerry HAT
For many decades I’ve been an avid Short Wave Listener (SWL) but, haven’t had a general coverage receiver for many years. The RadioBerry fills this gap in my radio lineup perfectly but, needs to be put into a suitable cabinet with speakers, display, control knobs and antenna connections.
Rather than just buy another bland square box I decided it would be nice to repurpose an old, vintage radio receiver from a bygone era and bring it into the 21st Century.
1946 Philips valve radio receiver
After much searching on the popular auction sites online I eventually found the perfect old receiver for the project, a vintage Philips 170A-15 valve receiver from 1946.
This lovely old Art Deco looking receiver is made from Bakelite which was an early type of plastic made from phenol-formaldehyde resin, obtained from coal tar and methanol.
The full specification for the receiver can be found on the Radio Museum Website.
Sadly this is a non working example of this lovely old receiver and so I don’t feel so guilty stripping it out and replacing it’s internals with the RadioBerry.
1946 Philips receiver Serial Number plate1946 Philips receiver Licence Plate
Having the original serial number and Licence plate on the radio is nice, it also makes it easy to search for information about the old receiver.
One nice thing I did discover during the disassembly of the receiver was the signature of the person that put the radio together during manufacture on the inside of the Bakelite cabinet.
1946 Philips receiver builder signature
Getting the internals out of the cabinet was fun, so many little screws holding the old valve electronics and tuning display in place.
1946 Philips Receiver – Internal View1946 Philips receiver – removing the original control knobs
Once the electrical part of the radio was removed I gained access to the old speaker that was fitted to the front panel of the receiver. Unfortunately the speaker cone had a tear in it rendering it useless so I’ll need to get a new speaker(s) for the rebuild.
1946 Philips receiver speaker view
Once I got the speaker and fittings removed I set about cleaning the cabinet inside and out to remove the 79 years worth of dirt and grime that had collected within. The fascia of the receiver cabinet seems to have lost it’s shine and will need to be polished to get it back to it’s original beauty.
79 years worth of grime and dirt to be removed!Washing the Bakelite receiver case
It took 5 lots of fresh water and washing up liquid to get the cabinet clean. The first three lots of water looked like mud in no time at all such was the state of the cabinet.
With the cabinet now cleaned and put to one side to dry thoroughly I have started to search for the best type of polish to use to put the sheen back onto it.
Once I’ve got the cabinet looking good again I’ll start fitting the new internals. I also need to find a source for a new piece of material to cover the speaker hole at the front of the cabinet as the original material is looking somewhat tired.
The old Philips Emblem from 1946 on the receiver case
Since I’ve had my Hermes Lite 2 (HL2) and Xiegu XPA125B amplifier combo I’ve had to manually change the band setting on the amp as I never purchased the HL2 I/O board when I initially purchased the kit.
At the time I didn’t think I would need it but, changing band manually on the amp (and sometimes forgetting causing tuning issues) is a nuisance and so I put my hand in my pocket once again and ordered the I/O board for the HL2.
Hermes Lite 2 I/O Board
The HL2 I/O board is a small RaspberryPi Pico controlled device that can be used for a multitude of functions depending on the software loaded. Many people are writing their own software for the Pico to do things like control transverters, remote antenna switches, amplifiers and just about anything else you can think of. It’s a really versatile little add on board for the HL2.
The I/O board arrived after about 10 days from Makerfabs, all nicely packaged as always. Unfortunately due to Christmas, New year and other priorities it’s sat in the box since it arrived.
A couple of days ago I finally got round to getting it out of the box and set about configuring it to control the Xiegu amp.
The Xiegu amp needs three connections from the I/O board. They are PTT, Band Switching Voltage and Ground. These are easily accessed from the I/O board via 3 jumper wires to connect to the DB9 connector on the rear of the board.
The other thing that is required is some software for the RaspberryPi Pico to control the whole process. Steve, M0XVT has kindly supplied me with a copy of the software.
Soldering the jumpers from the relevant points on the circuit board to the DB9 connector was pretty straight forward. You can use any of the pins on the DB9 connector that you like as from the factory the DB9 connector isn’t connected to anything. I decided to use pins 2, 6 and 8 and so will refer to those pins from this point forward.
HL2 I/O Board Jumpers
I used a different colour for each of the jumpers so that I knew which jumper was for which connection. The colours used also match the colours of the wire in the old RS232 serial lead that I cannibalized to make the connection between the I/O board and the amp thus making it easy to ensure continuity.
The colours are as follows:
Black Jumper - Ground - Pin 2 on DB9 Connector
White Jumper - PTT - Pin 6 on DB9 Connector
Red Jumper - Band Control - Pin 8 on DB9 Connector
The I/O board gets its power feed directly from the HL2 main board however, the 3 pins it needs to connect to don’t have any headers in place and so, it’s necessary to solder a short row of 3 header pins onto the HL2 main board.
I found the easiest way to do this was to put the 3 header pins into the correct position and then use the HL2 to N2ADR filter board connector to hold them in place whilst soldering. This worked perfectly and I soon had the header pins soldered onto the main board.
Extra 3 header pins soldered to the main HL2 board
It’s important to note that the 3 extra header pins need to be placed 2 holes away from existing header pins as shown above. Take care to get these pins in the right position so as not to cause any damage to the 3 circuit boards once all are connected and powered up.
Note: The HL2 main board must be removed from the case to solder the extra 3 header pins in place. Take care to ensure the correct fitting of the PA heatsink when when refitting the HL2 main board into the case.
At this point I refitted the N2ADR Filter board back into the HL2 case so that the two sets of header pins aligned correctly ready for the placement of the new I/O board that would connect all 3 circuit boards together.
Preparing the N2ADR Filter board for reconnection
Once the filter board was in place I fitted the new I/O board taking care to ensure all pins aligned with the socket and then gently pushed it home.
Close up of the HL2 I/O board fitted to the main HL2 board and N2ADR Filter board
The close up of the I/O board connector above shows how the extra 3 header pins connect to the last 3 sockets in the I/O board connector. It’s a snug fit with the N2ADR filter board below it.
View of the fitted HL2 I/O board from above
Before the HL2 case can be put back together it’s necessary to load the software onto the RaspberryPi Pico (top left in photo above) that controls the I/O board.
This is accomplished by pressing the tiny button on the Pico whilst connecting a USB lead to the USB socket on the board that had already been plugged into my PC. Once connected the Pico appeared as a USB drive on my Kubuntu Linux desktop. All I then had to do was to copy the software file onto the drive. Once the software file is on the drive the Pico will reboot automatically and the little LED on the board will start to flash to show it has booted successfully. At this point I could safely unplug the USB cable.
The software for the RaspberryPi Pico is available for download below.
The I/O board comes with a new back panel for the HL2 to accommodate the extra connectors on the rear. Refit the top of the HL2 case and then attach the new rear panel using the original 4 counter sunk screws.
Supplied HL2 I/O board replacement rear panel fitted to the case
The final part of this project is to make the lead that will go from the HL2 rear DB9 ACC connector to the Xiegu XPA125B mini din ACC socket.
DB9 Pin 2 (BLACK) to Mini Din Pin 6 (GND)
DB9 Pin 6 (WHITE) to mini Din Pin 2 (PTT)
DB9 Pin 8 (RED) to Mini Din Pin 3 (Band Switching Voltage)
Below are a couple of screenshots from the Xiegu XPA125B user manual showing the Mini Din pin layout and the data interface connections for the amplifier.
Before I connected the lead to the two devices, I tested the end-to-end continuity of the lead to ensure all pins were correctly connected and that there were no shorts between any of the pins.
It’s important that the wires are connected to the correct pins on each end of the lead. Failure to ensure correct connection could cause damage to your HL2 and/or amplifier.
Once the lead had been tested, I connected it to both the Hermes Lite 2 and the Xiegu XPA125B amplifier. I also had to switch the amplifier band switching to AUTO.
Now when I change band on my HL2 in the PiHPSDR software the amplifier also changes band at the same time keeping the two devices in sync. No more manual band changing for me!
I hope this article is of use to other Hermes Lite 2 users who have purchased the Xiegu XPA125B but, have yet to setup auto band switching between the two devices.
Thanks to Steve, M0XVT for all the jumper information and the RaspberryPi Pico Software to get this all working.
UPDATE: The RaspberryPi Pico software originally came from Ramon, KP4RX. More information can found in this Google Groups article where he released the binary into the wild.
A full table of I/O resources available on the HL2 I/O board can be found on the KP4RX Guthub page.
The source code for the main.uf2 file above can be found at KP4RX.com
(This information is also for the Hermes Lite 2, Adalm Pluto, Pluto+ and LibreSDR)
During my RadioBerry build I started out using the version of PiHPSDR that was created just for the RadioBerry. The problem with this is that it is hard coded for a very small screen making it hard to use on a big screen since the user cannot resize the window dynamically.
I decided to look for a forked version of the PiHPSDR software that had the ability to change the window size to suit all use cases. During my search I stumbled across the DL1YCF fork of the source code that has some enhancements, one of which is the ability to change the display size.
In no time at all I had the source code downloaded and compiled only to find that it didn’t work with the RadioBerry. After some investigation I found that this was due to the fact that the RadioBerry software has compiled into it code that is used to access the GPIO pins on the RaspberryPi so that it can communicate with the RadioBerry HAT. This is fine except that the DL1YCF version of PiHPSDR also has code in it to use the GPIO pins. This of course causes a conflict and the net result is that nothing works.
Reading through the source code and Makefile I found that all I needed to do was to compile a version of PiHPSDR without GPIO support. This would then remove the conflict and allow the RadioBerry software to operate correctly.
To this end I put together a download/compile/install script for the DL1YCF version of PiHPSDR that will work on a RaspberryPi with a RadioBerry HAT and give the ability to resize the window to fit any size screen.
The script also works on a Linux Desktop PC running Ubuntu/Kubuntu/Linuxmint/Debian operating systems. (It will most likely work on other distro’s too but, these are all I have to hand currently). You can of course also use this software with a Hermes Lite 2 transceiver.
DL1YCF PiHPSDR running on RaspberryPi 4 with RadioBerry HAT on a large monitor
To install this enhanced version of PiHPSDR on your RaspberryPi/Desktop PC with GPIO support disabled, download the installation script below, unzip it and run it in a terminal on your RaspberryPi/Desktop PC in your home directory. (/home/<your-username>).
The script will download the latest source code from the DL1YCF github, disable the GPIO code and then compile and install it to your computer. If installing on a RaspberryPi it will create an icon on the desktop for you to use to start the software.
If installing on a PC then you will need to create your own desktop icon as the one created only works on a RaspberryPi. You can of course just start the software from the command line in a terminal. (My preferred method).
If you have a RaspberryPi 5 then I highly recommend that you run this version of PiHPSDR on it as it has a lot more computing power and handles using dual receive with ease. It will run on a Pi4 but, you will load the CPU more as it’s not as powerful as the later model Pi5.
The script will ask if you want to compile in SOAPYSDR support so that PiHPSDR will work with RTL-SDR, Adalm-Pluto, Pluto+ and LibreSDR. Enter Y to compile in support or N if you don’t need it.
For the last week or so I’ve been playing with a RadioBerry HAT for my RaspberryPi computer. The RadioBerry is a cut down version of the Hermes Lite 2 with just 20mW output power and separate TX and RX antenna ports. It’s a really neat little package that sits on top of a RaspberryPi4/5 and creates a neat little HF transceiver.
RadioBerry HAT
I initially started with the RadioBerry HAT on my Pi5 but, I soon realised that the software really doesn’t work well at all on the Pi5. I’m not 100% sure as to why but, for some reason it holds one core at 100% continuously. It seems that the RadioBerry software is single threaded. The end result is that on the Pi5 you cannot use a sample rate above 9600 before the IQ stream starts to stutter.
By contrast, installing the RadioBerry software onto a Pi4 it performs perfectly upto the maximum sample rate of 384000 without any stuttering. I’ll need to spend some time going through the source code to try and determine why it doesn’t work correctly on a Pi5.
Whilst going through the source I discovered that the developer has put some code in that collects data from the running computer and sends it to the developer’s website. Some of this data is then made public via his website, http://www.pa3gsb.nl/radioberry/api/read.php
One of the things displayed on the website is the Mac address of the RaspberryPi on which the RadioBerry is running. This is a security risk and should never be done!
The most annoying thing is that this is done without authorisation. The installation doesn’t state that it’s going to collect data every time you start your RaspberryPi computer nor does it offer the ability to opt out. It also doesn’t inform the user that it’s going to pass the data on to a third party. In some cases it even collects HAM Radio Callsign and location data and displays it on a public website, a clear breach of the UK/European Data Protection Law.
Finding spyware in open source software is really poor and something most open source developers would never consider doing.
To this end I have disabled the spyware in the version of the RadioBerry software that I am using and am making it available to everyone else to use via this blog.
So, to install the RadioBerry software you just need to download the installation script and run it in a terminal on your RaspberryPi computer.
The script will download the modified source code, compile it and install it on your RaspberryPi ready for you to use.
I encourage everyone that downloads the script and the source code to take a look at it and ensure you are happy with it. It’s important to know what you are running on your computer and what it does.
You can find the spyware code in the register.c file (It’s all commented out with “//” marks). The function now doesn’t pass any data at all to the public website.
I hope some of my readers who are experimenting with the RadioBerry transceiver find this useful.
I will soon be publishing an article on an enhanced version of PiHPSDR from DL1YCF to use with the the RadioBerry to complete the project.
Important Update:
There is an issue with the RadioBerry code that renders it useless if you use a kernel later than the version shown below:
Updating the O/S Kernel to any version later than the version shown above will stop the RadioBerry software from working. Recompiling of the code also fails due to the Kernel update and at the time of writing this cannot be fixed without a code rewrite by the original developer.
I also recommend that once you have built a working RadioBerry on a RaspberryPi 4 you should disable the automatic updates of the O/S to stop the system from failing in the future.
You can disable the automatic updates by entering the following commands into a terminal:
Many years ago when I lived in France I had a Flex-3000 transceiver, one of the first fully SDR transceivers on the market. It was paired with a proprietary Windows XP application called PowerSDR (now Opensource and called Thetis) and connected via a firewire connection.
17 years later I am once again venturing into the world of SDR transceivers in the form of a Hermes Lite 2. (HL2)
The HL2 hardware is available via the Makerfabs website in kit form. I ordered the HL2 motherboard, the N2ADR Filter Board to ensure a clean signal from the transceiver and the enclosure. Total cost for all the parts and shipping was £288.00 including all taxes.
The kit took about 10 or so days to arrive and was very easy to put together making sure to fit the PA transistor heat sink the right way round so that it doesn’t short out the main board. (There are many videos about this on YouTube)
Once the hardware was put together I needed to install some software to control/drive the HL2. Being a heavy weight Linux user my software choice had to come from the Opensource world.
M0AWS Hermes Lite 2 SDR Trasnceiver and Xiegu XPA125B Amplifier
After much research and chatting with other HAMs on the Matrix who have the HL2 I found that most people use the closed source SDR Console software to control the transceiver. Since this software is for Windows it’s not something I can use as I don’t have any Windows PCs, they’re all Linux only.
To this end I started researching Linux SDR software for the HL2 and decided that PiHPSDR was the one I was going to try first.
PiHPSDR was originally written for the RaspberryPi 3/4/5 single board computers (SBCs) but, I wanted to have a go at compiling it on my Kubunu Linux desktop PC. I found it straight forward to follow the instructions in the pihpsdr-install.pdf file and in no time at all I had the software compiled and running.
PiHPSDR running on Kubuntu Linux 22.04LTS
PiHPSDR is infinitely configurable and thus it feels like it has an infinite number of menus and options. Since the HL2 has two separate receivers, it’s possible to listen to two bands at the same time. This is the one feature I really missed more than anything with my FTDX10 so, I’m glad to have dual receive capability back once more!
Going through all the settings I realised that the A and B VFOs have individual settings. Initially I setup the software using just VFO A but, when I switched over to VFO B none of my settings were there. I then had the realisation that the settings apply only to the active VFO. I quickly went through all the settings again for VFO B and all was well.
In no time at all I was on the air with just 5w as my Xiegu amp hadn’t arrived. Not being perturbed I tuned up on the 15m band and started searching for stations. Interestingly it was CQWW SSB weekend and the band was full of contest stations. Working my way along the spectrum I found I was able to work quite a few stations with ease using my vertical and inverted-L antennas.
Contacts of note were VE3KG at 3406 Miles, VE3JM at 3382 Miles, RW9DX at 2380 Miles, KC1XX at 3331 Miles and N1DE at 3600 Miles. I also worked a bunch of European stations and had a great time giving away points with my little QRP rig.
Contests are a good time to try out new radios as all the big stations with good ears are on the bands and make the effort to get us QRP guys in their logs.
I have been extremely impressed with the receivers in the HL2 radio. It handles both strong and weak stations exceptionally well. PiHPSDR really does have brick-wall filtering and I was able to work the weaker stations right next to large contest stations with ease. At no time did the front-end of the receiver get overloaded.
Below is a short video clip of a conversation on the 80m band. The band was quite noisy however, with a reduction of the AGC gain and the 2700Hz filter it’s possible to remove almost all the noise.
Hermes Lite 2 SSB reception on the 80m Band
On CW the radio is a real delight. With the filtering and AGC gain control I am able to use extremely narrow receive filters without any ringing whatsoever. I would say that on CW the HL2 is as good as my FTDX10 when it comes to receiving even the weakest of stations.
I’m sure on paper the FTDX10 receiver has better numbers however, to the ear there really is no discernible difference.
Below is a short video clip of D4DX on CW on the 80m band. The band was noisy but, with the 100Hz filter enabled and clever use of the AGC Gain I was able to remove almost all the noise completely, reducing fatigue on the ears and making reception very easy even though there was some fairly deep QSB at times.
Receiving D4DX on CW on the 80m band using 100Hz filter and reduced AGC gain
A few days later my Xiegu XPA125B amplifier arrived. Unfortunately the amp didn’t come with the normal PTT lead that comes from the factory and is detailed in the user manual. For some bizarre reason this is a chargeable option when you buy the amp from Martin Lynch and Sons even though it is included from the factory.
This meant I had to make a lead which was a problem as I didn’t have one of the mini DIN plugs required for the connection to the amplifier. Jumping onto Amazon I ordered a packet of two and sat back and waited for their arrival.
A couple of days later the DIN plugs arrived and I quickly made up the necessary phono/RCA to mini DIN lead and got the amp operational.
The Xiegu XPA125B isn’t cheap but, it’s a really nice bit of kit. The neat little LCD display keeps you informed of power O/P, I/P and O/P SWR, voltage, current draw, temperature and band selected.
With just 0.7w of input from the HL2 I’m able to get a full 100w O/P from the amp. On the lower bands I have to reduce the O/P from the Hermes Lite 2 even further so that I don’t over drive the amp.
Being an avid Short Wave Listener (SWL) I wanted to see how the HL2 performed when listening to the big AM broadcast stations. To my surprise it makes an excellent SWL receiver with better AM demodulation than many of the more expensive radios. Having the option to select receive filters up to 16Khz wide I found I was able to get the best audio possible from many of the broadcast stations including Radio Caroline on 648Khz. It’s quite an improvement over the 12Khz maximum on the FTDX10.
Listening to AM Broadcast stations
What makes this project even more exciting is that both the hardware and software are from the OpenHardware/OpenSource world. The complete circuit diagram, PCB layout and information is available for all to download, something you don’t often see these days!
PiHPSDR is one of the nicest SDR applications I’ve seen in the Linux world and even comes with a 200 page downloadable user manual. Something you don’t see in many Opensource projects. The source code for the application is downloadable and you are able to make your own changes to it without restriction.
Overall I am really pleased with the Hermes Lite 2 SDR transceiver. It has two excellent receivers, is infinitely configurable via the PiHPSDR software and performs extremely well under all conditions. Since getting the radio I haven’t even switched on the FTDX10.
More soon …
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